The Seafarers Cottages- first look

Happy New Year! As you might have guessed we had a quiet one last night as we were pretty exhausted. The last of the three Seafarers Cottages was rented out to holiday makers yesterday afternoon and it was still a building site a few days ago.

The interiors are done to stage one, that is, furnished and fitted out with the first layer of decoration. I am now looking at the photos like you are thinking, "What else can I add to make that room special?".

I am really happy with the small aqua kitchen in cottage #1 with the marine-style stainless steel bench and old porthole ship's clock. Adding pieces like that old clock give a room some soul. The raffia mirror is one I have had for years. It was in my fisherman's cottage up the road (Country Style Dec 2007) and I have been looking for raffia things to go with it ever since, without much luck.

The fridge and dishwasher are neatly concealed behind cupboard doors and the pantry is built into the old meat safe cupboard. We took the ceiling out to expose the roof line and it does make the space seem bigger. The exposed rafters give it a more boatshed feel and I painted it all Dulux "White On White", including the shutters and woodwork to also add to the illusion of spaciousness!

The tiny bedroom in cottage #1 was a real challenge. I went with this Ikea four-poster bed as I love the fun of putting a box within a box. We had to nail it to the floor so the shutters and doors wouldn't hit it, that's how tight a fit it is. 

The shutters as window treatments were a great solution as there is quite a bit of ambient street light at night. Also I love that greek island vibe.

The bedsides were a dilemma as I wanted something a bit different. At the last minute I drove into town to my favourite 2nd-hand store and found this slightly kitsch side table which sort of matched one given to me by a friend recently. They are crying out to be painted in bold colours and I will get to that...

The floors... had to be whitewashed. I have come up with a new recipe for whitewashed floors and this one seems to be working well. (The cleaner has yet to comment, however.)

Deck The Hall!

I have just dashed home before heading out to do the last bits of decorating on the beach houses before the last one is holiday rented tomorrow. (If my husband knew, he'd be furious!)

Wow, it has been a huge push to get them finished but we have some happy tenants who have taken the other two cottages since Boxing Day.

The old school/church hall arrived last week as well and I am posting pics of that today. We are very excited about that and it has loads of potential... and lots more renovation work to do. The hall was my Christmas present and we discovered once we peeled back the carpet that the old floorboards are lovely thick, wide boards in great condition.

Happy New Year everyone - and I promise there will be lots more posts in the coming weeks!

dropped the ball on my 100th post

ok, so i seriously dropped the ball on my 100th post.  every since i started getting close to my 100th post i’ve been thinking that i should do something cool for it.  that’s about as far as i got though because today came and this is my 100th post and i don’t have anything cool to do for it.  i can’t believe i’ve already gotten to 100.  sorry that it’s going to be so lame.  hopefully you’ll still keep reading my blog even though i don’t have some cool 100th post giveaway or something. 

i did manage to run into homegoods today.  i hadn’t been in there in a while and thought i’d see what they had.  i typically try to avoid homegoods during the holidays if possible.  it can get pretty crazy in there.  i snapped a few photos of things i liked.  i took all the photos with my crackberry because i didn’t have my camera with me so the quality of some of the photos is a little off.  i was surprised that most of them came out ok though.  maybe the blackberry storm is good for something(i’ve hated it every since i got it).

so the first thing i have to show you is the crazy disco-like balls that they had.  i counted 8 in all.  not sure these will be flying off the shelf or anything but i just had to take a picture of them.  they might actually be cool in a fun kids room or basement. 

they also had this awesome distressed wooden bench.  it was really long but would be such a statement piece.  (cost $499)

there were lamps galore and great ones too.  my favorites were these two different shell lamps that were $79 each.

these ivory gourd lamps were so lovely.  the gray and ivory shades were very light.  my camera shows them darker than they were. (cost $39.99)

these pink and ivory ones would be great in a little girl’s room. (cost $39.99)

they had a couple garden stools for under $100.  i like the turquoise one a lot.

sage ruffle pillow. (cost $12.99)  ruffles are so popular right now.

these white trunks would be great stacked in a corner or even better…make a table out of two of them stacked on top of each other.  i didn’t get the cost on these but i can’t imagine they would be over $60.

i thought these little pouf baskets were adorable.  they looked sort of like moroccan poufs but they were actually baskets.  (cost small $12.99, large $19.99)

i saw this cute chair on my way out.  it’s a great buy for $199.  they had a couple of other ones in different fabrics but this one was my favorite.

so that’s it for my homegoods shopping trip.  if you want to check out any of these items i found them at the perimeter pointe homegoods in dunwoody.  if you’re not local to atlanta i’m sure the homegoods in your area would have most of these items too.

