Not Neutral on Neutrals

No matter how many colorful garments hang in my closet, I always find myself reaching for the black sweater, brown skirt, brass-studded belt, white loafers. I know what works for me.

The same is true of interiors.

Images: Apartment Therapy, Remodelista, Delight by Design, Head Over Heels, Covet Garden Issue 6

Products: English Campaign Chair from Kim Fiscus for One Kings Lane, Quail Feather Pillow from Burke Decor, Dark Nostalgia by Eva Hagberg

Dare to Dream: More is More

My wish list is starting to look like the tangled contents of a very luxe jewelry box. Each piece is an organic collage of rhinestones, mixed metallics, and curious specimens- all grafted together to form wild overgrown adornments. 

Amethyst Empress Necklace and Sapphire Garden Earrings by LuisFernando on Etsy, Melded Skull Ring (via The City Sage) and Layer Ring with Feather by Iosselliani, Skull & Flower Drop Earrings by Michael Spirito

The WarLock Wedding: Save the Date!

Adam and I wanted our save-the-date cards to be truly personal... so I designed, letterpressed, and hand-addressed them all myself. Here they are!

The cards are traditional but witty, illustrating a piece of who we are as a couple: we love to dine finely in good company! They are enclosed in shimmery gold envelopes that should gleam in each guest's mailbox. I printed my return address onto the pointed envelope flap, and scripted the recipients' addresses in white ink. My hope is that it will be as exciting for our friends and family to receive this news as it is for us to send it. We absolutely cannot wait to celebrate with everyone!

Photographs & Design © ShocktheBourgeois

Spring Gallery

Last week's visit from a swallowtail butterfly prompted me to add some signs of Spring to my decor, starting with a new gallery wall in my living room.

I've been tweaking my living room for months trying to get it just right. When my workspace was featured in Where We Blog From back in November, my desk occupied the corner by the windows. To make the room more comfortable for my Thanksgiving guests, I rearranged and hung new art (as seen below). 

It was an improvement, but the art looked stale and washed-out to me. Finally, last week I found the solution! The Ikea picture ledges allow me to layer frames for more impact, and their modern lines make my eclectic art collection look more graphic than granny. I also realized that I was using the wrong metallic- doesn't that antiqued gold look warm and rich against my mauvey-gray walls? I'm still waffling on adding more color to my decor, but for now, a little glimpse of blue sky goes a long way!

The cloud painting is a promo postcard from an art gallery, and my set of vintage butterfly prints ($5 on eBay years ago) acknowledge the season. The framed W (for WarLock, of course) is perhaps my cheapest and easiest DIY to date. I picked up the golden letter ornament for $1 at Restoration Hardware, mounted it directly onto the cardboard backer of the Ikea frame, and added a guinea feather for good measure. Under $20, under 20 minutes, and I love it. It ties the colors and textures of other pieces together, and the curved line of the feather balances the arrangement. It also happens to be a preview of the themes I'm using for the wedding... so I get a little "I-can't-wait" thrill every time I look at it!

The last and best addition to the living room is the industrial swing-arm wall lamp, a lucky $30 find at Jeremy's in Berkeley. I'd purchased it for my bedroom, but it did something amazing for this formerly  unlit and unloved corner: it turned it into the coziest nook in the house.

I think I'm finally on to something. Anyone else redecorating this Spring?

Our Cabinet of Curiosities

I blog so often about cabinets of curiosity, it seems only fair to share my own...

Our petite cabinet of curiosities resides in the living room. The cabinet itself was a Craig's List find, purchased for $50 in Seattle, from a very kind woman helping her elderly friend downsize. I was so in love with the uncommon greige finish and elegant shape, I made Adam take an afternoon off to help me load it into a borrowed car, back down a perilous driveway, and inch it up our steep and narrow staircase. When we finally got it inside, I found a booklet full of neatly penned notes comparing bottles of scotch tucked into a drawer. Imagining that this might have been a little old lady's liquor cabinet still makes me giggle!

We've filled it with treasures, valuable for otherwise. Beautiful art books and vintage ephemera mingle  with found objects and natural oddities. Adam's collection of laboratory glassware stands next to 20 years worth of my beach-combing souvenirs. My alligator head grins from the second shelf, with a mouthful of foreign coins. The cabinet is home to items inherently beautiful and sentimental, like my Great-Grandmother's china teacup (or a vial of kitten teeth!)

