Displaying Vintage Bar Ware & Amber Colored Carnival Glass

Grandma's fancy drinking glasses can look very cool when grouped with other crystal decanters,  ivory porcelain apothecary bowls and vintage Carnival glass pieces.  Perfect groupings and collections of autumnal colored glass and fancy crystal out shine cloudy fall days and welcome the seasons that follow summer.  

Vintage crystal decanters are great to collect - different shapes, sizes, styles. They add character, personality and style to any bar.  Fill them with caramel colored Cognac or Scotch for added color.

Yes, high-ball glasses from the 1950's - tree motif with pine cones.  Great conversation pieces.   Your parents or at least grandparents still have these in their cupboards. Maybe you should look next time you're home.

When Your Dining Room Doesn't Want To Be A Dining Room

Original Dining Room - BEFORE.  This room is positioned between the living room and family room/kitchen.  It appears to be functioning fine - until closer observation.  The placement of this room, in the middle of a traffic pattern from the front of the house to the back, creates an obstacle for guests to move freely from room to room - frustrating when you want your guests to enjoy your living room when they would rather be in the kitchen while your finishing the final details on the evening's menu.  The table creates a divide.  People simply will not attempt to pass through the dining room - even when encouraged. 

The solution.  Re-program the formal dining room into a music room/library.  The dining table, chairs, and chandelier were escorted out and the piano was ushered in.  Moving the piano to this space eased the arrangement of furniture in the living room and gave the instrument center stage on the first floor.  Moving the dining table out of the middle of this space opened up the traffic flow - making the transition from living room to family room effortless.  The piano naturally attracts attention and interest - giving permission for people to use the living room with ease.  Better flow.  Better energy.  Healthier.  Happier.  Vintage chandelier and wing chair - H & B Gallery - Minneapolis.  Glass door book case - Historic Interiors Group - St Louis Park.

Same Room - 2 Completely Different Looks. "BEFORE" & "AFTER"

Family Room BEFORE.  Perfectly good looking room.  Classic. Cozy. Traditional.  Formal dining room is on the left beyond the living room.  Great space but a tad underwhelming and less engaging in person.

East Lake Isles Family Room AFTER.  Lighter.  Updated.  Better use of space with additional seating.  Younger, brighter sectional replaces traditional leather sofa.  Informal dining from BEFORE becomes the formal dining room in the AFTER.  Crystal chandelier from original dining room replaces the informal light fixture.  Lighter, brighter blue accents replace darker solemn earth tones.  Blue and white Chinese porcelain and bright blue and chambray upholstered dining chairs suggest an airy, lighter, energy-filled space perfect for entertaining and feeling comfortable.  Sisal rug replaces traditional imported carpet.  Same room.  Completely different look.  Former dining room becomes library/music room.  Easy and quick transformation with a few simple changes.  

Flea Market & Estate Sale Selling Tips

Group similar things together.  If it's "girly" put it with other girly stuff.  It's kind of a domino effect - one thing makes the next thing look even better!  Imagine setting items up the way you would in your home.

Assemble the beds when possible.  And yes, make them, mattress, box springs, bed linens, and pillows.  The beds look amazing and its a great visual for people you are not, well, visual.  These four poster pineapple beds look fantastic with Ralph Lauren nautical bedding.  Antique twin beds - $295 each.

Roll out area rugs on your driveway and set up a living room.  Accent pillows, lamps, anything that says "this would look perfect in your home".

Use dining tables and side tables to display dishes, vases, porcelain bowls  and pretty accessories.  No need to set up the not-so-attractive folding tables borrowed from the church basement.

Display additional accent and bed pillows on a bed.  It's a great way to have all of the cushions in one collected place.   Pillows look great stacked in an armoire or other case good piece as well.  Also, no more masking tape price tags.  Resource your local party supply store or paper warehouse for manila string/wire tags.  They're sturdy, have plenty of room to write big, and look smart.  

Always offer clever suggestions for transporting furniture and be willing to bench press a sofa if necessary.  Have sofa.  Will travel!  

Before & After - Having Kids Doesn't Mean Your House Has To Look Like You Do.

Living Room - BEFORE

Living Room - AFTER.  Changed wall color to soft gray.  Relocated tv to another room in the house.  Reappropriated a dresser from the guest bedroom and created a bar with mirror above.  Added glass/stainless steel cocktail table, black/chrome Wassily Chair, and 6 X 9 area rug (HomeGoods - $149).  Sofa was borrowed from the den.  Artwork and accessories were re-hung/rearranged to compliment the new furniture placement.  Big impact for a small space.  The room lives larger, younger, ready for party guests!

Dining Room - BEFORE

Dining Room - AFTER.  Wall color changed to soft gray.  Big Box store table and chairs update the room.  Homeowner changed the dining room fixture to a drum shade style pendant just before house went on market.  House sold within seven days.

