Country Design Home

Jun 3, 2012

Waxing Nostalgic

When we were little kids (yup, that’s me, second from the left with those Will Smith dumbo ears : ), our family home had many rooms with hardwood floors. “Waxing day” was always so much fun- although now thinking about it, the actual hard, tedious waxing part was done by my mom on her hands and knees- we just had the fun! Once the wax was dried, she had us don some fat white socks and hit the floor running! Back and forth, slipping and sliding, having a blast and polishing the wax at the same time-genius! Would have been even more fun had Tom Cruise been dancing in the dining room…

So, imagine my delight when shopping last night, I came across these Slipper Genies! Someone- who also did some “slide-waxing” as a kid, perhaps?-came up with the ingenious idea of adding duster bottoms to slippers. Naturally, I had to buy them (well, my sister bought them for me-thanks, Nance!). In my home, we also have hardwood floors throughout. Between the plaster dust, the pollen and the shedding dog

I am forever grabbing the Swiffer to make a quick pass through- especially when company is on the way! So necessity being the mother of invention, it seemed logical to me that since I am walking through these spaces, why not put these on and dust at the same time?! This morning was the trial run of the sliding slippers. Note the legal disclaimers on the reverse side of the packaging, which included:

What a killjoy!! What good is a sliding slipper if you can’t slip and slide!?! And my balance can be a little off at times, but I swear I will not drink martinis while waxing the floors. So they say that they are not a toy, but, hey, why not add a stuffed animal head to the kids’ slippers?!? That seems logical to me.

Warnings be damned, I added a bit of hardwood flooring spray for some shine and added traction (really didn’t want to turn this house into a giant slip ‘n slide-I have stuff to do today that should not include a trip to the ER). The results? Success! See all the dog hairs under my toe? I couldn’t even see them, but the slipper genie grabbed them! So now the floor looks great, and after 5 minutes my thighs got an awesome workout- no need to order the “AS SEEN ON TV THIGH GLIDER“. Now if someone would only invent some lawn mowing slippers… hope you glide through your day today!

Susan

Filed Under: Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: As Seen On TV, hardwood floors, kids, Slipper Genie, wax, Will Smith

May 28, 2012

Thanks for Reading!

By countrydesignhome · 3 Comments

5046 and counting!! The number of hits I have had on my blog since my first published post on February 25, 2012 (such a rookie back then)! Thanks to everyone for continuing to read and respond to the posts about my crazy life. I will keep writing as long as you all keep reading : )

Filed Under: Views From My Back Porch ·

May 22, 2012

You Light Up My Life

By countrydesignhome · 8 Comments

Recently, we have been searching for a new chandelier for our dining room. Now, as my husband would say, “there is nothing wrong with the old one”. Except that it is Colonial Williamsburg style, shiny brass, double tiered, circa 1983, and has no business being in my casual country dining room. Just because it still works, doesn’t mean it still works. So I have finally talked him into replacing it with something a bit more current. The trick is agreeing on a finish and style. Since it typically takes us a year or so to agree on a new couch or chair or car, I can see that this is going to be another “work in progress“. But I have pinned a few, in the hopes that one might spark his interest.

There is this popular iron orb style we saw last week in Brimfield. But it only has one bulb, and being the only light source in what is currently my sewing/workroom/office just won’t work-these old eyes require a bit more wattage. I spotted this wrought iron pyramid style on a recent trip to the Boston Design Center. Gorgeous, but more suited for a medieval castle perhaps?

This rustic reclaimed wood style from Urban Chandy might not necessarily work for the dining room, but I am keeping it in the back of my mind for the Barn Project.

The crystal chandeliers I lust after are a bit too “blingy”, definitely NOT country casual. I am still hoping to add this to the Hall of Shame!

Mason jar chandeliers are the rage right now, but those just scream porch to me. Speaking of which, I just finished my porch mason jar creation. Remember those rustic green hanging baskets I found back in Essex? I sealed all of the chipping paint with a spray rust inhibitor, added some mason jars we found in Brimfield– LOVE!

