#frog upholstered chairs

[elizabetharzanisketchbook]

My sister's corner of the world includes frog upholstered chairs, 2023

[ricardian-werewolf]

1. Maybe you'll think of me when you are all alone

Ao3 Link

Summary: "Before the fires Before the spools of barbed wire You said you would never forget What pierces deeper than the bayonet." Before the Bombs, Death Cab for Cutie. **** Alina Starkov is the newly discovered Sun Summoner. When an attack on her caravan to Os Alta goes awry, she makes a startling discovery about the youngest Lantsov Prince that sets everything in motion. For what does light need to survive? Darkness. As Alina comes to terms with her own powers, she must make a choice - a prince who would give her the world, and a Grisha General intent on destroying it. Ravka needs a sun Saint, the Darkling needs a chesspiece, but Nikolai needs only Alina to understand both who she is, and what her purpose is in a world trying to dictate who she is. An AU of Shadow and Bone that works around the plot for some great Nikolina moments and changes the ending, with some noticeable changes also along the way.

Notes:

For Madelie

Inspired by A Fateful Encounter by Nangala

Chapter below the cut:

Kiribirsk, East Ravka. 

Nikolai Lantsov was half-way out of his tent the morning after he’d arrived in Kiribirsk, when news reached him of the Sun Summoner. 

It had come to him by way of Isaak Andreyev, his batman. With him had been Dominik, who’d not only confirmed such a truth, but brought the major his uniform and kepi. Pulling on his linen shirt, Nikolai sighed in irritation as Isaak buttoned him up and Dominik fussed with Nikolai’s hair. Over his shirt went the frogged over-tunic and the gold braid was looped through his second button. 

“‘Ho’s it?” Nikolai grumbled as he regarded his chin in the tiny hand-mirror he’d had with him since his enlistment days. Isaak was in the middle of folding up his nightclothes and examining his linens - they’d be washed by a washerwoman as soon as possible. Judging by the fact that all Fold crossings to West Ravka had been cancelled until further notice on account of this blast, Nikolai expected himself to be stuck in East Ravka for a little while longer. Just his saints-forsaken luck.

“Her name is Alina Starkov, though Kirigan is being very hush hush about it all, sir.” Isaak replied, crimping the collar on Nikolai’s night-shirt with a pinch of his thumb and first finger. As he swept a bundle of gears into a satin pouch, Nikolai’s smile deepened. Feeling the pouch over in his hands, he let the bag expand a little.

“Put that with the others, would you?”

“Of course, Major.” 

Nikolai turned his head to regard Dominik, who lounged in a low-set chair cushioned with expensive Fjerdan fur pelts. Saints knew why the major chose to upholster his tent in such riches. He was only a major. But being even the spare son of the Tsar brought him a cushion that he hated to enjoy. Sometimes, it brought him a chance to do better things. But most of the time it brought him little more than pain.

“The Junior cartographer who got denied her rations last night, right?” Nikolai remembered that, and shuddered. “Stupid ass. I’ll speak to whoever’s in charge of the cookwagons and get him sent off to see action in the Sikurzoi.”

“You do know that your stance on that will just invite more enemies.” Dominik replied, flicking through the paper the 22nd Regiment printed of its own accord. Filled with largely ribald against their own officers, Dominik had become an avid patron and contributor of the fictionals serialised for its weekly publication.

“I do know, and I don’t particularly care.” Nikolai rolled his eyes and swore under his breath as his carelessness caused the straight razor to nick his chin. Blood dotted the bare flesh, and Nikolai swiped at it with the pad of his finger. A knock at his tentpost made him straighten, his face half shaved and hazel eyes dark in the snuffed lamps. The oil-clothed canvas of the tent wasn’t the best at letting the light in, and the heavy tapestries installed on his fathers’s orders darkened it still.

“Who is it?”

Isaak poked his head in, winced, and then spoke. “Pensky.”

“Saints save me.” Nikolai groaned, and motioned for Isaak to come to help him. As Isaak expertly shaved Nikolai’s face, Pensky came in, removing his cap. Dominik had stuffed the newspaper under his arm and saluted Pensky smartly.

“At ease, Majors, Private.” Pensky examined the collar of his tunic, emblazoned with the red backing of the Double-headed eagle given to all Colonels. The 22nd’s green patch with the fireflower insignia designating it as a Royal territorial regiment, caught any soldier's eye first. The pips of his rank as colonel were perfectly polished, and the entire facade of command radiated off him.

“Major Lantsov, you have been selected to take a team of your best men - no more than a platoon - to the Little Palace to assist the Black General in his procession along the Vy to get the Sun summoner-” At this utterance, Pensky crossed himself, and Nikolai noted Dominik do the same. It seemed that the Sun Saint was already nearing reverence status. 

Saints help this poor girl.

“-Safely to Os Alta. Oh, and you will be remaining there. Your father sent an official order. Apparently you’ve been recalled from the Front for the foreseeable future.”

“Why?” Nikolai asked, grinding his teeth down to nubs. His father intervening in his service was like waving a flag of surrender while the campaign to obliterate the enemy was going swimmingly well.

“As the Second Son,” Pensky paused. “The Sun Summoner will be taken in as part of your household.”

Ah. Right. THAT clause. Nikolai thought grimly. He schooled his features to be something approximating boredom. If he was honest, his “Household,” consisted of a duchy in Eastern Ravka, a few mines, several acres of land, and lots of serfs that Vasily claimed he wasn’t exploiting enough. Nikolai was more of the mind that uplifting them was better for Ravka. Give them jobs, not backbreaking taxes. Invest in some actually good education while he was after it. Maybe he’d drag this blasted Sun Summoner along for a tour and keep her tucked up in his country Dacha so she could go to town obliterating the bloody wreck of a house. It’d been his aunts, and she had as good taste as his mother - an endemic problem it seemed in Lantsov women.

Shaking his head, Nikolai sighed.

“Listening, Major?”

Nope. I was thinking of how much Udova needs a new aqueduct. Damnit. Nikolai longed to say. He wanted a cup of coffee and a chance to go make something explode. He sighed again, and brightened at the note that Pensky passed Dominik. “Major Vertov is also being recalled… though he is not allowed on the grounds of the Great Palace.”

Not unless I kill Vasily with a knife or poison his food. Did his last food taster die? It’d suck to kill the boy. Maybe I can soften the blow with a nice fat plot of land to his family. Does that kid Have family? Maybe not. If they’re dead, I can send a nice funeral wreath and throw money at the village so they’ll keep his family’s pew nice and pretty.

“Major.” Pensky spoke again, and this time, Nikolai came to attention. Instead of planning on how to murder his brother, he listened. Dominik shifted from foot to foot, while Isaak moved to packing Nikolai’s kit bag. Murmuring a brief apology to Domininik for stepping on his toes, otherwise the tent was remarkably quiet.

“I wish you the best of luck. The Vy may be more dangerous, if we are to assume-” Pensky fell silent as a noise - a high pitched wailing - tore through the air. Instantly, the four men poked their heads out of the tent flaps and witnessed a jet of golden light spilling out through the gap in the Darkling’s massive tent. With it, came a heat that made Nikolai’s arm-hairs prickle.

“Saints.” All of the men gasped. Pensky crossed himself and Dominik, normally the less religious of this little quartet, murmured a brief prayer. Nikolai furrowed his brows. He saw an opportunity. While the young cartographer had been quite frail, she was also undoubtedly beautiful, and poor. Though if he had his way, he’d have married anyone he bloody well liked, instead of some rich girl with cotton between her ears. 

“-If we are to assume, what, Colonel?” Dominik asked, the light-blast reflected in his eyes. From where Nikolai’s tent was situated on the bluff overlooking the nearby Second Army camp, the four of them could see the Darkling’s Oprichniki soldiers dragging Alina to a black carriage emblazoned with the eclipse. The Black General’s symbol. 

“Right. Major Lantsov, that’s your cue. Private Andreyev, don’t worry about his things. He won’t be needing them.” Pensky barked, poking Nikolai out into the open ground of the bluff. He turned, gave a salute to his commanding officer, and winked at his two dear friends.

Then, Nikolai was off, racing to gather a platoon. The Black General wouldn’t wait for long, and Nikolai needed to be with that escort team. Grisha all around were already saddling steeds, Corpralki, Etheralki, all bunches. If there was a raid, the First Army needed to be there too. By the saints, Alina was one of theirs, first and foremost. Not bloody Second Army.

Reaching the enlistments' tents, Nikolai mentally catalogued who was best for the job, and set to work rousing the men and getting the calvary to provide horses. There was arguing about that with a dragoon, who argued to make the First Army go on foot.

“They’re bleedin infantry!” The Dragoon snapped. Nikolai snorted, crossing his arms. The dragoon had brought compatriots, and Nikolai stiffened. “This is on orders of Colonel Penksy, coming up from the bloody chain of command to General Nevsky. Don’t make me-”

“And what’ll you do, you pissy little gobshite with your head up your arse?”

“Kiss your mother with your mouth, you little sodding son of a bitch?” Nikolai growled.

“I should say, you buggering twat. Maybe I’ll toss ye into the muck, see how you like it, eh, you bastard?”

Nikolai’s fist struck out and he broke the dragoon's nose straight up the bone, then knocked his legs out from under him. While the man was on his back, he struck his boot down on the man’s stomach, cracking three of his ribs. 

“Now, step aside, why don’t you?” Nikolai’s eyes gleamed in the late morning sun. “I’ve got work to do, and the Black General won’t appreciate my being late, eh?”

“N-no,” The dragoon spluttered, blood pouring from his nose. His friends had fled, eyes wide. Anyone and everyone with brain cells to spare, knew that crossing Major Lantsov was paramount to getting gutted like a fish. 

Nikolai pinched the bridge of his nose, raised his hand, and ordered his men on horses. Within minutes, with his leading, the Ncos on horseback and the lower ranks marching on foot. They reached the Grisha escort easily, and Nikolai reigned in his steed next to the Black General.

“General Kirigian.” Nikolai murmured, a gentle smirk colouring his features. The leader of the Second Army snorted. “You’re late, if you’re looking for me to take new recruits.” He replied, his voice oily and cold as ice. Nikolai adjusted his riding gloves, shifting easily in the saddle.

“I’m not, actually.” He replied, that easy charm oozing off him just as much as the General radiated sheer menace. “I’ve come, on General Nevsky’s orders, to march with the Grisha to Os Alta as an honour guard, to keep the Sun summoner safe from Drüskelle interference.”

“And what good will the First Army do? We have all we need. We don’t need to be healing your lot when one of your soldiers loses a leg to a Fjerdan bullet.” Kirigan growled, the reins in his hand tightening with a subtle tug of leather. 

Nikolai wanted to scoff, but bit his tongue. “True, however I am but a simple soldier. I only do what I’m told.” Dusting down his tunic front, Nikolai clicked his tongue and urged his horse into a trot as the carriage set off at a snail's pace. 

They were making good time, roughly 1/8th along The Vy, when the whole procession halted. A branch in the road maring their path. The horses slowed, whickering and whinnying. Nikolai’s own mare shifted underfoot as the Oprichniki dismounted and moved to protect the carriage. 

“Watch the trees-” One began, then fell back, a knife between the eyes. Instantly, the Grisha moved into offensive stances, jumping from the carriages and dismounting their horses. Nikolai wheeled his own horse about, glancing back at his men.

“Protect the Sun Summoner!”

“She’s ours!” Kirigan snarled.

 Nikolai yelled back. “She was ours first!”

Cracks of bullets chipping against the wood whistled through the air as sharpshooters aimed their riflescopes on the defenceless carriage containing Alina. Nikolai twisted in the saddle, whipping off his Kepi. The bloody visor marred his line of sight. He reached for his pistol, then groaned. He’d left so quickly that he’d not had time to grab his pistols or his revolvers.

He’d fought at Halmhend a scant three years ago. He could do this. He just needed to focus. Grabbing the buttons of his tunic, Nikolai urged his horse into a gallop. Reaching the carriage, he yanked the doors open just in time to see the other set be pulled open by a rogue Drüskelle, his face contorted in manic glee. 

“Grisha!” The bastard chortled, grabbing at Alina’s shoes. She screamed, her hand reaching Nikolai’s for a second. The touch of his palm on hers happened for a mere second, but Nikolai’s pulse doubled, and then she was gone. 

A low growl erupted in Nikolai’s throat, and he leapt across the carriage’s interior. Then, once free, ran straight for the bastard and the woman who could summon light. His boots barely made an indent on the ground, and his pulse jumped as he ran. 

“This woman is part of my household, you bloody, cod-eating, sexist bastard!” He yelled in Fjerdan, watching the Drüskelle stall in his tracks, an axe raised high to cleave Alina’s head straight off. 

“Refr-Baldur.” The Drüskelle hissed, eyes wide. Nikolai spread his hands, a low thrumming sound reverberating through the air. Alina’s eyes raised to meet his, and she stiffened, shock painting her features.

Why when I summon does everyone always lose their bloody minds? He thought, letting the shadows from the dappled sunlight crawl towards his feet. Unlike the Darkling, whose shadows were pure ink, malevolent things gifted to him by the Fold and his own… meddling, Nikolai had been born under a full moon on the summer solstice, and made into something… quite dangerous. 

Dangerous to his enemies, that was. 

He let the shadows flow into a blade quite unlike the Cut. Where that had been an arc of pure shadow, this was a straight line, and he didn’t dare hesitate in case the Drüskelle tried to kill Alina.

“Put your head down!” He yelled, wanting to spare her the horror of her first kill. She was so pale, she didn’t dare fight him, and then Nikolai threw his blade out. There was a sharp crack, and the monster’s head fell back, hitting the earth with a thud. His body went with it. 

Alina moved to looking at her fallen foe, but Nikolai’s clicking tongue held her gaze on him.

“Look at me, just keep looking at me.” Nikolai knelt before her, his hands shaking, eyes glittering from his power surge. Alina’s eyes looked up, and Nikolai had to withhold a gasp. Her eyes were deep, earthen brown, like the first soils of spring. Rebirth and life. He smiled, extending a hand.  

“You’ll ride with me. Just keep looking at me, Miss Starkov.” Alina’s hand fit neatly into his, her hands running up against his callouses. Her hands were mostly neat, a life of little to no labour. He gently walked backwards, his hand still in hers. All around them, bullets whizzed, men screamed.

“Now-” Nikolai’s head reared back as Alina suddenly punched him across the face, and he staggered back. 

“What was that-” He began.

“What’d you do?!” She snapped, stamping her foot. “What did you do back there?! What are you?!”

“Ah.” Nikolai rubbed a hand over his bloody nose, cursed under his breath in Shu, and sighed. 

“Sorry, lovely, guess no one bothered to tell you that the House of Lantsov has a Shadow Summoner in its walls, eh?” He tsked, removing a handkerchief from his pocket emblazoned with the double-headed eagle.

Alina’s eyes widened, and she looked down at her hands. She was going into shock, experiencing too much. Technically, her assault of him should warrant a court-martial at the very least, but Nikolai wasn’t about to press that. 

“You’re…” She looked over at General Kirigan decapitating a Drüskelle with his own version of the Cut, and shuddered. “Like him?”

“Not by half.” Nikolai sniffed. “I’m barely trained.” He placed a palm on his cheek and fluttered his lashes at her. “Who would ever dream of this beautiful face getting bruised from a well-placed Squaller blast, hmm?”

“In your dreams, Moi Tsarevich.” She gave him a grin. Despite her panic, Alina found herself smiling. Something about this prince put her strangely at ease. 

“Nikolai!” Dominik shouted, pulling his horse to a halt beside the little duo. Glancing down at them, He adjusted the tilt of his Kepi and glanced out at the tree-line, which was rapidly becoming filled with Drüskelle. “We should go.”

“Right. Come on Miss Starkov. Ever ridden a horse before?” Nikolai asked as Dominik came back with Nikolai’s mare’s reins in his fingers.

“Yes, actually.” She brightened. “Back at Kermazin, the orphanage I was raised in…” She trailed off. “I got to sit in the saddle, but never actually rode.” She scratched at the back of her neck, the healers kefta on her an ill-fitting mistake. 

“Well, it’ll be rough.” Nikolai swung himself onto his own steed, and reached his bare hand down to Alina. She hesitated for a moment, but the crack of a bullet hitting the ground near them decided her fate. She let Nikolai lift her into the saddle. He turned up the collar of her kefta, pulled on the holsters containing his revolvers, swung a cloak of Fabrikator make around his shoulders, then clicked his tongue.

Instantly, the mare sprang into a full gallop. With Dominik trailing him, Nikolai raced towards Os Alta with the Sun Summoner firmly in his possession, his sabre at his hip. Behind him, the Drüskelle pressed their advantage and tore the company he’d headed to pieces - or at least at first glance. The Darkling’s shadows drowned the Drüskelle where they stood, and the company was sent straight back to Kiribirsk telling tales of their revered Major conjuring a blade of shadow.

As the First Army aimed to head West once again, Dominik, Nikolai and Alina pressed east, guided by childhood memories, and a hope for the future that Ravka would move past the pains of her present. The Fold would fall, and Alina would rise. She may have been First Army, now Second, but she was her own person.

Nikolai intended to fulfil that promise to her, and himself. 

End of Chapter 1

[lgwifey]

THE UNWANTED VISITOR

90s!noel gallagher x singlemother!reader

summary : It seems he keeps following her around no matter where she goes and y/n just doesn't know what to do.

warnings : past abusive relationship

(y/f/t) : your football team (not man city)

MASTERLIST

1996

Laughter fell through the air of the twenty-seconds flat in the dingy council block.

"And then they go..."

A five year old boy sat in a pair of adidas track bottoms and a black Oasis top, he was nearly falling off of the edge of the seat with how he sat but he was too enticed in the story he was being told to notice, or care.

"Rawr !"

A scream of laughter occured when he was attacked with tickles by his mum's boyfriend. As he managed to calm down, alother figure entered the small living-room area with two cups of tea in hand. The woman placed them down in the second hand coffee table she'd upholstered before swinging the boy up in her arms and sitting in the arm chair.

"Okay Tobes, I think it's time for your bedtime."

Obviously, a whine of complained started.

"Ah ah ah, what did I say ?"

"I can stay up 'till you're done with drinks."

A mumbled responce replyed before the infant kicked the floor in a strop.

"Okay mate, new deal."

Toby looked up excitedly at Noel's sudden involvement in the conversation.

"If you do what your mam says now, then we can go out to the park tomorrow after school yeah ?"

The boy gave a grin and high-fived Noel, he hated the reception y/n put him in so she could go to work. The promise of going out to the park with his current favourate person in the world after it was great to him.

"Okay, now bed."

"I'll be over in 5 minutes to see if you're actually in bed."

Y/n kissed his head before sending him off go his room on the otherside of the small flat.

Once the child was out of ear and sight, Noel lifted y/n off of her armchair and onto his lap where he was sat on the two-seater couch. She gave a quiet squeal of surprise at the sudden actions before laughing and wrapping her arms over his shoulders.

"A whole."

He pressed a passionate kiss onto her lips before continuing his sentence.

"Five minutes."

Another kiss.

"To ourselves."

This time the kiss was given depth, a low moan leaving y/n's lips as she lightly pulled at his hair.

"Mam,"

The two basically jumped apart, y/n twisting around to find a dinosaur pyjamaed Toby pouting in the door frame's gap.

"I can't find Frogs."

Noel got up off of the couch, leaving his girlfriend by herself whilst he fetched the lime green frog teddy from the master bedroom so Toby would be able to sleep.

"There y'go. Com'on now,"

The musician lead the boy back into his room, settleing him down for the night so he would be able to spend some time with y/n, some time alone. Sure he loved the kid, but he did miss the absence of children in his life sometimes, such as when he was trying to get some.

When he sat back down on the couch, he noticed y/n giving him a disapproving look. She forced herself into his arms, both leaning back slightly whilst the tele gave low background noice, before she started complaining.

"Can't believe you have my baby speaking like a Manc."

Noel gave a grin and a quiet laugh at her.

"I ain't laughing Gallagher, d'you know how much shit I get off of his school for the way he talks. Got called in last week because he said 'reat', apparrently we've got to teach him proper English."

Y/n woke up to a hand poking into her back, a very uncomfortable awakening. It was too small to be Noels which obviously lead to

"Tobes."

She turned herself around, moving his hand off of her whilst doing so. Her finger moved the y/h/c hair which had fell into his face over the night, causing light to wake him up, the hair clearly serving as a short of curtains for him.

"Baby what've I said about getting into my bed at night ?"

Toby ignored her, crawling into her chest and falling back asleep with his arms loosely wrapped around her torso.

