Hello, Design Crisis lovers! Wait, what are you called? …Design Crisans? …Citizens of Design Crisistan? Whatever you prefer. I am AB Chao, and I will be your tour guide here today. Here, have a visual aid:
I am so excited to be here doing a guest post for y’all. Karly and Erin and I have a lot in common. For example, we love things that are gold:
and furry:
and sullen:
Oh, no, wait. I’m sorry, that’s my 14 year old. Hi Madeleine!
It has been raining for approximately one hundred years down here in Louisiana. I am tempted to make a joke about a flood, but maybe it is too soon? I think so. Anyway, everyone is irritable and wet and absolutely no one’s hair is cute, but do you know what always makes me feel better? Talking about me. More specifically, my house and the decorating of it.
When we bought this place six years ago, it was cute, but needed work. (Confidential to the previous owner: Dear Kevin, I hate you. Thanks for “fixing” all that stuff. I hope your face falls off.) So we’ve been slowly updating, room by room. We started with the yard and garden, the results of which landscaping overhaul you see above. (I can’t find any of my before pictures, sorry, but believe me when I say it looked like nobody lived here for 4 years.) Then we moved on to the kitchen:
Aw. This actually gives me nostalgia, looking at that good old green Formica. I am pretty sure that it and the red Bakelite pulls were original to the house. Cute! But not cute enough to keep:
Oops.
We replaced the Formica with (say it with me!) white Cararra marble, and covered the backsplash in 2″ x 6″ white ceramic tile. I painted the floor white my damn self, and had an electrician come in to change out all the light fixtures and add under cabinet lighting.
And then I stood on a stool and took one of many pictures of my own legs. I don’t know. It’s a thing.
And then an actual professional, my friend Lori Andrews, who consulted awesomely on this project over several million emails, came to visit from Canada and styled the room and took these incredible pictures. Here is one:
(Photo and styling, Lori Andrews, 2009)
So that was my first big project. All I knew when I started it was that I wanted marble on the counters, and for everything else to be white. I had no overall vision or endgame in mind. Each decision I made was the subsequent aftermath of some random decision I had made previously. Everything eventually fell into place and we ended up with what you see here. So, basically I am a genius. Just kidding. Basically, I am mildly retarded, but it all somehow worked out okay.
The next thing I wanted to do was overhaul Madeleine’s room, and also, because it wasn’t going to be hard enough, I decided that it needed to be a surprise. We pulled off this heist while she was at camp over the summer, and it was like a reality show ending: she cried, I cried, everyone was surprised, and we all took naps. And now, because I love you all very much, I’m going to show you my original, professionally Photoshopped plan:
I know. You’re jealous of my skillz. Please note the “chandelier.” Whee!
We cleared the room of everything, then painted walls, ceiling, doors. My long-suffering husband Vince refinished the floors like he was some kind of professional. I bought everything that was going to go in the room beforehand, and it lived in our dining room for two weeks. I regret that I didn’t take a picture of that.
Post-painting and refinishing. Vince assembles one of the many, many Ikea products we purchased for this room OH MY GOD. I never want to see an Allen wrench or a Swedish person again.
Almost all of the furniture and lighting is from Ikea, except for the chair, which is a Saarinen knock-off (what, do you think I am crazy? Who buys the real thing for children?), and the silver floor pillows, which are from Target. Bedding is Ikea, Lush UK, Crate & Barrel. The queen of hearts pillow is Jonathan Adler. Rugs are from overstock.com, Ikea, Bed Bath & Beyond, and (!) Walmart. The overhead light came with the house, and was ugly until I sprayed it black.
I think it turned out pretty well, even though Madeleine totally doesn’t appreciate the vintage Tonka jeep I found on eBay, and I am going to be forced to steal it from her.
So…well…I was jealous, okay? After Madeleine’s room ended up looking so pretty, I decided it was time for our own bedroom to get an upgrade.
I had always been unhappy with our bedroom, no matter what I did to it. So obviously it was time for me to paint every single thing in it, including the windows and the bookshelves, a bold and dramatic color. Enter Abigail Ahern and her gorgeous, totally copy-worthy interiors painted all the same color of deep, dark gray. Helloooooo, Down Pipe.
All it cost was the price of a couple gallons of paint, a few paintbrushes, and MY SOUL.
I understand that these pictures of our bedroom have started a little mini-trend, but I am here to tell you, if I never see a gallon of Down Pipe again, it will be too soon. I absolutely LOVE the end result, but this color in paint form haunts my dreams. It makes my head hurt. It makes my eyes hurt. Take my advice, Internet, and hire a professional painter.
Oh, hey. What’s up? Let’s go win a Reader’s Choice Award together.
I seriously already owned almost everything in this room, except for the antlers (eBay), and the toss pillows (handmade, Nate Berkus), and the sunburst mirror (a local store). Oh, and the orchid, which I bought at Lowe’s (along with the roller shades) and which I recommend to everyone who wants to make his or her room look twice as styled as it actually is. Everything else was either already in here, or came from somewhere else in my house.
So that’s it for now, Design Crisistinians. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little trip down memory lane as much as I’ve enjoyed showing you my house, and a bunch of sort-of-embarrassing “Before” pictures.
My next projects are still in the works, but I can give you a hint about what they entail. This room, which isn’t so bad:
…and a room related to this object, which doesn’t exist yet. Pray for me.
In the meantime, let’s all go do something that looks like this:
That’s right, I’m recommending you go make an arugula salad and drink wine.