Sparkly starfish are stunning, but more suited for a beach house… and these million raindrops lights from Junk Gypsies definitely belong in a grand ballroom- which would be great if I had a castle!

Ever have one of these days…? I’m not sure what is going on here, but if I ever have a food truck or Airstream trailer, this is definitely my go-to look!

Now I love color as much as the next girl (or guy), but these lights scream Taj Mahal Vegas to me- the colors are right, but the mood is so wrong!

This is my oil-rubbed bronze kitchen chandelier from Great Windsor Chairs. I love the simplicity of it and it lights up our lives every day-I wonder if they have this in red? If you have any other suggestions, please drop me an email and enlighten me! Susan

Filed Under: My Little Red House · Tagged: Boston Design Center, chandelier, Junk Gypsies, kitchen chandelier, mason jar chandelier, Urban Chandy

May 17, 2012

HomeGoods Happy : )

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

I was killing time the other night, hanging around the HomeGoods parking lot, waiting for a car to be delivered. Long story. Since the truck was over an hour behind schedule, and I was already there, I figured I may as well check out the inside of the store. You know that commercial tagline: “HomeGoods Happy?”- that’s how I feel when I wander through the aisles of my local store. Now I know some high end designers wouldn’t dream of shopping at HomeGoods. Me? I am all about beauty and value. If it’s good enough for David Bromstad from HGTV (my color splash hero), it’s good enough for me! You just never know what you might find. Like this British-inspired wing chair. These French dressing mannequins. Or one perfect seashell.

Inspiration around every corner.

Then I spotted the reflection of an amazing Ikat rug in this wall of mirrors! My favorite shades of blue, hand-hooked, 9X12 for $399! I thought “Jeez, I could build an entire room around this rug!”. I decided to do a virtual bedroom-this is what happens when I have time to kill-the voices in my head start decorating! So I wandered around some more, snapping Iphone pics of items I thought would complement the rug-going with a rustic, ethnic, elegant vibe. (As a disclaimer, I will tell you the the Iphone pics aren’t the greatest, and the colors are slightly off. The rug tends more to the dark teal and grey/blue.)

This grey/blue painted, distressed cabinet would be great as a media console-TV on top, everything else hidden inside. The Trees painting was dreamy, and I thought it would hang perfectly over the bed(which they did not have at this HomeGoods, so I am improvising here)

An antique spool bed adds a darker element that complements the the dark rattan chair. Obviously it needs a cushion, a pillow and a nubby, woven throw to make it a welcome reading nook. Found this throw at Joss and Main, another favorite online shopping place!

These sconces and mirror would give the room a touch of bling. I needed to find

some lamps but didn’t see anything that would work in my virtual room, and I didn’t have time to drive to the other three HomeGoods in my immediate area-which is what I typically would do. So I found these gorgeous rustic silver lamps online- perfect! I still had a lot more to find, but the truck finally arrived, so this shopping session was over. Now, if I only had another bedroom, so I could transform my virtual room into a reality! Anyone got a spare room they could volunteer for a makeover!?

Wishing you a “HomeGoods Happy” day! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration · Tagged: David Bromstad, HGTV, HomeGoods, Ikat, Rug

May 13, 2012

Filled to the “Brim”

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

We spent Saturday tromping through the fields of The Brimfield Antiques Show, “The world’s largest outdoor antique show”. One mile in length, scattered over 23 fields, with over 3000 dealers and 130,000 visitors that shop during the four show days, Brimfield is an adventure, to be sure. After spending the better part of 8 hours sorting through tents of refurbished furniture, industrial re-makes, textiles, bric-a-brac and other assorted “junktiques”, I can honestly say that I have had more than my fill of “treasure hunting”- at least for a while. So many vendors, so little time…so I am just going to show you a few highlights here.

Color was the name of the game, like this row of pretty vintage dresses hanging in the sunshine. The landscape was littered with painted pots, buckets, stools, signs- anything you could paint got a splash of color- sometimes with good results, sometimes not so much.