Y/n gave a groan once she'd looked at the digital alarm clock glowing passed Noel's bare shoulders.

7:46

She didn't need to be up for another 15 minutes. She went to close her eyes, but before she could rest again loud thumping came from the door. A very strange occurance seeing how her flat block didn't let you in without a key and all her neighbours where either single parent families who wouldn't be awake yet or pensioners.

She placed Toby back down on the matress, covering him with the duvet only for him to subconciously kick it off and turn around to cuddle into Noel. A small smile formed on her lips at the sight before she went to see who was causing a ruckus so early. She thanked the housing plan people, whoever they where, for their idea of not putting glass in the doors but what Toby calls a 'spy hole'.

Her smile quickly dropped when through the magnifying glass circle she saw her ex, Toby's father, the man she hated more than everything else on Earth.

Her body froze for a moment, the only thing she could do was stare at the door in fright.

"What's that noise ?"

Y/n's body loosened from it's statue-like state when the young, innocent voice of her son danced through the air of the hallway.

"Nothing Tobes,"

Thunder like bangs hit the door, so much power held in them that she was such they would have smashed the door in. She ran slightly as she went to push his out of the hall and into the master bedroom again.

"D'ya wanna wake up Noel, don't be to loud though."

Toby grew a grin, one like Noel's, before jumping back onto the double bed and poking the man's face a multitude of times.

Whilst the boy was quiet frankly ruining Noel's morning at 7:50, Y/n was in the kitchen connecting to the 999 line through the pale blue landline.

By the time she'd finished on the call and a police car had been sent out on it's way to the flat, Noel was making his way into the overly organised kitchen in jogger bottoms and a slightly baggy, plain adidas top. He was carrying Toby on his hip whilst looking concerned, probably at the storm brewing on the otherside of the wooden door.

"Should I be worried ?"

She didn't reply verbally, just giving a pointed look which said 'we might die'. Toby had his face in Noel's neck, probably asleep again, so he wouldn't be able to tell that the adults looking after him where dealing with a dangerous situation.

"Toby's back in bed, told him he's got the day off school."

Y/n gave a small hum at Noel's infomation. She sat blankly on the setee with a hot mug of tea in her hands, staring at the opposite wall whilst thuds hit her front door. Everytime a hit occured, the security chains would rattle a bit, sending her over the edge.

The couch dipped slightly and she felt an arm wrap over her shoulders, then someone pulling her closer to them.

"How much longer will the police be ?"

"They said they'll be over by ten past, so probably five minutes."

There was a small silence, more attacks on the door causing y/n to push herself further into Noel's side and for him to start drawing calming patterns on her arm where his hand rested.

"We should've moved quicker, he wouldn't know where my flat is."

They where in the middle of moving which caused his comment. Filled, thick cardboard boxes lined the hallway with most of Y/n and Toby's belongings. The only things actually in the flat still was the things they couldn't take with them like the landlines, couches and beds.

" I know, but i'm still trying to get Toby's school sorted out."

"I said i'll pay for him to go to one in a nicer area, you know I wouldn't mind-"

"Noel I'm not making you pay for Toby to go to school, there's plenty of nice schools that are normal."

He gave up before it turned into an explosive fight, they'd already had it multiple times and y/n always managed to win.

"And I beat him by four whole points !"

Y/n laughted as Toby bounced up and down on the 5 seater couch shilst holding up four fingers, just to clarify how many points he'd beat Noel at table football by.

"That's because you're my little superstar aren't you."

A grin danced on his lips, teeth shining bright in her direction.

Y/n had been trying to sort out the last box of living room stuff and had gotten Noel to distract Toby in the small games room on the far side of the flat whilst she finally finished the months on unpacking. They'd 'official' been living together for six months, but it turns out moving with a five year old is actually harder than moving by yourself surprise surprise.

"Babe, it's alreat if Liam and the lads come round right ?"

" 'Cause it is."

Noel had appeared from the other room and wrapped his arms around y/n's waist as he asked her the question, pecking her cheek once she'd aswered and leaving her to carry on organising his vynils and cds.

"Uncle Liam's coming round ?"

Toby gave a beaming smile before running to his room to her changed out of the light green school uniform he was still wearing. Noel gave a laugh when the kid returned shortly after in a Man City top and a pair of dark blue jeans, monster socks hidden by the denim. Y/n had to turn around from the shelf to see what the funny thing was and when she saw her son in a City top she turned and gawped at Noel.

"Stop tainting my little angel with your sh- rubbish football team."

She then turned to Toby with faux dissapointment lacing her words so he didn't get upset at the joke.

"Tobes, you know we're a y/f/t family."

"Uncle Liam says City are better."

She muttered to herself as she turned back around a slid a The Queen Is Dead vynil into the collection.

"Uncle Liam is gonna get bloody battered when he gets here."

Three knocks hit the double locked, blue door of the apartment.

Noel whined when he felt y/n's warmth leave from ontop of him, they'd been lied down whilst watching an overly-dramatic episode of Corrie. His grip tightened on her waist, pulling her back onto the couch as she tryed to leave to open the door for who she was assuming was Liam and the rest of Oasis, the group who had all started to use Noel's apartment as a second home now that it had a woman keeping it decent.

"Noel, your brother is at the door."

"Fuck him."

She eventually broke free, knocks being constantly repeared on the door. She didn't think anything if it, neither of them did seeing how it was a very common, annoying thing for Liam to do. The door was always kept locked due to y/n's slight paranoia so Liam usually just kept hitying the door till someone appeared and opened it.

"Aye, one sec Li."

She didn't even think to check the spy hole before sliding the chain across it's second half and letting the door become openable from the other side.

As soon as she'd opened it, y/n slammed the door shut again. It didn't fully close, a boot becoming wedged in the area between the door and the door frame. She was over powered easily, the enterance becoming accessable to the frightful figure in no time as she just became a statue.

"Lovely to see you again Doll."

[edgarsabandonedrocketship]

Okay, it’s the Monday after the Dreaded Annual Riverdale Musical Episode, which imo makes it a great time for some good, old-fashioned shitposting. The topic: Biblical Plagues (mind you, these are not the Plaques we were promised in the synopsis. I’m sad).

How might these plagues show up in the next episode of Riverdale (which airs this weekend the weekend after next because this show has fantastic scheduling)? Below are some ideas. (Please note that I ran out of steam and didn’t put anything for Boils or Hail. Do feel free to tackle those if you’re so inclined, and/or enhance or disagree with any of the others presented).

1. Water turning to blood—Betty is highly annoyed when bloody water shoots out of Archie's sink while she's trying to wash her trusty beer mug. She initially assumes this is happening because Archie is an idiot and fucked up the plumbing when rebuilding the house. To avoid strangling him in a fit of rage, she leaves to stay with either Veronica or Agent Drake until he fixes it.  2. Frogs—Large amphibians start falling from the sky one morning, causing quite a mess all over town and at least one emergency Town Meeting to be convened. Meanwhile, in his laboratory Dr. Curdle Jr. becomes excited over the frogs’ dubious medicinal qualities and embarks on a campaign to convince people to stick them in the mouths of colicky kids, similar to what happened in the ‘Vale. Finally, a bored and lonely Jughead decides to keep a few of the little guys in the bunker with him as pets.  3, 4, 8. Lice, flies, locusts (yay, it’s a three-fer!)—Similar to her experience in the 'Vale, poor Tabitha discovers that her apartment is infested with bugs. At first (when it's limited to the lice and flies), she blames it on: 1) a visit from FP, and 2) a gross upholstered chair Jughead found on the side of the road and set up in his nook (all of these events happened off-screen, of course). But once the locusts appear, Tabitha begrudgingly admits it's probably a curse and asks Veronica for help (since she's a toxic spider woman and all) because Cheryl and Heather aren’t answering her emails. A short time after arriving, Veronica finds herself both repulsed and disturbingly hungry. Overwhelmed, she flees the scene, yelling that she'll text Tabitha the deets for a good local exterminator. 5. Livestock pestilence—Because there are few farm animals known to be living in Riverdale proper, this one presents in the town's population of wild dogs and sinner cats. Toffee, in a triumphant return to the show, raises the alarm on Alice’s talk show and then promptly alerts the state health department. This results in the town's second known quarantine. Luckily, the unnamed pestilence is rather mild and all affected animals make a full recovery within 48 hours thanks to prompt treatment from Dr. Curdle Jr. and possibly Veronica, Cheryl, and Heather.

6. Boils—???

7. Hail—??? 9. Darkness—Dark!Betty's costume returns, wig and all. Archie catches a glimpse of her wearing it, becomes frightened (and not in a fun way because he’s boring), and flees the scene. While night-jogging shirtless down the street, he's pelted by falling frogs before taking shelter at Thornhill, where Cheryl and Heather fatten him up with Sin Pie. Ominous music plays in the background. 10. The killing of firstborns—La Llorona arrives in Riverdale for this purpose. Jughead, Betty, and Veronica are safe. Baby Anthony, however, is not and Toni and Fangs have to hide him somewhere (somehow, it never occurs to them to simply leave town). Archie is also believed to be in danger, since his invulnerability has yet to be tested against a homicidal ghost. Fortunately, we learn he has half-siblings living with the Mothman-Blossom cult in the woods, because Mary Andrews is a secret Blossom. Unfortunately, this revelation causes Archie to have an existential crisis, which means we’re treated to some rather maudlin guitar strumming and crooning. Charles is ultimately the one to take La Llorona down when his handy ghost-buster superpower manifests while the two are locked in hand-to-hand combat. 

[unpack-my-heart]

IT Fandom Prompt Week - Day 7 - Famous / Band AU

@constantreaderfool​ @xandertheundead​ @tinyarmedtrex​

Final Prompt for IT Prompt week 2019. 

Read on AO3 HERE

Like many people, the first metal band that Eddie listened to was Metallica. He was 16, and had spent the day at Bev’s house, the balmy evening sun hanging heavy and bloated in the sky. They’d sat at the bottom of her garden, legs bare and grass between their toes. Bev’s old cassette tape player was balanced precariously on a rickety wooden chair, the tapes lay scattered around the grass, like plastic flowers. Eye’s half-closed, Eddie was listening to Bev tell him about the book she’d been reading, and how he should read it before they start their college degrees in the fall. Bev’s voice, pitchy and animated, fought with Morrissey’s crooning voice, and Eddie let himself swim in the noise. That was, until Bev changed the tape, and an unrelenting guitar riff came booming out of the tinny speakers. Eddie’s eyes snapped open.

“Who’s this?” Eddie asked, shifting so he was propped up against the fence.

“Huh? Oh, Metallica. They’re pretty good, right!”

“Yeah,” Eddie mused, bobbing his head slightly along with the rhythmic chugging of the guitar, “yeah they’re pretty good”

That night, Eddie had practically skipped home, fanny-pack stuffed with as many cassette tapes as Bev could wedge in there without breaking the zip. The bands are those he has never heard of before, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Nine Inch Nails. Bev promised that he’ll love them, and he trusted her.

A few days later, Eddie escaped the stifling confines of his mother’s house to join Bev on a trip to the local record store. Bev immediately tugged him over to the ‘rock and metal’ section, where they spent ages flicking through the tapes, Bev filling Eddie’s hands with tapes in a matter of minutes. Eddie, who had felt out of place in a dingy record store in his pressed khakis and pastel yellow polo shirt, had immediately struck up a conversation with the friendly guy behind the counter, who couldn’t have been any older than he was.

“First time?” The guy asked, picking through the tapes that Eddie had dumped on the counter, looking for the price stickers.

“Pardon?”  

“First time somewhere like this? You have the first time kinda look, like you’re afraid the tapes will bite you or something”

“Oh,” Eddie replied, scuffing his feet on the floor, “Yeah, it’s my first time. Bev said she’d been in here loads and it’s cheaper than the store downtown, so…”

The guy laughed, a warm laugh that rang in the quiet store like a bell.

“Yeah, Bev’s in here a lot. Doesn’t spend much money, though !”

“Bite me, Hanlon”

“Ever the charmer, Miss Marsh,” The guy turned back to Eddie, “As rude as she is, Bev has good taste. You’re definitely in safe hands, but you can always come in here and I can help you, if you get sick of her forcing you to listen to Trent Reznor’s entire discography over and over and over again”

“I’m warning you, Michael!” Bev hollered, brandishing a vinyl record like a weapon.

– X –

Soon enough, Eddie fell into a routine. He’d wait until his mother fell into a deep, sleeping-pill induced sleep in front of her soap operas, and shut the lounge room door, painfully slowly to stop it creaking. Then, he’d charge upstairs as fast as his legs would carry him. Whilst Eddie looked everything the picture-perfect poster-boy for “good boys” everywhere, from his perfectly coiffed hair, his crisp, 100% cotton polo shirts, and even down to his sensible, chalk-white sketchers,  he had a secret hiding under his bed.

Under his bed, behind the stacks of biology and chemistry textbooks and old shoes that don’t fit him anymore, lurks a small metal box, and a rusty cassette player. The metal box is home to his ever expanding collection of tapes, and he’d take great pleasure in passing his fingers over the spines of the cases, like he was choosing the biggest, most decadent chocolate in the box. His fingers almost always landed on Metallica first, his gate-way drug. He’d disrobe the tape, and place it into the cassette player, but not before he’d plugged his monstrously large headphones into the jack. Cranking up the volume, Eddie would place the cassette player next to him on the bed, and lie back, and drift.

Master of puppets I'm pulling your strings Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams Blinded by me, you can't see a thing

Eddie would spend hours listening to Rob Halford’s demonic screaming if his mother had been particularly taxing that evening, or if his day had been slow and lazy, Ozzy Osborne would sing him to sleep, regaling him with tales of faeries dancing with dwarves. Soon enough, and without any real effort, Eddie became a secret, but die-hard, metal-head.

– X –

A note hit the back of Eddie’s head in chemistry.

Anthrax are playing at oil slick in Bangor! We gotta go. B x

Eddie tries to protest, he really does. He sits under the bleachers with Bev at lunch, and tries to convince her that he’d never be allowed to go to a show in Bangor, that his mother would never let him, that he can’t lie to her, really Bev, I’ve tried, I’m a terrible liar.

She doesn’t take no for an answer, and sure enough, when the night of the show arrives, Eddie is sat in his bedroom at half past six, practically vibrating with nerves. He knew that his mother would be dead to the world in a few minutes, passed out for a whole twelve hours. Eddie thanked the God of Nyquil and prescription medicine. When the familiar rumble of his mother’s snores starts to seep through his floorboards, Eddie throws open his window, takes a deep breath, and leaps like a frog onto the branch of the big tree that stands dormant outside his window.

He runs straight to Bev’s aunts house, and they both clamber in her rickety Sedan, Bev, who had recently turned 17 and was now trusted with her Aunt’s car, at the wheel. Eddie was wearing the black straight-leg jeans he’d begged his mother to buy him, and Beverly Marsh, his lord and saviour, had lent him one of her old leather jackets and her Iron Maiden tour shirt that fit him like a glove. Together with Bev clad in enough leather to upholster a couch, they drove to Bangor.

Eddie had the best night of his life, and crawled back in through his bedroom window at four am the next morning, sweaty and disgusting, but happier than he’d been in years.

– X –

When Bev’s aunt gets a PR job at Iron Horns, the best heavy metal festival this side of the Atlantic, Eddie almost squeezes the life out of Bev when she invites him to go with them. He was eighteen, and on the precipice of adulthood. He’s staring down the crevasse of responsibility, college degrees, mortgages and student loan repayments, and the void is staring straight back at him. He toyed with the idea of telling his mother that her little Eddie-Bear spends his weekends lurking in dive bars listening to boys with longer hair than most girls scream into the microphone, and he plans on getting dirty in a field for a weekend with his best friend.

He, of course, doesn’t do this, and instead told his mother that Bill and Ben have invited him to go camping with them, and he wanted to go. Predictably, she wasn’t happy, and bleated on at him about bears and poison ivy until she was blue in the face and panting, but she couldn’t catch Eddie as he sprinted down the path, backpack bulging on his back, pop-up tent in hand.

Iron Horn’s was huge. The site was a sprawling sea of grass, tents and stages, and as they drove down the make-shift drive-way to the staff car-park, Eddie could feel himself begin to panic. His hand instinctively tried to find the inhaler he has stashed in his fanny-pack, but Bev’s hand caught his hand in hers and squeezed. They held hands until they got out of the car.

Bev’s Aunt Lucy was ‘head of logistics’ for the entire festival, something that makes Eddie gawp with awe, and because she was such an important cog in the machine of the festival, they had arrived one day before the music started. Lucy was also able to throw her weight around a bit and swing them a camping plot in the staff and VIP section of the festival, something that calmed Eddie’s nervous jitters. The staff camping had a regular block of toilets, so he wouldn’t have to venture into alien territory … the dreaded porta-loo.

The staff camping ground is made up of plots of grass for people to pitch tents, but it also had porta-cabins for the musicians. Eddie scanned the names on the doors, finding that he recognises all but one of the bands.

“Bev, who are Crimson Nightmare?” Eddie asked Bev, trying to help her pitch their tent, but mostly just getting in her way.

“Huh. I have no idea, but they’re headlining the second day so I guess they’re probably pretty good”  Bev huffed, trying to bash the tent-pegs into the firm ground with the heel of her boot.

Once they (or rather, Bev) had finished pitching their tent, they both clambered inside with their bags, and proceeded to get changed out of their travelling clothes. Most of the clothes that Eddie has brought with him are Bev’s hand-me-downs, or things that she’s bought him for Christmas, or just because. Eddie changes into one of Bev’s ripped Judas Priest shirts, and a pair of her tightest black skinny jeans that just about fit him if he doesn’t breathe too deeply. Luckily, because Bev’s feet are the size of common shrews, Eddie has his own boots that he’d saved up for with money from various birthday’s. Obviously he can’t keep the boots at home because his mother would find them and burn them in a sacrifice to the God’s of easy listening music, so they live in the trunk of Bev’s Aunt’s car for him to change into when they go to shows. They’re beaten up old black Docs that he bought in a thrift shop. He swapped out the characteristic yellow laces for rainbow ones, and he let Bill draw dancing skeletons on them in white sharpie. Eddie treasured those damn boots.

Once they’re changed, Eddie and Bev head over to the VIP tent where they grab some food. The VIP tent was home to a catering service, and a small bar for the staff and the musicians to wind down in the evening. Upon walking through the entrance flap, Eddie was immediately star-struck. There are people from his favourite bands milling around, talking to each other, laughing, shouting, existing. As he looked around, Eddie realised that no-one else looked quite as starstruck as he did, which made him feel all sorts of ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it. He continued to stare at Layne Staley.

Once Eddie and Bev had finished their food, and Eddie was trying not to stare at the lead singer from Steel Martyr too much, he caught the eye of a tall guy with intense dark eyes and a wicked smile leaning nonchalantly against the bar. Eddie doesn’t recognise him, so he assumed that he must be a light tech, or an audio engineer, or maybe even a roadie. He also looks very young, perhaps no older than nineteen. This, accompanied with the fact that he’s wearing sweatpants with an old hoodie, suggested to Eddie that he couldn’t be a member of a metal band. The guy held Eddie’s gaze for a beat too long, and before he glanced back to the bartender, the stranger winked at Eddie.

Against his will, Eddie felt the all too familiar heat in his cheeks – an unfortunate indication that his face was blooming a violent scarlet red. Eddie snapped his head away, eliciting an loud bark of laughter from the stranger at the bar. Bev, who had been too busy trying to surreptitiously roll a joint under the table, looks up when she heard the laugh.

“Eddie, why is that guy over there staring at you?”

“…Wuh-What?,” Eddie stutters, fertilizing the glint in Bev’s eye, “What guy? There’s no guy”

“Uh… Yeah there is, that one” Bev snorts, and turned in her seat to point directly at the stranger, who waved at her.

“Him? What about him? I don’t even know him” Eddie mumbled, staring very intently at an interesting speck of dirt on the floor.

“Well, he’s been staring at you since we got here, he laughed at you about thirty seconds ago, and now he’s coming over here”

“WHAT!”

“Yeah, he’s totally coming over here!” Bev squealed, looking positively gleeful.

Eddie snapped his head up, and sure enough, the stranger in the sweatpants was striding over purposefully, his eyes glued on Eddie.

Eddie stared back at him, eyes owlish and ridiculous.

“I guess I’m gonna have to make the first move, then?” was the first thing the sweatpants-stranger said, as he plonked himself down in the empty seat to Eddie’s right.

“Um” was all Eddie said in response.

Bev was thirty seconds away from howling with laughter judging by the look on her face, and Eddie prayed that embarrassment was a painless way to die.

