Not Your Granny’s Crochet

What was once prominent in home décor and a fashion statement of the 70s, crochet is back in a big way and better than ever. It is shabby cottage chic; bohemian, romantic prairie style and of course, vintage. What used to be associated with ugly granny sofa covers and blankets, is now retro chic and gorgeous. Seen here in dresses, curtains, revamped sofa covers and more vintage style repurposed diy crafts, crochet fabrics are everywhere. Are you groovin’ on this hot trend?

 

 

A traditional vintage crochet valance lets plenty of light shine in creating an airy, romantic window dressing.

This crochet tablecloth, updated with repurposed aqua mason jar vases each holding a single flower, proves that beauty is in simplicity.

Vintage tablecloths repurposed as curtains create a bohemian vibe as they welcome visitors into this home.

This casual crochet dress is very reminiscent of the 70s; All she needs is a flower tucked in her hair. Groovy.

Crochet fashion isn’t just for the beach – paired with a tulle and floral veil, crochet takes center stage at summer weddings (Above and below).

 

Crochet and lace – what could be more romantic on the runway?

 

One of my favorite closet/bedroom pics – the crochet bedspread and tea stained crochet blanket draped over the bed sitting atop white washed wood floors, this bedroom is the ultimate in prairie romantic chic.

This DIY-er transformed a tablecloth or doily into a gorgeous basket filled with vintage photos and sheet music.

Gone are the days of crochet blankets hung on the back of sofas in 70s greens, yellows, oranges and browns. Gorgeous shabby cottage chic covers adorn this sofa and wing chair by sewing white crochet, chenille and floral fabrics together.

Inspiration in the Color Purple

Regal, lilac, lavender, plum – whatever you want to call it – I love purple. Whether it is bold or adds a splash of color to your home, here is a glimpse at some tres chic interiors and how they have incorporated purple into their décor.

 

Orchid walls and matching bergere chairs. Gorgeous!

A fresh, floral and ultra feminine take on a classic french provincial vanity set. I’d love to get ready each morning here!

 

House beautiful adds a pop of color with a regal plum door and periwinkle barrel chairs. I feel like I’m dining in a garden! 

The princess and (the purple) pea – a very regal boudoir.

 

Even on the street, this regal sofa looks ultra glam.

Architectural digest fetures a purple library done very Paris chic. I love mixing modern and vintage elements.

What is it about lavendar that is so soothing? One look at those ethereal curtains and soft reflective lighting and I think I’ve figured it out.

The new purple. Bold and modern against stunning turquoise and teal.

Tufted magenta gives a fresh look to an old favorite.

 

Unexpected elements against a classic purple and green background.

Leopard and purple create a refined and regal look.

Shabby purple chic.

Architectural Digest combines the best in plush velvet and great architectural detail.

Daydream in gold and purple – the ideal window seat.

Elle Decor redefines regal plum.

A perfectly paired tablescape.

Intricately carved and curved amethyst daybed poised for a nap.

Never Sacrifice Style No Matter What Size Space

I live in a small apartment so I am always scoping out ideas for spacious organization tips and chic decoration trends. I especially love vintage décor and anything with a French flair or Parisian influence that will make my studio feel more like a home.

Some of the best tips I’ve read:

– Divide and conquer. Divide your apartment into livable sections. With limited space, you really want to take into consideration the things you will do at home on a daily basis and the things you have aquired that you need to store or display (You know, the stuff you just can’t bear to love without. The rest should be sent to Goodwill .) For me, not including the kitchen and bath, this entails (1) a closet/vantiy area, (2) a living room area and a (3) bed(room).

– Do double-duty using multipurpose furniture and accessories. My favorite – an ottomon (any size, shape or fabric – as long as it has a lift up top) and vintage steamer trunks. Both can serve as an alternative to a coffee table, extra seating and storage.

– Monthly clean outs. If you love shopping, like me, try to shop by the motto, “buy one, discard three”. Sometimes easier said than done – but try (read:do) and you will live so much happier with less clutter. (I so much prefer the label shopaholic than hoarderJ)

– And NEVER sacrifice style – no matter what size space you have.

Here are some of my absolute favorite designs, layouts and inspiration photos! Hope you find something to inspire you!

