House Update

Someone was kind enough to nominate me on Modenus as Top Design Blog/Social Media

influencer so I thought it would a good time to update the blog with more recent photos

of what I've been posting in Instagram this past year.   

I'd be honored if you'd vote for me.  When I last looked, I was at number 29!

I hear all the time that you miss the blog and while it was fun sharing the renovations while

they were in full swing, there's just not enough time or material to keep it up on a regular basis.

I know that many of you follow me on Instagram, but if you're not an iPhone app kind of person,

here's some images of what'S of been going on around the house.

The entryway hasn't changed at all.  I'd really like to paint the trim darker gray but

there are so many coats of paint on the trim, I can't bring myself to just slap another

coat on.  It really needs to be stripped before I paint again.

But how do I strip the baseboards without messing up the finish on the stair treads?

When I first moved in to the house, I furnished it with a lot of second-hand furniture 

that allowed me to save of improvements and I'm slowly starting to replaced it with a

mix of antique pieces that I've had reupholstered and...

...more modern pieces that I've slipcovered in white so I can swap out

pillows, throws and artwork that change up the look very easily.

In summer, I pare down even more and go without a rug on the floor.

I struggle with collecting and acquiring but I love this photo of the living room

where I've edited down to only a few favorite things.

 

The former dining room room has been turned in to a study.  I found an old mantel

which creates a great focal point for the room and added a few comfy club chairs upholstered

in a neutral herringbone fabric and a more modern footstool covered in steel blue velvet where

I can pile up books and magazines waiting to be read.

I had a bumper crop of Annabelle hydrangreas this year.  So fun to make a huge arrangement.

  

I love how cozy this room has become.

I absolutely love my kitchen.   In a historical house, I think it's hard to create a space

that has all the modern conveniences while respecting the age of the house.

I was so, so lucky to find the old store counter that provided the bin drawers and

column details that make up the base cabinets.  Everyone that comes in and sees

this kitchen comments on how warm and homey it is.  That makes me happy,

Back when I did the open shelves, there were a lot of people that felt the open

shelves would allow the dishes to get dirty and greasy.  By displaying items

that are used all the time, I haven't found that to be a problem at all.  And from what

I've seen in magazines and other media, open shelves have stood the test of time.

I'm still cooking and baking, trying to perfect my pie crust.

And I love making whole meals on the grill.  

Upstairs hasn't changed a lot.  I still have the wallpaper that I glazed with 

watered down paint to downplay the pattern.

If you're a long-time reader, you'll remember that the upstairs of my house was turned into 

an apartment around 1900, so doors were opened up between the three bedrooms that allow

you a view from the back to the front of the house.   It's kind of odd quality to

have bedrooms open up to each other but I do love the open feeling it allows. 

I've considered closing them up but there's no rush to do this.  

I still adore this old green painted cabinet.  I'm seeing a lot of reproduction 

furniture from Asia that has similarly distressed painted surfaces,

but nothing beats the real thing.

I did a lot of work on my garden this year.  The garden needs constant tweaking

as some things suffer and other things grow out of control.  I hired a landscape

architect to help me develop a longer term plan for my little outdoor space.

I would like to establish more privacy and move to plants and shrubs that look 

good for a longer portion of the season.

The grid at the end of my porch will eventually be covered in climbing hydrangea

and will provide a screen between by space and my neighbor's living room window.

 That's a quick little update.  I'm interested to know if anyone still visits so let

me know if you were here.  I've love to hear from you.

And if you voted for me on Mondeus, THANK YOU!

Restoring Charm

       Remodelista:  A Bewitching Old Stone House                                                            Old House Dreams

                                  In the Fields                                                                  Madeline Stuart

I was talking with someone about renovating an old house a few months ago and I came to

the conclusion that my goal isn't always "renovation" as much as it is "restoring charm."  One 

of the things I love about old houses are the details, sometime quirks, that they have.

Darryl Carter's Living Room

Darryl Carter, same room, different view

Some of my favorite details are shutters and moldings.

(While Darryl's shutters seem more decoration than original details, I like how he's paired

the shutters with roman blinds of the same color as a window treatment.  I also notice he

typically uses shutters that cover about 2/3 of the window.  I need to add, I love this room!)

Shutters, in particular, are really common on old New England houses.

I wish I could find the photographs of my old condo; it had shutters that

folded back into the wall.  I'll show you if I can find them.

This is one the charming old houses in Marblehead, Massachusetts that

looks still has its original shutters.

Shutters are also great for privacy if your house is right on the street.

I believe my house was originally built for laborers so there aren't a lot 

of fancy details; in fact, in typical Yankee style, the detailed mouldings

were installed only in the living room where guests would see them.

Now that I've replaced all of the windows downstairs, I thought adding shutters 

to all the windows would be a way to add charm and provide a privacy solution 

since my house is so close to the street.  So last summer I took down my drapes 

and rods so I could try living with the windows open and uncovered during 

the day.  I found that when it's light outside, you really can't see in at all.

I had just a few months earlier, seen Loi install shutters in his Maine house

so I contacted his source, Shutterworks in Lewiston, Maine, to see if they'd (A)

provide me an estimate and (B) be willing to work with me long-distance.

The price seemed really good and yes, if I measured carefully, they would

make the shutters and I would drive up to pick them up so save shipping costs.