“Hi! I’m Bev, and this beetroot looking thing here is Eddie”

“Nice to meetcha, Red. The name’s Richie. D’ya have a voice, short-stack?”

“I do as it happens” Eddie replied, snottily.

“Oof. I like ‘em spicy. Come here often?”

“Do you speak only in pick-up lines or are you capable of stringing a coherent sentence together?”

“Get yer coat love, you’ve pulled”

Eddie rolled his eyes, and angled his body away from Richie’s.

He knew what this game was, and he intended to play to win.

“Hey now, I’m just playing with you” Richie cooed, taking Eddie’s bait, “In all seriousness, whatcha doing here? You performing this weekend?”

“Naw, my Aunt is the head of logistics for the fest so we came along for the ride. Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Tool for the fifth time!” Bev responded, speaking for Eddie, who raised his eyebrows at her gratefully.

“Ah, of course. Gotta admit, I’m pretty heartbroken I’m not gonna get to see little Eddie Spaghetti losing his shit on that big stage, though. I bet that’s a real pretty sight”

“And what are you doing here, then? Light tech, or something?” Eddie interjected, a feeble attempt to steer the conversation away from himself.

“Something like that. A bitta’ this, a bitta’ that. Jack of all trades, me”

Eddie wasn’t entirely satisfied with that answer, but he didn’t push it any further.

“Can I get you both a drink?” Richie asked, drawing Eddie out of his introspection.

“Are you over twenty-one?” Eddie affirmed, sceptical.

“Nah, but I’ve known Jonsey for a few years now. He’s not worried about silly little things like legal drinking ages”

“Uh ..,” Eddie looked at Bev for confirmation, and much to his chagrin Bev gave him the most ridiculous, and most unsubtle thumbs up ever.

“Okay, sure,” Eddie relents, “just get me whatever you’re having”

“Are you sure you can handle that?” Richard said with a wink. Eddie stared at the floor again, eyes wandering over Richie’s boots. The laces were not proper laces at all, and were instead blue string, frayed and threadbare.

“I’ll have a jack and coke, if you’d be so kind. Lotta Jack, not so much coke” Bev asks, smiling up at Richie.

“That’s a lot of booze for a young lady like yourself” Richie drawled in something Eddie supposed was supposed to be a southern accent.

“Bite me”

“If you’re sure”

Eddie sort of expected Bev to tell Richie to fuck off, but she doesn’t. She did something much more surprising.

“Hey Eddie, why don’t you go and help Richie carry the drinks? I’m just gonna –“ she gestures to the opening of the tent and waggles the spliff between her fingers.

“Aw, man. I’m hitting on the wrong person here. Any chance of a do-over, Red?”

“Not a fuckin’ chance, Trashmouth. I’ll be back in a few, Eddie, go help with the drinks!” Bev says again, a little bit more insistent this time.

“What a marvellous idea! Come on, Spaghetti” Richie announced, sending a look towards Bev that Eddie didn’t understand.

Eddie stood up, wordless, and followed Richie towards the bar, but not before sending a silent “what the fuck?!” Bev’s way. She just smiled at him, stuck her thumbs up, and disappeared out of the tent.

Eddie waited at the bar with Richie, who was drumming out the beat of a song that Eddie doesn’t recognise on the polished wood.

“Bev has a girlfriend, you know,” Eddie blurted out before he could stop himself, “just so you, y’know … know”

“Does she? That’s nice. Now, do you have a boytoy, Mr Eds?”

“but … aren’t you trying to hit on her?”

“Uh, I’m definitely trying to hit on someone, but it ain’t Red”

“Then … who …”

Richie looked at Eddie square in the face with epitome of are you shitting me written across his face.

“…oh”

“Yeah, Oh” Richie mocked, laughing. Eddie couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were glittering despite the low light of the tent.

Unsure of what to say, Eddie remained silent for a few beats too long, but he was saved when the bartender came over to take their order. Richie orders Bev’s drink, before also ordering two pints of hard cider, one of which he passes to Eddie.

“So, to return to our previous conversation, is there a Mrs Eddie Spaghetti waiting for you at home?”

“Okay, you gotta stop with all this spaghetti stuff. It’s just Eddie”

“Sure. Is there a Mrs Just-Eddie waiting for you at home?”

“Wait – hang on. How did you even know I like men?”

“Lucky guess” Richie boasted, waggling his eyebrows.

Eddie stared at him until Richie burst out laughing.

“No, Seriously! It was a lucky guess. I was fully prepared for you to tell me that Red was your girl and that I’d have to slink off with my tail in between my legs”

“Bev will find that hilarious when I tell her that”

“C’mon, S’getti you’re killing me,” Richie groaned, “should I persist in my pathetic attempts to woo you or am I wasting my time?”

Eddie pretended to think, and rubbed his chin with the hand that wasn’t holding his cider.

“I’m not sure I wanna tell you, yet. I’m quite enjoying watching you squirm”

“You sadist” Richie shot back immediately.

Eddie stood up on his tiptoes and whispered, “you don’t know the half of it” directly into the shell of Richie’s ear, before he swiftly turned on his heel and slinked back to the table.

“I’m taking that as a ‘Yes, Richie, please continue trying to get into my pants!’” Richie yelled after him.

Eddie threw his head back, and laughed.

– X –

When they got back to their tent that evening after staggering back across the field, Bev and Eddie collapsed onto the same tiny air mattress and curled around each other like inebriated kittens.

“Sooooo?” Bev drawled, as she tried to pull her boots off without unlacing them first.

“Whazzit? What?”

“Richie? D’ya like him? Because I’m pretty sure he’s gone all kissy-kissy-mushy-mushy over a certain little spaghetttiiiiii”

“oh m’god, shut’p,” Eddie slurred, and he tried to hit Bev on the arm but missed by a good six inches, “he’s just … uh … flirtatious”

“Naw, Eddie, he’s desperate to, y’know, get in there!” Bev laughed hysterically, as she pointed at Eddie’s crotch.

Eddie rolled his eyes, at least he thought he did, he’s definitely too drunk to tell.

“C’mere, tiny, I wanna spooooon” Bev moaned, grabbing Eddie.

They both fell asleep almost instantly after that, Bev’s arm wrapped snugly around Eddie’s waist.

– X –

The next morning Eddie woke up with a mouth that tasted like he’d gargled with white spirit, and, surprisingly, no headache and a stomach that only felt a tiny bit like a whirlpool.

Bev, on the other hand, wailed like a banshee when Eddie shifted on the air mattress to open the tent flap, letting a stream of cool air into the tent.

“Edward, I will cut off you bollocks if you let any more light in”

Eddie slipped out of the tent, leaving Bev to her hangover. The sun was already high in the sky, and Eddie guessed it couldn’t have been earlier than eleven or midday. His mother would definitely never have let him sleep in this late. The music started today, the first band taking to the main stage at 3pm. There seemed to be more people than Eddie had ever seen in his life charging around the staff camping grounds, carrying various bits of rigging, instruments and electrical equipment. Eddie sat on the grass outside his tent, trying to psyche himself up enough to make the long, arduous 500 metre walk to the bathrooms to brush his teeth, when a large hand clamped on his shoulder. Eddie barely managed to suppress his scream.

“Howdy, neighbour!”

“Oh my God, it’s you”

“That isn’t a very nice way to greet your beloved now is it, Eddie?”

“I thought I’d dreamt you up in an alcohol-induced fever dream” Eddie deadpanned as Richie all but threw himself down on the grass next to him.

“Naw,” was all Richie said, closing his eyes against the light of the sun. Eddie swore he could see the freckles scattered across the bridge of Richie’s nose multiply in front of his eyes.

They sat without talking for a while, listening to the hustle and bustle of the campsite. Richie looked exhausted, and Eddie wanted to let Richie rest his head in his lap while he stroked Richie’s wild hair until he was snoring.

“So … plan on seeing any good bands today?” Eddie asked awkwardly, consciously aware of the fact that the Dutch courage previously coursing through his veins had evaporated overnight.

“I dunno, yet. Who are you going to see?”

“Bev wants to see Def Leppard, who I’m not majorly fussed about, but I have to go see ‘em if she’ll even think about coming with me to see Kiss”

“Where is Red this morning, anyway? Is that … is that tent of yours empty?”

“She’s still asleep”

“Cockblock” Richie cursed under his breath, just loud enough for Eddie to hear it.

“You’re very presumptuous, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Believe it or not, I don’t make a habit of this” Richie replied, with a serious edge to his voice.

Eddie blinked.

“Make a habit of what?” Eddie asked, dumbly.

“This,” Richie gestured to Eddie and then back to himself and repeated the action, “I’m not … I don’t do this stuff”

“Richie, I’m confused”

“Never mind, sugar. I’ll explain it to you when you’re older”

Before Eddie could protest that he wanted Richie to explain his cryptic message now and not later, a rather dishevelled and grumpy looking Bev poked her head out of the tent.

“Okay. One, Eddie, I love you but you are so dense that light bends around you. Two, can you guys go flirt somewhere else please, it’s making my stomach churn”

“Top o’the mornin’ to ya, lassie!” Richie bellowed in an awful Irish accent, shuffling closer to Eddie to allow Bev more space to clamber out of the tent.

Bev collapsed on the grass next to them, rubbing her head.

“Do you have any painkillers in that magic fanny-pack of yours?” She asked Eddie, a pitiful twang to her voice.

Eddie nodded, and climbed back into the tent to search for the fanny-pack. When he’d grabbed it and climbed back out of the tent, Bev and Richie were sitting close, heads together, whispering frantically about something that Eddie couldn’t hear. Bev’s face was stern, like she was scolding a small child who had broken her favourite mug, and Richie’s eyebrows looked very insistent, but also vaguely scared. They sprang apart when Eddie climbed back out of the tent, painkillers in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. He passed both items to Bev, who hoovered up two painkillers quicker than Eddie could blink.

“I gotta skedaddle now, my love. Promise you’ll stay faithful as you wait for me,” Richie announced as he stood up, and brushed stray blades of grass off his jeans.

“I won’t make a promise I can’t keep, Rich,” Eddie tried to joke, but it fell flat as Richie’s smile, only for the briefest of seconds, was replaced by a mask of hurt.

“I guess I’ll see you around then,” and with that, Richie sauntered off, hands shoved deep in his pockets, head hanging uncharacteristically low.

“Eddie, what I need you to do right now, is go after him and apologise for being a dick”

“What did I do?!”

“You know exactly what you did”

Eddie did know.

The truth was, Eddie was harbouring a crush on Richie that was growing exponentially. He’d spotted him immediately as they’d walked into the VIP tent the day before. His heart had thumped wildly the entire time they sat close together, drinking cider and laughing, and he’d almost vomited every time Richie’s arm brushed his. Eddie had it bad. He knew this. But, try as he might, something kept him from entirely letting go. Something about the fact they’d met at a festival, miles and miles away from Eddie’s home town, and they’d probably never see each other again. He’d never experimented with casual sex, a nice fuck and a see you never! arrangement. He’d never given it much thought. Maybe he should.

Without another word, Eddie sprung up and chased after Richie, who was now rounding the corner by the toilet block.

“Rich!” Eddie called out, panting.

Richie turned around, and beamed at Eddie.

Eddie felt lighter.

“I’m sorry I’m a dick”

“You’re not a dick”

“I am, and I’m sorry. Do you … I dunno, do you wanna come see Def Leppard with us later, maybe? I mean – you don’t have to, I just meant if you have nothing better to –”

“I’d love to”

– X –

“POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME!” Eddie screamed along with Joe Elliott, thousands of other people, and Richie.

Bev had disappeared a few songs ago, pushing her way to the front barrier, but Eddie had hung back. He was stood directly in front of Richie, who had been whispering (or, more accurately, shouting) into his ear occasionally, and even in one delicious, ridiculous moment, picked Eddie up and stuck him on his shoulders. That didn’t last long because Eddie was terrified he’d fall off, but having his thighs wrapped around Richie’s neck was exhilarating for the four minutes it lasted.

“Eds, this might be the best day of my life,” Richie shouted, hot, moist breath tickling Eddie’s ear.

“I think me too!” Eddie shouted back, and the Richie did something that made Eddie’s brain shortcircuit.

Richie wrapped his arms around Eddie’s waist, crossing them over his stomach, and placed a large, wet-sounding kiss on the top of Eddie’s head.

Eddie didn’t dare blink, breathe, move or think.

“Thank you for inviting me” Richie whispered, and it was a real whisper this time, spoken directly into Eddie’s heart.

“it’s uh – no problem”

The band ripped into a cover of The Who’s ‘My Generation’, and much to Eddie’s annoyance, Richie released Eddie from his cobra-hold and tugged him forward, forward, forward until they ran into Bev at the barrier. Bev’s long orange hair was piled on top of her head, her face was sweaty and pink, and she looked absolutely radiant.

“This is our fucking song now!” Richie bellowed, hoisting Bev up on his shoulders like he had done to Eddie a few songs earlier.

Eddie grabbed Bev’s ankle and squeezed it. She smiled down at him, all teeth and tongue and happy, happy, happy.

– X –

The sun had fully set behind the massive stage, and Def Leppard had just finished their encore. The mass of people that had been surrounding Eddie, a coagulated mass of shadows and sharp elbows, parted like red sea as people slowly started to trickle out of the main arena and back towards the campsites. As they walked, shoulders bumping together occasionally, Eddie noticed several people staring at Richie, or pointing at him and whispering. Eddie glanced up at Richie to see if he’d noticed, only to find Richie looking down at him with soft eyes and a small, but genuine, smile.

“You okay, Eds?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fucking great, Rich. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did”

“Ah, that’s because I was there, obviously” Richie boasted.

Eddie could tell that he was joking, that he was just playing the game they’d been playing for the past twenty-four hours, but that didn’t stop Eddie from saying “yeah, it probably was”, as honest as the day is long.

Eddie’s honesty seemed to hit Richie in the stomach like a sucker punch, because he made this weird spluttering noise.

“Fucking hell, Sugar, you can’t just say stuff like that”

“Why?”

“Because – Never mind, I’m gonna walk you back to your tent, c’mon”

Eddie stopped walking, and tugged on Richie’s arm to get him to stop too. Richie swung around so he was facing Eddie, boot toe to boot toe.

“Richie, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t think I can do this anymore, Eddie”

“Do what?”

“I can’t just keep this up. I can’t keep fucking – fucking dancing with you, laughing with you, letting you smile at me like that, and then when you cuddled with me during the show I was like, ‘oh my God, this is it, he does feel the same’  but then … then you go all cold on me or you glare at me or …” Richie trailed off, his eyes flickered between Eddie’s eyes and mouth.

“Richie, I – ”

“Please don’t, please don’t pity me or say you’re sorry, or anything like that. God, I’ll drop down dead if you say you’re sorry, Eds. It isn’t your fault, it’s mine. I wasn’t joking about walking you back, though, c’mon, Bev will kill me if we’re back much later than – ”

Richie stopped talking because Eddie had kissed him.

Eddie curled his hand around Richie’s neck and dragged his face down, before he smashed his lips to Richie’s in a kiss that started off almost violent in its awkwardness but soon became soft and hesitant. Richie didn’t move at first, and Eddie almost pulled away, ready to sprint off to the campsite fuelled on nothing but mortal embarrassment, but just as Eddie had pulled his lips a millimetre away from Richie’s, Richie opened his mouth slightly, just barely, and kissed Eddie back.

They kissed, Richie’s hands cradling Eddie’s face, until someone came careening into Eddie’s back, sending him flying forwards into Richie’s chest, arms flailing wildly.

“Sorry, mate!”

“No problem, bro” Richie responded, voice low and gruff, and from his position squished up against Richie’s chest, Eddie laughed, poking at the soft flesh of Richie’s tummy with his index finger.

“Bro?” Eddie mocked.

“What?”

“You’re ridiculous”

“And yet, you kissed me”

“I did”

“So that makes you ridiculous as well”

“It does”

“Wanna do it again?”

“Yes”

This time, Richie kissed Eddie.

– X –

By the time they’d gotten back to the tent, Eddie wasn’t done with Richie. Not even close. They’d stopped a few times on the way back, mostly Richie cutting Eddie off with his tongue, or one time that Eddie got so frustrated with Richie doing that he shoved him up against a tree and kissed him until Richie couldn’t breathe. It still wasn’t enough. However, Eddie didn’t know how to ask for more, how to ask Richie to climb into his tent with him.

Bev wasn’t in the tent when Eddie poked his head in, but there was a note lying on the air mattress.

With my mom tonight, wanted to give you some space WINK WINK

Love you be safe I’ll kick his ass if he hurts you

Don’t show his this note

Or you can if you want

Richard I’ll kill you if you hurt him okay

Love you love you love you

Eddie loved Beverly so much he could scream.

“Uh… are you tired yet?” Eddie asked, trying to remain inconspicuous, but subtlety was never his strong point.

“Nope” Richie responded, popping the ‘P’.

“Do you wanna, come in? I can’t offer you coffee because … well, I don’t have any way of making any but I can offer you … lukewarm water?”

“Eds?”

“Yeah?”

“Cut the shit”

Richie all but threw himself through the entrance of the tent, pouncing on Eddie with a loud ‘oof’. They both sprawled backwards, and Richie hovered over Eddie, his eyes dark.

“Are you sure?”

“More sure than I’ve been of anything for a very long time”

“Do you have … the necessarily equipment?”

“Are you talking about whether or not I have a dick? Because …” Eddie gestured to his crotch where, yes, it was very obvious that he was packing heat, thank you very much.

“No, you goof, I meant lube and stuff”

“Oh… yeah I do, hang on”

“You’re very … prepared”

“Jealous?”

“I would be if it wasn’t me in this tent with you right now”

“Well it is, so shut up and kiss me”

– X –

The next morning, Eddie had woken up with a crick in his neck. Richie had gone. What lay on the pillow where Richie’s head should have been, was Bev’s note. Or, rather, another note, scrawled on the back of Bev’s note.

Please get as close to the barrier as possible during Crimson Nightmare’s set

Please please please please

You fuckin’ rocked my world last night Eds

R x

– X –

Eddie looked behind him at the pulsing mass of people, blurring into one lacquered mass in the darkness of the night, random faces illuminated by the spotlights. Raucous chants surrounded him, a war cry, “CRIMSON NIGHTMARE! CRIMSON NIGHTMARE! CRIMSON NIGHTMARE!”. It was cultish, and Eddie could feel himself becoming indoctrinated.

Without warning, the huge fluttering black cloth that had been obscuring the stage was sucked through a gap in the ceiling, and revealed the stage. The entire set was decked out to look like an industrial hellscape, all juddering fans, sharp looking pieces of metal jutting every which way and large metal platforms. Several huge industrial fans were stood in the centre of the stage, acting as a podium for an obscenely large drumkit. Eddie hardly noticed the stage, though, as he was preoccupied with looking at the elaborate venetian masks the band were wearing. They obscured almost their entire faces, and looked like they were made of a buttery-soft leather with horns curling skywards. The bassist was stood on a large piece of scaffolding stage right, and the lead guitarist was standing on the floor surrounded by shards of metal poking out of the floor stage left. The screams and hollers of the crowd grew deafening, and the guitarist ripped straight into a blistering riff that sounded like it’d been spat from the mouth of the devil himself. A scream tore its way out of Eddie’s body, and he began jumping up and down with the crowd, coagulating until he had become One with the throbbing mass of people.

Like Richie’s note had said, Eddie was right at the barrier. His ribs were being crushed against the hard metal every time he leapt up and down, but he hardly noticed it once the vocalist walked out onto stage. The vocalist walked with a swagger that punched Eddie straight in the gut, and before they had even managed to spit out a single syllable, Eddie almost collapsed on the floor. He was held up by Bev, who shot him a questioning look. Eddie didn’t dare speak, move, breath, blink.

“Aw man, look at you see of sexy bitches come all this way to see little old me?” the vocalist brayed, stamping his feet in time with the rhythmic booming of the bass drum.

The crowd roared back in response. Eddie couldn’t breathe.

The vocalist was wearing the same mask as the rest of his bandmates, but that didn’t matter.

“All this noise for me? Too fuckin’ bad I’m gonna make your ears fucking bleeeeeed. This one’s called ‘You’ll Float Too’ and you’re gonna fucking love it” Richie yelled, before screaming like a banshee and launching into the first song.

It was Richie.

It was Richie’s voice.

It was Richie’s voice, Richie’s raspy growl, Richie’s beaten up old boots.

The frontman of the last headliner of Iron Horns was the guy that Eddie had ridden on his shitty little air mattress in his shitty little tent the night before.

Eddie tapped Bev on the shoulder, and soon the taps became almighty whacks when she wouldn’t turn around, but when she did, Eddie knew that she knew.

