Bohemian Italian Bedroom

a little shabby chic a little Italian bohemian

The other day I woke up with a great idea, at least I thought it was just brilliant.  Normally I’m a believer that morning ideas are good ones and often the late night bright ideas, in the morning light just don’t seem so hot.  Anyway creative people actually process their bright ideas during the night as they sleep so that our subconscious mind is working over time for us.  Isn’t that just lovely!

So my problem is I have a really ugly bed, I think it is even some famous Italian design.  I did not buy this bed.  But hey they do not do everything right over here let me tell you. 

penso e' bruto, I think it is hideous silly design

My bright idea was that I would cover my headboard with Italian lace embroidery and safety pin on and hanging all over from the headboard crystals with with sheer blue ribbon.

Alfredo (my darling) came over later, as I was obsessively working on this project.  I got some of the crystals on there and I must give him credit he didn’t say anything derogatory, he did make a face like let’s wait and see and then instead he took me out and away from my project for a prosecco in the warm evening air.  He did make the joke that the blue ribbons were a little like I had just had a baby boy.  In Italy when someone has a baby they attach a huge bow, blue or pink on the front door of the house to tell everyone what sex the baby is.  I love this tradition and sure enough when we went out for our walk we kept running into big blue bows everywhere!

bohemian italian mixed style

Later when we came home, the prosecco had cleared my mind and I could see it was not a wonderful idea, it did not look cool.  It just looked weird.  I was even able to show my girls how it is important to fail, in order to simplify the idea to the point where you like it.  

rumpled old bed linens and faded shabby chic design

Here's what I did do.  I covered the metal headboard with an old baby crib runner.

here's another before shot

Then I covered that with a cotton sheet.  Then I lay an embroidered lace work table cloth over the cotton sheet and fastened the the sides with 1 crystal and 1 blue ribbon.  

crystal and italian lace

It feels simple and pretty.  What do you think?  Could you live with a bed padded with an old baby crib runner?  

Cheers prosecco anyone?

Natalie

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

Something One Creates

One simple thought today.  While looking for something to entertain you I came across this quote, I know me and my quotes.  But I hope that you are here reading this Diario di Design maybe trying to expand your mind a little too.  I know I am on a daily basis, oh let's just say hourly basis recently!

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself.  But the self in not something one finds, it is something one creates.
Thomsas Szasz, 1920

Now go out and in and get creating and working on your creations too, because the creations can help with the creating.  The creations help you to further understand the self you are creating.

I like that quote because it is empowering.

Natalie

Painting Baskets White

This is going to be a fun post because I’m “teaching” you to do something that has no technique and there is no talent involved.  It’s that just wonderful!  I love a quick change that makes a big impact. 

white baskets

So this week I got a new washing machine, oh man did we need one here for a long time, so I felt inspired to get things ship shape and I spent the weekend in my studio, and cooking and doing loads of laundry.  I still don’t have a dryer.  No one much has a dryer here (in Italy) and this pisses me off, but there are issues of energy costs, for me just costs, hook up connection, space bla bla bla.  When I die many, many years from now my sister who may out live me can write on my tombstone “she didn’t have a dryer”.  Anyway this new washing machine is such a dream that the clothes are almost dry when they are done.  It does sound a bit like an airplane is taking off.  The girls and I say, “take-off in 3 minutes”.

I want to say I’m just being silly and I realized that I have readers in for example Brazil and Tanzania and Serbia and you all might not have a dryer either, but you do have a computer and so here we all are together loving design and making things pretty.

before shot, I didn't ever like the shiny finish

I took my old big baskets and I painted them white (satin finish acylic) with a few drops of black universal tint mixed in to make it a tiny bit gray.  The basket that had a dark stain on it already, I left the darkness coming through a little, this gives it a nice Shabby Chic effect.  The basket that was natural I painted over completely white.

Here they are in our bathroom.

please note no dirty laundry an anomaly

How cool is our porthole window, with the glimpse of the arch of the bridge.

There you are, now go out and paint something that can make a big change fast.

Natalie

I'm Linking with:

French Country Cottage

Between Naps on the Porch

Romantic Home

Holding on to Summer The Simple Life no. 5

eating outside

I don't want Summer to be over, not yet.

warm if not hot evenings

My girls are all excited for Fall, they want brown bread dunked in hot chocolate in the morning and minestra (broth with tiny pasta) for lunch, the teenager is dreaming of sweaters, the boyfriend big sweater look.

check out this patina

I’m holding on to Summer.  I’m not ready yet, it was just too long and rainy a Winter here.  I need more time.

sunflowers on our kitchen table

I love the droppings of yellow pollen

Autumn in Umbria, Italy is a vivid, splendid time of year.  It is when we get that famous golden light.  If you want to come to Italy this is the time of year to visit, it is sure to be beautiful.

overflowing flowers

 Plus I finally got my studio all organized and pretty I don’t want it to get cold and dark in there.  I’m thinking I might put up blue lead lights to make it cool and hip and cozy.  