Late in the afternoon I stumbled upon (literally, I was sunburned, sick, hungry and about to call it quits) this lovely tent from Windham, Maine, by the girls from My Sister’s Garage. Beautifully decorated, it had more the appearance of a lovely shabby chic showroom than the random piles of goods many dealers had laying around on the ground. Rejuvinated, I moved on to Beth Hylan Designs, another pretty booth featuring vintage creations by Beth, next to her partners from Nesting on Main, another lovely tent at the show. The next stop was at Painted Pretty– and boy was it ever! The show-tent pulled me in with the color palette- teals and grays and black- so country pretty! I had seen badly re-painted furniture all day long, so I was so impressed with the quality and the beauty of their work. (By the way, they sell at the SoWa Vintage Market in Boston- definitely worth the trip if you are in the market for a vintage painted piece).

And the winner is..Industrial Chic! This table from Vintage Studios is an example of what you can do with some old factory parts, ingenuity and a lot of heavy lifting.

The biggest presence at the fair (other than those blue glazed jugs that seemed to be on every single table!) – was Industrial. If it came from an old warehouse, factory, barn or henhouse, someone up-cycled and re-purposed it into a bed, desk, sign, table, lamp, bench or light fixture. The more rustic and rustier the better. AMAZING. Got some great ideas for the Barn Workshop Project (details soon)

So with that I will leave you with a few more images of the best of the day, like these fabulous woven bags by Ahinsa Lifetime Weavers or these colorfully painted stools…and if you were wishing you had gone to “The Show”which I guess you could call the Big Leagues of Antiquing, don’t fret, they’ll be back in July! Signing off to put more sunburn cream on my face… Susan

Filed Under: Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: antiques, Brimfield, Chic, Industrial, Painted, Reclaimed, Recycled, Vintage

May 11, 2012

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

…I found a mirror for my new front hall!!! With the Hall of Shame project still ongoing, I have been searching for artwork, occasional tables and other assorted items to fill the space once it is completed. (and, yes, it is still a work in progress- but good things come to those who wait, right?) Along with my usual trips to HomeGoods and the various local antique and junque shops I frequent, I do make an occasional stop at my local Salvation Army Store. With a large furniture showroom in the back, you never know what you might find- like my fabulous new $10.00 mirror!

It’s a horrible brown circa 1970’s faux wood grain, but it’s the perfect size and the top detail is exquisite-it actually mirrors the curved shapes of the soon-to-be-hung damask wallpaper. You would almost think that was intentional, right?

Time to hit it with a coat of Kilz to cover that faux wood paint and the faint odor of mildew/smoke that often accompanies a cast-off piece of furniture, origins unknown. Looks better already! So I grabbed my Ipad and started searching on Pinterest and some of my favorite blogs for color inspiration.

Thinking bold and bright

or soft and dreamy

daring (not sure what happens when your toe hits those mirrors!)

or darling

Mirrors can open up your space (Ah,Versailles…)

Reflect your true face

And welcome you into a warm, homey space (hopefully mine : )

And then I saw this Jonathan Adler mirror and this entryway with pieces from Oomph! and that was it-color chosen.

Tangerine Tango is the Pantone Color of the Year, and what goes better with the Smoke Blue I’ve chosen for the walls than its complementary color, orange? So I chose this yummy shade called Mesa Sunrise from Behr. Now, Benjamin Moore is my go-to paint for just about everything, but Behr sells these little custom mixed sample pots for $2.95, with just enough paint in them for a small project. Here is a sneak preview of the Mesa Sunrise Mirror that will soon be welcoming you into my new front hall. And if Pantone comes out with the newest “color of the year” I can always change it! Total investment for this project: $12.95 + tax.

