#pea green velvet living room chairs

[demenciathemes]

Eclectic Living Room - Formal Example of a large eclectic formal and enclosed carpeted and gray floor living room design with white walls, no fireplace and no tv

[stardust-swan]

My Dream Home

aka where I'd live if I was rich and had time to maintain all of this

Outside

Powder blue, with murals painted on the side

There will be roses, violets, lavender, petunias, marigolds, peonies, mayflowers, and a cherry blossom tree in the front garden

And tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, onions, mint, courgettes, garlic, sage, thyme, basil, lettuce, peas, carrots, and cucumber in the back

Pretty birdbath

A wrought iron bench

Lanterns and string lights to light up the garden at night

A marble or bronze statue of Aphrodite

A calm fountain

Bonsai trees

Bedroom

Satin and silk bedsheets in ballet pink, lavender, baby blue, and duck egg green, and floral quilts and duvet covers

Beaded clothes hangers on the clothes rack

Fluffy fur rugs on the floor

An illuminated vanity with my favourite makeup, perfume, and Pandora charm bracelet on display

A nook for a shrine to Aphrodite

A clothesline of theatre programmes I've gone to on the wall

A large shelf for my collector barbies

A light up shoe rack big enough for my (vast) collection of shoes

Plushies on the bed

My closet and drawers will have sachets of potpourri and scented soaps in them so that my clothes will smell beautiful

A velvet headboard

Heavy drapes on the bed

Kitchen

Delicate floral ceramics in the kitchen

There will always be fresh-baked cookies and pastries for when guests drop in

A cupboard stocked full of herbal teas

Will always have a soup cooking on the stove and a pie cooling on the windowsill

The fridge will be stocked with vegetables and berries from my garden, fresh eggs, whole milk and good butter and cheese, cured meats, smoked salmon, macarons, homemade limoncello and cider, jam made from my own berries, and jugs of water with cucumber, lemon slices, and springs of homemade mint

Other foods will include: an array of spices and herbs, fresh bread, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, green and black olives, brown rice, veg that I canned and pickled myself, kimchi, almond milk, rice milk, mochi, marzipan, white chocolate with raspberries, dried fruits and nuts, honey, and fresh pastries

A six burner stove

Marble countertops

Elegant silverware

Living Room

Homemade throws on the chairs

A large bookshelf and more books on the windowsill

Will always smell delicious because of the candles I burn every evening

Will always be filled with the sound of classical music or jazz

Lots of cushions on the sofas

Sconces with frilled shades on the walls

A dining table with a beautiful centrepiece and elegant table settings

A comfy armchair for me to sit on while reading and crocheting

Bathroom

Jurlique rose handcream and fancy rose-pink soaps by the sink

Fluffy, thick, soft towels in white, pale pink, baby blue, lavender, and mint green

A vanity which has a mirror with soft pink lights, and enough storage space for my creams, body butter, exfoliater, face masks, toner, body mist, etc

Patterned toilet paper

Shower curtains made of silk or satin

Sea salt scented diffusers and a potted plant to make it feel fresh, and aromatherapy candles to make it feel calm

A bidet!

Mosaic tile walls and marble flooring and countertops

A clawfoot bathtub with elegant curves and gold accents

Plush rug next to the bath and a pretty toilet seat cover

Antique bathroom accessories, like a silver soap dish and crystal toothbrush holder

Maritime and botanical themed artwork on the walls

A built in sound system to play relaxing music while I bathe, like classical music, Native American flute music, or my Aphrodite playlist (on days where I'm having a long pampering session).

A large mirror with an ornate frame

A stained glass mirror so nobody can look in

Multiple Rooms/Other

Gilded framed pictures of my loved ones throughout the house

A potted houseplant on the side of each step of the staircase

Wide windows with velvet or satin curtains that let in lots of natural light

Prints by local artists on the walls

Vases of flowers taken from my garden in each room, even on the bathroom counter

Deep, plush carpets on the floor

Soft lighting from salt lamps and fairy lights

South-facing windows, so that the house will be full of light

The walls will be painted in pastel colours or will have a delicate wallpaper

Lots of pretty trinkets on the surfaces

Sapphic artworks that portrays lovers or the female form

Crystal handles on the cabinets and cupboards in the house

Lavender incense

Lace doilies on the side tables

Ribbons and bows everywhere

[ryuzakemo128]

Marianna's Estate (Part 1)

Author's Note: This is what Marianna's Estate looks like. This description won't fit one single post. So this one will be Series of posts of a description of this estate, so in future the estate will be more clear to you guys.

Part 2 / Masterlist

The fence had brick on the bottom and black metal fence on the top of it. It also surrounded Marianna's estate as they approached. A lovely hedge trims around the inside and outside of the fencing. The roof of the house was blood red, and the house was light gray. A pond was in the centre surrounded by sweet pea flowers. Red Snapdragons and Hyacinth 'Midnight Mystic' flowers were along the outside of the inside hedges.

The white gravel driveway stands out against the grass and hedges, and it also wraps around the pond. The pond had an extremely detailed mermaid statue looking into the pond from the front. They had access to a garage while they were there. There were two garden sheds, one for the front yard and one for the backyard. White garden urns were on each side of the front door with Black Baccara roses in them. Chocolate Cosmos in the window planters on the front of the mansion. Mystic Dreamer Dahlia flowers are the ones she usually gives to her friends. This was primarily a sign of trust, and she didn't like pink as much as the darker shades like Black, Purple, etc.

In her backyard, the large estate blended into the forest after a few yards. The estate could have continued for many years if she had kept up with maintenance. Her father was wealthy, and he had invested a lot of money in maintaining it. Therefore, she was the only one living there despite her father's disappearance and her mother's death.

The heavy dark wooden, bronze edged double doors had a gold lion's head knocker on both doors. The floor of the mansion are dark red mahogany wood, the mansion also had high ceilings and burgundy red with gold trimmed walls except for the bedrooms. The guest bedrooms had pastel pink, blue and green with clouds. As soon as they walked inside the mansion, a huge painting of Kronos eating one of his children hung in the entry foyer. The bust of Marianna’s father on the table underneath it.

The kitchen is open, large and gothic to match the rest of the mansions theme. The black granite countertops and stainless steel appliances give the kitchen a modern touch. There is a large island in the center of the kitchen with bar stools on one side. The cabinets are made from a dark wood and they have intricate details carved into them. The center of the ceiling of the kitchen had a lovely black iron chandelier with dripping crystal accents that added a touch of elegance to the room.

The kitchen also had a large pantry with glass doors, showcasing Marianna's collection of antique plates and silverware. A large gas stove with six burners and a griddle was against one wall, and a double oven was on the opposite wall. The refrigerator and freezer were built into the cabinetry, making them look like they were part of the wall.

The corner of the kitchen, there is a cozy little breakfast nook with a round wooden table and dark cushioned chairs. Windows surrounded the nook let in plenty of natural light and provided the view of the front yard.

Adjacent to the kitchen was a formal dining room with a large, rectangular mahogany table and elegant chairs. The room was adorned with dark red curtains and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The walls were painted a cream color with gold accents, giving the room a warm and inviting feel.

The dining room had a large table that could seat up to at least ten people, the chairs were burgundy velvet and the table is wooden with a red colour. A black and white Russian rug underneath the table. The room also had a large painting she did a few months ago, in the same style as Bob Ross. The painting depicted a peaceful forest scene with a small stream running through it. It was placed on the wall opposite the entrance, making it a focal point of the room. A wooden cabinet was against one wall, filled with Marianna's collection of antique dinnerware and silverware.

The dining room was attached to the Main Lounge room. The walls were still a burgundy red with gold trimmings like the rest of the house. Floor is still the mahogany red wood. It also had black velvet couches, the large ones were against the walls and there was a small on top of the tv unit. Fireplace near the second couch, only ever used during the winter. The curtains in the Lounge room matched the couches and the dining room curtains were matching the walls. They were also a Burgundy red.

[heavenlyhaechan]

The Pursuit of Happiness

Pairing: Ten x Gn!Reader 

Genre: strangers to friends to lovers au, fluff, a teensy tiny itty bitty basically nonexistent bit of angst, 

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: very brief mentions of stress, 

Rating: PG 

Note: happy birthday ten!!! 

The day was bright and sunny, which inconveniently contradicted your mood. You wouldn’t have to be outside for long though you reminded yourself, just long enough to get a net of clementines from the co-op down the street. This small bit of happiness would have to be enough to hold you over until finals were finished and you could finally breathe again. 

The bell on the door jingled merrily, another offensive clash with your mood. You headed straight for the produce section, your eyes watching your feet as they moved you forward. You knew your way around this little shop so well you were sure you could find what you wanted with your eyes closed. 

When you saw the last net of clementines sitting on the old wood shelf, the blue of the net complimenting the bright orange fruit, your heart leaped. Well maybe not leaped, but certainly sat up a little straighter. Your hand reached for them, but just before your fingertips could brush the netted plastic it was being snatched away by a quicker shopper. 

Your heart sunk again as you looked up to meet the eyes of the clementine stealer. His dark bangs fell into his eyes and down his neck, and a mole stared at you from under his left eye. He looked a bit confused which only proceeded to aggravate the indignation now building in your chest. 

“Uhhh,” he began, eyes moving back and forth from you to the clementines in his hand. 

“I’ll pay you for them,” you interrupted him, hands rummaging in your pockets for your wallet. 

“No no it’s okay,” he shook his head emphatically. “You can just have them.” 

It was then that you were reminded of the way you’d left your residence, half asleep after a three-hour nap that had been proceeded by your third all-nighter this week. You were in the same clothes you’d been wearing yesterday, wrinkled no doubt, with circles that made you resemble a raccoon imprinted under your eyes. 

And yet if the sympathy of this stranger meant that you got your treasured clementines, then you couldn’t complain. 

“Okay,” you took them from him. “Thank you.” 

“Sure,” he nodded amicably. “Just know that you owe me.” 

——

“Wow, there’s a lot of people here,” you said to Yuta as you took your seats. Nearly every chair in the auditorium had already been taken and people were still filing in through the double doors that led to the lobby. 

“For good reason,” he told you as he leaned back in his seat. “They’re really good.” 

You had agreed to go with him to see his friend Sicheng and his dance company perform a while ago, so long that it had almost escaped your mind today. You supposed it was a good thing that Yuta never failed to give you countless reminders for everything in your life, from a project due to an event that you had promised to attend with him months ago. 

Just as you began to flip through the program in your lap the lights in the audience went down only to be replaced by a single spotlight. A man appeared from the side of the stage to announce the upcoming performance before disappearing backstage once more. 

The dark and silence that followed made you feel like the entire audience was holding their breath. Then the red velvet curtain parted and the show began. 

——

You clung to Yuta’s arm so as not to lose him in the crowd as you wove your way through the lobby to the door marked with a neon exit sign. He had agreed to meet Sicheng outside after the performance and so there you waited, hands stuffed in your pockets to ward off the winter chill. 

Soon enough a chattering group exited the building, their stage makeup looking comical under the light of the streetlamps. 

“Sicheng!” Yuta cried as his friend emerged from within their midst to greet him. You laughed to yourself at the modest and faintly embarrassed expression on his face as Yuta began to talk his ear off about the intricacies of the show you’d just watched. 

Leaning against the brick wall of the building you watched as people hugged each other goodbye, feeling oddly out of place. Then you were met with the sight of a familiar face with a familiar mole under the left eye. 

“I’m pretty sure you owe me,” he said as he leaned against the wall next to you. 

“Oh, you were serious?” 

“Of course.” 

You stared him down, waiting for him to waver. But he didn’t. Instead, he just smiled at you like you were an old friend, someone who he had shared tubs of popcorn with and borrowed a towel from after a summer day spent in the pool. 

You felt entrapped in his gaze, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. His eyes were warm and comfortable like a rare spot of sun on the wood floor in winter. It wasn’t exactly a staring contest you were partaking in, but you still didn’t want to be the first to look away. 

“I don’t even know your name,” you finally conceded. 

“Ten,” he said simply, reaching out a hand to shake. 

You told him your name and he repeated it back to you, rolling the foreign syllables around on his tongue like they were peas fresh out of the pod. Your name, something so mundane after hearing it so many times, sounded fresh and beautiful coming from him. 

“So how about you buy me an ice cream cone to pay off your debt.” 

“It’s too cold for ice cream.” 

“It’s never too cold for ice cream,” he said cheekily before turning to say goodbye to his friends. 

You stepped forward as well to let Yuta know where you were going, and after an affirmation from Sicheng that Ten wasn’t a creep, he let you go with a promise that you’d text him when you got home. 

——

“So what’d you think of the performance?” Ten asked you before taking a bite of his green tea ice cream. 

You shuddered at the sight, gums cringing in phantom pain. He tilted his head like a cat would at your actions, and you quickly had to explain that it was aimed at him biting his ice cream, not at the performance. 

“It was amazing,” you said after the miscommunication had been cleared up. 

“Yeah?” 

“Mm.” 

Your mind drifted off for a moment as you relived the contents of the show you’d just watched. Some songs had been slow, strange, and hypnotizing. Others were much more upbeat, the energy in the room making you feel like you could fly up into the rafters of the grand auditorium. 

“What about me?” Ten asked, successfully jolting you from your fond remembering. 

“Huh?” 

“What do you think about me?” 

You smiled at the cheshire grin on his face, noticed the way his eyes twinkled with mischief. To yourself you thought, I think I’d like to see more of those eyes, but out loud you said: 

“I think I’d like to get to know you better.” 

——

Months passed and you did exactly that, got to know each other better. You learned that Ten actually hated fruit and that he had only wanted to buy the clementines for his roommate, the aforementioned Sicheng. You saw firsthand how hard he worked, how creativity ran through his veins in place of blood and leaked out of his pores in place of sweat. 

You quickly learned that he shared your affinity for coffee and so, since you only lived a few blocks away from each other, much of your time was spent haunting the local coffee shop. It was there that he told you of his home back in Thailand and of his family and friends there, as well as the story of how he started dancing. 

He talked a lot if you let him, but you didn’t mind. He was fascinating to listen to and to watch. Time and time again you found yourself sinking into the depths of his eyes as you listened, bathing in their warmth. 

He caught you doing just that a few times more than you’d like, laughing kindheartedly at your embarrassment before starting back up again where he had left off. He was always kind, even when he teased you for the purple butterfly sticker you bought to place over your laptop camera. 

“You watch too many crime movies,” he’d said before letting out an exaggerated yelp when you’d punched him in the arm. 

Tonight you were watching yet another crime movie on that same laptop, your blankets creating a nest for you to rest in. Ten sat next to you, his fingers braiding the loose strings on the side of one of those very blankets. Every now and then he would look up to watch you, barely remembering to pay any attention to the movie. 

