Reclaimed Wood Beams

For the past year or so I have been obsessing over interior spaces that have high or vaulted ceilings and reclaimed wood beams.  I love it when my clients share my passion for that type of character and request that we incorporate it into the new design. Reclaimed wood is everywhere these days, so apparently I am not the only one who can't get enough of it!  Sometimes I wish my present, oh-so-crazy life, could somehow be transported to an old farmhouse in the South of France, where every day I could gaze at thick, plaster walls and lovely, rustic beams.  Alas, I live in the Pacific NW, in a rather plain 70's house with low ceilings and no Old World character to speak of.  Room by room, we're doing our best to add some character and charm back in, but it's a slow process.  We just finished adding some fun, handmade, barn-style doors to our coat closet and game closet and I am thrilled with how they turned out.  Now I am on a mission to find more ways to add more!  Here is a sneak peak:

                     GAME CLOSET DOOR

The little door to the left of the fireplace is what started it all.  During one home improvement session, we ripped some plywood  paneling off of these walls, only to discover that there was a really neat, little closet on the left, which the previous owner had boarded over.  We always need more storage, so we turned it into a game closet.  It just needed shelves and a door.  I liked it so much, that I decided to add a second door to the right, just around the corner, where we have our main coat closet.
 

                                              COAT CLOSET DOOR


This is the new coat closet door which you can see when you come in our front entry.  There was originally a very boring, 6-panel, hollow-core door here.  It definitely wasn't any thing that caught your attention.  Now when people come in, they notice the barn door right away and ask about it.  Character added--mission accomplished!

My little DIY weekend projects pale by comparison to some of the lovely images you can find on the internet.  These interior spaces all incorporate reclaimed wood and in some instances it is hard to tell if you are looking at a new-build or something truly rustic.  Let's see if we can guess which ones are the real-deal and which ones are fabulous fakes, made to look like they are centuries old!

This one almost had me!  At first glance, I thought the furniture indicated a beautifully-aged Mediterranean home, complete with low, humble seating and crumbling, brick hearth.  Then I took a second look and noticed the very precise, symmetrical layout of the room and the clean lines of the plaster walls.  Everything looks just a bit too perfect!  Definitely new build.  Great imitation though! 

This next project is by Oz Architects and is definitely new-build, but I love the wood headers along the over-sized windows.  That is a detail I haven't seen before.  I like that they have a cozy little reading/visiting nook adjacent to the kitchen island and the big wall of windows.  I would love to spend some time in that room!

This one looks pretty convincing, but I had a hunch it was new because of the height of the ceiling and the large, roomy scale of the space.  Old houses almost always have odd quirks, angles and ceiling heights.  Wouldn't you know it--this lovely home is in Napa!

This one is tough!  The fireplace looks positively ancient.  So simple, homey and pretty!  Even the floorboards look old and worn.  So I checked the link, only to find that the article was written in a language I don't speak.  I am pretty confident though that this is the real deal, because at the beginning of the article was an image of the exterior, which fairly screamed crumbling French Farmhouse.  So happy to find a nice example of everything I love.  The only thing I don't really dig is the crystal chandelier.  I'm all for eclectic, but this one I just don't "get".

And this one I KNOW is a "newer" home where they have added reclaimed beams, but I love how livable this feels.  It's fun, eclectic, and arty, with just the right mix of sophisticated and laid back.  If only I could have those nice, vaulted ceilings in my 70's house.  Ha!

Since we are in the Pacific NW, and there are no crumbling French farmhouses to be found, sometimes one just has to add the character back in.  Here's what that can look like.  First I study the ceiling plan to see where it would make the most sense to add some faux beams.  Then I check the plans and elevations to determine what the height, width and length of the beams should be.  Finally, it is off to the lumber yard to do some shopping!  The one I've been using lately is a good hour from where I live, but going there feels like an extra-special field trip so I don't mind the drive.  It is so fun poking around, looking at all the cool pieces, and imagining where they might have come from or how they could best be incorporated into a new design.  Here is a shot from one of those days:

In the lumber yard, checking out sizes, level of distressing and degree of "checking" or splitting in the ends of the beams.

