Zebra Ottoman Two Ways

I thought this was going to be a challenge, partly because I'm not much of a zebra girl, but it turned out to be sooooo much fun.  Part of the point of this (new) series is to show very different ways of working with an element that tends to pop up a lot, and here I do think I pulled off two looks even though I chose to stick with the same color scheme.  Maybe not as divergent as the minimalist and maximalist rooms I built around quilts, but different nonetheless.

First up: Trad.

I'm liking the way the green chairs and the paintings pop, along with the zebra, against a neutral ground, and all the curves, in the turned ottoman legs, the gold side table pedestals, the english rolled-arm sofa (did you know Pottery Barn makes one?), the double gourd lamps, and that crazy chandelier.  The sisal rug and the wood of the bar cabinet are a needed natural element.

And then: Well, Trad. How about trad rad?

This one's definitely more to the modern end of the spectrum with all the clean lines and streamlined shapes, not to mention the matte black side tables and the jungle photography art and the amazing lucite base on the ottoman.

It's no surprise that I'm drawn to this cream, brown, green,gold (and orange) color scheme, considering my recent focus on my living room, which has this palette, and I have to say, the nude lamps in the first scenario and the cream chairs in the second are totally getting me right now (both from Mitchell Gold, by the way.)  I sort of feel like I would like to live in the second one now, and maybe move into the first one in my 40s.  You know?

As a side note, I would probably not actually do solid brown curtains in these rooms.  While I think they work just fine, it's sort of a missed opportunity.  In the second room I might use Alan Campbell's petite zigzag from Quadrille.

In the first, if the windows were by the chairs, I think I'd do a cream linen with a leading edge trimmed out in something with lavender.  Just saying.  It's tough to do "custom" curtains on olioboard.

What do you think?  Do you have a favorite?  Is there something you'd like to see "two ways"?  Just let me know!

Quilts two ways

My husband likes to do side-by-side comparisons.  So, for example, he might come home with 5 different brands of very dark chocolate and conduct a taste test.  (This was one of my favorites, as you can imagine.)  In Boulder, this was applied  liberally to cooking, with the result a series of meals know as "two ways."  Fried chicken two ways compared a classic American (Southern) version to a korean version.  Thanksgiving brought sweet potatoes two ways: roasted and casserole.  You get the idea.  It all became a "thing," you know, and on my other blog there is a series of "two ways" posts, like this one and this one.

Last fall, I was working with a woman to lay the ground work for her eventual basement renovation (i.e. purging and organizing!), and to keep her eye on the prize, I put together a board for the family room down there.  Only problem?  Her one request was that I incorporate cowhide.  Which isn't a problem in and of itself, but she has a sort of funky contemporary house but most of the decor is on the traditional side, and really cow hide goes both ways.  I'll share those boards sometime--cowhide in a modern setting, cowhide in a more country setting--but to launch this occasional series, I was inspired by all the quilt inspiration I shared yesterday, and went ahead and built two boards featuring quilts.  Fun, right?

First up, Minimalist.

One note: I would actually put the quilt on the bottom half of the bed, not as a wall hanging as the board sort of suggests.

I have to say, it was SO hard for me to leave this so spare--I am anything but a minimalist.  In fact, I threw that painting in at the end because I couldn't quite stand it.  But I have been really drawn to sort of industrial wall lights lately, and it was fun to use the prouve-style swing arm lamp in something.  I think this works because the leather and chrome and industrial elements toughen up the quilt, while the natural wood and sheepskin keep it a bit organic.

And, perhaps a little more "me," (okay, a lot more me), the eclectic version.

To be honest, I want to redo my bedroom immediately to look just like this.  Well, not quite: I would put a different stain on the legs of that armchair.  This works because the color palette is totally drawn from the quilt, and the headboard, side tables, and lamps are of equal intensity, while the black, white, and natural elements keep it from going haywire.  And aren't those bird paintings cool/weird?

What do you think: minimalist or maximalist?

Do you have a material or item you'd want to see two ways?  Shoot me an email or leave it in the comments.