Kenwood Park Re:Design Re:Model & Re:Style

Dining Room - Floors refinished from blonde to walnut.  Walls repainted from white to gray - new paint color transfers focus on the amazing window schedule and architectural details.  This room used to house upholstered furniture but because of it's proximity to the kitchen I reprogrammed the space into a huge eat-in kitchen/informal dining room.  "Super Man" billboard art by Jay Nuhring - ReSee Gallery.  Staging + Styling by ReSee Design.  All furniture was provided by ReSee Design.  Photography - Mike McCaw - SpaceCrafting.com

Dining Room 2.  Flowers by ReSee Design.  

Dining Room 3.

Dining Room 4.

Kitchen - walnut floor creates a balance with the white cabinets and massive white ceiling planes.

Kitchen 2 - View from island towards dining room.

Family/Media Room - This space was formerly the formal dining room (kitchen is 3 steps down heading right on the other side of the Breuer Chair).  New carpet, wall color, and furnishings were added.  Lower ceilings and smaller foot print makes this space perfect for tv viewing and late night movies.

Living Room - Second Floor.  New carpet, new wall color, new furnishings.

Living Room 2

Living Room 3

Living Room 4

Living Room 5

Living Room 6

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom 2

Before & After - Living Room Resuscitation

Living/Dining Room BEFORE.  Dining table is pushed into the corner.  Living room furniture turns it's back to the front door and front of the house.  Introverted.  Closed ended.  Solemn feeling.  Lifeless.

Living Room AFTER.  Furniture turns around and greets the viewer at the front door.  Orientation of the furniture addresses the front door, the front of the home, the street.  Moving the leather chair to the opposite side of the sofa creates a larger gathering space near the entry.  The antique chest/trunk was resurrected from another room in the home and now provides a useful function as the coffee table.  Accessories and proper accoutrements make the space warm, comfortable and inviting.

Dining Room AFTER.  Table is coaxed out of the corner.  Lace table runner is carefully folded and  put away in a drawer. Buffet comes out of hiding and is placed prominently against an exterior wall,  adjacent to the dining table - in a subservient fashion.  Buffet grounds and gives meaning to the pair of landscapes prints hanging on the wall directly above.  Table is accessorized with large vessel and bowl.  Floor lamp in corner adds needed light the space.

Photo Styling With Fresh Cut Greenery & Flowers

Photo Styling - Carlyle - Minneapolis.  Large Monsteria Leaves.  I love these stems.  They're easy, so quick and fool proof.  Cut to length and place in large clear glass container in 3 inches of water.  How easy is that?  

Photo Styling 2 - Gerbera Daisies in Large Polished Aluminum Bowl.  I love the look of floating flowers - there's no "arranging" necessary.  Simply fill your favorite bowl or vase with water, cut and float.  It's that easy.  Understated elegance.  Quiet yet compelling at the same time.

Photo Styling 3 - Peach Callas in Tall Gold Textured Vase.  I prefer a bunch of the same variety of flowers rather than making an arrangement out of several different varieties.  Keep it simple, keep it real, as if you picked the flowers from your own garden and put them in water yourself.  No more "Country Club" arrangements necessary. 

Photo Styling 4 - Fugi White Spider Mums in Large Asian Shallow Bowl.  Mums are an ordinary garden variety.  I think of them the same way I think of carnations - not much.  These Fugi Spider Mums are great for floating however and are more dramatic when paired with the perfect container.  Their thin delicate arms suspend them beautifully in water.  And mums have an amazing pleasant pungent aroma.

Photo Styling 5 - Large Monsteria Leaves.  Cut to desired length.  Drop in water.  Easy.  These leaves are great for a number of reasons - the least of which they last for months in fresh water.

Update Your Bed In 15 Minutes

BEFORE - Classic 1970's style - bedding, furnishings and accent pillows propped in a diamond-shaped fashion.  Love the custom coverlet (does anyone do this anymore?).  The piping around the perimeter of the bed creates a clean drop from the mattress to the floor.  Split corner detailing ensures the bedding will hang straight.  

AFTER - A quick and simple re-making of this bed changes the perception of the room.  The only thing added were different accent pillows borrowed from another room.  The bed is updated and inviting.  The coral grass cloth wall covering and upholstered  headboard get an extension on life.  Two purchases recommended to further update this space would include different lamp shades (no scallops please) for the table lamps and an ivory box-cut bed skirt.  Oh, and the picture on the left is hanging too high - could have been lowered about 10 inches.

To Keep Or Not Keep The Dining Table - BEFORE + AFTER

Dining Room - BEFORE.  This dining room appears to have multiple personalities - non of which really get along well.  A collision of different styles and periods that just do not belong together.  All of these styles diminish the architectural voice - barely audible at this point.  The space is being silenced by the furniture.  

Dining Room - AFTER.  The dining room begins to breathe by eliminating the black lacquered and blue wing-back chairs and adding a classic white modern armless chair.  The traditional Chinese carpet is replaced with a simple cream colored broad loom custom cut to fit the space.  Original glass and steel modern dining table is kept but accessorized with contrasting organic elements - rustic wood containers.  The architecture is more vocal now - understood are the subtleties and nuances of the architectural details that before were overpowered by the ill-suited furnishings.