HGTV – Country Design Home

Jun 25, 2013

Hats Off to The Vintage Bazaar!

I had the opportunity to visit this past weekend’s Vintage Bazaar with the adorable Lisa from RitaJosVintage. The owners of the gorgeous Pettengill Farm

in Salisbury, Ma and the organizer of this event, the amazing Devon Allen of My Bazaar Life deserve kudos for once again staging such a fun, inspiring experience for shoppers, crafters and vintage vendors. This year’s Bazaar was bigger than ever, featuring some old-oh, hello, Fish in the Garden

and many new faces. Like this gorgeous black Chevy truck-NFS but oh, so dreamy…

We arrived late due to a previous engagement (Happy 30th Birthday Lindsey!), so we moved through the rows of tents with some urgency, stopping to snap some pics (have you ever seen such a funky fabulous chicken?!)

chat with fellow vintage fanatics and purchase unique items (well, not me, but Lisa kept disappearing and re-appearing with bags : ) She found these super cool croquet ball candle holders

at The Flea Circus…a whimsical design shop. And that it was. The bright primary colors caught my eye, as did the retro childhood school furniture.

Since there is no way to list every vendor (there were 125+!), here are a few favorites we found (sort of going row by row, but we made a couple of detours so…)like these adorable Junkyard Dogs from ArtHead Studio.

I love when artisans take something of no apparent worth and re-imagine it into something fanciful and functional. How many days do I feel like this?!?

Too many to mention!! Next up was Laceypots, from Portland, Maine with a collection of original, hand-painted, yummy colored pots and dishware.

Around the corner was Backroads to Oz-“home decor from the past for the present”

featuring hand crafted furniture and accessories fashioned from old wood and metals. Pretty colors, pretty awesome stuff! The bazaar is split into two fields, so we headed down the path to the Strawberry Fields Forever, only to find Cari Cucksey from HGTV’s Cash and Cari

in the middle of her RePurpose Shop!

Despite the blazingly hot temps and the fact that she had been there all day, she was so gracious, chatting and answering our many questions about her show, how she got started in the re-purposing business and what she was doing way out here in Massachusetts, which is far from her Michigan home! Loving this pink trunk in her shop, and I am fairly certain I actually had that little Mexican painted chair as a kid (hmm, wonder where she got that…)

Could have stayed there for hours to pick her brain about pickin’ and junkin’, but time was awastin’, so we headed on over to see Bettie B., this awesome vintage trailer featuring goods from Log Cabin Antiques and

Lynn Kells Antiques and Vintage Treasures… How perfectly styled is this interior space?

Bettie’s already sold, but Lyn and Lynn are working on a second trailer they just acquired-might need to take a ride to New Hampshire to check it out! This stunning floorcloth by Addie Peet from AP Floorcloth Design in Winterport Maine is “functional-practical-durable” and expertly hand-crafted by the artist.

Lisa made another purchase- this time some upcycled vintage jewelry, from the combined tent of juNxtaposition, who fashions vintage pendants from old typewriter keys

and bel monili, featuring these lovely collage necklaces.

Whenever I am blogging about markets and fairs, I am always on the lookout for unusual or unique items that I haven’t seen before. These personalized signs by ginger blue too were created with sliced license plates-genius!

Imagine the fun you could have creating your own. Of course, you can’t actually use it as a license plate…or could you?

One of the new shops I featured in my before-fair post was Heja Home, whose owners Heather and Jason Rosfeld were super excited to share information about their fledgling company whose name means “to cheer”. And that we did when we spotted this fabulous American Eagle bench. Coach, if you are reading this I will say that

I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat, if only I had sold my own bench at the Vintage Thymes Market : ( And finally, our last stop at the row of retro furnished trailers by Vintage Maine Vacations. If you are looking for an amazing Maine getaway at an affordable price, you need to check this out!

