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Archive for the ‘Home’ Category

‘Tis The Season

Posted in Holiday, Home, tagged , on December 19, 2011| 2 Comments »

Tonight, we are finishing up decorating for the holidays. The menu — hot cocoa, hot buttered rum and warm apple pie. Therefore, in needing some inspiration for this evening I took some time and visited some of my favorite websites. This year I am taking an easy approach to the holidays and using lots of wreaths, trimmings from the Christmas tree and lots of candles. Here are some more ideas I came across.

I love this star lantern from Terrain

Simple cream pillars from Restoration Hardware

Another great and easy thing to do for the holidays is to grow Amaryllis. They come in different colors/color combinations and if placed in the right light can produce amazing flowers. To purchase these from Terrain, click here.

Here, I tucked a couple Amaryllis into some greens

A simple wreath is always elegant

A couple of weeks ago, I found a wreath made from old Christmas music sheets at an Antique store. The photo above shows similar wreaths from Living with Lindsay. I wouldn’t think it would be too difficult to make? Click here to find out how to make one from Living with Lindsay.

I also found another photo of one from the blog, Nesting Place. She has some great ideas for decorating for the holiday season, click here to check them out.

Happy Holidays!

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A LOVELY HOME IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

Posted in Home, tagged , , , on October 12, 2011| 4 Comments »

While perusing the photos on Elle Decor’s website, I came across this  beautiful home in San Miguel de Allende (May 2006). The interior design is by Ray Booth.


lovely!

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A POWDER ROOM MAKEOVER

Posted in Home, Projects, tagged , , , , on September 29, 2011| 3 Comments »

 Below, are some pictures of a powder room I just finished, along with my inspiration behind this little project.

Before

After

IMG_9431

Another Angle

The new floor in a herringbone pattern

Inspiration Board

Paint color, “Pitch Blue” from Farrow & Ball

A pedestal sink instead of a vanity to allow for more floor space. I also love the large flat surface on this pedestal sink to allow for a beautiful bar of soap or vase with fresh flowers.

A chrome faucet fixture for a bit of shine

Marble tile for the floor placed in a herringbone pattern for interest

A sea-grass mat for a beach feel

An ornate mirror to add personality

A Capiz light fixture for something that shimmers
 A large basket to store all the pool towels. This one is from Swahili Imports.

 

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AUSTIN PROJECT: THE FAMILY ROOM

Posted in Home, Projects, tagged , , on August 30, 2011| 1 Comment »

This part of the home is really overall “The Family Room” — it’s where most of the lounging and hanging out will ultimately happen. The previous owner had it split into two areas — a living area and an office. I kept the living area as a living space, but turned the office into a “library”.

BEFORE

The plan, with the living area (above), was to beef up the built-ins by removing the closet on the left. We also wanted to simplify the look of the built-ins by having only shelves on top and keeping only drawers at the bottom (see below).

AFTER

 

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AUSTIN PROJECT: THE KITCHEN

Posted in Home, Projects, tagged , , , on August 29, 2011| 4 Comments »

BEFORE

The plan here was to remove the wet bar (under the big key on wall) and walk-in food pantry (behind the buffet). With these two sections gone there would be room for a smaller, yet more efficient, food pantry – as well a new breakfast area.

AFTER

With the wet bar and old food pantry removed we had space to add one of my favorite kitchen items — the banquette.

 

In the rest of the kitchen we replaced the cabinet doors to give it a more modern look, but still kept with the overall traditional style of the home. With the atrium gone, we were able to make use of the space by creating storage for large appliances, as well as a small work station. The light fixture over the breakfast table is from Terrain.

BEFORE

The view of the kitchen looking toward the living room.

AFTER

The cabinetry in the island was also rebuilt to better suit the homeowners. Instead of a place for a wine fridge we added large drawers for linens and kid items.

