Best of MI...Ruthie Sommers...

Good morning!! Happy Fourth of July to all of you!  I have the day off and will be lounging.  I am watching Wimbledon right now and can't wait for the women's single and men's single finals this weekend.  I used to do a regular column called 'The Green Scene' and decided to run this with one of my favorite designers - Ruthie Sommers.  I highlighted her ability to recycle furniture that she sold in her now-defunct store in Hollywood.  Her design is timeless and looks just as great as it did in June 2010 when I did this post.  Do you like her designs?  Any favorites here? 

One reason I think Ruthie Sommers' design aesthetic is so popular is that she recycles and reuses furniture that she use to sell in her now-closed store in Hollywood,Chapman Radcliffe Home, and in her clients' homes too...here is a house in Hollywood she designed...

Notice the bedside table, which looks like a piece you would see in any consignment shop or Goodwill store repainted to look glamorous!...

 This room has an antique desk in the corner...looks lovely...

The kitchen has several recycled items...the chandelier is vintage, the Saarinen table by Knoll is a classic and the vintage chairs are reupholstered in candy colors...yummy...

This chair looks like it came from a consignment shop, redone with new upholstery...the sconces on the wall are vintage too...

Ruthie made this home more personal with items already owned and used...not brand new...it is a great way for the client to save money and own something unique...you can use organic fabrics too that don't cost a lot (more on that later)...I'll be back on Friday with the Fabulous Fabrics series - see you then!

Visit Ruthie Sommers website: http://www.ruthiesommers.com/

(original images for Traditional Home by Grey Crawford)

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What's not to love about...WHITE?

For any skeptics out there who are hesitant about using white in design, here are some examples to prove just how versatile and truly neutral white is.  White will make any color pop, white can add texture and add sheer chic to any design. I love looking at these, I find it very calming and soothing as well - great to come home to after a busy day of work.  What do you love or dislike about white? Would you design around an all white room?

Shabby chic

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Swedish

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Blue and white

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White chic

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Rustic chic

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Furry chic

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Texture chic

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Which if your favorite? You can follow my Pinterest board

devoted entirely to Whites and Neutrals -

Enjoy the day!

Please visit my shop and see if there is a gift idea

you might not have thought about before -

email me for any questions: monacointeriors76@yahoo.com

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Gotta have these...on a budget!

As promised, I am bringing you more home decor products from big box stores for those of you who still want chic without the high cost.  I look through some decorating magazines and wonder who is spending hundreds of dollars on a lamp because I know its not me!  Well, if you can afford it, great, if not, there are always creative ways to find out how to stay on trend within a budget.  Happy weekend and happy shopping!

Thank you Amazon for this affordable room divider screen -

so pretty and affordable at $61.20 - info here

Gorgeous yellow and white duvet cover from Target

and it costs $29.99 in Queen - go here

Pretty bottles for fall decoration won't set you back, but

will add some color to your kitchen - from Big Lots, these

are just $4 each -

How pretty is this light for your front door or porch from Lowe's? -

This is only $32.98 and will add some chic to your house; go 

here 

I hope you like my picks and again, I am not paid for any endorsement, 

this is strictly my own opinion and recommendations to help you find 

great products for the home that don't cost a mint.

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a great weekend! ;-))

(images amazon.com, target.com, biglots.com and lowes.com)

Need help decorating? I can help! Email me for my rates at

monacointeriors76@yahoo.com.

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Gotta have these...! (on a budget)

Here are my picks for this week's items that I gotta have, but, on a budget. 

I will be honest with you - I am tired of seeing decorating items to buy in sleek magazines that just cost too much money. Not many people have $1,000 to drop on a sofa, let alone any other piece of furniture. Re-use pieces, paint them, decorate them, anything you can do to recycle will cost you far less money. So, I thought I would highlight items from big box stores - K-Mart, Wal-Mart and Target. You can find virtually anything for your home and it doesn't have to cost the earth. Good taste is good taste is good taste, no matter what. So, tell me, do you agree?  Does it seem like magazines are pushing really expensive items in the middle of a deep recession?

A great big red clock available at Target for $28.34 -

this is a price cut -

This gorgeous graphic comforter set from K-Mart is available

in both Full and Queen for $29.99 - and it is on trend -

Ok, this is my favorite - a PINK SLIM TV! This is available

in pink, white and purple for $209.98 - it is 32" and at 

just 2" it is ultra slim. I have wanted a white TV for ages -

who wouldn't love to get rid of the black 'carbunkle'  TV (as I 

call it) dominating your living room?? 

(images Target, K-Mart + Wal-Mart)

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend

on home decor items.  It is no wonder thrift, consignment and second hand

stores are doing so well right now, especially in the Northeast US.  Next week,

we'll explore other big box stores and what they have to offer for any 

budget. 

Let me know your thoughts - thanks for stopping by!

If you need help decorating on a budget, please contact me for my great

pricing and first time customer discounts.

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The Green Scene...Furniture Refurbishing...

More fun with old pieces of furniture...I did a lot of painting last summer. This table needed a makeover! I love yellow so I decided to paint it a happy color...I started with a primer and you can see the results below. It looks great now!

Do you like? This table could be red, blue, black, glossy white...if I get tired of the yellow, I can just paint it again and it will be like a new piece of furniture! Recycle, refurbish, re-paint!

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The Green Scene...Furniture Refurbishing...

This week, I am showing more pictures I took last summer of a chair makeover. I picked up this wicker chair for about $25 from Goodwill a few years ago. The last picture of it in white is actually what I FIRST spray painted it before I decided it was boring! So, I went back to the store and bought Sunflower Yellow and went for it. The yellow just perked it right up! Now, I love it and added the three pillows...

Here it is in white...originally it was a creamy tan color...you can see where I started with the yellow...

This is a great way to bring old furniture back to life...I used inexpensive spray paint but you can use any paint...

(images by Sarah for Monaco Interiors)

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The Green Scene...Furniture Refurbishing...

One of my favorite ways to go 'green' is by painting a piece of furniture you already own, or buy at a consignment shop. I see lots of pieces that I think would look great with a fresh coat of white paint. Last summer, I spent quite a bit of time painting some pieces I already owned. This lovely little wicker shelf was a bland washed-out mix of beige and white, so I painted it a cool turquoise. I think I used a little mini-pot of Benjamin Moore paint (I can't remember the color, I'll have to check it out) -

The before pix are above; now it has pizzaz! do you have a piece of furniture you can breathe new life into with a new paint color?? what color would you paint it?

(images by Sarah for Monaco Interiors)

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