After I've made my selections, I arrange for the contractor to pick them and haul them back to the construction site.  Then someone gets to work on sprucing them up.  Usually we don't put them up as-is.  That might look great if you were going for the dilapidated barn or warehouse look, but usually the clients want something a bit more refined.  So we lightly sand them and/or add additional distressing (nail holes, burn marks, wire wheeling) until we have just the right look.  Here is what that might look like.  These happen to be remnant ends, cut off the beams and then set aside for finish experimentation.

Here are the beams, back at the house, after the builder had done some sanding to them to achieve a slightly smoother finish and more uniform color.  As you can see, the beam in the middle has some paint on it, which we wanted to remove so as not to detract from the finished look.  Character is good, but distracting color is not.

And finally, here are the beams installed in the space.  The room was still in-progress when this shot was taken, but you can see how much character and warmth they add.  Beautiful!  Stay tuned for final-final shots of this particular project.  My photographer is currently wrapping up the photo edits and I am super excited to add them to my portfolio in the near future.

New-Found Love for Navy

It's been ages since I posted on my blog and I'm feeling rather embarrassed about it.  The truth is, I've been in what feels like "survival mode" since the birth of our third son last May.  He's an easy baby to be sure, but when you add new baby to a full client load, two older siblings, a house that needs constant cleaning, massive amounts of laundry, teaching an evening class once a week, what feels like a full social calendar, and a husband who understandably wants some time with his wife....well, something has to give.  For me it's been the blog.  Now, eight months in, I'm trying desperately to sweep out the cobwebs, whip my life back into shape, and get back to the old me.  That's hard to do with a baby who up 'til now hasn't been a very good sleeper at night, but we're working on that too!  I am determined to get back to a healthy balance of kids, family, clients and the things that I love.



Here is Anders, my little kitchen helper.  At 8+ months he is crawling and into everything!

One of the things I love about my my job (among many!) is the interesting people that I get to work with.  Every project brings new personalities, new tastes, new lifestyles and new challenges--it's never dull!  With every client, I get to explore and enjoy some new idea or aspect of design, all the while living a bit vicariously through their home renovations or new-builds.  Often times, those same clients influence what I am most obsessed with at that point in time, be it a style of furniture, a color palette, a type of light fixture, or a particular material.  I love to dive in and sort of become "my clients" for the duration of the project, immersing myself in their world.

I have a current client who recently told me, when I showed her a wallcovering sample, "Oh good, I LOVE anything Navy!"  I got to thinking about it later...I've had lots of clients that request the color blue, but I don't think I've ever had someone come to me and say, I love Navy Blue and I want to use it in my home.  And come to think of it, Navy isn't a go-to choice for me when I'm pulling together color schemes for my clients.  Maybe I've always shied away because I've been afraid of the overly predictable Blue and White "Nautical Look."  It's classic to be sure, but it's been done so many times; I get nervous about anything that can start to feel cliché.  The funnier thing to me is that one of my favorite decorative elements in my own home happens to be predominatly Navy: a pair of off-the-shelf drapery panels from Crate in Barrel that I bought several years ago when we moved into our house.   They have a deep Navy background color, layered over with huge, green, yellow and white tropical-looking flowers.  They hang in my kitchen in our breakfast nook area and when I look at them I always feel happy.  So why am I not using more of this color?

My kitchen drapery panels that I love so much.  

It's certainly not that I don't like the color Navy.  A quick perusal of my Pinterest and Houzz folders quickly showed me that I've been attracted to it all along.  It's there, but I've never paid attention to how often it appears in the inspiration photos that I collect.  And looking at these images for the second and third time has confirmed that I've been seriously overlooking the great potential that Navy offers!  So here we go--thanks to the help of my fun and amazing client Amanda, a new-found love for Navy and a handful of inspiring photos that have me determined to use it more often.