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Austin Project: The Dining Room & Living Room

Posted in Home, Projects, tagged , , , , , on August 26, 2011| 2 Comments »

 The goal with this project was to create a casual and comfortable home with a neutral palette that would be soothing for the homeowners, yet relevant for a family of four. Because they were moving from a smaller home into a larger one, I knew there would be new pieces to purchase. However, to keep the new home cozy and familiar, I wanted to use as much of the homeowners’ original furniture as possible. Though there are still odds and ends that need to be done, I am finally ready to post the “after” photos.

The Dining Room 

Before

The photo above shows the original space as you enter the front door. A large atrium sits in the middle of the home connecting the dining, kitchen and formal living room. Behind the atrium is the formal dining room, and then the large family room. To the right of the atrium is the entrance to the kitchen.

During

As you can see we removed the atrium, which allows for a much larger dining room and overall space to entertain. A wall was added in an “L” shape between the dining and kitchen to add a bit more privacy between the two areas, as well as to add extra storage in the kitchen.

After

In addition to removing the atrium and adding a wall, we opened up the entrance into the family room about 2 feet to provide a better balance.

Before

Another “before” photo of the dining room and atrium

After

Again, you can see with the removal of the atrium, the space is more open.  For functional purposes, as well as to incorporate color, we placed a 9 foot red bench in the entry. The owners are still waiting for the 10 foot dining room table and a piece of art that will be placed on the wall opposite the buffet. The chandelier is from Hinkley Lighting.

The Living Room

Before

After

We removed the stucco from the fireplace to reveal the original brick. We had the fireplace, walls and ceiling painted, added a mantel and hung two large picture shelves from Ikea. Now, we’re just waiting on one large jute rug to come in and this room is done!

Next time: the breakfast nook and kitchen!

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PENDANT LIGHTING

Posted in Home, Shop, tagged , , , , on July 13, 2011| 1 Comment »

Lately, I have been looking for pendant lighting for an upcoming powder room project and found so many fabulous ones, the choice became far more difficult than I expected. Below, are  only a few that caught my eye. I also included some similar, but less expensive versions as well.

Armand Riviera Iron Pendant, $447.00

Capriz Hanging Pendant from World Market, $69.99

Beat Light Pendants by Tom Dixon, $450.00e

Drop 1 Pendant by Peter Bowles, $220.00

“Happy Kiss” Pendant by Caleb Siemon, $500.00

Gervasoni Bell 95 Suspension Lamp, $990.00

A similar version from Ikea, $39.99

Bucket Pendant Light from Anthropologie, $248.00

A similar version from Lowes, $49.97

Ayers Pendant light by Marco Piva, $1,188.00

A similar version from Ikea, $49.99

I’ve sent several options over to the clients, we’ll see what they select in the end. I’ll post it soon!

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Quick Update on the Austin Project

Posted in Home, Projects on June 10, 2011| 2 Comments »

Several of you have been asking about the Austin Project, so I have a quick update.

Built-ins are built, curtains, lighting and pictures are going up. We are still waiting for two rugs and two wing back chairs to be delivered, as well as a long bench for the entry (which is being recovered).

The family room, before

We still need to finish putting the items on the shelves, and are waiting on a large jute rug which should be delivered any day.

The library area before

The library in progress

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Update on the Kitchen & Living Room

Posted in Home, Projects on May 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The Kitchen

A “before” picture with atrium, wet bar and entrance to kitchen

Now, you can see the new food pantry and breakfast area (with built-in banquette).


The Living Room

The original living room

Above, is the progress in the living room halfway through the project. We removed the stucco from the fireplace to expose the original brick but found that there was a gap down the middle. The gap was filled in (with mostly brown brick), but with a fresh coat (or  two) of paint you’ll never notice.

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Update on the Family Room

Posted in Home, Projects on May 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The Family Room

The “before” photo of the media area (in the family room). Because the original built-ins were a bit too small for my client’s T.V., we are eliminating the closet to the left and adding more shelf/storage /T.V. space.

The almost finished result, but you can see the built-ins and the space for the client’s T.V.

 This area will eventually be the “library”, with 2 comfortable chairs, a side table that will double as a game table and ottoman to rest the feet.

The beginnings of the new “library” area.

Next time — the living room and kitchen!

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