Apartment Therapy – Small Vintage Studio

Apartment Therapy – Decorating without a “real” closet

House Beautiful – Designer Decorated Studio

     

 

One of my favorite blogs! IHeartShabbyChic.blogspot.com

Elle Decor

Always Glamorous – A Paris Apartment Juxtaposes Vintage and Modern

Last week I featured a celebrity home designed by Shabby Chic founder and entrepreneur, Rachel Ashwell, so this week I wanted to feature a glamorous home decorated in Paris Apartment fashion. The two styles – Shabby Chic and Paris Apartment – are my absolute favorite and I think in each décor scheme, you can find a little bit of one and the other.

Each room appears so glamorous, with their rich colors and decadent fabrics but at the same time, it does not have that “museum” “don’t touch” feel – it looks like people could actually live there. That is what I love so much about Paris Apartment style.  I’ve taken the term Paris Apartment straight from my favorite book on Interior Design – by author, entrepreneur and Paris flea market extraordinaire, Claudia Strasser, in which she defines her style by choosing to decorate with what one loves, using items that have a history, and that are always beautiful. Décor items of this style are always luxurious whether they are of the highest quality or rich in color and material, showcasing a mix or vintage, modern and eclectic finds. Each room tells a story with its carefully chosen furnishings and deliberate organization but it is able to appear effortless at the same time.

This stunning Paris apartment was featured a few months ago when Christies listed it on the market. I don’t know what I love the most, from the richly colored walls to the elegant gold mirrors, the gorgeous oriental rugs and the sparkling chandeliers.

Situated on the popular rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, for a cool $8.8 million, this apartment could be yours. For any budget, with a little creativity and passion for décor, you could transform your own home into your very own glamorous Paris apartment! What flea market find do you love that you would use in your own Paris style apartment?

See the original article at:

http://www.casasugar.com/Glamorous-Parisian-Apartment-Pictures-28211447?slide=2#/Glamorous-Parisian-Apartment-Pictures-28211447?image_nid=28211447

Comfort in a Cocoon – Creating a Romantic DIY Canopy Bed

               I have always loved sleeping in closed quarters. It feels like I’m in a cocoon, safe, serene, comfy and in my own personal bliss. Exactly the kind of feelings I think one should associate with their bedroom. I tend to defy the traditional philosophies of feng shui, often preferring to have my bad smack dab up against a wall in a corner of the room. Even more so in my current “bedroom” of my studio apartment, my bed is sandwiched between two windows, not centered, not equally distant to any one side or another, but more of in a zig zag formation, one at the left foot of the bed and the other at the top, right of the bed – like a Z. But my bed added to this corner of the room, creates the perfect nook for sleeping, far enough away from the door and hidden by a wall from the kitchen, so as to seem like its very own space.

                To make my bed(room) even cozier, I created a DIY canopy out of floor length velvet plum drapes attached to the ceiling with magnetic curtain rods that frame the long side of my bed. The curtains plus the three walls envelope my bed on all sides and serve to create the feeling of a separate room in what would otherwise be a one room studio. The look is elegant, chic and very Paris apartment style.

I am always looking for ways to make it even more dramatic. These are some of my favorites interior design ideas that I have gathered from the Internet, below.

   

 

How do you make your bedroom romantic or serene? Share your ideas here!

Designer Digs – Shabby Adds Some Celebrity to its Chic

One of my favorite designers and interior design entrepreneurs on the West Coast is Rachel Ashwell – best known for coining the décor trend and brand Shabby Chic. She grew an empire out of creating homes that were “comfortable, cozy, vintage and pretty” according to an Inc. report on her rise to retail fame. Her handpicked furniture, linens and accessories are predominantly white mixed with soft blues, greens, pinks. As the name suggests, Shabby Chic exudes an unexpected juxtaposition – in her collection you can find a mix of old with new, florals with stripes and the refined with the slightly tattered – but everything is beautiful.  I adore the feminine elegance she brings to every collection yet at the same time it is not so feminine that a man wouldn’t find comfort in it as well.

I recently saw an article on a Beverly Hills home on the market, currently owned by reality star Jessica Simpson and football hubby, Eric Johnson.  Its recent renovations, designed by the Queen of Shabby Chic, Rachel Ashwell, are absolutely stunning!

Here are some of the pics I grabbed from the Sotheby’s listing. There are countless chandeliers and oh so chic french inspired furnishings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would love to sleep in that bedroom (I would even sleep on that pink day bed in the nursery:))

This was the article I saw that had the shabby designs first catching my eye: http://hookedonhouses.net/2013/06/06/jessica-simpsons-shabby-chic-house-in-beverly-hills/

If money were no object, who would you have design your home? And what would it look like? Share here!

