Scalamandre Zebras

I adore Scalamandre Zebras wallpaper, but the brown colorway seems to be the ugly duckling of the group, rarely seen, especially as compared to the red and yellow colorways. This butler's pantry from the 2013 Hampton Designer Showhouse has been designed as a bar with chocolate brown ceiling, blinds, leather bench, geometric rug, and Scalamandre Zebras in Safari Brown. I like the use of the brown here, a sophisticated choice in this adult space. Here are other examples of designers using the brown colorway - in a nursery, powder rooms, and a hallway. I think my favorite is is the butler's pantry above. Below is a great bar by Jamie Meares using Scalamandre Zebras in the iconic original Red Masai. For many more ideas on zebra wallpaper, check out my Houzz Ideabook here.

Inspiration Board - My Office Makeover

Here is my inspiration board for my little home office makeover I have just started on. The painter comes tomorrow to paint. The walls will be Benjamin Moore Poppy - I decided my previous two red paint candidates were too brown with this fabric. The window treatment will be Charlotte Moss Caroline in Currant.

My Chinese Chippendale mahogany fretwork desk will get jazzed up with a beautiful blue and white Chinese porcelain lamp and some chic accessories. I have some great art for the room including a huge Inigo Jones that I love. My big score of the weekend was this fantastic dog bed in Scalamandre Zebras because Izzy likes to hang out with me in my office.

A black leather mid century modern bench will be a great spot for not only extra seating but magazines and files. A red lacquer Victoria ghost chair is for extra seating. I have a DIY makeover planned for my desk chair that is still in the planning.

Two projects will be styling the wall of built-in bookshelves and perhaps creating a gallery wall above the bench.

If you have been following along with my virtual makeover of a fantastic Chinoiserie historic property in Coral Gables, Florida over at The Glam Pad, you'll want to pop over today and see what I have envisioned for the kitchen.

Raw Meat, Guest Post, New Inspiration Board

Raw Meat Fabric - My Contest Entry

The other day I was researching one of my favorite fabrics - Scalamandre Zebras and came across the 2013 First Annual The Ugly Fabric Contest using Scalamandre Zebras in the yellow colorway as the Pinterest board cover for the contest. Shocked, I clicked over to the blog and contest rules and decided to enter the contest. This is my submission - Raw Meat above. Voting for the ugliest fabric starts today and runs through Sunday. The blogger, who has a sewing workroom, plans to make window treatments out of the top three finalists' fabrics. This I want to see!

Please stand up for all that is Chinoiserie Chic and Palm Beach Chic by voting here for my submission - Raw Meat. You vote by leaving a comment over there choosing my submission - Raw Meat. And yes, if you'd like to buy this lovely fabric you can purchase it here in cotton, a linen blend, or even silk. Perhaps a roman shade for the kitchen or silk panels for the dining room? Nothing whets the appetite like staring at yards of raw meat.

And speaking of Chinoiserie Chic and Palm Beach Chic, today my series at The Glam Pad continues where I am doing a virtual makeover of a fabulous historic house in Coral Gables - The Chinese Village House. Pop over and see my new inspiration board for the dining room.

If you missed my first post in the series - a makeover of the entryway and main hall, click here. And yes, I did use Scalamandre Zebras.

And don't forget to vote for Raw Meat by leaving a comment over here. ;-)

Scalamandre Zebras

Zebras and Palm Beach Chic

Do you love zebras? They are so Palm Beach Chic. I scored this beautiful finished needlepoint on Etsy yesterday that I will have made into a pillow. Think needlepoint is too old school? Not me. I love it. Designers like Jonathan Adler use lots of needlepoint but in a more modern way. I'm thinking about a great black and yellow trim on this to edge it up a bit.

Check out my Pinterest board on Zebras here. And go pop over and see my inspiration board today on The Glam Pad - my first post in a series on how I would makeover the Chinese Village House in Coral Gables, Florida. Click here to see my vision for the entryway and the main hall - there are zebras galore! Next up in the series will be the dining room.

New Dining Room Inspiration Board and the Color Purple

Wouldn't this be a fun and glamorous dining room? The walls are painted a soft lavender. The glass dining table and faux bamboo mirror are vintage. I love the pale aqua color of the mirror. The gilded faux bamboo server is Baker. Similar lotus lamps are available at Pottery Barn. The rug is cowhide dyed to look like zebra available at many sources. The fantastic chandelier and chairs are by Marjorie Skouras Designs.

Do you use purple or lavender in your own home? People seem to either love it or hate it. I have created a board on Pinterest with great inspiration for combining purple or lavender and Chinoiserie. Liz Caan Interiors has collaborated with Scalamandre on the iconic Zebras wallpaper in purple. Isn't this fantastic? This would be spectacular in a powder room.

A Chinoiserie Christmas - My Gift Wrap

I ordered a zillion rolls of this fantastic zebra gift wrap here and will be using black and white Greek key trim for ribbon to wrap all my Christmas gifts this year. I love this paper. It is even printed with soy inks using 100% wind power. It would be fantastic framed in a nursery or child's room or even used as wallpaper in a powder room. This paper reminds me so much of Scalamandre Zebras without the $$$$. I even did a post a while ago asking Scalamandre to come out with its iconic Zebras in some fun colors like this.