sunday afternoon ramblings
yesterday was the first time i’ve gone up rt. 1 in many moons. the strip between dania and west palm beach is full of great old oldies in every shape and size. chairs, mirrors, chests, dollhouses! i took a bunch of shots scouting for a client but going through them none seem to interest me but these. i had a dollhouse growing up, my parents still have it although it is getting ransacked with 6 grand kids who love to play with the tiny chandeliers and silverware, and are basically in awe of it, even the boys!
i found this beauty yesterday. it would be such a gem to restore. the front opens in two sections.
i guess you can see why i was a little obsessed with it. the grandeur and the decay and all…
this must have cranked the electric lights and doorbell. this would be a fun makeover. but i can barely tackle my own house.
on another note, i got my first delivery from paris! two sconces and a chandelier. i’m a little devastated by how they were packed and thank god they were ok when they got here yesterday. when liz saw them she insisted i decorate with them instead of keeping them in storage.
the truth is that i’d love to be around them but live in a place that is completely uninspiring and haven’t even attempted to decorate. she thinks that’s pathetic especially since my motto is that four walls can become anything.
but with no outdoor space and absolutely no view, my plan was not to stay here long. still, months turned to years and we’re still here.
it’s totally humiliating and i’m only telling you cause it’s my own intervention.
photo1.jpeg
and since i’m rarely here, it’s been a crash pad which is such a cop out. but i went thru the phase of wanting absolutely nothing since i’m on the go.
photo2.jpeg
but even the cobbler’s kid’s have better shoes. i have to put together a 3 minute video so liz and i are going to do a quick makeover. so we’re off to home depot tonight to start some basics like plants and curtain rods.
(hey guys, me here, next day: i had to take down my before shots, they were just too much, but will repost when the afters go up)!
these are a couple pieces i found yesterday that could be a good start at mixing the old and new. i’m going to use what i have and just accent. well we’ll see. i’d rather move than decorate but will give it the old college try. my friend mb asked me what i wanted when we were in paris. i want to move. she said that anything i do that’s not toward that goal is a waste of time. so i’ll going to get things to take to the new place, but for now, this one will be cozy and respectable. geez. it’s about time. guess thaft’s what friends are for. to get us out of our ruts and kick some @$$! more soon, happy sunday!
last but not least, if you’re in the mood for some nostalgia, check out the promo for the ‘thrill of the hunt’ teaser. we shot it like 7 years ago…in HD, when i had motivation! the premise was a bachelor’s apartment that was pretty together but the bedroom was lackluster and he wanted a place to entertain. it was almost as bad as my place. but i’m hard to beat right now!
Kate replied:
Alright, here’s something I find for myself. I love Paris because nearly every inch of it (the inches without dog poop and human urine) is soooo very beautiful and that beauty feeds my soul and fills my well and that’s how I feel when I’m there – I feel full and content. Feng Shui says that which doesn’t feed us takes from us (my interpretation)and so, yes, I think your home should inspire you and feed you and fill you up. It doesn’t have to cost a lot but it needs to reflect you. So I agree with your friends, make it something that gives to you rather than something that takes from you.
September 19, 2010 at 9:10 pm. Permalink.
theparisapartment replied:
oh that is such an important concept. i am going to think hard about that.
September 20, 2010 at 3:40 am. Permalink.
Debbi replied:
. . . and then they stick around and hold your hand through it . . . you are mightily blessed with sweet, good friends, aren’t you?!
September 19, 2010 at 9:28 pm. Permalink.
theparisapartment replied:
ain’t it the truth!
September 20, 2010 at 3:37 am. Permalink.
Splendid Sass replied:
You’re a bigger person than most for admitting it! I think you will have a cozy, chic place!
Have nice day.
Teresa
September 19, 2010 at 10:48 pm. Permalink.
yvonne replied:
Some interesting finds,
Darling home is where the heart is.
yvonne
September 20, 2010 at 1:04 am. Permalink.
theparisapartment replied:
i feel like i haven’t had a real home in a long time!
September 20, 2010 at 3:36 am. Permalink.
theparisapartment replied:
thanks for the vote of confidence!
