The Red Tent

I am a proud member of the VDay movement started by playwright Eve Ensler of The Vagina Monologues.  Last week we had our third annual Until The Violence Stops: RI Festival, which consists of amazing events from Sex Trivia and a Poetry Slam, to theatrical performances and Roller Derby. All of which are to raise awareness and to help stop violence against women and girls both locally and globally.  For the second year in a row I helped coordinate the last event of the festival, the Red Tent.  Really Nancy Rafi, head of our RI board, did all the "heavy lifting", and let me do the creative part of putting together the tent.  It was a lot of fun mixed in with a little work, and we were very happy with the end result. 
One of our sponsors this year was the Renaissance Providence Hotel by Mariott, where we performed The Vagina Monologues and had the Red Tent event.  The actual "tent" was set up in the lobby of the ballroom where we had our performance.

A special thanks to our contributing vendors::

Furniture from Pan Zhai, Design Within Reach, and Comina;

incredible rugs, kilim stools and pillows from Rustigian Rugs;

nomadic fabrics and wall hangings from Peaceable Kingdom;

antique sculptures from Pan Zhai;

and pillows and stools from Killim East

New Fabric Store!

I decided I like "sneak peaks" after all, so I'm giving you another one...

A new fabric store opened in Pawtucket, RI, called Artee Fabrics & Home.  Because Rhode Island literally is the smallest state, when a new store that pertains to your line of work opens, you know instantly.  I was so excited to check it out and was happily surprised to find what was inside!  I am currently working on my daughter's room and picked up a few yards of odd ends I needed.  Details of their application to come when the project is finished.  Until then, here is a little snippet::

{Clockwise} Harrods Bag:: Paul Smith  pillow in Syncopated Stripe,

Oriental Toile in pink and orange silk fabric from Artee;

Vintage pillow from my collection;

Beautiful, textural pillow from Homestyle.

Sneak Peak:: Vintage Milo Baughman

I typically wait until a room is completed before posting about it, although one could argue a room/home is never really complete as our lives evolve, but I am just so excited about my new vintage Milo Baughman pieces that I had to share a little sneak peak!  This sofa and chair set was designed by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin sometime in the mid to late 20th Century.

I found them at the vintage clothing store Calico, who had a pop up store in Providence for the holidays and was using them for their clients.  I told the owner how much I loved the pieces and she put me in touch with her boyfriend who owns a booth at New England Demolition and Salvage, a very cool space in New Bedford, MA where you can find incredible architectural details among other things.

I have a few more pieces on their way to complete the room and then I will post in detail.  Until then, here is another little sneak peak to keep you wanting more...

Closet Under The Stairs

Because our house is situated in a flood zone, {Click here for picture proof.}, it sits on a slab and doesn't have a basement.  Thankfully the builders overcompensated when it came to closet space and we actually have more than we need.  The space that would typically be the stairs heading down to the basement, located under the central staircase, is therefore a closet.  Although I have stored some things in the narrow part you don't need to access regularly, the rest of it I happily turned over to the kids. 

Here is the result::

The closet is located in the eating area of our kitchen and is pretty good size.  On the upper right, just out of reach of little hands, I have one of those plastic bag storage things with paper bags stuck along side.  I also don't like having the kids toys everywhere, so their play kitchen is tucked neatly away but still with room to play.  Next to it is their craft storage on wheels so they can pull it out to the kitchen table if need be.  Above that I have hung their artwork in colorfully bounded plastic sleeves.  I have tried to think vertically in this entire space so not to waste any. 

Along the right wall I hung their refillable paper roll, a "locker" bin for each of them, and hooks for smocks and aprons.  The paper apron you see Owen made in school for Eric Carle week when they read the book Pancakes Pancakes and actually made them for snack time.

 

Along the left wall I repurposed cork placemats, which make terrible placemats for kids by the way, by gluing them to the wall to hang more artwork and other school work.  Next to that I put the "pockets" I made for some tactile fun and storage of the random small things kids like to collect.  Overall, I tried to think vertically, but also what would be within their reach.

 

Mud Room Area

This is the hallway that leads to our garage.  The door on the left is my studio and the door on the right is the powder room.  I turned this hallway into our Mud Room and I am very happy with how it turned out.  I started by changing out the light switch covers from an undesirable white plastic to a clean brushed stainless steel.  This is a very inexpensive and simple upgrade that makes an impact.  I've yet to do the door hardware, but that is next.  I then installed the Nut pendant, which gives off a nice glow through its cherry wood veneer construction.  To organize shoes, I had the Horizontal Shoe Rack cut down to fit the entire length of the wall.  I then hung a photo hook for each member of the family, including our Great Dane Diesel.  At the time this picture was taken I was pregnant with my second child, but not knowing who this little person would be, I put a question mark in place of a photo.  This also served well for guests to use it.  I love these hooks.  They are both fun and functional.  The photo portion of the hook is extended to put gloves etc. behind.

I love the versatlitly of the latest trend of using vinyl wall decals to add a special touch to a space.  I recently purchased a few small things from the designer Kolaya on Etsy, and decided to have her do one more that has become my motto, despite my begrudging husband.  The photo below is a sample pic she sent me.  I'll take an updated picture of the space once I've put it on the wall.

A good interior designer works through function to find the right aesthetic, and yes...

Everything has its place.