Weekend DIY Project: Chanel Inspired Tray

I have been dreaming of this lovely vintage Chanel tray in Niky Hilton's home  for years. I also love this vintage Hermes tray!

                                     

Could this $15 Ikea tray be turned into a vintage Chanel inspired beauty? 

With a little love and a lot of lacquered paint I think it's possible. It's my weekend DIY project. 

Look for pictures of the completed project on Monday!

                                                                                                                                                          

Le jeune décorateur et sa Nouvelle Orléans

Welcome to Le jeune décorateur et sa Nouvelle Orléans or translated The young decorator and her New Orleans.

I start this blog in the dirty mire of the worst environmental disaster in US history: the Gulf Oil Spill. Constantly aware of the things I love the most: pelicans, marsh, cypress trees, dolphins, beaches, fish and sea turtles across America's wetlands and our entire, priceless Gulf Coast covered in toxic oil.

This live oak tree in the Louisiana marsh exemplifies the challenge we now face: "This is a struggle for the preservation of our culture, way of life and the land we love." Against all odds this ancient, 300 plus year old mighty oak withstood inundation above its top branches during Katrina and survived unlike all the other oaks of its Chenier.* Still recovering from Katrina and Rita, Louisiana's marshes and wildlife are once again fighting for their lives - this time against more than 100 million barrels of oil. James Carville  sums things up very well in his article "In Louisiana, it's one dammed thing after another."

Desperately wanting to raise money to help families affected by the oil spill I decided to start this blog and donate all proceeds to oil spill relief. Le jeune décorateur et sa Nouvelle Orléans will traverse interior design, art, and architecture with occasional tangents regarding coffee, specifically my love of espresso. 

*Cheniers are coastal ridges, exclusive to western Louisiana's Calcasieu Estuary Environment.They typically have a higher relief than outlying barrier islands. As a result, these ridges are historically known for supporting maritime forests dominated by live oaks (chenier is French for oak).

Photograph: Louisiana Oak by Joubert Photography