This Weeks Find--Pratesi at Homegoods!

A Wall Street Journal article summed up Italian linen house Pratesi pretty well: "Pratesi is the Chanel of bedding. It's a label synonymous with everything posh: flawless fabric, a historic design archive and top-drawer clients. For three generations, the linens dynasty has had a lock on the high end of the market and its customers have included everyone from Liz Taylor to Stella McCartney. Even the notoriously picky Michael Jackson demanded only Pratesi sheets for his houses."

What makes a Pratesi sheet so special, aside from the ability to brag that one is slumbering on the same bedding as royalty?  Simply put, they are exquisitely made to last a lifetime. Made only from the first spinning of a special Egyptian cotton that produces 4-6 inch long fibers, a Pratesi sheet (or any sheet made from similar fiber) is much smoother than a "regular" Egyptian cotton sheet made from shorter fibers. (Pratesi also offers linen sheeting, an acquired taste I won't attempt to address here.)


The Pratesi signature is embroidery--all of the simply outlined "hotel" sheets that have popped up on every shelf in the world are quite simply knock offs of what Pratesi has done for over a century. 

Perhaps the best known Pratesi pattern is the oft-copied classic "3-line"

Another of their crisp embroidered patterns.

So what does a set of these luxurious sheets cost? Well, a king sized set of cotton 3-lines runs around $1500. No, I didn't put an extra zero in there. A linen set is even more, and the more elaborate embroidery patterns are also more expensive.

So imagine my shock and joy at finding a set of Pratesi sheets at Homegoods for just a little over $200. They unfortunately do not have the signature embroidered lines, mine have a simple "Pratesi" logo stitched discreetly in the corners, but they are nonetheless HEAVENLY. A quick search online reveals that others have found Pratesi duvets at TJ Maxx/Homegoods/Marshalls recently too--so you may want to RUN to your nearest location and see if you can score this unbelievable find!

Remaking a Craigslist Find

One thing that has come from doing this design blog is inspiration from other bloggers. The DIY movement is alive and well...and there are folks out there creating fabulous things with a lot of effort and a little money. After seeing dozens of examples of courageous bloggers transforming thrift store/yard sale/Craigslist finds into gorgeous showpieces, I figured it was high time I gave it a shot. I have to confess that I have become a major Craigslist shopper. Granted, I've only bought two things there, but I look every single day, hoping to find some amazing item that might just need a little spit and polish. And such was the case with this shield-back chair I scored a few months ago.

I paid $40 for it...and if I'd had the wherewithall to negotiate, probably could have gotten it for even less. It was not pretty. The dark stained wood frame bore the scars of years of use. The plaid teal upholstery was from another time. When I unloaded it from my car, my better half gave me that look that said, "And THAT is going in our house?"

Was probably gorgeous in 1988..but I loved the shape.

"Don't worry!" I said, "It will be fabulous!" This was right around the same time I'd scored an amazing buy on some Imperial Trellis-ish drapery panels for the study. I figured with a little elbow grease, the ugly teal chair could be gorgeous. And so I dragged my drapery panels down to the fabric shop and picked two inexpensize fabrics that matched the colors in the panels. Then, armed with an exacto knife and a few cans of spray paint, I got to work. Now, I'm no upholsterer. If it's anything more complex than a simple slip seat, I've got a few good workrooms on speed dial. So, after removing the fabric, making a few repair to loose joints, and painting the frame, this old girl went off to the upholstery shop.

And she came back looking like this:

Much better, no? I chose a light beige fabric and piping in a deep espresso to match the drapes.

And an Imperial Trellis pillow (scored on etsy) finishes it off. Fabric, paint, and labor, I'm in it for about $200--still a bargain in my mind!

I'm linking to the Met Monday party at Between Naps on the Porch.

And the weekly party at Addicted to Decorating!

An Amazing Find--"Imperial Trellis"

Along with practically everyone else, I love Kelly Wearstler's "Imperial Trellis" pattern from Schumacher. It's such a versatile print...I've seen it used successfully in a variety of room styles. The crisp geometry of it speaks to me...the $180 per yard price not so much.

I toyed with the idea of doing the drapery in my living and dining rooms with it, but 24 yards plus fabrication meant investing over $3,000 for four windows--quite out of my budget. Drapestyle sells a geometric almost identical to Imperial Trellis, a relative bargain starting at $220 per panel,but it was still more than I hoped to spend.



I ultimately decided that these would be too much pattern for the windows in those rooms, but still hoped to use it on pillows or an accent chair. The decorating Gods had different plans, though. I was browsing through Z Gallerie today looking for a few accessories. I'd once gotten a glimmer of hope when an online search showed that Z Gallerie had a very Imperial Trellis-like line of drapery panels and throw pillows. I was let down to discover they had carried it very briefly and had since discontinued it (amidst some copyright claims as I understand it.) So imagine my joy on seeing a pair hanging in the store today! They were the wrong color but the saleslady tracked down a pair in chocolate and ivory at another store, and they are on their way to me, where they will hang on the windows in the study. Not for $600 a panel, not for $220 a panel, but for $25!

Z-Gallerie's "Tango" Panels

Transitional Chandeliers

The hunt has been on for the perfect chandelier at my house. I hoped to find one that was silver and crystal, not too modern, and not too traditional.