One of the first emerging patterns that I noted in my photo collections was built-in cabinetry painted in the color.  Navy makes ordinary cabinets look A-mazing!  Here are some of my favorites:

High-gloss Navy cabinets in Sue De Chiara's Connecticut home, designed in collaboration with Lauren Muse
of Muse Interiors.



Source: Décor Pad.  "Small, chic butler's pantry features navy upper cabinets accented with chicken wire doors over navy lower cabinets paired with white marble counter and white iridescent grid tiled backsplash."




A gorgeous party-prep kitchen in the DC Design House, by Aiden Design.

Notice how they've paired the Navy cabinets with white in each of the rooms, whether it be the tile backsplash, a tile floor, or simply white accessories.  There's just no getting around it--white makes Navy pop!  Does that automatically make these rooms feel nautical?  I don't think so.  However, it does give them a classic, rooted-in-history feel, while at the same time being modern and fresh. What I love about the first example is the high-gloss finish on the cabinets.  Now that is gutsy!  And the way the deep, shiny finish makes those handsome, nickel bin pulls just jump off the page.  By comparison, the second example seems a bit more subdued, with what appears to be a Satin finish on the cabinets.  It's equally handsome though, with the rich, dark wood flooring, the classic white wall paneling, and the iridescent mosaic grid backsplash.  And the third example...oh my, I think I am drooling!  That Calcutta Marble herringbone floor, the rustic wood prep-table, the sleek, brushed brass hardware, the way the cabinetry panels extend to the ceiling and frame out the pass-through into the adjoining room.  Everything here is perfection.

For similar reasons, I love the use of Navy on wainscoting or wall paneling.  It feels rich, luxurious, and oh-so handsome.  I notice that even Pottery Barn has shot of lot of their most recent catalog images against just such a backdrop.  Maybe Navy is the "It" color of the moment!  I am convinced that Navy paneled walls add instant masculine appeal and grab you in a way that traditional white paneling just can't.  When I see paneling done like this--and I love just about any kind of paneling--my heart skips a beat and I can't help but stop and stare!  Something about it mesmerizes me and I can't take my eyes off of it.  It makes the other elements in the room look even better, provided there are enough white or light tones in the room to balance the depth and darkness of the blue.

Image found on sarahbarksdale.com.  Paint color is Farrow and Ball Hague Blue.

Here bathroom designer Robert Moore has painted the walls in a deep blue, 'Basalt' by Little Greene

 And in my book, a close runner-up to Navy-hued wall paneling, is Navy grasscloth wallpaper, especially when paired with a crisp, white wainscoting.  It's unexpected, bold, and feels very "current" yet refreshingly non-trendy.  I would do this in a heartbeat in an old, traditional-style home.  Or, a new home that you want to give instant, historic-feel.

Found on BHG blog.

Lovely little bath, found on Pinterest.  Notice how amazing Navy grasscloth  looks against gold fixtures.



But if all this wall paneling, fancy cabinetry and grasscloth wallcoverings just aren't in the budget, and they aren't for a lot of us, a Navy coat of paint on a wall or two can go a long way.  These rooms have serious design-cred, even with a simpler, less costly application of the color.

Image from Cote Maison, via Pinterest.

Nursery by LeSueur Interiors.  (I am a big fan of Meg Lonergan's work!)

Do Navy walls still seem like too big of a commitment?  Okay, then working our way down the list... How about a piece of Navy furniture?  I love older pieces, re-painted and repurposed.  After seeing these images, I think Navy is going to be my go-to color for painted furnishings.  I am going to be scouring Craigslist for some tasty furniture finds then making my way to my local paint store!  Okay, maybe not today, but in a few months when the baby is sleeping through the night and I feel ready to tackle a project in my "spare time."

Simple, Navy chest of Drawers.  Image from LittleGreenNotebook.BlogSpot.com. 







Hello Gorgeous!  Love the Coral interior!  Found on rrantiques.tumblr.com.