Your brow creased as you focused on the crime detailed in the film, your eyes wide and reflecting the screen at him. Your shoulders were hunched in and for a moment he wondered whether it was from the cold. This made him realize how cold it was in your living room, despite all of the blankets, and so he slipped an arm around you until you were pulled up against his side and sharing his body heat. 

You jumped in response to his actions, almost crying out from surprise after being so engrossed in the movie before you. 

“Sorry, I thought you were cold,” he said quietly. 

“Oh. It’s okay,” you decided, not wanting to admit how comfortable he was and how nice he smelled. 

“Okay,” he said, moving his arm into a more comfortable position. You jumped again but for a different reason this time. 

“Sorry I-” he started to retract his arm. 

“No, it’s okay I just-” 

“Wait,” he cut you off, his trademark grin growing and filling you with anticipation. “Are you ticklish?” 

“No,” you said quickly, maybe too quickly. 

He let out a giggle and poked your side to test his theory. You jumped a third time, pushing him away in annoyance. But now he was laughing outright and you couldn’t help but laugh with him, any momentary exasperation disappearing as the golden sound poured out of your throats. 

The two of you sat there laughing for far too long and simultaneously not long enough, movie long forgotten. You hadn’t laughed like that since you were a kid, that exhilarating feeling where anything and everything is truly hysterical. 

Eventually, you lapsed from breathless giggles into giddy smiles. As Ten watched you, his heart still pounding like a drum in his chest, he had a rare moment of clarity. 

“I like you.” 

Once he came to the realization it wasn’t something he had to think about saying out loud. Why shouldn't you know? You were the only one that he cared to tell after all. 

“Like like?” you asked despite how childish you felt. 

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Like like.” 

Your lips parted in surprise at his words, eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. 

“You don’t have to say it back if you don’t want to,” he said matter of factly. “I told you so you’d know, not so you’d say it back.” 

The corners of your mouth turned up against your will as you stared down at your hands where they rested in your lap. You realized then how easily smiling came to you since you’d met him. How easily happiness came. You no longer had to convince yourself that your small pleasures and indulgences were happiness, for in the time since you’d met Ten you had simply begun to believe it. 

“I like you too.” 

“Really?” his eyes lit up as he looked at you, mouth curving into a newborn smile. 

“Really.” 

[empresskylo]

‘𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖑𝖊𝖉’ - Ch 1

Birthday Wishes

Series Summary: (tangled themed reylo au) The magically long-haired Rey has spent her entire life in a tower, but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world for the first time, and who she really is. Pairing: Rey x Kylo Ren | Ben Solo Warnings: n/a Word Count: 1k+ Author’s Notes: This is a Disney’s Tangled Reylo au, although I’ve changed things a bit. It’s still got a star wars feel (there’s multiple planets, a rebel war, lightsabers, etc.) but it has Tangled’s aesthetic if that makes sense. Also, Luke is playing Rey’s (Rapunzel’s) Uncle in this series. The one who’s keeping her trapped in a tower. And Corona (the city from Tangled) is the planet on which Rey lives. And it starts off pretty similar to the plot of Tangled, but I promise it will start to diverge (as well as be a lot darker and explicit than Tangled). “𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖑𝖊𝖉” masterlist | main masterlist

Warm purple light danced in through Rey’s curtains in her tower. She groggily rolled over and fell out of her cozy bed. “Another day, trapped,” she sighed. Rey rose and looked at herself in her beautifully carved mirror. She pouted, her mind already bored. Rey spent the morning reading, cleaning, making a cake, making dozens of candles, painting, reading some more, cleaning her room again, playing dress up, reading again, and it still wasn’t even noon. Rey had been locked away in a tower once her Uncle discovered her hair possessed time-reversing powers. Her Uncle Luke told her it was best to keep her hidden away from the rest of the world; the world was an evil place and people would only try to take advantage of her. Rey grew up in the tower, never having stepped foot on the green earth below. Luke was all Rey knew... Him and this tower. Luke had told Rey her parents were killed when she was just a baby, which is why he took over care for her. She’d spend days pinning for his return, he was the only social interaction she had. Luke often left for weeks at a time, he would sell things at the market. It was a rough time for the planet of Corona with a war going on, and Luke said he was busy helping the rebels but selling them parts and weapons.

Rey was sprawled out on her velvet couch, a paintbrush loosely held in her hand as she stared at the mural she was working on on the ceiling. She painted what she imagined different worlds and ships to look like (she wasn’t even sure what Corona looked like, only what she could see out her window). Rey would often hear ships fly over, but she knew it was because of the war that was going on between the rebels and the Empire. Luke said it was dangerous out there, and only a skilled user of a lightsaber should ever go out on Corona. But Luke refused to reach Rey, he said it was useless to teach someone who would never even leave their home in the first place. “Rey!” Luke called from below. Rey instantaneously sprang up, her feet knocking over the paint on the floor as she ran to the balcony window. Wide eyed, Rey peered down and smiled happily at her Uncle Luke. She quickly looped her hair around a hook and threw it down for him to grasp on to. Once they had worked together to heave him up, he engulfed her in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re back!” Rey cried. “I missed you so much!” “I missed you too, sweet pea.” Luke then moved past her to put his stuff down on the kitchen counter. “So, what do you want for dinner? I picked up some fresh veggies, although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t eat most of it on my trek back here. Man, it was a rough week in the market square, didn’t make much...” Luke went on and on as Rey stood watching him, her hands nervously twirling her golden hair around her fingers. She was turning 18 tomorrow and had finally figured out what she wanted, but she didn’t know how to ask her Uncle. He was so strict about her staying hidden away. Rey had read thousands upon thousands of books and knew turning 18 was very important in a young woman’s life. She desperately wanted to feel the grass between her toes, to feel the stream of water she could hear through the woods rushing over her legs, and to smell fresh flowers in the sun. Even if only for one day. She approached Luke who was busy boiling a pot of water for dinner that night. He has on a dark beige tunic that paired well with his beige cloak that was thrown over the kitchen chair, a pair of dark knit pants, and a golden belt. His hair was long and disheveled and he had scars across his face that Luke said was from protecting her as a child. “Yes?” Luke asked when Rey came up from behind him. “Well... I had spent all day thinking... I mean that’s all I ever do,” the last part Rey said barely above a whisper. “Speak up, Rey,” Luke commanded. “I fingered out what I wanted for my birthday tomorrow.” Luke spun around, “Oh, yes, that’s tomorrow... Well... What is it? Hopefully nothing expensive.” “No— Well... I was hoping to be able to leave... the tower tomorrow...” Luke’s eyes darkened, “Only for a day! And you can be there the whole time. I just desperately want to feel the grass and—“ “No, Rey. And don’t ask again.” “But—“ Luke instinctively gripped his saber at his side, “I said, no.” Rey gulped, his voice deep and threatening. “Okay, Uncle.” She quietly turned around, tears pouring down her cheeks, as she went to her room.

✧

Kylo Ren was running through the woods, dodging tree branches and using the force to guide his way. Stormtroopers followed close behind, Kylo gripping the bag on his hip closer which contained none other than the lost princess’s crown. She was the granddaughter to Sheev Papaltine and the Queen. This was one of Kylo’s most risky thievery quests. It took careful planning and execution to get aboard Palpatine’s ship in order to steal his granddaughters crown. Well... to be fair, that wasn’t his first intention. He was there to steal much more than that, but he may have slipped up a bit and was only able to escape with one thing. Kylo was like a bounty hunter... but for ‘things’... it was much less dangerous, and sometimes he wasn’t sure he had the stomach for murder, but he wouldn’t say that out loud. Kylo slipped behind a thick curtain of vines as the stormtroopers rushed by. He let out a sigh and realized he was standing in a cave. She clicked on his red saber and made he was down the stone walls. He saw a gleam from the moon and realized it was no cave, but a tunnel. He slowly peered out into the night air, turning his saber off, not wanting to be spotted, when he laid his eyes upon the tallest tower he had ever seen.

[simplyfandomish]

Sister, Sister (2/_)

Older Sister! Reader x Older! Gilbert Blythe

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 ||

“Can you please sit? You’re going to wear a hole in the rug.” 

The Shirley-Cuthbert was pacing on Aunt Jo’s expensive Persian rug. Her mind and her heart a giant jumble of mixed emotions and conflicted thoughts. 

Anne paused. She thought for a moment, huffed, and then plopped herself on the couch across from (Y/n). “I’m sitting down because my mind is exhausted. Not because you told me too.” Anne huffed. 

Aunt Josephine and Diana left the redheads to discuss their family turmoil. The Barry’s had decided to sit in the dining room and catch up with one another as the sisters occupied the parlor. They would give the Shirley’s their privacy, but close enough in case both needed to step in. 

(Y/n) spoke up. “Why do you think I abandoned you, Anne? And don’t make up any colorful stories. I want the truth.” Anne crossed her arms and sunk into the green velvet cushion. “But you did anyway.” She refused to look at her sister. 

“My plans were to go back and adopt you. I needed one more paycheck and I was going to hop onto the ferry to get you.” 

Anne leaped to her feet. “Please don’t fib to me, (Y/n)! You were content with your job at the pub. Besides, I already have been adopted! So your plans don’t even matter anymore! I happily live with the Cuthberts of Green Gables. With Princess Cordelia a-and the Snow Queen! I’m happy!”

(Y/n) felt cold water run down her back. “Y-You’re adopted? Since when have you been adopted??”

Anne wiped her nose on her sleeve. “For a few months now! You’ve known if you read my letters - which this clearly proves you haven’t. Therefore you don’t care!”

(Y/n) leaped to her feet. “Now hold on for a moment. I received a letter that said you returned to the asylum after working for Mrs. Hammond and that you were still waiting for me to return!”

Anne furrowed her brows. “I did return after working for the Hammond’s but then I was called by the Cuthberts. But I wrote to you immediately after I left the asylum and arrived at Green Gables.”

(Y/n) pursed her lips, “This is my first time hearing about Green Gables or the Cuthberts. The very last letter I got from you was a few weeks ago…addressed from the asylum.”

“And I got mine from you saying that you were settling down in Nova Scotia.”

“I’ve been on the island for almost a year...” 

The pieces to this puzzle were slowly starting to click together and the Shirley’s were becoming increasingly angry at the conclusion. 

“Those blasted nurses were tricking us! They intercepted our letters!” 

“How utterly cruel! I knew they were unpleasant people, but this just makes them even more horrendous!”

Red hair ignited to a brighter color as their tempers flared. 

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! Especially a redhead!” Anne quoted with her fists in the air. 

(Y/n) nodded and barged out of the parlor. “Make that TWO redheads!”

Aunt Josephine and Diana barged onto the parlor once they heard raised voices. They rested their hands over their hearts when their eyes rested on the pink faces of the angered females. “Good heavens! What is happening?”

(Y/n) pushed past the Barry’s and stomped towards the coat hanger. She ripped her jacket from the brass hanger, a hole torn in the sleeve snagged on a hanger and tore open wider. Only feuling (Y/n)’s anger. “I have every right to hop onto a ferry and pummel their ugly faces in. Maybe this time I will burn down the garden!” She proclaimed and knotted the sash of her jacket tightly around her torso. (Y/n) marched towards the large doors with Anne on her tail. 

Aunt Josephine and her butler rushed towards the fuming redheads. “Now, now, let’s all keep a calm head, ladies. It’s dark and cold out to travel anywhere and the ferry is closed for the night.”

“Then I’ll wait for the earliest morning launch!” (Y/n) proclaimed. 

The butler scrambled in front of (Y/n) and blocked her exit. “Out of my way egghead. I’ve got some teeth to knock in!”

“That’s enough!” Aunt Josephine banged the end of her cane on the floor. “I don’t mind the temper of a redhead, but when they insult my staff is where I draw the line. You need to take a breath and think rationally. I would hate for my neighbors to witness a cursing woman leave my abode.” She shook her head, “Be utterly dreadful towards my reputation. Now let’s all gather back into the parlor and calm down.” 

(Y/n)’s temper extinguished as the old woman spoke in a soft, but firm tone. She knew never to step up against an elder woman with a wooden walking stick and a tongue like silver. 

(Y/n) huffed and tugged off her pea coat. The butler took her dark jacket and hung it back up on the hanger. “Sorry about the name-calling.” She huffed under her breath. 

Tempers and apologizes were the bane of a redhead’s existence. (And in Anne’s case - the red hair itself). 

Egghead nodded at the apology. 

“Bertram, see how much longer till dinner is ready. A warm meal will calm things over.”

The butler nodded once again and rushed off towards the kitchen. 

“So it was the asylum nurses that has caused such a calamity.” Aunt Josephine clicked her tongue as she stabbed her sliced piece of chicken. “Rotten people. The lot of them. I should write a strongly worded letter to the higher-ups about this. Get all those involved fired.” She shoved the food into her mouth. Her teeth clacked against the metal. 

“But then the entire asylum would have no staff to run it.” (Y/n) commented. She shook her head, “And then all those kids wouldn’t have a safe place to stay. It’s not home, but it’s still a roof with bed. Although, the food sucked.” (Y/n) cut her vegetables with more aggression than necessary. 

“ ‘Was disgraceful’. Not ‘sucked’. Improper language for a young woman.” Aunt Josephine couldn’t help but correct.

(Y/n) rolled her eyes.

Anne bowed her head, “I’ve always hated that place.” All attention was towards the Cuthbert, but her blue eyes refused to tear away from her plate. “After you became of age, the other girls didn’t hesitate to tease me. It was utterly abhorrent.”

The mood in the dining room shifted, but Aunt Josephine had quite enough of the somber mood. “That’s enough of this grim atmosphere. We’re all having a lovely dinner with lovely company. Any more of this gloomy attitude and all of you will be sent out into the cold and pay for your own meals at the tavern.” Diana and Anne shrunk into their chairs, but (Y/n) shot to her feet. 

“The tavern! I totally left my job! Ohhh, I hope Emilio doesn’t fire me!” (Y/n) was quick to shove as much food as she could into her mouth before she sprinted back into the foyer and collected her jacket.

“Manners, child! Manners! Aunt Josephine had shouted from the dining room. Anne and Diana had leaped to their feet as well and chased after the older redhead. “But (Y/n)! Wait! We’ve just reunited and you already have to leave?!” Anne panted. 

Egghead assisted (Y/n) with her peacoat, her brows were furrowed and her eyes were sad. “I know, pumpkin, but a job’s a job. Plus, I’m gonna save up to visit this notorious Green Gables of yours.” She smirked with a wink as she tightened her jacket belt tighter. 

Anne and Diana gasped with a smile. The Cuthbert flung into her sister’s stomach and wrapped her arms tight around her waist. Her face nuzzled under (Y/n)’s bossom. The Shirley sisters held each other in Aunt Jo’s foyer for what felt like an eternity; the eldest rocked her sister back and forth on their feet, like a slow dance. 

