Hat Stack

Visual Vamp displays hats on a Union Jack Armoire

I love stacks of hats! Stack 'em high on entry hall tables or chests! I stacked these this morning on the Union Jack armoire near our front door. Alberto painted this for me a few months ago HERE, and it has turned out to be so handy, a nifty little "coat" closet and a place to hang Cholo's leash, and for me to stack some of my huge hat collection.

I share a few images with you to inspire you to stack your hats! Send me photos to show everyone.

Debra Shriver stacks her hats in her French Quarter home - photo by Valorie Hart

So very English! Hats, riding boots, bumbershoots, antlers!

Hang 'em high too!

Hats stacked on a chest

Curvy!

Cozy!

So do tell, how to yours stack up?

A Pair Of Stinky Tables

I recently was given a gift of a pair of 18th century Swedish Gustavian demilune tables! They are gorgeous! What a score!

Until I got a whiff of them. These tables are notorious for having been sold by the best antique dealer in town to a lady for $5,000 or so. The dealer had fumigated the tables with a chemical to get rid of wormwood, and all seemed well, until the tables were enclosed in the customer's house, letting off the most awful stinky stink. Of course the tables were returned.

The once stinky Swedish table in the home of the Visual Vamp
I spy an Anne Harwell painting!

They kicked around at a huge discount to a number of local decor mavens. A thick coat of white Kilz paint was applied. But still the stinky tables, as they have become affectionately known, were returned to the seller time after time.

The seller was moving and I always loved these tables, so he just gave them to me knowing I was fully aware of the issues.

The smell really was intense. Like chemical urine. It had seeped into the centuries old wood, and the prevailing humidity in New Orleans did not help matters. They even stunk up my back enclosed patio area outside, and they nearly gassed the poor seller when he drove them over to my house in his SUV, even with the windows open!

18th century Swedish demilune table with 1960's mod table layered under it
photo: Visual Vamp living room

I had nothing to lose so I did some Google research. The underside of the tables had been left unpainted, and unfinished. Basically bare wood. So I doused it with white vinegar and waited 24 hours. The tables didn't smell as bad, but they smelled like a giant pickle. Then a kind person emailed me a suggestion to use denatured alcohol. I doused the tables a couple of times, again with 24 hours in between treatments. This worked the best, but the stinky stink crept back, though much more faint. But even faint, trust me you do not want to smell this in your house!

My next trick was to spray them with a citrus orange oil room deodorizer. Again I waited 24 hours. This worked really well, as the oil soaked into the wood, and took over as the top note.
Then I painted the undersides of each table with three coats of white Kilz paint, and touched up the rest of the tables with more Kilz. I waited 24 hours. I sniffed them. They did not stink!

Glorious Swedish demilune tables at chez Visual Vamp!
I took this photo at 7 AM this morning

So I brought them in the house! Even though I am not an antiques maven, I seem to have alot of antique pieces in my vampy mix. I do love antiques, but I am not one for the strict period look of a room. So far so good. The tables are magnificent, and once in awhile I get a whiff of orange blossoms. I have sprayed them with Lysol, and this has helped tone down the orange scent too, and I think this stinky pair has at long last been tamed to be able to live indoors.



And for the fun of it, here is a mini round up look book of some antique Swedish demilune tables.

From Velvet and Linen HERE - Brooke is the Swedish expert for sure

via La Pouyette HERE
My pair of demilunes have brackets on the back so I can make one round table

From Inspiring Interiors HERE

via House Beautiful

via Karina Gentinetta HERE

Visual Vamp 18th century demilune tables

Do you guys have any stinky furniture stories and solutions to share?

Designer Ideas To Take Outdoors

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Summer is nearly here, and it's time to get serious about fixing up your deck or patio or balcony.

Pier 1 is the go-to destination for pieces that have a high end designer look at affordable prices. Here's a round up of some designer spaces, along with some Pier 1 pieces that you could use to get the designer look.

I went into my clipping file to show you some images. The first one is a terrific bed on a patio. This is the epitome of the indoor/outdoor concept. You might try a modification of this with a bench or a platform, and fill it with colorful pillows.

Pier 1 has a very cool bench with a canopy over it that would look amazing. They have an incredible pillow and cushion collection. Just pile them on for the high end designer look.

This bench with a canopy from Pier 1 echos the idea of the bed


Designer cushions on a platform

Start with this large Pier 1 cushion

Add a few of these orange pillows from Pier 1

Add another blue pillow or two from Pier 1 - love the button detail

This cute print would add another layer - get it at Pier 1

Designers love to use woven furniture, and it looks fabulous outside and inside. While you are on a Pier 1 shopping spree for your patio, why not pick up a couple of woven chairs to refresh your living room, or den.

The woven arm chair looks great outdoors and indoors


This Pier 1 chair is woven from banana leaves

Dining "alfresco". It sounds so romantic. We love to eat outdoors as much as we can once Summer rolls around. Think about getting a table and chairs that you can use outdoors and indoors.

These cheery yellow chairs just scream "dining alfresco"

This rustic dining table from Pier 1 would work outdoors



This is the best yellow chair from Pier 1

This outdoor table from Pier 1 would work inside as well

The high end designer look of modular furniture for outdoor use can now be ours!
Pier 1 has a great line of sleek pieces that you can put together to get that magazine worthy look.

High end designer look

Party-O on the Patio!
This is the sleek modular outdoor furniture at Pier 1!

Rocking chairs on the porch! Is there any other image that says Summer more than a rocking chair on the porch, or on the patio? Pier 1 has the cutest wicker rocking chair in three colors. This is another piece I would bring inside. It would be precious in a nursery.

