by studiotullia | Feb 5, 2022 | CURRENT PROMOTIONS, DESIGN & STYLING, DESIGN TRENDS, STUDIO NEWS, STYLE TIPS FOR DIY
I first found the mother load of vintage textiles at an estate sale in Astoria, Oregon, a few years ago. Thank God my father-in-law was persistent in finding this place; the shop of an upholster, whose estate was being liquidated.
It was like walking back in time, to the mid century, with hand written notes pinned all over the walls, leftover fabric bolts stacked up on shelves and in metal trash cans. It was definitely a hard-working artisan’s work room. His adjoining house was also for sale, so that was super fun to see his formal 50’s-60’s era living room and his immaculately upholstered pieces.
I was completely blown away by the quality of the thick, cotton velvet and the richness of the patterns and colors. I wouldn’t have expected this bold palette to be so prominent on the coast of Oregon.
I was later told by the owner of local store, Vintage Hardware, that he was the only upholsterer in the Astoria region for quite some time.
The bolts were at bargain prices. The gamble was that this upholsterer smoked. A lot. The pervasive smell of stale smoke was on all of the textiles. I also wasn’t sure how they would fare after I had washed them.
Once home,I threw some samples in the washer/dryer and was elated with what I found. The quality had endured and they were just as vibrant and beautiful.
I honed my ability to clean vintage textiles, determining that 1/2 cup of vinegar mixed with detergent was the best addition to a load of laundry, to remove the smell. Sometimes even a second or third wash was required, but ultimately worth it. It was no small undertaking to wash and handle these really heavy, wet velvets.
We even had to replace the mechanism inside our washer after a couple of intense weeks of washing, so there was that…
The other gamble was whether or not people would even like this dated, retro collection.
As with everything online it takes a few months for your items to be found…but eventually, they became quite popular and really are a bargain for the quality.
Here are a couple of pillow combinations that you could work.
A mix of the old with new, or high and low… is always nice and less predictable.
by studiotullia | Jul 4, 2021 | CURRENT PROMOTIONS, INTERIOR DESIGN, INTERIOR DESIGNERS THAT INSPIRE
I came across a book by Seattle Designer, Brian Paquette, called
AT HOME: Evocative & Art- Forward Interiors.
I tend to migrate toward colorful spaces, but I have been exploring neutral interiors more and more lately. This crazy last pandemic year has people craving calm in their interiors, myself included. As much as I love patterns and color, at the end of the day I need to rest my eyes, and turn off my visual radar to chill out.
Paquette is known for his beautiful work with neutral interiors and his use of organic shaped furnishings. He has an exquisite attention to detail.
This home featured here is one of my favorite of the ten homes highlighted in this book; a home located on Whidbey Island. As he states “This project was quite a departure in color and style from my usual work, but inspiration sprang from my childhood in Newport, Rhode Island. The client trusted that despite my portfolio of neutrals I could execute her dreams of a red, white and blue palette with ticking fabric as a tribute to the home’s past.”
He goes on to state that he channeled favorite rooms from designers such as Markham Roberts and Ashley Whitaker.
Red is his least favorite color while blue is his most favorite, so on he charged. It really is a classic summer house. He layered in rugs, primitive art and side tables.
Paquette has a background in painting and conceptual art which shines through in his comfortable use of art and custom details.
Ticking curtains will be added to STUDIO TULLIA’s curtains selection soon. I already use lots of ticking fabric in my collections, on the backside of pillows.
He connected two queen-size beds with a custom headboard spanning the length of the wall with the same silk pattern as the bedskirts. I love the roman shade in a striped ticking with the ribbon detail as well. Have you noticed all the lovely lamps and custom shades throughout? A lot of the custom casegoods are from his collection.
I love the collection of vintage tortoise shells against the navy blue grass cloth wallpaper in the image below.
I understand he’s going to be opening his own store in Seattle soon which I can’t wait to visit. I’m also anxious to shop some of the sources listed in the back of his book.
