Steven Sclaroff - colorful upholstery, Kate's apartment and vintage finds

I want to find some cheap chairs and learn how to make them look like this:

Why stop at fabric? When you know how to upholster chairs this well, you can use leather too.

These pictures are all from the website of Steven Sclaroff, who helped design Kate and Andy Spade's apartment (which I love because it's what life would look like if we lived inside a lollipop.)

See?

In addition to making me want to upholster things, looking at Steven Sclaroff's website also makes me want to go back to Cambridge Antinque Market and scour for cool vintage items like this chair

and this umbrella stand.

My new month resolution will be to find an umbrella stand like this one for $25 or less. If it's not red, I will paint it. Come on, March, make it happen. Just in time for April showers.

Pops of yellow in every room of the house

The thing is, I don't even like yellow that much. But I guess there's something to be said for things that are the color of the sun. Especially when it's freeeezing cold out side.

It helps if the yellow object in question is in the form of a blanket draped across an elegant Parisian bed

(Marie Claire Maison)

(While you're looking at that room, please note the way the purple rugs are layered. Not sure if I could take that seriously if I saw it in a real house, but it's kind of fun to look at in a picture, don't you think?).

What about sunny yellow lampshades? Why sure.

(Domino)

Red and yellow usually remind me of Wendy's, but this room somehow evades that connotation. 

Since the first portion of this post is shaping up to be all about yellow in the bedroom, here's a dash of Rubie Green 

(Domino)

and a sprinkle of lemon yellow sheets from Anthropologie, too.

(Anthropologie)

Mmmm, I guess I like yellow more than I thought. Since it's such a summery color, I'll include one room that definitely has a beach house vibe to it. Yellow and white stripes + blue = total cabana vibe, but that's A-OK with me. 

(It's mid-February in Boston, people. If you asked me in July what I thought of this room, I would probably say I liked it but that it reminded me of Zach and Kelly's summer job. One last fling at the Malibu Sands Beach Club before graduating from Bayside High. But seriously, right now I am so deep in the winter doldrums that I just don't even care. If this were my room, Zach and Kelly could spend the night and we'd all have a cookout on the beach and race ATVs on the sand.)

Let's move on. More yellow in the living room ...

so fresh and crisp with white pleats and pom pom detailing on pillows. I love the way the poms echo the round shapes of the lamp.

Wallpaper is a bit permanent, so here's something a little more flexible ... a throw blanket and a couple of pillows. Don't forget the flowers.

Yellow works in the kitchen, too. I love the pale color of this roman shade, and the even paler yellow of the cushions on the stools.

Does that little girl have ice cream? Oh, I want ice cream. In fifty degrees Farenheit more, I will indulge.

As lovely as this all is, I still would never be able to commit. But the good news is, lots and lots of flowers are yellow.

This arrangement in particular catches my eye.

One flower per vase? I could handle that.

What about you? Are you a true-blue fan of yellow, or do you only turn to it when the weather is frigid and you're in need of warmth?

Tasteful decor: Gumballs and lollipops

Colorful rooms

sometimes remind me of gumballs.

And I kind of like that. I also like stacks of colorful latte bowls

(Anthropologie)

and pillows with candy colorful prints.

(John Robshaw)

This last picture is from Kate and Andy Spade's apartment.

Yes, Kate knows color. It's like living in a lollipop!

Fun with two-toned walls

In an earlier post, I said I'm not usually a fan of accent walls, but that this room won me over anyway. It's not technically an "accent wall," as a commenter pointed out. It turns a corner. It doesn't ever end abruptly -- it's framed by molding at the top and by the window frame on the left. I wonder what the other side looks like?

(Apartment Therapy)

Then I stumbled across this photo.

(Southern Accents)

Ah, here we are again! Except instead of an accent wall and a half, it's a half accent wall. I like it. A chair rail along the top would probably date it. Somehow, it's fresh looking as it is.

Jolts of color for January

The start of a new year always makes me crave bright, fresh colors. Not springy pastels. I need something much brighter in the cold and overcast Boston.

Fuscia flowers do the trick.

(Domino Magazine)

So do these chair cushions. So cheerful, yet in a cozy velvet.

(Mary McGee)

Now imagine that you're walking home from work. It's been snowing, and there is slush on the streets. It's 4:30 p.m. and pitch dark outside, because that's what happens in the Northeast. You open the front door to your house, and you walk into this:

(Austin Patterson)

Wouldn't that pink chair be nice thing to see everytime you walked through the door? I think so. In fact, I think any jolt of bright color makes a home feel so much cheerier in the winter.

Take this next picture, for example. I'm not usually a huge fan of accent walls. But this room has reopened my mind to the possibilities.

(Apartment Therapy)

It's definitely the architectural details that make the brightly colored wall work. The gently arched window, the oddly shaped closet that juts out ever so slightly, and the single pendant lamp hanging over the wooden table. It's so simple and fresh.

I've been stashing away different fabrics to use for pillows in my living room, but not of them feels quite right. After seeing these pictures, I'm thinking I need something bright. Pink velvet? It's tempting ...

Colorful bedding for my alter ego

This is my sister's puppy. His name is Tommy. If you hang out with him enough, you will come to realize that he is perfect. He never misbehaves, and knows "sit," "lie down," and "roll over" exceptionally well for a four-month old pup.

But, Tommy has an alter ego name Roger. Roger is very, very naughty. He occasionally forgets to ask to go outside, and finds an inside corner instead. His teeth are as shop as staples -- in a heartbeat, they will tear through pajama pants you've had since 1993.

As you can see, Roger and Tommy are the identical kind of cute.

Tommy and his alter ego are slightly related my post today. You see, for a couple of years now, I have been all about crisp, white sheets. I still am.

(Hudson Park)

But for some reason, on the first evening of 2010, I found myself staring lovingly into my screen. At these sheets:

(Drowsy Vine sheets by Plover Organic)

And these:

(Azure Vine sheets by Plover Organic)

And even this colorful quilt:

(Lilac Crescent/Gold Waves by Plover Organic)

Tommy the puppy has an alter ego. It appears I do, too, and she loves colorful patterns.

You know what else my alter ego loves? The guest room in Amanda Peet's apartment. I know this because these pictures have been filed for later for a long time now.

I love the varying shades of blue and silver, and the occasional pop of red or yellow.

Color, color, everywhere. It's so refreshing! Perfect for the new year.