 

Flea Market Fix Up – Weekend Painting Project

Remember the sweet little French Provincial Nightstand I picked up over Memorial Day weekend? I have been pondering over whether or not to paint it or leave it as is; after some initial success with homemade milk paint on a demilune table and several frames, I have decided to try my hand at creating a matching bedroom set from the nightstand and an equally gorgeous vintage headboard. I bought several paint samples a few weeks ago from Home Depot, one of which a light grey, that I have been saving for such a shabby glamorous chic project; and with a tropical storm on the horizon, it’s the perfect weekend to put the brush and paint to work.

I have been trying to match up regular latex paints to those offered in Annie Sloan’s collection – because I just love love love her colors (and their namesJ) but I’m not so in love with the prices or the difficulty in finding them. I came across Behr’s Sterling (or as I like to call it, Glamorous Grey) – an almost perfect match for Annie Sloan’s French Grey – and I am ready to put it to the test on both vintage finds. Here are some inspiration photos I’ve been drawing on for this project (mostly from Etsy).

I hope to have some rehabbed and refreshed pix to post Monday!

What weekend projects are you looking forward to working on? Check out Miss Mustard Seed for more fabulous furniture fix ups at her weekly Furniture Feature Friday.

Not Your Kid’s Sidewalk Chalk – Painted Furniture

I have been seeing beautiful painted furniture for years now that is made to look like it’s vintage or “Shabby Chic” and recently I have been more and more curious about the paint people are using to make these re-habbed and re-purposed creations. Most notably, the brand name Chalk Paint from Annie Sloan is the primary material of choice. The paint is beautiful and comes in 32 vintage chic colors, with names like Paris Grey, Louis Blue, Provence and Emperor’s Silk, further evoking a feeling of a time past. (Photo of paint colors from Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint collection on her website.)

     

However, with a monopoly on the market (you can’t find Chalk Paint from Benjamin Moore or the like), the price is about double that of regular paint; but if you’re someone like me, who loves to scour for a bargain, the web is full of homemade recipes to make your own chalk paint in a very simple – and very inexpensive manner. My favorite recipe is only 3 ingredients: ANY can of latex paint (3 parts) + Plaster of Paris (1 part) + water to mix; and voila! You have a limitless selection of paint colors and minimal time in adding the plaster of paris (with water) to it.  Plus, one of the biggest bonuses about chalk paint is that you don’t have to sand or prime your furniture before painting it! That was probably the biggest attraction to me – that and the beautiful finish it leaves on flea market furniture finds.

Here is my flea market demi-lune table turned shabby cottage chic with my own homemade chalk paint using Behr’s Sea Sprite (baby blue).  (I forgot to take a before picture but found one very similar on the web – see below).

Here are some great blog articles on mixing your own chalk paint:

http://salvagedinspirations.com/best-homemade-chalk-paint-recipes/

http://inmyownstyle.com/2013/02/diy-chalk-paint-review-update.html

http://www.iheartnaptime.net/chalk-paint/

http://www.thevintagefarmhouse.com/2012/10/homemade-chalk-paint-pros-cons.html

Have you tried making your own creations using either Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint or your own homemade chalk paint? Share them with me here; I’d love to see and hear about your experiences.

Welcome to Tres Chic Decor! I am so excited to announce my new venture in the flea market/antique business, having moved my online business to a brick and mortar store! I am currently sharing a booth with a friend who is an artist and creator who paints with oil, knits scarves, sweaters and makes jewelry. My inventory is made up of vintage home décor treasures and finds with a little of everything, from smaller items like china dishes, painted frames and vanity trinkets to small furnishings, like lamps, rugs and chairs.

We added a sampling of our inventory into the booth this past Sunday and with much more inventory to be priced for sale and brought to the booth, I am currently seeking ideas for ways to organize the booth to optimize our inventory and selling potential.

I don’t have too much furniture yet; namely a Full/Queen head and footboard, a large 12 light rococo chandelier, a hanging pendant milk glass chandelier, a Victorian heart back chair  and several “to be refinished” projects, from tables to footstools. Among a wide assortment of home decorating accessories, I have lot of frames, mirrors, fabric curtains, books, wall sconces and more.

This is a picture of our booth when we were beginning to set up.

Based on what I have in stock and what my partner has displayed, these are some of my favorite inspiration photos for organizing the booth. Think Shabby Cottage Chic meets Paris Apartment!

 

Do you have any great organization or display ideas for antique and/or flea market booths? Let me know. I’d love to hear your ideas and experience.

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!