This last point brings me to another great question: "What colors are best paired with Navy?"  Ha ha, that's actually a trick question.  I think you can put just about anything with Navy, similar to the way denim blue jeans seem to look good with everything in your closet.  Pondering this brings to mind the sage advice of style maven, Stacy London, on the show "What Not to Wear" (yes, I was addicted to that show ages ago, before the kids arrived), who said something to the effect that Navy is one of your neutrals, just like gray or black, and you can wear it with anything.  The same goes with interiors.  A bit of Navy works just about anywhere you want to put it.  However, here are some of my favorite pairings:






Lovely and serene, a Green, White and Navy spare bedroom, belonging to Bunny Turner.



Navy, White and Bubble-gum Pink!  How pretty and fun! (Pillow textiles by another favorite blogger, Caitlin Wilson.)



Navy, Pale Blue, White, and Orange.  Notice how there is color hierarchy?  The strong orange accent only appears in small doses and is surrounded by a calming sea of White.  Love it!  (From the HGTV Martha's Vineyard Dreamhome)

Is anyone else out there scared to try Red, White and Blue...afraid of being cheesy?  Here one can see that it is all about choosing the right shade of those colors.  This orange-ish hue of red, one that I would call "Tomato-Soup Red,"  looks very sophisticated here, when paired with White and Navy Accents.  I also love the fun blend of textiles and patterns--all by Thibaut, but of course!

I could go on an on, but by now most of my readers are probably snoring, so I'll just wrap things up by saying that besides favorite color pairings, I've also decided that I have a favorite material/texture pairing when it comes to using Navy.  Can you guess what it is?  Here are some visual hints:

Image from Williams Sonoma.



I can't quite tell if this wall color is a deep Navy or Black, but regardless, I love how it makes the soft, honey tone of the wood window casing and chest pop!  So much character!  Found on Pinterest and Brit.co. 

Maybe more of an Indigo, but still lovely!  Found on Pinterest and DesignSponge.

The answer is natural or distressed/reclaimed wood.  I love distressed wood in general, but somehow I think it looks even more incredible against a rich, dark Navy.  The two seem made for each other.  Come to think of it, they would be wonderful in a little boy's room!  Which gets me back to my first point.  I have a few boys to chase around the house tonight, so signing off, and hopefully not for 6 months like last time.

Yours truly,

Sheila boy-am-I-tired Mayden.  

PS In an effort to be honest and transparent, let me just say that it only took me about 3 weeks and 10-12 logins to actually get this post up and running!  Clearly, I am a long way from being back to the "old me."




New Baby, No Time to Spare

It's amazing how much a new baby changes your life!  Sweet baby Anders made his debut a little over seven weeks ago, and since then my life has felt like a blur.  I've barely had a change to log onto Facebook, much less add posts to my design blog.  Even with a ton of help from both sets of grandparents, we are struggling to keep things running in the Mayden house.  What little energy I have to spare is going into work-related projects and running the business.  (Construction doesn't stop when you have a baby!)  So, sadly, the blogging has had to get put aside for a while, at least until we find our rhythm again.  For now, I'm posting some favorite family photos, showing what my life has been like these last couple months.

Mother's Day, pre-baby.  Jasper and Karsten were so excited to give me their cards that they didn't even take the time to get dressed first.

Anders Johann Mayden.  Born May 15th, 2014, weighing 8lbs 2oz and sporting a lovely head of dark hair.

Anders first bath at home.

One thing's for sure: this baby gets lots of attention from his brothers! Here Karsten checks in at feeding time.

Sweet little baby feet!  I take a picture like this with each of my boys, so I can remember their adorable their little toes.

Here is Anders today, hanging out with Daddy and Jasper.  What sweet boys I have! 

Anders is starting to smile now. This is the part I love!  Here Daddy makes him grin.

So there you have it--the last two months for me.  These happy moments seen here, plus more than a few sleepless nights, tons of kid-generated chaos, and all the stress of work.  Ahh, it's a wonderful life and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I feel so blessed right now.

