IT STARTED WITH ONE WALL....

My husband, our two pups and I have the privilege of escaping the cold mid-Atlantic winter weather by heading to the Gulf Coast and visiting with my sister Jean and her husband Frank.   The Whites live in the pretty town of Covington, Louisiana on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans.  As though Covington needed more great restaurants and shops, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina left the town with new businesses opened by folks displaced by floods in New Orleans.   Fortunately many of them still remain in business - and though going into New Orleans is a fun option, dining and shopping at the new businesses in the Covington area is also enjoyable.

The home on the White's White Star Farm  is a spacious log house sitting in the middle of five wooded acres.  The property has a pond, beautifully landscaped grounds with azaleas, fruit trees, huge live oaks and many other flowering shrubs and flowers.

White Star Farm

 Front gate with Star of Texas proudly displayed

Little bridge over stream

Well stocked fishing pond

One of many glorious live oak trees

 
It is home to Audra, a draft cross-horse; her father is a Clydesdale and her mother is a Percheron. 

Fourteen lucky chickens free roam the property and produce about half-dozen eggs a day - in hues of blues and browns.

Two parrots live in spacious aviaries which are moved outdoors weather permitting.    Here's Frank with lucky parrot Junior

Paris and Cosmo, 13-year old Yorkies, are well loved and cared for in their senior years.   They spend most of their time in a lovely lodge style living room having their every need met with alacrity!

Back to the wall....

Shortly after we arrived, Jean said (in her soft southern voice): "Do you think you guys could help us paint one living room [paneled] wall white?".   The interior of their log home is all wood and the front and back have covered porches which run the width of the house.   The porches provide shade and protection from hot weather sunshine, but shield the interior of the house from natural light, especially in the short cool days of winter.

"Sure we said" and the project unfolded.

Here are some before pictures of the main living area.   It was very comfortable and inviting - but dark (Disclaimer:  Jean is an amazing housekeeper - I shot these photos after a night of movie watching/popcorn eating complete with comfy warm blankets):

I asked Jean to give me an idea of how she wanted the house to look when we were finished:  quite simply she wanted a "Pottery Barn" inspired uncluttered space which embraces the architecture of the log house.    An inspiration fixture was her Pottery Barn chandelier then hanging over the dining table:

The first decision was:   which interior walls to prime and paint and after that decision was made, what color white?

One of Jean's and my favorite design shows is HGTV's Fixer Upper.   We both agreed we would look to designer Joanna Gaines for inspiration.    One of her blogs mentioned Benjamin Moore Alabaster White as a pretty warm shade and off we went for a gallon or two.   It turned out to be the perfect color to complemented the warm honey color of the logs and paneling.

I then heard the voice of my BFF and designer extraordinaire Janet Davis:  " Edit, edit, edit Linda".   So that's how we started.    The double garage was filled with work tables onto which everything in the main living space was moved then sorted by type and item.   We called it the General Store!   It was a great way to select items to return to the living space.

Two designers who have influenced me for years are Joni Webb of the blog Cote de Texas and Brook Giannetti of Velvet and Linen.   They would both say - stay simple, clean and with special "patina" pieces.   Their style is always a guiding principle.

Back to "the wall".   Our original plan was to paint only the living room wall which separates the kitchen from the living room:

This was to be the ONE wall to paint 

 A gallon of primer and a gallon of Benjamin Moore "Alabaster" later, here is the wall:

Living Room wall - painted Alabaster White

We shopped Jean's home and relocated some of her favorite pieces.    The above armoire (formerly in her bedroom) is by artist David Marsh, a Houston, TX artisan.  David Marsh has been designing truly unique, sustainable, and whimsical furniture out of his Texas studio for over 30 years.  The special chest is flanked by palm prints reminding Jean of her former home of Savannah, Georgia. 

But we didn't stop with one wall.....

We had fun decorating the beautiful stone mantle:

Fireplace and mantle (before)

In sorting through boxes stored in Jean's barn - we found a painting of the Pack Saddle Mountain near Llano, Texas by Frank's grandmother Melanie Keiser circa 1962 .   The painting, done from memory,  depicted a scene enjoyed by then 11 year old Frank.   We dusted it off and placed it as a centerpiece of the mantle - leaving it unframed.

