Island bliss

Loving these prints for Little Guy's room (since he continues to be Hawaii-obsessed -- can't fault him there). They have a distinct vintage flair and perfectly capture the slow-paced, worry-free bliss of a true Maui vacation.

From Etsy shops LupenGrainne and LifeInFrame

Good Gifting

Ok so I'm a little behind with this one (or maybe just in time for those of you with gifts still on your list!) but I couldn't resist sharing these great finds...starting with this simple galvanized barometer, above. Why not?

And this sweet herringbone moose - we nabbed a few for the tree this year.

I love this chair for a little boy's room. It feels rugged and yet comfy since the seat's made from canvas.

Pretty striped linen hand towels.

The colors and design of this print are fantastic. The subject matter is fun, too.

A compact combo tool. SO useful.

The coolest bottle opener I've seen. (Husband would love).

And a sweet little personalized airplane. It has such a great vintage look.

Hope you are enjoying the season! Good luck with your shopping and remember to break for the fun stuff. We've been enjoying extra trips to Starbucks, driving all the Christmas lights, visits to Santa (yes, more than one - little guy loves him. Maybe even more than the mailman, which says a lot), and lots of singing!

Vintage apron art

 

A big part of Modern Cottage design is that subtle nod to the past - using vintage items in a modern way to add character, personality and a little sense of history. We love incorporating vintage pieces into our decor in creative ways. We've used old crates as wall art, transformed a weathered wood A-board sign into mirrors for two bathrooms, and most recently framed a delightful vintage lumber yard apron - a bit yellowed with age and slightly out of square - in a clean, white frame. The ties were tucked neatly behind the mat so the apron would remain intact. We especially liked the lettering and details on this apron, which we found at Daily Memorandum on Etsy. We put this piece together as a gift for a client, but really, really wished we had one to keep, too. I guess that's a sign of a great gift!

Moss art

My jaw dropped open when I saw these in the latest Viva Terra catalog. Well, first I thought, "Oh, wow, they're selling versions of the little craft project husband and I did a few years ago... how funny!" And then I saw what they were charging... $200-500?! That's when my jaw dropped open. I couldn't wait to tell the husband their price for reindeer moss and hot glue (well, that's what we used) in a frame (we used a canvas ... but you could so easily use a frame and remove the glass!). Anyway... if you like the look, I highly encourage you to make your own, it only took us about ten minutes.

Here's our version as seen in some earlier posts:

First, as a little chartreuse pop above the guest bed in our last house.

And now as a hit of green at my workspace in our current house.

We do have a thing for green, but like to avoid anything faux as much as possible... this is why we really love the reindeer moss - real + zero watering is a good thing. And our piece cost less than $30 :)

Modern loft-style office

We recently styled a truly exceptional modern home and one of my favorite spaces is this unassuming little office nook at the landing of the upper level. The desk is from Crate and Barrel and it came with traditional-style oval knobs. A quick hardware swap and it feels much more stylish and mod. The art is comprised of a simple white metal frame with a photo of a contemplative bull taken a few summers back at my uncle's property in Salmon, Idaho (a stop on our road trip).

We mixed a bit of country modern into this home with additional framed photos from our trip and other decorative elements which we used in unconventional ways (like these vintage French fruit crate lids as an art installation). It added a lot of warmth and character and nicely contrasted the modern details and finishes in the home; the juxtiposition is both interesting and playful.

Of course we were sold instantly when we saw these lids with the black printed numbers (finds from treaure hunting :) Sometimes unexpected pairings give the best results!

Treasure hunting

We finally made it out to our favorite antiques gallery with baby...and it only took nine months! Nonetheless, we made it- that's what counts, right? We had some specific items in mind for an upcoming project, but it's always fun to browse, too. Here are some of the things that caught our eye (brace yourselves for a lot of galvi! :)

First up (above) is this vintage nesting box displayed as functional wall storage. Love for a  mudroom or entry. Totally unique piece.

Also this great old olive bucket. Love the shape of the holes and as well as the handles which provide a little contrast.

Rustic pendant lights. Lots of possibilities...

This made us smile: A lamp made from an old water tank. The price tag made us smile, too: $878!!

Set of four cool white retro chairs. Love these as dining chairs or even just one as a casual desk chair. Great for outside, too.

I was instantly drawn to this tote of vintage bulbs. The display felt beautiful and scupltural to me. And interesting!

Giant 3x5 galvi panel. We'd use it like a piece of art. Though it weighs about 60 pounds!

Rad old windmill tail. Really wanted to grab this but just don't have a place for it.  Probably gone by now, but at least I have this picture...

After lots of perusing, our little guy fell asleep on Dad, while the gallery staff oohed and ahhed over the darling sleeping baby (he is pretty darling, sleeping or awake :) Afterwards we stopped by the waterfront near the Space Needle to soak up some sun and enjoy the fountain. It was a fun day - and definitely a milestone for us as parents since it wasn't so many months ago in our newborn fog that we were entirely convinced we'd never make it back to this place again.

The evolution of the Modern Cottage nursery

So, this is a bit overdue, but I am finally getting around to posting some of our favorite nursery finds.

The path leading to the nursery as it looks now was a little something like this:

"Oooh! Ohh. Ahhh...! Oooooooooh!!" edit * edit * edit * and then more: "Ooh, but this?! Oh definitely... Love! But where would it go? Cute!" edit * edit * edit * and so on. That's right, lots and lots of good stuff out there, but only so much space for it all, and more importantly, there is only so much real esate for smaller items and accessories in Modern Cottage design before we back away and go "Oh - too much. Pare down and keep it simple".

