Things I'm Obsessed With This Week

With Spring in the air, colors are coming out everywhere and I’m looking for ways to bring them into my home. Right now I’m looking into ways of adding some light and fun into my bathroom and I am loving pale colors mixed with summery brights, like coral with grey or lilac with teal. My favorite of the pales right now is a soft ballet pink. Look how different it can look paired with alternate colors in these inspiration photos I found to recreate a Glam Parisian Rococo style bath.

Looking for more inspiration photos like these? Check out the new function in Google Images to be able to search for Visually Similar images by a single photo. I am Obessed! Go to Google, click on Images. An icon of a camera will appear in the right side of the search bar. Click on the camera icon and then upload your image. Watch and see all the beautiful images that transpire before your eyes.

 Try it yourself! Take any of the images from my post, save them to your computer and then upload them into a search in Google images to see more inspiring photos for your next decorating project.

 

 

 

My French Revolution: French Provincial vs Louis XVI

As a little girl my room was all decked out in French Provincial furniture and décor elements and I never appreciated it for the beauty that they were. I wanted bright colors and wild patterns. By the time I was 13, my matchy-matchy bureau and desk were overpowered by an electric blue comforter with fluorescent leaves of pink, green and yellow and a shag pink rug (that had been in the house since the eighties). The eighties passed and somewhere in the 2000s I grew up and my tastes subdued – somewhat – and I’ve traded in my child-like love of neon bright furnsihings for a little more grown up taste of glitz and glamour by pairing jewel toned colors with ornate gold accessories. I still have my French Provincial set and have come to love and really appreciate its beauty; but being true to the “electric fluorescent” within me, I love to mix different colors and styles with the matchy-matchy furnishings that exist within my apartment.

My favorite details are those that were expressed in Europe in the 1800s that showcased beautiful patterns of damask, toile in rich materials like satin, brocade and velvet. The furniture they sat in looked so elegant and refined; in creams and muted blues and greens that were made to look even more stunning by the sparkle of floor to ceiling mirrors with the most ornate scrolling details in gold that curved around the edges of an ivory mirror. I do the best to make my apartment mirror the gorgeous styles of yesteryear while maintaining all the modern necessities and conveniences of today. I’ve hung rich plum purple curtains from my ceiling to section off my apartment’s closet/office from the living room/bed area. I love the juxtaposition of the curvaceous lines of my Louis XV end table and Queen Anne Victorian side chair mixed with the fluted legs of my Louis XVI style sofa.  And I’ve hung several ornate gold mirrors throughout my apartment to reflect the light and to trick the eye into thinking the rooms are larger.

One of my mirrors could easily have been part of my original French Provincial set, with its gold on ivory colors, curvaceous bottom legs and fluted decorative railing on top; but in the spirit of mixing (rather than matching), I really want to transform this mirror into a more ornate Louis XVI inspired find like those pictured below. How would you do it? Is it even possible? What ideas do you have that I could add or take away from the current construction of this mirror to make to more fitting with my décor?

Check out the Louis XVI inspired home décor goods in my Etsy store. From Mirrors to clocks, wallpaper, fabric and more. Do you have a favorite decorating style? Are you drawn to any particular artifacts when you’re out treasure hunting? Share it with me here. 

Happy decorating and happy thrifting!

Shabby Rococo Chic

Decorating in Shabby Rococo Chic? I am definitely a girly girl at heart – I may wear a lot of black, but there is usually something pink on me at all times, too.  In my love of shopping, vintage and home décor everything, I’ve been reading a lot of Rachel Ashwell books lately to see how she’s mastered her craft from thrifting to decorating and designing. She coined the décor term “shabby chic”, infamous for its pale pinks, blues and greens (think, painted furniture) paired with crisp clean whites (especially in slipcovered sofas). While I love everything about her style, I, personally, still need a little sparkle, a little brightness, a little bling in my space. While I love the traditionalism of certain décor elements, like a curvy Queen Anne leg, a French Provincial dresser and ice cream color palettes, I also love the ornate scroll detailing of a gorgeous gold, oversized mirror and those decadent glass dripping with crystals.   Think Betsey Johnson (the ultimate Queen of Black & Pink – with a lot of blinged out gold) meets Rachel Ashwell. Pair them together, and it’s definitely my design dream come true. I believe the best fitting term for this style is Rococo. You see Rococo in the architectural details of Victorian décor as well as in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood Regency and even in the color palette of Shabby Chic.

