Artisan Pieces -- cocktail table

One of my favorite resources is using local artists for bespoke (custom) products in my room environments! They add a strong personal, unique touch like nothing else! Usually the need arises from not finding the particular piece I had in mind for the space, whether that be the exact style, color, size, timeline, or price. Lately, I have been able to do quite a bit and it's a real treat!!

Below is a piece I designed for a recent music room/library. I collaborated with Asa Hoyt of A.W. Hoyt Metal Arts discussing the particulars of my design combined with his expert opinion in metal working so we could create a stable and interesting piece. I knew I wanted the piece to have an aged gold, retro, yet clean feel. Since the client has grandkids who roam the house at will, I wanted to make sure the top was resistant to scratches, stains, etc. but still giving us that clean Carrara marble look. Hello Cambria! And Voila'! Asa's fabulous metal table base with a Cambria Torquay top!

On to the golding: I had the table delivered to Candice Simpson of Textural Hues. Candice has worked on oodles of my projects, whether it is a decorative paint finish on a wall, accessory, or piece of furniture. We selected the color of gold (there are many!) for the legs, one part being base and the other a metallic paint finish, percentage of metallic to base and location of distressing. When all was completed, it was delivered!!

I think it's perfect!!

Art~~It's a good thing!! Later, Susan

Eclectic Vintage Color, Part 2 -- the Dining Room

Hi, and happy holidays to all!!

Welcome to Part 2 of my "Eclectic Vintage Color" home showcasing the Dining Room. I discussed the KITCHEN as well as project goals in Part 1 here, so check that out if you want a refresher.

For the BEFORE PICS:

And the AFTER PICS:

We started with an existing blue/gray handmade paper wallcovering we chose to keep. As in the kitchen, we continued the bamboo floors and painted the trim white. My client had inherited a beautiful vintage Henredon dining set I thought would be lovely and fulfill her vintage-love, so we reupholstered the chairs with a modern yet vintage inspired F. Schumacher fabric. We selected orange to bring in warmth, contrast with the blue walls, and give the room energy. We kept the existing and truly amazing chandelier. I believe it is a vintage Venini! Definitely a keeper! 

Bringing in more light and dark orange to coordinate with the chair upholstery, custom silk draperies with a darker accent trim were incorporated. For the wall, my client fell in love with a textile art piece found on Etsy, utilizing hand dyed fabric strips, and strengthening our blue/orange concept.

My client had purchased the artist made metal mirrors quite a few years earlier while traveling. At that time, we put them in the dining room, knowing someday when we revamped the dining room, they would be incorporated, and they worked out splendidly!

The small pillows made for the two extra arm chairs incorporate all of our colors...light and dark blue, light and dark orange, and tan hues from the floor.

For the floor, the perfect wool rug...again incorporating all of our colors. The beautiful artisan vase my client loves, now blends in with the new color scheme back at front and center in the middle of the table.

I hope your holidays have been pleasant and your New Years is fabulous!! XXOO Susan

Island Project

Hi,

I know I have been so delinquent in blog posts this summer...it's been very busy in the design biz so that's a good thing, huh? I keep telling myself just do a quick little blurb with one pic just to keep it going, but sometimes that's just not enough of an incentive.  However, I'm not giving up on that idea yet!!

Here are some pics of a fabulous project I am currently working on. So far, we have the custom 108" long ( yep it's a biggie!) Caperton sofa with F. Schumacher burnt orange velvet installed, and the Bernhardt cocktail and side tables. Both tables are new pieces for Bernhardt and I love them. Need I say so did my clients' grandkids, as the first thing they did was crawl back and forth through the large hole! Stay tuned for more -- lots to come!!

Toodles!!!!!!

Susan

IGH Living Room Progress: Mantel going UP!

Happy Spring!

Details are coming together in an Inver Grove Heights living room I am updating.  Let's look!