In Summer the sea is warm.

Adriatic Sea

I can have a cappuccino outside before all the tables get dragged away.

With affection,

Natalie

A Puddle and Some Quotes

 I just want to say and I’ve said it before on a design level I love gray and color together.  These photos represent this fantastic combination.  For years I have been encouraging this combination in the spaces I have lived in from San Francisco to NYC, Napa Valley and Umbria Gray and Color work all over the world.  

Here in Umbria it rained way too much this winter and spring and now it is hot hot hot, we did have a rain storm a bit ago and here is it’s reflection.  As you read these quotes try to reflect on own your life and self and how you want to live.

Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.

Henry Brooks Adams, 1838-1918

A hurtful act is the transference to others of the degradation, which we bear in ourselves.

Simon Weil, 1909-1943

There are many things we would throw away if we were not afraid that others would pick them up.

Oscar Wild, 1854-1900

A talent is formed in stillness, a character in the world’s torrent.

Charles James Fox 1749-1806

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt

I’ve used this quote from Eleanor before and I hope to again.  I would have loved to have a cup of tea with Eleanor, that woman was so advanced.  I’m sorry there are not more quotes from woman.  This is how the world runs, it is hard to find an example of our voice and to be heard, little by little we will do it no?

The sharp eyed reader will have noticed that I put those flowers in the puddle to make it pretty, to add depth and light and color.  Now go out and color your puddles.

With affection,

Natalie

Colorful Cities

Juzcar, Spain gorgeous blue!

If you follow this blog at all you know that I love color.  I have this wonderful friend, whom I will call Jo, he has an original and creative mind and he knows I go crazy for color.  Jo sent me this article on Juzar in Andalusia Spain.  They painted the whole town a light shade of blue, for the Smurf movie and the town’s people loved it so much that they voted and decided to keep it blue.  The mayor Fernandez  said,  it has given a "Boost to the local economy, it’s increased our happiness, our dreams and our levels of employment. " 

Juzcar, Spain from a distance plus 4,000 litres of paint

here's the before shot

Man, I just love that!

The uniformity of the color makes the design splendid.

"La Bocca" Buenos Aires, Argentina
immigrated by Italians and modeled after Genoa

When I was in Art School at Pratt in NYC, it was deep in the ghetto of Brooklyn at that point and I wanted to get involved in painting something that would help the community.  My roommate who was a tough, reality type girl from the South Bronx said, “If you do that the people will just go and pee on it”.  I was pretty deluded about her comment at the time, but now looking back I think well they might pee on it happily and then eventually they might stop peeing on it.  Back then I wanted to do something small.  These cities show, do the whole town in color and it will have an impact.

When I first went to Lucca, Italy, I remember being so impressed that the whole town could agree to paint their shutters green.

Lucca, Italy ahh such tranquility

Lucca, Italy

Bo-Kaap Cape Town South Africa
this shows all colors can work together
British and Dutch influenced architecture

Williamstad, Netherlands

Williamstad, Netherlands

Guanjuato, Mexico

Lima, Peru
Spanish Baroque, French Neoclassism, Art Nouveau Buildings

 Here’s a great quote.

“Reform the environment, stop trying to reform the people.  They will reform themselves if the environment is right.”  Buckminster Fuller

Izamal, Mexico in the Yucatan "The Yellow City"

I have a Norwegian stepfather and from the moment he came into our lives he started painting the rooms in our house, soft shades of blue and pale green, lavender.  Of course, I had already painted my room by myself by the time I was 10!  Our house was very open and you could see all the varying colors through archways and doorways, it brought such peace and joy to our family.

Longyearbyen, Norway

color works in the cold and the hot climates

Bryggen, Norway
I love all the shades of red

Now, I believe that color can be felt and have an influence on the tiny personal scale of life and on the larger environment of a town that leads to confidence, a strong sense of identity, pride and happiness.

Jodhper, India in the barren Thar desert
known as the "Blue City"

Wroclaw, Poland
Gothic Architecture and a Roman Catholic affiliation

Riomaggiore, Italy
The Italians put color everywhere they can

Isn’t that just simple and lovely!

Chefchaoen, Morocco
a refuge for Jews during the Spanish Reconquista
and my favoirte cornflower blue

With affection.

Natalie

P.S. Note to grammar freakers, I don't seem to have an accent mark on my keyboard, thus accents are left out.