(Y/n) exhaled and pressed her lips to Anne’s pumpkin orange hair. “I promise I’ll return to you, Anne.” She pushed Anne from her body and held her arm's length away. “And now we know where the other is...you’re going to have a hard time avoiding me.” She pinched Anne’s cheek. 

Anne crinkled her nose and fought her sister’s hand on her face, reaching up and tugging on (Y/n)‘s long, apple red locks. 

After twin squeaks of pain erupted from the Shirley’s, both girls released their grip on the other and instead wrapped their arms around the other once again. 

“Diana, please thank your aunt for the hospitality. I’ll be sure to visit again - if she provides another scrumptious meal.” (Y/n) smirked down at her younger sister as she used her favorite word. Anne smiled widely up at her older sister. 

“I’ll see you soon, Anne. Very soon. I promise!”

“I’ll keep you to that promise, dear sister.” She lifted her hand and extended her pinkie. 

(Y/n) smiled and intertwined her own pinkie with her sister’s. Both girls kissed their thumbs as they pinkie promised to each other. They giggled as they pulled apart. 

“Diana,” (Y/n) nodded in farewell to the ravenette, the young girl nodded and curtseyed. “Anne.” She smiled widely and pulled open the brown door that led out into the dark, cold, snowy landscape of Charlottetown. 

When the door closed with a small click, Anne let out a breath. She felt Diana worm her hand into her own and squeezed in reassurance. 

“Oh Diana, I feel like I could dance on clouds. Now that I am reunited with my Joan of Arc! My sister! My (Y/n)!!”

Tagged List: [Open]: angel-in-the-roses

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Lena the Totem-bearer

Lena stumbles across the totem by accident. She has her ear to the ground for any black market kryptonite sales, and she snipes it out from under another bidder. When she goes to verify its authenticity, she knows its a fake without even touching it. But even so... it captivates her.

In exchange for not spreading word his attempted deception through the community, the seller gifts the stone to her free of charge. Tests reveal that it belongs to the emerald family, and that it's old. Older than written history. It's edges are jagged and its chain is so rusted it nearly falls apart in her hands. The gem is flawed beyond value, but even so it shines like the most priceless of jewels.

Lena commissions a custom setting and chain for it. The silver base covers the rough edges and it hangs from a wide snake chain to rest against her sternum. And there it lives. She wears it every day for a week before it occurs to that she should shake it up. Swapping it out for a simple string of pearls makes her feel out of sorts the entire day.

After that, she simply doesn't bother with variety. Lena feels powerful wearing it-- confident, and self-assured. But correlation doesn't equal causation, and she thinks nothing of it. She also doesn't notice that her office plants slowly begin to recover from her lack of care-- when she does, its only because one of the spider plants has grown a tendril long enough to tickle the bare skin of her arm.

Lena assumes Jess has started watering them, and that coupled with a few weeks of sunny conditions must be the reason for the growth spurt. She trims it back, and doesn't give it a second thought.

The first thing that strikes her as odd is the day she meets Kara in the park for lunch. Kara runs late, and Lena waits on her back in the grass, basking in a rare moment of inactivity. Kara's eventual arrival is announced by the artificial shutter snap of a smartphone camera.

She cracks open one eye to squint up at her friend. "Seriously? You keep me waiting only to sneak a photo of me?"

Kara is utterly unapologetic. "What did you expect would happen when you decided to lay down in all those pretty flowers?"

"What?"

Lena props herself up on her elbows and scans the grass around her. Sure enough, the lawn around her is peppered with a variety of wildflowers: buttercups and daisies and bluebells all clustered around her.

"I-- didn't notice..."

She should have. And it's weird that she didn't. After that, it's like Lena's eyes are open for the first time. She finally notices that leaves seem greener when she brushes her fingers over them. Her office plants flower for the first time-- out of season. Jess confirms she hasn't touched any of the plants during her entire tenure.

((more under the cut))

But the fear doesn't set in for another two weeks. One Tuesday morning she wakes up with her heart in her throat. She feels queasy and nauseous and her skin feels like it's about to crawl off her bones. Everything is just wrong, wrong, wrong and she's nearly in tears by the time lunch rolls around.

Kara notices the moment their eyes meet at the designated cafe, but before she can say a word the world starts to shake. It feels like a train speeding by, rattling the utensils and glasses atop their metal bistro table. Then the thunder hits.

The grounds bucks violently beneath them, throwing Lena from her chair. Kara catches her  and holds her close. Lena clamps her hand over her mouth to keep from vomiting. She focuses on the sound of Kara's heartbeat and clutches her necklace in her free hand.

The second it stops, Lena feels better. Better than better. Her arms and legs feel light, as if she'd woken from the most restful nap of her life. It comes as such as a relief that she nearly laughs, even when she takes in the sight of the deep crevice that cracks the street open, exposing strata of pavement and dirt and rock, and swallows half a dozen cars just on their block.

That night, Lena buys an african violet from a flower stand and brings it home with her. With one hand on her pendant, she sits on her couch and stares at the plant sitting ignominously on her coffee table.

It's a young plant-- it's mostly leaves and a few tightly budded flowers. She stares and stares for over an hour before she bites the bullet and reaches for her phone.

"Preliminary Test Number 1. The date is Tuesday, June 3rd, time-- 1630hrs Pacific Standard. Subject is a potted African Violet, procured from Natalie's Flowers on 6th and East. Plant is comprised of six leaves-- green, ranging from one to two-and-a-half inches in size-- and two buds. Soil is dark, and--"

Lena reaches out to touch her fingers to the dirt filling the small terra cotta pot. In an instant, her tongue turns gritty, and she swallows with a dry throat.

"Soil is dry to the touch," she finishes, clearing her throat with a cough. "The buds are roughly pea-size and--"

Her voice fails her when the tightly budded flowers start to swell. Like a timelapse video the buds grow and then expand, revealing perfectly formed petals cast in a deep, gorgeous purple.

Lena shuts off her voice recorder without another word. She sits there, silently, staring at this beautiful traitor of natural order as though it could somehow explain its own existence to her.

It doesn't.

At a loss to do anything else, and unwilling to learn anything more, Lena goes to bed-- but not before moistening the soil of her troublesome new house guest.

"I think I caused the earthquake."

A week later, Lena invites Kara over to share a bottle of wine. The words fall out of her all too easily. She watches Kara's eyes widen, then crinkle in mirthful confusion when she realizes Lena isn't joking.

"Lena!" she chides, giggling. "Come on, don't do that to yourself."

"I'm not being--" Lena cuts herself off, knowing that denying melodrama would only confirm it. So instead, she climbs to her feet and starts walking to her guest room.

Kara pops up after her. "Lena, I didn't mean-- what's-- whoa."

She falls quiet at the sight of the garden that's bloomed in her spare room. That same small african violet she'd first brought home now spans over a dozen clay pots, and has been joined by peace lilies and ivies and succulents and orchids. The room bursts with life, and Lena can't help but feel a certain affection for them all.

"Lena...? Did you get tired of paying for flowers? Decided to start growing your own?"

Maybe it's the wine going to her head, or the trust she has in Kara, but Lena's answer is to simply extend her hand. The nearest tendril of ivy curls upwards, and tangles gently around her fingers.

"Ho-okay. Okay, that's-- that's new. That's new, right?"

Lena touches her pendant again. "Since I got this."

"Right. Okay. Okay, okay, so-- you've tested it? And-- wait. Plants. These are just plants. Plants don't cause earthquakes!"

And so Lena explains her distress that morning, how she'd been so close to losing her mind before the quake hit. How sweet the relief had been when it passed.

"It's like I knew it was coming, Kara. I didn't know what, until it was over. But I did."

Kara doesn't laugh. She chews her lip, and her gaze turns thoughtful. Then she sighs. "You need to tell Supergirl. She might have an idea where it came from-- or what it can do."

Lena gulps. "Okay."

"In the meantime-- don't wear it."

Explaining to Supergirl is different than explaining to Kara. Lena feels guilty and off-kilter-- she wonders if it's because the necklace sits in a velveteen box instead of around her neck.

"I've seen something like this before," Supergirl says finally. She's touched and examined the pendant-- the temperature and luminosity changes that Lena's recorded when she touches it don't happen Supergirl handles it. It remains dormant under the hero's touch, and Lena gets a little thrill in knowing it likes her better.

"You say you sensed the recent earthquake? Before it hit?"

Lena nods.

"Were you able to control the severity or path of the shockwave?"

"No. Nothing like that. This... it's something that happens. I didn't mean to do any of it."

Supergirl nods solemnly. "I have friends, who work with artifacts similar to these. I'd like to get their opinion on this."

"Don't take it." Lena's heart clenches in her chest, and she clutches the velvet box tightly.

A smile answers her. "I don't believe it's dangerous. I think I can bring my friends here, rather than taking it to them."

Lena sighs in relief. "Thank you." It's not an addiction, her connection to this necklace. It feels like an extension of herself, and the idea of parting with it makes her skin crawl. "And-- it's safe to wear?"

"I believe so. But if you sense another earthquake coming...?"

"Yes?"

"Do me a favor and warn Miss Danvers. She'll be able to get a warning to me."

Lena smiles. "That I can do."

Lena senses their the moment they land in National City. Not that she knows what it is when she feels it. One moment she's doing paperwork alone in her office, and the next, her pendant warms against her chest, filling her with the sense of another presence. It's almost as though someone is watching over her shoulder, but without the creepy vibe.

Supergirl's arrival on her balcony almost an hour later comes as no surprise.

"Do you have a moment, Miss Luthor? I have some friends very eager to meet you."

The flight is a short one, and as they near an empty helipad Lena spots three women waiting for them. The blonde in the middle is clearly the leader, exuding authority and capability simply in the way she carries herself. But it's the two to either side who catch Lena's eye.

Supergirl sets her down gently. Before Lena can get two steps towards their visitors she feels a tingle and a jolt and suddenly every one of her senses flares to life-- her vision turns white and her ears roar and her nose fills with the scent of the earth and the brush of soft flower petals caresses her skin.

In the pale landscape that spreads before her, two figures come into focus-- the two women who'd been waiting on the helipad. As soon as she recognizes them the rest of the world snaps back into place. Lena reflexively lifts her hand to her pendant, and feels it thrumming with warmth against her fingers.

Across the tarmac, the two women mirror her movements, touching their own necklaces with equal reverance. Lena echoes their soft, shared smile.

Their captain steps forward with a satisfied quirk of her eyebrow.

"Let’s talk."

[sunevial]

The Sorceress and the Sergeant

Why does this exist? @missvulpix212 is why. Blame her for this because it was her idea to commission me to write her a thing and I took the job for some reason (but hey, I’m now offering writing commissions so that’s a thing). Now...how to explain this...

rubs temples

Okay, so, you know my Followers fanfic. Well, one of the characters by the name of Old Priestess likes to write fictionalized accounts of her colleagues in horrible trashy romance situations and then sells them. The Sorceress and the Sergeant is a fictionalized account/probable AU of the relationship between the Witch and the Lieutenant and is absolutely no way canon to my Followers fic.

So, uh, enjoy?

The dimly lit hallways were silent for once, the stressed single mothers and frantic college students somehow all asleep at this godforsaken hour. Fumbling with a key ring sporting more baubles than keys, Marjory clicked the lock open and rammed her shoulder into her apartment door as quietly as she possibly could, forcing the sticky thing to move for once in its unhappy existence. She glanced around the inside, checking the darkened corners for movement or unwelcome visitors, before dragging her partner inside and shutting the door firmly behind them both. Only then did she risk turning on her little side table lamp.

“Sorceress, this really isn’t necessary,” Ollie protested, leaning his back up against the doorframe and giving her the most neutral stare she had ever seen him pull off with those ice blue eyes. “You know I am more than capable of regrowing my own skin and muscle tissue.”

Not bothering to roll her eyes, she tossed her earthy green pea coat onto one of her fold out chairs and pointed to a couch that had seen one too many games of Mario Kart in its day. “It’ll heal faster if I help. So, please sit down and take off your shirt. I need to see the wound,” she said, grabbing a step stool and setting it down in her little kitchen. Rolling up her sleeves, she hopped onto the little box and threw open a cabinet, rummaging through the endless stacks of incense and oddly shaped crystals for the bag hidden somewhere in the endless mess.

With an ever so mischievous smirk crossing his face, he kicked off his shoes and plopped down on the worn sofa. He shrugged off his dark gray hoodie, wincing only ever so slightly as it brushed the massive burn along his left shoulder. “Are you sure that’s all you want to see?” he asked with a smile, tossing the ruined sweatshirt off to the side and inspecting the t-shirt now partially fused to his skin.

“Yes, I’m very sure,” she squeaked, her voice going just high enough to hurt even her own eardrums. Her free hand fiddled with a bit of the sweater dress hugging her body. She could feel the blood rising from the bottom of her stocking feet to the top of her rusty red hair, pooling in her cheeks and making the room go from being like inside an icebox to being unbearably warm.

“According to what I know of mortals, your cheeks say otherwise.”

A tiny shriek escaped her lips, one she immediately pushed down into the depths of her throat. Muttering several curses under her breath, she reached for the black ribbon tied around her head in a fashionable bow and pulled it tight against her skull. Ollie wasn’t the first man in her life to poke fun at how easy it was to make her turn the color of a firetruck, not by a long shot;. he just happened to be the one being in this universe who could make her sputter and curl up into a ball of embarrassment nearly on command, and he definitely not use this knowledge responsibly.

Snatching up a small velvet bag, Marjory dumped out a single spool of black ribbon. Resembling the one in her hair in every manner, it seemed to exist only in two dimensions at any one time. Soul ribbon: a material that could save a life as easy as it could take it, the signature weapon and healing instrument of those who served a certain god who oversaw the endless cycle of life and death. It was a tremendous honor to just have a single strand, much less the ability to manipulate nearly endless amounts of it to her will.

After a bit more searching, she fished out a small glass bottle of shimmering red liquid. Holding it above her head, the glittering bits caught rays of light and scattered them onto the white tiles lining the kitchen wall. She smiled a little as she shook it up, still proud of the fact she had been able to craft a true healing potion with the magic she had been given. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she brushed it away and stepped off of her box. No, focus; she had a job to do. Sighing, she walked back into the living room just as Ollie peeled the t-shirt over his head.

The smell hit her first, acrid and reminiscent of eldritch horror and hellfire mixed into some unholy union. It looked just about as nice as it smelled, the flesh a sickly green and charred black wherever it wasn’t oozing a substance that she could not identify but was definitely not blood. Biting back the bile rising in her throat, she unraveled a length of ribbon and snapped it with a pair of scissors. “Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?” she asked, pulling and stretching at the mystical fabric it until it was wide enough to be used as a bandage.

“Because it’s not,” he replied, pushing his long raven hair off of the exposed wound. “As far as acid spitting abominations go, that one was weak at best, considering the most menacing form it could take was a Chinese ursine.”