You book the trailer of your dreams and the owner, Patrice Leary-Forrey will drive it to you-as long as you’re no more than 125 miles from Portland, Maine! You spend the week under the red striped canopy, just resting and relaxing or exploring the sights of Maine,

then she returns to pick it up. Can’t imagine an easier way to book your summer rental! So once the day was done, and the tents were buttoned up for the evening, we were invited to the after-hours vendor reception featuring a gourmet food spread, icy cold beer and wine and a vintage hat contest!

The winner was to receive free rental for their fall booth in September. Now, I am not sure who actually won, but my money was on this lovely lady’s stunning vintage rocking chair hat. So hat’s off to all that made this bazaar such a special event. And if you didn’t make it to the fair this time, we’ll see you in September! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds · Tagged: a, AP Floorcloth Design, Backroads to Oz, Cari Cucksey, Ginger Blue Too, HGTV, Log Cabin Antiques, Pettengill Farm, Repurpose, The Vintage Bazaar, The Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm

Jun 21, 2013

Weekend Fun at the Fair

By countrydesignhome · 5 Comments

Those of you who have followed my blog from the start know that I am a huge fan of this weekend’s Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm. Held bi-annually in an historic setting in the rural town of Salisbury, Mass, the folks at Pettengill Farm transform the vast fields from farmland to fun! Rows of colorful tents are filled with vintage wares offered by over 125 talented artisans and artists from 10+ different states.

Strolling through the multiple fields with names like Strawberry Fields Forever and Back Field in Motion, you just know you’re in for a good time! Under the tents you will find distinctive and unusual goods for sale, like these repurposed fanciful dolls,

gorgeous glass flowers pots from Creative Glass Works

vintage jewelry and lots of re-furbished furniture and home decor- loving this vignette from Heja Home!

So many fabulous finds await you! Some of my old favorites are back again, like Yellow Chair Market

and some new favorites- loving this vintage trailer from L Kells Antiques & Log Cabin Antiques–

cannot wait to see what’s inside!! This year’s crowds are expected to be bigger than ever, especially with the exciting addition of Cari Cucksey from HGTV’s Cash and Cari. She will be manning her own shop, RePurpose, and meeting and greeting her many fans.

Watch for the camera crews roaming around-you may end up on TV! Along with the great shopping, the Bazaar also features live blue-grass and country music and a vast array of yummy food trucks for your dining pleasure.

As you can see by the map here, there’s loads to do for shoppers and kiddies alike, with the Vintage Carnival Children’s Tent, where there will be face-painting, games and photo-ops! So head on up the turnpike, over the big green bridge and follow the signs for fun at the fair. The dates are this Saturday and Sunday, June 22 & 23, and the hours are 10am-5pm. The address: Pettengill Farm, 45 Ferry Road, Salisbury, Mass. Have a great, sunny shopping weekend everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds · Tagged: Cari Cucksey, Cash & Cari, Heja Home, HGTV, Mass, Pettengill Farm, The Vintage Bazaar, The Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm, vintage fair in Massachusetts, vintage fair in Salisbury, Yellow Chair Market

Jun 19, 2013

Flipping Over The Elephant’s Trunk-Part 2

By countrydesignhome · 7 Comments

As promised, here is the second half of the Connecticut adventure to The Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market-this is the good stuff! So we arrived around 8am to a sea of parked cars

in a large open field surrounded by rolling hills and trees. This place is huge-not Brimfield huge, but there are 55 acres with hundreds of tents and tables. Lined up in orderly rows and flanked by food trucks, it made for quite an excursion for the thousands of shoppers already rummaging and haggling for goods and wares.

As we keep attending more flea markets, antique shows and auctions, I am noting that this year’s trends are still holding strong: industrial, schoolhouse, old tools and of course, animals. Taxidermy,

metal work roosters,

deer old lawn ornaments (aren’t these two so sweet?)

and mounted deer heads

were all right at home in what once was vast alfalfa farmland. At this flea, there was not a lot of repurposing or repainting, everything was pretty much “as is”. With a few notable exceptions. One booth had many painted and distressed tables and cupboards. Nice work.