“IS THAT?!”

“IT IS!”

“FUCKING HELL”

“I KNOW”

Richie paraded up and down the stage, the big black coat he was wearing flapping in the breeze of the industrial fans. Eddie was mesmerised by the way Richie made screaming into the microphone with such tenacity look easy, and the way that Richie leapt around the stage effortlessly. The crowd were screaming, and a pit opened up directly behind Eddie, who clung to the barrier, knuckles bright white, to avoid getting sucked into its depths. Bev, as she always did, disappeared into the centre of the hurricane, and was spat out again several minutes later, eyes gleaming, hair tousled.

– X –

Half way through their last song, Richie locked eyes with Eddie.

Eddie hadn’t been sure that Richie had seen him there, a fleck of sand on the beach, faceless amongst the crowd. But, half way through ‘No Dread, No Desire’, Richie’s eyes locked with his. Of course, Eddie initially thought that Richie could have just so happened to have been staring in his general direction, but when Richie practically ran to the spot directly in front of where Eddie was standing, all doubts dissolved. Richie dropped to his knees and belted the rest of the song directly at Eddie, who needed Bev to hold him up once more.

– X –

Even after Richie had sung the last note of the encore, and bid the crowd farewell, Eddie couldn’t move. He was glued to the spot, practically growing roots. Bev stood next to him, saying nothing, just breathing, loud and heavy breaths curling into the black sky like smoke.

“So”

“So”

“Richie’s in a band”

“Richie’s in … a fucking good band”

“You slept with him”

“I did”

“You slept with a guy in a band”

“I did”

“Are you a groupie now?”

“Fuck off”

A figure appeared on stage, and shuffled towards them. A figure wearing sweatpants and boots with laces that weren’t real laces, but were instead blue, frayed string.  

The figure crouched in front of them.

“Did you like the set?”

“You’re fucking famous” Eddie blurted out, tongue thick and fat in his mouth.

“M’not, not really. The vocalist of Crimson Nightmare is kinda famous, but he’s … he’s not really me. M’just Richie”

“But … Aren’t you the vocalist?”

“Well, yes, I mean technically, but I wear that mask n’ all so… It’s also sort of, not me?”

“Richie I have no idea what to say, I’m like … I’m fucking shaking”

“Good shaking? Bad shaking? Did you hate it? That growl in the third song came out so fucking janky, and I know that I sounded kinda flat in a few of the songs but –“

“You were … spectacular” Eddie breathed, and stared up at Richie with wide, earnest eyes.

“Aw, shit. You’re gonna make me blush, Eddie Spaghetti”

Richie hopped down off the stage, crowding into Eddie’s space. They were separated by a thin metal fence. It was too much distance.

“Beverly, if you don’t want to watch me shove my tongue down Eddie’s throat, I suggest that you avert your eyes, otherwise, enjoy the fuckin’ show”

Bev’s indignant squawk was drowned out by the all-consuming taste on Eddie’s tongue.

– X –

From: Sugar Daddy:

[youtube link]

From: Sugar Daddy:

Last night in Denver. I think you’ll like it <3

Eddie opened the link. It was a video of Crimson Nightmare headlining a spot at Denver arena. The camera was shaky, and the audio screechy, but it was clear enough so Eddie could hear everything Richie was saying.

“Alright, alright, now, I know this is gonna come as a fuckin’ surprise to some of you, or maybe it won’t, but I dedicate this next song to the boy who inspired it. Eddie Spaghetti, this one’s for you, my love, my one, my only”

Screeching guitar and guttural screams filtered out of the shitty speakers of Eddie’s phone. Eddie lay back on his bed, closed his eyes, and drifted.

To: Sugar Daddy:

I love you

[wizardhq]

             ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 (42) – 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓶.

“the very best of evenings to you! now, to our new students, welcome, and to our old students, welcome back. another year full of magical education awaits you.”

Once again, another year at Hogwarts has rolled around. The boats full of first years sail with purpose towards the castle, the trains arrive, and the carriages bring themselves to a halt. The start of term is here.

                                                                       TRAVEL SCHEDULE:

Platform 9 ¾ Quarters:  The students arrive at the platform, loading their luggage onto the Hogwarts Express, and bid farewell to their family for now.

Hogwarts Express: The train departs at eleven o’clock without fail, arriving in Hogsmeade Station by the early evening. During the usually adult free long journey to Hogwarts, students may enjoy wizard treats from a trolley. The prefects have their own cabin, where they go over the plan of action with this year’s Head Boy and Girl.

Hogwarts Carriages: The thestral pulled carriages help the students travel from Hogsmeade village to the castle, years second through seventh, as the first years take the boat. Due to it being raining when they arrive, the hoods have been attached to the top of the carriages.

Arrival: Students from their second year and up are given around thirty minutes to settle in, freshen up, change into their robes if they didn’t arrive in them, and make their way down to the Great Hall while the first years are round up for the sorting ceremony.

                                                                    START OF TERM FEAST:

Sorting Ceremony: The sorting ceremony occurs. It’s a yearly ritual performed at the beginning of each school year, it’s purpose being to assign first years, as well as other new students, to one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw.

Hogwarts Song: After the Sorting Ceremony, The Hogwarts School Song will be performed by students and members of The Frog Choir before the beginning of the new school year. “Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, Teach us something please.”

Frog Choir Performance: The frog choir then goes on to perform their yearly rendition of Something Wicked. They’ll then be doing a medley of different Wizard Hits from earlier that year they would’ve been set to practice during the summer, complete with choreography, before they then do a medley of hits in the muggle world. They’ll be accompanied by orchestra members who are not in the choir.

Important Announcements: Right before the start of the feast, new members of the teaching staff are introduced to the student body, and important announcements and messages concerning the new school year are given. This will be done by the Headmaster, who tell his audience to take note of their surroundings this fall, and heed the previous warnings of the Ministry despite the curfews being lifted in regards to the Cauldron Heists. “A watched pot never boils over.”

Start of Term Feast: It’s time to eat! The types of food served are roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, steak and kidney pie, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and peppermint humbugs. For dessert, there will be blocks of assorted ice cream, apple pies, chocolate gateau, treacle tart, pumpkin tart, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly and rice pudding.

Free Time: After the end of the feast, second through seventh years are welcome to catch up with their friends and faculty. Seventh year prefects are instructed to show their new first year housemates to their new dorms, and give them any further instruction needed. The Head Boy and Girl will have a meeting with Dumbledore in his office, and the rest of the prefects are free to do as they please until 10PM, where they will all pair off for rounds to make sure none of the younger reasons are running about. Head Boy and Girl will do a second round at midnight to make sure everyone is back in their dorms, with the help of prefects if needed.

                                                   HUFFLEPUFF HOUSE PARTY:

It is round and earthy and low-ceilinged; it always feels sunny, and its circular windows have a view of rippling grass and dandelions. There is a lot of burnished copper about the place, and many plants, which either hang from the ceiling or sit on the windowsills. Our Head of house, Professor Pomona Sprout, is Head of Herbology, and she brings the most interesting plant specimens (some of which dance and talk) to decorate our room — one reason why Hufflepuffs are often very good at Herbology. Our overstuffed sofas and chairs are upholstered in yellow and black, and our dormitories are reached through round doors in the walls of the common room. Copper lamps cast a warm light over our four-posters, all of which are covered in patchwork quilts, and copper bed warmers hang on the walls, should you have cold feet.

The Hufflepuffs have decided to take it upon themselves to host a little get together the beginning of the school year, with September 1st falling earlier than usual on the calendar.  It’ll be on Saturday, September 2nd. There’ll be drinks, recreational plants ( kiosk / general section, ) games, a vinyl selection being played on the common’s gramophone, and naturally, food, with the kitchens being so close and the house elves being happy to please. All of the houses are invited, though it’s primarily a party for the sixth years and up. The cosiest common room in Hogwarts is famed for having no official password. All one must do to enter the Hufflepuff Basement is tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of ‘Helga Hufflepuff’, which will make the lid swing open, exposing a passageway that will lead to the basement when crawled through. However, if the wrong lid is tapped or the wrong rhythm is used, the intruder will be doused in vinegar and barred access. Leave your prefect badges in your dorm rooms, and don’t tell the professors!

                                                               FIRST DAY OF CLASSES:

First Day of Classes: Classes begin at 8:30 in the morning, and breakfast is open from 7:00AM. Everyone will find out what their curriculum will consist of, and sign ups for extracurriculars will be up on the General Bulletin Board. Advice sheets for Quidditch hopefuls planning on trying out for the teams and/or trying out for the position of captain the second week of school will be up as well. All house sheets will be made by professors, as there are no teams with current reigning captains this year. All players and captains will thus be chosen by the Heads of House. The schedule for Quidditch will be posted by @poiisonedquills, which will also duel as a post signifying the opening of updates for all extracurriculars.

                                                               IMPORTANT OOC DETAILS:

This event will start on AUGUST 13TH AT 12 PM EST and end on on AUGUST 20TH AT 12 AM EST, meaning this will be a SEVEN DAY EVENT. MONDAY and TUESDAY will be dedicated to the travel schedule, and WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY will be dedicated to the feast, which will be on Friday, September 1st IC a.k.a. in character. FRIDAY and SATURDAY be dedicated to writing the hufflepuff common room party ( open to all houses, ) which will be on Saturday, September 2nd IC. Skipping the following Sunday IC, SUNDAY will be dedicated to the first day of school, which will be Monday, September 4th IC. Please put all posts (including any private thread starters, pictures, anything related at all) under the tag #wizard:startofterm89. 

Notice: With the school year returning, the #wizard:hogwarts tag is officially reopened. Please remember that #wizard:students is for all  starters posted by student characters only, #wizard:alumni is for all starters posted by alumni, #wizard:world is for all starters posted anywhere outside of Hogwarts roughly, and #wizard:hogwarts is self-explanatory. All open starters are tagged with #wizard:open, and all closed starters are tagged with #wizard:closed. You should always have a minimum of three tags on a posted starter sans the event tag, or else you’ve missed one.

This event is mandatory, meaning if you’re on the dash, your student character(s) have to be participating in some form or another. The same goes for any alumni characters that are Hogwarts Staff.

After the event ends, you’re free to write the rest of the first week of school at whatever pace you like. Since it’s still August OOC, what will end up happening is the first week of school will be written over a two week period. After that, September will be here, and we’ll be free to resume our weekly writing periods. There will be an important plot drop writing event during September, so the spare week we’ll have already written will probably wind up being used to our advantage, in terms of time management!

Student muses are encouraged to continue any summer holiday threads until completion-- you don’t have to close them if you don’t want to. Alumni muses are DEFINITELY encouraged to not close summer holiday threads, instead keeping them and beginning to also add new threads into your drafts as well.

Please like this post after reading it.

If you have any questions, please feel free to message the main.

[jeremystrele]

A Designer’s Japanese-Inspired Melbourne Family Home

A Designer’s Japanese-Inspired Melbourne Family Home

Homes

by Lucy Feagins, Editor

‘It is so lovely to close the sliding doors and close yourself into this dark room lined with books and the leather-lined box window seat,’ says Kim. Dining table by Dario Zoureff passed down from Lou’s grandparents. Chairs sourced on Gumtree. Armchair from Space Furniture. Tall kentia palms from Lygon Street Nursery. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Kim painstakingly removed the plaster and all of the clumps of glue to expose the original brick fireplace. Couch by Jardan. Log stool by Greg Hatton. Woven lampshade found in hard rubbish. Joinery designed by Kim and built by Woodcraft Mobiliar. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Originally trained in fashion design, many of the values and principles of my interior design practice, stem from my sustainable fashion practice. My personal style philosophy is about supporting independent, local designers and buying second hand, something I also do with all of my interiors,’ says Kim. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The best seat in the house! Joinery designed by Kim and built by Woodcraft Mobiliar. Log stool by Greg Hatton. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

This artwork was a gift from friend Jodie Zutt. ‘In our twenties she lived in Brunswick and I lived in North Fitzroy and we had a daily practice of posting creative snail mail to each other, full of drawings, photos, ideas, sewing. I still have a suitcase full of the years of letters I received from her – each an artwork in its’ own right,’ says Kim. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Low storage is part of three piece stacked vintage kimono storage unit from Kazari + Ziguzagu. Tall shelf from The Junk Company. Fencing mask from Tarlo & Graham. Storage box on shelf from The Hub General Store. Woven bag from Camberwell Market used as planter. Vases from @tombo.co. Trent Jansen for Broached Commissions Pankalangu bowl on dining table. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

Dining table passed down from Lou’s grandparents, custom made by Dario Zoureff. Italian 1950’s Stillnovo vintage pendant light sourced through @pamonodotcom. Stellar Works bar stools. Dining chairs sourced on Gumtree. Secondhand vintage frosted deco glass door found. Staircase painting by Laura Lancaster. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Irving Penn photo taken in collaboration with Issey Miyake.  ‘Monoliths’ sculptural vases by Broached Commissions are Kim’s favourite piece in the house. The  vintage fan in the lounge room has travelled with Kim to every house she’s ever lived in, even overseas. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

The courtyard is planted with shady bamboo. Freestanding Smeg oven. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Timber salvaged from St Kilda pier softens the luxe black granite splashback. The bamboo courtyard and crystal-filled benchtop stone are distinctly Kim, keeping me grounded to my tropical, esoteric roots. Freestanding Smeg oven. Copper pans from Phillip & Lea. Stellar Works bar stools. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Old couch stuffed and re-upholstered after the renovation. Vintage art deco rug from 1stDibs. Broached Recall Monolith side table from Broached Commissions. Wall light by Apparatus studio Criteria Collection. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Part of Kim’s ever-growing collection of English and French stoneware and mustard jars. ‘The skull was from the Coburg Trash and Treasure Market. We became so known to the regular traders as interested in ‘weird things’ that on seeing us they would have already put aside skulls, bones, tribal arrows and other such collectables for us,’ says Kim. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

The study nook under the stairs. ‘Circuit 1’ vertical light by Apparatus Studio available at Criteria Collection. Desk wall light found at Campberwell Markets. Tribal mask and wooden clamp from Rodwell and Astor. Vintage timber draws collected by Bhon Projects. Poliform extendable dining table. Vintage Japanese thread and spool Kazari + Ziguzagu. Blue tape dispenser The Hub General Store. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

‘Our 8-year-old is very curious about science and the natural world. He has spent the last few years thinking he wants to be a Frog Scientist and is an avid collector of bones, skeletons, stones and shells,’ says Kim. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Another corner of Max’s room. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Vintage scallop edged mirror sourced on Gumtree. Taps by CB Ideal. Stone benchtop from a local family business just down the road: Daniels Marble House. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

The green bathroom has onsen vibes! Small Japanese soaking tub from The Japanese Bath Company. Hanging planters from Mr Kitly sprayed with copper coloured paint. Metallic ceramic planter from Rodwell and Astor. Copper tiffins and planter from op shop and market rummages. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Vintage 1960’s Japanese mosaic tiles that Kim found hidden out the back of a tile shop in Preston and bought before they closed their business. Brass tray by Fog Linen from The Hub General Store. Taps by CB Ideal. Timber stool @tombo.co. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Painting by Emily Kame Kngwarreye passed down by Lou’s grandparents. Bed linen from Cultiver. Bed spread from Hale Mercantile. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

‘The stonetop credenza was commissioned by Lou’s grandparents in the late 1960’s by Hungarian Jewish immigrant Dario Zoureff, who is considered one of Melbourne’s important modernist furniture designers. Lou’s brother has the armchairs and coffee table that were part of their furniture commission,’ says Kim. Indigenous sculptures were gifts to the boys from a dear friend who was living and working in Yuendumu, NT. Vintage Japanese abacas from @tombo.co. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

The original Victorian arch in the hallway frames the ever-growing salon hang. The amazing credenza commissioned by Lou’s grandparents in the 60’s along with their dining table – both designed and made by Dario Zoureff. Vintage pendant light from Geoffrey Hatty. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli.

The cedar-clad box addition to the back of our house has extra thick roof and eaves to offer protection from the sun. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

Collingwood colours in the 14-year-old’s bedroom!  The Turbo Brown magpie artwork was his birthday gift to him a few years ago -the ‘arts version’ of supporting the game he loves. Photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files. Styling – Annie Portelli

It’s hard to imagine now, but back in 2013 when this Brunswick East property was for sale, nobody wanted it. Rumour has it the property once had established olive trees along the front, which were removed in the hopes the site would be seen as a worthwhile subdivision for a townhouse development. 

‘This was before Brunswick East real estate prices went crazy, and they didn’t succeed in selling the property for what they wanted. Lou stumbled across it when it was off market,’ says designer Kim Kneipp, who purchased the house with her partner Lou Weis, creative director of Broached Commissions.

A quick cosmetic renovation sustained them while Kim was pregnant, before a ‘proper’ renovation commencing in 2014. ‘We were in such a panic to nest that we essentially resigned ourselves to the quickest fabrication process imaginable, that being prefab. We added a new kitchen, dining, lounge room and upstairs parent retreat with an en suite’ says Kim. 

With Kim’s styling flair, the home has grown over time to reflect the creative family who live here, including sons Felix, 14, and Max, 8. 

Kim’s design explores the ‘wabi’ design philosophy, embracing elegant simplicity, and ‘a love for shadow play’, as described by Jun’ichiro Tanizaki in his book In Praise of Shadows. Rather than opening up the house to the bright northern light, large eaves and internal courtyards and zones have been created throughout, providing spaces with a softer, more diffused light, that gently track the sun’s movements throughout the day.

‘The house is mostly white with shadowy, dark zones, which creates a calm backdrop to frame our timber textures and bright green tropical garden,’ Kim says.

Also integrated into the home are details not obvious to the visitor that hold sentimental value. For example, Lou’s love of St Kilda, where he previously lived, is referenced in the salvaged kitchen timbers. 

‘I have a good friend who collects recycled timbers, and I knew he had the old St Kilda Pier in his collection, so when we renovated, I bought pieces from him that were then used to make our kitchen shelves and the front face of our kitchen island,’ says Kim. ‘It was the closest I could get to bringing St Kilda to East Brunswick.’

Once appearing as a ‘respectable Victorian dame invaded by a futuristic robot’ (in Kim’s words!), the use of dark exterior paint, combined with the gradual growth of a jungle-like garden all around have softened the edges of this home, and given it a relaxed, lived-in feel. The family have also created a lush nature corridor for birds and insects here, including a frog pond for nature loving Max! 

‘All of the vines and plants have softened the exterior relationship of the house and our front deck recreates my country Queensland childhood, encouraging so much conversation and interaction with neighbours and passersby,’ says Kim.

In keeping with Kim’s design philosophy, this home is humble by design, and luxurious by finish. Interiors are built to be perfectly imperfect, using materials that will age and patina over time, and textures intended to soften with wear.

[m58]

two prose poems by Helen Tookey

Bottle Garden / Greenstick Fracture

Summer stilled in a guest-house hallway. Sunlight on tiled floor. Red geraniums. Fat green glass globe – frog belly, bottle garden. Miniature forest. Tree creeper, white rocks, waterfalls. Sunlight shining. Split-second switch of attention. Tiled floor, seen from above. Black and white diamonds. Strange white eel shape, bent and twisted back on itself. Someone’s arm, rippling as though underwater. Thin high stream of sound, sound pouring from someone’s mouth.

*

Wake in a room with green walls, white ceiling. Flat on your back in a strange bed. Hard mattress, stiff sheets, pulled tight across your body, so tight you can’t move. So white. Arm encased, hard and heavy, lying cold across your body. Don’t look, don’t look down. Eyes fixed on white ceiling.

Later, people. Words heard overhead: greenstick fracture. Imagining the bone in your arm as a green stick, a soft stick, bent and fraying, not snapping clean underfoot. A green stick, good for nothing, rotting down on the forest floor.

*

Fat glass green globe. Bottle garden. Frog-belly, holding a world. Summer seen through a green glass, stilled in a hallway. You on your haunches, face pressed to thick glass. Seeing yourself on the forest floor, tumbled among the white rocks, broken shells. Moss-slick. Heat-thick. Scrambling around inside the grottos, climbing the stone staircases. Stone throats, stone mouths dripping green. Waterfalls. Rock garden. Rainforest. Thick heat. Tree creeper crawling the walls. Small fists, banging the glass.

*

End of summer. They crack off the casing. Thin high whirring sound, tiny wings beating fast, too fast to see. Thin white stiff thing, lying dead in its broken cocoon. In the gardens, tired grass, dusty paths. Constant low background sound of falling water. Try, says the woman, try to straighten it, just a little. Shake your head. Stare at the fountain. Stare at the bronze animals. Eyes fixed on the pale water sparkling into the bronze basins, gushing out from the bronze mouths. Waterfalls. Bottle garden. Frog-belly. Red geraniums. Summer stilled in a guest-house hallway. Sunlight shining on tiled floor.