“It’s called a panda, Ollie,” she said, dabbing a little of the potion onto the piece of ribbon. “One that threw you into an air conditioning unit and gave you a massive third degree chemical burn. That’s not nothing, you know! I’d have to be in the hospital for weeks if I got something like that, not to mention all the skin grafts and blood transfusions and physical therapy for the damage to the muscle structure.”

“I am here precisely because of the fact that grievous injury is much more harmful to you than it is to me,” he said, tapping a chin against his neatly trimmed beard. Before she could blink, two silver wings sprouted out of his back and unfurled against the thin wall separating her from her overly religious neighbors who already didn’t appreciate having a pagan woman next door. “I am your Sergeant, Sorceress. Your guardian. My job is to protect you. That includes getting hurt in your place so you can do your job.”

“It’s Marjory,” she said, taking the medicated bandage and slowly binding up the wound. “And even so, I don’t like seeing you like this.”

“I knew all too well what serving a god of death would entail, Marjory, better than you did when I came to fetch you,” he replied, his voice low and soft but placing a little more emphasis on her name. Shifting a little under the bandage, he gazed at the black ribbon for a long stretch of time. The silence hung in the air between them like a comforting blanket. “I have been protecting mortals like yourself long before you were so much a thought to your parents and will continue to do so long after you move on to wherever it is your soul is destined for. You need not waste your worry on me.”

“But you…you’re important to me,” she said in an equally low voice, winding the wrap under his arm. Her fingers lightly brushed against his exposed skin, soft despite being littered with scars from countless skirmishes against forces she couldn’t name. She tried to keep her gray eyes on patching up her injured partner, but her gaze kept wandering across his chest and down his torso. No longer hidden under relatively shapeless clothing, he was much thinner than she expected, built with the speed and grace of a swan in mind. The heat rose to her cheeks again. “And I worry about the people who are important to me, Ollie.”  

He caught her traitorous gaze and smirked, leaning back as much as he could while she deftly tied up his shoulder. “So I was correct in my assumptions.” Before she could sputter out a defense, he held up his good hand and put it on her shoulder, smiling sympathetically even as his gaze was as cool as his eyes. “You have a good heart. A good, kind, bleeding heart who wants to help the hurt and sick.”

“I wouldn’t be in med school if I didn’t,” she said with a chuckle, her words shaking a little as she tied off the wrap with a small bow.

“But turning that heart on me is dangerous, Marjory,” he continued, keeping his gaze and tone eerily even. “You know that Ollie is just a pet name our other colleagues have given me. You know that if I was ever human, that was long in the past. And you know what I am capable of doing to others…what I am capable of doing to you.” His words trailed off to nearly nothing before he sighed. “It’s best if you keep a heart like that closed around someone like me.”

Marjory held his gaze, memories flashing before her eyes of that first day in the alleyway. She remembered the same steely look in his eyes as he pinned her against the brick wall and pressed a the sharp edge of a knife into her throat, any remorse or guilt for his actions hidden behind years of experience and a touch of obedience to their boss. She remembered beginning to bleed out when ghostly magic erupted from her fingertips, clinging to the wound gouged into her neck and stitching her up as if she had always been able to call upon the endless webs of energy sustaining the world. She remembered his genuine smile as he offered her his hand, saying she had passed the test with flying colors.

She remembered the training sessions, his gentle touch on her arms and legs as he showed her how to more accurately conjure her magics to heal and to help. She remembered the casual teasing and the playful banter between them both as they spent nights traversing rooftops and the realms of the dead. She remembered the nights of teaching him how to sew and understand references to youtube videos and the long conversations over coffee about how strange being human really was as the two of them laughed for hours on end about everything and nothing at all.

“That’s not an option, Ouriel,” she said with a weak smile, laying a hand on his arm as his real name slipped from her lips. “I know who you are and what you can do…and I’m not scared if that ends up hurting me.”

Ever so slowly, he stood up from the couch, reminding her on just how much taller he was than her. He gently took his hand off her shoulder and cupped it over her cheek, resting his palm against her warm skin and turning her head so they looked each other in the eyes. “Is that a challenge?” he asked, the corners of his mouth breaking into a smirk unlike any she had seen before. Chaos danced his irises, flickering no longer with the harsh winds of a blizzard but the gentle winds of an October afternoon. He curled his fingers under her chin, lightly brushing just the tips against her neck.

Her whole body quivered as her cheeks burned with a fire she didn’t know existed in her, one that burned up her body with a bright flickering flame that she knew would not die for anything less than a sleepless night for them both. She didn’t dare look away, instead taking both of her hands and slowly crossing them at the wrist. Letting out a long shaky breath, she pushed herself up onto her tiptoes as the heat spread to her chest and down her stomach. “Go ahead…do your worst.”

A true smile crossed his lips as his other hand reached behind her ear and pulled the ribbon out of her hair, freeing her curls from their prison. As if she weighed nothing at all, he brought her face up to his and sank his lips against hers. It was cold, cold like a comforting autumn breeze, cold like the first snowfall, cold like polished steel, cold but so incredibly warm at the same time. She closed her eyes, letting ice freeze the fire in her body as she fell into his embrace, feeling soft fabric wind its way around her wrists as they sank into darkness together.

[jodybouchard9]

Ugly or Unique? The Season’s Hottest Color Trend Will Make You Do a Double-Take

One of the most challenging parts of decorating your home is making hard decisions about colors without really knowing how something will look in the space. If you suffer from Decor Decision Fatigue Syndrome, you’ll be thrilled to hear about one of the season’s hottest colors: chartreuse!

It’s an energetic color that’s a combination of yellow and green, so you never have to decide between the two.

“Chartreuse is trending because it’s a vibrant color that gives energy to any room,” says Kate Spiro, an interior designer in New York City. “This color can easily brighten up any space.”

You might be skeptical of such a loud tone—and we get it. We too initially wrinkled our noses at chartreuse’s particular pea-soup shade of yellow-green.

But here’s the thing: If you give chartreuse a chance, you may find that it works surprisingly well with many other hues, adds Annabel Joy, co-founder of Trim Design Co., in Massachusetts.

“It’s such a great accent color when paired with the deep moody hues that are trending right now, like deep moss greens, charcoals, plums, and midnight blues,” Joy says, “and it really pops against those rich dark hues.”

Ready to choose chartreuse? Here’s how to add this colorific combo to each space in your home.

In the living room

Photo by DesignHAUS 24  If you’ve got a living room painted in a dark color like navy or charcoal—or just a dark sofa—try chartreuse accent pieces to give the room a bit of a bright pop.

Add in a rug, throw pillows—or just some coasters if you want to keep it simple. If you want to go all in on the color and make a bold statement, a chartreuse sofa is a rich piece worth investing in.

What to buy

Jacinto chartreuse hand-woven green area rug, $80, Wayfair

Onyx marble coasters, $27 for four (limited time offer), West Elm

Washed cotton velvet pillow covers, $15, West Elm

Velvet Leonelle right sectional, $5,098, Anthropologie

  In the dining room

Photo by Houzz   Chartreuse might not be your first thought when you think of your dining room, but the green/yellow combo pairs beautifully with a rich wooden table and chairs. Your whole space will feel elevated as you add in a chartreuse accent wall, drapery, or simply set the table with chartreuse dinner napkins.

What to buy

Leyden grommet top classic solid chartreuse bright velvet curtains, $53, Amazon

Hem-stitched dinner napkins in chartreuse, for four, $53, Target.com

Chartreuse graphic art print, $36, Wayfair.com

  In the bedroom

Photo by Sarah Greenman  Chartreuse accents can brighten up your bedroom (especially now that it’s winter and less light is coming in). Try painting a chartreuse accent wall behind or next to your bed for ultimate brightness.

For a more understated look, hang some chartreuse art prints, or choose chartreuse sheets for your bed under a dark navy comforter. You could also put a chartreuse throw or ottoman at the end of your bed, or even accent with a dynamic chartreuse reading chair where you’ll want to cozy up in all seasons.

What to buy

Four-piece bed sheet set in chartreuse, $53, Amazon

Chartreuse wall art print set, $9, Etsy.com

Chartreuse interior wall paint, Sherwin-Williams

  In the bathroom

Photo by Natasha Barrault Design Chartreuse is here to bring some cheer to your bath, too. Start with chartreuse accessories like towels or a shower curtain. If you’re feeling bold, a chartreuse paint color gives a completely new look to a large bath. Or, try the color in a graphic wallpaper for a small hall bath.

What to buy

Chartreuse green leaf sculpted anise bath towel, $15, World Market

Midcentury square dot Pattern 8 shower curtain, $53, Society6

Leafyrific lime wallpaper, $17.50/yard, Spoonflower.com

The post Ugly or Unique? The Season’s Hottest Color Trend Will Make You Do a Double-Take appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

[jeremystrele]

50 Modern Swivel Chairs That Give Your Home or Office Swing

Need a bit more movement in your seating? The swivel chair is here to save the day. Whether you’re looking to swing amidst your filing cabinets in the office, swing around to lounge visitors in a grandiose style, or lean back in your chair to greater dinner table conversation, we’ve got a chair style for you. Get the complete office suite, with a brown leather Eames-style lounge and ottoman. Snuggle into a monochrome pod, taking a nap in its nook inspired by the future. Expect the unexpected, with a plywood find curved to resemble an armchair. Get creative – and swivel around to – our top fifty selection of contemporary swivel chairs for your home or office.

700BUY IT Eames-Style, Mid-Century Modern Swivel Lounge Chair: Legendary designer Ray Eames knew how to design a chair to relax in. This chair in his iconic style is made with Italian leather, a walnut veneer frame and a matching ottoman you can buy for its side.

301BUY IT Arne Jacobsen-Style Swivel Egg Chair: Available in four bold shades of velvet, this chair in the style of Arne’s Jacobsen’s famed design is a sight less expensive. Its deep contours allow for maximum comfort, its steel base a sturdy frame you can swivel on.

350BUY IT Verner Panton-Style Cone Chair: Another iconic design at a cheaper price, this red Panton-esque find could strike a pose in your office. A steel base, hardwood frame and cashmere upholstery add comfort to function.

389BUY IT Arne Jacobsen-Style Swivel Swan Chair: Get a design that looks like the original, in your choice of ten shades. This Arne Jacobsen replica swivels dreamily around your living room, in its wool upholstery and fibreglass shell. High-density foam cushioning makes it feel softer.

1060BUY IT Eero Aarnio-Style Swivel Ball Chair: Prefer a more futuristic-looking design? A replica of Eero Aarnio’s semi-sphere frame, this version is made from fibreglass and five removeable fabric panels. Its swivel functions on a ball-bearing mechanism.

710BUY IT Swivel Accent Chair: Are you sure this chair can swivel? Despite its solid-looking frame, this polyester blend on a base of stainless steel conforms to your body with its swivel intact.

1417BUY IT Barletta Swivel Armchair: Offering a whopping 368 choices of fabric, this chair is well-made when it turns its barrel.

349BUY IT Modern Grey Swivel Armchair: 100% linen covers this understated armchair, which surprises and delights with its 360-degree swivel. High-density foam filling and a lumbar-supporting backrest make it the perfect spot to lean back and read a book on.

700BUY IT Modern Swivel Recliner: Want to get those feet up, too? This polyurethane recliner offers a hidden footrest and 360-degree swivel. Get it in your choice of grey or black.

720BUY IT Bludot Modern-Style Bent Plywood Swivel Chair: A swivel armchair with a wooden seat? What a surprise! This innovative design bends plywood to create a beautiful chair from a collaborative process. Get its swivel base in brushed or powder-coated stainless steel.

1190BUY IT Modern Minimalist Round Swivel Chair: Swivel chairs are perfect for the lounge. This rounded grey number is halfway between an armchair and lounge suite, with 1.8 density foam and an accent pillow framing its sides.

385BUY IT Patterned Swivel Barrel Chair: Create a lounge feature piece, by buying a chair with a distinctive pattern. This polyester fabric chair sits on a solid birch wood, swivelling frame. Take advantage of its 90-day warranty.

486BUY IT Wooden Swivel Chair: Have a disabled or elderly family member who finds it difficult to turn? This solid wooden chair rotates 360 degrees – and sponge padding makes it comfy.

1125BUY IT Taxido Blue Swivel Lounge Chair: Contemporary-looking in their Italian design, these elliptical lounge chairs rock you to and fro’, with a rocking base set in solid beechwood and chromed steel. Cold-injected polyurethane foam and polyester padding make it comfortable, too.

387BUY IT Cocoon-Style Red Swivel Lounge Chair: Let the cocoon take you in. Available in six other colours, its striking curves and stainless steel base would make an alluring partner in your home office.

5045BUY IT Grand Repose Chair: Looking for a swivel chair you can sink some budget into? Designed by Antonio Citterio, this chair combines moulded polyurethane foam, a feather-filled neck pillow, and an integrated mechanism that synchronises to your body. Made in Hungary, it swivels your frame on a four-point base.

795BUY IT Modern Swivel Base Lounge Wing Chair: This feature chair could add a stylish edge to your lounge or office. Clad in cashmere, its pea-green form is stitched and crafted by hand; its swivel mechanism grounded on a four-star stainless steel base. Its multi-density foam cushion is zippered and removeable.

540BUY IT Grey Modern Living Room Swivel Chair: Want to move your swivel chair from lounge to office? This high-backed lounger suits both spaces, atop its brushed nickel and steel pedestal. Choose from a variety of fabrics and frames.

542BUY IT Modern-Style Yellow Swivel Lounge Chair: Originally designed for dining, this modern yellow number sits upon four-star, matte-brushed nickel legs. Its feet can be adjusted to level the floor, and are tipped in plastic to avoid scratches.

130BUY IT Modern Pastel Pink Swivel Accent Chair With Wooden Legs: Get a little more pretty in pink. This gorgeous, soft fabric find is based on a solid frame supporting up to 350 pounds.

1266BUY IT Alma Swivel Accent Armchair: This Italian-made chair knows how to end your day. Placing straight and curved lines along the curves of your body, its detailed stitching gives it design cred, too. Get it with a one-year warranty.

259BUY IT Comfy Blue Swivel Chair: Surprise guests with a nifty turn in this blue armchair, afforded rotation on its feather-swivel base.

220BUY IT Modern Plush Swivel Accent Chair: Get a chair that feels like a soft toy. Also available in blue or yellow, this extremely comfortable find turns 360 degrees.

98BUY IT Mid-Century Modern Style Swivel Accent Chair: Find a bit more structure in your favourite chair. Coloured cardinal red, to miss the cost-efficient contours of this beech wood find would be a sin.

476BUY IT Oversized Round Swivel Chair: Snuggle into this chair at the end of your day. With chenille-wrapped cushioning and a curved back, it’ll be hard to get back up from its faux-leather exterior.

196BUY IT Outdoor Swivel Papasan Chair: Take your swivelling outside. Set on a sturdy steel frame with a UV-resistant cushion, its relaxed frame can turn you 360 degrees.

