Step one....Nine Hundred Nintey Nine To Go....

So the round table I had unfortunately placed in my entry was reassigned and Am still looking for a nice rectangular shape to replace it. Once I  made the decision , it became increasingly more difficult to live with the table and urgent if temporary measures had to be taken.
Enter a weird  large table thing that I found. I cant figure out what purpose it served the maker but I don't care because it is solid camphor and I bought it for crazy cheap!I  intend to have it split in half to form a slim sofa table but for now it can serve at the entrance. A lot of my house seems to be living in the meantime!!

no close ups - its not pretty. I tacked some fabric to the back of the table

I have figured out that I  want interiors that are cool (am in the tropics), laid back, work well ergonomically and do not have that contrived everything-just-so feel (hate that).

When I lived in India  I used  to go out in the heat of summer and I remember  peering at windows and doorways that  in the blinding  heat looked dark,cool and so inviting. I imagined people lolling about sipping on fresh salty  lime juice and eating cucumbers and I would get homesick despite these not being memories of home. I want to create what I  imagined the interiors to be like.

 The carpet situation is temporary. That shield is an 'trophy'  the Hubs got -complete with an actual sharp spear!The space between the art and chairs is awaiting more artwork . Am trying to find the balance between contemporary  and  a authentic Kenyan vibe

 We had some very ugly seats (imagine huge in a bad way,back rests on an angle so when one sat they automatically reclined and filthy blue fabric). They belonged to my husband from his bachelor days and I had them in a store for years. When we moved houses and I suddenly needed new seats I "naturally "thought of the monstrosities I had hidden  away. Enter a professional sofa maker who agreed to fiddle with the frames to reduce the size and straighten them and now I don't have to entertain people who are all laying down staring at the ceiling! Speaking of I found the fabric for the seats in a shop the design is called 'mazurry'(I suppose the Chinese were attempting to say mzuri-Swahili for nice/pretty) it came in this yellow,sage and a brown-white combo. Of course you can see it's a knock off  La Fiorentina  and it is quite lovely up close.

The Hubs was very hesitant when I mentioned dark gray for the walls and the compromise was to paint a few walls to see how we would get along with it. A year on, Am happy to report  that relations have been most cordial and I have green light to paint the rest of the entry,  I may, or may not Am worried about ending up with a literal translation of a black and white palette(does that even make sense?) See the white ceiling now imagine dark gray  right next to it and add the black and white light.It could all start feeling silly.

This light is way to high but I love it and i hope to figure out a way to lower it and maybe different shades. Finding non hideous lights in Nairobi is almost mission impossible.In fact the more you want to  spend the uglier the fixtures.

 

This the view of the entrance from the living room the entry is  an addition made by our selves. The doors (rickety frenchies) were removed and some wall knocked out to link the two rooms. See that crazy bright afternoon sun? Do not analyse the fireplace  I have not really gotten to it.

This brings me to the problems of merging spaces for me, floors.The new entry floor is wood planks while the old living room .....very old and lovely mahogany parquet that we don't want to get rid of but the awkward contrast irks me to no end. I am sure that one will eventually have to go.


Now a sneak peak at a project that I started forever ago and Am yet to finish. It nearly drove me to drink actually it drove me to drink.....It was so difficult. Truth is it was not that difficult but things kept going wrong like the gray that looked wrong, I cut the primer with spirits instead of thinner and it turned into goo on the chair and ruined a brush oh and when i broke one of the  legs.......
Soon after I took this picture  a gold spray paint and sand paper  loving demon took possession of me and ruined the chair in the name of distressing and detailing ! When will it ever end?????? (sobbing and pulling my hair out)

I need to apply a coat of poly to seal  the paint because I have found out   that spray paint in Kenya is super crappy and  rubs off  onto stuff. Who'd have thunk it? Look at what my blue chair did to my lovely walls........oh well it's fun learning new things I guess.

Forgive me my many errors and typos. Ostriches tend to get excited when they are thinking actual thoughts(rare phenomenon).....that spelling skills just disappear!

Love  Autrichenoire.