I papered the back of the cabinet with pages from a tattered old Japanese & English dictionary: yet another layer of meaning for the curious observer.

How do you display your most prized belongings and mementos?

Our First Christmas Tree!

After 5 Christmases spent moving, traveling, in tiny apartments, or in separate states, Adam and I finally got to bring home our very own tree. We chose a noble fir that's just my size. Really- just over 5 feet tall! We tucked it into a formerly dark corner of our kitchen & dining room, where it can be appreciated from all over the apartment. Doesn't it sparkle?

We haven't yet acquired any sentimental ornaments, but luckily I had a stash of simple bulbs purchased at post-holiday sales- small and gold, vibrant chartreuse, and huge crackled silver. Instead of hanging them with wire, I used little snippets of green and lavender ribbon to add more color to the tree. Sprigs of glittery leaves catch the light, and acrylic crystals are a glamorous (yet cat-safe!) adornment. I topped off our tree with a curious pair of wintry owls.

I might shop for a few collectible ornaments to add as we get closer to Christmas, but for now the tree is decorated entirely in things I already owned. Affordable, easy, and a perfect fit for my existing color palette!

Here & Now: Our Living Room

I don't know if you can tell from this photo, but energy levels are pretty low here today.

I find myself in the mid-holiday doldrums, and since we polished off the last bits of Ferdinand last night, I can't blame it on the tryptophan! After a lively weekend with my family, I'm downright exhausted. But, before I add a shot of espresso to my hot chocolate and start lighting this place up for Christmas, I thought I'd give you a few peeks at our living room.

I used my family's visit as an excuse to shuffle the furniture, and I'm pleased with how it turned out! As you might remember from my Where We Blog From pictures, my desk used to be situated by the window, an arrangement that wasn't terribly welcoming to guests. I switched the positions of my workspace and our petite sofa, and finally the living room looks just right. My desk is now nestled into a corner with our bookcases, creating a snug home office. The settee now has a better angle on the television and the perfect vantage point for our busy street view. There's more floor space for Phinney's antics and more wall space for art!

If you're an astute observer, you'll notice I've got new art on the walls. The large piece is actually...

My beloved feather placemats, aka my blog header! Daily use had caused them to molt heavily, and they were looking pretty pitiful on my table. The frame and matting was a freebie from an old job, and I'd never found artwork that was a good fit- but I loved the antiqued gold edge on the frame, and it was the perfect focal point for my new gallery wall above the couch. So, I simply layered in the placemats for an abstract look that compliments my soft neutral color scheme!

I'm using a neutral palette for my holiday decor as well, with lots of silver and gold. Adam and I are getting our very first Christmas tree tonight, and I can't wait to show it off!

Still Giving Thanks

So many thanks to my family who came down from Seattle to spend Thanksgiving with us! We had a busy weekend sharing our favorite shops and sights, being the only 5 people in Berkeley pleased to see the Huskies beat Cal, and feasting upon Ferdinand the turkey.

Mom apparently had Thanksgiving and Christmas confused, because she arrived bearing gifts (who was I to correct her?). This week's blog posts may have a "wonderful thing my Mom got me" theme! For instance, she brought me this charming little pitcher, which not only had the perfect sentiment for the occasion, but also matched my table setting. How does she do that? 

Ferdinand turned out to be the most marvelous turkey I've ever eaten: tender, fragrant, and slightly apple-flavored thanks to his cider and Calvados brine. We'll be enjoying him on sandwiches and in soup for several more days, along with leftover mashed red potatoes, sourdough & green apple stuffing, cinnamon-spiced cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie!

I got a bit caught up in family and food and forgot to take pictures of my Thanksgiving table, but my bouquet of roses, cabbage, and feather sprays is still looking lovely and reminding me of all of our holiday fun. Mom, Dad, Drew (and Ellie & Paige), I miss you already!

I swear I'm still feeling the soporific effects of all of this sumptuous fowl, so I'm spending the day with the Nutcracker ballet and a pile of December magazines. Can it be time to decorate for Christmas already?

How was your Thanksgiving?

Here & Now: Our Dining Room "After"

My dining table has made many appearances on this blog- usually as the backdrop for one of Adam's gourmet creations. I'm feeling brave today, and I thought I'd show you how it fits into our dining room (or our dining alcove, to be more accurate).

