A Few Chic French Country Chairs

Hi. My name is Thomas-Michael, and I have an addiction to french country. Just kidding. Well, not really. Truth is I'm not exactly sure what it is about these pieces that I overly enjoy, but I do. They've got so much character. They're rustic and worn, but still as chic as anything slick and contemporary. They also have all of those incredible hand-crafted details that are so amazing. So, as I usually do when I remember to, or when it's just on the mind like it was this morning; I go check out this amazing little website I found about a year ago that has a small but really beautifully curated selection of antique provincial pieces. All merchandised gorgeously. It's truly a secret little find, and it's called 'The French Garden House'. It's where the below chairs as well as other things I'm sure I'll be posting about in the near future came from. So, just a quickie, a few chairs to get started for today; and for anyone who wants to visit the site on their own, there is a link provided immediately below each of the post images.

Thomas-Michael

frenchgardenhouse.com

Shabby Rustic Chic Antique French Country Chairs.
So here we go. I'm starting off with this gorgeous white on white Louis XV French style bergere. It's just really elegant, isn't it. Like I said above, I also love the way these chairs are merchandised. Love that newspaper wallpaper in the background.

frenchgardenhouse.com

Shabby Rustic Chic Antique French Country Chairs.
This is almost slightly medieval I think in it's form. Very strict and serious looking. Love it. I'm showing the back because I love the old wooden frames on these chairs. Really gorgeous.

frenchgardenhouse.com

Shabby Rustic Chic Antique French Country Chairs.
Some of the beautiful details in the chairs that I was referring to above. The caning is amazing here. Love everything about these chairs.

frenchgardenhouse.com

Shabby Rustic Chic Antique French Country Chairs.
And lastly for today's quickie post, a gorgeous vintage Louis XV upholstered daybed. This is such an incredible piece. Look at the curvature and the detailing on the frame. And so chic with that old gold gilt. All really beautiful. This is a theme I'm sure I'll have to come back to again, very soon.

Interior Design, Chic And Rustic Furniture From Anthropologie

A few weeks back I did a post on rustic bedroom ideas that seems to have gone over quite well. Apparently there are a lot of people out there looking to make things a bit more textural at home. Here's the post for reference, Ideas For A Rustic Bedroom Retreat. And so for today, I decided to cruise around Anthropologie and pull up some more great options for those looking to pursue this route. I love all of the below. And think most of them will work with what you've already got. In general I think it's safe to say that Anthropologie has a really nice thing going with furniture. It's a kind of rustic modern that I think strikes a nerve. Combined with a little bit of funkiness, it's chic and playful at the same time. So all of the below are from there, with a link provided below each image to the furniture section of the website for easy reference. Enjoy!


Thomas-Michael

anthropologie.com

Interior Design, Chic And Rustic Furniture From Anthropologie. Here's a gorgeous living room example of how you can pull the elements together. I love that old rustic wooden coffee table, as well as that chic off white sofa. It's clean but textural at the same time. The shape is nice and simple, classic and refined.

anthropologie.com

Interior Design, Chic And Rustic Furniture From Anthropologie. Here's a gorgoues bedroom example. The company has a few great bed designs, this one being an antique like canopy. The mirrored dresser I like as well.

anthropologie.com

Interior Design, Chic And Rustic Furniture From Anthropologie. A great rustic claw foot table. You could use it as a dining table or as a large desk. I also have to say that I love everything about how this company merchandises the products in these images. All gorgeous.

anthropologie.com

Interior Design, Chic And Rustic Furniture From Anthropologie. Now for some specific elements. This bed was in the post a few weeks back. It's still one of my favorite pieces of furniture. Hangs from the ceiling. You have to love those big rustic chains.

anthropologie.com

Interior Design, Chic And Rustic Furniture From Anthropologie. Here's basically a modern couch, but a little more rustic with those tufted sides and antique legs. A great example of furniture design that's clean but still with some character.

anthropologie.com

Interior Design, Chic And Rustic Furniture From Anthropologie. Some neutral seating options for your rustic space. A great armchair, stool, and dining chair. I love all three. The armchair is so chic and comfortable. And that stool in the middle has such a great shape. The bronze dining chair is classic.

anthropologie.com

Interior Design, Chic And Rustic Furniture From Anthropologie. And lastly some more colorful options. You don't have to be completely neutral to go rustic. All three of these are more than capable of holding the theme. I particularly love that old patio chair on the right. Such a great color and such a mysterious shape.

Accent Light-Blue: Home Interior Design

Today's all about light blue. It's an amazing range of tones. All excessively calming. And they carry a multitude of associations. You can imagine a setting in Greece, something coastal or beachy, some old distressed blue wooden furniture found in a country barn somewhere, or even something South Western towards the turquoise end of the range. It's very versatile thematically, isn't it. As with most color, I prefer injections of it. Not all over the place, but just a pop of light blue here and there. And fortunately it's the perfect color for that. Where red for instance may be too powerful even in small doses. And green may get minty or look too deliberately chosen. Light blue has a funny way of seeming natural and acting neutrally even though it's not neutral at all. Perhaps it's the universality of it. Sea, sky, etc.

