nothing to say

I got home late from work tonight intending not to blog, but I've been playing around on the Internet for two hours or so and figured now I have no excuse. Except I don't really have anything to say. I started counting the number of days my house has been on the market but that was kind of boring. So I guess now I'm just blogging to blog, which is also pretty boring. I'm out...

bright and shiny

I love the look of a bright and shiny (i.e. lacquered) wall. Living in a house that's 60 years old with plaster walls that are somewhat questionable in their constitution, I haven't been able to indulge in a lacquered finished (although I tried it on the ceiling in our living room--not so great). The long, narrow hallway in the pool house would look amazing lacquered white and hung with black and white family photographs. I can already hear the bickering between Alex and me as we try to create a perfect smooth and shiny surface--it would be the wallpaper project allover again. Here's a look at some people who got it right (images from Elle Decor):

Images below from House Beautiful

what's up with rob van winkle?

curbed.com

If you're "from the 90s" as I often describe myself, then Rob Van Winkle needs no introduction. He is Vanilla Ice. He knew how to "light up the stage and wax a chump like a candle," but what ever happened to the rapper-turned-heroine addict? It turns out that sampling David Bowie and sweet dance moves aren't his only talents--he knows a thing or two about flipping houses. This weekend I stumbled upon The Vanilla Ice Project on DIY network, and I have to admit I'm kind of hooked. Watching Vanilla Ice and his band of tattooed contractors flip a 7,000 square foot home in Palm Beach, Florida is quite inspiring. I wonder if they could make it up to Charlotte for a little mid-century renovation...

tonight's homework

I'm a nerd. Not the kind that becomes a billionaire by the age of 25 by thinking of a social networking site that changes the online world, but the kind that genuinely loves school. I've always liked school, and I actually attended class in college. So tonight my self-assigned homework--working on an inspiration board for the condo I'm decorating--is more fun than work. This is just the beginning of my design process to get my ideas organized--I can't wait to crack open the rubber cement!

the world wide internet machine

I was just playing around on etsy--one of my favorite sites to find everything you could ever want and a lot more of what you would never want--and typed in "mid-century modern furniture" just for kicks (or to satisfy my daydream of decorating the pool house...after we buy it...and renovate it...). Here's a sample of what I found:

fabulousmess

Qnssker

summerland

ChristopherModern

The furniture is great, but then I found this...

StudioTree

How cute is this stocking? For the past two years I've been trying to find stockings for the family that are festive, cute and timeless with a little sass. I think these might be the answer. We could each have a different mid-century icon to call our own. Then again, if the dream of renovating a mid-century home never comes true and we end up in a cookie-cutter on a cul-de-sac, the stockings would seem pretty silly.

trailer, not trash

Assuming our house never sells, which looks more and more likely with each passing day that it sits on the market, Alex and Catcher will probably have to set up shop in the back yard. It's a good thing for them that I recently discovered Cricket Trailer--a stylish way to rough it. As I've said, I'm not into nature and stuff, but how cute is this camper thingy? I may not spend a night under the stars, but I might come and visit the boys in their little hideaway.

Images from Cricket Trailer

the pros

The pool house, with all its minor character flaws and slight aroma of mildew, has some undeniably amazing pros (first of which is location, location, location). Here you see Alex and Catcher embracing the "bringing the outdoors in" concept of mid-century modern architecture. I'll take my morning coffee on the deck overlooking the pool, please...

If you look past the wood paneling (and the pumpkin-colored ceiling), you'll see great floors and classic built-in bookshelves that add to the character of the room. We have plenty to fill the shelves, and I've already come up with a few ideas to make the fireplace more presentable.

The windows and the natural light that shines through them is a treasure (please ignore the crumbling venetian blinds and cesspool in the background).

If I can't convince Alex to go along with my crazy plan of renovating the ugliest house on the block, perhaps the yard can. The house sits on 1.2 acres of playtime bliss--there's no better way to wear out the kids than have them run up and down the hill in between several times a day.