our favorite room

I'm not sure that my photography does my favorite room in our home justice.
Perhaps my words will.
Our favorite room is cozy and small, the smallest room in our house.

The carpet is wool and patterned. it hides a multitude of sins and if anything is spilled?
It is easily wiped up, even red wine.

The paint is a glaze. Fingerprints and marks easily wiped and cleaned.

The sofas are leather. The older they get, the better they look.
Once again, easily wiped off and cleaned.

 
The bureau is a Biedermeier copy, a tiny bit distressed so as not to be too "precious." I am not so upset should someone forget a coaster while setting down a drink.

Are you picking up on the main reason why this is my favorite room?
Low maintenance. It is one room that I feel looks elegant but can handle lots of use, children and animals.

Another huge reason why this room is the heart of our home is the fireplace, surround and bookcases.
We spent a lot of time designing all the woodwork. We wanted the design to be classic and the finish to be warm.
I think we accomplished that.

Although we have many other gathering rooms in our house, our family of seven usually ends up cuddled on those sofas enjoying good conversations or a favorite TV show.

Porte de Cligancourt, Les Puces

Isn't is funny how perspective is?
My husband's worst memory of our trip to Paris was the day spent at the HUGE antique market of Porte de Cligancourt.

My favorite memory?
The day we spent at Porte de Cligancourt!

images courtesy of MOONBOARD

A cabin- for real!

My sister’s cabin in Utah is what you would expect when you think Deer Valley or Jackson Hole.

High-end, designer syle.

My style.

I like rustic, but only in moderation.

I want comfy beds.

I want cozy couches and chairs.

Lots of lighting, lots of light.

I want aesthetics.

Lots of aesthetics.

Don’t you just love it?

Sports poster=happy boys

Sports Posters perfect for that 7-12 year-old boy.

I want to share one of the most popular items I sell on my web site:

www.backyardartllc.com

Our sports posters fit a standard frame. They are unique, vibrant, and action packed. They are original art, commissioned by us. They are priced right, $15 ( soon to be $20.)

It’s not easy to find room décor that grows with a child. Our posters are very popular because it is one room decoration that a mother and her son usually agree on.

They are also great for use as coach gifts. Teams like to sign them, frame them, and then give to the Coach.

I retail and wholesale these posters.  They work well in commercial settings, 
( Dr. Offices, sports facilities, resorts), 
Children's rooms, game rooms, events 
( we can enlarge for use as back drop for sports themed events- tournaments, bar or bat mitzvahs, etc.) 
Please contact me with any ???'s

I am not hedging

As much as I love hedges, I am enthralled with garden statuary.

I’m not talking Disney characters, those little gnomes, or lions at an entrance.

I love statues that have integrated into the garden, that seem a part of it.

I especially love those that become entangled in the ivy or covered with moss.

This woman would not be found in my garden, but I appreciate it just the same!

And this face coming from the ground is a bit creepy, but I am enchanted by the creativity!

And of course there is statuary on…

A. Whole. Other. Level.

Long overdue....

We are finally moving forward with construction. This will not be a "remodel," we're talking reconfiguration. Although the kitchen and the All Seasons room/sunroom were the main reasons we bought this house thirteen years ago, they were slightly dated even then. 

But, since everything was in good shape, we had five small children, a dog, a cat, and other parts of the house to update... the kitchen was way down the list. For the last two years it has been on the top of the list and thanks to the economy there has been a huge delay in our plans...

But now we are ready. The plans go out next week to five different builders and then hopefully, we will move fast and furious because I am sooo ready!

This part of the kitchen will be a home office and a powder room.

Around the corner, to the left, will be our laundry room and mudroom.

The All Season room will be removed and in its place will be a larger and beautiful kitchen!

This part of the existing kitchen will be a butler's pantry leading into our dining room.

There will be a wall here.

We will miss the sun room. So beautiful during snowstorms or when autumn leaves swirled around in the wind. Even when the rain pelted the panes so loudly we couldn't hear each other... we loved it.

Many family gatherings were centered in this room. We hope to replicate it with the new kitchen- high ceilings, walls of windows and transoms should help us do that.

And I can't wait.

Ahha! So I eat my words.

Soooooo, I must retract what I said in the previous post.
There is a way to incorporate the eco/industrial style into a "normal" home.

Brooke Giannetti obviously had no problems with using the burlap and muslin wrapped furniture in her house- to great effect.

Please check out her blog for before and afters:

http://brookegiannetti.typepad.com/velvet_and_linen/2010/01/more-changes-for-our-home.html

New York Gift Show - Home trends

It was obvious that the sustainable living/eco trend is being expressed by many furniture and home accessory lines. Words like  rustic, re-claimed, industrial, and vintage were bandied about on almost every line sheet I came across.

And you know what?

It looked good.

And of course it did. 

Professional and very talented stylists from many of the furniture/lifestyle companies at the show put together amazing vignettes evoking everything from a French farm house to a Soho loft.

I'm not so sure that your average person would have the same results. Somehow I can't really see a center hall colonial or a split level rocking this design aesthete. 

However, I do see it working in a ski house, beach house, or urban setting. Anyplace where there is tons of windows or tremendous light.

Let me show you why I say that.

First let's look at Bobo Intriguing Objects

http://www.bobointriguingobjects.com

Their line rocks a lot of painter cloth, reclaimed wood, zinc. I'm sure their line of chairs and sofas comes in the mill worked linen with the understanding that many will upholster- but that wasn't the look that was styled at the show or in their catalog. The grain sack, burlap, painter cloth look was seen elsewhere as well.

Let's go to Zentique.
http://www.zentique.com

Ok, once again, obviously you can cover that couch, but it was styled at the show with cool pillows in all it's muslin glory. All I could think of was,  just one spill of your morning coffee...
As for the table, how industrial do we really want to be?
As for the first lamp, this type rustic I can live with.
The other?
It looked great on the showroom floor...
But my husband would KILL me if I brought that home.