Pepper Design Blog

A New Shade for Our Living Room {+ Discount}

I have always loved a patterned lampshade and I’ve been keeping my eye out for a fabric that would work well with the new living room design. In the past I’ve recovered a few shades for the bedroom and else where and I thought this trick might work well for this room too.

But then I discovered Jeanne McGee, a fabulous etsy artist that hand stamps her own fabric and creates beautiful lampshades from scratch (discount at the end of the post). When I saw this basic but classy print I knew it would be the perfect addition. Not too colorful (I redid this coffee table-to-ottoman in a very colorful print for the room already), not too over powering but definitely complimentary to the feel of the space:

Jeanne and I worked together to find a color that would blend well with the different neutrals in the room:

The finished fabric is beautiful! I’m so impressed with Jeanne’s talent in creating her own prints.

I asked about her process and she let me in on the secret, which essentially starts with a hand carved woodblock or stamp, white or off-white linen fabric or paper, and colorful ink:

Above is the poppy stamp in it’s original form. Below is an example of the ink transfer to the fabric (you can see the stamps all inked up and ready to go in the top image and the finished fabric right below):

After the paper or fabric has dried, Jeanne adheres styrene to the paper or fabric and begins the process of glueing the paper to the lampshade wire frame. This is done by carefully rolling the fabric over the wire and finishing the edges.

When the lampshades are finished, they look like this!

For more shades and handmade garland, check out Jeanne’s shop. I’m excited to share that Jeanne has joined on as a sponsor as well – you can jump out to her site at any time by clicking her lampshade ad to the left. Take advantage of a limited time discount for 20% off by mentioning ‘PDB’ in your Etsy order!

I’m adding my new shade to the living room and can’t wait to share the pictures! Here’s a sneak peek:

Rooms Inspired by the Month of June

Once again this month’s post comes all too late! But since we have one last day in this beautiful month {hoping it’s not June Gloom where you are} here is a bit of inspiration pulled from the soft blues, turquoises, indigos and cobalts that remind me of June.

I love the use of both contrasting and complimentary colors in rooms that favor the cool hue. How great is that yellow at the top, or the layers of soft blue at the last picture in the bottom right corner (that quatrefoil chair is pretty amazing too).

This wallpaper is gorgeous!

Teals and turquoises bring a coastal feel to any space and the solid walls are a beautiful backdrop to accessories like the gold bamboo coffee table, chinoiserie pillow cases and backless sofa above.

Blue bedrooms are one of my favorites… I’ve always been partial to warmer colors in living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens, but I can’t get over how great a blue bedroom looks.

Here’s a darker take on blue. Bringing in a strong navy, cobalt or indigo can be a great substitutes for black and dark brown in rooms.

That’s my June blues round-up… to see more ‘Rooms Inspired by the Month’, click here.  Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Images: House Beautiful on Flickr and DecorPad

{Summer Inspiration} for a Red & Teal Dinner Party

Kevin and I love to host impromptu dinner parties every couple of weeks at the house. We might find ribs perfect for smoking on sale at the grocery store that morning or perhaps Kev just carbonated another round of his favorite home brew (we always have a batch going…) but by 7 that night we love nothing more than good friends and good food crowded around the outdoor fireplace.

So while we keep it mellow… I couldn’t help but recently be inspired by a fancier version of an outdoor dinner party. SMP recently featured this red & teal San Francisco-themed spread (and all of the gorgeous details) by photographer Edyta Szyszylo.

I love love the printed tablecloth (so easy to make yourself with a fabric remnant and a bit of hem tape or spray glue) and the brilliant green viburnum (hydrangea’s little sister) centerpiece made out of a thrift store two-tiered planter.

Details: “Brocade and broach napkin rings, vintage demitasse cups as favors and place card holders, as well as the wrought iron lounge furniture were all added for Victorian appeal. The gold-rimmed dinnerware, gold flatware, gold dining chairs and gold-rimmed wine glasses added some glamour and elegance to our outdoor setting.”

To keep the photo gallery going… follow the jump for a many more delicious pictures! Read more »