Fred at Shutterworks does almost every style of shutter imaginable 

so my task was to choose something that "fit" the house.  I decided to

base the shutter panels for the windows on the panels in my tiny basement 

door which I believe to be original to the house.

Just to make sure I liked it, I asked Fred to make

me up a sample so I could see what it looked like.

And the "Urban Cottage" shutter was born.

I carefully measured each of the windows--three times each--and

sent the measurements off to Fred.  I think it took about two months

for building and painting the shutters and I drove up to Lewiston the

week before Christmas to pick them up.

And here they are!

Fred works with a painter so I was able to get them spray painted before the pairs

were assembled.  I used Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray.

So my first project of the year is getting these installed.

I'm looking forward to the old New England charm these 

will bring to my downstairs.  

Happy New Year 2015

I always think of my grandmother on New Year's Day.  She was a very superstitious woman 

even though I now suspect many of her beliefs were made up to keep my brother and me in line.  

But she was clear about New Year's Day:  what you did on this day determined your fate for 

the next year.  Things such as cleaning the house or doing laundry would certainly doom you 

a year filled with endless housework for the next year.  I wish she were still alive today so I 

could get some clarifications on things such as painting window mullions, blogging, cooking, 

or even eating for that matter, because I don't know if these are positive or negative endeavors.

I'm also not sure where she would fall on issue of undecorating the Christmas tree.  It certainly

includes a cleaning component.  But this New Year's Day has become my traditional day to

undecorate and take down the tree.  There's just something about cleaning up, putting away and 

cleaning up that feels to me like a good way to start a new year.  And, even if she would claim it's wrong, I would argue it's a perfect way to spend a few moments thinking of her.

However you spend this first day of the year, I wish you best throughout the new year!

Merry Christmas 2014

I had big plans for the Christmas tree this year.  I ordered a Silvertip 

and had it shipped from California.  Itplanned it to arrive the first week of 

December and after my office move I was going full-on in to Christmas decorating.

The office move went perfectly and the next day I came down with the flu.

I am thankful that the flu waited until the move was done I was 

disappointed I just didn't have the energy to do everything I wanted to.

Silvertip trees grow naturally in layers, very much like

the tree I created a few years ago.  Pottery Barn uses these trees

for their catalog, although looking at this post about their trees, it's

clear they must still do some trimming to get that spare feather tree look.

So I've done a much scaled back tree using some things I could easily

get my hands on.  It's mainly pine cone garlands, birds, and leftover

flowers from Thanksgiving and flowers and leaves from the garden.

Even though it wasn't the tree I planned, I still love it.  As much as 

I cherish all my collection of vintage, shiny ornaments, there's something

about using all natural materials that just feels right on a tree.

I hope that everyone is well and preparing for a wonderful time

with your family and friends.

Merry Christmas!

Rooibos Cranberry Sauce

As I was finishing up my Thanksgiving cranberries and enjoying 

a cup of chai, I thought the chai flavors would work realy well with the

cranberries.  So I dunked a rooibos teabag in the bowl of hot cranberries

and left it in for about 10 minutes.  I was really pleased with the results.

I thought I'd make another batch by making the chai first and using

it as part of the liquid in the cranberries.  Here how it goes:

Ingredients:

12 oz. bag of cranberries

3/4 cup of strong chai rooibos*

3/4 cup of orange juice

One cup sugar

Pinch of salt

*Make chai rooibos using 3/4 cup of boiling water with

two teabags of chai rooibos.  I used Yogi brand.

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes until thickened.

Pour into a bowl and bring to room temperature.

Cover and refrigerate when cooled.

The spices in the chai are subtle but add a warm, almost

floral quality to the cranberries.

I love cranberries and will eat all I can for the rest of the year.

I always make extra and enjoy them on toast (or even on ice cream)

after all the Thanksgiving leftovers are all gone.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend

with their family and friends.  Let the holidays begin!

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm happy to have a few days' break to relax, to cook and share

time with friends and to be thankful for everything I have.

I might even get in another post.

Happy Thanksgiving!

(Flowers are from my friend Shelley at Bow Street Flowers.)

Around the House, Kitchen Update

I don't know how I ever found the time to blog so steadily for three years.

It just doesn't seem to be happening lately.  My office is moving in about five

weeks and designing the new office, planning the move, building a new

corporate identity and building a new website has really taken up a lot of

time the past several months.  But here it is November so I've been

trying to get the house and kitchen ready for Thanksgiving guests.

In particular, I wanted to get the floating shelves stained before the holidays so when we

had a few warm days where I could have the windows open, I decided to get them finished.

Above was the before.

And here they are freshly stained to match the old bin drawers.

I'm happy with the color but I think I want to ding them up a litttle

bit and apply some dark wax that I'll leave in the dings.

My mom visited last week so we drove out to Hudson, NY to pick

up a few new things for the shelves.  If you haven't been to Hudson, NY,

it's really worth the trip.  The town is just packed from one end to the other

with great antique shops, art galleries, restaurants and cafes.

My mom also has great knack for arranging things.

I caught her a few times moving things around on the shelves.

I'm sure these will evolve but I'm really happy with how this looks right now.

I still have to paint the windows before I can call the kitchen done but the snow

outside tells me that I'll have a lot of time indoors coming up to get that done.

Hope to show you around Hudson, NY sometime soon.