Client's Master Bedroom Makeover

This client came to me via my blog, specifically via my friend, Renae Moore who I met through blogging. Renae's talents are evident in the client's beautiful living room, which she completed prior to moving to Atlanta a few years ago. I don't know if I will ever be able to thank Renae enough for this referral, because this client would be any designer's dream client! She has been a pleasure to work with from our initial consultation to the final install. It's not often that the designer-client relationship runs perfectly smooth.

A little gift and thank-you note from me to the client.

When I first saw the space, my renovator instincts kicked in and I immediately wanted to move the closets which occupied what should have been the bed wall. Especially after the client told me that they wanted to make the switch from a queen to a king bed. Then came the bombshell- the master bathroom had been renovated in 2005 and a walk-in closet had been eliminated and 2 closets with bi-fold doors were added to what was, in fact, the original bed wall. And, in case you're thinking that the client made that decision on her own, you'd be wrong. She hired her first interior designer, an ASID designer. 

Details-Bedside necessities.
 Things I think every bedside needs. I am giving a few of these faux shagreen boxes from the Nate Berkus collection at Target for Christmas gifts-what a stylish way to hide everything from hand lotion to the remote control!

What The Client Asked For: a king size bed, but not just any king sized bed- they wanted a mechanical bed that both the top and bottom could adjust! Plenty of clothing storage, a wood headboard with footboard, possibly a mirrored chest and/or mirrored side tables and a slipper chair. Keep the existing shutters,  shades, and carpet since all 3 were just a few years old. They didn't mind the wall color, but were open to a change. And if possible, the husband wanted to keep his armoire.

The embroidered leaf fabric was the inspiration for this bedroom.

My drawing. Option #1 was selected, although we did go with more modern sconces shown in another drawing.

What I Proposed: I had the client and her husband choose the bed first. After sourcing several fabric options, the client fell in love with an embroidered leaf fabric. It quickly became apparent the wall color wasn't going to work. I suggested a color scheme of blue-gray and cream with hits of smokey lilac. An upholstered headboard to keep the large bed from taking over the small room (and definitely no footboard), a lighter/fresher paint color, wood bedside chests (I'm not a big fan of mirrored chests because they are so hard to keep fingerprint free and they chip/crack easily). A desk/dining style chair since a slipper chair would be too deep to move freely around the bed and vanity. But more importantly,  it would be too short to do it's main job- which was to camouflage the sink vanity that was measured incorrectly and extended beyond the wall edge! The shutters were beautiful and the white matelasse roman shades were well made, but needed a height adjustment for light control, as well as give a lift to the 8ft ceilings. It did pain me to leave the existing carpet since I always like to start with the floors. And, the germaphobe in me strongly dislikes frieze carpets and this one was not wearing particularly well. But it remained, as the king adjustable bed was a heavy hit to the budget. Oh, and of course, no project of mine would be complete without pretty door hardware!

 From the moment I first saw this Bombe chest at Crate & Barrel over a year ago with it's Acanthus-like scrolls lining the drawers, I knew I wanted to find a way to use it in my house or in a client's one day.  I initially proposed an incredible Neoclassical mahogany chest with concave drawers for this client's bedroom, which she loved. But at more than 3 times the price, it wasn't the best way to allocate the budget.



Details
Classic with a bit of modern-my favorite!

The End Result: A soothing palette of creams and blues with a bit of smokey lilac and few dark pieces to keep the scheme from being overly feminine. The upholstered headboard I selected took some convincing, but I knew a wood headboard would overwhelm the small room. Same went with the cherry armoire, it was just too imposing and drained the room of natural light. I think the dark chest and burl wood mirror show how it is possible to have dark pieces incorporated for that bit of masculinity and still achieve a light and airy feeling.The bedside tables were a huge challenge due to space constraints combined with the need for storage. This is where we splurged, and it paid off! The glass and iron table next to the chair delivers on the bit of glamour the client wanted without the upkeep of mirrored chests. I don't think you can ever underestimate the power of proper lighting and artwork to transform a space!  A few accessories and fresh flowers and it was time to turn this room back over to the clients...

Before
Dark and dated.



After
Light and bright.



I always prefer to use a different fabric and/or design on each side of a decorative pillow.
It prevents boredom and is a great solution if you like a change with the seasons!



Before
When the client's daughter came for a visit, she said the room looked bigger and thought her parents kept the queen sized bed afterall! The fact the room looks larger has much to do with removing the boxy armoire, raising the shades as well as changing the wall color. The wall color turned out incredible-it changes from light blue-to gray-to pale aqua! 



After
Although it is always preferable to see the bed from the door, the unusual curves of the large burled wood  mirror provides enough interest to welcome you in! This is an example of how dark pieces can be used without weighing the space down.



The "boob" light in the ceiling had to go! I replaced it with this classic glass bell lantern.