We're thrilled with our final design and feel we edited just right to fit the space and achieve the feeling we were going for. That said, we discovered loads of great nursery items along the way. Here are a few of them.

1. Bird light by Perch (in white, of course). Really wanted to use this but ultimately felt it would be one too many items in there. It's just so cool.

2. Adorable sock dogs (and other animals) by Scooter and Goose on Etsy. So sweet.

3. This growth chart is perfect. Based on a vintage ruler. Cool, right? It's so simple and understated it could go almost anywhere and surely doesn't look like it was plucked from a playroom. Extra points there.


4. This truck pillow plays to our affection for old pick up trucks.

5. Toys in the shapes of oversized utensils - so charming. I'm all about this fork in natural linen.

6. Animal pyramid art!

7. Of course we also love Collette Bream's pillows ...


8. ...and this awesome Eames elephant (both of which we've already drooled over in earlier posts).

If you're planning a new nursery space or looking for some ways to freshen up your kids' rooms, we hope this provides a little Modern Cottage inspiration!

Yellow fixation

I don't know what's come over me but I've recently become fixated on yellow. Not pale, subtle yellow - bold, golden yellow. The husband is not sure what to make of it. He is giving me concerned looks. Have you ever felt more cheerful when you wear yellow? I think it's a real thing. So maybe it's stemming from that... a desire for sunshine and all-around good cheer. I think it can make a great pop of bold color in an otherwise clean and simple Modern Cottage. I'm not talking walls of it. Just a few hits. Like these pendant lights from West Elm. Hello! Such a steal on sale. I feel dangerously like stockpiling them for future projects. Speaking of hello ... this hello sign is exceptionally cheery as well.

On Saturday I came across a Winston Churchill quote ... to me it's a great sentiment to live in the moment and appreciate and enjoy what is happening in our lives now. So I (cheerfully) printed it out in sunshine yellow. Then I framed it. I'm not making this up. Here's the proof:

I'm planning to create a fun art grouping in our office and thought he could join in. Ah, but I didn't stop there. Nope, I also picked a can of golden-yellow spray paint. I figured if I could get a little hit of yellow I could work my way out of  Anxious Design Mode (that's when one's brain works overtime designing and re-designing in one's head, with inspiration and ideas jostling around willy-nilly in mass chaos). I have some ideas about where I might use it (husband is worried) and when I figure that out I'll report back. Who knows, it may be a fleeting fixation... but a $5 can of spray paint never hurt anyone. Here's hoping your week is filled with sunshine, too!

Rex

Meet Rex. He's very low-maintenance (and no shedding!). We got him over a decade ago at Restoration Hardware, back when they had all sorts of cool stuff like this. We were in college at the time so he was a real splurge at $125. But we've loved him ever since, and he now resides alongside the staircase in our current home. Definitely a Super Find. Good dog!

It's the little things...

It's not the most glamorous topic, but it is functional - so might as well make it Modern Cottage, too :)  That's right: toilet paper storage. Keeping a few extra rolls near the toilet not only saves time when it's time to reload the holder (versus digging under the vanity cabinet or other storage location for the next roll) but also feels a bit luxurious - there's something about having the basics fully-stocked. I typically don't like anything sitting on the floor unless absolutely necessary (living with a golden retriever for 10 years will do this - dog hair clings to everything) so I pictured a basket that could be wall-mounted. I wasn't feeling woven - more utilitarian/sturdy/minimalistic. I decided I would hunt down a vintage-y wire basket. I started on Etsy and found our winner on the second page of my search - it was almost exactly what I was envisioning, and after verifying dimensions, I determined it would be a seriously perfect fit. How often does that happen? Silver Bee Vintage was great and the piece arrived promptly from Texas. A couple of nails later and voila! Cutest TP storage ever, don't you think?

(Ball jar photography available here.)

Nursery art

After several different visions of a photo wall in the nursery, this is where we landed. We think it's just right! We love the rustic element the horse print adds (and the subject matter is fun for kids- who doesn't love horsies? :) The white on white metal frames we had purchased on sale at Pottery Barn ages ago for practically nothing. We filled them with old photos of our little guy's grandparents when they were kids. It's a great way to honor them while keeping the room playful and kid-friendly.

We knew we wanted something different for the changing table... and really liked the idea of somehow bringing in metal. We found what we were after in the form of this vintage industrial cart with a tray-style top at our favorite antiques gallery - which happened to just fit a smaller sized changing pad (major score). We added the middle shelf (after tracking down some old-style rounded-head screws to match the rest of the piece), some storage baskets, and voila! We love incorporating metals into our design and the baskets warm things up and tie in with the horse print beautifully.

2011 Christmas decor round up

I can't resist checking out all the new holiday decor each year. This year we're loving lots of white for Christmas. Here's a round up of our top picks this season.

Above, adorable handmade deer and pinecone ornaments. Love.

Next, some simple paper letters on string for the mantel or really anywhere that could use some subtle cheer.

A trio of happy white birds for a great price.

This is technically a card, but it's so beautiful and would look incredible framed with a giant white mat. It's just so winter-wonderland-y!

What graceful creatures... these deer friends would look fresh and modern against a white backdrop (can't resist some white on white :).

What a fun idea for artwork... don't we all love to sing along to the great classic Christmas songs?

We'll be going with lots of white this Christmas, and an overall understated holiday look. We have a few ideas up our sleeves and if we can manage to stay on task, we'll be sure to share them :)