150BUY IT Helinox Outdoor Swivel Chair: Take your swivel chair away camping. This lightweight find is easy to store in its storage sack, and features breathable mesh on its sides.

224 eachBUY IT Black Swivel Dining Chair: This chair’s grey faux leather on chrome-polished legs can take you to the office and back again.

245BUY IT Grey Modern Swivel Dining Chair: Aid your guests in their dining experience, by offering them this leatherette chair. Its swivelling frame will inspire conversation.

70 eachBUY IT Tilda Black Fabric Swivel Chair: Upholstered in 100% Dacron, these swivel chairs are minimalist, understated, and suited to a range of rooms and interiors.

480BUY IT Upholstered Red Swivel Dining Chair With Steel Base: Initially intended for dining, these sleek, wool-upholstered swivellers would be perfect for the office. Take advantage of their steel bases and plastic-tipped feet – and find the colour that suits you here.

87BUY IT Small White Round Swivel Chair: Accentuate a white office or dressing room with this faux leather chair. Featuring diamond tufting and a 360-degree swivel, it can adjust its stem to your perfect height.

220 eachBUY IT Modern Leather Swivel Chair: Looking for something a bit more masculine? These polyurethane seats on steel legs and plywood frames are a stylish alternative that won’t break the budget.

132BUY IT Saarinen-Style Tulip Swivel Dining Chair: The Saarinen Tulip is a classic design, and these replicas their cheaper alternatives. Supported by an aluminium base and featuring a 360-degree swivel, you can change their seat cushions out in 13 different colours.

134BUY IT Saarinen-Style Tulip Swivel Dining Armchair: Prefer an armchair style? Offering the same features as its sister, this option gives yours arms a ledge to hold onto.

166 eachBUY IT Fine Mod Blossom Swivel Dining Chair: Sold as a set of two, these swivel dining chairs are based on the Flow Chair Padded, a cult favourite designed by Jean Marie Massaud. These versions appear on an aluminium base with a lacquered, light gloss finish.

875BUY IT Modern Dining Chair With Swivel Base: Another original design by Jean Marie Massaud, the Flow Chair With Oak Base is the perfect partner for your dining room table. Conceived as an organic form reduced to essential lines, its polycarbonate, injection-moulded steel can swing 360 degrees.

1736BUY IT Upholstered Modern Swivel Dining Chair With Oak Base: Designed by Luca Nichetto, the Moooi Canal Chair Swivel Base was inspired by a historical ship model that dominated the Mediterranean sea. Its back resembles the bow of a boat, its tone-on-tone hues its subtle focus.

1329BUY IT Masculo Swivel Dining Chair: Showcasing an unusual, wide-set frame, these dining chairs were concepted by Copenhagen’s Gubi Masculo. Buy them in Kvadrat fabric or fine leather.

186BUY IT Stylish Modern Swivel Desk Chair: This Scandinavian-inspired chair is perfect for a kid-filled household. Its plastic base and four straight beech wood legs are sturdy, wipeable and offer a 360-degree swivel.

62 eachBUY IT Height-Adjustable Swivel Desk Chair: Inspired by the Saarinen Tulip, this chair, with comes with one identical as a set, is made from chromed metal with a foam cushion.

575BUY IT Minimalist-Style Swivel Desk Chair: Looking for something functional, yet simple? This anthracite ecoleather chair fits the bill, on its chromed steel legs.

520BUY IT Stylish Swivel Base Desk Chair: Buy a desk chair that’s packed with style. The Tom Dixon Y Chair Swivel Base is injection-moulded in glass-reinforced nylon, and then sandblasted and lacquered on an aluminium swivel base. Made in Denmark.

530BUY IT About A Chair With Swivel Base: Truly “all about the chair”, this creation by Hee Welling is made in Denmark out of powder-coated aluminium. Available in white or black.

1329BUY IT Beetle Swivel Base Meeting Chair: Looking a little bit vintage, these stylish finds take inspiration from the common garden beetle. Get their upholstery in a range of different shades, and their chair legs in a matte black or brass finish.

97BUY IT Mid-Century Modern Swivel Base Desk Chair: Loved the wooden armchair from earlier on this article, but just didn’t have the budget? This cheaper option offers a faux-leather seat and a height you can extend from 29 to 33 inches.

186BUY IT Modway Ribbed High Back Executive Swivel Chair: Take the high road the next time you’re in the office. This high-backed chair is available in eight additional colourways, and boasts a 360-degree swivel and one-touch height adjustment. Roll around on its wheels, or check out our desk chair post for more office options.

330BUY IT Nursery Swivel Glider Chair: Just had, or about to have, a baby? Seat yourself on this foam-padded chair to swivel from cot to seat.

130BUY IT Height-Adjustable Kids’ Swivel Chair: Get your kids business-ready. This children’s office chair is ergonomically-contoured on a steel frame with locking casters. Adjust its height from 12 to 21 inches, with an easy-to-use twist and lock knob. Check out our kid’s chair post for more kids’ room ideas.

1655BUY IT Nemo Swivel Chair: Get a swivel chair and artpiece in one. Designed by Fabio Novembre in 2009, its back masks, made out of single pieces of polyethylene plastic, are modelled on traditional Greek theatre displays. Made in Italy, they’re only for the indoors.

Recommended Reading: 32 Comfortable Reading Chairs To Help You Get Lost In Your Literary World

Related Posts:

30 Stylish Home Office Desk Chairs: From Casual To Ergonomic

40 Beautiful Modern Accent Chairs That Add Splendour to Your Seating

50 Beautiful Vanity Chairs & Stools To Add Elegance To Your Dressing Space

Modern Classic Chairs

50 Stunning Sculptural Chairs That Act As Artistic Centrepieces

Beautiful Recliners: Do they exist?

[drewebowden66]

50 Modern Swivel Chairs That Give Your Home or Office Swing

Need a bit more movement in your seating? The swivel chair is here to save the day. Whether you’re looking to swing amidst your filing cabinets in the office, swing around to lounge visitors in a grandiose style, or lean back in your chair to greater dinner table conversation, we’ve got a chair style for you. Get the complete office suite, with a brown leather Eames-style lounge and ottoman. Snuggle into a monochrome pod, taking a nap in its nook inspired by the future. Expect the unexpected, with a plywood find curved to resemble an armchair. Get creative – and swivel around to – our top fifty selection of contemporary swivel chairs for your home or office.

700BUY IT Eames-Style, Mid-Century Modern Swivel Lounge Chair: Legendary designer Ray Eames knew how to design a chair to relax in. This chair in his iconic style is made with Italian leather, a walnut veneer frame and a matching ottoman you can buy for its side.

301BUY IT Arne Jacobsen-Style Swivel Egg Chair: Available in four bold shades of velvet, this chair in the style of Arne’s Jacobsen’s famed design is a sight less expensive. Its deep contours allow for maximum comfort, its steel base a sturdy frame you can swivel on.

350BUY IT Verner Panton-Style Cone Chair: Another iconic design at a cheaper price, this red Panton-esque find could strike a pose in your office. A steel base, hardwood frame and cashmere upholstery add comfort to function.

389BUY IT Arne Jacobsen-Style Swivel Swan Chair: Get a design that looks like the original, in your choice of ten shades. This Arne Jacobsen replica swivels dreamily around your living room, in its wool upholstery and fibreglass shell. High-density foam cushioning makes it feel softer.

1060BUY IT Eero Aarnio-Style Swivel Ball Chair: Prefer a more futuristic-looking design? A replica of Eero Aarnio’s semi-sphere frame, this version is made from fibreglass and five removeable fabric panels. Its swivel functions on a ball-bearing mechanism.

710BUY IT Swivel Accent Chair: Are you sure this chair can swivel? Despite its solid-looking frame, this polyester blend on a base of stainless steel conforms to your body with its swivel intact.

1417BUY IT Barletta Swivel Armchair: Offering a whopping 368 choices of fabric, this chair is well-made when it turns its barrel.

349BUY IT Modern Grey Swivel Armchair: 100% linen covers this understated armchair, which surprises and delights with its 360-degree swivel. High-density foam filling and a lumbar-supporting backrest make it the perfect spot to lean back and read a book on.

700BUY IT Modern Swivel Recliner: Want to get those feet up, too? This polyurethane recliner offers a hidden footrest and 360-degree swivel. Get it in your choice of grey or black.

720BUY IT Bludot Modern-Style Bent Plywood Swivel Chair: A swivel armchair with a wooden seat? What a surprise! This innovative design bends plywood to create a beautiful chair from a collaborative process. Get its swivel base in brushed or powder-coated stainless steel.

1190BUY IT Modern Minimalist Round Swivel Chair: Swivel chairs are perfect for the lounge. This rounded grey number is halfway between an armchair and lounge suite, with 1.8 density foam and an accent pillow framing its sides.

385BUY IT Patterned Swivel Barrel Chair: Create a lounge feature piece, by buying a chair with a distinctive pattern. This polyester fabric chair sits on a solid birch wood, swivelling frame. Take advantage of its 90-day warranty.

486BUY IT Wooden Swivel Chair: Have a disabled or elderly family member who finds it difficult to turn? This solid wooden chair rotates 360 degrees – and sponge padding makes it comfy.

1125BUY IT Taxido Blue Swivel Lounge Chair: Contemporary-looking in their Italian design, these elliptical lounge chairs rock you to and fro’, with a rocking base set in solid beechwood and chromed steel. Cold-injected polyurethane foam and polyester padding make it comfortable, too.

387BUY IT Cocoon-Style Red Swivel Lounge Chair: Let the cocoon take you in. Available in six other colours, its striking curves and stainless steel base would make an alluring partner in your home office.

5045BUY IT Grand Repose Chair: Looking for a swivel chair you can sink some budget into? Designed by Antonio Citterio, this chair combines moulded polyurethane foam, a feather-filled neck pillow, and an integrated mechanism that synchronises to your body. Made in Hungary, it swivels your frame on a four-point base.

795BUY IT Modern Swivel Base Lounge Wing Chair: This feature chair could add a stylish edge to your lounge or office. Clad in cashmere, its pea-green form is stitched and crafted by hand; its swivel mechanism grounded on a four-star stainless steel base. Its multi-density foam cushion is zippered and removeable.

540BUY IT Grey Modern Living Room Swivel Chair: Want to move your swivel chair from lounge to office? This high-backed lounger suits both spaces, atop its brushed nickel and steel pedestal. Choose from a variety of fabrics and frames.

542BUY IT Modern-Style Yellow Swivel Lounge Chair: Originally designed for dining, this modern yellow number sits upon four-star, matte-brushed nickel legs. Its feet can be adjusted to level the floor, and are tipped in plastic to avoid scratches.

130BUY IT Modern Pastel Pink Swivel Accent Chair With Wooden Legs: Get a little more pretty in pink. This gorgeous, soft fabric find is based on a solid frame supporting up to 350 pounds.

1266BUY IT Alma Swivel Accent Armchair: This Italian-made chair knows how to end your day. Placing straight and curved lines along the curves of your body, its detailed stitching gives it design cred, too. Get it with a one-year warranty.

259BUY IT Comfy Blue Swivel Chair: Surprise guests with a nifty turn in this blue armchair, afforded rotation on its feather-swivel base.

220BUY IT Modern Plush Swivel Accent Chair: Get a chair that feels like a soft toy. Also available in blue or yellow, this extremely comfortable find turns 360 degrees.

98BUY IT Mid-Century Modern Style Swivel Accent Chair: Find a bit more structure in your favourite chair. Coloured cardinal red, to miss the cost-efficient contours of this beech wood find would be a sin.

476BUY IT Oversized Round Swivel Chair: Snuggle into this chair at the end of your day. With chenille-wrapped cushioning and a curved back, it’ll be hard to get back up from its faux-leather exterior.

196BUY IT Outdoor Swivel Papasan Chair: Take your swivelling outside. Set on a sturdy steel frame with a UV-resistant cushion, its relaxed frame can turn you 360 degrees.

150BUY IT Helinox Outdoor Swivel Chair: Take your swivel chair away camping. This lightweight find is easy to store in its storage sack, and features breathable mesh on its sides.

224 eachBUY IT Black Swivel Dining Chair: This chair’s grey faux leather on chrome-polished legs can take you to the office and back again.

245BUY IT Grey Modern Swivel Dining Chair: Aid your guests in their dining experience, by offering them this leatherette chair. Its swivelling frame will inspire conversation.

70 eachBUY IT Tilda Black Fabric Swivel Chair: Upholstered in 100% Dacron, these swivel chairs are minimalist, understated, and suited to a range of rooms and interiors.

480BUY IT Upholstered Red Swivel Dining Chair With Steel Base: Initially intended for dining, these sleek, wool-upholstered swivellers would be perfect for the office. Take advantage of their steel bases and plastic-tipped feet – and find the colour that suits you here.

87BUY IT Small White Round Swivel Chair: Accentuate a white office or dressing room with this faux leather chair. Featuring diamond tufting and a 360-degree swivel, it can adjust its stem to your perfect height.

220 eachBUY IT Modern Leather Swivel Chair: Looking for something a bit more masculine? These polyurethane seats on steel legs and plywood frames are a stylish alternative that won’t break the budget.

132BUY IT Saarinen-Style Tulip Swivel Dining Chair: The Saarinen Tulip is a classic design, and these replicas their cheaper alternatives. Supported by an aluminium base and featuring a 360-degree swivel, you can change their seat cushions out in 13 different colours.

134BUY IT Saarinen-Style Tulip Swivel Dining Armchair: Prefer an armchair style? Offering the same features as its sister, this option gives yours arms a ledge to hold onto.

166 eachBUY IT Fine Mod Blossom Swivel Dining Chair: Sold as a set of two, these swivel dining chairs are based on the Flow Chair Padded, a cult favourite designed by Jean Marie Massaud. These versions appear on an aluminium base with a lacquered, light gloss finish.

875BUY IT Modern Dining Chair With Swivel Base: Another original design by Jean Marie Massaud, the Flow Chair With Oak Base is the perfect partner for your dining room table. Conceived as an organic form reduced to essential lines, its polycarbonate, injection-moulded steel can swing 360 degrees.

1736BUY IT Upholstered Modern Swivel Dining Chair With Oak Base: Designed by Luca Nichetto, the Moooi Canal Chair Swivel Base was inspired by a historical ship model that dominated the Mediterranean sea. Its back resembles the bow of a boat, its tone-on-tone hues its subtle focus.

1329BUY IT Masculo Swivel Dining Chair: Showcasing an unusual, wide-set frame, these dining chairs were concepted by Copenhagen’s Gubi Masculo. Buy them in Kvadrat fabric or fine leather.

186BUY IT Stylish Modern Swivel Desk Chair: This Scandinavian-inspired chair is perfect for a kid-filled household. Its plastic base and four straight beech wood legs are sturdy, wipeable and offer a 360-degree swivel.