In this corner, we added grommet style curtains using Robert Allen and Schumacher linen fabrics and a new olive green Hickory wing chair with nailheads. I love this Schumacher linen with the oversized paisleys but chose to use it only on the large floor to ceiling windows on either side of the fireplace so we could keep the focal point on that wall. I put Robert Allen linen solids on the patio door, but connected the draperies with the rust colored border at the top. Linen just hangs so beautifully, it's one of my favorite fabrics!

We added a new Charles Ray sofa, but I decided to keep the coffee table my client had inherited from his mother.  I just love the oversized feel of the piece, the carved details and those bulbous legs are so fabulous!  We highlighted the details with gold leaf and gold Rub n' Buff...thanks to Candice of Textural Hues!!  We're also adding cabinet doors to the bottom half of the built in bookcase behind the sofa.  There's one on either side of the dining room entry.  Now they'll look like built in cabinets instead of built in bookshelves. Still need to redo that piano seat...it's in progress!

And yet in another corner, you can see we've painted the rooms' walls and ceiling with new Ben Moore colors and added this luscious Hickory chaise in a soft grey/blue.  This fabric is soooo soft, you can snuggle right in and watch the wildlife right outside the window. The homeowner already owned the espresso colored faux fur throw, but I think it's perfect on the chaise and grounds the colors in this corner.

Back to the other corner, you can see the old mantel from a chunk of cedar and the graduating bricks holding it up.  I am not a fan of protruding bricks in fireplaces, and it truly doesn't work with our revamped style...too retro, too 50's/60's looking, so...

 ...we are going to cover them up. We could have possibly knocked them off, but we didn't want to risk weakening the entire fireplace structure. The above corbels are hollow, acting as caps, to go over the protruding bricks and hold up the new larger mantel which will wrap around and tie right into the window casing on either side of the fireplace.

Here's my fabulous woodworker, Walt from McHenry's Custom Furniture & Cabinets refining the fit on the new mantel.  Now to paint it to match the trim, and install.

Keep posted!!

Susan

Foyer in Full Color

Last week I did a post titled "Living Room in Full Color". Today -  the fabulous foyer selections within the same home.  Below are BEFORE pics...not a large space, but tall, and very cut up with doors, nooks, stairwells, openings, racetrack/varied depth ceiling, etc.  -- Yes A LOT going on!  We are keeping the tile floor, the white painted woodwork, and the stair carpet.  Everything else in the space is going ba-bye! 

The pillar above will get some additional moulding so it can say, "Hey I'm a legit column, and don't you forget it!!" Clarence House Flowering Quince wallcovering in the 20-22' height space will be perfect!  Accentuating the height is exactly the direction I want to go!  The movement of the dark branches will begin at the floor, over the top of the closet all the way up to the ceiling.  The ceiling will be painted the lovely tan in the background of the wallcovering with the one racetrack a darker version of the blossoms.  I may have to add a slight metallic bronze rub on the red if it is too intense, or worse yet, feeling "sporty", but time will tell!  Can not wait to see Flowering Quince on the wall and going up the staircase!

Below are a couple of spaces done up in the ever crawling vines of the quince!  You can see how awesome it is going to be!

 Lisa Borgnes Giramonti

Photo by Gemma Costas from Domino mag

The window next to the closet will get a lovely drapery from this fabulous F. Schumacher fabric below.

The chandelier will be changed out to the ever fashionable Crystorama Solaris large bronze pendant.  Yes, I know the look, if not this exact pendant is somewhat popular right now, but the style is just sooo perfect (not to say anything about the wonderful price!)

At the stair landing is a wall sconce which will become the Crystorama sconce below.  I will have to think about shades for the sconce otherwise it may be a bit bright walking down the stairs towards the bright light. "Harry, no! Don't look at the light!" Remember that scene?  (OK, probably not if you didn't have kids at that time ~~ A Bug's Life!)

The Terra Sur Mondrian bench will be in place of the Victorian furniture with an accent pillow of red with small purple/orange yarns.  LOVE Terra Sur's furniture!  All made in Argentina!

I'm super excited to se this coming together!  Of course, after pics will eventually surface for you all to see!  Next week, the dining room!

Toodles!  Susan