Tolix Marais Chairs: Real Deal or Real Steal?

My marble shopping is going pretty terribly - I'm about this close to steam coming out of my ears.  Its just so hard for me to believe that these companies that sell such a big ticket item can be staffed by sales people who are rude and lack even basic knowledge.  Argh.  But I digress...let's talk furniture.


Today's topic of the day is the always amazing Tolix chair.  I never quite took notice of them until our trip to Rome a few years back where I walked right into a huge pile of them.  I have no idea why they were so much more appealing in mass but ever since I've wanted a set.

I've bided my time but now that we are renovating the shore kitchen, I think these would make a great compliment to the room. But the question is: Do I spring for the real thing? The knock offs seem reasonably similar are less than half the price.  Hard to pass up!



The real Tolix Marais chairs can be purchased at DWR and Pottery Barn while the knock offs can be found on Overstock and Home Decorators.  I'm sure there are others out there as well but they all seem to be about the same as far as I can tell.

Aside from that dilemma: what about comfort? Of course I've sat in them many times at restaurants but are they impossibly uncomfortable for home use?

If you have them, I'd love to know where you found them and how you like them in your home.

Munich with a Munchkin

Thanks for the suggestions on our Germany itinerary.  Munich seemed to edge out Berlin by a tiny margin and the flights seemed to line up so we are Munich bound (with a quick stop in Frankfurt) later this summer.  Of course I still want to go to Berlin but we'll save that for a future trip.

If nothing else, seeing this baby toasting with his bottle at a Munich beerhall  killed me with cuteness. How could we not go?

So far I've found some other interesting blog posts about bringing a baby to Germany (have baby will travel, babyccino) which I devoured.  If you have others, I'd love to read them.

Any and all suggestions of what to do/see/eat/experience would be appreciated.

Good Idea: Veggie Bar

How smart is this make your own salad board display? I'm so doing this at my next party.


image via the berry 

I try to keep all this random goodness on my pinterest board but sometimes there is one worthy of a shout.  Got your own good idea? Please share!

Marble: Making Me Mad!

We are moving along with the shore kitchen renovation (cabinets are arriving later this week!) and its time to start the countertop selection. I want marble (or something like it).  I've known this from the start despite lots of protest from contractor, cabinet guy and anyone else who feels the need to chime in.  I get it, marble isn't going to look as perfect as granite over time.  That is okay.  I like old.  I like patina.  I'm not going to flip if it doesn't look perfect. ENOUGH WITH THE WARNINGS!

drooling over this gorgeous marble in a galley kitche showcased on cococozy

Granite may be the more durable stone but I just don't dig it.  So no amount of scare tactics will make me think otherwise.  (Not to mention I've had granite and its not stainproof either)  I've never seen a granite that looks like marble no matter how much people say it does.  Maybe its out there and I've never come across it?  Or maybe I have a very low tolerance for faux in this particular situation?

marble counters, nom nom nom  (gast architects featured on houzz)


So off we went last week to price out some options - marble and white quartz specifically.  The prices, quality and service were all over the map but consistently bad.  Quartz seeme to be about 60% more than marble so I think that option has been ruled out entirely. Oh joy! We'll be back out there this weekend pricing countertops.  Wish us luck.

Flea Market Find: Old Group Photo

While out strolling yesterday, I did a double take when I spotted this portrait for sale at the local flea market.  I couldn't resist it despite the price being a little bit more than I wanted to pay ($35).  It has just the right mix of serious and spooky that I adore (you already know I love creepy).

I think its going to look great in the man room if I ever get around to finishing it! 

Painting a vintage bathtub

If you have seen my parlor bathroom, you know I'm a fan of painting a tub base in a fun shade. No surprise I would write about it on MyColortopia. What are your thoughts on the topic?  Whether you love it or hate it, I hope you'll swing by to chat color with me! 

You already know I love this room but I've been itching to paint the bathtub base lately.  I still like the silver but something about a black base with little stars (kind of like what Rambling Renovators did on their bathroom wall but in a small scale) has been bouncing around in my head for a long time.  Am I crazy?

Bringing Up Baby in Brooklyn

Since the question was raised by a couple of the comments in my last baby update post, I thought I'd address the topic of what having a baby in Brooklyn is like.  From my perspective, this is the only thing I've known but once I got to thinking there are some distinct differences of note.


snaps from Sunday: breakfast at the diner, stop at the farmers market, a long walk and first time on the swings!