For those of you who've started reading recently, last year (at about this time) Adam and I were informed that his job would be moving from Seattle to Berkeley. We had very little time to decide our course of action- and only a weekend to find a new home in California. Our apartment was selected for its practicality rather than its prettiness. In fact, it was downright ugly. If you don't believe me, check out the "before" pictures here. 

The only remotely charming feature of the otherwise bland apartment was the bay window in the dining area. I thought, "I can do something with this." And I think I did.

John Derian for Target (Please Sir, may I have some more?)

John Derian's website is pleasure spiked with pain for me- I want one of everything but can't afford one of anything. When I heard that he'd be designing a collection for Target, I was ecstatic (especially when I found out that everything would be under $25).

Of course, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the goods, so I joined Gilt Groupe and snagged a few pieces at their preview sale.

I'm usually hesitant to buy melamine (I prefer the look and quality of glass, ceramic, wood and metal... and I don't want my apartment to look like a daycare center), but items like this feather tray don't disappoint!

The line launches this Sunday, September 5th. Needless to say, I'll be one of the crazies lining up early.

Setting the Table

Last weekend Adam and I got over a major hurdle in our new apartment: we actually invited people inside. This wasn't just the first time we'd entertained, it was also the first time in weeks we'd eaten something other than macaroni and cheese. Definitely an occasion for a pretty table!

A guest brought us calla lilies cut from his own yard.
They were a perfect complement for the table (and a perfect compliment to the host!).

Adam decided to serve his chilled flank steak on a bed of wild rice, garnished with bleu cheese crumbles, mint leaf chiffonade, and a drizzle of pomegranate balsamic reduction. I assembled my tablescape with the textures and colors of the food in mind.

Fresh and airy linens for a simple Spring meal.

Red glass bowls with the same color and gleam as Adam's pomegranate & vinegar syrup. 

Scalloped feather placemats to match the confetti neutrals of the wild rice.

Crisp white plates, sparkling glassware, and some tarnished silver for a rustic touch.

An elegant table- just the thing to keep the focus on the food (and off of the last pile of moving boxes in the corner!).

Show & Tell: BYW Mood Board

Hello my lovely, patient readers! As you may have noticed, I've been here, there, and everywhere... except on my blog. I've been purchasing (more on that later), adventuring (more on that later), and learning from the great blogging masters: this winter I enrolled in Blogging Your Way, an e-class taught by the estimable Holly Becker of Decor8. 

Our latest assignment was to create a mood board. I was excited to break out my scissors and get clipping- until I remembered that my prodigious stash of snippets, magazines, and what-not was in another state. Drat! I started hunting through the odds and ends that I had on hand: the clipboard for my to-do list, some finds from my weekend jaunt through Pike Place Market with the delightful Maggie of Magchunk, a favorite necklace, a photo of my neurotic cat...

I was surprised (and for the sake of BYW, totally relieved) to see how beautiful it all looked when assembled. 

Voila. A mood board, and a glimpse at the aesthetic I'll be infusing into my new apartment and the new website for Shock the Bourgeois! (I told you we have a lot of catching up to do!)

Feathered Finery

Perhaps you've noticed my fondness for decorating with fowl and feather. A faux crow, a wise little owl or two, a pair of birdcages... you don't have to go out on limb to guess that I'm pretty much tickled by all of the avian accessories abound this holiday season. I don't have a nest to feather this year, but perhaps I should start collecting now?

These are perfect for the neutral and natural Christmas that I've been envisioning. Envisioning these on the tree with metallic trimmings makes my heart flutter.

Feathered Orb Trio from Anthropologie

On the trip to Sky Nursery to adopt the family Christmas tree I spotted these rather glamorous plumes tucked into the branches of a display tree. Very stylish- similar to the black feathers that Cassandra of Coco + Kelley used.

Just the thing for an elegant holiday dinner. The placemats are a lovely way to add texture to a white tableclothed spread. I have four that I'm planning on using under centerpieces! The Quill flatware is so fanciful, I think that a pair of spreaders would suffice.

Guinea Feather Placemat from Jayson Home & Garden, Quill Flatware from Pottery Barn

I love the simplicity of this calendar- such beautiful way to watch the year fly by, and an excellent gift (in fact, I think one would really soften up my home office, *hint, hint*).

Year of Feathers Calendar by The Wild Unknown, as featured by Design*Sponge