Artist Melanie Keiser Pack Saddle Mountain - circa 1962

 The General Store provided lots of choices from Jean's collection of ironstone and a favorite copper horse statue also from Pottery Barn.  At a consignment shop nearby we found a pair of wild turkey signed and numbered handsomely framed prints by artist Art Lamay.   We knew they would be perfect.

Prints by artist Art Lamay

The finished mantle and hearth turned out to be both  meaningful and beautiful

Mantle and  hearth before

Mantle and hearth after

 And then we tackled the dining room

Dining room before

This picture makes the chairs look blue - they're actually steel gray

There were several important pieces to use in this space.   One was another David Marsh artisan piece in a beautiful teal blue.

Tall armoire - David Marsh, Artist

We also wanted to use a vintage plant stand which was in our Grandmother Nanny's home for years.   Jean has a collection of Longaberger baskets and voila - a perfect use for the stand (which was then on her front porch).   It is painted with a chippy olive green paint which we decided to leave for it's patina and charm:

Another important piece was our mother's antique lamp

The base is metal and the shade is hand painted on the underside of the frosted glass.

Finally the entryway got some paint and attention.   The front door opens directly into the main room and our goal was to create separate entry and living room spaces.  The window in the below photograph will soon be covered with a beautiful stained glass window.

Entry "before"

Entry "after"

Jean has a collection of cast iron animals including this beautiful bronze piece inspired by Jack London's book "White Fang".    The sculpture is a real treasure.   Many years ago Jean and our grandmother Nanny were at an antique's auction.   Nanny purchased an armoire which was locked, and the auctioneer told the audience anything in it goes too because there was no key for the armoire.   When Nanny got home, she used a stash of antique keys to find one that successfully opened the chest.  In it was this beautiful piece which we believe to be one of a kind.   The wolf is wearing a collar, consistent with the animal in London's book.   He is standing on handsome marble and soapstone slabs.   It is quite heavy and very very special.

 

Antique clock topped by iron black sheep

We relocated a green table originally in the dining room to behind the sofa.   It is a perfect sofa table and provides beautiful lighting in the foyer.

David Marsh curio cabinet festooned with chicken collection and Lu

minaria candles on timers!!

We moved the stain glass window from the dining room wall to a front window at the base of the stairwell.    It is beautiful in the south light of the window!

Jean and Frank had earlier renovated their kitchen.

Kitchen before

Kitchen after

Beautiful soapstone countertops, fresh apple-green glass backsplash  and painted white cabinets (original) updated the kitchen.    The island was custom made by Frank and new appliances include an induction cooktop that Jean loves!

And we couldn't leave out the front door:

Front Door Before

Front door after

But the best thing about the project was all the time the four of us got to spend together and all of the family stories we told.    A little 5-year old friend stopped by the other day and said "Oh, Miss Jean, did you buy new furniture"    Alas, our project is very successful.

So "just one wall" turned into a great project and proves the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step!    And it was fun!

Thank you Jean and Frank for giving us safe haven from the cold Delaware winter in your (even more) beautiful home.   We had a ball and love the memories.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year !!!

I love decorating our home for all seasons, but none more than for the holidays.   We had the whole family together for Thanksgiving this year, so the Christmas decorations came out a little early.

Our house is built in an "H" shape with a front courtyard surrounded by a gallery hallway on the left and the dining room on the right.   In the back is our master bedroom and a breakfast room that both overlook a pond filled with wildlife all year long.

I love the courtyard for lots of reasons, but one of my favorites is when we put up lighted Christmas trees and we look out at twinkling lights during the dark part of the year.   Over the past three years we've trained an ivy trellis on the north facing wall of the courtyard.   It is pretty in the winter, cool in the summer and we're known in the neighborhood as "the house with the trellis".

 

Speaking of the pond out back, here's what we looked out at earlier this week when winter dusted the ground over night:

One of my favorite reading spots - These french blue chairs sit at the perfect angle for reading or watching the beautiful water fowl that call our pond home.

And the pretty sunset reflections late afternoon.   You can see our new fire-pit in the center of the seating, but it was a little too chilly even for a roaring fire!

Please, come in the front door --

Our antique French vineyard table is the perfect size for displaying all the cards we love to receive from friends and family.   For cards that are single sided, I used the branches of a small tree to hold them.   It's a beautiful reminder each day of how lucky we are to have so many wonderful people to love!