The biggest difference right from the start is that Agatha spends much less time in a car than a baby outside of a city.  (While its not absolutely necessary in Brooklyn, we do have a car but there are lots of kids in Brooklyn and even more in Manhattan than rarely step foot inside a car at all).  Her main mode of transportion is her stroller, thus the reason why I think a good stroller is such an important baby purchase (see: most useful baby products).

Brooklyn has very good public transportation and Agatha has already experienced the joys of the bus and subway.  That said, its not super convenient when strolling.  Strollers must be carried up/down stairs (most stations don't have elevators) or folded away (on the bus only).  Here is where a baby carrier would come in handy but I haven't loved wearing one and the need to go far is so infrequent it hasn't been an issue.  This will definitely change as she gets older, but for now, sticking close to home is fine. 

Another difference is how we stock up on baby supplies.  Instead of trapsing to the local Babies R Us, we use the magic of the interwebs to deliver just about everything we need right to the doorstep. I still enjoy shopping for baby which we can do at local boutique type places (pink olive and lulu's are a couple of fun stops) in my area or the more occasional pitstop at Target (my mothership!) but that is more recreational than required.

Now we've discussed what baby A doesn't spend a lot of time doing (driving in cars, rolling around in a shopping cart), I'm sure you are asking what she does all day.  She spends almost all of her time outside the house either strolling around the sidewalks, in the park or a nearby playground.  We happen to live just a few blocks from Prospect Park (Central Park's hipper little brother) where she often spends time lounging on a blanket in the grass or in one of the playgrounds with the occassional stop in the zoo or ride on the carosel. Summer is the season for farmer's markets - there is a small, sleepy one just a few steps away from my door on Sunday as well as some larger, more happening markets every weekend within walking distance - so we like to visit those regularily too.  There are lots of other babies around there is no shortage of baby friendly classes, activities and playdates to partake in when I have my act together.  On the days when we feel like eating out, almost all restaurants, gastropubs and cafes will happily make room for baby. (see: more about Brooklyn)

All in all, its a pretty sweet but there is a downside and its a dirty one: a dearth of changing tables.  Not because there isn't a need for them - you would be hard pressed to go anyway before 8pm and not see babies within toddling distance - but the shops and restaurants are small and bathroom square footage is at a premium.  So we must be resourceful - both by mapping out the available changing tables (we love Barnes + Noble for this!) and doing quick changes in the less ergonomic of spots.  I admit this is one area that I struggle with a lot - I don't think I should subject the public to a diaper changes in full view but also don't want to change baby in an unsanitary spot.  

So that pretty much sums it up.  Its likely not that different than from all of the babies out there.  As she gets older, I imagine the gap between urban and rural life will grow ever wider. Considering I didn't think I had much to say on this topic, I've certainly written enough.  For those of you who were curious, I hope I answered your question (if you have others, please ask!).  For the other urban moms out there: have I left anything important out?  anything you do differently? 

Brooklyn Limestone on Joss and Main!

Super excited today to share my second curator's collection with the ever addictive home decor flash sale site, Joss and Main.  Having had so much fun the first time, I was doubly happily to do it again.  Several of the items for sale are the very same I have in my own home (like my budget friendly dining room chairs and marble cutting board)  along with a few items that are similar to my favorite pieces of furniture (like this fabulous dresser and tufted bed).  Round that out with a few old and new favorites, this collection is something I hope you'll enjoy!



Any other Joss and Main fans out there?  I've become quite addicted to checking out the new sales everyday.

Bye Bye Boring: DIY Fireplace Entertainment Center

On very lucky days, I'll get an email from a blogger that totally blows me away and I just can't wait to share it with you.  That's exactly what happened when Katja from ShiftCtrlArt dropped me a line.  Looking at the before and after, its hard to believe its the same room!  Obviously this couple is more than just a little handy as evidenced by all of the beautiful work they have done to their home but one project I thought was super cool (and very DIY friendly) was their build out of a DIY fireplace entertainment center.  So please say hi to Katja who will tell you all about it.

