Arts and Crafts Dining Room Completed!

A little add on to the last post...being it is the same house and all!  We also completed the dining room in the Arts and Crafts house where we redid the living room and made the cocktail table with the 19th century Turkish platter.  Below is the finished design.  My client already had the table and chairs, chandelier, and corner buffet.  We added window treatments and a focal point to the table.  We also added small turquoise glass tealights from Pier 1 on the plate rail for ambience during dinner parties.

Isn't it warm and welcoming?  We made absolutely stunning table runners from a Cowtan & Tout embroidered fabric called Castello in Celadon/Toffee.

 Close up of the stunning Cowtan & Tout fabric.  The fabric was not cheap, but the colors and design could not have been more perfect.  We both knew it had to be!

My client wanted a centerpiece that she could keep on the table during entertaining, would not block dinner guests from seeing each other, but would also look good for an everyday table centerpiece.  (Sorry didn't light the candles as they were brand new!  Thought I'd save that for her!)  The Chinese antique wood tray is from Zachary, and the mosaic/crackle glass hurricanes are from Pier 1.

Beautiful silk draperies using Pollack's Silk Route in Teak.

Fabricut's Quatrefoil trim adorns three sides of the drapery.  Sorry for the blurry pic.  The trim has a tad of blue in it to tie in with the table runners.

It makes for a very lovely dining experience!!  Don't you think?  I'm getting hungry already!

❖❖❖❖❖ Susan ❖❖❖❖❖

Copper Platter turned Cocktail Table ~ Finished!

Hey all!

Remember the early 19th century Turkish copper platter I found and talked about here?  To refresh your wandering minds, I designed a 54" diameter cocktail table using the copper platter inset into the middle, and distressed, dark stained reclaimed wood for the base.  The table was designed to be in an Arts and Crafts inspired home using the philosophy and principles of the A&C era but not necessarily using A&C furniture.  The cocktail table is done, and actually the whole living room is almost done.  One small detail is still in progress and it should be installed in the next couple of weeks.  I'm so excited to show you the finished table!

Pic showing copper tray and inspiration wood sample from old post

 Presenting ~~ the finished cocktail table!  The table was made by Walt McHenry of the 4th Street Guild Furniture Makers in Minneapolis.  Fabulous work, huh?

 Antiqued copper banding around edge

 The tray is permanently secured into the cocktail table.  That way, it doesn't wobble or rattle, and if someone does put their feet up on it, it is secure from underneath since copper is a softer metal, and we most definitely do not want denting!

 I am so excited and absolutely love it ~~ as does my client, which is the important part!  The whole living room will be completed in a couple of weeks.  More pics to come!  Stay tuned!

❖❖❖❖❖ Susan ❖❖❖❖❖

Hugo Living Room

The sun is shining, and as Martha says, "It's a good thing!"  About a month ago, I wrote a post on an Arts and Crafts styled home where I am redoing the living room and parts of the dining room.  Our goal was to take Arts and Crafts one step further, to use the philosophy of the era but not the actual A&C styled furniture.  As Barry Darr Dixon, one of my all time favorite interior designers once said, you need to "take it out of itself".  He was referring to exactly what my goal was--to reference the feel of an era without using the tangibles from it.  I never get sick of looking at his environments!  They are like looking into a wonderful piece of art that has so many layers, and each time you look at it, you see something new.

I have made quite a bit of progress, and thought I would share updates on the living room.  Soon it will all be coming together, ***the best part!!***, and then I can show you some awesome pics, but for now--bits and pieces:

I know you all have fabulous memories, correct?  No lack of empty files in that little hideaway, but just in case you are having an off day, let me refresh your memory.

The layout:  plan view below...

The Inspiration for color:  fireplace tiles below...

The coffee table:  my wonderful find of an early 19th century Turkish copper tray being built into a 54" round coffee table of reclaimed, dark stained wood below...

And now... The new additions!

The sofa:  I have a fabulous sofa with simple, square lines.  The frame is in a dark brown leather with large antiqued brass nailheads and the cushions in a warm, dark grey faux mohair below...

The slipcovered chair:  This chair is an updated, contemporary version of a traditional wing chair.  It swivels, so during parties, the occupant can talk to people in the window bench, OR, when you need a relief, or a fresh conversation, you can spin around and talk to people on the sofa, or totally zone out and watch TV!  I absolutely love how I've complemented the more formal wing chair style with a casual linen slipcover.  Fabric and chair style below...

So sorry for the blurriness of the chair pics, but I was having a bugger of a time with the chair image.  

The patterned chair:  This chair has a more rounded style, and again swivels.  The dweller of this chair has oodles of entertainment options.  They can swivel to peer out at the wonderful lakeside, spin and talk to someone in the kitchen, spin and talk to someone on the couch, or again zone out to the tube.  Fabric and chair style below...

The side tables:  The homeowner has a couple of wonderful Stickley side tables I want to reuse.  They will be an awesome transition piece between the Arts/Crafts architecture and our more casual, earthy style.  See below...

The window seat:  On the opposite side of the fireplace from the TV cabinet was an open space, perfect for some type of built in.  Hello, window seat!  The back wall of the window seat will be upholstered in a semi tufted style in a fabulous cinnamon color, and the bench seat cushion in a cinnamon/grey trellis style.  See fabrics below...

Accessories:  Today I found some wonderful floor lamps, large worn grey lanterns, and made her a super tall dogwood & moss arrangement in a black metal galvanized container for her mantel.  The ceilings are super high!  See below...

Meanwhile my client found some incredible fabric for accent pillows and made the most wonderful pillows--the colors and patterns are perfect for the room!

 What do you think?  Getting excited?  I am.  I absolutely love it when it all starts coming together.  Can't wait to show you the rest as it unfolds!

☞☞☞☞☞ Susan ☜☜☜☜☜

Arts and Crafts project

I'm soooo excited about a current project that I'm working on, I just had to share!  I am updating a living room in a fabulous Arts and Crafts inspired newer house.  The inspiration for the project is from, yes you guessed it, the Arts and Crafts movement, but only in the philosophical sense--"truth to materials, simple form, handmade".  We don't want to be wedded to the predictable type of A&C furniture so are going to take it a step further--hang on to your hats!

I looove to use "found" objects in a functional, and creative, manner within my projects.  I had designed the room with a large, round coffee table in the middle.  See sketch below.

I found this incredible 19th century Turkish copper tray, which will be stunning as a central focus in the room!  It has a wonderful patina, and will only get better with age!

Of course, I found this wonderful piece from Donna Waldhauser of Alsadu who is excellent in helping me succeed with my artistic endeavors for my clients.

Isn't it stunning?  We are going to have the tray custom built into a larger coffee table.  It will be surrounded in reclaimed wood with a distressed dark stain bringing it from 31" to a finished table of 48" in diameter creating an exquisite custom coffee table for my client.

 Stay tuned for more updates on the room!

☯  Susan  ☯