I love these selections from the Walt Disney Signature collections at Metropolitan lighting: (Who knew a name best known for theme parks and cartoons could come up with such beautiful fixtures?)

I also like a few of the chandeliers that Candace Olson designed for AF Lighting:

And I love the black detail on this tuxedo chandelier from Uttermost:

Elk's Pembroke chandelier could have been another contender:

Then a friend told me that one of her favorite shoe stores was closing, and the owner was selling all of the furniture and fixtures. She said I HAD to see his chandeliers. And so (for a tenth of the price) I found the perfect transitional chandelier in the unlikeliest of places:



The medallion comes with it, but I'm torn on whether or not to use it. I have to wait a few weeks until the store actually closes to bring it home, but I think it will do very nicely.

Another Day, Another Find

A wrong turn yesterday led to another great find! I was spending a few hours of the rainy afternoon out "hunting"--a stop at my favorite fabric store, a cruise through an antiques and interiors market, and was attempting to make a stop at a local shop that imports some very nice Eastern pieces. When I turned into the wrong driveway, I decided instead to stop at Pier One, I'd seen an interesting lamp on their website that I made a mental note to go see in person.

And there, just inside the front door, was an incredible find! One of the things on my "list" has been a set of new side tables for the formal living room. I'd toyed with the idea of mirrored ones, black ones, or metal and glass ones.

One of the possibilities I'd found, Crestview Side Table for $529

Another possibility, Ethan Allen's Collector's Classic for $629



Rill Bunching Table from Baker

But what I found, at an almost unbelievable $79 a piece, were Hayworth side tables from Pier One's collection named for the iconic Rita Hayworth. They were on clearance and have been discontinued, and I was able to snatch up the last pair they had. 

They are the perfect size and height, and they were the perfect price. The silver leaf accents go great with the other things I've found for that room, and the traditional detailing on the legs and edge keep it from looking to contemporary.

Today's Find--Mirrored Chest

Little by litte, the formal living room and dining room are coming together. I have a vision for both of these rooms--picture all the sparkle and geometry of Hollywood Regency but just a bit more streamlined. The walls in both rooms are Sherwin-Williams "Pearl Gray" a shade I fell in love with after seeing it in a tour of homes several years ago. Everything else will be black, not-quite white, silver, or mirrored.

I love this room. The restrained color palette, the touches of "bling", the clean lines of the drapery. I definitely want black shades for the as-yet unfound lamps.

Another as-yet to  be found item is an accent chair. I have in mind something along these lines, though I haven't decided if I will do a white frame and black upholstery or a black frame and white upholstery.

So one of the things on my "to find" list for the living room has been some sort of side table that would sit between the accent chair and the larger one I already have. Ideally, this piece would have some sort of storage to hold sheet music for the piano.

And, today, I found it:

It's a perfect size for between the windows, holds all of the piano music, and adds just the sort of sparkle the room needed. (It's almost identical to one offered at Horchow but I got it for a fourth of the price!)

As an aside, it's nearly impossible to photograph a mirrored chest. I had to make the photo black and white just to make it legible.



Setting the Table

The new dining room table was delivered on Friday (a few days late thanks to the biggest blizzard our little corner of the south had seen since 1988). I had no immediate plans to be on the hunt for anything else in that room save for host chairs, but a day scouting out some of my favorite bargain shops turned up some deals too good to pass up.

The glasses came first, a clean lined design from Waterford. ($30 for a set of 8 versus the $200 they retailed for.) Simple white bone china dishes were next, the salad bowls and bread plates rimmed in silver. Silver chargers, a Hobby Lobby steal at only a dollar apiece, anchor the place settings very nicely.

The guest napkins, a bold black and white pattern from Badgely Mischka, were another great deal, but there were only four of them available. To solve that problem,  crisp white linen napkins monogrammed in black with a wonderful ribbon detail for the heads of the table. All the napkins are ringed with an elegant and simple design in silver.

The final touch, a set of gorgeous crystal candlesticks--a clean lined transitional style that are perfectly scaled for the table, with silver taper candles.

I'm linking to Between Naps on the Porch's "Tablescape Thursday" Click over there to check out more beautifully set tables!

Today's Find

I can cross one item off of "The List" today--the new dining room table. I was out doing some browsing yesterday and found the almost perfect dining room table. (The price made me overlook that "almost" part). Perfectly sized for our dining room, and on sale for less than a third of the retail price. It's from Broyhill, of all  places, part of their "Perspectives" collection. It's finished in  black, so it will look great with the side chairs I already have. An aside on the side chairs: I bought them at target a number of years ago when they had their "Global Bazaar" event going on. They were on sale too, and I got the whole set for $200 because they reminded me of Barbara Barry's dining chairs for Baker furniture.

The table has clean lines and won't look too modern with the chairs. An interesting feature (that will be of no use to us) is that the top slides to reveal hidden compartments for silver.

These are the side chairs (from an old photo when I first purchased them):

Today's Find: Pottery Barn Coral Prints

What a great find from Pottery Barn today--a set of five coral prints! Unbelievably priced at $29.99, I had to get them. I've no idea where they will find a home, but I just couldn't pass them up.

They'll make a great little group somewhere!