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I was so excited when Stefanie agreed to letting me tell you about our DIY "fireplace".
I say "fireplace" because it's a faux fireplace. I also lovingly refer to it as our "Oil lamp +".



This is what our living room looked like when we bought our house.

We immediately had big plans for it such as adding big windows to the back yard (on the right there), add some built-ins, move the stair case, put in a new kitchen, just to name a few things.



Here we are several weeks into our remodel. The big windows have been put in as you can see on the right. That is dh (darling husband) framing in one of the two smaller windows to make room for the new fireplace.

To build the entertainment center, we first put in some inexpensive IKEA cabinets all the way across the back wall.

We installed fans in the cabinets to avoid overheating. They are completely silent and do a great job.

We also installed a remote control repeater between the TV components and the TV so that we can switch channels with the cabinet doors closed.



Then we built a little bumped out wall using metal studs. Then we added drywall to the whole thing. Hey, there I am ...

Because the entertainment center is so long, 15 1/2 feet, and we did not want seams in our counter top, we came up with this idea: We used solid oak flooring, which we laid on top of the plywood as a table top. Sort of like a DIY butcher block counter.



Then the fireplace was tiled. We had calculated the size of the fireplace until we were blue in the face to have all the glass tile line up with no cuts. I bought 1x2 glass tiles for the fireplace as well as a single sheet of the same kind in 1x1 tiles to fill in all the half spaces at the end of each row. I really like how that turned out but it was a nail biter until the finish line, to see if we had calculated correctly.




The mantle is built out of some 1x2 and 1x3 oak, then stained with the same stain as the table top.

By the way, our remodel was permitted and inspected by the city. Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any results you get by following these ideas. Please do your own research. I recommend using flame-less LED candles as a great alternative to an ethanol fire insert.

Here is the space again before and after:




Thank you so much Stefanie, for letting me guest post.

You can find out more about our remodel and all our other DIY projects over at shiftctrlart.com.

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Do you have your own Bye Bye to Boring story to share?  Please drop me an email - I'd love to feature you in a future post.

Open Shelves in the Kitchen Overload

So as I mentioned, we are going to put a few open shelves on the left side of our shore kitchen in place of upper cabinets. To make things easier and cheaper we are going to go with some store bought options rather than the ones made by the cabinet manufacturer.  (Despite going with pretty low end cabinets, open shelves ends up costing more than cabinets if you use their materials!)  So I'm on the hunt for brackets.

Let's start by saying I absolutely puffy heart the brackets that Urban Grace used in her kitchen but not sure if they would look as amazing in ours since they would mostly be seen from the side rather than the front.

Let's go through the options, shall we?

I really like the style of this iron bracket but I think its a little too small at just 7 inches deep.  I'd like a min. of 10 inch shelves.  (And to state the obvious - I would of course paint it!)

This pretty swirly version from Anthropologie is appealing to my girly side but might be too delicate for a chunkier cabinet.













This double shelf from Home Decorators might work but since its premade, I'm stuck with a 40 inch width which might be too small. Although a ready made shelf is just easy peasy so its hard to pass up.

And finally the same brackets that were used in the Urban Grace kitchen photo above found here.








So essentially I'm tossing around a few options in my head but none are quite ringing the bell.  Have you come across any better alternatives?

The Most Useful Baby Items: Newborn Edition

I already shared my list of the most useless baby items, it seems only right I share the other half of that list. Now that baby A has made it to the second half of her babyhood, I feel better informed to give you the lowdown on the items that were absolute must haves for us.  Of course every baby and mother is different so what was key for us may be complete junk to you - this is just my view.



1. The Miracle Blanket - If you happen to get a baby who likes to party all night like Aggie, you will do pretty much anything to help her (and you!) get some nighttime zzzs.  Swaddling did help us eventually but she was a houdini right at the start - managing to escape from every swaddle blanket known to man until we finally settled on this one.  Eventually she managed to escape this one too (at about 4 months) but by that time we were ready to wave bye-bye to swaddles all together.

2. One piece sleep + play outfits.  You know all those adorable baby clothes you buy when you are pregnant with the idea that everyday is going to be a fashion show?  Forget em.  For just a little while.  Especially at the very beginning when you are just getting adjusted, a one piece that suited sleeping and playing was wonderful.  Since we went through a least a few outfits a day during anyway, having a stash of these was a nice way to make life simple. (Don't forgo all baby fashion shopping - you'll need a few fun outfits for special occasions in the beginning.  After the newborn stage is over, you can start putting baby in day and night clothes like the rest of us.)