A few of these pillows from STUDIO TULLIA would fit right in. Enjoy 15% off all pillows through next weekend.
Let’s indulge in a little berry truffle, shall we?
Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July!
by studiotullia | Nov 17, 2017 | DIY, INTERIOR DESIGN
Well, I am SO happy to share with you some pictures from the ORC FINAL REVEAL of my upstairs GUEST ROOM!
I have to tell you that I really struggled with this room. I thought I had it all together and a couple days before the reveal I was NOT HAPPY with the results. I did a few things that turned the room around. The bedding felt lifeless, the room too traditional, and I was uninspired by the art. It was not cozy enough.
I added WHITE: white baskets, white duvet cover, shams and pillow covers from IKEA, fresh white paint on the trim, white lilies in a white vase. In an old house, in low light Portland, I have learned that nothing makes a room look fresh and modern better than WHITE.
I called my neighbor, Virginie Hoover, who had some lovely SHIBORI textiles she made this Summer that gave me the more bohemian/beach vibe I was looking for.
I went to GOODWILL for more frames and art, and printed some posters at WALGREEN’s from my Iphone pictures that were done in one hour. Fortunately, the local framers,I’VE BEEN FRAMED, were totally resourceful and accommodating and built some framing kits for me to assemble the art really fast.
My kids were the best, and helped me paint the dresser. I was up until 4 am the night before the final reveal day painting trim and doors. I was so exhausted and the extremely gray rainy day made it really hard to get any decent pictures. SO finally today the SUN came out here and there and I ran upstairs to try to capture the room. The night time shots I tried to take last night with artificial lights were horrible.
Something serendipitous always happens during a One Room Challenge when I go to Goodwill. This time I found a beautiful blue glass vase for $6.99 that had the original $59.99 price tag on it.
I also picked up a large framed poster really just for the frame but when I hung it up, oddly enough, the watermelon print grew on me and really kind of pulled things together.
SOURCES
Here are the SOURCES for the above room – I’ll do my best here:
PAINT COLORS:
WALLS – BENJAMIN MOORE MUSLIN
DRESSER – AMERICAN EMPIRE ANTIQUE, PAINTED BENJAMIN MOORE VAN HEUSEN BLUE with a few RESTORED CRYSTAL KNOBS from HIPPO HARDWARE
BOOKSHELF – IKEA
BELGIAN LINEN CURTAINS – WILLIAMS SONOMA HOME, with a few striped pleats added to the leading edges by STUDIO TULLIA
DOORS – BENJAMIN MOORE DOVE GRAY
TRIM – MILLER WHITE
SLEIGH BED – BERNHARDT, found for FREE, donated by a neighbor, on NEXTDOOR
GRAY SHAG RUG – IKEA
FRAMES – IKEA, except for the silver lead frames that are custom.
PHOTOGRAPHS – beach pictures taken with my Iphone and printed at WALGREEN’s except for VENICE Photos bought at Artists’ Co-op in Monterey, CA.
SCONCES – LAMPS PLUS
ACCESSORIES –
White vases, frames, white baskets- IKEA
Watermelon Print by MAZON found, blue glass vase and white ceramic sandpiper found at GOODWILL
BASKET HURRICANE – TARGET (found at Goodwill)
WOVEN BASKET BALLS – POTTERY BARN
Blue Striped Clay Bowl – GOODWILL
FAUX LLAMA FUR THROW & LINEN – custom made by STUDIO TULLIA
ALL BED LINENS – custom made by STUDIO TULLIA except for white linens – all from IKEA. The fabrics were found at either FABRIC DEPOT, THE MILL END STORE or PENDLETON WOOLEN MILL ENDS
The BUNNY HUTCH PILLOW on the chair is a HUNT SLONEM print from GROUND WORKS/KRAVET.
CRYSTAL LAMP – CRYSTAL REFLECTIONS, CA
LINEN SHADES for ANTIQUE CHANDELIER – AMAZON
FLOWERS, PLANT – TRADER JOE’s