Thomas-Michael

freundevonfreunden.com

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. I love this blue chair. This image so perfectly demonstrates how just a little touch of blue changes everything and enlivens a room.

livethemma.ikea.se

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. Here's another blue chair. This time an old wooden one. These chairs immediately bring character to an otherwise neutral space.

functionals.eu

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. Think I want this table. Love it. It's kind of antique in shape, but the blue punches through a little bit of modernism. It's really nicely proportioned as well. The color fits beautifully in the space I think.

functionals.eu

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. Another shot of the table.

mixr.se

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. Some light blue on the wall would also be great. At first I thought it was art, only to realize it's a chalkboard. Either way I love the use of this color in big patches on the wall.

jamesmerrell.co.uk

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. Another way to go is to use the color sparingly here and there in the details. This image I really love because it's so subtle, yet here and there you can pick up the light blues. In turn they create a kind of latent subconscious tonality within the space.

citified.blogspot.com
housebeautiful.com

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. Some light blue accessories now. Blue chandelier and blue lightbulbs. It doesn't take much to activate these spaces in the mood of the color. And anyone can pull this off on short notice or with a minimal budget in their own space.

hostessblog.com

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. You could also just use a light blue centerpiece. This one is gorgeous. It's actually white but with that Tiffany blue ribbon it becomes subsumed in the tone.

etsy.com

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. A blue pillow is another easy thing to add quickly to bring some life into your space.

etsy.com

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. Who doesn't love old wooden country boxes? This one is perfect for the theme.

etsy.com

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. Now, if you're feeling a little more adventurous. Go find an old piece of furniture and get the paint out. This cabinet would look great in most situations.

indiandhurries.com

Home Interior Design With A Light Blue Accent Color. Even patterns look great in light blue. I doctored this rug pattern a little, but it would be a great one to throw on the floor in your living area. Particularly on a dark or black floor I think.

Getting Rustic In The Bedroom

Going to leave that title alone.


The idea here is pretty simple. Given that most of the blog readers here are urbanites. And particularly New Yorkers. Here's an idea to mix up and balance your everyday experience and life. As while we're constantly surrounded in computer screens, cell phones, modern buildings, electronic signs, monster advertising graphics, and slick modern contemporary design. Wouldn't it be nice to go back to your apartment and have a completely non modern experience?

You can still keep it clean, but a little rustic goes a long way towards feeling comfortable. Here are some basic elements for a bedroom for instance.

Thomas-Michael

apartmenttherapy.com

Home Interior Design, A Rustic Bedroom. I really love this image because it shows that you don't need much space to pull off rustic. It's just a studio but it looks great. This is something everyone can pull off. Even with a tiny apartment.

anthropologie.com

Home Interior Design, A Rustic Bedroom. This is one of my new favorite things. It's a hanging bed from Anthropologie. Rustic, but not too heavy looking. Great for small spaces.

anthropologie.com

Home Interior Design, A Rustic Bedroom. Here's another bed I like from Anthropologie for your rustic bedroom retreat. A little more classical, but still old fashioned. And still not heavy looking.

designsponge.com

Home Interior Design, A Rustic Bedroom. A little simpler option for your bed is simply to recreate the headboard. This is a simple DIY headboard made out of some old wood. Looks great. Especially with those antique pillows.

laylagrayce.com

Home Interior Design, A Rustic Bedroom. You're probably going to need a secondary piece of furniture to hold the theme. And it's always nice to have a chair in the bedroom. So here's a nice comfortable burlap one. Now, if your bedroom isn't big enough, this is still a great piece to have. Floating around in a studio for instance.

potterybarn.com

>Home Interior Design, A Rustic Bedroom. Accessories always help. I like these burlap baskets from Pottery Barn. Really simple. You can keep some spare linens or whatever in them.

potterybarn.com

Home Interior Design, A Rustic Bedroom. Maybe a lamp too. This one is mercury glass and burlap. Also from Pottery Barn.

www.theinglenookdecor.com

Home Interior Design, A Rustic Bedroom. And lastly some candles. I like anything that's numbered for no apparent reason. The more completely you address different scales, the more you'll get the feeling of the theme across.

Affordable(Yet Chic) Home Interior Basics

You can put all of these together, or just get and do one. And they are all affordable. They address a lot of the most typical issues people express and ask me about all the time. Particularly with regard to apartments on the small side.

1. I need a big table that I can host a dinner on.
2. I need a big table that I can work on.
Use the same table for both.
3. I want a chair that's comfortable but not frumpy or ugly.
4. I need something for the floor.
5. What do you suggest for an inexpensive yet cool coffee table?
6. What can I do with my bedroom to make it more interesting?
7. What should I do with that blank wall?
Ideas below.

