Our Cabana (re-furnished and rearranged)

I've been having fun rearranging the furniture in my cabana and getting it ready for lots of lazy days by the pool.

I had to exchange my Restoration Hardware outdoor Provence wicker pieces.  Here's the before:

The sofa blocked the fireplace from the spa (picky husband) and the low backs on the Provence collection made the chairs uncomfortable.  I kept the dining pieces from the Restoration Hardware Provence outdoor collection, but the rest had to go back.  sigh....

Did you know that outdoor wicker smells like plastic when the pieces are under the sun (even in winter)?  Unpleasant side effect for such pretty pieces.  Especially since Austin, Texas is known for 300+ days of sunshine.

I am very pleased with the new bronze furniture from Ballard.  The shutter cabinets and umbrellas are from Restoration Hardware and the garden stools are from One Kings Lane.  Still dreaming of a rug and outdoor drapery.  One day...

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A Design Tip and a Laugh

From the Ballard Designs catalog I received over the weekend:

Tip: Use any small table as a side table.

Use a table as a table? Thanks for the ingenious design tip, Ballard!

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Texas Tuscan Chandelier (a before and after)

I wanted to replace an ugly living room ceiling fan with something like this:

or this:

We loved this light from Ballard Designs. Bretagne 9-Light Chandelier. At $989, it was a splurge we could have gone for.

Until we found this:

What a steal at just $189.99 on overstock.com with $2.95 shipping. I can't believe it doesn't cost more!

So, we went from this:

to this:

Now the eye is drawn up to this airy light that finishes and balances the space perfectly. The warm glow from the 15 watt bulbs is just right and a dimmer switch was installed for even more ambiance. Wouldn't it be pretty in a grand foyer? Or over a round table? Stay tuned to see the complete living room transformation.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Old-World-9-light-Chandelier/2064093/product.html

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