    

The Evolution of a Dining Room

My last blog post featured an updated fireplace in a client's home and gave a sneak peak at some of the work we've been doing in her living room.  In addition to the fireplace, there are several other things we've been working on, including custom living room furnishings and a handful of adjustments to the existing dining room layout and decor.  While I want to save the full reveal for a time when we've been able to get in there and properly photograph the entire space, I thought it would be fun to share how we've transformed her dining area from somewhat plain and lacking in focus, to a room that is stylish and cohesive, all with just a few adjustments that can be easily replicated.  (To be fair, while I make this sound simple, the transformation took place in stages over the course of several months.)  Here's how we did it.

When we started, the client had a fairly new dining set in perfect condition.  The set wasn't necessarily in keeping with the new style direction she wanted to go in, (Translation: more contemporary, with a touch of mid-century and "glam" mixed in) but she very matter-of-factly stated that she didn't want to replace it.  While I don't consider myself a wasteful person, this type of situation is always a big challenge for designers--how to work in preexisting pieces without compromising the integrity of the new design. We smile at the client and say "no problem," but inwardly we're groaning!  Several things bugged me about this particular set.  For starters, the chair seats were covered in black leather.  Practical to be sure, but also aesthetically boring.  Secondly, the scale didn't seem right for the space.  It looked too small and all those identical chairs created visual clutter instead of supporting the room's most obvious focal point: the formal dining table.  Beyond the dining table were two additional major pieces that, while beautiful, weren't living up to their full potential.  One was a gleaming baby grand piano, tucked in a corner so far away from the viewer that it was hard to appreciate its gorgeous lines and stately elegance.  The other was a beautiful yet misplaced antique chaise lounge, which seemed to reside in an awkward location.    

The "Before" shot of the Dining Room

Clearly, the first order of business was a new furniture layout for the room.  We decided to anchor the space with a very large, custom area rug in a single, rich shade of teal.  We choose that color because it complimented the tones in the hardwood floors and because teal was also the primary accent color in the adjacent living room.  Repeating the same accent color helped us to unify these two areas.  Then we turned the existing table at an angle, which is always more visually dynamic, and allowed for better flow between the indoor dining space to the adjoining outdoor patio.  The chaise went away (sadly, it just wasn't right for this project) and instead we brought in a new console cabinet, which is intended to function as a bar area.  The new console has the mid-century feel that the client wanted, and is distinctively different in style and finish from the dining room table, to keep things from feeling too "matchy-matchy"--one of my biggest pet peeves.  We relocated the console to the corner previously occupied by the piano and moved the piano to a more prominent position, just off the foyer and next to a beautiful, art-glass wall that had been added during an earlier remodel.  In this new arrangement, the piano and the glass wall are like a dynamic duo, each calling attention to one another without competing or clashing.    

To freshen the dining set, we had the chair seats reupholstered in a fun fabric that features a popular mid-century Sputnik motif.  The fabric pattern is small in scale, so it's subtle. But it helps the chairs to relate to the character of the buffet, as well as the new pieces that were purchased for the Living Room.  (Design Tip: changing the fabric on dining chairs is always a good way to update the look of a room when operating on a limited budget.  Minimal yardage is needed and while we had ours professionally done, swapping out the fabric is an easy DIY project that can be done in a couple hours with the aid of a staple gun.  I can't tell you how many times I changed out the fabric on the thrift-store dining chairs I owned during my college and pre-married days.

At this point, things were starting to look better, but we still needed a few major tweaks to whip this room into shape.  Here's how it looked mid-project: improved, but not yet great.

A quick photo analysis told me that a handful of things still needed attention: 1) The new rug, while beautiful, needed to be balanced with the addition of some equally bold pieces.  (When I look at this photo, all I see are bold rug and black piano.  Everything else just seems to be a jumble.)  2)  Then there was the new console cabinet.  Charming to be sure, but lost and lonely looking in the corner.  What we needed was some height behind it, to balance the room and draw the eye from foreground to background.  3) Lastly, the dining set still needed some major "ooomph."  Even with the new upholstery, it continued to look like a collection of uninteresting chairs.  So I did what I always like to do when I'm feeling a little puzzled, mid-project.  I took this photo, laid some tracing paper of the top, and began to sketch ways to "fix" the room.  (I should interject here that in my line work, some rooms come together seamlessly from initial concept to completion, with no adjustments needed along the way.  Others, like this one, are a series of alternating additions and re-evaluations until the project is finally complete.)