Moon Room

There is nothing to do but look at the room. So he looks at it. He makes careful observations, he is used to that, though he has nothing on which to write them down, so he simply records them in his mind, he runs over them quietly in the night. He tests himself, his memory, he tries to get them exactly the same in the same order each time. The door, first: pale green, unshiny, but for the small metal knob, which doesn’t turn – the door is locked and unlocked from the outside only. The walls are paler than the door, a colour he would still call green, but only just – a green so pale it’s almost white. He thinks perhaps it only looks green because of the floor, which is fitted with a covering in a pale lavender colour. It is difficult to find just the right term for this covering – carpet would be the obvious word, but this stuff is so flat and hard and tightly woven, it seems too unyielding to be called carpet, yet nor is it linoleum. So he goes on referring to it, in his mind, as floor covering, pending any better solution.

The room is furnished with a chair, a wardrobe, a bedside table, and the bed itself. The wardrobe and the table and the bed-head all match, are all made out of the same dark wood. He isn’t sure what type of wood this is, but he thinks perhaps cherry-wood – he seems to remember that is a dark wood, used sometimes for furniture. The chair, which sits between the wardrobe and the door, doesn’t match: it is made of slightly paler wood, with the seat and back upholstered in smooth beige fake leather. On the bedside table is a lamp, with a green glass bottle-shaped base and a white cylindrical plastic shade. The light it gives is, he thinks, not quite bright enough to read by, but he is unable to test this since he has nothing to read.

The bed itself is what occupies most of his thoughts, or to be more precise, the bed-head and the coverlet. The bed-head is at least a foot deep, shaped something like an upright piano but with no keyboard. It has, as it were, a piano lid – though this ‘lid’ can’t be lifted, he has ascertained that – and below the lid, a hollow space, partly open at the front in the middle, with fixed panels to either side – something like a parcel shelf, perhaps to store books – but he has no books – and almost exactly where his back rests, when he sits up in bed, and remarkably uncomfortable, so that he wonders how such a design could have come to be made, and concludes that no rigorous test regime can possibly have been carried out before the thing was put into production, a mistake he can hardly credit – though, to be sure, in this case not really dangerous, merely inconvenient – and he knows very well in any case that testing can only go so far, that at a certain point there has to be a step – as it were – into the unknown. As to the coverlet, it is thin and smooth and doesn’t crease, some new polymer, he supposes – it gives him, sometimes, a mild static shock. Its colour is what he particularly considers, turning it over and over in his mind: a deep yellow, somehow thick – he thinks this word, though the fabric itself is thin and sheer; a colour his vision seems to stick to, so that he frequently finds he has to pull, as it were, his eyes away, deliberately stare at the pale walls in order to shake off the persistent yellow. He thinks this must be deliberate, it must be part of the observation, to test and retest his reactions to colour over the twenty-one days, the period of the quarantine – and certainly, he admits to himself with a little reluctance, certainly this yellow seems to become thicker, more sticking, as the days pass – if this time in the room could be said to be days, if it could be said to be time at all, rather a kind of suspension, he feels, and perhaps that too is part of their testing, for hasn’t he already lived through a kind of suspension, wasn’t that exactly what they had sent him into – and now they believe they have fetched him back.

*

Based on a photograph of one of the rooms used to quarantine the Apollo 11 astronauts on their return, posted on Twitter by Sean Ketteringham, 9/4/20

Helen Tookey is based in Liverpool. She has published two poetry collections with Carcanet, Missel-Child (2014) and City of Departures (2019), and is currently working on a third. She has recently been making collaborative sound/text/film work with Martin Heslop, based on their 2019 residency in Elizabeth Bishop's childhood home in Great Village, Nova Scotia.

[taikoturtle]

11 - Trimberly?

(funny enough, I sent this same exact combo to Trimberghly! Also I don’t know wtf happened because I was aiming for

11. things you said when you were drunk

“Alright, explosion and balls back! How you like me now?”

“Yeah yeah, lucky shot. I’d like to see you guys do that again.”

Trini never used to be big on house parties. For one, people never invited her thanks to her exchange student anonymity, but secondly she just didn’t see the point. They often consist of drunk reckless kids acting like idiots talking shallowly to strangers because they both know that neither will remember in the morning. Houses get stuffy and packed to the brim with bodies, resulting in uncomfortably overheated conditions and general unpleasantries all around.

Drinks get spilled, outfits get dirtied, and there’s always at least one mysterious stain that lingers by the end of the night, but party goers endure it all for various personal reasons. Sometimes to unwind from the stress of the week by letting loose and having fun, but more commonly it was an opportunity to hook up. 

It was a scene that Trini never used to frequent.

Until Kimberly happened.

Kimberly loves parties. She loves the atmosphere, the raw energy, and overall positive vibes of people enjoying themselves, and ever since Kimberly became Trini’s best friend, Trini’s come to love them too in her own weird way. 

That’s not to say that she actively goes out every weekend or partakes in Thirsty Thursdays like so many other teens do - hell, everyone needs a break from the action. Too much partying can tire a person out, both physically and mentally, and since Trini had to work herself up to even start going out to these gatherings in the first place, she needs extra time to recover in her own personal space.

Except she’s also a goddamn sucker when it comes to Kimberly Ann Hart and she can never say no, so when that beautiful face illuminates on the caller ID of Trini’s cellphone, she’s already prepping an appropriate outfit for the night. 

Tonight is a party like any other night - at least that’s what Trini thought before any of the crazy events unfolded.

She’s partnered up with Kimberly playing beer pong against Zack and Tommy who both claim to be the undisputed kings of the table. Seeing as how they defeated a majority of the people there already it would seem to be true, however Kimberly had dragged Trini by the arm and demanded that they “put them in their place” and thus began the war.

So here they are now, one cup left on each side and a burning desire to dethrone the boys. 

Trini’s face feels hot as hell because she’s already taken a few shots of who knows what when she entered the house. Zack had practically shoved the mystery drinks into her’s and Kimberly’s faces demanding that it was the entrance fee to Jason’s awesome “my-dad-is-out-of-the-state-for-the-weekend” party. 

They had clinked their shot glasses and downed them in one go, the liquid burning all the way down and settling in a pool of warmth at the pit of her stomach. It was either cheap vodka or that bottom shelf tequila you find in a plastic bottle, but regardless it was one hell of a way to start their night, that’s for sure.

Tongue sticking out and eyes squinting in concentration, Kimberly chucks her ping pong ball with all the accuracy of a blind senior citizen and it hits Tommy square in the face.

Laughter spills from Tommy’s mouth as he rubs his nose amusingly. “Good aim there, Hart. Keep it up!”

“Shut your face kermit the frog, I kn-know, I know how to. I know how to throw.” The words stumble out ungracefully as Kimberly’s knuckles whiten from gripping the table to keep the world from spinning out of control. She points a finger at him and grins suggestively. “I can– I know how to handle balls–”

“Oookay Kim, we don’t doubt that.” Trini’s barely containing her laughter as she pulls the taller intoxicated girl into a tight hug in order to cover her mouth with one hand and prevent any more inappropriate jokes from escaping. 

She squirms beneath Trini’s vice-like grip, words muffled beneath the palm of her hand, and every struggle brings more and more giggles out of the both of them. Trini’s heart is beating wildly out of control but she blames it on the alcohol. It’s not the fact that her skin is touching Kimberly’s because they’re both wearing tank tops, and it’s definitely not the fact that she’s trying her damndest to suppress the more-than-platonic feelings she carries for her best friend.

Keep it together Trini.

She reminds herself to not get too comfortable or let her guard down because who knows what she might say or do, but a few shots in with a couple beers to boot is making it severely harder to focus. 

“Any day now ladies!” 

Zack’s voice cuts through the ambient noise and after Kimberly calms down, Trini lowers her hand and readies her own ping pong ball. 

She’s staring at the cup intently, almost as if suffering from tunnel vision, but she can’t seem to see straight. Her eyes blink rapidly over and over and over and it’s like the cup is sliding around, mocking her with its fickle nature. 

“What’s the matter short stack?” Tommy taunts from the other end of the table. “Need a booster seat to see the cup?”

The boys break out into another fit of hysterics and a low growl rumbles from deep within Trini’s throat. She’s one second away from just throwing the ball and intentionally pegging the dude in the eye when Kimberly leans in close and whispers for only Trini to hear.

“Y’know,” she starts quietly while wiggling her fingers in front of Trini’s face, “’s not just balls I can handle; you can ask Amanda.”

Kimberly giggles like it’s not even a big deal as if she didn’t just reveal a very crucial and life-changing piece of information to Trini. She’s grinning like an idiot but Trini’s eyes widen like she’s seen a ghost and her mouth hangs agape in shock.  

“Y-you’re - you’re…?” 

“Yyyyep,” she draws out the word and pops the “P” at the end for added dramatic effect.

“Why haven’t you told me?!” 

“You never asked.”

Oh for fuck’s sake Trini screams in her head. That’s the oldest line in the damn book and she’s pulling it now? On her? With that topic?

“I’m literally getting sober over here.” Zack flicks a Cheeto at Trini’s face and she nearly scowls at him in a fit of rage for unwittingly interrupting their moment. 

She throws the ping pong ball like a laser and to everyone’s surprise, it actually sinks directly into the cup with a satisfying plunk. Both boys’ expressions mutate into a comical mixture of mortification and disbelief, but the proof is hard to deny. 

“Rebuttal!” Tommy shouts in denial but both he and Zack miss their final throws and Kimberly bursts into cheers.

She engulfs Trini with her arms, jumping up and down in an exuberant, crushing hug before planting a kiss on her cheek, clearly swept up with victorious elation.

“We won!”

Trini’s skin burns with the leftover impression of Kimberly’s lips and for once she’s glad that everyone’s too drunk to be aware of anything, because her face is as red as the cups surrounding them and she’s shaking from head to toe. 

“No, but really,” Kimberly mumbles in Trini’s ear, her breath tickling her skin and sending electric shivers down her spine, “you should ask Amanda because this one time when we were in a supply closet near the football field, which you know it’s like, really, really cramped in there, but we made it work and like this spider got all up in our business and, and–”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, Princess.” Trini can’t decide whether she’s jealous or amused, but either way she really doesn’t want to hear the end of that story - or any stories for that matter involving her and Amanda.

Okay yeah, definitely jealous.

“Let’s get you some water, yeah?” She starts towards the kitchen, pushing past the throng of strangers and vague acquaintances alike, when she feels Kimberly’s fingers lace in her own causing Trini’s pulse to race like stampeding wildebeests. 

They’re holding hands. 

It’s such a childish action to most, but it has always meant so much more to Trini. Growing up and being so conscious of her actions around other girls made her put that much more emphasis on the simple gesture of friendship because to her, it didn’t always mean just that.

So this is just like in Trini’s dreams except with a lot more sweaty strangers and oppressive, muggy heat and too much alcohol coursing through their bodies. 

Alright, so maybe not exactly like Trini’s dreams, but eh, close enough.

No, no, no, this is stupid, Trini tells herself as they weave in between bodies occupying the hallways, we’re just holding hands. This may not mean a thing to her.

Or it could mean a thing.

Trini doesn’t want to get her hopes up.

They reach the fridge and she ignores the “DO NOT OPEN” sign, yanking on the handle and snagging a bottle of water from the side panel. The sign is mainly for guests, but all the Rangers’ houses are like their second - or fifth - home away from home so she knows Jason won’t mind.

The two of them snake their way back to the living room and spot an empty La-Z-Boy armchair. It’s upholstered with a worn brown textile fabric and even though it’s large, it’s not big enough for the both of them, except Kimberly doesn’t seem to mind. She bolts ahead of Trini and ends up dragging her to the chair before sinking down onto the padded seat and yanking Trini down onto her lap.

Seriously, thank god everyone is too drunk, because Trini’s straddling Kimberly’s waist and the chair is rocking back and forth like a fucking kiddy ride, but they’re too wrapped up in the moment to care. Her arms are linked around the small of Trini’s back and there’s a lopsided grin painted on her face as if they’re the only ones in the room.

“You have beautiful eyes,” she says and Trini’s heart nearly goes into cardiac arrest. “Like, insanely beautiful. Has anyone told you that? Because I think you need to hear it. All the time. Like right now. Because I think they’re beautiful.”

Trini chokes out a chuckle and thinks that she’s the one who needs the water now, but she maintains eye contact with Kimberly and steadily starts to gravitate towards her as if an unseen force is pulling her in. 

“You’re one to talk, Princess.” 

“Me? Naw, no way,” she shakes her head in disagreement, “I think brown eyes are boring.”

“Says you,” Trini retorts as Kimberly’s face grows closer and closer. “I think they’re complex and rich and it’s only once you get near can you see the elegance of their intricacies.”

“And I think you’re full of shit. Everybody loves blue eyes.”

“Not me,” Trini breathes, “I think brown eyes are pretty. In fact, I love yours the best.”

The corners of Kimberly’s lips twitch and her smile falters ever so slightly. It’s a minute shift that Trini catches because she knows all of her expressions by heart - she’s studied them in her dreams and witnessed them in action and she knows when the chip in Kimberly’s facade cracks open just a little bit more.

“I think you should be my girlfriend.”

The words slip out of Kimberly’s mouth without hesitation and Trini wonders how long she’s wanted to say that, because Trini knows how long she’s been wanting to do this.

She closes the gap in an instant and crushes Kimberly’s lips with her own. It’s heated and fast and just a little bit sloppy, but it’s also pure and sincere and filled with the unrestrained emotions overflowing between them. It’s everything Trini’s wanted for longer than she can remember and god does it feel so good. 

Kimberly’s pulling her in closer until their bodies are practically beating as one in a single unified symphony of desire and Trini can’t even breathe anymore. She inhales and it’s nothing but Kimberly Kimberly Kimberly.

The way her tongue drags across her lower lip before biting down and tugging lightly drives Trini insane because it’s coupled with her tiny whimpers that turn into breathy moans and the auditory overload becomes almost too much to bear. 

Trini can feel the blood pounding in her ears and she can’t tell if it’s from the alcohol or not, but then she remembers oh yeah, alcohol.

It takes all of her willpower to withdraw because this is literally one part of many of her dreams, but this isn’t right - they can’t be doing this, not under these circumstances.��

Her lips leave Kimberly’s, their chests heaving in and out feverishly, desperate for air after having breathed in nothing but each other. Trini rests her forehead against Kimberly’s because she still doesn’t want the dream to end, but she has to know for sure.

“Promise me we’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

Kimberly’s head nods up and down, swallowing thickly in the process. “Y-yeah. Promise.”

The next morning, Jason’s house looks like Rita’s attack 2.0, with bottles and cups littering the counters and floors and various party snacks scattered about in crushed piles like shattered glass. 

Jason and Billy are lying diagonally on top of the covers of his bed, sleeping soundly after the night of outrageous party games. 

Zack is hanging off of a couch, one arm dragging on the floor along with one of his legs as light snores drift peacefully from his nose.

Tommy’s sprawled on the carpet with a bunch of dicks drawn all over him. Nobody knows when the pen came out, but after he knocked out around 2 a.m. he became fair game for the rest of the Rangers to go to town on. There’s one with a cape, flying across his leg like a superhero. Billy’s happy with how it turned out, but if anyone asks, it was all Jason’s doing.

With the chair in recliner mode, the girls had ended up falling asleep in each other’s arms, comfortable and warm in their cozy embrace. The sun peeks in through the blinds and rouses Trini from her slumber first, her brow scrunching before her eyes slowly part open from the uninvited morning light.

Her head shifts and she studies Kimberly’s face. She takes in every detail. From the curve of her jaw to the outline of her nose down to the tiny mole near her lips. Everything is uniquely her and the vision of her beauty is forever burned in Trini’s mind like a work of art.

She doesn’t want this moment to end, but the sun reaches her face and Kimberly drowsily stirs. Groaning in protest, she curls deeper into Trini’s body and Trini can’t help but smile.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. How you feeling?”

“Your voice is too loud and my head hurts like hell.”

“Well, you did have one crazy night after all.”

Kimberly rolls back over and gazes up at Trini. With the sunlight dancing in her eyes like a kaleidoscope of shifting shades of brown, Kimberly looks nothing short of stunning, but there’s more beyond the infinite details on the mere surface. Her expression is pensive and reserved, but she doesn’t look away.

“I remember what I said last night.”

Trini gulps. “…And?”

This is it.

This is where she gets rejected by her friend, where she’s told to her face that it was just a fun night but nothing more and that it was all just the alcohol doing the talking. That’s just one of the scenarios that sometimes plays out in one of her nightmares. Those are always the worst ones that leave her waking up in a cold sweat and with fear in her heart.

Except this isn’t a nightmare - it’s real life - or at least Trini tells herself that because Kimberly’s kissing her again and it feels absolutely surreal.

I’m kissing Kimberly Hart. I’m not dreaming.

If it’s not a dream then surely she’s died and gone to heaven. Her lips are even softer than she remembers - how is that possible? - and it leaves Trini wanting more when Kimberly pauses momentarily.

“That answer it for you?”

The corners of Trini’s mouth tug up into a grin and she shrugs. “I dunno, wasn’t really clear. I think you should do it again.”

Kimberly’s sweet laughter rings in the air before their lips find each other once more in a genuine kiss that leaves Trini breathless.

[taniasinel]

Down Under English Design

If I ever wound up in Australia, the first place I would run to visit would be a chic designer showroom on Edgecliff Road in Sydney, near Bondi Beach. 

The windows of the showroom are so inviting, as you can see from this vignette, below.  I mean – who puts handpainted wallpaper in a shop window only to take it down a month later?

  BUT, since the shop is By Appointment Only, I suppose I’d have to go for a dip in the ocean anyway.

The designer behind the shop is Cameron Kimber.  Kimber is a huge name in Australia design and more of a cult figure here in the states, thanks to the internet.  I’m a big fan of his aesthetic and so are most decorators.  Kimber is definitely a designer’s designer.  His preferred look is classic English design updated for today.  His interiors are warm and cozy and are universally loved.

Kimber has legions of followers on Instagram but he has no account of his own.  Instead, devotees have to hunt down hashtags with his name.  I know, because I am so guilty of doing this myself!  I’m always searching around Instagram and the Internet looking for photos of new projects from Kimber.

 Cameron Kimber, THE Aussie designer.  He is so handsome too!  And so Australian!   G-day mate!

Since Kimber doesn’t get a lot of ink in design magazines here in the states, any new photos we do see is very exciting.  Which is why I almost danced a jig when I saw the cover of the new House & Garden UK magazine.  

(And that’s not exactly a pretty sight – me dancing a jig.) 

(What is a jig anyway?)

OK….

So what exactly caused all this dancing around? 

There, on the cover of the new House & Garden UK magazine was Cameron Kimber’s country house!!!!

Thank you House & Garden!

Kimber got his start working with the late, great Leslie Wolford, considered to be the most influential designer of Australia.  Kimber went out on his own about 20 years ago and has been sought-after ever since.  In Sydney, Kimber lives in an apartment, but on the weekends he heads to his house in the Southern Highlands countryside.   The Southern Highlands is green with rolling hills.   Many designers and wealthy people from Sydney have weekend homes in the Highlands since it is just 68 miles away.

  Kimber built the house three years ago,  using old elements to hide it is new construction.    The house has a corrugated roof, which is popular on the original houses down below, along with a facade made of wood boards.  Inside, the walls are white and warm coir matting covers the floor.

Kimber says his favorite designers are Colefax & Fowler, Nicky Haslam, Veere Greeney and other well known English decorators.  His love of classic English decor is most obvious when you enter his country house.

Kimber also names an American who greatly influenced his country decor:  Bunny Mellon. Kimber used her love of slim shutters, white walls, and wood paneling when building his own house. 

First, take a look at the late Bunny Mellon’s living room at her Oak Spring Farm estate and then...

Look at Bunny Mellon’s house in Antiqua with its skinny shutters, chintz, white furniture and black antiques.   Both of Bunny’s living rooms resemble Cameron Kimber’s own country house so much – you can really see how her aesthetic influenced Kimber’s: 

KIMBER’S LIVING ROOM:  AFTER & BEFORE

The photos from House & Garden UK are new.  Kimber did some redecoration lately, as you will see in the “Before” photos.  

The living room in Cameron Kimber’s country house – decorated with wall to wall coir matting, white walls, slim shutters, books, oil paintings, and antiques. 

And here is a close view of the chintz slip on the chair and white slip on the sofa.

