Progress at the GC house!!

Excited that the shelves are up and they are getting painted! I had them box out the area about 18" above the windows so we could mount the swing arm sconces at the same depth as the edge of the shelves. It's just wide enough to accommodate the base of the sconces.  

I will take more pics of the rest of the house soon when it's not so dark and rainy out. There is no power yet--only harsh work lights attached to ridiculously loud generators. 

Did I mention that this little beauty will also be outfitted with it's own rolling ladder and barn doors? It may be small but it's going to pack a {design} punch! 

Have a huge daunting bookcase, built-in or shelving unit to fill??

One of Emily's clients did.

She used abut 150 mason jars in different sizes.

And painted the inside of each blue.  

Using one blue paint swatch, she bought a quart of each color--7 in all. 

And this magically happened.

Uh-May-Zing.

 Read all about it here.

{all images via Emily Henderson: photography by Bethany Nauert} 

 We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day yesterday. The morning was so cool and crisp that the dogs only wanted to stay outside for a minute because they wanted back under those warm blankets on the bed! Now that fall is in the air, it's a bit of a strange time to be sharing a beach house with you, but, stick with me, it's all relevant!

 I am working on a home where every square inch counts. When square footage is on the small side, a home can still live large. I never downsize the scale of furniture for a small room, as a matter of fact, doing so can really make a room appear even smaller. And every piece needs to have a purpose--maybe even 2! That's why I think this 2000 sq ft beach home is a great example of using every bit of what you have.     

The family approached the design as if they were designing a yacht, utilizing every nook and all vertical spaces. The walls of the master bedroom serve many purpose--storage for their entertainment center as well as a loft for sleeping.

 

 

 Keeping everything white keeps the eye moving seamlesly throughout and that glossy slanted ceiling makes the low ceilings feel much taller. 

 

Hallways are turned into bookshelves and a daybed is tucked in the window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see more of the house, check out Shannon Malone's story here.

{images via Shannon Malone}

This 1920's dining room rescue first appeared in Cottage Living Magazine several
 years ago. But, I love it so much that I thought we would revisit it.

Here is the beautiful After:

 

And here is the Before:



Katherine Cobbs, with the help of Decorating Editor Anne Turner Carroll, tackled this
Birmingham dining room that was full of an array of traditional antiques. 



The original buffet is framed within the addition of the dramatic hefty built-in bookcases.
The eyebrow arched entrance into the room from the foyer on the opposite wall was replicated
 within the bookcases. This is such a great feature! 

The walls and bookshelves were covered in Pigeon (25) in Estate Emulsion finish by Farrow & Ball
and the back of the niche {behind the buffet} was done in Crown Point Sand {Eggshell} by Ben Moore:
 

                                                                               

The ceiling and trims were done in Monterey White {BM}:



Coincidentally, I just installed the almost identical curtains in a creamy cotton that I added the
same blue ribbon detail to! They look just like these! They are living in a clients master bedroom.
{hollar Jane!}



The newly recovered rich mohair stools are tucked in front of slices of tall mirrors which
flank the entrance, but can be pulled up for extra seating when needed.



The {fantastic} art adds a refreshing contemporary touch. I love the way that the subtle
touch of golden yellow in the canvas speaks to the gold leaf base of the glass console
and the ornate mirror over the buffet.



The entrance into the kitchen features a curtained portiere instead of a door--loooove.



The original chairs were kept and recovered in 2 coordinating fabrics, but they now sit
around a round table. The gigantic lantern is stunning -- I love the way the blue hue of
the zinc in the lantern plays with the blues in the walls and fabrics.



And speaking of fabrics, you can get a better glimpse of one of the chair fabrics peeking
under the table in this image. Look how the table setting seems to be pulled right out of
 that beautiful floral print!! Amazing.



Let's soak in all the details one more time....



{pics via cottageliving via myhomeideas, photograppher Erica George Dines}

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**To those of you who have tried to contact me recently through the 'contact' button at the top of the 
blog, I apologize! A few ended up 'going thru hoops' to finally talk to me! Thank you for making me
aware that the link was broken. It's fixed now! So, if you sent me a comment through 'Contact' and
you never heard back from me, please try again!