hiking in stilettos: vintage decor

Showing posts with label vintage decor. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 3

Simple Improvements: On a Roll

I found this leather and wood chair a while ago at the local Habitat for Humaity REstore and have been wanting to transform it into a more functional desk chair ever since. I love the simplicity of the black leather and the worn scratches in the wooden arms. Plus, I think it will look great in our new office... once we move into the house, paint the room, build a wall mounted double desk, and find a clear lucite chair for my side. But those are minor details, right?

The process was more than easy. Remove the nails from the chair legs, drill new holes into the legs {while being oh so careful to maintain the correct angle and not drill through to the outside}, place the hardware into the legs, and viola. A new, rolling desk chair.

Grand total cost: $22

{$10 chair, $12 two packs of casters}

xoxo

Friday, January 6

Have a fun and restful weekend!

This is my last weekend of freedom before I start back on rotation Monday, so I plan to soak up every sweet moment. Lately, I've been feeling out of the loop and longing after the lives of work-at-home moms and bloggers, so this weekend is about focusing on all the incredible blessings my life holds. It's so easy to get weighed down with what our lives aren't, and I really don't want to lose sight of how wonderful my life is.

This weekend we may also start looking {preliminarily} at a few houses we'd like to buy (!!!) which is simultaneously exciting and scary. Nonetheless, I've been overcome lately with finding the perfect pieces for my home. So, I leave you with this amazing store to fill your weekend clicking, since you know, I want everything they have.

Have a fun and restful weekend.

xoxo

Thursday, December 10

an extra special christmas

our little apartment is brimming with christmas spirit,

smelling of pine needles, warm and inviting,

celebrating our first christmas together.

colored button lights

and a parliament of owls on the mantle

a vintage inspired tree
complete with a few vintage ornaments

here's wishing you a holiday season
surrounded by those whom you love.
xoxo

copyright Hiking in Stilettos

Wednesday, November 18

in the spirit

thanksgiving and christmas are my favorite holidays,

and this year is even more special since it is

mine and husband's first christmas as our own little family

we did a small amount of christmasing this weekend...

i succeeded in decorating our mantle

and placing a small tree in the kitchen,

and we will put up our tree over thanksgiving.

needless to say, i am quite content.

here are some of my favorite christmas ideas:

mini trees

source: apartment therapy

these adorable gift sets of cocoa and cookies from rosanna, inc:

{inspired by her grandmother's vintage holiday stickers}

i love giving cocoa and goodies as gifts...

stay tuned for more about this in an upcoming post(s)

source: rosanna, inc

ornaments made from old christmas cards

source: martha stewart

a wall tree

perfect for small spaces, but still so festive!

source: apartment therapy

household items as tree ornaments

i love the old clock faces and letters,

and how fun would those vintage utensils be on a tabletop tree in a kitchen?
source: country living

where are you finding your christmas inspiration this year?

xoxo

Saturday, November 7

unique

all of you know that i like a lot of color in our home,
from quilts to walls to furniture and accessories,
but i also need for our home to be comfortable, cozy, and inviting.
sometimes it is hard to find the line between stylishly decorated
and a bit too cluttered.
i am definitely not a minimalist when it comes to home decorating,
but sometimes a few unique pieces can say quite a bit.
that is my favorite way to decorate...
to find unique things that i love and incorporate them into our home.

it can be something as big as architecture and wallpaper/painting:

{unfortunately i can do neither of these things currently,
but i am really looking forward to being able to in the future.}

it can be an eclectic piece of furniture:
{my personal favorite is finding unique, mismatched reading chairs}

{i love how the twinkle lights mimic the glow of a fireplace}

it could be mixing eclectic rugs with other patterns or styles:

{i love the bear skin rug and dainty chandelier in the top photo,
and the mixing of patterns in the bottom photo.}

or it could be something as simple as unique vases or wall hangings:

{i love the maps on the wall in this cozy den
and would really like to add some to our office.}

i think that it is also important to note that
these kinds of rooms don't have to be accompanied by a high price tag.
as much as most of us would love to walk into anthropologie
and furnish our homes with their couches, chairs, and chandeliers,
it is really just not practical.
besides, i think vintage and antique items have more character.
{sorry anthro.}

i know i am a nester,
so most of you may not care about all these home-inspired posts,
but ina garten summarized my feelings perfectly
when she said this about her home,

