AbbeyK — On Interior Design

Progress at 454 Common Street, AbbeyK's New Belmont Office

Today was a big day! Out front, the granite went up as did the door signage. That lovely craft paper will remain along with the "Coming Soon" sign until the window treatments are ready.

In the front of the shop, I selected furniture for the seating area and picked fabric. Quite a coup. I've been thinking about what to do with that space for some time. I decided I needed to be in the space to decide.

In the back, the sink and counter top installed. The granite guy was worried! At first he wouldn't install it because the carpenter needed to be here to install the legs. I convinced him it would be fine; he felt better with a third, wooden leg for support. Believe me, he was NOT leaving without installing that counter.

Later in the week, the plumber will connect the water, and my contractor will install the legs which for the moment are just standing there, nicely.

The shoji screen also arrived. Say good-bye to the visual noise from the giant electrical panel. Want something to go away? Hide it. White makes it blend. Easy decorating trick for $150. Still need to frost the back door since I don't need to see that parking lot. Now all I see is brass hinges and nail holes that need to be filled, but those are easy fixes, and they don't make me crazy -- just small punch list items.That electrical panel was making me completely insane, though.

So every day, we cross more off the list. More boxes get broken down and more garbage gets put out.

It is the best feeling to have an office.

Almost as good as having my home back.

And almost as good as starting a nice, big decorating project tomorrow with nice clients.

Yeah, things are good.

Ikat Placemats, Everybody Needs a Bit of Color

LOVE!

 
 
Placemats from Fabricadabra. PS In case you were wondering how to say this word, Ikat is pronounced ee-cot. Click to hear it pronounced here from Merriam-Webster. I think I say it incorrectly half the time. Gotta train myself to say it right!

Lighting from New York and Connecticut

Our Thanksgiving antique whirlwind included 2 full days. We did all of Stamford on Monday, and twelve antique shops on Tuesday in NYC -- about half down town and the other half uptown. Long, fun, and productive days. In addition to a whole bunch of furniture, we need lamps (and if we get lucky, we'd like to replace many of the hallway sconces.) We looked at some Delft from David Duncan (below), some Japonica, a stunning floor lamp from Maison Jansen and others.

 

Other highlights? This Orrefors pair from Bernrd Goeckler. The glass is stunning in real life. (Something gets lost in photo translation.)

  
 

We loved these lamps at Marvin Alexander.

 

One great thing about my job is that I am always learning new things. Some might consider my brain a store house of useless information, but I do actually get excited when I learn something new.The question was: what is cinnabar?  I always thought it referred to a color -- sort of a red, sort of an orange. Isn't there a color that comes from a tube of oil paint called cinnabar?  We learned that in this case, it refers to the technique of carving into layers and layers of lacquer to create the look of relief. When my client asked the sales person at the showroom what it meant, he he thought color too, but then the owner came by and explained it. Unlike cloisonne which is enamel on metal, cinnabar is done on paper-mache. Fun fact at the end of a long shopping day. Thought I'd share it with you.

When Your TV Must Go Above the Mantle: Solutions!

It's not unusual to have special needs about television. Size, sound, angled viewing, not wanting to see the TV, wanting to see the TV, hating TVs. And yet, everyone seems to have them. And more and more televisions are popping up in every room.

Sometimes the room dictates that the TV must go above the mantle. For most, this is an unhappy compromise. But here are some interesting solutions.

Client needs: optimal viewing height, best quality sound. Largest television we could get in the space. So we pulled out the mantle, changed the gas insert engine and the surround, reframed the wall, recessed the speakers, designed a custom mantle (that is technically too low for the space but allows for optimal viewing height and sound -- and meets code for the new insert). Here it is in stages. There was  a lot of work and a lot of people involved here. Electricians, AV guys, ordering a new insert, code for the insert, reframing the wall with sufficient support for the wall mounted television, designing, specifying, and installing the new mantle. This was NOT easy.

 

 

 

 Here is the after shot.

 

Another client wanted a really good TV but the look of the room was more important to her. She hated the look of a TV but didn't have another room in the house for watching TV. So we installed a product from Vision Art. See the art over the mantle? It's art that hides the television. When the TV is off, you  see art. Then you use a remote to lift the screen so you can see the TV. With the traditional decor, the TV does not distract. Her speakers are cool too.

 

This solution below involved making both husband and wife happy. The husband HAD to have a TV in the living room; the wife did not like the idea of it going over the mantle. But then the husband offered this compromise: if he got the TV over the mantle, then he'd stay out of the rest of the process (which was only partially true in the end). We also changed the tile and the hearth so that when the wife looked at the fireplace, she could see something pretty.

 

New York and Connecticut Antique Shopping Trips

Tag-teaming with the Thanksgiving Holiday, I spent two days antiquing with my Cambridge client. We have the bulk of everything done but need a piece or so per room. The big hits were anything Maison Jansen at Greenwich Living in Stamford. I think we'll find a place for some Jansen somewhere. Just a question about placing the right piece where.

 
 The client loves the formality of the French style and they seem to have so much good Jansen in Stamford. For many, this look is simply over the top, but in the right setting, it's beautiful. Either one of these could look great in the dining room. I prefer the one on the top  because it's simpler and the marble will work well, but I want to visualize it in the space.

  
Ritter Antik in on 10th Street in New York is known for Biedermeier. I'd love to see some more wood in that dining room to tell you the truth. We already have a black fireplace (original to the house), a black table, a black and gold mirror (from his mother's home) AND a black server. I know he's a guy -- but still --that's a lot of black. I am hoping he chooses to break it up a bit. Loving these commodes. Book-match?

Be still my heart... 