3.  Bibs, lots of them.  You might get lucky with a baby that doesn't spit up often and in that case, feel free to skip this suggestion.  That wasn't the case in casa limestone.  We went through lots of bibs - sometimes 10 in a day!  So having lots on hand was key.  I especially love these aden & anais snap bibs because they were very soft on baby's skin and snapped in the front rather than velcro'd in the back but we saved those for when we were going out and had a huge stack of cheapo white ones for home use.

4. Baby Bathtub Generally I eschew any one purpose, short term items like this but the baby bathtub was and continues to be useful to us.  As first time parents, we were way to scared to just plop her in the hard sink directly.  This was a great help to baby bathtimes.

5. Rock n Play Sleeper I stumbled upon this item by accident.  Agatha was just over a month old and we were about to take a 2 week road trip with her.  She wasn't sleeping much at all but I searched for a portable crib we could use on the road.  Well low and behold the rock n play sleeper came up and it was a magical portal to sleepy baby land.  After using it for just a few days, Agatha was sleeping in few hour stretches vs. few minute ones.  She needed a lot more help and guidance to get sleeping through the night down eventually but this bridged the gap when we were really exhausted.  Get it!

6. A good stroller.  I've only had a Bugaboo Bee so I can't compare it with other brands and models but we have already gotten our money's worth and we have only just started to use it.  It will likely be the item we use the most over her baby and toddler years so its a worthy investment.  It's important to go with a model that has the right features for YOUR life. For us city folk, good shock absorbtion and a smaller profile has been great for maneuvering the sidewalks and the small spaces we have to get through. (I wish it had a one handed close option which would make it a lot easier to fold up while holding baby in the other hand and it could really use a drink holder but other than that, I've been very happy with it.)  If you live in a different environment, you'll have a totally different set of needs so this is one area a lot of research pays off.

So there you have it.  My top 6 baby items.  That just covers the first few months.  Now that she is older, we are in a whole new world of baby junk! For the other moms reading, how did my list compare with your own?

Kitchen Renovation Demo? Check.

Well, there is no turning back now.  The kitchen has been demo'd.  It used to look like this and now it looks like this...

The plan is going to have a very simple, clean look when its complete. Stock cabinets, lots of white and as much open space as possible. I've already made some compromises on what I wanted to do just to save cost - its the way all renovations work but annoying none the less.We have taken out part of the left wall (but will leave a piece so we can still have a washer/dryer in the new smaller hallway closet).  Let's keep our fingers crossed it all goes smoothly from here. 

Oh Baby: What's for Dinner?

Agatha turned 6 months this weekend which means it's time to introduce solid foods. Despite some protest, I've wanted give the Baby Led Weaning  (which is essentially giving baby real, unmushed food right from the start) approach a try. So yesterday, Miss A got her first meal of oven baked chicken and roasted broccoli.  She seemed to enjoy playing with the spears for a while before giving each piece a nice gumming.  So I think we are off to a good start but I'm sure she will get some traditional baby food as well. Everything in moderation, right?

Anyone else do Baby Led Weaning?  Any good recipes to share?  Avoiding all salt is going to be a bit difficult so I'd love to hear some recipe recommendations.

And speaking of baby topics, I will eventually get around to my favorite newborn products to compliment my least favorite post. Obviously she is no longer using her newborn stuff so I can feel confident about what we did use well.  Of course now that I have the 0-6 month stage figured out, A is on to a whole new set of doodads.  :)

I'm trying to keep a good balance by not overloading the blog with baby posts but I'm not quite sure what would be boring vs. interesting to you.  Any other topics you would like me to address before she is in college?

Wedded Weekend Bliss

This past weekend we celebrated my brother's wedding. I was in the wedding party so I wasn't able to photograph any of it (except for the random snap with my phone) but I can't wait to see the professional shots.  Bar none, this was the most fun I've ever had at a wedding (and I loooove weddings!).  The whole weekend was packed full of activities and each one was a blast. Amazing!  Can't wait to show you more but until then, here is a quick preview.