Browsing Archive: June, 2012

You Saw It Here First!

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Saturday, June 30, 2012, In : Beads as Decor

Allow me to introduce you to Carlos Souza. He happens to be the PR guru for the very pinnacle of fashion style, Valentino.

It so happens that Refinery 29 and then Habitually Chic, two top design blogs, both ran a story on Carlos and his very stylish New York digs this week. The photos were captured by Carissa Pelleteri.

And what stylish focal points did those photos capture? None other than beads used in the design of his eclectic interior.

Does this look familiar? See my blog post here.

OK p...
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DIY Chic Root Table

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Thursday, June 28, 2012, In : DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects

Long before I spotted this fabulous table in Rachel Roy's Manhattan Studio, I had picked up a slab of Teak root with this very design in mind. This was just the spark I needed to make it happen. You can do it too! Here's how:

First find a Teak root slab and go to the hardware store or lumber yard and pick up a 36" length of 1"x12" Pine. You can find the Teak at Save On Crafts.

Next cut two lengths of 1'x12" to the height of the table that you would like (I cut mine 18" long).

To make the ta...
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Using Beads as Decor

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Saturday, June 23, 2012, In : Beads as Decor

Most of us have something that we've inherited or collected but are not sure what to do with. My inheritance happens to be several strands of beads and necklaces that I never wear. Some sterling, some turquoise, lapis, ivory, and malachite.

The different textures, colors, and sizes of all these make for a wonderful conversation piece when all displayed together.

Similar to putting art on the walls or a sculpture or beautiful vase on a table, necklaces when grouped together create their own wor...
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Introducing H

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, In : New Shops

There is a great little shop that I happened to trip over in North Berkeley last week and I must tell you about it!

H Julien Designs is a wonderful small space filled with incredibly simple and beautiful floral arrangements, handblown glass vases, pottery, scarves, and a number of gifts that I would be happy to present to my very best of friends.

Shockingly, Howard Arendtson has owned this shop for 10 years and told me that people always come in and wonder if it's new...just like me!

Howar...
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Framed

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Saturday, June 16, 2012, In : DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects

I stopped at my local junk shop and low and behold they had a "free" pile in front. Sticking up out of the pile was a very large, what used to be beautiful, gold frame. It had a warped poster glued to the back and was actually twisted because one of the corners had come apart.

New frames can be extremely expensive and old frames just have so much more character. I couldn't resist taking it and nursing it back to it's original beauty. Here's how to do it...

First take care of the broken corn...
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Time For A Bath

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Wednesday, June 13, 2012, In : DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects

For the Birds!

Remember last summer I hung my fire pit as a beautiful platter on the wall above the bench on my back deck? It really spiffed things up. The best up-cycle I had done in a while! If you'd like to see how to do it click here.

At the time, I couldn't figure out what to do with the lid to the firepit. I decided to keep it knowing at some point something would come to me. Well it did!

I was watching the birds perched on the large pot that we have in the middle of the jungle (that I ...
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This Week's Random Finds

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Saturday, June 9, 2012, In : Great Finds

First of all, make your home bright and beautiful this weekend.

Peonies are in season for a short time. These are my absolute favorite flower. They're full and luscious and last! Just pick up 3-5 of them at the store and pop them in a glass. You don't need many to make a big splash!

Next, If you need any simple planters (indoor or out) here's your deal! These Zinc tall planters will go with any decor and make any plant look great. They're on sale now at Crate and Barrel.

If you need a floor...
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What To Do With Your Cool Fireplace

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, In : Fireplaces

Is your fireplace being abandoned without a second thought in the warmer weather? Why not take the opportunity in these warmer months tp change it up a bit? Make it a different focal point...without a fire.

There are endless ways you can decorate th interior of your fireplace when not in use. The simplest and probably the most popular is to fill it with candles or lanterns.

But there are also other creative lighting ideas if you still want to see it lit up. How about a tumbleweed that you wr...
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The Atomic Light

Posted by Lori Pepe-Lunche on Saturday, June 2, 2012, In : DIY (Do It Yourself) Projects

The name was my son's idea. He thinks it looks like an atom, and all his friends agreed. They all think it's WAY COOL! I like the industrial chic look it has.

Some of you guessed right on the last post. These molded spheres of steel hanger strap were fashioned into a pendant light. If you guessed chandelier that counts.

All you need to do is get some 22 gauge 3/4" galvanized steel hanger strap at your local hardware store and a few (approximately 12) small short bolts that fit through the hole...
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About Me

As an Interior Designer, I am constantly looking for new ways of re-purposing and re-using what people already have as well as finding new resources for affordable furnishings. This is just a place to share great resources, ideas, information about the trades, and ways of doing things yourself to help make your own home fabulous!

- Lori Pepe-Lunché, more about me...

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