 

My client also really liked some of the etageres and servers at Ritter. The neoclassical one with the boobies, I don't care for personally as much, but maybe because I am a girl, I don't see the need for boobies on furniture. When I told my brother-in-law about the piece, he liked the idea of boobies on furniture. (Of course he did.)

 

Mid-day, I picked up my niece after school. She took notes to make sure we collected tear sheets of all the items my client liked and was offered candy and cookies everywhere we went. One showroom scared her. When you are nine, life-sized sculptures of lions are not whimsical.

When Cathy Lerebours asked where we had been, I told her that I had had heart palps at Goeckler. Of all the commodes we saw, this took my breath away. That doesn't happen often.

 

I am also completely in love with Bernd Goeckler's pottery and lamp collections. This bowl was one of my favorite things I saw hands-down. Not for my client, not his taste. 

 

When I showed him this bowl, he said jokingly, "I thought you are here for me? Take that time you spent showing me that bowl off the bill." I asked if he'd buy it for me as a present. But then later I saw a set of 6 chairs at Yale Burge for 28K that I told him those would be a better present. (Decorating humor)

 

 

Renovating? Don't Forget to Donate Your Old Stuff!

Just got a note from Andrea over at ReStore, Home Improvement Centers in Springfield, MA. She's trying to get the word out.

The ReStore Home Improvement Center, a local non-profit, is seeking donations of good quality kitchen cabinet sets. We work with over local 400 contractors, retailers and manufacturers to accept donations of overstock, misordered or slightly damaged cabinets from retailers and manufacturers (we can even accept display cabinets!), kitchen cabinet sets from remodeling projects through contractors (your client can get a tax deduction for donating, and we’ll pick them up for free), and we even offer deconstruction to remove cabinet sets. Some of the benefits of donating to ReStore include:

• Lower disposal costs
• Environmentally friendly, our organization helps keep useful building materials from the landfill
• You’ll work with a non-profit with a solid reputation for helping local homeowners improve their homes and communities
• Free pick-up service for donated items
• All donated items are tax deductible, we will provide a receipt on the day of pick-up

Another terrific Boston source is the Building Materials Resource Center. I have donated my old bathroom lighting there before. The folks there are great!

Many communities have similar organizations --  great places to donate and find (gently used items). How Green?!

AbbeyK: The Decorator who Cannot Decorate for Herself

My personal decorating is no joy. I love decorating for other people, but the process is not much fun when it's for my own home. After a year-and-a half of living here though, I am making progress.

I finally retiled the bathroom floor. They were black and white 12" x 12" set on the diagonal. My black, curly hair needs to be swept everyday to keep the white tiles looking clean. I hated it since the day one, but my designer pal, Jeff, suggested to wait and see if I got used to it. I replaced it with a sand-colored porcelain that should hide everything and blend with the oak floors in the rest of the house. By the way, whoever said setting black and white tile on the diagonal makes a space looked bigger took that comment out of context. It's all about the specific application. You cannot imagine how much bigger this space looks now.

 

Since the plumber had to come to reinsall the toilet anyway, I figured why not replace the goose neck faucet which splashes everywhere (I hate that.) and the terrible shower head. Oh, and the toilet that clogged all the time? Say hello to Toto. Those small changes should make a BIG difference.

I had my my grandma's chairs re-upholstered. Such special chairs: I grew up with them and am honored to have them in my home. I have childhood memories sitting on my grandpa's lap in these chairs. There's probably a picture somewhere of that. He always made us read aloud to him.  When we misprounounced something, he'd scold, "Diction!" We still joke about that. 

More fresh in my mind is the image of my grandma who retired at 85 and lived until 97, sitting in this chair everyday with her New York Times tucked in between the seat cushion and the arm. Towards the end, she wasn't so mobile, so she spent a good part of the day in the chair reading and napping. Gram's chairs were originally a gold stripe so I kept them a stripe and changed the color. The new fabric is from Carleton V.

 
 
Here's my sofa bed from Avery Boardman. It's beyond comfortable for sleeping and sitting. It is simply not true that sofa bed cannot be comfortable. It was expensive but worth the splurge. That came just in time for my sister's summer visit. PS check out the pattern flow match. Be still my (decorator) heart.

 

On the docket for the fall and winter:

• The kitchen/dining room and living room are getting painted in about a week. A gray like the color of an elephant. It's open space so one color here.
• Order and install the mantle in the living room.
• Make a cafe curtain for the bathroom. That fabric is selected so I just have to get that measured and ordered.
• Select a dining room rug and drapes, night stands in my bedroom. I could use some new dining room chairs and a bench for the living room. I should start thinking about the sunroom. It's currently extra office storage.

The goal is to finish the decorating by spring so I can relax FULLY in my home.  Just in time for spring gardening!

Custom Keith Fritz Dining Room Table Ready to Have Finish Applied

Oooh, it's looking good! Should be installed end of August or Beginning of September.

Full table view along with some details shots follow.

 

 

Shower Yourself Beautiful

Good-bye bland, chrome shower head. Move over satin nickel. There's a new, colorful, kid in town by Grohe.

 

Renovation When You Have Just One Bath? Move out!

I have told clients this over and over. If you have just one bathroom in your house or condo and need to renovate the bathroom, move out! But no one believes me. That 8 weeks that it takes to do the bath with a permit (and yes it takes 8 weeks and YES YOU NEED A PERMIT.) can extend if problems arise.

Need convincing? Read the article, "Two Weeks Without a Toilet" from the NYT here. This lady bathed in a plastic tub. Seriously, people. This is not necessary. That is what hotels and friends are for. Go ahead, overstay your welcome.

Please -- for the sake of humanity, share your renovation delays and problems with a 1-bath reno.

PS The picture above is a Toto Promenade. It's my new toilet. That terrible, existing Kohler keeps overflowing. (No it's not me.) So I got the Toto, the brand I typically put in clients' homes.