Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
New Walls!!
It was so exciting to see new sheetrock go up! Gone was the old 70's paneling and up went the new drywall. My husband hired Chris, who was laid off from his drywall job a while back and they went to work installing the new walls as well as the ceiling in the family room. I really wanted a smooth finish in the family room, so they did smooth on the walls and ceiling there, but did a light texture in the remaining rooms. The texture cuts down the time and expense as the smooth walls are significantly more labor intensive, but they look fantastic. I am really getting excited at the prospect of a whole new space.
Stay tuned and see you next time!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Drying Out!!!
Well as you can see dear readers, everything was emptied out of our basement, which consisted of a full bath, a laundry room, a family room and a sort of odd but large bedroom. Everything (and I mean everything, who knew I had so much stuff?!) was loaded into a "pod" that is currently sitting outside of our driveway waiting for the construction to be done and at which time it will be unloaded into our "new" spaces! I can't wait. Now, we are in the process of making what seems to be a million decisions as we re-create our living space and bring it into the 21st Century. Gone will be the burnt orange carpet, again original to the house when we bought it in 1985. Gone, odd little closet door with a 8" step up into it??! Gone, aluminum windows which actually allowed bugs through the casings--weird, but true, and gone, asbestos linoleum tiles still in the laundry and odd bedroom where our daughter once slept. Let the decision making begin--stay tuned.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
One Thing Leads to Another...
My longtime friends Dan and Donna Bush took the plunge to do a major remodel of their home which was featured in the May 6 edition of the Home and Garden Section of the Oregonian! They did what many people would consider folly, hired a friend to work with. As it turned out for me, they were the dream clients that every designer hopes to work with--it was really a collaborative effort and I think the results speak to that. You can see the "before" pictures of their kitchen on my website as well as photos of the master suite. 
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Fate Intervenes
Sometimes, fate works in curious ways. Our family room/sewing room/workout room was in desperate need of a remodel. (You know, the shoemakers kids going without shoes syndrome.) However, it wasn't in the budget for another year or two but the aforesaid fate and a broken water main intervened and now we are knee deep in a full remodel. Our fantastic insurance company Safeco and the cleaning service Serv-Pro have made it possible for us to remodel immediately! I will be posting the progress in the next few weeks. It took quite awhile just to dry out the space and then to empty it of every single thing!! Can you imagine?? I have learned I really don't need half of the things that I had been saving! Now my wonderful husband Phil has been working seven days a week to create the "new" space and he is doing a fantastic job. Anyway, this is a before picture--and I will be posting the progress as time goes on. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Happy New Year!!
Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that we were worrying about Y2K and the turn of the new Millennium? Well, that was a full decade ago, just proving the adage time flies! I thought I would talk about some of the design projections are for this new decade--Vintage and Antique--You have probably noticed this trend in the Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn catalogs among others. Pottery Barn even has a replica of an old workbench! You certainly could buy these reproductions, but I say why? Scour your local thrift shops, antique malls and estate sales and you will probably turn up the real thing for the same price or much less, and you will have a lot of fun in the process.
Warmer Minimalism--Minimalism warmed up with natural materials. Again this is a trend that has been on the rise for the last year or so--lots of natural materials from wood to hemp to birds nests. You will also be seeing lots of birds and animals in fabrics, on pillows and in accessories. Of course, this trend does not hurt my feelings as I love birds and images of birds. It is also the perfect time for taxidermy if you happen to love it which I do. Just make sure what you buy is truly old or from a reputable dealer.
Rococo and Neo-Baroque--This look is about layering ornate details in a contemporary way. If you are a reader of Elle Decor, you will often see this look in their pages. This is a look that I love, a great way to mix old and new, shiny with faded, old world with a look to the future.
Another look that I love, is the Mid Century Modern look as seen on the AMC drama Mad Men! Don't you just love that brooding but handsome Don Draper!! The sets on that show are full of inspiration for me. I recently found a pair of these chairs at an antique mall and had them reupholstered in this fantastic Jim Thompson fabric. Mid Century Modern with an updated look. I love how this fabric has pastel colors but such a vibrant design--it really works in a lot of spaces. These chairs both rock and swivel. Hey wait a minute, that sounds like Elvis!! (I think I am aging myself). Ok--enough for now. Give some thought about how you want to live in this next exciting decade. Here are the before and after photos of the chairs.
Til next time, happy decorating.
Sue
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