          The word Rococo itself comes from the French; rocaille, or stone, and coquilles, or shell. Not surprisingly, shells are one of the signature decorations in this style’s architectural details and designs.  With its 18^th century origins, it is also known as late Baroque, encapsulating the curvaceous lines of Louis XV and the beginning of the architectural fluted posts of Louis XVI. It is famous for its mixture of pastels with gold, beautifully decadent painted murals, and curvaceous S lines in all its furniture and ornamentation. I think it is so elegant, so inspiring and fun all at once. For me, when I think of Paris Glam, I think of Rococo.

Check out some of  the Rococo style home décor goods in my Etsy store. From Mirrors to clocks, wallpaper, fabric  and more.

                Do you have a favorite decorating style? Are you drawn to any particular artifacts when you’re out treasure hunting? Share it with me here.  Happy decorating and happy thrifting!

Fabric Heaven

Happy New Year Everyone!

Here at Vintage Velvet and Lace my love of most things mid-century finds fabric to be no exception. I love antique, vintage and vintage-inspired fabrics and textiles – especially the softest and most feminine looking threads – flowers, polka dots, sheer panels, soft cottons and anything in pastel shades – like ballet pink, vintage white and minty green/blue.

I’ve been redecorating my kitchen in a shabby chic/retro kind of way and I’ve already had the colors picked out for a while – teal/blue and red (with a few hints of pink and white) after seeing this cabinet display in Romantic Homes January 2013 issue.  

 

Isn’t it adorable!?

I contacted the girl on Etsy who is credited with creating this fabulous painted cabinet and she directed me to Walmart to find the fabric. (Walmart?! I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did they carry them in my State, but they were soft and just as beautiful in person as they were in the magazine!) I grabbed two yards and set off to make two curtains to cover a storage area underneath the island in my kitchen (that otherwise looks pretty junky).

 

What do you think?

Are you working on your own Shabby Chic or retro-inspired home deor project? I found these fabulous 1940s retro sheer swiss dot curtains by complete accident and they will be perfect for someone else’s shabby chic retro home décor project! (They are too fragile for my windows because I have a cat who loves to stick her claws in the sheer fabric!). I found them on a lazy Sunday when I was trying to decide what stores to check out. I had been meaning to check out a new friend’s place nearby since I met her. Her shop is only open on the weekends right now because its winter so I thought this particular Sunday would be the perfect day to stop by. Her shop was gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking. Painted furniture, shabby chic whites, cottage pinks, French elegance and vintage (and vintage inspired) décor galore. It was exactly what I dream my store will look like one day. I was in heaven. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular but I looked around at everything. Just when I was about to leave I saw them - a pair of authentic vintage sheer Swiss Dot curtains hanging on the backside of her entrance door. I couldn’t believe it – it was exactly the kind of color and vintage fabric I love! I hadn’t even been looking for them on purpose. So here I am now sharing them with you and hope you will find some good use for them! Check them out the two window sets at my Etsy store.

Let me know what you think of my latest decorating project. What are you working on? Or what was the latest treasure you found in your flea marketing? Share it with me here.  Happy decorating!

Vintage Glam Wall Decor - My DIY Dressing Room/Bathroom Re-Do

Are you a renter, live in a dorm, don’t want to commit to anything too permanent in your decorating style but at the same time, looking for a little change to spice things up at your house or just a new DIY project? If you’re like me, you probably get tired of looking at the same things over and over, day after day and every so often crave a little something different in your home décor. You don’t have to go crazy and change everything. I keep reading suggestions on paint projects to update your home by adding a splash of color to just one part of a wall, for example. Low commitment, low cost and low time. That’s just where my latest idea started -with my peachy orange bathroom wall.

I have been love, love, loving the vintage look lately in everything from daily fashion wear to jewelry, furniture and of course, home décor. I was actually enthralled to find my new apartment had paint on its walls that was reminiscent of a few decades past. (Don’t they always say, what goes around, comes back around in fashion!?!) Like many homes from the eighties (or even early 90s), my bathroom has a peachy orange color on its walls. The rest of the apartment is a mix of different greens, from sage to mint, but to avoid looking like I was too stuck in the past, I decided I needed something to give it a fresh look - a new color other than green. In the age of the Internet, when you Google, “orange + bathroom”, the results of color and themed options is virtually limitless (and overwhelming, to say the least) but loving the muted photos I’ve seen boasting vintage color palettes on Pinterest, I’ve had visions of dusky greys and sparkling silvers mixing new life into my orange décor. That’s when I remembered an inspiration photo I’d saved on my computer a few months prior and have been saving for a project just like this….