September 20, 2010 at 3:41 am. Permalink.
Cris replied:
Your photos (which I know you’ve been working on) of the doll house are really great – very evocative and for most of them, if you didn’t know it was a doll house, you’d think it was a decaying house in the old world.
As for your own house – um. Not criticizing, but I’m glad you’ve ‘outed’ yourself. I’ve seen designers say that they need a clear space or white space in order to give their mind and eye some place to rest, but I’m not sure that this counts and it seems like someone who has been there and knows you, agrees. It seems less like a crash pad and more like an absence of self there. Which makes sense if you don’t want to be in that location, but if a move is not really going to happen, I hope you do take your friend’s help in making it less… (stepping carefully here) depressing. Cozy and comforting doesn’t have to mean cluttered.
I spent part of my summer vacation painting a friend’s bedroom, moving her furniture, getting her closets rehung and organized, curtains hung, etc. She has two kids with disabilities (as do I) and an unfaithful husband (as I do not). And while the rest of her house was ‘done’ her bedroom (unpainted, no curtains, no decoration, no comfort, cluttered with her desk, computer, papers, etc) was the real reflection of how she was feeling about her life and herself. She’s working hard to support her sense of self and you can see part of that now in her environment. You deserve that too!
Hope to see some “after” pics soon.
September 20, 2010 at 2:31 am. Permalink.
theparisapartment replied:
thank you guys for your support. i’m glad to be outed too but as i sit here after coming in with some plants and orchids from home depot and a few accoutrements, it’s still as (stepping carefully here), ghetto as it ever was! my only hope is liz who has the motivation i’m obviously lacking. we’re going to finish up tomorrow and take the after shots.
September 20, 2010 at 3:34 am. Permalink.
vicki replied:
Aw shucks, I sometimes feel like I’m in a rut too, and need just that one last straw of desperation to get moving and “just do it”! I think you are also feeling the “downside” of coming home from Paris, where everything is so inspiring. So while you still have that lingering feeling, go for it! Decorate with those wonderful finds that are arriving little by little. Just do it!!! (Then show us what you did! :) Good luck–sending you positive decorating vibes..
September 20, 2010 at 11:07 am. Permalink.
theparisapartment replied:
you’re so right vicki. this last trip took a lot out of me and i’m glad to be home for the next 2 weeks before having to take off again. i appreciate the positive vibes, i needed them!
September 20, 2010 at 12:07 pm. Permalink.
cindy replied:
Thank you for sharing so honestly. Your life and your style have long been an inspiration to me!! And somehow, this post may be the most significant of all. Sometimes life, the good and the hard, can take so much out of a person, most especially from those that are very creative and extremely gifted, like you! I totally understand what you are saying. You are so busy traveling, and making other’s decorating dreams come true!
I find myself in a similiar place. Even though I’m thankful for lots of pretty things in boxes, and a few out and about here in a new house, I’ve been struggling to find the motivation to decorate and ‘nest’ ~ probably for a variety of reasons. And I’m not nearly as talened and busy as you! Anyway, thank you for sharing. I wish you grace for yourself, and lots of fun, when the time is right to start glamorizing your place. Until then, enjoy the lovliness and simplicity of your new plants. YOU are AMAZING!! (Regardless of how your home is, or isn’t, decorated.)
Blessings to you ~
Cindy
September 20, 2010 at 3:32 pm. Permalink.
lancerika replied:
So glad to hear that you are a bit obsessed with grandeur and decay of it all.. you are not alone!
I wish I could live inside that dreamy dollhouse..
think of yourself as a *gypsy* of sorts..this whole world is your home..
it will get better:))
September 20, 2010 at 6:07 pm. Permalink.
Jean replied:
I showed Clare the dollhouse, and she jumped up and down and said “I want it, I want it! Please!”
Then I showed Conor and Clare the video, and they loved it, and want to know when you will have your own tv show, because that would be awesome! They want you to be on HGTV. Conor said then maybe he’d actually like HGTV!
September 22, 2010 at 1:25 am. Permalink.