New Dining Table

By on January 21, 2013 in Furniture

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Lately, we have been entertaining, a lot. Our little kitchen table really can only accommodate five people comfortably. I’m not in love with it because the leaves it has tend to bend down a little and that just makes me nervous that one day they will break and everything on top of it will fall down and break too. I’ve been scouring Craigslist for a good cheap table that could seat 6 plus people, with an extendable leaf, and that was an antique. New furniture just doesn’t last anymore.  So, I found this Duncan Phyfe table for $40! That’s a day at the beauty salon, a pair of shoes, a cute shirt. But this table is going to last way longer than all those other things.

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We picked her up in Flushing, and now she stands in all her glory in our apartment, smack dab in the entryway. I’m not sure if this will be her permanent home. The listing said it sits 6-8 but it would have to be 8 small chairs. Six people is doable. She needs a lot of work. The entire top is worn, scratched, and has pen marks all over it. It will be a ton of sanding, not something I’m sure I want to do inside our apartment. Till then, I’ll put a table cloth over it. Just it time because we are having another dinner party this Saturday!

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Lights

By on January 11, 2013 in My NYC

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Just another cold night on the Upper East Side. Even though I don ‘t live in this neighborhood, it still makes me love my City more.

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Foyer

By on August 1, 2012 in DIY

Chevron Foyer

So I have decided to keep my chevron wall. Who knows how long we will be living in this apartment, so we will just keep it for now. In the meanwhile I have cleverly placed old family photos where the paint job was messed up. And, I added a little dim lighting that rather romanticizes the walls, making the flaws less noticeable. Doesn’t look so bad now!

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Loving Colorlessly

By on July 31, 2012 in L.O.V.E.

Being the product of an interracial marriage, I really love these photos of Mildred and Richard Loving. They were a married interracial couple battling Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws. Their case went all the way to the Supreme Court, Loving v. Virginia. In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court finally and unanimously decided the case of Loving v. Virginia, ruling against the state and finding all anti-miscegenation laws across the country unconstitutional. All the photos are by Grey Villet, published by LIFE Magazine. You can see more photos on the link.

Richard Loving died at age 41 in 1975, when a drunk driver struck their car. Mildred Loving lost her right eye in the same accident. Mildred Loving died of pneumonia on May 2, 2008, in Milford, Virginia, at age 68.-Wikipedia

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Wizard of Oz in Bryant Park

By on July 3, 2012 in My NYC

This is my NYC. Summer events, concerts, outdoor movies, street fairs, bicycle riding, Central Park, reading in the park, picnics, long romantic walks, dancing on the pier, side walk cafes, it’s why I love NYC.

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Extra Kitchen Counter Space Makeover

By on March 27, 2012 in Furniture

This is my extra counter space in my kitchen. There is a great story behind it and how I acquired it. My sisters and I were at the Salvation Army in Connecticut, where we met a man donating a boat load of stuff. He gave us this piece and a bunch of other things literally on SA’s loading dock. Needless to say the workers were not happy! Little sis actually had first dibs on this. I actually didn’t want it. But then I moved into an apartment with a tiny kitchen and no counter space. So, she gave it to me in exchange for one of my fur coats that I hadn’t worn in a while.

This was a lot of work. Especially because I did it in my apartment. Before you wood preservationists get upset that I painted this piece, just know that this was never a high quality wash stand to begin with. This must have been the maid’s wash stand. A close look at the quality of the woodwork shows that this is no show stopper. So I saved what I could. I chose a gloss for the base and sanded and stained the counter top in a mahogany finish. I also boiled all of the brass pieces in vinegar and then scrubbed them down with steel wool and baking powder.

The best part of all? My downstairs neighbor banged on the ceiling and cursed me out when I was sanding at 1am. Seriously? My husband couldn’t even here me in the next room. Psycho neighbor aside, the end result was soooo worth it!

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And just because I busted my fingernail scrubbing the gorgeous brass pulls, here are a few closeups:

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Chevron Gone Bust

By on March 1, 2012 in DIY

This is my DIY chevron wall that went totally wrong. It might not look bad from here, but the paint bled underneath the tape. It took me 8 HOURS to measure and tape the wall! GRRR! You can also see a little mistake I made in the upper right corner. Double GRRR.

I plan on using this wall for old family photos, both from my side and hubby’s side. So that is why the circuit box didn’t get paint. I don’t want to touch that. Anyway, I’ve got other projects going on (pictures to come soon) so I have no energy or will to fix this wall. But it looks horrible and need to paint it pronto! I’m not sure if I just want to paint it one solid color, or if I’ll do another pattern. I’m thinking scallops this time. Something a little art deco.

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Furniture Makeover: My Wicker Sofa

By on February 9, 2012 in Furniture

Some how I managed to delete the original Sal + Vick blog I started a year ago on blogger and lost all of my images as well. Boo! I can’t go without reposting my before and after shots of my wicker sofa that I found in the garbage. I jumped for joy when my project was featured on Design Sponge. The thing that cost the most – the foam. Make sure you get yourself a half off coupon from Joann when buying foam. The fabric was from Ikea, and the back pillows I had made while visiting my then fiance in the Dominican Republic. They took the old cushions and used them as a pattern to make the new ones for just $30! Best decision of my life!

Now we have a new English roll arm sofa, so it’s time to say au revoir to our wicker sofa which held a lot of great memories. I’m listing it on Craigslist. If I lived in a house that had a screened patio I’d totally keep it. Now, it just clashes.

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My Design Sponge DIY Headboard

By on January 31, 2012 in DIY

Let me just start off this post by saying that I have no carpentry or upholstery skills. Still, I was undeterred to try out the gorgeous headboard from Grace Bonney on Design Sponge. My husband and I finally ordered our dream bed! It’s a pillow top mattress that is tall, and feels like we are at a hotel every  night. At last, an adult bedroom that I wouldn’t mind letting friends into. Thus began the search for a headboard. The headboards we were interested were all in the price range of $700 and up and, with now having the task of decorating an entire apartment, $700 on a headboard was totally out of the question. Besides, I was itching to do this project forever! It was SO easy. Even if you don’t have a carpenter friend like I do to cut out the shape, finding a carpenter is also easy, as is the rest of the project should you choose to just do a rectangle shape.

I printed Grace’s blue print for the project, went to Lowes (having NEVER stepped foot in the lumber department before), and was able to get all the materials I needed. The staff was amazing at helping! I won’t go into too many details since the entire process is documented on Design Sponge. But yes, the corners were at PAIN. Really this type of design would do better with a slip covered headboard. If you choose just to staple the fabric in the back, you are going to have a really tough time getting the fabric to fit to the right angles. Oh, and I did not attach the legs and upholster them like Grace. They wouldn’t fit in the van as one whole piece (did the project at my parents house in the suburbs). I bought the sturdiest thickest brackets I could find to attach the two and, they are rock solid on the headboard. So, here is how the process went for me step by step in the photos:

One last look…

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Ladurée I Heart You

By on January 3, 2012 in Food

If you love French macaroons and you live in NYC then you have to stop by Ladurée. Granted the line is usually out the door. But this particular night I went it was especially chilly, and almost closing time. My wait time was quick! They are flown in from France, so they are a special treat. If you get the pretty box you will end up spending more money on the box than the macaroons themselves.

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