62 eachBUY IT Height-Adjustable Swivel Desk Chair: Inspired by the Saarinen Tulip, this chair, with comes with one identical as a set, is made from chromed metal with a foam cushion.

575BUY IT Minimalist-Style Swivel Desk Chair: Looking for something functional, yet simple? This anthracite ecoleather chair fits the bill, on its chromed steel legs.

520BUY IT Stylish Swivel Base Desk Chair: Buy a desk chair that’s packed with style. The Tom Dixon Y Chair Swivel Base is injection-moulded in glass-reinforced nylon, and then sandblasted and lacquered on an aluminium swivel base. Made in Denmark.

530BUY IT About A Chair With Swivel Base: Truly “all about the chair”, this creation by Hee Welling is made in Denmark out of powder-coated aluminium. Available in white or black.

1329BUY IT Beetle Swivel Base Meeting Chair: Looking a little bit vintage, these stylish finds take inspiration from the common garden beetle. Get their upholstery in a range of different shades, and their chair legs in a matte black or brass finish.

97BUY IT Mid-Century Modern Swivel Base Desk Chair: Loved the wooden armchair from earlier on this article, but just didn’t have the budget? This cheaper option offers a faux-leather seat and a height you can extend from 29 to 33 inches.

186BUY IT Modway Ribbed High Back Executive Swivel Chair: Take the high road the next time you’re in the office. This high-backed chair is available in eight additional colourways, and boasts a 360-degree swivel and one-touch height adjustment. Roll around on its wheels, or check out our desk chair post for more office options.

330BUY IT Nursery Swivel Glider Chair: Just had, or about to have, a baby? Seat yourself on this foam-padded chair to swivel from cot to seat.

130BUY IT Height-Adjustable Kids’ Swivel Chair: Get your kids business-ready. This children’s office chair is ergonomically-contoured on a steel frame with locking casters. Adjust its height from 12 to 21 inches, with an easy-to-use twist and lock knob. Check out our kid’s chair post for more kids’ room ideas.

1655BUY IT Nemo Swivel Chair: Get a swivel chair and artpiece in one. Designed by Fabio Novembre in 2009, its back masks, made out of single pieces of polyethylene plastic, are modelled on traditional Greek theatre displays. Made in Italy, they’re only for the indoors.

Recommended Reading: 32 Comfortable Reading Chairs To Help You Get Lost In Your Literary World

Related Posts:

30 Stylish Home Office Desk Chairs: From Casual To Ergonomic

40 Beautiful Modern Accent Chairs That Add Splendour to Your Seating

50 Beautiful Vanity Chairs & Stools To Add Elegance To Your Dressing Space

Modern Classic Chairs

50 Stunning Sculptural Chairs That Act As Artistic Centrepieces

Beautiful Recliners: Do they exist?

[michelemoore]

THE COFFEE TABLE PEROGY PARTY

Takhuk, April 3, 2018

Michele Moore Veldhoen

Of the many unique and special places in the world I have visited or lived in - places from which I took away unforgettable lessons in history, culture, in the human condition - my most satisfying memories almost always involve people and food. When people and food come together, life’s difficulties are put on mute and we rediscover what we’ve always known –  that few things can make us so content as a feast shared with family and friends. As J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings author), said about food and life:  “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world”. The images of Tolkien’s grand saga of the hobbits that endure in my mind are not the battles with the orcs (which were given waaayy too much screen time in the movie version), but the zestful parties of the hobbits, elves, and dwarves. Jolly and slightly inebriated hobbits downing mugs of mead and platters of food next to a glowing fire while magical musical wizards played songs and tricks. These are the images that Tolkien obviously loved to create.

Hmmm, I think I just digressed.

Well, we all have our own version of Tolkien’s truth. For me, few people and food memories can match the summer parties when my relatives came visiting and my mother dished out dozens upon dozens, likely hundreds, of coffee table perogies.

This was when I was a kid and we lived near Grand Forks, BC. If you’ve never heard of Grand Forks, it’s a very pretty and unassuming small town on highway 3, about a 90 minute drive east of Osoyoos. (Osoyoos is at the very south end of B.C’s wine and water saturated Okanagan Valley).

Grand Forks was a typical mining and mill town until, in the early 1900’s, some Russian Doukhobors settled there, bringing with them their own, extraordinarily luscious versions of the foods of their homeland.  

Although in the blog title I used a common version of the Ukrainian spelling for those famous cheese and potato filled dumplings we all know and love here in Alberta – (do you have a bag of Cheemos in your freezer?) – in Grand Forks, those dumplings are called vareniki, and when they are made by someone’s babba (grandma), they melt in your mouth. As do their baked savoury tarts – known as pyrahi (ped a ha) – which are made with an unleavened bread like dough and classically filled with peas or beans and doused with warm melted butter when served. The dessert version of these tarts, my personal favourite – are called pirozhki. Imagine a fresh raspberry, (or peach, or plum or…) filled pocket of light, slightly sweetened bread, served warm with thick cream. Oh my.

There was a hotel in Grand Forks – the Yale – that for decades served indisputably the best vareniki and pyrahi that money could buy. Together with the crowning glory of Doukhobor food – Doukhobor borscht (which is nothing like Ukrainian borscht and deserves its own blog) – these dishes gave the Yale an international reputation.

And, lucky me, when I lived in the area my mother learned how to make these delicious foods from a family friend named Molly, who also happened to be one of the Yale Hotel cooks.

Although as a kid I did get many times to go to the Yale for a bowl of their borscht and slab of homemade bread lathered in some kind of butter like you cannot buy, followed by a modified version of Plate #1 which included both pyrahi and vareniki,  my favourite memory of this food begins with a picture of my mother’s wrecked kitchen and living room coffee table dusted in flour and covered in slabs of dough.

The reason my mother’s kitchen was a wreck – every inch of counter and table space covered in vegetable scraps, flour, rejected strips of dough, and giant bowls of fillings (mashed potato, cottage cheese, chopped green beans), the stove top heavily splattered in the distinctly satin orange of bubbling Doukhobor borscht – a colour that can only be produced by adding outrageous amounts of cream and butter to this tomato and potato based soup – the reason for this wreckage was a horde of visiting relatives from Vancouver, all of whom demanded my mother make for them their own Doukhobor feast.

The appetites of these aunts and uncles for this food was insatiable. Possibly made more so due to the beer and scotch they were consuming between rounds of vareniki and chasing the kids through the sprinkler system that kept green the mini football field sized lawn of the motel we owned.  I can remember my mother sinking into a lawn chair beside my father to smoke a cigarette and take a break, and, just when she was starting to relax, an uncle would call for another pyrahi or more vareniki. Because she wasn’t the kind of cook that cleaned up as she went along, she soon ran out of space in the kitchen and had to move the dough rolling operation to the living room coffee table.

Our coffee table was glass topped so I guess this worked well enough but I wonder now if my mother got stuck with cleaning out the flour and bits of dough that would surely have filled the crack between the glass and the wooden table frame in which it was encased.

I can see her now, (and hear Barbra Streisand’s voice belting out from the stereo), at the long end of the table on her knees, with her wooden rolling pin, teasing that dough over the glass. There is some kind of royal blue velvet in the picture, perhaps under the glass? I know the sofa I sat on to watch her had a fancy jewel blue floral applique – not, as you can imagine, a space intended for rolling out yards of tart and dumpling dough.

But this effort was in the spirit of the food she was preparing, which was always made for a crowd and best eaten fresh. In order for me to get vareniki with my favourite fillings before my relatives polished off the batch, I hung close to the kitchen and, when my mother scooped out the first potato filled dumplings, I nabbed a few for myself, drenched them in melted butter and ate them where no cousin would find me.

These pyrahi, voreniki and borscht blowouts were times of unrestrained celebration which, I also know now, but didn’t then, were not only accompanied by scotch and beer but also, in the case of one university professor uncle, pot, which, I also know now, infuriated and scandalized my mother but does explain the insatiable appetite of at least two of my relatives – the aforesaid uncle and his partner.

Hot summer days, clear blue skies, the scent of pine trees and wet slippery grass, bare chested men and bikini topped women laughing hysterically in scattered lawn chairs next to white Styrofoam coolers of beer, soaking wet kids running and screaming under the sun and fueling it all, batch after batch of pyrahi and voreniki rolling off our coffee table.

In honour of that treasured time, I, on just a couple of occasions, undertook the making of voreniki and pyrahi for a crowd, but I never committed the time to develop the skill needed to produce the mouth-watering dumplings and tarts I enjoyed at home and at the Yale Hotel.

Sadly, the Yale Hotel burned down years ago, but you can still get excellent borscht, voreniki and pyrahi in Grand Forks at the Borscht Bowl Restaurant. Apparently, the borscht at the Omega is pretty good too.

In case you want to try making voreniki or pyrahi yourself, I’ve dug up some recipes from the net. Try this one for vareniki, which the author claims is the original from the Yale Hotel - it is very similar to the one in my mom’s old cookbook:

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/4321/vareniki-(perogy).html

And, if you want to go all out, here, straight from a Grand Forks Doukhobor Association, is a recipe for pyrahi:

http://www.usccdoukhobors.org/cuisine/pyrahi.htm

These are big batch recipes – as I said, this kind of cooking is always done for a crowd – so get some friends and family together and make it a party.

I think next week I will tell you about that borscht.

[garagedoorshampshire]

40 Grey Living Rooms That Help Your Lounge Look Effortlessly Stylish and Understated

Need to revamp your living room, but not sure where to start? Pick grey to colour it. No longer associated with dungeons, dull office blocks or unpainted walls, grey is a hue perfectly understated, making your furniture look contemporary sans large risks in design. Cut Lego-style stairs into a shaft concrete wall, amidst relaxed L-chairs in the hue. Go fifty shades darker, with charcoal leather couches, LED-lit bookcases and a roaring fire all in tone. Brighten it up with light grey walls, framed monochrome prints and a cornered Corinthian column. Effortlessly achieve a cool, up-to-date edge with our forty grey living rooms as your inspiration.

Visualizer: Thai Quang   Combine grey and green together for a look that’s fresh. The tropical leaves and pineapples in this grey and white interior make a splash upon an exposed brick wall, two grey ottomans and two Scandinavian coffee tables built to match.

Photographer: Anders Bergsted   Source: Entrance   Grey living rooms take on many styles. This light grey number simulates Scandinavia with its six monochrome prints, two square leather chairs and structured, rectangular furniture. A Greek column fireplace in the corner adds a touch more character. Check out our 50 Inspirational Scandinavian-Style Living Rooms post for more interiors in this theme.

Visualizer: aTng 糖   Prefer dark Scandinavian interior design? Paint a wall almost black, colour your floors in dark slate and pop a cat on its frontage, like this bold interior. A lighter grey couch, industrial light and a range of potted cacti provide items of interest.

Designer: One Work   Go simple yet functional with a lounge in grey. The slick concrete feature wall of this black-and-grey interior is peppered with an artsy staircase, grey L-seater and abstract oval coffee tables.

Source: Archvizer   Grey creates space for dominant features. Mis-matching wooden floors, grey couches and muted accessories make way for a large facial abstract on an exposed brick wall. Red-lined shelving and a miniature yacht help tie the artwork in.

Visualizer: Roman Kolyada   Grey’s a great base for a modern living room. This decor employs dangling lights to illuminate a grey couch, floor and ottoman with a matching kitchen bench and sprinkles of red and blue. A Turkish rug and floral print add pattern to form.

Designer: Zrobym   Grey walls need not be dark. This light and bright lounge is backgrounded by almost-white tiles, a snug suede L-seater, and pops of pastel in a pink seat and beige print. A multi-jointed lamp to the side stretches beside a paint-splashed table leg.

Architect: Sreten Jovanovic & Maja Urh   Visualizer: Anna Fedyukina   Use many shades of grey. This room combines fingerprint artwork, a grey-tiled floor, corrugated iron wall and marble fireplace to make grey with green creepers look effortlessly sophisticated.

Visualizer: Rohit Aurora   Decorating a small space? Grey and white can make it look larger. This attic-roofed interior coats a wall and a half in mid-grey and a floor in splotches, amidst framed prints, photographs and square suede cushions. A potted tree in the corner speaks nature.

Visualizer: Dekaa   Grey works fabulously as a minimalist shade. This smooth painted wall provides shelving behind a suede L-seater and simple grey rug. A swing arm lamp illuminates a scramble of white cushions and accessories.

Visualizer: Eduard Caliman   Go dark for the ultimate in living room class. A carved-in fireplace, LED-lit shelving and charcoal leather couches frame a black velvet rug and acrylic coffee table. Lighter, textured wallpaper in the centre focuses the eye as windowed light streams in.

Visualizer: Denis Fomin   Make your bookcase a feature. The stencilled lines of this lounge’s black shelving hold a multitude of reads, tribal statuettes and vases, as a soft block couch and ball light enhance their enjoyment. A concrete wall and polished grey floor form a slick backing canvas.

Visualizer: Filip Sapojnicov   Grey works with pops of colour. Paired with many different patterns and shades in pink, the shade covers the base wall, pendant and shelving niche to avoid cluttering.

Visualizer: Andrey Avdeenko   Use grey and a shape as your design staples. With grey colouring an exposed brick wall, rug, walls and couches, rectangles come to the party in an inset fireplace, ceiling LEDs and one of the longest L-seaters known to man.

Visualizer: Sergrey Baskakov   Grey allows your living room to host more patterns and textures. This lounge spices it up with a wooden slat wall, quilted rug, smooth book cabinet and painterly canvases. A sprig of orchids to the side adds polish.

Visualizer: Varayut Denthlordkarn   Let texture be your focal point. Showcasing an abstract artwork at its centre, this lounge’s grainy wall tiles, suede seating and woollen rug keep more than a hint of the cosy in a room wide and spacious. Check out our living room wall textures post for more focused inspiration.

Visualizer: Andrew Skliarov   Accent grey furniture with wooden features. This structured living room seats its almost-futon sofas on a wooden floor, its ornaments on wooden shelves and a zigzagging floor lamp against wall-to-ceiling wooden panelling.

Visualizer: Mirela Świerc   Draw the eye in with pops of dark grey. This mostly-wooden clad room paints a TV frame, coats an ottoman and offers a seat in charcoal colouring. Bursts of white in a matching quilted seat and foot stool match the foreground coffee table.

Visualizer: Plasterlina   Grey can work with warmer colouring. This autumnal living room creates heat with an olive green feature wall and terracotta cushioning, as grey softens the scene with an L-seater couch, woollen rug and TV panel. A roaring fire, wood stack and two Chinese lanterns make it homely.

Visualizer: Now Design   Create a contemporary tribal look using white, green and grey. Mid-grey walls pair with a circular charcoal art piece, grey-wooden table and stretching hover lamp. A volcanic ash vase holds sprigs of bamboo, as lush green fernery hides behind the sofa.