 I then sourced the items shown in the sketch and presented everything to the client.  Thankfully, she was on board and got right to work ordering the pieces I suggested: two captain's chairs in ivory leather to anchor the ends of the dining table, a pair of over-sized mirrors to go behind the bar console, and a chic lamp to top it off.  Also at my recommendation, she replaced the large single painting behind the piano with a trio of three smaller pieces and and viola, the room  looks SO much better!  

The dining set, with the new leather end-chairs, now fits the scale of the space much more appropriately.  The ivory leather looks fresh and pretty against the teal rug and adds major pop against the backdrop of the glossy black piano.  The large mirrors behind the bar console add height and drama, while intentionally repeating the black finish of the piano.  The new art trio is more visually stimulating that a single painting and  keeps the back wall from looking too heavy.  In my mind, this portion of the project was a success and I'm glad the homeowner trusted me through the various stages of the design process.  She now she has a very interesting and dynamic dining space that  I hope she'll feel proud to entertain in.  She got to keep her dining set, and I'm no longer groaning on the inside.  "No problem" really was "no problem."  The client is pleased and therefore so am I.

Fireplace Facelift

I've been working with a client for several months now to furnish adjoining living and dining areas.  Before I arrived on the scene, the 1950's rambler had been recently gutted and overhauled, giving it a fresh, contemporary vibe.  The homeowners and project architect (Dave Heinen of Barking Dog Design) did a wonderful job re-imagining the space. They took down walls to connect the living, dining and kitchen areas, into one, big, free-flowing space.  The new layout feels open, spacious, and contemporary yet warm, with a beautiful interplay between the indoors and outdoors.  Large windows line the front and the back of the home, while a vaulted ceiling in the middle of the adjoining rooms allows for clerestory lights.  At the back of the house, just off the kitchen, one wall of windows folds up to allow complete, unencumbered access between the indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces. La Cantina Doors

When I started the project, back in August 2013, the bones of the space were already in great shape--all the space lacked was paint and cohesive furniture selections/placement.  Well, almost.  One other glaring weak point was the pre-existing brick fireplace surround, dating back to the original construction of the home.  The tired-looking brick facade just didn't seem to work with the new, clean aesthetic, even with the handsome, live-edge wood mantel that the homeowners had added.

"Before" Image of Existing Brick Fireplace Surround

We jumped right in and started working on floor plans, paint colors, and furniture/fabric selections for the two spaces (more on that in a future post), vowing to address the fireplace at some point down the road. About half-way into the project, I stumbled upon the inspiration I needed, in the form of a wedge-shaped, natural stone tile, called V-tile by "Island Stone." Vtile by Island Stone  It came in several colors and we eventually settled on a medium gray Quartzite, which had a nice neutral tone but was far from boring, with naturally occurring sparkles and flecks.  After watching a very informative video on the manufacturer's website  about suggested patterns for the product, we decided to do a dry-stack (no grout) application, with alternating rows or courses of (1) large V-tile, then (2) narrow.  The tiles were placed thick-end to thick-end, then thin-end to thin-end, producing a lovely undulating effect.   The finished fireplace is perfect for the space.  It's tall, stately, and deceptively simplistic looking.  The colors of the Quartzite blend nicely with the pre-existing black slate hearth and the undulating tiles give the room richness and depth.  So much so that the client and I both felt the fireplace no longer needed a mantel or embellishment in the form of hung art.  The fireplace surround IS the work of art.

We're still fine tuning the newly acquired furnishings and adding finishing touches to the room, so I don't want to reveal the whole thing just yet, but I am happy to say that we've found a clever reuse for the beautiful live-edge mantel that came off the old fireplace.  We've decided to use it as a floating wall shelf, just to the left of the fireplace, creating a little spot to set a drink, place a candle or two, and nestle a floating ottoman beneath.  I've very excited that we get to reuse this piece and can't wait to see it once it's hung.  

