Chandelier is up!

I need to announce to the world:  My husband is the MOST AMAZING, PATIENT, LOVING human being EVER!!

Instead of spending the nice weekend out and about, I decided we should hang up the beautiful chandelier I nabbed at the Antique Faire last week.  After years of watching HGTV, I feel reasonably educated in electrical work (NOT).  I armed myself with instruction printouts from thisoldhouse.com and various magazine cutouts and we are ready to install the chandelier.

Not so easy!!!  FYI, hanging a heavy chandelier requires you to brace the junction box to a ceiling joist. Drilling a brace to a joist through a mere 4 inch wide hole further complicated the work.  Two trips to The Home Depot, three trips to The Ace Hardware and $ 100 in various tools and supplies later, we finally got the brace installed.  Just installing the brace took a day and a half.  It's always fun when the instructions are mostly in Spanish with a few English words sprinkled here and there.  The electrical connection was surprisingly easy.  The hanging of the chandelier wasn't too bad; though I did get quite a bit of workout holding a 50 lb fixture over my head while my husband connected the wires.  To make sure proper credit is given, when I say we, I mean my wonderful husband did all the hard work; I "supervised".

But all the hard work paid off.  We now have a rudimentary understanding of the electrical system and we have a beautiful chandelier hanging the master bedroom.

All in a day's (weekend) work:

Antique Fair - Candlestick Park

Everybody from San Francisco and the Peninsula- Rejoice!  The much anticipated Antique Fair has finally arrived at the Candlestick Park!!

After years of trekking to Alameda to find treasures, many of the vendors that have booths at the monthly Alameda Fair will be at the Candlestick Park every third Sunday of the month.

I got up bright and early on Sunday and brought a wad of cash and a long list of THINGS I NEED with me.  Here are some great finds I would love to share with you.   

Found this circa 1930s brass chandelier from Spain- perfect for the master bedroom redesign. 

A marble and alabaster lamp

A pair of small table lamps

An 1890s watercolor of London

An 1870s French lithograph

I spotted a pair of this French bombe chest.  I really really wanted them but my wallet was cleaned out.  If you are interested, let me know.  I have the vendor's business card.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised and very happy I came home with a car full of treasure trove.  You must go to the next event which is on August 15th.  The pricing beats any retail store prices.  Just remember, bring plenty of cash, newspaper to wrap your purchases and a small cart if you have one.  You'd never know what you would go home with!

Designer Profile - Liz Williams

Someone recently asked me at a party who my favorite designer is.  That truly is a difficult question to answer as there are so many talented designers out there.  I did say that I'm more partial to designers from the South.  Why?  While I admire many of the modern designs seen on East/West Coast, the Southern designers embrace the formal traditional designs (which as you should know by now rocks me to my core).

This leads me to my first ever Designer Profile!  I wanted to introduce to you the work of Liz Williams.  She is based in Atlanta and has had her eponymous firm since 1998.  Her designs have been recognized in multiple shelter magazines and she has participated in numerous decorator showcases.  She was also listed as one of the "20 Under 40 - The Next Wave of Local Talent" in the March 2007 issue of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles. 

I love the soft mint green draperies she used.  See the contrasting bronze fabric at the bottom of the panel?  This is a great way to customize store bought draperies by sewing on a complementing fabric.  I like that etagere between the windows too.

She has a way with injecting a bit of casualness to an otherwise formal space by keeping the draperies simple and adding the plates on the wall.  Is that mirror awesome or is that mirror awesome?!

Adding a bedskirt softens the rigid look of a crib and hides all the storage space underneath.

Grouping a bunch of smaller size prints is much more affordable than a large size art.

Upholstered bed - my fave

Striped silk draperies - another fave

More silk draperies.  How luscious are these!!!  Attaching draperies at the very top of the wall ALWAYS looks good.  Designers have been adding these little pleated skirts to dining chairs.  Another great way to lessen the formalness of a room.

I like that Miz. Williams uses alot of muted greens, blues, and browns.  Her rooms are soothing to look at and seem so livable.  Makes you want to kick off your shoes and plop right down on her couch.

Well, have a great weekend!!!  It's going to be a hot one!