Weekend Spoils

Happy Monday. Hope everyone had a great weekend. It flooded here on Saturday, but other than that it was okay. It was flea market weekend, and while I usually hit it up on Friday, I had other plans that day so I managed to squeeze in a Sunday visit. Friday, I hit a local estate sale in the waning hours of the day and scored some goodies . . .

This vintage La Barge mirror is huge and heavy (do you see my black doors? that's a post in itself but I'm waiting for new knobs before the official reveal).

An adorable vintage wicker elephant garden seat/table. Paint him any color or leave him au naturel (that seems to be the trend now). 

And if you follow me on Instagram (and if you don't, please do), you may have already seen this vintage Mexican wool blanket. Seriously some of the most vivid colors I've seen. 

The flea was packed with vendors and people on Sunday all glad to see some clear skies. I picked up a piece of art . . . 

I'm obsessed with the colors in this thing. Looks like a watercolor but it's an oil or acrylic. 

Then, of course, some brass just because . . . 

Also, on Friday, my upholsterer delivered these beauties (which you might also have seen if you follow me on Instagram. Hint: you should follow me on Instagram to see things first) . . .

Brnos meet Zimba, Zimba meet Brnos. A little chartreuse never hurt anyone. 

The exciting thing is that I may not be keeping all these things (well, not exciting for me exactly), but selling them. So, stay tuned for more details in the days and weeks to come.

What is Traditional?

For some people, traditional = boring. Blah. It's often hard to define traditional in terms of interior design. Attitudes change. Tastes change. I must admit, in the past, I've had less than favorable impressions of what's considered "traditional" decor. However, that might be changing a bit. Why, you ask? Well, it started with this month's issue of Traditional Home. I don't subscribe to TH, but my sister does and when she texted me this photo from this month's issue, it prompted me to buy it off the newsstand yesterday.

Source: traditionalhome.com via My Interior Life on Pinterest

My love for sputnik chandeliers is no secret, so I wanted to see more. Here are some more shots from that home in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood . . .

Source: traditionalhome.com via My Interior Life on Pinterest

Source: traditionalhome.com via My Interior Life on Pinterest

But the feature that really got to me was the Hollywood home shared by designer Joe Lucas (co-owner of the shop Harbinger) and his partner David Heikka, a visual concept guru for Juicy Couture. 

Source: traditionalhome.com via My Interior Life on Pinterest

Source: traditionalhome.com via My Interior Life on Pinterest

Isn't it fab?

Source: traditionalhome.com via My Interior Life on Pinterest

And there were two other features I found interesting too . . . a home designed by Jamie Herzlinger and one by Andrew Howard, son of Phoebe and James Howard. 

Now, is this traditional design? Or a variation thereof? In the April issue of House Beautiful, the theme was "The Best Traditional Style Now," and Editor Newell Turner wrote that "traditional may be the most misunderstood and misused word in our design vocabulary." I'm starting to agree. He asserts that "traditional is really about the way a room is conceived and put together . . . using ideas and solutions developed over time - it's the sum of all parts." I'm not sure if that clears it up or makes it more confusing. All I know is that I hate labels. I like what I like, often with no rhyme or reason. So, from now on, I'm going to have more of an open mind about things deemed "traditional" and just go with what feels right. How about you?

Oh, and a little off topic, but I did get the arrow sconces on Friday . . . thanks for all your support on that front. 

They're a little battered and bruised, but I've been working on shining them up. I just love their unique shape. Still haven't decided where they'll live, but that's always the fun part. 

Arrows Make Me Quiver

Get it? Arrows, quiver? Okay, so it's lame. I blogged a little while back about a recent obsession I have with arrows. You can check that post out here. So, what should I find on Craigslist the other day, but these beauties . . .

A pair of mid-century neoclassical style brass sconces. They are in need of some love as they've been stored in a barn (there are lots of barns around here), but I just love them. In fact, I'm scheduled to go see/get them tomorrow. The problem? My husband. He doesn't think I/we need them. Need? Of course, we don't need them. When is "need" really relevant in the realm of decorating? We're dealing in a land of wants here, aren't we? Wow. I sound very materialistic and shallow now, I realize. And I swear I'm not. Most of the time.

So, please, dear readers, help me make my "point" to my husband. These are cool, right? And my 40th birthday is next month. Just saying.