Teak chair

The teak chair in the image above is one that I've owned for many years. I was fortunate enough to find a pair of these vintage teak chairs about 10 years ago and had them re-finished and re-upholstered. They are comfortable and work well with many different styles. Here is a picture of how they looked when I got my hands on them (and I can't believe I actually found this old picture):

Over the years numerous people have asked to buy them, and have asked me where to get them. You can search online shops, like ebay, to see what you can find in vintage teak chairs. The other option is buying new, often Design Within Reach has versions of these chairs, and a place I love in NYC, called 'Sit Down NY' also sells some great replicas.

Flush mount lights

It's always tricky to find half decent looking flush mount ceiling lights. I used the white one shown above in my own home – here it is in my entry. I liked that the white colour blends with the ceiling and this one had a simple shape. These were affordable, attractive and unfortunately were discontinued. So when I went to buy a couple more for some upper level bedrooms, I went looking for a similar style. I found these ones from CB2 and Schoolhouseelectric, both styles that I really like. But I'm leaning towards the CB2 because the price is right and I love the touch of gold!

We're in House & Home: decorating with white

House & Home has a special edition called, Decorating with White, out until August 31, 2014. It's more like a book than a magazine, really beautifully done with thick paper and no ads. Some great inspiration and beautiful rooms inside the pages if you like white as much as me. Proud to say we have 3 spaces shown in this issue: Deb Nelson Design is featured on page 15, 19 and 63. I hope you enjoy this issue as much as me!

Classic front entry

In my column 'Ask Deb Nelson', I get a lot of questions on how to create a great first impression at a front entry. Often an entry can become over run with stuff, when people enter the door they drop everything. Having the right storage solutions can help that, but the key is keeping clutter to a minimum. To create an attractive, welcoming front entry, you can add a few key elements. Typically a great overhead light fixture (depending on your ceiling height), a mirror and a rug are all great starting pieces. Here are a few suggestions to create a classic looking entry that would suit a traditional home.

Before & after: kitchen pantry

In one of my previous kitchens I was really fortunate to have an original built in pantry. A few coats of white paint was all this area needed to come to life. The entire unit provided a ton of storage; and it had a closed-door lower area and open upper section. The lower area was a mix of a cabinet door and drawers. I used the upper open shelves to store all the dishes and glasses. It was accessible and easy to grab something when you needed it. I always kept it organized and styled to look like this shot above.  Here is the before picture.

And a couple of other kitchen pantries that also look great. I love the large glass vessels on the shelves in this one.

And the layered white dishes on white shelves always looks beautiful.

And a tip on styling, like the open area below, combining similar items is a simple trick to getting started. You can group glasses, white dishes, mugs, etc. to achieve a great look.