The chintz is Colefax and Fowler’s Fuchsia, which I love!

Little pops of green show up around the room and black accents are also used.  But the art work is the biggest focal point in the living room.

From Instagram, at a house party, you can see there are more chairs at this side of the room.

 From Instagram.  A close up of the side tables.  I love that red chinoiserie table!  And notice the antique green leather tufted stool!  Cute!  That’s a pillow from Kathryn Ireland!  That antique portrait is fabulous.  That piece of art is beautiful and has wisely followed Kimber from house to house.  

This house really makes a statement for antique portraits.  They look fabulous in interiors of all kinds, even modern.

This Instagram photo focuses on the checked slipped sofa in the front windows.  Antique paintings flank the shutters.

Kimber says about his country house:  “I've always liked the English country house look, so I decorated this house with that sort of interior in mind.  It's refreshing being here after being in the city all week, where my apartment is more streamlined.  Here it's all flowers, porcelain and pretty colours.”

From Instagram:  And looking at the other side of the sofa towards the back of the living room.  Through the French door is the foyer and front door.

This Instagram photo shows the fireplace mantel and screen and green wicker lamp shade!  Darling!!

Behind the bookcase, you can see the dining room cabinet.  The kitchen is also behind that wall.

The C&F Fuchsia chintz comes in cotton or union – cotton/linen.  It looks like Kimber’s Fuchsia is the cotton.

This black chinoiserie table has traveled with Kimber from previous house to house.

   Now, notice that all the walls are white?

BEFORE:

I found this photo from a few years ago and was struck by how many changes have been made in Kimber’s country house in such a short time.  Notice the walls are striped here – wallpapered.  And also notice – there are no shelves flanking the sofa – which is larger here.  Obviously the bookcase was a later decision.

And notice that there are green and yellow accents here and the barely seen side sofa is not striped or slipped, it is just upholstered.  The windows don’t have skinny shutters, instead they have sort of bulky shades. 

What a surprise!

So, of course I started looking more closely at the Instagram photos.

Another view of the previous wall treatment.    The yellow and green covered furniture was later moved out of the room.

What is even stranger is that this is another BEFORE photo, but it is more of an INTERMEDIATE photo. 

You can clearly see here that a darker green stripe was added to the wallpaper perhaps to give it more definition?  

And notice now, the sofa has the checked slipcover made.  When the shelves were finally built – that sofa became too large for that wall, so it was moved to the front windows.

So many changes for such a short period of time?!!?

I think what this all means is that even a great decorator like Cameron Kimber likes to change up his interiors, just like we all do!

Another INTERMEDIATE PHOTO:  

Surprise – there’s a lime green silk skirted table!  Again, you can really see the difference in the wallpaper with the darker stripe added.

INTERMEDIATE:  A blurry nighttime view showing all the changes:  the green stripes over the wallpaper.  The sofa on the left, before it was slipped.   The yellow and green lime upholstery before it was moved out.  AND – the bulky shades before they were traded in for skinny shades ala Bunny Mellon.

Here’s another “INTERMEDIATE” photo.   At the back of the room is another antique portrait which has traveled with Kimber from one house to the next.  There’s a typical English bar set up on the white console.  A French door leads to the foyer and the front door.

After Kimber had changed the wallpaper to this more two-toned version, he must have decided that he preferred an all-white wall.   And I have to admit, the all white wall does look more modern and less like something your great-aunt Louise might have had.

He then built the shelves and moved the sofas around.   But – what about all those green and yellow fabrics?????

AFTER:   Here you can clearly see, it looks like he added beadboard to the walls when he removed the wallpaper.  If someone else has a better order of events – I would love to hear your theory!!!!

  The top of the console is beautiful marble accessorized with two green glass lamps and frogs.   I think these lamps might be Spitzmillers.  A friend and shop owner carries Spitzmiller lamps. 

Despite those pretty green lamps - the antique oil portrait again, steals the scene.

That oil has followed Kimber from house to house to house.

This instagram photo is an in-between Intermediate & After.  The walls are now painted white and are beadboard.  The bookshelves have been built.  Lamps are from Before. The yellow ottoman is now gone, but the lime green antique chair remains.

A pretty view Intermediate Decor- you can see there is a picket fence out front and it looks like a stone retaining wall along the gravel front terrace.

In this in between Intermediate & After, I’m not sure if the green skirted table remains today. 

THE FACADE:

From Instagram, the front yard, behind a white picket fence and iron gate.

Kimber’s house has wood siding house with a small foyer attached to the side of the house.  Apparently, Kimber was influenced in the design of the foyer by the John Fowler/Nicky Haslam country house, The Hunting Lodge.  HERE.

The Hunting Lodge has a rather dramatic facade – that is actually the back of the house.

It’s front is more quiet.  Fowler added a foyer to the front of the house – off to the side.

 A rare photo of the addition to the Hunting Lodge, by John Fowler.  The foyer has a faux stone facade and a pitched roof.

And a close up of the Fowler/Haslam added on foyer which inspired Cameron Kimber.

 On Instagram, the facade of Cameron Kimber’s country house, with the foyer to the right of the house, inspired by John Fowler’s own country house, seen above.

It really does look like John Fowler’s foyer.  Hats off to Kimber for homage to Fowler.

From Instagram – the facade.  You can see the smaller foyer/front door at the far right.  This was taken early on – before the interior shades were replaced by the skinny shutters.   There appears to be a gravel terrace between the front facade and the lawn.

This style of house is typical for the Southern Highlands and is derived from original houses in the area.

A closer view of the gravel terrace in front of the house – with lime trees.

And the foyer, with the lanterns flanking the door, just like John Fowler’s.  Notice the brick floor in the foyer. 

Here the front door opens to the foyer, where you are greeted with a marble mantel fireplace!!  How romantic is this – a fireplace in the foyer?

From House & Garden UK:  The portrait is from the 17th century.   The plant stand is actually stacked chinoiserie tables.

Behind the fireplace is the “Snug” – a dark cozy television/library room.   To the left is the doorway to the living room and behind that, the kitchen.

Another view of the marble mantel and the beautiful oval portrait.  I love oval framed portraits!  They are so elegant!

A side view of the foyer with the brick floors.  You will see these chairs again and again in previous houses that Kimber owned.  Same with the oval portrait. That will be seen again and again!

Which is such a great lesson.  If you buy right the first time, you will own the antique forever.

Next to the front door is this small vignette with framed prints that have also traveled with Kimber from house to house.   You can see the living room to the right.

Be sure to notice the door.  The wood paneled door has a Z barn-like detailing.  All doors in the house are finished like this is.   Such attention to details!!

Through that door off the front foyer is the TV room or “Snug” as Kimber calls it.  It’s a small room where Kimber and his guests retire to watch  TV or read a book.

The Snug:

From House & Garden UK:  The snug is the only room with dark walls, which Kimber likes to create a cozy TV watching mood. 

Above the sofa is an abstract from the 40s.  You will see later that his abstract has traveled with Kimber from house to house.

Kimber says he likes to use velvet in his Snugs because it is so comfortable. 

From House & Garden UK:   Kimber restored the cabinet and had the interior painted a vivid green. 

From Instagram – a closeup of the curtains and the art work.  I love the chinoiserie corner cabinet hanging on the wall.   Beautiful green silk shade ala Miles Redd! 

AND notice the gorgeous round chinoiserie table!!!  Love this!!!!

From Kimber’s web site:  Here you can see the bookshelves on the left.  A different chair sits in the window.

In the House & Garden, UK, Kimber discussed his use of pelmets in his country house.  In this room, he wanted the pelmet to be more tailored so that it would add height to the Snug.  The fabric here is “Bailey Rose” by Cowtan & Tout. 

Back in the living room, the kitchen and dining room are behind the wall with the bookcases.

I LOVE this room!!!

Behind the living room wall is the kitchen.   On the left here, you can see part of the living room.  The kitchen is simple black and white with a backsplash of subway tiles.

The casual dining area sits in front of the kitchen – with slip covered chairs and blue painted rattan chairs.

From Instagram, the table is set for a party.   First notice there is a wonderful fireplace in the dining area.   The cabinet runs along the entire side wall, full of his collection of dishes.  I love that old painting of the young girl.  

Notice this is an older photo because the wallpaper is still hanging on the walls.

And here is another older photo of the mantel and the old wallpaper.  And notice at the very left of the mantel, the checked sofa.  What?   You can’t see it? 

Well….hold on!!!

There you go!  Ask and ye shall receive!

Terrible, terrible photo I found on Instagram.  But I had to share it – a lovely brown and white checked sofa in the kitchen/dining room…..

Aw…much better Instagram photo.  This shows a new painting over the mantel AND the new white walls and beadboard in place of the wallpaper.

I love that black clock.  You will see it again, later, in another home!!

And this from Instagram – across the kitchen/dining room is a set of windows overlooking the front yard.  Instead of the skinny shutters – there are Mrs. Monro curtains, Auricula.    Wish there was a large photo!!

THE BEDROOMS:

From House & Garden, UK:   The master bedroom – with beautiful Hollyhock curtains by Lee Jofa.  Also that chair - Beautiful!!!!

Kimber said:   “There’s a big thing at the moment for linen and printed linen, but I still love chintz, so I did chintz curtains in the bedrooms.   For my bedroom, I chose a pelmet that would feel slightly more formal without being grand. I used a brush fringe as the edging rather than a heavy bullion fringe.”

Actually, many of the stories about “2018 Trends” said Chintz was making a comeback whiles others said it was out, out, out.  Go figure!!!   I love the chintz used in this house and think that is one thing that is so pretty about it.

From Instagram:  The master bed with the Hollyhock fabric headboard and darling striped and floral bedspread.  Love.

It’s hard to tell, but apparently this is a wallpaper, not paint.

From House & Garden UK, a look at the tufted chair and a glance into the master bathroom.  Notice the farm Z door to the bathroom!

From Kimber’s Web Site:   In this larger photo – you can see the chest on the right side of the bed.  Love those curtains!

The bed and the chests will show up again in other Kimber houses, seen later.  Again – buy quality and it will last forever!!

FROM House & Garden UK.   The master bathroom has a distinctive curtain treatment.

Kimber said about the bathroom window:   “I was inspired by pelmet designs of the Thirties and Forties for the bathroom, which is a really classic and pretty room. I felt this particular design had a whimsical touch, and suited the custom-printed Colefax and Fowler fabric.”

What Kimber didn’t mention is that he used the same curtains in his former city terrace house – in the master bedroom, as you will see later!!

House & Garden UK:  The guest room has blue walls and a green chintz which is Fern Stripe by Jean Monro.  So pretty.

 Kimber said:  “When I do a bedroom in a print, I tend to use a fair bit of it, so I like the curtains to match in with the bed. I don't want too many jumpy patterns. That's really the way you should use chintz.  If you use a print carefully, I don't think it says this is an old lady's room or a young man's room.”

Notice how cute the water canister is in green wicker!  Love!

From Instagram, and a bit of a different styling.  I miss the green blankets on the bed. 

Kimber said about these curtains:  'In my spare bedroom, I used a soft gathered pelmet to add a more feminine, traditional note. I thought it would contrast nicely with the architectural paneling on the walls and give height to the window.”

I hope you enjoyed Cameron Kimber’s country house. I know I did!  While researching the story on Instagram, I saw SO many beautiful Australian houses, many in the Southern Highlands where Kimber’s friends tend to have weekend houses.  Oh, to be 30 years younger and just starting out!  So many of these houses are like Kimber’s, with chintz and English antiques.  Some are more modern but the contemporary designs still have a more cozy look with big lamps and big linen pillows and lots of  texture.

Reading more about Kimber in depth lead me to study his portfolio, newspaper articles, magazine photoshoots and google maps.

The big question I wanted to know was – where did Cameron Kimber live in the city?

I found where he USED to live, but where did he live now?

A while ago a new project showed up on Kimber’s web site.  It looked like a big one room efficiency apartment.   On closer observation, you could see the black secretary that Cameron’s used in several of his houses.   I needed some confirmation that this was indeed his city apartment.    Finally, I found an article in the Sydney newspaper with a photo of Kimber and the caption “Kimber in his apartment in Potts Point.”

Ah ha!  So, the efficiency apartment IS his new city home!  Or IS it an efficiency?

So many bloggers showed this bedroom last year, but is there more to this than just a large bedroom??????

Here is the city apartment where Kimber lives.  It might be just a one room efficiency apartment.  The bedroom is certainly huge with a sitting area. It might be larger.   One fabric pattern covers the bed and windows and walls.  On the far side of the canopy bed is a wall of mirrors that probably hides the closet doors.

And, it’s not really a canopy bed – it’s a bed with curtains and a pelmet hanging from the ceiling.

Isn’t this beautiful?

Two gilt antique French chairs flank Cameron’s black secretary that has been seen in many of his houses.  It was once stained brown, but now it’s been painted lack.  Love the rattan stool.   Another clue that this is actually Kimber’s house – those shells have been seen in many of his other houses.

The two chairs are almost disappear into the walls except for their antique gilt frame.  I love one fabric designs.

Another view with different styling on the desk.

More of the apartment – the sitting area, behind black doors.

I love that tailored slipped sofa – with wood caster legs.  A velvet tiger pillow is a nice focal point.  Another wall of mirrors makes the apartment seem larger. 

A carpeted floor.  The apartment reminds me of a five star hotel and with his large country house, this is probably all he needs in the city. 

A view of the green touches – a velvet chair cushion and green velvet stool.  Kimber loves to bring green in with blue.

A vignette with antiques and books – my own favorite combination!

There’s more to the apartment than just the bedroom and the sitting area.

Behind this black door, is more to the apartment.   The garden stool is the same – such a pretty one!  Why can’t we have pretty stools like this here? 

And this photo behind the door shows a dining room.  I wish he would publish this apartment!  It’s obviously more than an efficiency!  And that French chair on the back wall is Kimber’s, seen in all his previous homes.

So, while Kimber has his new country house in the Highlands and the small blue apartment in Pitts Pound, where did he live BEFORE the blue apartment?

Before those two homes, Cameron Kimber lived in an original Terrace home located on a small back lane in the inner city.

Vogue Living did a story on his house in 2012 which made a big splash with bloggers and Pinterest.

Vogue Living 2012 – the cover is of Cameron Kimber’s terrace house.  Notice the oval portrait?   Look familiar?   Today that lives above the fireplace in Kimber’s country house foyer.

The house is an original 1880 Terrace, tiny, and hidden on a quiet dead end lane, right off a busy city street – the quiet of the lane was what attracted Kimber to the house.

The 1880 Terrace house had been completely restored in the 70/80s.

Here is the floor plan below. 

Originally the kitchen and dining room were at the rear of the house and the living room was at the front.  But, Kimber had the brilliant idea to move the kitchen/dining room to the front and the living room to the back where it opens to the outside patio – creating a large indoor/outdoor room.   Upstairs is a bedroom and a “snug.”

Real estate photos:  The front door opens to the kitchen and dining area.  The galley kitchen is along one side of the room.  The dining table sits in the middle.

Vogue:   Kimber mixes a marble table, antiques, silver lantern, and French chairs all dress up a simple galley kitchen.

  Antique green plates dress up the table.   He has the prettiest plates!!!

This kills me!!!  A blue and white antique water bowl for the dog.  How pretty!  I’m going to do this. 

This set of chairs is seen in all of Kimber’s houses as is this beautiful oval portrait.   Love!

Antique oil portraits are expensive BUT

Buying at auction can be a lot cheaper.

This is a GREAT auctioneer online company. 

I see so many great deals on this site – try it!  HERE.

Search on their New Orleans auctions – for sure!   They are incredible!!

The hall leads from the kitchen/dining room to the larger living room at the rear.  On the left, notice the portrait of the young boy that is in the country house, behind the sofa.

The house was decorated similarly to the country house with beadboard paneling painted white and coir matting for the carpet.

Here is his living room which leads to the back terrace.  He added the fireplace, along with a large ceiling light.  White slips cover his sofa along with blue accents and a green ottoman.  Today, that ottoman lives in the country house’s “snug.”  And notice the portrait above the sofa.  Today, that is at the country house in the living room by the foyer.   The antique gilt mirror over the fireplace today is in the country house living room, above the fireplace – just like this.

Real Estate Photo:  This photo shows the room edited a bit, without the two black antique Regency chairs. 

That crystal lamp today lives at the country house’s living room.  Love the black antique chinoiserie furniture and the clock that is today in the kitchen in the country.

Real Estate Photo:  Kimber installed a pretty garden with a fountain and stone patio, plenty of box and fern that gives him much privacy.

Kimber installed the fireplace.  In the reflection you can see the oil portrait that is now in the country house as is this mirror.   Remember those shells?  Today they live in the new city apartment – which is decorated all in blue.

And along the wall between the living room and the front kitchen is the black secretary that is today in Kimber’s all blue & white efficiency apartment in town.  The stairs lead upstairs to the bedroom and snug.

Kimber with his dog and the the black secretary.  The unusual frame on the oil painting shows up again, as does the console to Kimber’s right in the country house’s living room.

Upstairs, a black lacquered door opens to what was once the tiny guest room and is now the snug or TV room. 

The Snug in the city Terrace house is also, like the country house’s snug, a dark room, here, covered in a black and white check fabric.  The abstract painting over the sofa is today at the country house, also in the snug.

The books are now in the country’s newly built book shelves as the city blue & white apartment doesn’t have the room for them.

Another view of the snug with an antique French chair and chinoiserie chest and pagoda.  Both the chest and the pagoda are in the country house today.

The master bedroom with the canopy bed that is today at the country house.  AND, notice the curtains here?  Today they are in the master bathroom!!

The framed prints are in the country house’s foyer.

Across from the bed is this chest which today is also in the country house’s master bedroom.

FINALLY…

It’s not over yet!!!!   LOL!!!

Where did Cameron Kimble live BEFORE this city 1883 Terrace house, the country house, and the blue & white apartment??????

He lived in an apartment built in the 60s and located in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

This early apartment was also photographed for Vogue Living in 2008.

Vogue Living

Here is the early 60s apartment.  The walls were wrapped in raffia textured wallpaper.  This is different from Kimber’s more usual white beadboard walls he uses today.   Along the back wall is the original secretary BEFORE it was lacquered in black.  Kimber has stated that he never liked its previous mahogany stain.  Unlike all his other houses – the apartment has dark hardwoods.   An area coir rug was used.  

Today, Kimber usually uses coir wall to wall.

The green ottoman has gone from here, to the city terrace house, to the country house as has the Regency chairs and the chinoiserie chest.  The two gilt frame paintings have also taken the same route from here to the terrace house to the country house.

A younger Cameron Kimber sits in the apartment – remember the shells? There they are.  The abstract art work is one possession that hasn’t been seen again.  He probably sold it a client in his shop.

The same French chairs seen in all Kimber’s homes are here in this early apartment, as is the beautiful oil portrait.   I love this photograph!

The bedroom – the only bedroom photo I can find from the story is this one.  Blue paisley wallpaper.   The chest moved from here to the terrace house to the master bedroom of the country house.

And the famous oval painting. 

Lessons from Cameron Kimber’s Houses?

1. Chintz is still in, especially in small doses such as a slipcover and pillow. 

2.Antique portraits add so much drama to a room.  Can’t afford an original?  Look for a good copy. 

3.  Books are a great accessory as is anything in black.

4.  Chinoiserie makes great accent pieces.  

5.  Fireplaces in kitchens,  foyers, bedrooms are terribly romantic.

6.  Textiles rugs such as coir or seagrass make a good foil to white walls.

But note:  I think coir is a much, much inferior material to seagrass.  It stains terribly and can’t be cleaned nearly as well as seagrass.  I wonder why Kimber uses coir so much?

A fireplace in the foyer and dining room and kitchen are terribly romantic!

One Last Word:

I promise.

A word about Fuchsia by Colefax & Fowler.  Glam Pad wrote a wonderful story tying all the famous interiors using Fuchsia together. HERE.

What I had never noticed until now is how much alike two of these rooms are:

FIRST.  The fabulous bedroom by Lee Radziwill that I wrote about HERE – where she used Fuchsia and a patterned floor, canopy bed, white walls, white rug, and her fabulous collection of botanicals. 

I had never put it together, but whoa:

Here is Tory Burch’s new bedroom in the Hamptons decorated by the great Daniel Romualdez.   Now, notice all the similarities to Lee Radziwill’s – the patterned floor, the canopy bed, the white rug, the chair turned around by the bed, the same Fuchsia fabric, the white walls AND EVEN the botanicals!!!

In Architectural Digest, it was said that Tory’s bedroom was inspired by Bunny Mellon at Antiqua – especially since Tory bought Bunny’s Antigua house.   Tory loves Bunny’s Antiqua house just like Cameron Kimber does!

