2 Houses I Love

Do you ever find yourself driving to work or walking around your neighborhood and falling in love with certain houses, maybe you pass a certain way just for the joy of seeing your special house.

This is how I carry on my days here at Sette Design.  

Homemade Chalk Paint

Here’s a quick recipe that I use for mixing a homemade version of Chalk Paint.

Living in the Wine Country

Sometimes in the fall in Umbria, I would make the girls stop in their tracks and smell the air of pungent fermenting grapes.  I would say that is the smell of the crush, the smell of home.  Elisa and Lucia would undoubtedly respond, “but Mama it’s GROSS”.

Love Wins

I’m sorry that I have been away for more than a hiatus.

What is more than a hiatus anyway?

My daughter recently told me that in medieval times a moment was measured as 90 seconds.

The dictionary describes a hiatus as:

 1.  A break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

 2.  A missing part; gap or lacuna.

I like it that a hiatus refers to space and action.

Painting Furniture

Happy Weekend Everyone

For Inspiration

Today I’ll show you some of the furniture I have been painting.

I always want to keep all the pieces for myself.  This is silly because it is supposed to be my job not a hobby, but it is like they are my babies.  This little five drawer dresser I really could have put anywhere in our cottage here in the wine country.  It would have even fit up on my loft bed right below the eves.

Bohemian Loft

Here is the loft I finished painting a while back.  Everyone who walked into this space wanted to move in.  I called this loft the House of Doors.  There are five doors exiting the bottom of the loft and no inner doors at all, except one going to the bathroom.  All the doors lead to the huge garden and courtyard area.  To me this is a Bohemian Loft because of the mix of elements in the design and also because I know the people who own it will fill it with books, art, wine and unmade beds.  The Bohemian life we all want.

Oak Tree Galls a Creative Display

The Simple Life

Hi everyone!

I’ve finished the loft I was painting a while back.  I call it the Californian Bohemian Loft. I plan to show you it in the next post. Today some strange and splendid inspiration, Oak Tree Galls and garden flowers.  

Ukrainian Egg Dying

Buona Pasqua

Around this family compound there is lots of Ukrainian Egg Dying going on.  Since this is the wine country, I can also say that friends bring over bottles of precious wine and then sit down and let their creativity go.  It is interesting how good people are at it.  Everyone wants to dye eggs!

Just To Make You Smile

Hello Monday!

Doesn't a field of colored Tulips make you smile?

2nd of Spring Vernal Equinox

The Simple Life

Oh it is already the 2nd Day of Spring.

Springtime and The Nashberry Cocktail

The Simple Life

Oh do I have a special treat for you.  It is COCKTAIL TIME, now here in California (and the U.S.) we have change our clocks forward to save daylight time.

Spring forward

Fall back

Crazy for Camellias

I go crazy for Camellias they bring vivid color to any environment in the winter, in Umbria and where we live now in the Wine Country of California they are abundant.  To me they always seemed like a Valentines flower because of all the varying shades of pink, red and white.

This post I have for you today is just a few ideas about displaying Camellias, it is filled with pretty photos, some silliness and always nice design.

Happy 2nd Anniversary Sette Design Blog

Can you believe it we have made two years.  We are still kicking!

It sure has been fun.

Will we make it to three years.  Will you still be here?

Coffee and Tangerines

“Life starts

all over again

when it gets

crisp in the air.”

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Glamour Moment

I’m having a little glamour moment at work.  I’m painting a restaurant right in the main Piazza of our city Foligno, Italy.

I’m must say that the space is gorgeous with vaulted ceilings and a stone wall and beautiful old wooden tables.  

Almost September

The Simple Life

I cannot believe that it is almost September.  Here in Italy it seems like the heat is hitting us now. 

My girls still have another 2 weeks before school starts.

I’ve started lighting candles in the morning at the breakfast table, even if no one wakes up to come to breakfast.

DIY Beaded Painted Crystal Lamp

For a long time I have wanted to make a beaded lamp.  I  wanted a tall freestanding one, but this is what I had in my studio.  The shade has a good structure to start with because the frame of the lampshade had many parts to attach the wire and beads.

Paint It White - Add Color

The power of white is grand.

If you read this blog you know by now that I love color!

White always looks modern and fresh.  I adore interior spaces with white floors and walls and then color added in the furniture rugs, art and flowers.

Here are a few before shots.

I also believe that it is a good exercise in design to paint a few items from your life WHITE and then just add COLOR as you choose.

This little side table I’m creating a special process for my E-Course on Painting Techniques and as you see it here, it is in the white primer phase.  Doesn’t it look so pretty?

Go around your house and grab a few items and paint them all white.  I took a lamp, a cigar box, perfume bottle, side table, basket and a jar.

Sette Design White makes color pop!

My kiwi-green floor is still holding up Click Here for is the post on how I painted it.  I think the key here was I used an anti –scrap finish at the end.  The green floor is doing far better then the floors painted without the anti-scrape varnish.

Sette Design

Next post I’ll share how I made the lampshade, it was so fun and easy.  Do you like it?  There are some people in my life I won't mention who, they sarcastically question my sanity after seeing that lamp creation.

Tomorrow is a big summer holiday in Italy.

Buon Ferragosto a tutti.

With affection,

Natalie

I'm linking with these fun parties:
French Country Cottage
Romantic Home
Miss Mustard Seed
Between Naps on the Porch
Mod Vintage Lif

A Little Bohemian at Heart

Here is the dictionary description of

Bohemian.

As a Noun

     1.     native or inhabitant of Bohemia

     2.     a person, as an artist or writer, who lives and acts free or regard to conventional rules and practices.

     3.     The Czech language, especially as spoken in Bohemia.

     4.     a Gypsy

I say a little Bohemian at heart referring to design. Yet it may have to do with my lifestyle too.  What about YOU?  Do you have a little Bohemia in your heart?

Summer Morning

The Simple Life 

Just a few thoughts

on this almost rainy

summer morning in Umbria.

I know that Toni Morrison is “troppo forte” way tough and I at times am too weak to read her.  But I would like to be strong like her.

“If you want to fly,

you got to give up

the shit that weighs you down.”

Toni Morrison