Visualizer: Hatice Unsal   Bring the outside in. This concrete living room uses large wall panels and a grey-tiled floor to make noise between two rows of creepers. A simple wooden coffee table boasting a stone corner mingles with grey armchairs and pot plants in this 21st Century scene.

Source: Ditre Italia   Use grey to accentuate your lounge’s sense of the unusual. Ceiling-height olive trees stand tall in this two-level design, as brown leather couches catch their fall afront a stencil bookshelf. Grey colours the rug, floor, walls and chairs, creating coolness with a contemporary twist.

Visualizer: Hotwalls   Grey lets brighter colours shine. This lounge’s orange chair strikes a pose alongside hints of dusty pink and a rug, marble plinth, walls, blinds and sofa in grey.

Visualizer: Svyatyuk Stanislav   After living rooms with large wall art? This darker grey room is a lesson in using shades, as its walls stretch seamlessly across light and dark panelling. The painterly canvas finds friends in two bright orange cushions and a stencil coffee table.

Visualizer: Nastya Ivanchuk & Marina Tsishyna   Monochrome prints are perfect for grey lounges. A full-length photographic decal meets our gaze beside a simple grey couch, differently-shaded cushions and a mottled rug. Black elements in a series of pipe lighting, a standing camera light and marble splashback make its contrasts seem natural.

Visualizer: Maks Marukhin   Like your lounge clean and spacious? Keep it tidy with grey inset shelving, a woollen rug and leather L-seater beside exposed brick. A yellow and grey abstract adds creative edge.

Visualizer: ATO Studio   Create contemporary drama with a living room in grey. The bold contrasts between the almost-black side wall and pendants, the light grey couch and kitchen appears almost monochrome in this design. A deep berry chair and resonating artwork avoid a clash in themes.

Visualizer: Zrobym   A yellow accent living room nicely twists grey. Homer peeps from a cushion on a couch in the hue, as grey stretches behind and below the sofa. Relaxed wooden furniture holds pieces in white, allowing room for a sunny yellow panel.

Visualizer: Marina Selivanova   Keep it light, bright and shiny. This almost-white living room introduces grey in a comfy corner seater, greyscale photography and zebra-striped cushions. An artistically-lined rug and black square fruit bowl tie the pieces in.

Visualizer: Oporski Architektura   Grey is perfect for the minimalist living room. This space designs with angles only, bathing a block L-couch and exposed brick wall in grey. Stark monochrome finds in a TV, artwork and chair add drama to form.

Visualizer: Tâm Võ   Grey and metallics are the best of friends. Lit up with firework chandeliers and a designer table lamp, here the luxurious Atollo lamp, this room screams luxury with mid-century modern pieces. Grey and gold wallpaper, a partly-living wall and a pea green armchair bring the antique to modern day.

Visualizer: Tracy Ong   Grey can make double-height living rooms majestic. A dangling cluster of pendant lights make the most of high ceilings, amongst charcoal curtains and a many-tiled wall. A stacked stone fireplace and fluffy mushroom rug make the space warmer.

Visualizer: Kholostova Olga   Pair grey with yellow for a personal touch. This lounge screams through a trio of buttercup pendants, a Greco-Roman bust, printed canvas of a rapper and modern wooden platform. Grey ensures it’s not busy with muted Roman blinds and a sofa half in colour.

Visualizer: Filip Sapojnicov   Create a French boudoir feel with a contemporary twist. Accessorized with a small standing bust, white-bulb chandelier and swing arm wall lamp, French panelling gets moody aside simple grey furniture and white-bordered walls.

Visualizer: Horizont Design   Grey can lend room to more dominant features. The glass bauble chandelier, zigzagging floors and turquoise couch of this living room are afforded coolness with light grey paint and wallpaper.

Visualizer: Polygons   Going industrial? Grey is the perfect colour scheme. The rough wooden rafters and cabinetry of this lounge-come-kitchen are made modern with a soft grey L-seater, fluffy rug and floors. Walls and ceilings come to the party in full-scale concrete.

Visualizer: S Marshall   Prefer the look of the artist’s retreat? With a ceiling and feature wall in shiny stone, grey wooden floors and slumped couches join to chill. An electric guitar and potted twisted cane hint at greater creativity.

Visualizer: Serhii Seinov   Create a rustic living room in black and grey. Centred around a trio of tree trunk coffee tables, this grey winding sofa and ceiling-height bookcase are beautifully lit up by a train station window.

Visualizer: Mihail Scherbak & Timothy Kalakutsky   Let yellow and wood add interior pizzazz. Set upon textured grey, wood forms into ceiling rafters, Scandinavian shelving and a rustic coffee table. Yellow bandages grey seats with striking lines of colours, as a metal TV cabinet and iron chandelier cement this industrial-style living room design.

Visualizer: Romas Noreika   Grey acts inspirational in this industrial loft. As wood streamlines the space in rafters, couch frames and a winding staircase, grey adds polish in slick concrete, distressed walls and a darkened, piping-feature glass panel. A bouquet of lightbulbs completes the look.

Continuing with grey throughout the home? Do check out:

42 Gorgeous Grey Bedrooms 40 Gorgeous Grey Kitchens

Related Posts:

Find Greyspiration In 3 Sophisticated, Modern Grey Spaces

Three Contemporary Interiors Making The Most of Light Wood

Industrial Style Living Room Design: The Essential Guide

Grey And White Interior Design Inspiration From Scandinavia

Cool Apartment with Contemporary Calming Color Scheme

Three Homes Using Exposed Brick, Wood Panelling and Grey To Their Advantage

from Interior Design Ideas http://www.home-designing.com/grey-living-room-interior-design-and-colour-scheme-ideas

[spencerthorpe]

Vibrant Colour Scheme: Get In the Pink

Pink, once the province of girls’ bedrooms and chocolate box country cottages, has long been overlooked by many designers fearful of creating things that might seem a little unserious or twee.

But this season has seen a surge of pink on the catwalk and at Milan’s Design Week, with everything from light rose pinks to fluoro pink to fuschia on show. Whether it’s on the walls, the fabric of your furniture or in accent pieces, pink is a great colour to bring some life to a living room, kitchen or conservatory. Don’t work with it alone, however. There are some great complementary colours which will bring the look to life. Here’s how.

Working with Pink

If you’re looking to insert a little colour and style into your rooms without revamping the entire setting, using pinks and complementary colours might just be what you’re looking for. If you stay on the paler side, a light and airy colour palette evokes the light green, white and pink palette of the early spring countryside or the famed cherry blossoms of Japan. If you go bold, you can nod towards sun-drenched late-night beach bars and cocktails, as in the Habitat x House of Holland range which we featured when it launched. It’s also pretty versatile room-wise and can brighten up your living/dining room as well as your kitchen or conservatory. It’s time pink came out of the bedroom, right?

What’s the best way to style the look?

A good way to work with pink is one which uses the colours of the spring countryside, including soft pinks, neutral whites and off-whites, light green and just a pop of fuschia and pea green for contrast.

Furniture and accessories in this design style are streamlined and functional, and include white or cream-painted wooden furniture, light-coloured woods and accessories and fabrics in pink, fuschia and green. To make the colours sing, this is not a cluttered style and a few, well-chosen accessories are preferable to a jumble of possessions.

Design pieces that look great in this scheme

Below are a few ideas to help you put together your own pink-loving room. We’re including some great ideas from Andrew Martin for the first time today. His collection of fabrics, accessories and furnishings are influenced by a broad variety of cultures based on his own travels. He’s really going to town with pink this season and we love it!

Cushions

Try some Pink cushions. Andrew Martin offers the perfect hues to accent your pink scheme, everything from dark fuschia to pale pink. This square, ikat print cushion in vibrant hot paradise pink makes a perfect contrast to a neutral-coloured sofa, chair or settee. £59

Dining table

Consider a light Dining table. This light wood dining table from Maisons du Monde coordinates well with a pink design palette. You can dress it up with a soft pink table cloth or let the beauty of the wood enhance the look of your dining room. £286.

Coral softness

Add pink with an area rug. For a different take on pink, bring in some warmness with the orange tones of coral to complement pink accessories, fabrics and wooden furniture. For additional layering, put this rug over pale maple or oak plank flooring. (£175.00 – £650.00)

Go Large

Have some room to expand with a console/dining table. For a larger room and for entertaining, this white high gloss table is a combination console and dining room table: a perfect addition to this scheme to give your colour accents centre stage. When you’re not serving a meal, the two pieces stack together to form a sleek console table. When it’s time to entertain, they fit together to seat up to 12 guests. £999.

Take a seat

Team with some dining chairs. Of course, you’ll also need the perfect dining chairs for your new room and we particularly like these white faux leather dining chairs from Habitat (£180). Being a neutral backdrop, they’d make a great place to showcase colourful pink accessories, such as these amazing animal print cushions (£59).

Reflections

Reflect on a wall mirror. Adding a mirror to your living or dining room is a great way to lighten the room and make the space seem larger than it really is. This rectangular wall mirror that stands over 2 metres tall has a silver metal frame that hints at the exotic streets of North Africa or the Middle East without detracting from your pink palette. (£1,550 for the largest).

Neon and pink

This sectional sofa from Andrew Martin covered in Savannah Paradise fabric (£1595) in pink ticking stripes. Not as bold as some of his other designs, this creates a great backdrop to more statement accessories and looks amazing with these vintage travel posters.

Cocktail time

And finally, we can’t talk pink without reminding you of this amazing cocktail chair from Henry Holland x Habitat (£595). It’s a limited edition, it’s in hot pink velvet with blue piping, and would bring a bright splash of colour to any room. Love. It.

Incorporating a pink direction into your home decor is all about getting the right mixture of subtle and bright colours, casual, multi-functional furnishings, well-chosen fabrics and useful accessories. With a little time and effort, the right choice of pink can give your home that light and ethereal look of the English countryside just after dawn, or sunrise over the savannah, even if you live in the heart of the city. With a choice of brighter pinks, on the other hand, the night is yours.

  You may also like

The new House of Holland range brings it home with bursts of colour

Get the Look of Soft English Meadows this Spring!

Add a Splash of Acid Colour

Harper’s Bazaar styling comes to Clerkenwell

The post Vibrant Colour Scheme: Get In the Pink appeared first on The Idealist.

from The Idealist https://www.theidealist.com/vibrant-colour-scheme-get-pink/ from The Idealist Magazine https://theidealistmagazine.tumblr.com/post/160329570213

[drewebowden66]

30 Beautiful Ottoman Coffee Tables To Maximise Your Lounge Space

Ottomans are commonly seen as seats, not tables. Why can’t they act as both? The perfect place to rest your feet, breakfast, computer or backside, these gorgeous ottoman tables can save space in your lounge by providing many functions. Buy a flower-shaped ottoman that splays into five seats. Match your ottoman to your couch as a pretend footstool, hiding spare throws and magazines in its storage beneath. Cater to your kids’ creative side, with double-stitched ottomans in the shape of elephants, cows and bulls. Get a two-for-one deal on your table and seats – without the haggling – as you peruse our list of top-notch ottomans.

$,1850BUY IT Rectangular Ottoman Coffee Table With Slide: Get a hard and soft surface in one. This American-made, 100% polyester squab works with its shifting wooden table to house your guests and coffee cups. Roller wheels on the wood mean you can shift its composition to suit your needs.

$376BUY IT Square-Shaped Ottoman Coffee Table Pouf: Ditch the traditional coffee table for a footstool you can rest your breakfast on. This polyester-blend, conjugate fibre piece ties into couch cushions whilst providing a place for tired feet.

$207BUY IT Modern-Style Grey Coffee Table Ottoman: Ensure your ottoman perfectly matches. This grey, grid-patterned number ties into a C-shaped couch in 100% polyester.

$323BUY IT White Rectangular Ottoman Coffee Table With Gold Base: Want your ottoman to offer a table’s hard surface? The inlet in this gold and cream find supports a vase full of flowers and metallic ornaments. Seat its wood, nickel and polyurethane frame beside a cream couch, to create a lounge fit for a Greek goddess.

$807BUY IT Modern-Style Ottoman Coffee Table With Storage: This solid wood creation is more table than seat. Varnished in a protective clear coat with upholstered cushioning, its top lifts to reveal storage and a cavity for magazines. Sit it along your hallway for a place to take off and put on shoes.

$140BUY IT Modern Multifunction Coffee Table With Serving Tray: Available in black or white, this nifty ottoman provides a seat, tray and storage. The perfect casual space, its thickly-padded foam and tufted linen opens to hide knick-knacks from visitors. Its durable wooden frame holds up to 265 pounds.

$146BUY IT Tufted Green Ottoman Coffee Table: Prefer your lounge to host more colour? This pea green ottoman shows off its quilting on beech wood legs.

$388BUY IT Contemporary Tufted Ottoman Coffee Table With Acrylic Sides: Get an ottoman with a shelf underneath. This white linen, button-tufted dream gives your feet a rest and your ornaments a display case. Its gorgeous acrylic framing adds sparkle to your lounge – or acts as your bedroom’s perfect dressing chair, with ample stiletto storage underneath.

$272BUY IT Modern Sofa-Style Coffee Table Ottoman: Buy an ottoman straight out of a magazine. This faux leather beauty is tufted to perfection on straight chrome legs. Get it with the matching lounge suite for a pairing you can brag about.

$400BUY IT Beige Tufted Cocktail Ottoman: Linen and foam built this modern ottoman, the perfect place for serving trays and odd books. Show off a vase of fresh flowers upon its form, as you indulge in a vino before the setting sun.

$149BUY IT Rectangular Grey Tufted Ottoman Coffee Table With Storage: Available in eight colours, this rectangular ottoman offers luxury with storage. Lift its linen-esque, tufted lid to store board games, controllers and old magazines you like to pore over. Table legs mean you can vacuum underneath.

$106BUY IT Rectangular Faux Leather Ottoman With Storage: Get a bit more funky, with this ottoman’s studded edge. This faux leather version offers the same legs, storage and quilting, but with a rockstar twist jazzing up any lounge.

$274BUY IT Storage Ottoman Coffee Table With Reversible Tray Tops: Don’t have room for a larger piece? This ottoman’s grey upholstery turns to reveal two trays holding food or flowers. Store extra couch cushions or knick-knacks beneath, to keep your living room tidy.

$260BUY IT Square-Shaped Black Faux Leather Ottoman Coffee Table: Find you’ve got more guests for dinner? This faux-leather find, available in six colours, hides four more seats to support your hosting. Hand-constructed using both solid and engineered woods, its beautiful stitching and four serving trays are sure to come in handy in a busy home.

$279BUY IT Round Black Faux Leather Ottoman Coffee Table: Hide your storage in an ottoman so sleek, the guests would never know. This chocolate and dark espresso seat is crafted in bonded leather and wood, for the ultimate in smart living.

