Vintage Glam Part Deux

So here we are. Our client Janeka's home is finally complete and we finally have some pictures to prove it. 

We dished about her amazing master bedroom/bath here and man, has that room been the belle of the ball, becoming our most popular room ever, even getting a feature on Apartment Therapy. 
This is where we started back in December with the living and dining rooms:





The walls had been painted in Coastal Fog by Benjamin Moore before we got hired. A soothing color that I loved, but y'all know that I loves me some color so I knew right away that we needed a splash of something bold so added the orange accent wall. She had already painted the main stairway wall in orange so this would connect the two areas. Now, I did this without her knowledge.  But my clients place a lot of faith in me so I hoped she'd let me get away with it. Thankfully she was happy as punch that I pulled that caper so whew. No drama there.

 

 



 



Before I meet with a client, they complete a detailed questionnaire about their likes and dislikes, their wish list for their home. From her questionnaire, I learned that Janeka loved old Hollywood and fashionable women so I thought it would be fitting to feature some icons in her space. Black and white images of Audrey Hepburn, Eartha Kitt and Dorothy Dandridge did the trick, holding court in this glam space.

Does the sofa seem familiar? I hinted about it here a few weeks ago? We selected this very budget-friendly and comfortable one from Macys. I jazzed it up with some custom designed pillows made with some very budget-friendly fabric finds. The orange/white fabric was on the pricier so I got just enough for the front and did the back using fabric that was a whopping $2 a yard! Tricks of the trade. 

We sanded and painted her old coffee table and sprayed the knobs in gold. We then dressed it up even more with a gold tray (also painted) and added some other fun candle holders, the orchid and leather storage box.



 

I turned Janeka into a lover of vintage furniture. She scored these side chairs while thrifting for clothes (among her favorite past-times). I picked them up - in Palm Beach no less - which is an hour away! Then had them reupholstered with that black and herringbone fabric combo. The legs too got a facelift with some gold paint.

Every room needs a cozy corner to snuggle up to. Her dog Pepper certainly agrees and has officially claimed this as his little zone. The chaise is from Target and we added the nail head details to give it a custom look.

 

Man, finding this foyer table was a doozy. I definitely wanted to do some repurposing on this project for budget reasons and to keep in line with her wish for a vintage vibe. After weeks of searching thrift stores from Palm Beach to Miami, we finally found this battered and bruised one for $40 bucks at one of my faves, Faith Farm. It was an old credenza and at first I thought it was way  too low but we then realized it has adjustable legs. You CANNOT imagine the hallelujah dance I did when we discovered it. Fitting it inside my SUV was no easy feat but man that truck can hold its own! We then sanded and painted and voila. I'll share details on all the DIY projects next week. 

The mirrored side tables add just the perfect touch of glamor, topped off with fun accessories for a bit of whimsy and those lamps, what a statement! I also wanted the side tables and lamps to silver to help balance out some of the gold we had on other items. Yep, it's definitely okay to mix metals.

 

The stairway was a perfect place for a gallery wall. Inexpensive frames from Ikea and Target did the trick here. The pendant is another amazing find from Overstock.com, I think I'm officially obsessed with that store. The beautiful thing about a gallery wall is that you can make it grow with you so I've encouraged her to continue to add more framed photos of other milestone moments.  



Now, let's eat. And drink. Let's check out the dining room.

 

We repurposed her original glass dining table, but spray painted the base in gold as well. Those black and white silk drapes we scored on Overstock as well. They made me swoon. Literally. They make such a statement. As does that chandelier from Eurostyle Lighting. 

 

Ohhh, these cane chairs! Talk about scouring the thrift stores once again. These I found early one Sunday morning at ChabadThrift in Fort Lauderdale. The owner was kind enough to let me have the chairs without the matching dining table. Another steal at just $75 for the four. Again, sanded and painted then adorned with that amazing fabric from another fabric store fave, Designer Discount Fabric. The base is from her original table which we reused here. 

 

No vintage inspired dining room is complete withouth a bar cart. But finding an affordable cart aint no joke - even on Craigslist! I searched for weeks and finally found this one at Home Goods at the 11th hour! Divine intervention? Did I mention that I had to ward off two other women who spotted it at the same time I did? My days of running track and field definitely paid off that night.  

 

Last but not least, her amazing pup Pepper needed to leave his stamp in this home. He received his own gallery wall on the wall facing the sofa. Love that pup, as did Xavier who tried to hug and kiss him to pieces. Priceless. That's all folks. As always, please share your thoughts, feedback. Could you live with an orange wall? What furniture have you repurposed recently and was it worth all the hard work? Holla.



Vintage Black Glamour

There's nothing sexier to me than a black and white photo. It shows you people, things, places in their most unadorned state, stripped bare if you will, so we can appreciate their simplicity.
A few months ago, I stumbled across the Facebook page of Vintage Black Glamour and was instantly smitten with the beautiful, rarely seen images of famous black folks and some not so famous black folks.
VBG is the brainchild of writer Nichelle Gainer whose goal, according to a recent NPR profile, was to start a book project showcasing a collection of rarely seen historical photos of actors, educators, writers, students, musicians and more — all African-American.
The book is still in a work in progress, so Gainer decided to share her photo finds and now curates the Vintage Black Glamour Tumblr blog, the Facebook page and Pinterest account.
They are some of the most beautiful images out there, and so of course, I had to share.Take a peek.

I think you know by the looks of those legs, that that is the one and only Tina Turner.

I would pay good money to know what had Harry Belafonte and Martin Luther King laughing so hard. I love this photo. 

Man, that Eartha Kitt had the presence to make a room, and staircases smoulder. 

You didn't think Josephine Baker ran out and got her pedicure done in the streets right? But only she could don a leopard print number and look so fab as her feet got some pedicure action.

Diahann Carroll with designers Bob Mackie and Ray Aghayan adjusting her fab gown for the 1975 Academy Awards. Ms. Carroll was nominated in the Best Actress category for her role in the film, “Claudine.” 

Okay, that mischievous grin on Sidney Poitier's face is priceless. What oh what, were he and Nat "King" Cole up to that night at the 1963 Oscars at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

Ah, Toni Morrison. You are Beloved.

Red Foxx and Nina Simone chillin in 1959. To this day, Sanford and Son is among my all time favorite television shows. 

Aretha Franklin. Nuff said.

The poet, Langston Hughes.

Kudos to Gainer for curating this collection, and shining a light on these rarely seen images. Can't wait for the book which will make a great coffee table book, don't you think?  

Lord Jezus, it's Apartment Therapy!

Lord Jezus, it's a fire!
Yep, that's me in my Sweet Brown voice helping y'all understand that things are on fire over here in our little Miami world. *If you don't know who Sweet Brown is, then that video will definitely enlighten ya. Brace yourself!
Anywho, I digress. If we thought 2012 was a killer year, watch out 2013. To start the year off, here comes this little feature on non other than Apartment Therapy. It's no easy feat having your work showcased here, so I kinda squealed out loud when I got the email on Sunday that they'd selected our client Janeka's Master Bedroom makeover to feature this week. Hot Dog!
In addition to this, we're in the midst of a negotiating some other major ishes this week so yes, yes, keep us in your prayers. Now go forth and check out all the goodies on Apartment Therapy. Love that site!  P.S. Happy Hump Day!