Her initial inspirations were fall, but not pumpkins and hay bales, and the outdoors. Her love of France led her to ideas of eating outside and vineyards. A little bit of Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland and the vision was complete.

photograph: (c) 2010 Dwight B. Tobin

A canvas floor cloth is painted to look like the sky, and the stairs are a rushing waterfall, both by Faux Time Design. Ceramic mushrooms and butterflies dot the faux rock formations. An extra bit of whimsy is the French-inspired taffeta hot air balloon.

Tilt your head 90 degrees to the right and take in the “blue stone patio” with table fabricated by Window 25 and Pierre Deux wheat-back chairs, Kravet fabric (as the tablecloth) with Samuel & Sons trim, as well as the birch canopy. There are so many sweet details, such as the burlap seat cushions also from Window 25; I love the tiny one on the child’s chair. It took a lot of effort and finger-crossing to pull off this wall-mounted scene.

Of course, the light fixtures are the real stars. Hung or mounted at different heights is a mix of new, custom, and vintage indoor and outdoor pieces in varying scale. A favorite fixture was the Vaseline glass-and-iron pendant from 1925. You can see its milky-colored sphere in the center of the above image.

Felicia’s installation could have fit perfectly in our October Enchanted Forest story, don’t you think? It’s a totally fun way to show off the beautiful range of products at Lampworks, and it should be up until late winter, if you get the chance to stop by. Lampworks owner Bebe Regnier says that this sort of display is exactly what draws her to Felicia’s work: “Everything has precise detail. It’s its own little world, like she’s created a movie set.”

The Lampworks showroom is located at 231 East 58th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

Old industrial whisks reclaimed as sculptural lighting would make naturals for above-island illumination in the kitchen, though there's no reason to limit their use to the obvious. Over a library table? You bet. A series of them as alternatives to a chandelier in the living room? Why not. The largest shown here (on the right) is priced at $550; the middle fixture, $495; the one on the left, $425.

From left to right: Whisk overhead light fixture, $405; old bowl-turned-lighting, $325; whisk light, $495.

Found Things, 520 E. Grand, Des Moines, IA www.foundthingsdsm.com. Owner Marsha Steele has an eye for good consignors.

The new house marks the 38th year of the event and fundraiser, which garners about $1 million each year for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, and receives 20,000 visitors over a four-week period. The non-profit Boys & Girls Club serves more than 13,000 children by providing after-school and enrichment programs at 10 locations in the Bronx.

A recently-renovated 17-room mansion at 106 E. 71st St in Manhattan was selected and will feature the work of designers such as Vicente Wolf, Katie Ridder, and Sherrill Canet (a full list of designers is at the Show House’s website). I can’t wait to tour it and see each designer’s inspiring ideas and applications.

The house is open to the public starting October 14 and remains open until November 11. Tickets are $30 and include the journal and sourcebook.
 
Here are a few highlights from recent past Kips Bay houses:

For those of you who said you like mixing modern art into your decor, this room from Jed Johnson Home (2007, photo: John M. Hall Photography) is one of my all-time favorites.

A beautiful feminine bedroom from Charlotte Moss, 2008 (photo: Francis Smith)

In Philip Gorrivan‘s tailored bedroom, art doubles as a compelling headboard (2008)

Looking from the living room into the dining room, both designed by Stephen Miller Siegel (2008)

A dramatic chandelier captures attention in this 2006 room by Larry Laslo. (photo: Evan Joseph/Alex Barrymore)

Another example of Jamie Drake‘s phenomenal command of color (2007, photo: Nick Johnson).

Amy has re-imagined three patterns from the archives of Maya Romanoff in tribute to the former wild child’s 40^th year as an inventor of extraordinary wallcoverings. What does that mean? Tie-dyed wallpaper. Here’s “Half Plaid,” in all its glory. Check it out.

Groovy, yes. Also, sophisticated—especially in tandem with fabric banners draped from the ceiling.

Maya Romanoff’s surfacing materials are available to the trade. (If you’re interested, but you’re not a designer, you might want to ring up Design Professionals at the D&D building.) If you’re in the mood for immediate gratification, pick up one of Amy’s limited edition tie-dyed leather pillows at BG—that’s assuming they haven’t sold out. As I said: run, don’t walk.

To top it off, Bergdorf’s genius window dressers have also deployed the wallpaper street-side.

Cool, dude.

The first is my new white-painted WoodHaven Laminate Ceiling Planks from Armstrong. My 1960 walk-out ranch still had its ugly, light-absorbing popcorn ceiling. In two days, start to finish, installers laid the Armstrong planks directly over my old ceiling. I would have been skeptical of such a major transformation occurring in such a short time had I not witnessed it firsthand.

The results are amazing. Now my ceiling reflects the light, instead of absorbing it. Now my living room sports charm and character, instead of looking like the ho-hum dated spec house that it is. Now I migrate to the living room instead of the family room or bedroom to snuggle up with a book; now I play the piano more, inspired by my environment; now the living room is my favorite venue for watching TV.  Who knew a ceiling could increase a room’s livability so much?

Besides the easy, quick installation, what I like best about this product is its price—$2.99 a square foot, versus the higher cost of real wood. But honestly, these painted planks look like real wood.  No one can tell that it’s laminate (and trust me; my friends are discerning).

Being a bit of a tree-hugger, I also I love the eco-friendly attributes of my WoodHaven ceiling. It consists of 98 percent recycled material as a fiber source, leaving trees in the ground where they (mainly) belong.

I  chose  the painted white finish to work with  my bookcase addition, but 17 finishes from bamboo to weathered are available. Each plank features a tongue-and-groove beveled edge and measures 5” x 84” x 3/8”. A beadboard style is available, too, but I decided streamlined planks worked better with my home’s linear and not truly vintage architecture.

So that was makeover product number one. With my ceiling looking so buff, my floors needed a lift. My home’s builder got things backwards nearly 50 years ago, laying hardwood floors in all the bedrooms, and carpeting the living room. I’ve replaced the carpet three times, but even my latest frieze was looking tired from the romps of a golden retriever, a yellow lab, and the late “Duster” kitty (who lived to be almost 22!).

My hardwood floors in the bedrooms show signs of abuse from kitty claws and doggy toenails, so I didn’t want to take that route. Armstrong again provided me with the solution: a Grand Illusions Laminate Flooring in pale Canadian maple. Installation, start to finish, including carpet tear-out, took just two days. Price excluding installation: about $2.32 per square foot.

Installation was easy with a “Lock & Fold” system that requires no glue and goes right over most existing floors. The floor doesn’t have the phony wood look I hate about most laminates, and it makes the room appear larger. It resists stains and is easy to clean up.  Like the ceiling, it reflects the light.

But that’s all I the time I have to share now. The work day’s done, and my character-laden living room is calling. Even if I didn’t do it myself.

For more information about an Armstrong ceiling, call an independent dealer or special order from Lowe’s, Menards, or The Home Depot. For flooring, visit Armstrong.com for the closest independent dealer.