And, since these sconces were installed too high and the walls were going to need to be patched,
why not update them too?



Since there is a sink vanity in the room, I had to give it a little spruce up with new sconces, a linen hand towel and jar of pretty soaps! We talked about painting the sink cabinet cream to match the bedside chests. Maybe one day along with new carpeting. For now though, the client loves her new room and isn't that all that really matters in the end?

 Sources:
All Lighting- Visual Comfort/Circa- Charleston, SC
Bombe Chest and headboard- Crate & Barrel
Cream bedside chests and Curvy burled wood mirror-To The Trade
Glass and iron side table and leaf series over bed- Ethan Allen
Purple silk velvet and leaf embroidered fabric- To the Trade- Kravet
Pillow Shams/sheets-Restoration Hardware Outlet
Throw- Bloomingdale's
Glass water carafe- Pottery Barn
Shagreen box on bedside table- Nate Berkus/Target
Candle- Linnea's Lights
Clock- Savannah's of Leesburg
Door hardware- Baldwin Brass
Paint- Benjamin Moore. Wall color: Night Mist , Trim and doors: Linen White
All other items are one of a kind or discontinued.

The Nightmare Before Halloween

Also known as Sandy! Well after taking an unintentional month's break from blogging, I certainly could not have anticipated my first post back would be about  my random thoughts and the unthinkable devastation that we are all seeing on the news. 

Walking in the neighborhood. The beautiful calm before the storm


Although for the last decade we have made the southern coastline our beach destination, the New Jersey shore was the vacation destination of my husband's family since the 1920's. Cape May, New Jersey was the first beach my own children ever experienced.  This area, along with many I was not familiar until Sandy, seem to be all but wiped out by water, sand or fires. It's hard not to get emotional over the images I've seen, though I don't know a single person living in these areas.

I took this photo from the French doors in our kitchen just before it got too dark and the storm really ramped up.
 And, in case I never saw these majestic trees again! The tree to the left soars high above all the roof lines
 and is the tallest and widest tree in the neighborhood.
 Not comforting during storms!

That left me wondering how you all fared? We were beyond lucky. We had power outages for just a brief time, and though the winds howled and the rain was relentless, not a single tree came down. Just two are leaning over. We braced for the worse and stayed in the basement, but compared to the damage of the Derecho storm this summer, Hurricane Irene, and the Blizzard of 2009/2010 we got off with barely a scratch.

Our backyard.
Irregular flagstone path just after installation. The very next day, the ground was covered again in leaves.
The little rock wall with 2 Hosta (the only plants in this bed still living!) I built years ago and our landscaper said it could stay :)


Ironically, we had just installed the new landscape plan for the backyard including the installation of an in-ground sprinkler system and flagstone path. The ground is so unsteady between the work and all the rain, I'm afraid to even walk on it. Just from the deck, I can see things have sunk and shifted and though I am concerned what will survive and/or need to be re-done, I feel so incredibly lucky that our house didn't flood and the 2 tallest trees in the neighborhood, located in our backyard, did not fall onto our house or our neighbors.

New sod...approved!


Oddly, this was the first year ever, I did not purchase a single pumpkin, mum, cabbage or put out a single Halloween decoration inside the house and though it was an incredible busy month with wrapping up our house hunting, overseeing the landscaping installation and trying to finish up my final client projects of the year, I'm not sure it really had anything to do with any of these things. Last year, I only did pumpkins. Could that have been the forecast of things to come? If not for the calender, I would not even know it was Halloween. Scary.

Autumn Leaves

On this third day of autumn, I woke up to a very chilly house and would have loved to spend another hour in bed:


I love the cozy, yet elegant feel of this room. Anyone know who designed it?


But....

certain members of the houshold were having none of that!

Happy Autumn!

A Look Inside The Genius of Gary World

The man behind Gary World

Restoration Hardware Chairman and Co-CEO, Gary Friedman
(Oops! Amend that to former)

There is a new logo. It's called...

Or in blog world, Really? Hardly.

Gary has invented black. Black must be the new Belgian.

I'm upset with Gary,  again.  He's taking credit for inventing black.
Recently I proposed to one of my client's that she ebonize, or at least paint black, some of her existing furniture pieces. She thought I was a genius. I hope she doesn't cancel the date for the furniture refinisher to pick up the pieces next week when she finds out it was not an original idea. And, at least she can now get the dining room chairs I proposed. There is now an alternate choice of stain for the legs. She won't have to settle for faux Belgian. Gary invented that too.

And, according to Gary... 

Words from a genius.



In Gary World, going green means...

The upside to this? Hold the books, all 3 volumes, and step on the scale. Now drop them to the floor.
That's right, you can now wear your skinny jeans and have ice cream. Thanks Gary, you are a genius.

never having to say you're sorry for sending out 5.6 LBS of PEFC-certified forest paper to hundreds of thousands of people.  Afterall, it's only twice per year. And as consumers, we are responsible for stopping it. I mean, requested to ask to be removed from the list of...irresponsible people who get this in the mail.  