Discussing Placement of the Floating Shelf

There are so many more neat features to this project, and hopefully things will wrap up in the next couple of months and I will be able to reveal more of the space.  For now, consider this a little teaser. 

A Few Favorite Things

With ten weeks and counting until the arrival of boy number three, life has transitioned from fast-paced to warp-speed.  Our home is a veritable whirlwind of activity, from home improvement projects, to kid play dates, work obligations and school volunteer commitments.  Somehow it's going to all get done in time for the little man to make his grand entrance into this crazy family.  And I hope to enjoy every moment of it and HIM!

(View from Breakfast Area into Formal Dining Room)

The house has been a little torn up lately, as we're tackling some much-needed improvements in our kitchen.  (Probably not the best timing--I know!)  We started small, but then got caught up in the excitement of renovation and fell into the trap of "scope creep." At first it was just going to be fresh coat of paint and new counter tops, but then we decided to knock down a wall here, add some new cabinets there, redo a chunk of electrical, etc, etc.  Now our little kitchen project is feeling like a big project and while I'm happy with the changes thus far, I can't help but feel a little anxious about the mess and getting it all done.

When the house is torn up like it is now, it's easy for me to start fussing over all the things I don't like about this place, instead of focusing on the all the things I DO enjoy.  So, to help bring back those warm, fuzzy thoughts of gratitude, I thought it would be fun to do a quick little blog post on some of my favorite things in my home.  I'm one of those weird people that gets excited about small details, and when things "click" for me visually, I can't help but smile. So here goes...

(Living Room)

The Living Room is one of my favorite parts of the house, and not necessarily for the decor, but because one whole wall is windows, looking out onto our back yard and the golf course beyond.  I love the light these windows bring in, as well as the views of the tall evergreen trees and the well-manicured lawn of the golf course.  Inside, I love my quirky, mismatched furniture, as seen in the photo above.  The painted chair was purchased at a thrift store several years back and in it's original state was a dark brown wood.  I painted it Antique White and had new seat and back cushions made for it.  I also get a kick out of my tall, cone-shaped lamp which has a distinct 70's flair.  It's a 70's house after all, so why not??  Additionally, I'm very attached to my art.  I've hung two very large, yet different pieces side by side, behind the sofa, to break up the expanse of off-white sofa against off-white wall.  I love the texture and pattern they bring to the room, along with a shot of color.

(Living Room)

On the other side of the Living Room sits another favorite vignette.  An Indigo-colored armless chair (cozy crash spot next to the wood burning fireplace), perched next to an imported drum table (more texture and pattern!), on top of which sits my beloved Air Fern.  In general, think that house plants do wonders for the life of a room, but this one in particular is a favorite.  I baby it as much as I can, in hopes that it will last a long, long time.

(Living Room Window Treatments)

I'm a big fan of custom window treatments, when budget allows.  I splurged a bit in my Living and Dining Rooms and had roman shades custom tailored.  I like the clean, simple look of a roman shade, but for this room I added just a bit of fun with a contrasting border in a little block-print fabric.  Pattern is one of my favorite elements to play with, but the key to doing pattern well is knowing how much and where to use it for the most dramatic effect.  I like how these turned out--a bit of interest yet still understated.  

(Dining Room)

You know the old saying, "the best things in life are free", well my antique buffet might just be proof of that.  I scored this vintage piece while traipsing through a house for sale in my old neighborhood.  The seller was giving away a few pieces of unwanted furniture and this was one of them.  I was more than happy to take it off his hands.  So much so that my husband and I promptly carried it out the door, down the steps and a block up the street to where I lived.  One man's junk is another man's (or woman's!) treasure.  Granted, the finish is not so hot, but I love the whimsy of the piece, the nod to the past in an otherwise more contemporary room, as well as the very practical storage it provides.  Also note the fun buffet lamps--the silver bases have a great shell pattern stamped into them.  I love nautical motifs, as long as they are subtle like this and don't appear in excess all over the house.