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well, i’m signing off until monday so i hope you all have a fun and festive new year’s eve wherever you may be.  i want to wish you all a very, very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!  see you back in 2010!! 

xo,

cristi 

LiveJournal Tags: 100th post,homegoods,bench,lamp,moroccan pouf,disco ball,garden stool,ruffles

i’m nominated…

for apartment therapy’s blog awards, the 2009 homies.  the nominations close at 5pm on the 29th so if you like my blog please nominate me again.  you can click here to go to the site.  i’m so thankful for those of you who have already nominated me.  you guys are the best.

the way these awards work is by nominations.  you can nominate as many blogs as you would like.  at the end of the day tomorrow they will take the blogs that have gotten the most nominations and put them on a voting list.  then there will be a week or so of voting.   then the winner will be announced after the first of the year. 

head on over and start nominating your fave blogs…hopefully mine will be included in your list.  you’ll have to sign up for an apartment therapy account before you can nominate any blogs but it’s a painless process.  all you have to do is click here, enter your name and email address and then verify the account by clicking on the link that they send to your email.  it’s very simple and you can opt out of having any other emails sent to you. 

there are tons of blogs that have been nominated that i’ve never heard of, and i’ve really enjoyed looking through their pages.  maybe you’ll find a few new blogs to read too.

happy monday or tuesday…depending on when you read this!

LiveJournal Tags: apartment therapy,the homies 2009

bye, bye perimeter z.gallerie

for those of you who live in atlanta if you have time you should run over to the z.gallerie at perimeter mall.  they are closing their doors and are having a huge sale.  last i checked everything was 50% off.  the furniture is pretty picked over but they still have a good bit of accessories.  they also have a large selection of floral stems and art. 

the perimeter z.gallerie was the closest one to me so i’m sad they are closing.  i’ll have to make the drive up to alpharetta or down to atlantic station to go to one now.  i’m not sure why they are closing and i hope that the other atlanta z.galleries don’t follow suit.  i was there over the weekend and snapped a few photos of some of the stock they had left.

miscellaneous accessories…

trellis pillows orig. $39.99

one of my fave chandeliers orig. $369.00

jasper sofa orig. $1,099.00

LiveJournal Tags: z.gallerie,store closing,perimeter mall,atlanta

my own horse art

i hope that you all had a very merry christmas.  i know i sure did.  it was great to spend time with my family.  i always have such a fun time when we all get together.

i thought that i would share with you the christmas gift that i made for my mom.  i have spoken about my love for horses and horse art before on my blog and my mom also has that same love for for them.  i don’t really know that there is a more beautiful animal than a horse.  i grew up on a farm in alabama and showed horses until i was about 17.  my love of horses started at a very young age and has been with me ever since. 

recently i have seen two horse art pieces in particular that i really liked.  One is from palecek (it’s discontinued now though) and one is from pottery barn.  i’ve pictured them below.  the palecek piece is on the left and the pb piece is on the right.  palecek’s piece retails for about $500 or $600 and the pottery barn piece retails for about $200.

   

i started thinking that i could probably put my minor in art to good use and make some similar art for my mom for her christmas gift.  here is how mine turned out.  i was pretty proud of myself.  and the best part is that it only cost me around $35 for the two of them plus my time to make them.

i also made one for myself.  here is that one.

if anyone is wondering how i did it made these, here is a step-by-step guide.

first, i found an architectural salvage shop and purchased the old wood.   i got one of my neighbors to help me cut the boards down to the size i wanted. 

next, i roughed the pieces of wood up with a sander.  i also sanded the sides and corners to make sure they were smooth and didn’t have any splinters.  after that i stained them a walnut color to make them darker.  the natural wood finish would have been too light.

then, i drew a horse onto poster board and cut it out.  to get a big enough horse i had to tape two poster board pieces together.  once i had it cut out i positioned it on the 3 boards, taped it down on the underside with painters tape and used ivory spray paint to spray the boards.

i sprayed on two coats of spray paint and once it dried i removed the horse silhouette.  then i sanded the piece all over with really fine sandpaper.  i also distressed areas on the horse as well as the wood to give it an aged look.

when i finished sanding the front i added picture hangers to the back of each board.  the finished art was about 30” x 40”.

and that’s how i did it.  the hardest part by far was drawing the horse.  now i really want to experiment with other silhouettes.  maybe i’ll do my dog next.