Here are a few bedrooms of Bunny’s at Antiqua. 

This does look like Tory’s Hamptons bedroom – but more than Lee Radziwill’s?

Another bedroom in Antiqua. 

Well…they can say that Tory’s bedroom was influenced by Bunny but the similarity between Lee Radziwill’s and Tory’s bedrooms is undeniable.

Want the Cameron Kimber Look for Your Own?

Portrait copy - HERE    

Majolica set of plates HERE

Antique Framed dog HERE

Green Lamp HERE

Set of 3 Chinoiserie chairs! 

HERE

Floral Chair HERE

18 pieces Royal Worcester HERE

Antique Box HERE

Copy  - ELEANORA HERE

Tall blue & white lamp HERE

Birds HERE

LAMPS Blue & White HERE

Entry/living room slipped bench HERE

Peter Dunham Ikat and Bukhara HERE

Set of Books Green/Gray HERE

Grandfather and girl Antique portrait HERE

Majolica Tureen HERE

Antique horns  HERE

Collection of antique green transferware HERE

Oval antique Mirror HERE

F Schumacher Pillows HERE

PAGODA HERE

Vintage set of books HERE

Pyne Hollyhock Pillows HERE

AND FINALLY!!!!

You all know my friend Artie with the fabulous apartment, which he has spent the past year perfecting.  Remember it?

Artie’s living room with the beautiful chinoiserie armoire and wonderful art work?

And his fabulous bedroom with the fabric walls and wonderful bed???

Well, hold on people.

Artie is moving on.  Yes.  He is moving on.

LITERALLY.

Artie is going to buy a house!!!!

AND now…

DRUMROLL PLEASE!

EVERYTHING IN ARTIE’S APARTMENT IS NOW FOR SALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EVERYTHING!!!!!

To read all about it and maybe, purchase something of his you have always admired….

GO HERE

enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

from COTE DE TEXAS http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2018/01/down-under-english-design.html

[mariacedano-blog-blog]

Beautiful Homes of Instagram I can’t tell you how happy I am for sharing Molly’s, of @mk_interiors_, new home. I’ve known Molly and her beautiful work at MK Interiors for some time now. In fact, we have been talking about featuring her newly-built home even before it was built, so you can imagine how much I waited to share this post with all of you on Home Bunch. Keep reading and you will see why it was worth the wait to tour Molly’s home! “Hi, I’m Molly Kay and here is a little bit about me and our home! My husband is a general contractor who builds custom homes, does additions, and remodeling. He is also a master woodworker. Having him build our current home has been a blessing for us as he has built homes for several others and we had always hoped to have him build for us in the near future. We designed our home together and one of the highlights of my life is getting to work with my husband on projects. We each own separate businesses and have our own clients but sometimes we are hired as a team and we love that! We have been married 20 years and have 3 children. We live in the beautiful rolling hills at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains in Northern Virginia 45 minutes west of Washington DC. We love our rural small town and love living on a one lane gravel road on 5 acres. We also love being able to be close to a big city and really having the best of both worlds! I am passionate about interior design and love making all things beautiful! I feel so blessed to of always been able to stay home with my children and run a successful business as an interior designer. I hope you enjoy this glimpse of our custom home! It was a definite labor of love and still a work in progress!” Beautiful Homes of Instagram I didn’t have a covered porch in our last home so it’s something I really wanted in this one! This is just one side of the porch and this was taken shortly after we moved in before we painted the porch floor or took down the construction fence! Indoor/outdoor rug by Mohawk. Siding is Hardie Plank concrete siding by James Hardie in Night Gray. Foyer My entryway I kept simple but elegant with the grid board and batten paneled walls and crisp white paint. Foyer bench is from Joss & Main. Other inspiring options: here & here. Pillows are custom. Lighting I wanted my chandelier by Hinkley Lighting to take center stage! You should of seem the amount of scaffolding and people it took to hang it! It was love at very first sight for me! Grey Doors Interior door color for all of my interior doors in the entire house is a custom mix of Stardew, Uncertain Gray by Sherwin Williams with a little Wales Gray by Benjamin Moore. Entry set crystal doorknobs from Grandeur Hardware. Wall Paint Color Paint color is All White by Farrow & Ball. My grandmother’s desk from the 1940’s was made over by me with 2 tone Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris Gray and Pure White and it fits perfectly there. Hardwood Floors Floors are Dream Home X20 laminate in Misty Morning Oak from Lumber Liquidators. Mirror The geometric frame and golden finish mirror is from Joss & Main. Dining Room Our dining area is open to the family room and kitchen. I did not want a separate room that no one would ever go in. I also chose not to have an eating area in the kitchen which is just steps away. I wanted this room to be where we ate and gathered unless we were at the island which has plenty of room for the 5 of us! I had my husband do more of the paneled wall boxes in here and kept them white for the time being knowing it would be easy down the road to paint that wall a color should I decide I want a change. Paint color is All White by Farrow & Ball. Crown Molding is Ultra Pure White by Behr. Table was purchased at an antique shop and is refinished in Annie Sloan chalk paint. French Linen and Pure White. Chairs were an antique store find about 16 years ago. I got 6 of them for $50! I had my husband take them apart and re-nail them to make sure they were sturdy. He then painted them and I reupholstered them. I want to get new chairs soon but these have been great for many many years and certainly worth well more than the price I paid! White cane end chairs were also an antique shop find and I painted them and reupholstered them. The pair for $20! Christmas sign by Signs of Hope. Chairs flanking sideboard from Restoration Hardware. Lighting My husband made the sideboard which used to be our media console in the old house. Chandelier by Hinkley Lighting from Lighting Design Company. Lamps by Horchow. Kitchen I could not be happier with how our kitchen turned out! I put less expensive materials in other places so that I could make sure to get the things I wanted in the kitchen. Because it is quite large, even when being very budget conscience with choices, it can quickly add up because you need so much! I definitely knew we couldn’t afford commercial appliances or very high end ones. I did a ton of research as we had a cut and dry number that I could not go above for all of our appliances in our house. I chose the Fridgidaire Gallery line and so far so good! We have an induction cooktop and I really love it. Kitchen Island & Hood Range Hood made my husband. He also made the island and did the same X detail on island ends, side of fridge, and built in doors in family room. Pendant lights by Golden Lighting. Island is 10 feet long by 4 feet wide. Countertop Counters are white Carrara marble which I knew I had to have even though they can get a bad reputation. I knew nothing else compared to the look of marble so I am fine with a little more maintenance. Sink & Faucet Sink is by Kohler. Faucet is American Standard. Pulls are Hickory Hardware. Backsplash Backsplash is Arabescato Carrara marble in a herringbone pattern. Counterstools Acrylic barstools by Gabby Home. Open Layout In our old house, the family room was separated from the kitchen by a wall that we couldn’t take down so another must have for this house we built was having the kitchen and family room together. Because of that design, it was important the 2 rooms flow and have same design elements. Family Room Sofa by Craftmaster – similar here. Rug by Nourison from the Kathy Ireland collection. Custom pillows by Cruel Mountain Designs. Built-ins The built-ins with x door detail and the shiplap backs were made by my husband and painted our house trim color: Ultra Pure White by Behr. Satin brass hardware can be found here. Chandelier by Crystorama designed by Libby Langdon. Brass swing arm sconces by Savoy House. Gold and glass table from Home Goods. Chairs White Chairs are from Lamps Plus. Ottomans Blue X leg ottomans from Joss and Main. Barn Door A grey barn door conceals a modern farmhouse-inspired mudroom. Mudroom I didn’t have a mudroom in our previous home that we lived in for 16 years so it was first on my list of needs for this home! I wanted the blue built-ins my husband made to really stand out so I kept the walls the same crisp white as the rest of the house. That paint color is All White by Farrow & Ball. I also wanted a fun patterned tile and I wanted durability so I chose a patterned porcelain tile by Merola that I bought from Wayfair. Chandelier by Hinkley Lighting. Satin Brass door knobs from Baldwin Hardware. Grey Doors: Custom mix of Stardew, Uncertain Gray by Sherwin Williams with a little Wales Gray by Benjamin Moore. Master Bedroom Our master bedroom is one the main level. It is part of a bump out in the rear of the house with amazing views. Our house is on 5 acres and we have beautiful fields, woods, and rolling hills all around us. We chose to put mainly windows on the whole back wall for this reason. I wanted a very bright airy room so I chose to use the crisp white paint in here. If you didn’t already know, I love white!! White walls make me happy and draw your attention to furniture pieces and art. We still need to add molding to this room as part of my design plan from the beginning but some things we just haven’t gotten to yet! Custom upholstered headboard from The Tufted Frog. Bedding from Linens and Hutch. End of bed leather bench from Joss & Main. White Tree from Joss & Main. Custom pillows from Cruel Mountain Designs. Table lamps from Home Goods. Brass chandelier from Lamps Plus – similar here. White fabric Roman shades from Blinds.com – similar here. Rug by Surya Rugs. Master Bath Our master bath is another space where I chose to scrimp on other bathrooms so that I could put the materials I wanted in here. We chose to pare down the size of the bathroom to allow for a larger closet for me which is through that pocket door. Again, my love for cool white and gray marble ruled all of my decisions. Floor is Carrara marble 12×24 tiles laid in a herringbone pattern. Counters are Mont Blanc marble and are 9 feet long. I used square undermount sinks. Wallpaper by York Wallcoverings. It’s a raised textured paper. Turkish towels by Olive and Linen. Chandelier by Artcraft Lighting. Details I wanted to use a mirror that covered the entire wall so I chose to have my sconces mounted to the mirror. Lucite and polished nickel sconces by Savoy House. Faucets are American Standard. Cabinet hardware in polished nickel from Amerock Hardware. Stool from Joss and Main. Shower Shower floor is Carrara marble hexagon tile and walls are Carrara 3×6 subway tile. Shower seat is a solid slab of Mont Blanc marble. Daughter’s Room My daughter is the only girl so we are all about making everything girly for her! The wallpaper in her room takes the focus so I wanted to leave her other 3 walls crisp white. I chose to do the ceiling in a blush pink – Intimate White by Sherwin Williams. It adds some fun to her ceiling. Her bed, nightstands, and bench are all french antiques. Bedding from Beddy’s. Pillows from Home Goods. Wallpaper by York Wallcoverings. Chandelier from Pottery Barn. 8×10 Rug from esale rugs. Same flooring upstairs as we have downstairs. Daughter’s Bathroom My only daughter gets the bedroom with the ensuite bathroom. Her counter is Quartzite. She also has the only bathtub in the house. I chose white 3×12 elongated subway tile laid in a herringbone pattern for her shower walls. Antique chair I painted the ceiling color – SW Intimate white (which oddly enough is a blush pink). Walls are like her room All White by Farrow & Ball. Floor tile is 12×24 tile from Home Depot. All cabinetry in the house from J&K Cabinetry. Shower curtain from Home Goods. Chandelier from Wayfair. Oldest Son’s room My oldest just so happened to get the largest of the kids’ rooms. In our last house, all of their bedrooms were about 10×10 so it is so amazing having so much space! His room is about 13×17. Lucky Kid! He also has the largest of the closets. I did gray painted walls in his room. Paint color is Seattle by Sherwin Williams. One wall is wallpapered in paper from MK Wallpaper designed by Jullian Harris. Bed, nightstand, and desk are all refinished antique shop finds. Gray braided chair from Lamp Plus. Leather butterfly chair from Home Goods. Task Lamp from Home Goods. Light fixture from Lighting Design Company. Tommy Hilfiger drapes from Home Goods. Middle Son’s Room The 8×10 rug by Mohawk. Bedding by Beddy’s. Light fixture from Lighting Design Company. Wood planked wall from Stikwood. Antique lockers are salvaged and bought at a flea market. Bed was also a flea market find and I repainted it. Wall color is Kentucky Haze by Benjamin Moore. Pillows by Summed Classics. Meet the Homeowers Make sure to follow Molly from @mk_interiors_ on Instagram and stop by her website to see more photos of her beautiful home! Holiday Deals Pottery Barn: The Holiday Event: 20 to 25% OFF + Free Shipping: Use Code: SNOWMAN Wayfair: Weekend Mega Deals – 80% Off + Many New Items on Clearance!!! West Elm: Up to 40% Off + Free Shipping. Use Code: MERRY One Kings Lane: 30% Sitewide & Free Shipping on orders over $100 with Code: OKLFREESHIP Serena & Lily: Get started on your holiday shopping with 20% off everything at Serena and Lily. Use code CHEERS Williams & Sonoma: Up to 50% off + Free Shipping with Code: EXTRA Nordstrom: Up to 40% off select styles plus an extra 20% off sale items. J.Crew: Take an 30% off extra. Use code: BUNDLEUP JCPenny: 65% OFF when you spend $100 or more: Use Code: 33FORYOU Neiman Marcus: $50 Off your $200 Purchase with Code: DEC50 Pier 1: Free Shipping on Everything! Use Code: FREESHIP McGee & Co.: Free Shipping: Use Code: MERRY Joss & Main: Huge Sales – Up to 75% OFF! See more “Beautiful Homes of Instagram”: @SweetShadyLane: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. @BlueBarnAndCottage: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. @crateandcottage: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. @decorandmoredesigns: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. @The.Executive.Way: Beautiful Homes of Instagram. Click here to see all “Beautiful Homes of Instagram”. Posts of the Week Newest Interior Design Ideas. English Farmhouse Home. Transitional Family Home Design. Christmas Interior Design Ideas. Modern Farmhouse Family Home. Inspiring California Beach House Design. White Kitchen with Navy Blue Island. Interior Design Ideas. More Interior Design Ideas. You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives. Popular Paint Color Posts: The Best Benjamin Moore Paint Colors 2016 Paint Color Ideas for your Home Interior Paint Color and Color Palette Pictures Interior Paint Color and Color Palette Ideas Inspiring Interior Paint Color Ideas Interior Paint Color and Color Palette New 2015 Paint Color Ideas Interior Paint Color Ideas Interior Design Ideas: Paint Color Interior Ideas: Paint Color More Paint Color Ideas Hello my friends, Pinterest: Many of you have written emails asking me why you aren’t being able to pin lately. Pinterest is working to resolve this issue ( I have sent them many emails – feel free to send them an email too – that might help them to act faster!) and hopefully we’ll be able to pin soon. Meanwhile, feel free to pin from my Instagram or repin my pins here. Thank you for your support, my friends and have a Blessed day! with Love, Luciane from HomeBunch.com Interior Design Services within Your Budget Come Follow me on Come Follow me on Get Home Bunch Posts Via Email Contact Luciane “For your shopping convenience, this post might contain links to retailers where you can purchase the products (or similar) featured. I make a small commission if you use these links to make your purchase so thank you for your support!”

[theauctionmap-blog]

Auction - Cory, IN

www.ucmarshall.com * 1986 Toyota PU Truck 199K * Allis Chalmers 180 Tractor * Woods XBB72 6 Ft. Bushhog * John Deere Lawn Mowers * Guns * One Person Sailboat * Garage/Shop Tools * Pallet of Terre Haute 1960s Era Landscaping Brick * Primitives & Antique Tools * Vintage Octagon Bumper Pool Table * Lowrey Organ * Garden Tiller * Furniture * Glassware * Antiques/Collectibles * Advertising Items * Lawn & Garden Equipment * Holiday Décor * Horse Carousel Collection * Household Items * Garage Items * Lrg Assortment of Cabinets/Storage/Shelving/Organizer Units * Shop Items * Auction Date & Time: Saturday, October 28th, 2017 at 9AM (ET) Seller: Everett & Jeanette Huffman, Estate Auction Location: 8525 South Dearborn Street, Cory, Indiana 47846 Personal Property Preview: Friday, October 27th, 3pm-6pm (ET) Tractor/Vehicle:1986 Toyota Pickup Truck w/ long bed 199Kmi, ext cab, 4 cyl 4 spd runs great!; Allis Chalmers 180 diesel tractor w/ wheel weights & front weights, tires good shape, recent oil change w/ 3pt hitch; 6ft Woods bush hog brush bowl model BB72 Xtreme rotary cutter 3 yr old; John Deere D130 hydrostatic lawnmower 22 hp John Deere engine; John Deere L118 Limited Edition riding mower hydrostatic w/ 20 hp B&S eng (needs work); Huskee 17 cu ft trailer for mower; Guns: Ithaca Gun Co. Inc M-66 Super Single lever action 410 bore 3” chamber shotgun SN# 660707918; J. Stevens Arms Co. .22 S-LLR pump action visible loading repeater rifle SN#J0470; Ranger .22 LR, bolt action rifle w/magazine; Lawn/Garden/Shop/Antiques/General Items: assort hand/garden tools; metal files; shop vacs; hand chem sprayers; pitch forks; painting supplies (brushes etc); wood tennis rackets; lawn/leaf bags; assort lawn chairs; sm pet carrier; fishing poles w/ reels; fishing tackle; antique glass eye wood fishing lures; wheel chalks; 2)gas leaf blowers; assort wood ladders; steel animal traps; several hoses; tarps; assort wire; assort hand tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, hammers etc); assort socket sets; lawn mower parts; files & rasps; assort light bulbs; assort sm hardware (nuts, bolts, nails & screws etc); Sears battery charger; 4) Homelite weed trimmer; garden chemicals & fertilizer; old door knobs; primitives single tree, axes, shovels; assort metal and plastic gas cans; 2)inflatable canoes; power sander; various elect supplies; bungie cords & rope; fire extinguisher; assort iron pipe; wood ext ladders; camo hunting blind; canvas bin for lawn sweeper; tomato cages; plastic hose reel; outdoor A-frame swing; wheelbarrow; prim walk behind garden tiller; pull behind metal lawn aerator; Troy Built Pony walk behind rear tyne tiller; metal turbine roof caps; 2) 6ft sickle bar sections; in-dash Pioneer radio smart phone comp/Bluetooth/Sirius radio ready IN BOX: Power Pro Craft jumper start and power station; Waggoner heavy duty power painter airless paint sprayer; computer speakers; prim hand scythe; rope hammock; ext cords; assort chains; tractor clevis & hitch pins; Tru test lawn spreader; assort grinder wheels; 2 chimney brushes; hand truck; 6ft dbl door metal storage cabinet; vise grips; wire brushes; Tripp Lite power protection surge suppressor; hand wood planes; deep well sockets; metal tool chests; assort wood shelving units; assort storage cabinets; prim 2 dr wood cabinet; 2) medical utility carts; extra wide & reg size sleeping bags; CB radio; Sony radio disc player; ipod radio player; various automotive supplies; golf clubs & bags; vent covers; Ameristep multipurpose pack & blind; dry spreader seeder Agrifab; 3.5hp 20in walk behind lawn mower; Black & Decker elect trimmer; Echo weed trimmer w/ line; 2)plastic tool boxes; outdoor toys; plastic watering cans; car care supplies; assort oils & lube products; 4 dr metal file cabinet; coal bucket; Model 74 115V, 100amp arc welder; 7 metal survival supply containers by Office of Civil Defense/Dept of Defense; group wood handle hand saws; staircase hand rail; 3)metal rail snow sleds; Radio Flyer wagon; upholstered child’s rocking chair; old child’s wood blocks; boy’s Huffy bike arrow mini chopper style; girls sm huffy bicycle; Men’s Huffy Scout 3 bike; GE elect metal blade fan; Master Mechanic 16 gal wet/ dry vac; Speedway Series 12 spd drill press; 6 ft 2 dr metal storage locker; floor brooms; Speedway Series ¾ hp 8” wheel grinder on base; 2 J Marttiini filet knifes; Buffalo Tools 2 hp elect air compressor; 2hp charge air compressor; treble light; Power Craft elect hand drills; elect motor; Stocky elect fence charger; small metal parts cabinets; King Craft palm sander; plastic truck tool box; approx 10ft hard plastic/composite sailboat w/ 2 sails & seats; assort lumber; prim True Value metal wheel barrow; Agrifab 38” lawn sweeper; metal radio estate cart model 76 capacity 5.5 cu ft w/ metal wheels; 2)Minn Kota trolling motors; plastic drain pipe; roofing paper; primitive wood box; plastic flower boxes; metal trunk; Culvert Better Seed Corn Hybrids sign; metal tractor step w/battery box; 13)plastic milk crates (Wanzer’s, Cedar Hill Farms etc); metal milk crate; plastic buckets; 6 shelf metal wire display rack; outdoor table umbrella; wood & metal fence posts; plastic trash cans; firewood; wood & metal fence gates; old oil cans; bike tire pumps; glass oil container spout; 18V cordless drill; pallet of 1960s Terre Haute Brick; sm pile cinderblocks; landscape timbers; selection poplar wood boards; Household/Furniture/ Collectibles: yellow vasoline glass candle holders & bowl; collection of carousel horses (some musical); Octagon 3-in-1 bumper pool table w/cues, balls etc & 5 chairs; 7.5ft white pine artificial Christmas tree in box; tall nut cracker soldier statue; assort crocks; St Claire paper weight; assort knick-knacks; angels; vintage cork bottle stopper; clear cut glass dishes; upholstered couch; assort upholstered chairs; bowls; vases; approx 20 pc vintage pink/green beverage glass sets & goblets; vintage green blendo water set; assort water sets; cake stand w/dome lid; assort end tables; assort lamps; assort Christmas & holiday items; 6) glass holiday martini glasses; glider rocker; round single door cabinet end table; 4)dr oak cabinet; The Nestle Co. Inc. clear teacups; Coors porcelain mortor & pestle USA 522-000-B-3; clear etched glass relish dish; Budweiser Millennium high ball clear stemmed beer glasses; ceramic pedestal fruit bowl; clear glass plant frogs; crystal ring holder; assort clear candy dishes; vintage mirrored trays; assort linens; sake set in box; binoculars; handmade Mexican leather purses; assort clothing accessories; glass mixer bowls; Corning Ware dishes; old shot glass; ceramic nativity scene; Home Medics facial steamer; NIB Rabbit corkscrew; hand crafted/painted dishes by Noritake; Yashica w/Sunpak 45mm auto 101 flash camera; mechanical music dolls; Liebermann Elegance doll in box; glass bake dishes; Duralex dishes; Fuji film fine pix A610 Olympics stylus pocket camera; assort Tupperware; Stroh’s metal cans; vintage purses; assort umbrellas; new certificate of excellence for years of service; assort costume jewelry; 2) matching twin bed set; wicker storage shelving unit; nice 5)pc bedroom suite (queen sz bed, chest of drawers, mirror dresser, 2)night stands, head/foot board); wooden jewelry cabinet; Ionic Breeze air purifier; wood computer desk; assort baskets; painted bookcase w/cabinet & drawers; set 30 Americana Int’l Edition Encyclopedia; Samsung VRT top load wash machine; Kenmore 600 front load elect dryer; utility table; 2 dr wood entertainment center; Life Style Cardio-Fit exercise machine; hide-a -bed couch; white 9dr dresser; mission style oak glider rocker w/ottoman; assort VHS/DVD movies; canning supplies; pressure cooker; elect frying pan; 2) utility carts; white Westinghouse chest freezer; GE 8-track tape player works great!; metal floor fan; retro bread box; lg assortment 8-track tapes; metal office desks; bowling balls & shoes w/ case; 2) upright Kirby vacuum (Classic, Legend 2); lg plastic drink dispenser; assort vintage picnic baskets; leather hand bags; old horseshoes; retro alum stackable warmer; retro plastic food storage container; 37.5” x 26.5” wall mirror & lots more! For Terms, Photos & Sale Flyer go to: www.ucmarshall.com Auctioneer’s Note: We are honored to conduct the Public Auction for the Huffman Family Estate. We have a great selection of items to spark everyone’s interest. This will be approx imately a 4 hour sale. So come on out and bring a friend and enjoy your auction experience. Port-A-Pot will be available. Announcements made at day of sale will take precedence over printed, oral, electronic statements, etc. All Items sold AS IS, WHERE IS, with no warranties expressed or implied. Must have FOID card for the purchase of guns or ammo. Auctioneer is acting only as an agent to the Seller(s) and is not responsible for any accident or liability. United Country – Auctions, Appraisals & Realty, LLC and their agents and the Seller(s) reserve the right to preclude any person or persons from actively bidding in any form if there is any question as to the person or person’s credentials, behavior, suitability, etc. to participate in the bidding process. Terms of Personal Property: Cash or Check with proper ID at day of sale, Credit Cards (Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover) w/ a clerical fee in the amount of 3% of the total purchase charged to the buyer for the use of credit cards. Not responsible for any thefts or accidents. NOTE: WE DO NOT USE THE 6% BUYERS PREMIUM ON PERSONAL PROPERTY—-REAL ESTATE ONLY. NOTE: The Auctioneer may use any dollar increment during the bidding process he feels is appropriate. Read the full article