These darling wicker rocking chairs are from Pier 1

Who doesn't want or need a cute bar cart? Pier 1 has a rolling cart that would rock the patio, and I would definitely use it inside of the house too.

LOVE this bar cart from Pier 1

Hope you enjoyed this round up of Summer decorating ideas, and the arm chair shopping trip to Pier 1. Get on out to your local Pier 1 and grab a few of these pieces.

Go to Pier 1
And check out the Pier 1 Tweetups

Your Thoughts Please ~ Weekend Round Up

This is a slacker post. I am up to my ears in the hoopla with a couple of photo shoots, working on Art In Bloom, getting ready for the PRC House Tour, so it's just a show and tell kind of post today.

Like all of you, I collect images that catch my attention, sometimes me likeee, sometimes not.

So let's play together: Your thoughts please...


1. Antler sconces. I love these, even though the antler thing keeps getting played. I confess, I have antlers in my home.



2. Wall of taxidermy! I have grown accustomed to the taxidermy trend in decor, but man this is alot of head. It is a hunter's home I suspect, but no me likee so many. Actually it's a historical home HERE



3. Dem bones. I collect and use "curiosities" in my decor. I have life size skeleton charts, sea shells, specimen bugs, coral, tortoise shells, etc. This is amazing. It's from the same house as the wall o' animal heads.



4. Orange. I predict some shade of orange will be the 2012 color of the year.



5. Stripe stair runner. LOVE! Mainly because it's black and white and wiggles.



6. Big clocks. Have one. Still love it, even though they sell them in Wal Mart, Steinmart, and at the corner store. Love the low hang too.



7. Circle headboard. Looks like chair cushions stuck to the wall. LOVE. And these monograms are refreshing. Every Southern gal in these parts loves to monogram everything. I didn't get it for a long time, but I must confess I have some monograms in my house now too. I guess after eleven years of living here, something rubbed off on this damn Yankee.


So there you have the Your Thoughts Please Weekend Round Up. So? Your thoughts?

PS The April mags coming through the mail slot - so far, Elle Decor is good this month. Veranda is still finding it's pace, but still worthwhile. House Beautiful is good. Online, Lonny was pretty good too. Town and Country is really sad. Stephen lost interest for his last issue. Southern Living is consistent, best for the food features.

And Happy Weekend!

A Question For You Stylists

You know a styling trend has arrived when it trickles down to New Orleans. Lately editors have been asking about styling that messy bed look for home decor stories and photo shoots.

The bohemian messy bed

It really is tricky to making an un-made bed bed look appealing and glamorous.

The modern messy bed

Do you start with the bed made up and then mess it up? Do you spray the sheets with water and crumple them by hand?

The romantic messy bed

Maybe you can get in the bed and kind off kick the covers around to achieve a natural look. You know if you fuss too much it will look stiff and fake, which is pretty funny when you think of it.



What does the messy bed say to the reader? Does it say something romantic?

The implied lifestyle messy bed

Does a messy bed imply a languid relaxed lifestyle that most of us crave?

All in the mix messy bed

Is there a devil-may-care off-hand attitude somewhere there in all the beautiful bed linens?

The boudoir messy bed

How would you style the messy bed look? Add some clothing? I think shots with a fancy pair of designer shoes and a Kelly bag/designer purse in it are so overused.

The Selby messy bed - Kate & Andy Spade at home

The Selby is a master of the messy look. He usually puts people in the messy beds.

The Selby - the reality of hip messy bed

There's kind of a swagger to it all. Some people hate it as being hipster and smug. Some people love it as being fresh and exciting, the antidote to all those perfectly made beds that have been in shelter magazines for years.

The Selby anti shelter magazine messy bed

Do photos of messy beds give us a voyeuristic sneak peek at the reality of the private life taking place in the home photographed?

The Selby

Would you allow your bed to photographed unmade? You've waited a long time to get a photo shoot of your project.

The Selby makes the stylist jump on the bed to get the perfect messy bed look

You've purchased new linens, and ironed them, You've fluffed and primped the pillows for hours to get just the perfect look, and the editor walks in and tells the stylist to mess it up. Could you handle it?


Is it easier on a fashion shoot then a home decor shoot? After all fashion editorial has been way ahead of the shelter magazines in presenting avant garde editorials.

Fashion model messy bed

I started looking at images of messy beds for inspiration. I love the ones with movie stars in messy beds.

Sophia Lauren and Carlo Ponti in their messy bed

Some of them are staged for movies, and publicity shots, and for magazine stories.

Sophia Loren alone in a messy bed
Love the whole styling job of this room

Since the movie stars are actors, they really know how to be comfortable in a messy bed. They know how to work it.

Marilyn - the master works the messy bed

No movie stars here at my photo shoot. Just an uptight home owner with a hurt puzzled look as I tear into her beautifully made up bed.

Marilyn

How do I explain that this is glamorous and au courant?

Catherine Deneuve - French style messy bed
The props inspire me!

Stylists! Tell me your tricks and secrets of how to make the messy bed fabulous!

Brigitte Bardot - French style messy bed 2

I practice every morning, by not making my bed. Alberto and I work all night to get just the right effect!

Audrey Hepburn - messy bed excellence
A sleep mask and a cat are so much better than a Kelly bag

Don't forget to watch stylist and blogger and Design Star winner Emily Henderson's new show Secrets From A Stylist which premiers on HGTV on this Saturday February 26, 9 PM Eastern, 8 PM Central. Maybe she'll show us the secrets of styling the messy bed!

Emily Henderson secretly styles the messy bed