An Austin Styled Apartment

I ventured down to Austin a few weeks ago and kinda fell in love with the city.  I'm quite certain it is my destiny to live there someday.  I'm especially smitten with Hyde Park, the area my oldest son decided to put his first roots down in ~ it's a great old neighborhood with lots of character.  I looked forward to waking each morning just knowing I was steps away from a cozy bakery or coffee shop.  Needless to say, I was happy for the chance to help Reagan set up house there.

Since we were starting from scratch and working on a budget, it was essential to find great pieces for less.  I had to keep in mind Reagan's desire to go with a Mad Men/Mid Century Modern style and was hoping some of my favorite spots would provide me with some of the furnishings.  Prior to going down, I paid a few visits to some local thrift stores I frequent as well as Lula B's Antique Mall, "a treasure trove of all things fine and funky, kitschy and collectible, vintage and pimpadelic."  I'm quite thrilled with the purchases ~ and think they are key foundational pieces for the apartment.  Here are a few of my favorite finds ~

Massage Chair:  I was pinching myself when I came across this incredible "massage chair" in mint condition ~ and the best part ~ it still works!  I dared not leave its side until an associate had put a "Sold" sign on it.  ;)

Chair/Hairpin Table/Letter "P":  I positioned the chair in the living area ~ after a long days work it was a welcome spot to recline to.  I sat a hairpin table next to the massage chair ~ it provides just enough space to rest a drink or book on.  You can read  more about it here.  The giant letter "P" was a freebie (yea!) and made great wall art.  I acquired it as it was being removed from a building by a sign company ~ who was replacing the existing signage with a new one.  I was happy to learn from the workers that oftentimes sign companies are willing to unload old signage for little (or in my case) no cost.

Coffee Table:  When I'm looking for something in particular, Lula B's is my go-to place.  They have a constant turnover of unique, one-of-a-kind items.  I think if I shopped with them daily, there would always be a surprise discovery.  Such was the case with this great coffee table.  It was the perfect scale for the apartment and had the exact lines I was looking for. 

A little furniture restorer went a long way in bringing back the coffee table to its original lustre. You might notice the graphic rug the table is sitting on.  Reagan found this showstopper here.  I decided to place it on an angle for a little visual punch. 

Buffet:  There was a need for some additional book storage ~ so when I found this piece I knew immediately it would fit the bill.  The $32 price tag didn't hurt one bit either.  :)

The buffet itself, had great legs and lines ~ so all it needed was a couple of vintage accessories to  compliment its style.  With the addition of a lighted globe and a vintage typewriter ~ I was able to achieve the look I knew Reagan was hoping for.  As he and I worked from room to room, the place started evolving into quite a charming spot.  Be sure to check back here soon to see pics of the rest of Reagan's Austin apartment. 

P.S.  Still searching for the perfect 7' mid-century modern sofa for the living room ~ hopefully a sooner -than-later find!  :)

An Antiquing Adventure

Read more about this little find below ~

After the sweltering 100+ degree heat has continued to wafe its way through Texas, it was a nice reprieve on Saturday when temperatures only reached the mid 80's.  I noticed people actually venturing out for awhile to take advantage of some cooler weather.  That's exactly what my dear friend, Kelley, from The Hidden List, and I did as we hit the antiquing trail.  We eagerly whiled away the hours going from store to store ~ and happily ~ we didn't leave empty handed.  We did pause long enough from our excursion to stop in to have lunch at Patina Green's.  I must tell you everything they serve is locally grown or raised and is whipped up from scratch ~ it was absolutely delish!  If you're ever in McKinney, TX :) you must stop by.  Afterwards we took advantage of their wonderful shop and scoured their store for all of the great French antiques they had in their inventory.  Kelley scored a great find I'm sure you would love to see ~ check it out here on The Hidden List ~ and here's some of my found treasures:

 

This miniature French book has so much charm ~ I fell for it's demure size and was attracted to it because of the beautiful foreign text.  I have great plans for its future ~ to be used in goodie bags for an upcoming blogger's luncheon.  I can't wait to share the finished product with you.

Generally globes with brighter colors are a little more easy to locate, while those similar to the one above are becoming increasingly more difficult to find.

So, when I stumbled across this old vintage school globe (obvious due to the fact there is no longer a USSR) with its soft muted shades of blue and green I nabbed it.  It suits my love for calmer colors just fine.

I couldn't pass up this interesting old oil painting.  Thanks to Kelley who has quite a wonderful collection herself ~ her love for beautiful oils is rubbing off on me.  Its colors are quite soothing and grabbed my attention ~ it abounds with so much wonderful detail.  I'm not really certain where this may end up in my house but it will work nicely in a number of spaces ~ I'm sure it will find its way to the perfect spot.  Another fine day of treasure hunting ~ so much better when shared with a friend. :) 

On another note, I'll soon be having an online tag sale for Tattered Style (it's high time to pass some things along for others to enjoy for awhile) ~ more about that soon!