LiveJournal Tags: horse art,palecek,pottery barn

merry christmas, and the winner is…

thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for the jill rosenwald rug from csn.  i had 43 comments and 42 entries for the giveaway. 

now for the results.  random.org chose lucky number 13 as the winner.

and number 13 happens to be leigh ann.  here’s what leigh ann had to say.

thanks for your comment leigh ann and CONGRATULATIONS!

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image – by me (my tree)

have a blessed holiday with your family and friends.  i’m headed to the mall for my family’s annual christmas eve shopping outing.  we go every year on christmas eve.  it started one year when my parents didn’t have time to get their christmas shopping done, so we ended up doing it all on christmas eve.  we had so much fun that the tradition stuck.  we don’t do all of our shopping on christmas eve anymore but we just go for the fun of it. 

i’ll be back on monday.  see you then.  i hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas! and please remember the true reason for the season this year. 

xo,

cristi

LiveJournal Tags: giveaway,christmas,jill rosenwald rug,csn,christmas tree

sign off and a peanut brittle recipe

well, i’m signing off until christmas eve when i come back to announce the winner of the giveaway (make sure you enter to win if you haven’t already).  billy and i will be heading up to the smoky mountains in the morning to visit my dad and grandmother.  we’ll be coming back early next week.  then my mom and brother come into town. 

i can’t believe that christmas is 7 days away!  it feels like it was just here yesterday.  this year has been a wonderful whirlwind of a year and has flown by faster than ever.  i hope that your holidays are off to a merry start and i hope they are filled with lots of love.  if you’ll be traveling this upcoming week i wish you and your families safe travels.

i’ll leave you with some beautiful christmas images and my peanut brittle recipe my mom’s peanut brittle recipe.

image – apartment #34

image – cottage living

image – elements of style

image – my home ideas

yummy microwave peanut brittle

ingredients:

1 c - light karo syrup

1 c - peanuts – dry roasted and salted

1 tsp -  vanilla extract

1 tsp -  butter

1 tsp - baking soda

directions:

grease a baking sheet with pam and set aside.

mix together karo syrup and sugar in a large microwavable glass bowl.  heat in microwave for 4 and a half minutes. 

remove from microwave and mix in peanuts.  heat in microwave for 3 and a half minutes.

mixture will be very hot.  remove from microwave and mix in butter and vanilla.  heat in microwave for 3 more minutes.  the mixture should have turned a golden color.  once the 3 minutes is up if the mixture is still a little light put it back in the microwave in 30 second increments until it turns a golden color.

remove from microwave and mix in baking soda.  when you start to mix in the baking soda the mixture will foam up.  once mixture has foamed immediately pour onto baking sheet.  the mixture will spread out on its own. 

place mixture and baking sheet in the fridge to cool for about 5 – 10 minutes.

remove from fridge and break apart.  place in a tupperware container to keep it fresh.

*****the mixture gets really hot so make sure to use a potholder to remove from the microwave.  the mixture will also stick to your spoons and pots.  the best way to clean them is to run them under hot, hot water and let the hardened syrup melt away.

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see you all back here late next week. 

have a wonderful weekend!

LiveJournal Tags: christmas,giveaway,peanut brittle recipe

 

csn stores and a jill rosenwald rug giveaway!

many of you may be familiar with the boston based company csn, but in case you aren’t let me tell you about them.  csn stores is an online company composed of more than 200 different online stores and shopping sites which all operate under the csn umbrella.  most of their stores offer products for the home at very comparable prices.  Some of their online stores sell products like living room furniture, sofas, and fireplaces.  i also know from personal experience that csn’s customer services is great.  i’ve used their rug store many times in the past and have never been disappointed in their service or the quality of their rugs.

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now for the GIVEAWAY!!!!

the great people over at csn contacted me earlier this week and asked me to select an item to giveaway to one of my readers.  i was so excited and immediately thought about the jill rosenwald rug that looks so much like the discontinued west elm rug that we all loved so much. (you can read erin’s post from elements of style on this very topic here, and i featured this rug on my “loving…” post here.)  i asked if they would be ok with giving away the jill rosenwald rug to one of you, and they were thrilled with the idea. 

so, the giveaway will be a 2x3 jill rosenwald fallon rug in your choice of color.  here are the color selections offered by csn rugs.