Our three polar bears have made us smile for several years now.   They came from the most wonderful Brenham, TX store called Beadboard UpCountry and its amazing proprietress Mary Ann Flaherty.   She had them in her store window one Christmas and they just had to come back to Delaware with us.   They are handsome pieces - the largest standing about 18" tall.   They are all you need on a table!

Our pretty mantle is done in monochromatic metals this year.   The mantle came from a 1700's tavern that was being "modernized"!   Yikes, can you imagine parting with it?   Anyhow, our friend and designer Janet Davis found out it would be available and she procured it for us, with a good deal of effort since every other designer wanted it too.     I got the bottle brushes from World Market and they remind me of something my mother would have used in the 60's.  

 

Our tree is a beautiful 12 foot beauty from NDI.     It looks so real, but no falling branches, needles or allergies!

And here is a perfect little "chippy" bowl stand that we understand came out of an old dentist's office.   It is the perfect container for a perfect white poinsetta

 

This little beauty came from a tiny glass store in Bellagio, Italy.   It's a Christmas tree ornament, but it is so beautiful I like to leave it by itself.    Can you imagine glass blowing such a piece?

 

Above our family room doors and windows is a transom just pefect for displaying my Santa
 collection.   Each has it own little frame.



I'm looking forward to adding one special new addition this year - antique store here I come.

Here is our very "girly" sofa all wrapped up with sparkle.   The pillows are actually comfortable!

You can get a peek at the dining room from this angle.

Sorry the lighting is bad on this picture, but the lights and greenery look so pretty atop our pumpkin pine blanket chest with antique botanical prints above.    The mats for each of the prints was hand painted in France!   





This special Santa has graced out home for many years.   he is a very special gent indeed.

Here is an antique window from London.   Our seaside village often has the beautiful Kalmyr Nyckel tall ship in port and this window reminds us of the Kalmyr.

My folk art painting of our village Lewes

One of my favorite Santa paintings - it sold at a charity auction to help homeless folks.   But I still miss him and enjoy this print!

This is my wish for the happiest holiday season and healthy new year!

Resolution #1:   blog more often - it's fun!

Ahhh, the garden is finished

When we moved into our new house in April of 2011, we knew the odd-shaped lot would require creative garden design.   The combination of input from our Landscape Architect son Todd, coupled with many "pinterest" clips and the talented local Landscape Architect Paul DeVilbiss, resulted in a lovely combination of special garden rooms, making up a beautiful vista from our porch.

This is what the space looked like not so long ago:



Lots of builder-supplied sod and a lonely grill.

This is what it looks like after many weeks of hard work:





Nothing like French Blue chairs to enjoy the pond

From a former unused walkway to a hammock waiting to happen!

Many delicious meals have been enjoyed here

This very special urn is from Terrain at Styers in Brinton Lake, PA   





 Thank you talented and hard working people for giving us such a beautiful place to live.  

What a difference a "shade" makes

Our new house has a wonderful spacious master bathroom.   Lots of tile, lots of cabinetry and mirrors, i.e., lots of hard surfaces that make the space a little sterile.   I knew I wanted to add some beautiful fabrics to the space but couldn't find the perfect pattern - the color in the bath is Benjamin Moore "Tidewater" - not green, not blue, but a very soft clean hue.   We have a Dash and Albert shell motif wool rug on the floor that has lots of color possibilities.

Here's the before of the bathtub elevation.   Note the pretty chandelier - we found it in a church thrift shop for $35.00.    Not sure why we didn't turn it on for the "before" shot - oh well.    It was in pieces in a box and we figured we'd have to spend a ton of money finding missing parts.   Guess what:   THIS is what was in the box!!

To the right of the tub is a glass shower, and to the left is an enclosed toilet room.   The vanities are opposite the tub wall.   We opted for a privacy window since the home next to us is close and we wanted light, but not shades or shutters closed all the time.

I finally decided on a fabric by Kravet -  Ikat Fabric Bansuri Ranjani 54" Echo Spa Blue.  Now I know what color to call the bathroom - "spa blue".   I searched for the fabric name and low and behold, it was available on E-Bay, as a second with a very minor flaw, for less than half of the retail price.   So for less than $100 in supplies, and a relaxing Sunday afternoon of sewing, here is the window with a London Shade.   If you look closely you'll see a great round table holding bath salts and candles.   It is from World Market and the carving and texture are beautiful.   Only $129 on sale right now.  I'm ordering another for the living room.   The teak tub tray is from Ikea (who knew?) and it's kept my Kindle out of hot water more than once....  

