Here & Now: Winter Light

Winter decorating is all about brightening up a dark house, and adding some glamour to a season otherwise bundled up in fleece and flannel.

I arranged my collection of apothecary jars on top of the china cabinet, where the glass and a garland of glittered fronds catch the light through our bay windows. Each vessel contains a speckled mercury glass vase (remnants from our wedding decor). In the evenings I turn on flickering LED candles and the effect is magical: golden glow and silver reflections on every surface.

Our new chandelier is dressed for the season as well, sporting candles with a gilded finish. There's certainly no rule that says you can't accessorize an accessory!

How do you add extra light and sparkle to your space?

Shedding Some Light

You didn't have to say it- I could tell. You really wanted anther look at that incredible candelabra I lit up this Thanksgiving. You're welcome.

It is amazing, isn't it? My Mom gave this to me at my bridal shower, adding to the tally of surprising but perfectly spot-on gifts she's given me. SHE, is amazing, isn't she?

It's a traditional shape done (baubles and all) in wire. Dark gray with black tapers, it creates a lively silhouette against the soft white curtains of the dining alcove while casting a warm glow down on the dining table. Romantic and just a little off-kilter. Love it.

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?

Dare to Dream: Crowning Glory

Discovery of the weekend: editing html comes about as easily to me as calculus. There's a certain college math professor out there who gets that joke, and we're both grimacing. Actually, one of us is crying a little bit.

I'm comforting myself with a brief online window-shopping break. Because that's what comes easily to me. One might even say that I rule at it. Take, for example, the ceiling lamp that would look divinely right in my living room...

Crown Ceiling Light in Gold, Shades of Light

The price is (surprisingly) much less outrageous than the shape, but I'm still putting this on my "Ha, I wish" list. Today's true dare to dream? A professional to straighten up the royal mess I've made of this poor blog...

Dare to Dream: A Better Light

When I'm grumbling about my apartment, one of my favorite topics is lighting. Our space came with ceiling lights that our landlord must have found on deep discount in 1989. They've got shiny yellow-gold  trim and a glass bowls that are impossible to remove, but always filled with dead bugs (seriously, how do they get in there?). They're really not doing much for my complexion either.

I'd like to imagine that everything would take on a more glamorous aspect under the glow and sparkle of a chandelier. Our large television would become a miniature theatre, I'd start calling my living room my "salon," and late morning coffee in my robe and slippers would clearly be more aristocratic than unemployed, right?

These unusual chandeliers are among my favorites at Lucca Great Finds in Seattle. They're on my wish list (along with the extra foot of ceiling height I'd need to make them feasible in our apartment...).

Girl About Town: Berkeley's H. Julien

Strolling on Shattuck Avenue late one night, Adam and I saw a strange and unearthly green glow emanating from a favorite shop. Curious, we approached- as several other passersby did the same. We all gathered at the window, mesmerized, like a dopey crowd in some 1950s sci-fi flick. Finally someone said, "What are they?"

No, not space invaders. The work of local artist Dave Meeker- composed entirely of drinking straws.

Meeker's straw lamps and bowls, in the neons that have been so haute in summer fashion, seem very much at home amongst the sculptural succulents at H. Julien. If you're familiar with this East Bay shop and floral design studio, you'll know that this pairing is just further proof of principal Howard Arendtson's brilliance. His displays are always a study in contrasts: soft mosses on industrial metal shelving, vibrantly-colored orchid specimens against deeply brown walls, gleaming metallics juxtaposed with earthy ceramics. Just walking into the dark and cavernous shop is an experience- and with the addition of Meeker's creations, it's downright surreal.

Arendtson's styling gives unexpected versatility to these bizarre plastic forms. Some are suspended in branches like Dr. Seuss pompoms, some are clustered like prickly plant life, another mimics a sea urchin amongst true aquatic curiosities. While outlandish, massive, and bright, they somehow don't distract from  the H. Julien merchandise. Like I said, it's a brilliant pairing.

Meeker's pieces will be on display until the end of the month. If you'd like to see them for yourself, I'd recommend you go twice- once during normal business hours, once after dark for full effect!

Here & Now: Chiaroscuro

My plants and I are enjoying the trickle of sunshine that comes through our front window.

When I painted the living room I left the strips of wall surrounding the windows white. It wasn't a stylistic decision: I just didn't feel like going to the trouble of scrubbing and taping all the metal window trim! I think I'll pretend it was on purpose. The difference in color is subtle, but the white seems to multiply every beam of light in this shady room. 

What do you think?

Girl Around Town: Art & Muse

This afternoon I went adventuring to Queen Anne to see a family friend's art displayed at Muse Coffee.

For a better look at Anita's work, check out her Etsy store. 

I'm dying to have a copy of her Architect's Alphabet...

I fell in love with Muse and its chic loft aesthetic. If only I had splurged on the converted factory loft apartment in Berkeley... then I too could have a wooden moose head, a pair of scribbly-note chandeliers, ornate hanging divider panels, and perhaps even a chair swinging from the rafters. Oh, for high ceilings and exposed brick!

Anyway, if you live on Queen Anne and your apartment sucks, I highly recommend that you indulge in the supremely rich espresso and equally flavorful decor at Muse!

An Easier Decision, I Suppose

I've long debated between two favorite candelabras...

This one, from Wisteria

Or the 20-Taper Tabletop Candelabrum from Sundance Catalogue

So similar, so equally dramatic- I could hardly decide which to spend my imaginary $100 on. Apparently the hypothetical decision is made for me, as I can no longer locate the former on the Wisteria website. Well, drat!

Seattle Favorite: Pat Gallagher's Sculptural Lighting

When you're young, broke, and living in a standard-sized (read: miniscule) apartment, art can be the last thing on your mind. Original art works are pricey, and it's hard to justify buying sculpture if there's no place to put it without bumping into it. That's why I like to seek out pieces that unite form and function, like these light fixtures by Seattle artist Pat Gallagher. After all, you can always use another lamp- especially one with a delightfully steampunk aesthetic that makes you want to brood in the amber glow of its Edison bulb and invent a time machine...

Images Courtesy of Pat Gallagher

Each fixture is completely one-of-a-kind, an amalgamation of found industrial objects infused with new utility. They are forward-thinking ingenuity (the epitome of green design) under the guise of historical permanence. This is exactly the kind of art that Adam and I can agree on- I admire the grace of their curving forms, he'd pick one up and admire how dang heavy these things are! And did I mention that the lamps are extremely affordably priced? We're talking "snap one up for Christmas and still have change jingling in your pocket" prices...

For more information about Pat Gallagher's art, be sure to stop by his website. Better yet, check out his pieces for yourself- Mr. Gallagher will also be selling his sculpture and photography at the Pratt Holiday Art Sale, and you can see new work on display at Avanti Art & Design at the Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk tomorrow!