Tag Archives: Thomas O’Brien

If you read my blog post about gray sofas earlier this month, then you know I have sashayed into the realm of decorator. To recap: A friend asked me to decorate her new four bedroom apartment in New York City. There’s no construction, kitchens or baths involved; it’s the paint and wallpaper, furniture, rugs, lighting, and accessories. There are a few pieces making the move that I’ll need to integrate, and the toddler’s room is pretty much set, leaving the master bedroom, nursery, guest bedroom/office, playroom, living room, and dining room.

The master bedroom seemed like the easiest place to start. Meredith is really drawn to this bedroom, particularly the jade color, designed by New York City designer Fawn Galli.

Designed by Fawn Galli

I’m a huge fan of Fawn’s work. In this room, I  love the dramatic green headboard and wallpaper with surreal  tree forms. However, the bedroom that really spoke to me for this project was the one I wrote about for TradHome, by San Francisco designer (of whom I am equally enamored), Palmer Weiss.

Designed by Palmer Weiss

Some of the differences between the two rooms reflect how my tastes and Meredith’s can differ. She tends to favor curvier, more feminine styles, while I really like more spare, hard-edged lines. Luckily, blue and green are both of our go-to colors.

She knew she wanted an upholstered headboard. After sifting through styles and swatches from Jonathan Adler, Dwell Studio, Serena & Lily, West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Ballard,  Williams-Sonoma, Oly, Cisco, Vanguard, and Lee Industries, we chose the Serena & Lily Pondicherry trimmed with nickel nailheads. We haven’t confirmed an exact fabric yet, but it will be white.

For wallpaper on the bed wall, we ordered samples from Walnut Wallpaper, Graham & Brown, Burke Decor,and indie designers’ sites. I didn’t find a jade green—most were sea foam or pale sky blue. She liked several, and we narrowed it to two choices: Grow House Grow! ‘Mme. Jeanne’ and the new Timorous Beasties ‘Butterflies,’ which we have yet to see IRL (in real life).

Master bedroom floor plan

Which decorating scheme do you prefer?  
Feel free to leave feedback. Remember, I’m new at this.

Scheme #1

*   *   *  

Scheme #2

S H O P P I N G

Scheme #1
Wallpaper:
Grow House Grow! ‘Mme. Jeanne,’ Grow House Grow!

Bed:
Serena & Lily ‘Pondicherry’ Bed with Nailheads, Serena & Lily.

Nightstands:
Malibu Loft by Somerset Bay Concave Side Chest, Zinc Door.
Bungalow 5 ‘Jacqui’ Side Table, Clayton Gray Home.
Jonathan Adler ‘Preston’ Side Table, Jonathan Adler.

Rugs:
Suzanne Kasler ‘Oria Flower,’  Safavieh.
Jill Rosenwald ‘Fallon’ flat weave wool rug,  Zinc Door.
Surya ‘Spectrum’ wool rug, RugStudio.
Suzanne Kasler ‘Athene’ wool & silk rug, Zinc Door.
Martha Stewart ‘Ikat Marsh’ wool & silk rug, Zinc Door.
Frontier Moroccan flat weave wool rug, Zinc Door.
Bowron vintage shearling rug, Burke Decor.

Chandeliers:
Arteriors ‘Caviar’ Staggered Pendant, Candelabra.
Calais Glass Chandelier in Aquamarine,  Z Gallerie.

Dressers:
World’s Away ‘Studly’ Dresser, Zinc Door.
Jonathan Adler ‘Channing’ 6-Drawer Console, Jonathan Adler.

Scheme #2
Wallpaper:
Timorous Beasties ‘Butterflies,’  Timorous Beasties.

Bed:
Serena & Lily ‘Pondicherry’ Bed with Nailheads, Serena & Lily.

Nightstands:
Bungalow 5 ‘Jacqui’ Side Table, Clayton Gray Home.
Malibu Loft by Somerset Bay Concave Side Chest, Zinc Door.

Rugs:
David Easton Paro Grid wool & silk rug, Zinc Door.
Shabati Paxi wool & acrylic rug, Zinc Door.
Surya ‘Spectrum’
Thomas O’Brien Deco Garden wool & silk rug, Zinc Door.
Thom Filicia ‘Griffith Park’ wool & viscose rug, Zinc Door.

Chandeliers:
(Existing) Five-Light Coral Branch Chandelier, Ballard Designs.
Arteriors ‘Caviar’ Staggered Pendant, Candelabra.

Dressers:
Bennett Lowboy Dresser, Zinc Door.
Malibu Loft by Somerset Bay 12-Drawer Dresser, Zinc Door.
Vanguard Mirrored Chest, Horchow.