[garynsmith]

Designer Lookbook: Jackson Thomas Interiors' Classically Coastal Haven

http://ift.tt/2uCDy7u

A dated home on the James River in Williamsburg, VA was in need of a face-lift and a coastal touch to echo its waterside setting.

The home, located in Williamsburg's beautiful Governor’s Land neighborhood, was gutted and updated with timeless materials. Wood floors were refinished in a darker stain, and the walls were painted in a creamy ivory.

While the walls were kept neutral throughout the home, color and personality pop in the fabrics and decor, thanks to the efforts of Jackson Thomas Interiors‘ owner and lead designer Christine Estep, and senior designer Stefanie Powell.

  Drawing design inspiration from interior designer Barclay Butera’s coastal homes, the homeowner requested rooms filled with soothing shades of blue and white, organic textures, and brass. The homeowner also had several family antiques she wanted to incorporate.

"We focused on doing more of the blue and white shades in the great room, because they really pulled in the traditional feel that the homeowner was looking for, while also tying into the water," says Estep.

The designers layered textures like wicker, seagrass, brass, and dark woods to warm up the cool, coastal color palette.

The living room's fireplace facade was covered in a porcelain custom-blend tile with the appearance of a basket weave - a nod to the natural woven fibers used throughout the home.

Good enough to eat

In the kitchen, existing cabinets were updated with a coat of crisp white paint and accessorized with brass bamboo hardware. Berwyn from Cambria quartz countertops with cool gray veining were paired with a sea-glass backsplash.

For contrast, a butcher-block countertop was installed on the island, and oversized brass lanterns add drama and visual interest. Behind the cooktop, an antique tray was transformed into a piece of artwork, framed by sea-glass tile.

In the neighboring dinette, a banquette upholstered in turquoise and blue fabrics ties back to the sea-glass backsplash in the kitchen, paired with a more traditional wooden table and chairs.

Ready for guests

A grass-cloth wallpaper embellished with gold knots provides an elegant backdrop in the powder room. The cozy bathroom is furnished with a small vanity, topped with a copper sink that features a whimsical frog sculpture detail, along with a brushed-bronze faucet and mirror.

In the dining room, Estep covered the walls in grass cloth and introduced a deep orange to the blue-and-white color scheme to create a more formal atmosphere. Artwork collected by the homeowner adds an elegant and personal touch.

"For the dining room, the light fixture was a big launching point, because the homeowner liked brass, and it had a very nautical feel - like a ship’s wheel," Estep adds.

Absolutely dreamy

In the master bedroom, all the furniture and accessories, from the window treatments to the pillows and furniture, were custom-made.

A vibrant peacock blue is paired with a subtle blue-and-ivory paisley fabric used to upholster the headboard and cornice boards. Behind the headboard, an accent wall covered in grass cloth adds subtle texture.

The biggest and most dramatic renovation project was the master bathroom, which was completely gutted and designed so the homeowners could age in place. Wainscoting painted in a cheery white is juxtaposed with a pearlized wallpaper by Fabrica.

Slip-resistant tiles were installed, along with heated flooring throughout the bath and shower. Cambria quartz tops the vanity and surrounds the tub. In the shower, a mix of marble and pearlized tiles are paired with aged brass fixtures, giving the master bath a luxe look.

Get the look at home

Use stone scraps. A small cut of granite or marble is an affordable and easy way to dress up and customize a ready-made vanity. "You can find a piece for next to nothing and have it cut to fit," says Powell. The designers found a small remnant that they had cut to 30 inches wide for the powder room vanity.

Create cohesion with wall color. "In an open-concept home, we always suggest picking one color for common areas - the foyer, great room, corridors - to keep the space light and airy," Powell explains. "In this home, we chose a shade that was a touch down from the trim color. It really expanded the homeowner's space quite a bit."

Layer texture and colors for personality. "You can make a monochromatic color scheme exciting by changing up your patterns and textures," says Estep. "It can really make a space look unique."

See more home design inspiration on Zillow Digs.

Photos by Sara Harris Photography.

Related:

Designer Lookbook: Susan Jamieson’s Coastal Getaway

Tips for Designing a Perfectly Timeless Coastal Home

Remodeling a Traditional Cape Cod-Style Home

from Zillow Blog http://ift.tt/2uCtXNZ via IFTTT

[vincentbnaughton]

Designer Lookbook: Jackson Thomas Interiors' Classically Coastal Haven

A dated home on the James River in Williamsburg, VA was in need of a face-lift and a coastal touch to echo its waterside setting.

The home, located in Williamsburg’s beautiful Governor’s Land neighborhood, was gutted and updated with timeless materials. Wood floors were refinished in a darker stain, and the walls were painted in a creamy ivory.

While the walls were kept neutral throughout the home, color and personality pop in the fabrics and decor, thanks to the efforts of Jackson Thomas Interiors‘ owner and lead designer Christine Estep, and senior designer Stefanie Powell.

Drawing design inspiration from interior designer Barclay Butera’s coastal homes, the homeowner requested rooms filled with soothing shades of blue and white, organic textures, and brass. The homeowner also had several family antiques she wanted to incorporate.

“We focused on doing more of the blue and white shades in the great room, because they really pulled in the traditional feel that the homeowner was looking for, while also tying into the water,” says Estep.

The designers layered textures like wicker, seagrass, brass, and dark woods to warm up the cool, coastal color palette.

The living room’s fireplace facade was covered in a porcelain custom-blend tile with the appearance of a basket weave - a nod to the natural woven fibers used throughout the home.

Good enough to eat

In the kitchen, existing cabinets were updated with a coat of crisp white paint and accessorized with brass bamboo hardware. Berwyn from Cambria quartz countertops with cool gray veining were paired with a sea-glass backsplash.

For contrast, a butcher-block countertop was installed on the island, and oversized brass lanterns add drama and visual interest. Behind the cooktop, an antique tray was transformed into a piece of artwork, framed by sea-glass tile.

In the neighboring dinette, a banquette upholstered in turquoise and blue fabrics ties back to the sea-glass backsplash in the kitchen, paired with a more traditional wooden table and chairs.

Ready for guests

A grass-cloth wallpaper embellished with gold knots provides an elegant backdrop in the powder room. The cozy bathroom is furnished with a small vanity, topped with a copper sink that features a whimsical frog sculpture detail, along with a brushed-bronze faucet and mirror.

In the dining room, Estep covered the walls in grass cloth and introduced a deep orange to the blue-and-white color scheme to create a more formal atmosphere. Artwork collected by the homeowner adds an elegant and personal touch.

“For the dining room, the light fixture was a big launching point, because the homeowner liked brass, and it had a very nautical feel - like a ship’s wheel,” Estep adds.

Absolutely dreamy

In the master bedroom, all the furniture and accessories, from the window treatments to the pillows and furniture, were custom-made.

A vibrant peacock blue is paired with a subtle blue-and-ivory paisley fabric used to upholster the headboard and cornice boards. Behind the headboard, an accent wall covered in grass cloth adds subtle texture.

The biggest and most dramatic renovation project was the master bathroom, which was completely gutted and designed so the homeowners could age in place. Wainscoting painted in a cheery white is juxtaposed with a pearlized wallpaper by Fabrica.

Slip-resistant tiles were installed, along with heated flooring throughout the bath and shower. Cambria quartz tops the vanity and surrounds the tub. In the shower, a mix of marble and pearlized tiles are paired with aged brass fixtures, giving the master bath a luxe look.

Get the look at home

Use stone scraps. A small cut of granite or marble is an affordable and easy way to dress up and customize a ready-made vanity. “You can find a piece for next to nothing and have it cut to fit,” says Powell. The designers found a small remnant that they had cut to 30 inches wide for the powder room vanity.

Create cohesion with wall color. “In an open-concept home, we always suggest picking one color for common areas - the foyer, great room, corridors - to keep the space light and airy,” Powell explains. “In this home, we chose a shade that was a touch down from the trim color. It really expanded the homeowner’s space quite a bit.”

Layer texture and colors for personality. “You can make a monochromatic color scheme exciting by changing up your patterns and textures,” says Estep. “It can really make a space look unique.”

See more home design inspiration on Zillow Digs.

Photos by Sara Harris Photography.

Related:

Designer Lookbook: Susan Jamieson’s Coastal Getaway

Tips for Designing a Perfectly Timeless Coastal Home

Remodeling a Traditional Cape Cod-Style Home

[danielgreen01]

Designer Lookbook: Jackson Thomas Interiors' Classically Coastal Haven

A dated home on the James River in Williamsburg, VA was in need of a face-lift and a coastal touch to echo its waterside setting.

The home, located in Williamsburg's beautiful Governor’s Land neighborhood, was gutted and updated with timeless materials. Wood floors were refinished in a darker stain, and the walls were painted in a creamy ivory.

While the walls were kept neutral throughout the home, color and personality pop in the fabrics and decor, thanks to the efforts of Jackson Thomas Interiors‘ owner and lead designer Christine Estep, and senior designer Stefanie Powell.

  Drawing design inspiration from interior designer Barclay Butera’s coastal homes, the homeowner requested rooms filled with soothing shades of blue and white, organic textures, and brass. The homeowner also had several family antiques she wanted to incorporate.

"We focused on doing more of the blue and white shades in the great room, because they really pulled in the traditional feel that the homeowner was looking for, while also tying into the water," says Estep.

The designers layered textures like wicker, seagrass, brass, and dark woods to warm up the cool, coastal color palette.

The living room's fireplace facade was covered in a porcelain custom-blend tile with the appearance of a basket weave - a nod to the natural woven fibers used throughout the home.

Good enough to eat

In the kitchen, existing cabinets were updated with a coat of crisp white paint and accessorized with brass bamboo hardware. Berwyn from Cambria quartz countertops with cool gray veining were paired with a sea-glass backsplash.

For contrast, a butcher-block countertop was installed on the island, and oversized brass lanterns add drama and visual interest. Behind the cooktop, an antique tray was transformed into a piece of artwork, framed by sea-glass tile.

In the neighboring dinette, a banquette upholstered in turquoise and blue fabrics ties back to the sea-glass backsplash in the kitchen, paired with a more traditional wooden table and chairs.

Ready for guests

A grass-cloth wallpaper embellished with gold knots provides an elegant backdrop in the powder room. The cozy bathroom is furnished with a small vanity, topped with a copper sink that features a whimsical frog sculpture detail, along with a brushed-bronze faucet and mirror.

In the dining room, Estep covered the walls in grass cloth and introduced a deep orange to the blue-and-white color scheme to create a more formal atmosphere. Artwork collected by the homeowner adds an elegant and personal touch.

"For the dining room, the light fixture was a big launching point, because the homeowner liked brass, and it had a very nautical feel - like a ship’s wheel," Estep adds.

Absolutely dreamy

In the master bedroom, all the furniture and accessories, from the window treatments to the pillows and furniture, were custom-made.

A vibrant peacock blue is paired with a subtle blue-and-ivory paisley fabric used to upholster the headboard and cornice boards. Behind the headboard, an accent wall covered in grass cloth adds subtle texture.

The biggest and most dramatic renovation project was the master bathroom, which was completely gutted and designed so the homeowners could age in place. Wainscoting painted in a cheery white is juxtaposed with a pearlized wallpaper by Fabrica.

Slip-resistant tiles were installed, along with heated flooring throughout the bath and shower. Cambria quartz tops the vanity and surrounds the tub. In the shower, a mix of marble and pearlized tiles are paired with aged brass fixtures, giving the master bath a luxe look.

Get the look at home

Use stone scraps. A small cut of granite or marble is an affordable and easy way to dress up and customize a ready-made vanity. "You can find a piece for next to nothing and have it cut to fit," says Powell. The designers found a small remnant that they had cut to 30 inches wide for the powder room vanity.

Create cohesion with wall color. "In an open-concept home, we always suggest picking one color for common areas - the foyer, great room, corridors - to keep the space light and airy," Powell explains. "In this home, we chose a shade that was a touch down from the trim color. It really expanded the homeowner's space quite a bit."

Layer texture and colors for personality. "You can make a monochromatic color scheme exciting by changing up your patterns and textures," says Estep. "It can really make a space look unique."

See more home design inspiration on Zillow Digs.

Photos by Sara Harris Photography.

Related:

Designer Lookbook: Susan Jamieson’s Coastal Getaway

Tips for Designing a Perfectly Timeless Coastal Home

Remodeling a Traditional Cape Cod-Style Home

from Zillow Porchlight http://ift.tt/2uCtXNZ via IFTTT

[feamproffitt]

Designer Lookbook: Jackson Thomas Interiors' Classically Coastal Haven

A dated home on the James River in Williamsburg, VA was in need of a face-lift and a coastal touch to echo its waterside setting.

The home, located in Williamsburg's beautiful Governor’s Land neighborhood, was gutted and updated with timeless materials. Wood floors were refinished in a darker stain, and the walls were painted in a creamy ivory.

While the walls were kept neutral throughout the home, color and personality pop in the fabrics and decor, thanks to the efforts of Jackson Thomas Interiors‘ owner and lead designer Christine Estep, and senior designer Stefanie Powell.

  Drawing design inspiration from interior designer Barclay Butera’s coastal homes, the homeowner requested rooms filled with soothing shades of blue and white, organic textures, and brass. The homeowner also had several family antiques she wanted to incorporate.

"We focused on doing more of the blue and white shades in the great room, because they really pulled in the traditional feel that the homeowner was looking for, while also tying into the water," says Estep.

The designers layered textures like wicker, seagrass, brass, and dark woods to warm up the cool, coastal color palette.

The living room's fireplace facade was covered in a porcelain custom-blend tile with the appearance of a basket weave - a nod to the natural woven fibers used throughout the home.

Good enough to eat

In the kitchen, existing cabinets were updated with a coat of crisp white paint and accessorized with brass bamboo hardware. Berwyn from Cambria quartz countertops with cool gray veining were paired with a sea-glass backsplash.

For contrast, a butcher-block countertop was installed on the island, and oversized brass lanterns add drama and visual interest. Behind the cooktop, an antique tray was transformed into a piece of artwork, framed by sea-glass tile.

In the neighboring dinette, a banquette upholstered in turquoise and blue fabrics ties back to the sea-glass backsplash in the kitchen, paired with a more traditional wooden table and chairs.

Ready for guests

A grass-cloth wallpaper embellished with gold knots provides an elegant backdrop in the powder room. The cozy bathroom is furnished with a small vanity, topped with a copper sink that features a whimsical frog sculpture detail, along with a brushed-bronze faucet and mirror.

In the dining room, Estep covered the walls in grass cloth and introduced a deep orange to the blue-and-white color scheme to create a more formal atmosphere. Artwork collected by the homeowner adds an elegant and personal touch.

"For the dining room, the light fixture was a big launching point, because the homeowner liked brass, and it had a very nautical feel - like a ship’s wheel," Estep adds.

Absolutely dreamy

In the master bedroom, all the furniture and accessories, from the window treatments to the pillows and furniture, were custom-made.

A vibrant peacock blue is paired with a subtle blue-and-ivory paisley fabric used to upholster the headboard and cornice boards. Behind the headboard, an accent wall covered in grass cloth adds subtle texture.

The biggest and most dramatic renovation project was the master bathroom, which was completely gutted and designed so the homeowners could age in place. Wainscoting painted in a cheery white is juxtaposed with a pearlized wallpaper by Fabrica.

Slip-resistant tiles were installed, along with heated flooring throughout the bath and shower. Cambria quartz tops the vanity and surrounds the tub. In the shower, a mix of marble and pearlized tiles are paired with aged brass fixtures, giving the master bath a luxe look.

Get the look at home

Use stone scraps. A small cut of granite or marble is an affordable and easy way to dress up and customize a ready-made vanity. "You can find a piece for next to nothing and have it cut to fit," says Powell. The designers found a small remnant that they had cut to 30 inches wide for the powder room vanity.

Create cohesion with wall color. "In an open-concept home, we always suggest picking one color for common areas - the foyer, great room, corridors - to keep the space light and airy," Powell explains. "In this home, we chose a shade that was a touch down from the trim color. It really expanded the homeowner's space quite a bit."

Layer texture and colors for personality. "You can make a monochromatic color scheme exciting by changing up your patterns and textures," says Estep. "It can really make a space look unique."

See more home design inspiration on Zillow Digs.

Photos by Sara Harris Photography.

Related:

Designer Lookbook: Susan Jamieson’s Coastal Getaway

Tips for Designing a Perfectly Timeless Coastal Home

Remodeling a Traditional Cape Cod-Style Home