Mocca-chocolata ya ya

Mocca-chocolata ya ya
Sarah Dash, Nona Hendryx, Patti LaBelle
The original Ladies Marmalade in 1974

Been cleaning up the post holiday detritus, rearranging, revamping, the usual modus operandi of a fidgety decorator. Blasting some old LaBelle on the boom box to drown out the vacuum cleaner, when it dawned on me that the living color scheme is very "mocca-chocolata ya ya."

There are many shades of brown, from chocolate to mocha, to coffee. Even Cholo matches!
I recently moved the glam Hollywood Regency wheat sheaf coffee table back into the room. It had been banished for some time because I could never make it fit or look right. But since I "centered" the room with the shutters, it works.
I'm keeping the holiday gold leaves around the clock up for awhile. It's Carnival season. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! The little crown (from Julie Neill) helps support that Carnival story ha ha. (Thanks Julie for the fab Bunny Williams book - I'm looking forward to you posting about Bunny's lecture in New Orleans!)
The chaise came back into room. It had been relocated for the Holly Golightly Christmas tree. I put the television on a swivel stand so it can be moved for viewing from both the sofa and the chaise (nice when the hubs visits my inner sanctum ha ha).
I had this swivel thingee in my magic closet. I bought it at Home Depot some time ago to make a Lazy Susan for the table for a dinner party we had for Chinese New Years. So you don't have to spend big bucks on an official TV swivel stand when a $5.95 thingee will do!

Here's the Lazy Susan thingee - a 12 inch turnatable
You can find it at your local Home Depot, or on line HERE

I recovered a chair that had been living in our bedroom. I found this great Duralee fabric on line. I spy PVE Design's drawing over the etagere!
The chair had a tufted button back and was covered in granny damask. It was a $20. yard sale find. I asked that the chair be recovered without the buttons and tufting. I wanted a cleaner look.
I used five yards of fabric and you can order the it from these good people:

Anatol's Fabric Outlet LTD 235 E. Kirkham Rd. St. Louis, MO 63119 -
phone: 314-968-0090 www.housefabric.com

Leonel's did the upholstery job for me again. They are magicians, transforming the settee, the couch, my dining room chairs, and now this sweet little arm chair. I love them!

The knick knacks on the credenza stayed the same. I found another brown tray in the magic closet and used it on the opposite end. The little watercolor inserted in the frame of the Fornasetti was a gift from Jessica from her trip to Italy. She got it in Florence and thought it reminded her of my paste pot mural.

All in all I think I'm finally happy with the old living room ha ha. A small room with doors and windows on every wall, the furniture arrangement always a challenge. I love all the colors now, the Billy Baldwin inspired brown walls, the Ikat pillows, the exploded damask on the chaise, the negative print on the chair, the faux white leather on the French settee and the Camelback sofa, the tattered shutters, the big clock (where Joni told me to put it!), the Baker credenza, the over size lantern chandelier, the Ghost chair, the black and white stripe rug, the white accents - it all makes me happy. Mocca chocolata ya ya!
Maybe this Spring I'll be able to afford some ballgown drapes from Peyroux's.
But for now the old poison green velvet panels look very pretty. (Thanks Linda for the white vase behind the couch!)
And I'd love some yummy sconces from Julie Neill of course!!!
And just to keep it real, here are a few "before" pictures from my wall of shame ha ha!

Post Katrina madness!
eBay was my best friend and Jonathan Adler was my Bible (sorry Jonathan!)

I had the nerve to send this shot to domino for their home decorating contest last year -
they used it on their slideshow and Desire To Inspire actually used it too!

The cow hide crept in replacing the Jonathan Adler rug -
And yes that's the settee that got recovered in white faux leather

Then I hit the pink dye pot!!! I was always trying to make the yellow paint I inherited work -
I suffered for four years until I finally repainted the room!
What was I waiting for?

Cue Magazine did a nice little spread, but I wasn't finished yet!

The Eames chair was soon to go -
Notice the smaller table top on the gold wheat sheaf base

This was one of Joni's favorite versions - she suggested I hang the big clock on the shutters - genius!
I had just gotten the dining rooms chairs back from Leonels,
and I was playing musical chairs with them, moving them all over the house!

And here's the room today, nearly finished ha ha!