Gary's picture had to be cropped this year.
 But only because he had a lot to say, this political season, on the topics of fearlessness
and hopelessness. But to the latter topic, he's optimistic...


But seriously Gary, for my effort to be responsible in both my trip to the curb and time on my computer, couldn't you at least  put on a different shirt and jacket while you mug for the camera? But, if you do buy a new outfit for next years photo, please recycle responsibly and cover a stool with that leather jacket.

Tuesday Tip

Share some sweet basil with friends. For many, our summer gardens especially those in containers, are fading fast.

Lemon-Basil Butter Cookies-bet you can't eat just one!

Why not give the gift of herbs in the form of a cookie? This is a super easy receipe and has just 6 ingredients, that you likely already have on hand. Place a bunch in a pretty bag and drop them off to friends and neighbors. Don't worry, this receipe yields dozens, so you'll have plenty of leftovers to put in your freezer!

Wish I could send a bag of these to all my blog friends and readers!

Lemon-Basil Butter Cookies
Southern Living May 2001

Recipe:
1 cup fresh lemon-basil leaves*
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 pound of butter
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 large egg
6 cups all-purpose flour

Process basil and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor (I use my mini-chop) until blended.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating well. Add lemon juice and egg, beating until blended.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Flatten with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.
Yield 6 1/2 dozen
*Plain fresh basil leaves may be substituted for lemon-basil leaves (I use regular)

Enjoy!!!

Dear Summer,

Goodbye. Yes, it may be your unofficial end, but I think it's reason enough for celebration. You behaved badly this year. You were too hot, too dry, too buggy, too muggy -just too long. I hope the garden gate hits you hard on the way out. Please go away, as fast as you can. I'm waiting for autumn, with open arms.

So pretty, I love a charming garden gate!



An amazing backyard fountain from a recent house tour!

I can't remember a single summer in my life that I was more ready to see end. Maybe it was the temperatures, maybe it was the lack of time spent having fun, maybe it was work, the lack of blogging? Or maybe, it was the house hunting? We started the search in early spring, just dipped a toe in. We jumped in with both feet this summer. Do you know how hard it is to find a great house, in a city that you love, that has everything on your wish list and will likely be the last house you ever buy? Crazy hard...and exhausting!

Missing London

It's hard to believe the Olympics ended a week ago tonight. There were thrilling highs and crushing lows. Great stories of enduring hardships and sacrifice.  It did not matter that I watched them from my sofa. Somehow, I felt that these Olympics games were the best that I could recall?  

Sofa by Wesley-Barrell. Designer pup extra. In pounds, please.

Perhaps, I am am biased having been to London, that we have several British friends, or that ancestors on both our mother's sides were British. Perhaps, it was that the Queen's humor in the opening ceremony, rarely on public display, made us all laugh and relax and send the message that we were indeed in for a jolly good time. Who will ever forget the moment the future King of England gave his bride a spontaneous and enthusiastic squeeze as a spectator in the stands? Perhaps, it was the agreeable weather, which was nothing short of miraculous by anyone's measure. Or maybe, it's just simply a matter of fact, that our friends across the pond hosted a great Olympics!

I snapped this in early summer while visiting the Farrow & Ball showroom at the DC Design Center.
 I've said it a lot (to myself) this summer as I continue work on my most challenging project. Ever.
 It's been a marathon...of Olympic proportions!

And, even though the opening and closing ceremonies were fragmented, I enjoyed them. Truthfully, they could have been from any number of bizarre and fragmented dreams that rob me of sleep! And, if you are of a certain age, the music in the closing ceremony was a wonderful trip down memory lane and it made you feel youthful and capable of Olympic greatness- if only in your dreams.

To help cope with missing London and the Olympics, I will resume reading these two books:

 Both are based in England and that's where any similarity ends. One is written by Lady Fiona Carnarvon, wife of the current Earl of Carnarvon and current countess of Highclere castle. It covers the Edwardian period, the First World War and the extraordinary life of Lady Almina. It is neither a biography, nor a work of fiction, which is what what makes it so fascinating. If you are addicted to the mini-series Downton Abbey, this is a must read! The series inspiration,  including many of the characters names is clear. I think knowing the real story will only add to the enjoyment of the series when the new season resumes.

The other book is a debut novel from a young author named Daniel O'Malley. It's about a group of people with supernatural powers who work for her Majesty's Secret Service. Sounds hokey right? I did not expect to actually like this book, but when another author recommended it-I thought why not give it a try?

So with England as the perfect backdrop, historic references, drama, suspense, supernatural power and a good deal of humor, it's a bit like the Olympics I would say!