What We’re Shopping For: Interiors Edition
As we narrow down choices for things we are replacing (window treatments in the living room, a new rug), I’ve finally been turning to the smaller purchases we’re planning to make this summer. I always enjoy writing my “what I am shopping for” posts seasonally, so I thought it might be fun to make an “interiors” edition!
Art
At the top of our list is art. Both my husband and I have pieces we love, but aren’t quite right for the living room or foyer. So we’re on the hunt. I’m absolutely in love with Sarah Evans’ beautiful seascapes, but the spaces we’re trying to fill are a little bit too large for the size of her pieces, so I’ll have to keep looking (and purchase one of her Irish series for later on!)
A rug
We’ve been trying to find a rug we love that 1) goes with our pale yellow living room, 2) isn’t a “faux” rug, i.e. a new rug made to look old, and 3) is nice, but isn’t so nice that we’d be devastated if our little one accidentally overturned a glass of water onto it. We’ve finally narrowed down a few we love, and I can’t wait to pull the trigger on this purchase!
A kitchen island and barstools
Our kitchen has a lovely cozy cottage feel, but we need a little more counter space (and storage space.) I’d love to find a really lovely butcher block kitchen island with some extra storage. I was surprised that IKEA actually has some great options, and I’ve also seen a few others floating around. Barstools are a little more difficult. Everyone and their sister has the Serena & Lily ones, and while I like the look, they don’t really go with the feel of our house. When I was growing up, we had a set similar to this (a little less ornate), and I’d love to track down something similar that won’t take four months to make and cost as much as that!
Everyday china
I wrote about my search for an everyday china pattern a few months ago, and it’s still something I’m considering. I still love Villeroy & Boch’s French Garden Orange pattern, but it’s tough to track down replacements in the same colorway for some pieces, as it seems as though the color has changed throughout the years.
Slipcovers for furniture
Something I’ve learned in having a child is why my mother had slipcovers made for all the furniture in the living room–if something happened, she could have them cleaned. That’s something I wish we had thought about! We’ve been holding off on this because we’ve been waiting to decide on a rug and wanted to make sure they wouldn’t clash. But now that we’re in the final stretch for deciding on a rug, I have my eye on several different fabrics for slipcovers. We have two chairs and one sofa I’d like to have slipcovers made for, so we’ll see what happens! As I’ve written before, we’re only planning to do this once, so I’d rather take my time.
What are you shopping for for your home?
Mixed in with Cheryl’s Empire antiques and English oak breakfast room pieces, we added a set of Modernica fiberglass chairs [Celery tone] – they bought the molds for the Eames design when Herman Miller lost the way and switched to injection molding, keeping the original hand lay fiberglass in production. Along these lines – Knoll’s Bertoia bar stools are classics that you’ll hand to the next generation – and they can be found online used with a little persistence – or Modernica does a Case Study version https://modernica.net/collections/all-seating/products/case-study®-wire-chair-h-base-bar-stool – a much better deal. Interjecting a bit of MCM whimsey can work – just saying.
Ooh, great ideas!! I love the look of the barstools and my husband would particularly love them, this is much more his style. I really would like to have a happy meld of both our tastes but it’s tough to balance without feeling off… these barstools might be just the thing for the kitchen. Thank you so much!!
So fun to hear what you are searching for – personally, part of the fun is the hunt for the perfect item. Have you ever searched on Chairish? I found this beautiful Italian set of barstools that remind me of the ladder back rush seat style you grew up with (which I love). I remember seeing a pair similar to these at auction in a deep green – I didn’t have a spot for them but I still think about them!
https://www.chairish.com/product/2525853/italian-barstool-with-plaid-seat-cushions
Yes, I love Chairish! I LOVE those barstools (but don’t love the price ha!) I’m bookmarking these to keep in mind for when we get this island!