Steven Gambrel. The man, the myth, the legend.

It's sort of weird how many times I'll see a picture on a blog or in a magazine and say to myself "Dang. That is a good looking room. Who designed it? Oh, of course. Steven Gambrel."


The man is so crazy talented. Take a load off and dedicate an hour to perusing his portfolio. You won't be sorry.

Stencilling is Hip

Does anyone else have fond memories of watching Debbie Travis' The Painted House? That was back in the day, when overalls were cool. Well, overalls are not cool again (yet!), but stenciling is making a comeback.

Decorative painter, Deirdre Newman, emailed me recently with pictures from her portfolio. She does beautiful work in the NYC metropolitan area. She designs most of her stencils and has them custom made using a company online. Here are some of my favorites from her portfolio:



If you live in the NYC area and have the funds, you should definitely consider hiring Deirdre. If you're a little more adventurous, consider trying a little stenciling yourself. It's a great way to get the look of wallpaper without breaking the bank and without making a semi-permanent change to your walls.

Did you see Lauren's AMAZING living room? Yup - a stencil.


Whitewall & Co. is a great resource for easy to use stencils.

images via Southern Living

I won a giveaway from Whitewall on the Haven and Home blog, and I can't wait to use my stencil in a future project.

image via Tracery Interiors

Stencil Library is another amazing vendor that I've mentioned before. If you have some serious artistic ability, you might want to try their chinoiserie stencil line.


Have you used stencils in the past couple years? Tips for fellow readers?

Billowy

Today I'm dreaming of curtains made from miles of sumptuous fabric...

photo via Paul Costello

Pearl Street - The Next Generation

We were in Arizona a few months ago for my brother's wedding. I helped with a lot of decorating while we were there (my sister's home, a shower and the reception).

While we were at the reception one of my extended family members asked my oldest daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up. She normally says "a cowgirl" or "a doctor like granddaddy" but that night she said "a Becorator like my mommy."

{queue my heart breaking}

Here we are at Home Depot a few days ago getting some wood cut for that client install in NYC. I watched in awe as my somewhat shy girl, on her own, asked the Home Depot employee all about the saw and the measurements, etc. And then she asked if she could wear a pair of safety goggles too.



I think we would make a pretty good mommy-daughter 'becorating' team.

Leaf Prints

Remember this INCREDIBLE home from Night Owl Paper Goods featured on design*sponge?

I just rediscovered the links to the botanical posters featured above, here and here.

{P.S. check here for coupons. Art.com is always having at least a 20% off sale}

Skirted Pedestal Sinks

We have the cutest little corner sink in our downstairs bath. It is screaming for a DIY skirt in some fabulous fabric. And I just might have to oblige...

Kristen Buckingham

Eddie Ross. His tutorial here.

Canadian House and Home

image via Real Simple

image via Visual Vamp

Renovating a House in the City

I'm coveting this book, found via the awesomely talented and ever-creative Katy Elliott.

Who, incidentally, tweeted about the song that first plays when you click here. Both Evelyn and I love it, even and especially at 3:00 am.

hugs,
jenny