            I found this gorgeous glam walk-in closet inspiration photo on one of my endless searches for ways to organize my clothes in my new, but downsized, apartment. Even though I don’t have the space for the fabulous walk-in pictured here, I knew someday, somehow, I’d want to look back on this for inspiration.

Well, it looks like my day has come sooner than I expected and I just might be able to bring this beauty of a room to light (the vanity light of my bathroom that is). The peach walls of my bathroom are similar to the blush pink dress shown in the foreground and the lush tufted grey wall and vintage gold mirror in back have just the look I was hoping to achieve (and a chandelier adds such timeless elegance to any room, but I don’t’ want to get carried away – yet).

As I admired my inspiration photo again, I still didn’t know how feasible my idea would be until I stumbled across this fabulous site full of authentic vintage wallpaper for sale, Hannah’s Treasures.  (She also has an Etsy shop where she sells leftover paper from rolls that are no longer full but still just as beautiful.) I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what she had left in a silver tufted print!

Does this not look just like the backdrop to my dream dressing room?!?! I will show you more pix as the progress of fixing up my vintage glam bathroom continues…what do you think of the picks so far?

            What does your dream dressing room look like? Share with me here!

**Want to buy some of my fabulous vintage wall décor for your own wall project?  Check them out on my Ebay listings for everything from vintage Vogue Posters to mirrors, clocks, frames and a whole lot more fabulous vintage home décor finds. Also, finally my Etsy shop, Vintage Velvet and Lace, is open!! There are only a few items posted as of yet, but if you follow my shop you will get alerts as new items are posted each week!

Vintage Fabulous Vanity Accessories

What girl (or woman) doesn’t love a pretty vanity area to get ready in each day and night? I picture a white vanity table with a matching scalloped edge mirror or a fabulous gilted gold desk and coordinating leopard print stool; whatever you imagine that would make you feel like a queen getting ready for her day. Here are some of the recent treasures I’ve come across lately that you can add to your own personal vanity that won’t break the bank.

My absolute favorites are the filigree perfume bottles that were so popular in the 50s and 60s. One of the ones I have for sale is undoubtedly made by Stylebuilt, a manufacturing company from New York, well known for their “guaranteed never to tarnish” filigree metals that enwrap these beautiful trinkets. Not only are they stunning to look at, but they are super functional as well, serving as a container to hold your most breathtaking of scents, perfumes and fragrances. I have two of these beautiful bottles for sale, one with intricate rose detailing and the other with an ornately melded braided rope.

 Among the other items I’ve plundered include a gorgeous gold makeup compact with mirror adorned with a ruby heart gemstone on its cover from England brand Stratton. There is a set of shabby but fabulously chic hairbrush and comb set in ornate gold and rose detailing. And of course, a gold filigree metal vanity tray to store all of your precious goods.

**Want to buy one of these fabulously chic vintage vanity items? Check them out on my Ebay listings for these and a whole lot more fabulous vintage home décor finds. Also, finally my Etsy shop, Vintage Velvet and Lace, is open!! There are only a few items posted as of yet, but if you follow my shop you will get alerts as new items are posted throughout the week!

SNo-vember Thrifty Fashions

With Winter on the horizon and a possible snow storm looming in early November, I thought this would be a perfect time to share with all of you some of my cozy finds this past weekend during my adventures in thrifting. With a glamorous look and an oh so soft touch, I stumbled on not one, but two of Bath & Body Works’ dazzling winter white handbags from collections past. One a medium sized tote in winter white suede with faux fur piping and trim; the other a large and stunning creamy quilted tote also with faux fur trim; these two handbags have earned a spot on my wall (literally), hanging high for easy visibility, as any beautiful art object should be seen.

Not as “vintage” as most of my finds, but I knew I had to have these the second I saw them. While real fur may have been much bigger in days past, the modern twist on the look is what you see here in the faux fur trim. Just as beautiful to look at without any of the guilt!

I don’t know about you but these handbags remind me of snow bunnies, hot chocolate and cozying up with my besties by a warm fire!

Want to buy one of these gorgeous totes? Check them out on my Ebay listings for these and a whole lot more fabulous vintage and home décor finds.

Have you been thrifting lately?? If so, share with me what you got. I'd love to look at it. If not there is a big 50% Off sale storewide at Savers: The Thrift Superstore on Monday, November 12, 2012. Happy Hunting!