Thomas-Michael




A large table for a dinner or as a work surface.

roomandboard.com

Affordable Yet Chic Home Interior Design Basics, Room And Board, Pratt Dining Table, Desk, Large Work Table, 72" X 36", Price ~ $680 USD. This is a great and inexpensive table. It's clean, modern, and will work with anything you've already got. It's also thin and not too heavy looking. So it won't feel like it's clogging up a small apartment. I'm including my four favorite surfacing options. You can put your laptop on it and lay everything out to work, or clean it up and serve a dinner on it. Perfectly functional.

A large table for a dinner or as a work surface.

roomandboard.com

Affordable Yet Chic Home Interior Design Basics, Room And Board, Pratt Dining Table, Desk, Large Work Table, 72" X 36", Price ~ $680 USD. This is a great and inexpensive table. It's clean, modern, and will work with anything you've already got. It's also thin and not too heavy looking. So it won't feel like it's clogging up a small apartment. I'm including my four favorite surfacing options. You can put your laptop on it and lay everything out to work, or clean it up and serve a dinner on it. Perfectly functional.

A large table for a dinner or as a work surface.

roomandboard.com

Affordable Yet Chic Home Interior Design Basics, Room And Board, Pratt Dining Table, Desk, Large Work Table, 72" X 36", Price ~ $680 USD. This is a great and inexpensive table. It's clean, modern, and will work with anything you've already got. It's also thin and not too heavy looking. So it won't feel like it's clogging up a small apartment. I'm including my four favorite surfacing options. You can put your laptop on it and lay everything out to work, or clean it up and serve a dinner on it. Perfectly functional.

A large table for a dinner or as a work surface.

roomandboard.com

Affordable Yet Chic Home Interior Design Basics, Room And Board, Pratt Dining Table, Desk, Large Work Table, 72" X 36", Price ~ $680 USD. This is a great and inexpensive table. It's clean, modern, and will work with anything you've already got. It's also thin and not too heavy looking. So it won't feel like it's clogging up a small apartment. I'm including my four favorite surfacing options. You can put your laptop on it and lay everything out to work, or clean it up and serve a dinner on it. Perfectly functional.

A comfortable chair.

crateandbarrel.com

Affordable Yet Chic Home Interior Design Basics, Crate And Barrel, Oasis Slipcover Swivel Chair, Price = $1400 USD. This is the most expensive item in the post, but it's worth it. And honestly, you could easily end up spending a lot more on this type of chair. It's clean in design. I love the thin side arms. Elegant, chic, and comfortable. It's not under designed. It's not over designed. It will work with anything you already have. And. You can slip the cover off and wash it. How perfect.

On the floor.

westelm.com

Affordable Yet Chic Home Interior Design Basics, West Elm, Jute Boucle Rug, 9' X 12', Price = $400 USD. This is an easy, simple answer for any large area of ugly floor. It's neutral, natural, and textural. It's modern with modern furniture, classic with classic furniture. Like everything else, it will work with almost anything you have. And it's only $400 USD.

Coffee table.

elleinterior.se

Affordable Yet Chic Home Interior Design Basics, Coffee Table, Wood And Books, Price = Wood And Books. Do I really need to say anything. Stack up some books and throw a great piece of wood on top of them. Love it. In fact, if you look around this image, there are a couple of great and affordable things going on.

In the bedroom.

www.style-files.com

Affordable Yet Chic Home Interior Design Basics, Simple Chic Canopy Bed, Price = Fabric. All you need here is some nice sheer fabric and you're in business. Drape it loosely, looks great.

And on the wall.

www.pursuingprague.blogspot.com
www.elizabethannedesigns.com

Affordable Yet Chic Home Interior Design Basics, Wall Decor, Book Pages, Price = Books. Really simple, cleaver, and almost no cost. Grab a book and start ripping.

Stripes

The short story is that I was at a lunch yesterday. A woman there was wearing a technicolor striped dress.

Thomas-Michael

Stripes. Two of my favorite striped patterns.

Stripes. Some stripes in architecture.

katespade.com

Stripes. Some stripes in retail store design and visual merchandising at Kate Spade.

elledecor.com

Stripes. Some stripes in home interior design from Elle Decor.

elledecor.com

Stripes. Some stripes in home interior design from Elle Decor.

elledecor.com

Stripes. Some stripes in home interior design from Elle Decor.

Stripes. Stripes on the ceiling, stripes on the floor.

elledecor.com

Stripes. And some striped furniture to compliment.

ikea.com

Stripes. How about some striped sheets from Ikea.

Stripes. There's also stripes in contemporary art.

fendi.com
versace.com

Stripes. And stripes in fashion from Fendi and Versace, Spring Summer 2011 collections.

versace.com

Stripes. And lastly. Nothing, but stripes. From the Versace Spring Summer 2011 ad campaign.