I raise my glass to you, to elitist salads, and to good design always. So say we all!
(All photos by AB Chao except where noted)
I love your house! Very impressive photoshop skills. I’ve got to learn that program. I’m excited to see what you do with that clawfoot tub… it looks beat up and lovely.
That teenager was smiling. Not sullen. And she has totally cool hair to go with her awesome room.
We just painted our master bedroom a similar shade of gray. We’re sleeping in a guest room until we can figure out what to do beyond a black bookshelf. Thanks for the fabulous inspiration! (We won’t copy you – I promise!)
PS: Nice legs, lady!
Thanks for taking the time to regale us with tales of your decorating exploits! You know I love your house and everything in it, including your gorgeous daughter. How lucky that she has goth Mary Poppins as a mother.
Meanwhile, I am off to fondle my Farrow and Ball colorchart with la Down Pipe in it (don’t worry, Sanders, you know you’d be mix mastering it for me), as well as check out this Lush UK of which you speak.
Thanks, y’all!
@erin I think it is actually Lush DESIGNS. I didn’t, um, look it up before I wrote that. And Sanders will def. be able to mix up DP for you — my awesome, local Benjamin Moore did a great job.
Oh man,oh man…where to begin. Firstly, to say that your house rocks is an understatement. Truly, your vision, even if midly retarded [ ;0) ]is amazing. Your home is beautiful and inviting and your design aesthetic is totally approachable. I’ve admired your blog from the moment I came across it earlier this year and every time you post I feel like I won one of those scratch-off lottery tickets. :0) So much so, in fact, that when I first saw your spectacular kitchen re-do, I immediately contacted Lori Andrews and asked if I could repost the images. (http://completelytotallymadly.blogspot.com/2009/08/for-real.html)
This is a great post! Thanks for sharing more images of your beautiful spaces. I love every. single. one.
Okay Erin…when you get that secret formula just so, via the ever brilliant Sanders, will you shoot it my way? Pretty please! I just inherited a crazy vintage seventies gold mirror from my grandmother and I want to hang it in my bedroom against a back drop of that Down Pipe. I think the lovely AB Chao has sprung a movement. Bedrooms across America unite in solidarity…all painted a lovely shade of grey!
I am totally blown away. I can’t get over that kitchen transformation and the bedrooms are gorgeous!!! My decorating approach is very much like yours – do something, see what happens and do something else. Only your results are way, way better! And coincidentally, I did a post on Abigail Ahern today and the topic of her paint color just came up in the comments! Farrow and Ball is going to have to churn out a whole lot more of that Down Pipe, I predict. Loved this post so much I’m going to come back later and be wow’ed all over again.
Great Post! As always, I like looking at your designs! Just wondering… where did you get the little clock in Madeleine’s room (on night stand)? It’s cool!
I will be serving my husband with divorce papers this evening when he returns home so that I may marry you, AB Chao.
(That’s legal in Louisiana now, right?)
…..how does one follow *that* guest blog?! yikes.
best bedrooms EVER! and that marble in the kitchen is crazy-good.
Aw, you people are nice. I wonder if Abigail Ahern is looking at her referral logs right now all, “Who is this stalker?!”
Excuse me, I have to go get ready for my marriage to Raina.
As always, I LOVE your house. And congrats again on the Reader’s Choice award! I’m in the midst of purchasing a condo (closing Nov. 3rd ::fingers crossed::) and GAWD do I need your help!
Your writing is so funny. I smiled the entire time I scrolled thru the photos. I love the rooms and can’t wait to see more. You’ve inspired me…fo’ sho’. Thanks!
Viva Down Pipe! Your house is gorgeous and I think I want you to be my best friend (since you seem to be awash in spouses at the moment). You had me at “so say we all.” So tell me–Helo or Apollo? You strike me as a Helo kind of gal.
Helo, for sure. But my one TRUE love is Starbuck. Heh.
Would you PLEASE tell me the color/brand of your bedroom? I’ve been dying for a fabulous color to paint a room in my new house and that wins, hands down! Your house is gorgeous and inspiring. I love it.
First, your were my bedroom-design-crush via All The Best. Now, you are my every-room-in-the-house-crush. I love your style, your eye, your writing. Sorry Mr. Man and move over Raina, she’s mine.
B Star nerds unite!
Hey AB, you’re even more famous:
http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/green-style/green-style-before-after-bedroom-098483
P.S. To Erin and Karly, this is like the third post that has appeared on Apartment Therapy a day or two after you’ve discussed a topic. Hmmmm…
Ha! And true to form, the AT commenters immediately found themselves something to hate on.
I’m so glad we’re getting married.
Your house is lovely! Quite the thing of inspiration! I am excited to see what you do with that claw foot tub… Have you seen the pink one floating about the internets that has the 2 big thick modern block wood bases?
FAB-U-LOUS! Seriously inspirations from floor to ceiling. Thanks a million for the lovely home tour.
i am looking for bedside tables that are 31″ long at the least. yours look long! where did you get them?
also, your dresser looks quite long. where did you find it?
please let me know asap. im re-doing the bedroom and im on a time crunch from the client!!
thanks
Hannah
Oh, man, I am laughing too hard at “Dear Kevin, thanks for fixing all that stuff….” You are a stitch. And a decorating genius. Thanks for a great post.
Great work. Love the master bedroom. Funny question, where’d you get those socks? I like them.