Posted by Cobi on Monday June 20, 2011 at 07:00 AM
cobistyle products •
decorating •
display •
summer •
Comments (1)
Fireplaces tend to get abandoned in the summertime, leaving us with a big black hole in the middle of our living rooms. Take advantage of the display space and treat the darkness as a backdrop to lighter, brighter things.
Here are some cheap and cheerful ideas to get your noggin noodling…
Place a big potted flowering plant in front…
Fill the hole with a mirror for the summer…
Paint a pretty old fire grill white…
Fill the grate with white birch bark logs…
Or clean, split wood with the ends showing…
Lean a painting…
Lighten the darkness with houseplants…
Decorate with some dried hydrangea from the garden…
Put a couple of Chinese garden stools or large ginger jars and a bamboo screen in front…
Give one or two of your favourite objects centre stage…
Or if it isn’t a working fireplace and you’ve cleaned it up, use it as a place to store books…
And then of course there’s always the option of buying cobistyle lanterns (I know, I’m shameless). They sure do add cheery colour and a beautiful glow when lit in the evening…
I hope one of these ideas lights your fire this summer!
Posted by Cobi on Monday June 06, 2011 at 07:00 AM
decorating •
Comments (1)
I’ve always loved faux bamboo furniture.
It seems current and classic at the same time - not always an easy combination.
Jonathan Adler has made the bamboo Chippendale chair into a style icon. It’s great in vivid colours like cobalt blue…
Lemon yellow…
Crisp white…
Often you can find faux bamboo pieces in junk shops or mom’s basement and spray paint them yourself for great effect…
Or find beautiful quality vintage ones with the perfect patina…
Or spend a ton of dough on gorgeous, chunky new ones…
Who doesn’t love a classic wood faux bamboo bed dressed in crisp white sheet…
Or an antique dresser with a marble top…
Or bedroom pieces painted white…
No matter the finish, bamboo has a graphic quality while still looking warm and inviting…
It’s the perfect blend of contemporary and traditional…
And it looks great in any room of the house - feeling casual and refined at the same time…
Or even on the table…
I’m always so tempted to buy bamboo cutlery but my practical side wins out…
I love these lamps for sale on Etsy. I would paint the base black and add a black shade…
The look of painted faux bamboo gives light fixtures instant character and whimsy…
And I love the Hollywood, retro feel of bamboo-style outdoor furniture…
If you like the idea of faux bamboo, start with a great mirror - you can’t go wrong…
I’ve shown this picture before - bamboo ballroom chairs on Madison Avenue being delivered for a wedding at The Pierre… so romantic..
But how about these ones spray painted pink - even better!