Mesa Sunrise Mirror in the making

Enjoy your Friday- and just remember to make each day a reflection of your best you! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, Inspiration · Tagged: Behr, Benjamin Moore, color, interior design, Jonathan Adler, mirror, Oomph, Pantone

May 8, 2012

Classe de couleur avec Claude Monet

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Bonjour, les etudiants! Today’s class is “color inspiration from the famous impressionist artist Claude Monet“. A few year’s ago we took a Seine River Cruise from Normandy to Paris (magnifique!) with many stops along the way, including Rouen (where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake), Normandy (where the allies stormed the beaches in WWII) and one of my favorites, Giverny, the home of French Impressionist Claude Monet. Monet was a master in the use of color, both in his famous paintings and in his home and gardens, which he planted to inspire his works of art.

Let’s take the tour of Monet’s Home in Giverny…and use it as your own inspiration!

Monet’s Parlor in MonoChromatic Blue

Monochromatic Living Rooms Today

The Yellow and Red Dining Room of GivernyInspired Yellow and Red Dining Rooms

Blue and Copper Kitchens- Complementary Blue and Orange

Monet’s Stunning Kitchen at Giverny

Modern Blue and Copper Kitchens-beautiful! The Pastel Bedroom Upstairs in Monet’s Home-

Split Complementary Colors of Yellow, Green and Lavender An adorable children’s room from with yellow, green and lavender- so pretty!

Filed Under: Color Class · Tagged: Bonjour, Claude Monet, Color Class, Color Wheel, Giverny, Joan of Arc, Pinterest, WWII

Apr 29, 2012

Treasures and Trash-The Reveal!

By countrydesignhome · 10 Comments

The big reveal… how’d I do?

After…

So after a couple of weeks of treasure hunting, bargain shopping and using what I already had on hand, here is the finished product! I just love it : ) Hanging cozily in the corner of my dining room, the colorful pieces create a bright mosaic that is soooo eye-catching and country pretty! Although it looks similar in style to my inspiration piece from Country Living Magazine, it has my unique color stamp on it. And isn’t that what decorating your life is all about? Let me know if you like it! (and if you happen to come across and red and white teapot in your treasure hunt, I’m your girl)

Before…Blue Botanicals…my inspiration from Country Living.

(Previous post below)

My first thought was “Ooh, that’s so country pretty!”. My second thought was “Wait, I have one of those plate racks in the barn!”. (I know, I know, who has a barn, anyway?!? And where did I get all this stuff that’s in the barn? Yard sales!!) Time for a recycling project. So I dug out this dusty old black painted rack from the loft, cleaned it off, and then painted it with several coats of Benjamin Moore Atrium White Regal Aqual Pearl.

Now, realizing that the dining room where the rack will be hanging is red and white, I decided to hit the road in seach of yard sales to find some pretty red platters, plates and cups for my as-yet-to-be-hung plate rack. And since today was Small Business Saturday, I checked out some of our local downtown antique shops as well. First up, the Craigslist resale store. Didn’t know these existed! Apparently you give them your stuff on commission and they sell them on CL. You get rid of stuff, they make money-brilliant! The place was packed with stuff and shoppers, but no luck there, unless I happened to be in the market for a pink car. So, off to check out an estate sale. Sadly, these typically hold the belongings of a deceased love one, whose life will be measured in the profits gained from the sale of their treasures. I found these pretty little scalloped plates-and I will give them a good home and pass them on to the next generation, who will most likely sell them at my estate sale-hopefully for a profit…

Then on to The Queen’s Vault Antique Shop. Loads of victorian furniture, silver, crystal and blue and white dishes galore! Discovered that although blue and white is quite common for porcelain and pottery, red and white is much rarer and difficult to come across. But I did find a pretty red cup and saucer, and left my “wish list” in case he comes across anything else. Next up was Wakefield Uncommon Antiques.