I think the stripe in the pattern added a lot to the London Shade.   There are lots of good instructions for how to make the shade if you just Google "London Shade".   This one took 5 yards and the window is about 4' x 4'.   I didn't line it because I wanted as much light as possible.    It was very easy to make, and with the help of my handy husband who cut a mounting board, it was a snap to install (well for me that is, I don't think getting the brackets installed was a snap for him!!)
 
I hope you'll tackle this kind of simple window treatment.   I had gotten an estimate of over $1000 to have the shade made (it would have been operational - this one is fixed since I never intended to use it for privacy).   So watching old movies while sewing straight seams was well worth the time.   
 
 Good luck!  



Birth Paintings - a very special baby gift for special babies

Several years ago I was having trouble deciding what gift to get a very special friend's new baby.    It was baby #2, same sex, so there were few things the baby needed.     I decided to give something that would be unique, lasting, and personal.    Hence, the beginning of "Birth Paintings".

Here's one of the first.   Pardon the terrible photograph (I got better as time went on).   This was actually for Patrick's grandmother - but she promised to loan it to him when he got older.

And a few others

So if you have some interest in simple art projects, (or if you don't, I do commissions!) don't hesitate to be inspired to tackle Birth Painting gifts.   They're special when the arrive, but I still get comments about the very early pieces.

Have fun!

If it's January - it's Undecorate Time

One of my favorite decorating projects all year has to be Christmas.   When talk of turkey and Thanksgiving begins, I also dream of all the treasured decorations just waiting to come out of hiding.   This year our son and his wife who live in Chicago were with us for Thanksgiving, so that's the only excuse I needed to decorate early!   

I blogged about the first holiday season in our new house below.

Anyhow, I guess my second favorite decorating time is when the holiday decor comes down, and thoughts turn to warm fires and old movies and generally uncluttering the rooms.   It's a lot of work to put it up, but why does it always seem harder to take things down?    Down they are and here's how things look today.

Here's the view of our pond from the breakfast room table.   Each morning we get to watch the sun come up, ducks wake up and get their morning swimming done, and generally enjoy the beautiful sunrise reflections off the water.    It is the most peaceful home we've ever had and we LOVE it.

We knew it would be nice to live on a small pond.   We had no idea how much entertainment the blue herons, ducks, geese, turtles and fish would be.   Our biggest challenge is keeping Miss Bella from barking at them!

 It was nice to have the Christmas village, Santas and snowmen in the Welch cupboard all season, but having the cupboard a little more bare, so that it can show off the patina of the beautiful wood, is nice too.    I am still very happy that we elected to leave wall hung cabinets out of the kitchen, opting instead for shelving made from antique  barn timbers.   A combination of granite and zinc colored silestone is just perfect.   Often when it's time to fill plates and fill glasses with drinks, we feel like restaurant cooks just taking oft used items off open shelves.    Sure is efficient



Although the lighting could be better, this is another view of the kitchen island, antique French chandelier and view from the breakfast room.  

Here's an interesting gift I received as a housewarming.    It's the box I'm using as a pedestal.    Do you have any idea what it is?    Would you believe an antique Chinese "rice box".   They used these boxes to measure and apportion rice.    It's wonderfully chippy --  Brooke would LOVE the patina on this treasure.   I decided to display some sparkly pinecones in a beautiful Simon Pearce bowl.    The color of the glass in that bowl is amazing.

Here's another shot of the rice box and our late 1800's mantle decked out with olive tree topiaries, apples and a couple of angels that our younger son gave me the first Christmas he had a job!   They are treasures that move around all year.

Pardon the glare, but this photo shows our front door and entry with the French vineyard table that now hold a vintage cheese box which is filled with shells. The pretty wide plank floor shows up nicely (as does the fur from our precious Peke).

Here's a shot of the zinc cheese box that holds shells collected from the area. You might also notice our french door is open - yep it's January 12th in Delaware, but it's 60 degrees on the porch

We finally finished papering the mud room, and here's a little fisherman who stands guard for us:

You can see the french ticking stripe paper which is so perfect in this high-use room.   We used the same silestone countertop in the mudroom as in the kitchen since they're close together.


Well, that's all for today.   Happy undecorating!