"all day long i feel as though i'm batting back the baseballs that are being hurled at me: decisions to make, places to go, cranky people to deal with... and when i come home, i want my house to feel serene and beautiful, like the way you feel when you get into a bed piled high with down pillows: you're safe.

a good home should gather you up in its arms like a warm cashmere blanket, soothe your hurt feelings, and prepare you to go back out into that big bad world tomorrow all ready to fight the dragons."

images found here
copyright Hiking in Stilettos

Sunday, November 1

coloring {inside} the lines

i am absolutely dying to paint the walls in our apartment,

but unfortunately, it is very much against the rules.

still, i am so inspired by these lovely images

and wish that i could paint our walls turquoise.

in a living room or den:

image credit

image credit

in a bedroom in combination with chartreuse:

image credit

in a vintage kitchen with pops of red:

image credit

behind the sofa with a "keep calm and carry on" print:

image credit

in an office with black and white contrast:

image credit

or perhaps a turquoise door somewhere?

image credit

definitely in our next home.

the only problem would be deciding which room....

Monday, June 22

{so} inspired

Ever since K and I moved into our new, spacious apartment, I have had redecorating on the brain. Unfortunately for K, this is not such a new concept for me as I am constantly rearranging things in our home... everything from vases and pictures to sofas and armories. Whenever I get bored or have the need to feel accomplished, I rearrange. I simply love the feeling of creating something new from things that I already own. Some may call it unnecessary frivolity, but I like to think of it as decor recycling.

Since we've combined our two apartments into one, and since we've both lived on our own for over six years, we have tried really hard to minimize our clutter and keep only the necessary items. Unfortunately, some of the necessary items are in need of replacement. {ie the $5 pots and pans that I bought from TJ Maxx in college} Besides, isn't getting new things that we both love part of the fun of getting married?

The turquoise walls in this kitchen are so lovely! If only I could paint our walls!

I absolutely adore this kitchen which belongs to Hannah Berman of P ie Bird Press. The coupling of the turquoise with red is so very lovely. As much as I would love to adhere to a two-color palate, I find that I would miss all the green in my kitchen. I am thinking a modified version of the above scene with pops of avocado and lime green thrown in. I can't get rid of my 1960s, retro green blender, can I? Not to mention all the vintage tins I so adore...

I have been wanting to create a collage over the kitchen sink, and I think this is just the inspiration I needed. Now I am on the search for vintage-inspired posters and am planning a search for record albums and music fliers in a red and turquoise theme.

In fact, I am inspired by Hannah's entire house. I often feel a bit overwhelmed by trying to incorporate my feminine, vintage taste with K's masculine outdoorsiness and simplicity. Although I did recently find a beige zebra rug that looks wonderful in our bedroom! Hannah's home seems to have a sense of vintage charm as well as a laid-back comfortableness that I desire in my own home.

all above images found here

merci mme berman!

Here are a couple other ideas that I love from the home of Olga Naiman, creative director and prop stylist who worked regularly for Domino Magazine. Her home exudes style in every room without being overbearing.

images found here courtesy of Ms. Naiman

I will definitely be looking for a valance to place over the kitchen sink nook!

The use of cinder blocks as a bed frame is ingenious {shoe storage!} and also brings a bit of industrial chic to the bedroom.

The task of home-making is a bit daunting seeing as I am unable to paint walls or remove carpet for hardwood floors, but I am confident that after a bit of tweaking, a few DIY projects, and a few wedding gifts, our new apartment will soon take on the shape of our new home. Not just our individual stuffs sitting next to each other, but a space that we can share and enjoy while building a life together.

Monday, January 26

Family Ties

My grandmother recently passed down quite a bit of her vintage furniture and cookware, and it is currently abiding in my kitchen. (Unfortunately, most of the furniture is residing in storage until August.) Among some of the items that she gave me were sets of pyrex dishes, salt and pepper shakers, old cracker and coffee tins, a set of heavy mixing bowls, and a lovely soap dish. All of the kitchen accessories are things that I would have bought at an antique store, so to receive them for free was very exciting. Not to mention the sentimental value in that they were hers. Because I am so close to my mother, spending time with my grandmother was quite natural, especially since she lived across the street. Each time I cook or bake using my grandmother's cookware, I will have wonderful memories of doing the same at her house when I was young.