(We have a beautiful lake in Wakefield, and at one end is a large common with a gazebo. Hence the clever name…) Score! Loads of red and white to choose from. Didn’t buy anything because the prices weren’t marked and the young lad manning the register had no idea what to charge. Will have to return when the owner is present. I need those dishes! After that, a drive around town to admire the gloriously blooming trees and tulips, a few more yard sales and then all of a sudden I was at HomeGoods! Now I don’t know about your car, but it appears that my new CRV has a Blue-tooth enabled homing device that guides me directly to the nearest HomeGoods. Scored again with two plates in the clearance racks that will add a bit more color to my collection. Tomorrow’s task will be to hang the shelf securely so that it won’t come crashing down with all of my new-found treasures. When you have a home that was built during the James Buchanan Administration, chances are you have walls made of horsehair and lathing. This lathing is small skinny strips of wood, held together with plaster mixed with the hair of a horses mane or tail. Seriously? Every time I hammer anything, all I hear is chunks of the stuff falling out of the wall. This ought to be good…pics to follow.

Filed Under: The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: Benjamin Moore, Home Goods, paint, recycle, trash, treasures, yard sales

Apr 24, 2012

Hall of Shame-Color Splash!

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Saw this poster on Pinterest and LOL. It should say Attention Decorating Disorder! When I am in “home improvement” mode, I move from room to room making mental notes of everything that needs to get done immediately. So I wonder why projects never really get done?!? During the plate rack project this weekend, as I was flitting around town rummaging through antique shops and junk sales, I figured I should stop and get the paint for the hall of shame project at my local Benjamin Moore store. I had definitely decided on the trim color: Snowfall White.

For years I have been mixing White Dove and Linen White together to create what I thought was the perfect white-creamy white with slightly gray undertones. But, mixing two quarts is quite a bit pricier than purchasing pre-mixed by the gallon. And, who was I to mess with the Benjamin Moore’s color gods?!? So I finally went through all the white chips and found Snowfall White. I believe it is the closest in tone and shade to my self-blended color. 1 gallon please. Smoke was the color I chose for the walls. The description is: “A subtle, sophisticated grey that infuses a space with a sense of comfort and contemporary style.” And, it is part of Candace Olson’s Designer Picks Collection! Loving that! But just not 100% sure, so I only got a quart. In a moment of inspiration, (while I was putting off hanging the plate rack) I decided to just “try a little on a wall to make sure I like it before I do the whole thing and then regret it”. No prep, no drop cloths, no painting clothes. You can guess the rest. I was happily painting away, got distracted (I don’t know, something sparkly?) and dropped the whole freaking can!

Not only did it splatter all over the hall- and me, it made its way into the living and the dining room- thankfully my new beautiful rug was spared! Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to grab the camera- had to work fast! The next 1/2 hour was spent scrubbing and cleaning (almost all) the paint out of all the cracks and crevices, off the floor and trim,all the while keeping Daisy out of the way. Don’t need “Smoke” pawprints running through the house.

Rugs were hosed down in the yard, clothing discarded and paint scooped back into the can. At $18 per quart, I wanted to salvage what I could! So the end result is: 1. I do like the paint color and will go back and get a gallon. 2. Now I have to sand and restain the two thresholds leading into the hallway-more work for the weary 3. Time to go hang the plate rack!!!

Happy Painting! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class · Tagged: Benjamin Moore, Candace Olson, Color Splash, paint

Apr 10, 2012

Spring Stylings for the Mantel

By countrydesignhome · 1 Comment

I know you are anxiously awaiting the results of the Hall of Shame project, but that is still ongoing, and clearly will take longer than I first anticipated. In the meantime, I thought I would share some other design changes happening in my Little Red House.

The family room was in desperate need of a spring overhaul. Added a creamy slipcover to the sofa, a new tribal rug for the floor, changed out the curtains and added a fresh spring face to the focal point of the room- the fireplace mantel.

I find fireplace mantels, in general, to be a tricky design challenge. Whether you are using your mantel to display your prized posessions

or using mirrors for drama

or to stylishly decorate a flat-screen TVt

or to warm up an outdoor space-wow!!!

the scale has to be correct (2-story rooms require LARGE design!!and the overall effect should reflect the room decor

So I did some online shopping on Houzz.com and Pinterest to see how other folks are decorating their focal points. I found some eclectic and amazing ideas, including using mantels as headboards and barn doors to hide TV’s