                                                         

{this giveaway is now closed}

now for the rules of the giveaway…..

to enter leave a comment on this post telling me what color you would select if you were to win and also let me know where you would put it.  the giveaway will run from today, december 17th, through midnight on wednesday, december 23rd.  then i’ll announce the randomly selected winner on christmas eve.

good luck to all of you!

***PS ~ if you are having trouble entering a comment (i’ve gotten a few notices that people are having trouble) please send me an email (charmhomedesign@gmail.com) with your comment and i’ll manually post the comment for you.  in the subject of the email please write “rug giveaway comment” so that i’ll know to post it.  sorry for the inconvenience.  not sure why that’s happening to some of you.

LiveJournal Tags: csn stores,giveaway,boston,living rooms direct,csn sofas,csn fireplaces,allmodern.com,rugs,jill rosenwald rug,elements of style blog,loving...

drape it?

i’m still on the fence about the draped look on sofas, chairs, beds etc.  i’m not going to proclaim that i don’t  like it, but i’m definitely not going to say that i do either.  maybe it’s just not for me.   i think eddie ross pulls it off in his dining room featured in the premier issue of lonny.  what do you think?  are you into draping?

image – domino via flikr

image – domino

image – design sponge

image – eddie ross’s home in lonny

LiveJournal Tags: domino,draped fabric,eddie ross,lonny magazine,design sponge

joanne’s guest room/office

a couple of weeks ago i gave you all a sneak peek of the fabrics i was using for a design i was working on.  you can see the earlier post here.  i was so excited to be able to use these fabrics.  i found them a few weeks before i met with my client but when i met her i knew they had to be used in her office.  she wanted an inspiring space that was fun and fresh but cozy at the same time.

i met with my client joanne last week to go over the whole design plan for her guest room/office, and she was so excited about everything.  this room is mainly going to function as a home office for joanne but will double as a guest room when she has guests in town.  the budget for this job is small so i decided to do most of my sourcing from ikea.  joanne loves ikea so she had no problem with most everything coming from the store. 

here’s the design board for her office.

since the room is very, very tiny (a little over 8.5’ x 9.5’) i had to get creative about the layout.  i ended up deciding to use the closet as her desk area to maximize the room’s space.  putting a workstation in the closet opened up a lot more space planning options. another major requirement was that the space be accessible since joanne uses a wheelchair.  having the workspace in the closet would allow her to have a straight path to the desk.  here’s a sketch of what the room will look like when it’s furnished.

here’s the breakdown of the items i’ve sourced for her office. 

i went with the hemnes daybed.  it’s great because it has 3 deep storage drawers as well as opens up into a full-size bed.  while joanne doesn’t have guests the bed will function more as a sofa. 

we’ll be tucking crate & barrel’s corova plum quilt around the mattress so that the bed has a tailored look and looks more like a sofa instead of a bed.   right now the corova plum quilt is on sale.  $99 for the twin.

beside the bed i’ll put this garden stool from overstock.com. 

 

there will be 3 billy bookcases in the room.  1 will be beside the bed and two will be put together in the opposite corner (like is shown in the picture above) for more storage.  i’ll put the small tobias chair in front of the corner bookcase and add a throw pillow to it for a punch of color.

in the closet workstation area i’ll use the vika amon desk top from ikea.  it’s a little long so i’ll cut it down to the exact size i need to fit the closet area.  then i’ll use the vika kaj adjustable table legs so that i can adjust it to the perfect height for joanne.

 

i found the three main fabrics at lewis & sheron textiles in atlanta.  since i have a tight budget to work with joanne, with help from a friend, is going to be making the pillows for the daybed and chair.  i’ll be making the roman shade and pelmet box for the window thanks to the DIY directions from jenny over at the little green notebook. 

the shade will be out of this amazing floral fabric,

the pelmet box out of this paisley fabric and they will both be used for the pillows along with the ikat fabric.

the walls will be painted sherwin williams macadamia.  it’s actually very close to the natural color in the floral fabric.

for the ceiling light fixture i’ll be hardwiring the $29 knappa plug-in pendant.  i’m going to consult an electrician on how to do this so i’ll make sure i post the “how-to” instructions once i get them.  for the wall lighting beside the window/above the bed i’ll be using the $17 arstid sconce.

accessories and artwork will come from ikea as well.  they have a great canvas piece with the perfect plum-colored orchids.

i’ll be installing everything sometime after the first of the year so i’ll post pictures once it’s complete.

LiveJournal Tags: joanne,guest room,office,ikea,overstock.com,hemnes daybed,crate and barrel