(Dining Room Art)

Also in my Dining Room is a favorite piece of wall art.  While I paid next to nothing for it, it has great sentimental value.  It is a collection of four, hand-watercolored bookmarks, depicting famous scenes from the city of Florence--the Fountain of Neptune, Il Duomo, and the Ponte Vecchio. I purchased them in a little book shop in Florence while on my honeymoon  I had little money to spare, but  I wanted to bring back an interesting memento from our travels.  I was delighted to find these bookmarks for just a few dollars each and knew immediately that they would look fantastic if grouped together in an elegant frame. Good art doesn't have to cost a lot; it just has to have personal meaning and convey something of beauty.  Also noteworthy here is the little ceramic plaque, depicting a traditional German marriage scene and bearing the names of my husband and me, as well as the date of our wedding.  This piece was handmade in Germany (another location on our honeymoon) and sent to us by some German friends as a wedding gift.  It's one of my little "treasures."

(Master Bedroom)

There are several things that I love in my bedroom, the first of which is my wall of family photos.  I sifted through piles of family snapshots to find my favorite photos, then had them enlarged and mounted in simple white frames that I purchased from Target.  I love that the last thing that I see at night (besides my sweet husband) and the first thing that I see each morning, are the smiling faces of my kids.  They are a great reminder of just how blessed I am.  If I had to name a second favorite thing here, I'd have to say my funky, white, bedside lamps.  I purchased these several years ago from West Elm and had to order four of them before I finally had a matching set of two that had safely withstood shipping.  The ceramic bases kept breaking off at the narrow part of the urn and I had to keep calling the retailer to request new ones.  Luckily, my perseverance paid off and I finally have a matching set.  I sure hope they never break as West Elm no longer sells them and I absolutely adore them for their quirkiness.

(Bedroom Dresser)

Also from West Elm (love that store!) is this little, white lacquered tray.  I use trays all over the house to control clutter and and liked this one as a little gathering spot for cologne and body spray.  And yes, that's another funky lamp to the left of the tray!  I guess we're establishing a pattern here.

(Master Bath)

Lastly, here is my Master Bath, which my husband and I fully renovated last year. (See earlier blog post.) I like just about everything in it, but a particular favorite is the tiny, crystal, ceiling-mount light fixture.  I generally like my spaces simple and a tad on the rustic side, but in this instance, I felt the bath begged for a bit of luxury.  I added the crystal fixture for a touch of feminine flair and because my bathroom is the one place in my house that needn't withstand the wear and tear of (soon to be) three rough and tumble boys.  It's the place I go to have a good soak, recharge, and enjoy some peace and quiet.  Thankfully, my husband indulged me here.

(Master Bath)

This next photo is another view of my Master Bath and hopefully gives a little glimpse of how I like to contrast elegant fixtures with rustic finishes.  I clad the walls with knotty-pine tongue and groove bead board (very cottage-like), painted it white, then added matching His and Hers porcelain sinks on gleaming chrome consoles.  The faucets are higher-end and also polished chrome, but then I added more rustic flavor with a highly-distressed, wood mirror than spans both vanities.  The pairing is probably unusual, but that's why I like it.  Why be predictable?

Lastly, I included this photo to show what the top of the mirror looks like.  If has a fun, clipped corner detail that fits nicely around the pair of wall sconces that sit to the outside edges of the pedestal sinks.  I like how the shape of the mirror tied the whole ensemble together and kept the room from feeling too glam--which wouldn't really be me.  

So there you have it, a sneak peak into my life and some of my favorite things.  I always joke that my house doesn't look like a designer lives in it (I didn't show you the bad parts!), but then again, that's not really the point.  Interior design is not about perfection, status, or how much you spend, but rather what your environment does to nourish and enrich your life.  Good residential design should create functionality for day-to day living, grant warmth and comfort, and tell the story of the people who live there.  It's a story that is ever evolving, just as a home is always changing.  It's a "given" that in two months time, my home will look completely different--over run with with diapers, burp rags, swaddle blankets and binkies.  Not picture perfect, but enjoyed nonetheless by all who live here.  I can't wait!