$960BUY IT Darrow Tan Leather Ottoman with Geometric Metal Legs: Inspired by 1940’s libraries, this rectangular ottoman makes conversation easy, with its flat stock iron legs and top grain leather upholstery. Place it in a mid-century modern home, for a piece that speaks to both comfort and refinement.

$899BUY IT Distressed Leather Tufted Ottoman Coffee Table: Want an ottoman as small as a footstool? This deep, button-tufted design makes a splash in dark leather above chestnut finish legs. Use it as a footstool in your study or extra seat around the lounge.

$378BUY IT Distressed Faux Leather Square Brown Ottoman Coffee Table: Prefer your ottoman to look more square? This faux leather find uses plywood, metal, foam, polyester fibre batting and webbing for diamond tufts raised on high. Its metal U-shaped legs ensure your coffee – or backside – won’t topple over.

$406BUY IT Animal Print Ottoman: Feeling animalistic? This diamond-tufted ottoman is crafted by hand in the US – and meets BHFTI Flammability regulations. Its spotted form can hold 250 pounds of weight – in your choice of food, books or people.

$55BUY IT Animal-Shaped Ottoman Footstools: Get an ottoman the kids will fight over. These cute animal-shaped finds are perfect for resting your feet – or entertaining the kids during your favourite program. Double-stitched with built-in storage, their padded-cushion seating and durable cover mean they only need a spot clean from time to time.

$200BUY IT Chocolate-Colored Ottoman Coffee Table With Storage: Match your ottoman to your sofa. This piece in chocolate-coloured suede complements your suite – with a large storage compartment lurking underneath.

$126BUY IT Mid-century Style Square Ottoman Coffee Table: Looking for something low-key, yet mid-century modern? This 100% polyester ottoman, available in beige, red, dark grey, blue, pea green or light grey, is a handy find. Its low height means it’s perfect for a footstool; it’s birch wood legs, durability for years to come.

$220BUY IT Round Blue Pouf/Ottoman Coffee Table: Round ottomans are perfect for the library. This powder-blue gem is framed in solid wood and plywood, upholstered in polyester. Its corded stripes and central button tufting create a classic design handed down through generations.

$229BUY IT Round Pleated Pouf Ottoman: Looking for glamour? This turquoise gem is also centre-tufted – but in a velvet-esque fabric that feels simply luxurious. Place it in your bedroom or rumpus room, for a place to relax before heading out for the evening.

$121BUY IT Round Tufted Ottoman Coffee Table: Available in ten striking colours, this velvet ottoman is perfect for the diva in your life – even if that’s you! Tufted all over and raised almost to bed height, it’d find a perfect spot for preening afront a vanity mirror.

$187BUY IT Flower-Shaped Cocktail Ottoman Coffee Table: Feeling floral? This five-piece ottoman extends its petals as seats for unexpected guests. Its colourful form would look a treat in a kids’ room or lounge.

$167BUY IT Round Rattan Ottoman Coffee Table: Create a more rustic feel, with an ottoman in rattan. Perfect for a conservatory or living room area, they’re available in natural (pictured), white or brown hues.

$628BUY IT Rustic-Style Round Ottoman Coffee Table: Prefer it a little lower down, and with legs? This hardwood-frame ottoman offers both – and is made by hand. Use it as a side table or footstool in your sacred resting space.

$1,649BUY IT Round Rattan And Woven Banana Leaf Ottoman Coffee Table: Go up a luxury level with this much-larger ottoman. Made in the US, its polyester-topped, banana leaf and leather-wrapped rattan would look great inside a beach house or Asian-inspired home. Serve your breakfast on its top, or hold a conversation upon its added seating.

$359BUY IT Versailles Fabric Cocktail Ottoman: Can your ottoman speak French? This linen-esque version can. Lifted on four wooden legs and covered in French script, its wide surface ensures you can serve breakfast or seating to next week’s guests.

Recommended Reading: 36 Mid Century Modern Coffee Tables That Steal Centre Stage

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50 Unique Coffee Tables That Help You Declutter and Stylise Your Lounge

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33 Beautiful Lift-Top Coffee Tables To Help You Declutter & Multi-Task

Inspiring Modern Bedrooms For Kids: Colorful, Quirky, And Fun

50 Beautiful Dressing Table Chairs & Stools To Add Elegance To Your Vanity

[drewebowden66]

40 Grey Living Rooms That Help Your Lounge Look Effortlessly Stylish and Understated

Need to revamp your living room, but not sure where to start? Pick grey to colour it. No longer associated with dungeons, dull office blocks or unpainted walls, grey is a hue perfectly understated, making your furniture look contemporary sans large risks in design. Cut Lego-style stairs into a shaft concrete wall, amidst relaxed L-chairs in the hue. Go fifty shades darker, with charcoal leather couches, LED-lit bookcases and a roaring fire all in tone. Brighten it up with light grey walls, framed monochrome prints and a cornered Corinthian column. Effortlessly achieve a cool, up-to-date edge with our forty grey living rooms as your inspiration.

Visualizer: Thai Quang   Combine grey and green together for a look that’s fresh. The tropical leaves and pineapples in this grey and white interior make a splash upon an exposed brick wall, two grey ottomans and two Scandinavian coffee tables built to match.

Photographer: Anders Bergsted   Source: Entrance   Grey living rooms take on many styles. This light grey number simulates Scandinavia with its six monochrome prints, two square leather chairs and structured, rectangular furniture. A Greek column fireplace in the corner adds a touch more character. Check out our 50 Inspirational Scandinavian-Style Living Rooms post for more interiors in this theme.

Visualizer: aTng 糖   Prefer dark Scandinavian interior design? Paint a wall almost black, colour your floors in dark slate and pop a cat on its frontage, like this bold interior. A lighter grey couch, industrial light and a range of potted cacti provide items of interest.

Designer: One Work   Go simple yet functional with a lounge in grey. The slick concrete feature wall of this black-and-grey interior is peppered with an artsy staircase, grey L-seater and abstract oval coffee tables.

Source: Archvizer   Grey creates space for dominant features. Mis-matching wooden floors, grey couches and muted accessories make way for a large facial abstract on an exposed brick wall. Red-lined shelving and a miniature yacht help tie the artwork in.

Visualizer: Roman Kolyada   Grey’s a great base for a modern living room. This decor employs dangling lights to illuminate a grey couch, floor and ottoman with a matching kitchen bench and sprinkles of red and blue. A Turkish rug and floral print add pattern to form.

Designer: Zrobym   Grey walls need not be dark. This light and bright lounge is backgrounded by almost-white tiles, a snug suede L-seater, and pops of pastel in a pink seat and beige print. A multi-jointed lamp to the side stretches beside a paint-splashed table leg.

Architect: Sreten Jovanovic & Maja Urh   Visualizer: Anna Fedyukina   Use many shades of grey. This room combines fingerprint artwork, a grey-tiled floor, corrugated iron wall and marble fireplace to make grey with green creepers look effortlessly sophisticated.

Visualizer: Rohit Aurora   Decorating a small space? Grey and white can make it look larger. This attic-roofed interior coats a wall and a half in mid-grey and a floor in splotches, amidst framed prints, photographs and square suede cushions. A potted tree in the corner speaks nature.

Visualizer: Dekaa   Grey works fabulously as a minimalist shade. This smooth painted wall provides shelving behind a suede L-seater and simple grey rug. A swing arm lamp illuminates a scramble of white cushions and accessories.

Visualizer: Eduard Caliman   Go dark for the ultimate in living room class. A carved-in fireplace, LED-lit shelving and charcoal leather couches frame a black velvet rug and acrylic coffee table. Lighter, textured wallpaper in the centre focuses the eye as windowed light streams in.

Visualizer: Denis Fomin   Make your bookcase a feature. The stencilled lines of this lounge’s black shelving hold a multitude of reads, tribal statuettes and vases, as a soft block couch and ball light enhance their enjoyment. A concrete wall and polished grey floor form a slick backing canvas.

Visualizer: Filip Sapojnicov   Grey works with pops of colour. Paired with many different patterns and shades in pink, the shade covers the base wall, pendant and shelving niche to avoid cluttering.

Visualizer: Andrey Avdeenko   Use grey and a shape as your design staples. With grey colouring an exposed brick wall, rug, walls and couches, rectangles come to the party in an inset fireplace, ceiling LEDs and one of the longest L-seaters known to man.

Visualizer: Sergrey Baskakov   Grey allows your living room to host more patterns and textures. This lounge spices it up with a wooden slat wall, quilted rug, smooth book cabinet and painterly canvases. A sprig of orchids to the side adds polish.

Visualizer: Varayut Denthlordkarn   Let texture be your focal point. Showcasing an abstract artwork at its centre, this lounge��s grainy wall tiles, suede seating and woollen rug keep more than a hint of the cosy in a room wide and spacious. Check out our living room wall textures post for more focused inspiration.

Visualizer: Andrew Skliarov   Accent grey furniture with wooden features. This structured living room seats its almost-futon sofas on a wooden floor, its ornaments on wooden shelves and a zigzagging floor lamp against wall-to-ceiling wooden panelling.

Visualizer: Mirela Świerc   Draw the eye in with pops of dark grey. This mostly-wooden clad room paints a TV frame, coats an ottoman and offers a seat in charcoal colouring. Bursts of white in a matching quilted seat and foot stool match the foreground coffee table.

Visualizer: Plasterlina   Grey can work with warmer colouring. This autumnal living room creates heat with an olive green feature wall and terracotta cushioning, as grey softens the scene with an L-seater couch, woollen rug and TV panel. A roaring fire, wood stack and two Chinese lanterns make it homely.

Visualizer: Now Design   Create a contemporary tribal look using white, green and grey. Mid-grey walls pair with a circular charcoal art piece, grey-wooden table and stretching hover lamp. A volcanic ash vase holds sprigs of bamboo, as lush green fernery hides behind the sofa.

Visualizer: Hatice Unsal   Bring the outside in. This concrete living room uses large wall panels and a grey-tiled floor to make noise between two rows of creepers. A simple wooden coffee table boasting a stone corner mingles with grey armchairs and pot plants in this 21st Century scene.

Source: Ditre Italia   Use grey to accentuate your lounge’s sense of the unusual. Ceiling-height olive trees stand tall in this two-level design, as brown leather couches catch their fall afront a stencil bookshelf. Grey colours the rug, floor, walls and chairs, creating coolness with a contemporary twist.

Visualizer: Hotwalls   Grey lets brighter colours shine. This lounge’s orange chair strikes a pose alongside hints of dusty pink and a rug, marble plinth, walls, blinds and sofa in grey.

Visualizer: Svyatyuk Stanislav   After living rooms with large wall art? This darker grey room is a lesson in using shades, as its walls stretch seamlessly across light and dark panelling. The painterly canvas finds friends in two bright orange cushions and a stencil coffee table.

Visualizer: Nastya Ivanchuk & Marina Tsishyna   Monochrome prints are perfect for grey lounges. A full-length photographic decal meets our gaze beside a simple grey couch, differently-shaded cushions and a mottled rug. Black elements in a series of pipe lighting, a standing camera light and marble splashback make its contrasts seem natural.

Visualizer: Maks Marukhin   Like your lounge clean and spacious? Keep it tidy with grey inset shelving, a woollen rug and leather L-seater beside exposed brick. A yellow and grey abstract adds creative edge.

Visualizer: ATO Studio   Create contemporary drama with a living room in grey. The bold contrasts between the almost-black side wall and pendants, the light grey couch and kitchen appears almost monochrome in this design. A deep berry chair and resonating artwork avoid a clash in themes.

Visualizer: Zrobym   A yellow accent living room nicely twists grey. Homer peeps from a cushion on a couch in the hue, as grey stretches behind and below the sofa. Relaxed wooden furniture holds pieces in white, allowing room for a sunny yellow panel.

Visualizer: Marina Selivanova   Keep it light, bright and shiny. This almost-white living room introduces grey in a comfy corner seater, greyscale photography and zebra-striped cushions. An artistically-lined rug and black square fruit bowl tie the pieces in.

Visualizer: Oporski Architektura   Grey is perfect for the minimalist living room. This space designs with angles only, bathing a block L-couch and exposed brick wall in grey. Stark monochrome finds in a TV, artwork and chair add drama to form.

Visualizer: Tâm Võ   Grey and metallics are the best of friends. Lit up with firework chandeliers and a designer table lamp, here the luxurious Atollo lamp, this room screams luxury with mid-century modern pieces. Grey and gold wallpaper, a partly-living wall and a pea green armchair bring the antique to modern day.

Visualizer: Tracy Ong   Grey can make double-height living rooms majestic. A dangling cluster of pendant lights make the most of high ceilings, amongst charcoal curtains and a many-tiled wall. A stacked stone fireplace and fluffy mushroom rug make the space warmer.

Visualizer: Kholostova Olga   Pair grey with yellow for a personal touch. This lounge screams through a trio of buttercup pendants, a Greco-Roman bust, printed canvas of a rapper and modern wooden platform. Grey ensures it’s not busy with muted Roman blinds and a sofa half in colour.

Visualizer: Filip Sapojnicov   Create a French boudoir feel with a contemporary twist. Accessorized with a small standing bust, white-bulb chandelier and swing arm wall lamp, French panelling gets moody aside simple grey furniture and white-bordered walls.

Visualizer: Horizont Design   Grey can lend room to more dominant features. The glass bauble chandelier, zigzagging floors and turquoise couch of this living room are afforded coolness with light grey paint and wallpaper.

Visualizer: Polygons   Going industrial? Grey is the perfect colour scheme. The rough wooden rafters and cabinetry of this lounge-come-kitchen are made modern with a soft grey L-seater, fluffy rug and floors. Walls and ceilings come to the party in full-scale concrete.

Visualizer: S Marshall   Prefer the look of the artist’s retreat? With a ceiling and feature wall in shiny stone, grey wooden floors and slumped couches join to chill. An electric guitar and potted twisted cane hint at greater creativity.

Visualizer: Serhii Seinov   Create a rustic living room in black and grey. Centred around a trio of tree trunk coffee tables, this grey winding sofa and ceiling-height bookcase are beautifully lit up by a train station window.

Visualizer: Mihail Scherbak & Timothy Kalakutsky   Let yellow and wood add interior pizzazz. Set upon textured grey, wood forms into ceiling rafters, Scandinavian shelving and a rustic coffee table. Yellow bandages grey seats with striking lines of colours, as a metal TV cabinet and iron chandelier cement this industrial-style living room design.

Visualizer: Romas Noreika   Grey acts inspirational in this industrial loft. As wood streamlines the space in rafters, couch frames and a winding staircase, grey adds polish in slick concrete, distressed walls and a darkened, piping-feature glass panel. A bouquet of lightbulbs completes the look.

Continuing with grey throughout the home? Do check out:

42 Gorgeous Grey Bedrooms 40 Gorgeous Grey Kitchens

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