This amazing metal-work coffee table was created by Jepsen’s Restoration. He uses everyday items like signs and horseshoes and boxes and pipes and creates custom industrial works of art.

This hand-painted flag trunk

and this vintage decorated suitcase using old census listings were re-designed by Don S. Wing. Very well-crafted and vintage pretty.

So as we were strolling, Coach taps me and says “look, there are cameras!”.

Sure enough, a camera crew was running after a couple of contestants from the HGTV show Flea Market Flip! If you haven’t seen the show, Lara Spencer (the Lifestyle anchor for Good Morning America-an avid flea marketer herself and author of NY Times Bestseller I Brake for Yard Sales) hosts a televised flea market competition- two teams get $500 each to spend in 1 hour. Here, she was chatting with the vendor who had just sold a table to a team for the show.

Then, they repurpose their items to resell at the Brooklyn Flea Market. The team that earns the highest net profit wins $5000! We watched for a couple of minutes, then moved on, only to encounter Lara and her entourage chatting and laughing.

Back to shopping and not stalking the game show host. As I continue to work on styling my own shop at the Vintage Thymes Monthly Market, I notice that my eye is always drawn to groupings (must be my touch of OCD at work?). Trays of jewels sparkling in the morning sun,

Vintage brass pipes and faucets make an industrial statement

colorful license plates all in a row.

This collection of colorful circles-gears and wheels-is art in itself.

Anyone got a welding torch? I always wanted to look like Jennifer Beals in Flashdance with my own personalized welder’s mask.

Well, actually, I always wanted to look like Jennifer Beals. I did have me some rad leg warmers…

OK, back to the flea. This collection of broken statue heads was intriguing and I stood there thinking “what could I do with these?”, but nothing came to mind.

As was this collection of metal junk pieces. Tiny Monopoly tokens, vintage jewelry pieces, broken barrettes, metal tokens, little bits of everything and nothings. Looked like a miniature Armageddon in a bowl.

But I am really kicking myself for not grabbing some of these. I had seen a mirror once where they had glued all sorts of miniature items around the frame and then sprayed the entire thing white. That would have made a great conversation piece! This vignette caught my eye- not sure if it was the pretty umbrellas or the fake furs or the antiqued frames, but the pastel palette was pleasing to look at!

I always enjoy hearing the stories of where people acquired their offered items. We came upon this truck with piles of these beautiful art prints on heavy parchment paper.

The sellers said that they were cleaning out a shop in Nantucket and hundreds of these prints were hidden away in a back storage room. They had been there for years, yet the colors were so vivid and brilliant! Of course, a couple right before us grabbed the whaling print we really loved. Moving along, we bumped into the Flea Market Flip entourage again. This time with different contestants, and Lara had changed her outfit. It appears that they shoot more than one episode per shopping day? Surrounded by cameras-both the crew’s and onlookers’-they seemed to be having quite a bit of fun.

And then we found The Duke…John Wayne.

We never did get a chance to chat with the owner of this booth, but he appeared to have props-from an amusement park, perhaps? Menacing Jaws (he could definitely use some floss…),

pint-sized choo-choo trains

20 foot signs and larger-than-life-sized statues (this one looks a bit like Coach, don’t you think?)

He also had these amazing rusted wheels that came from a vintage coffee grinder from the Enterprise Manufacturing Company. Each wheel weighs about 20#-they must have been some giant coffee beans! Coach and I looked at them, discussed what we would do with them, and then walked away.

Word of advice-if you really want something at a flea market, buy it right away, because someone may come along behind you and scoop it up! In this case, we doubled back and a potential buyer was standing there negotiating with the owner for them! Coach swooped in and grabbed them-our prize for the day, along with this antiqued brass National Cash Register drawer faceplate. What are we going to do with them? You’ll have to tune it to a later blog post to find out. But for now, rest assured, we will be heading out again to the next big market in our own home state. No more Bates Motels for me!! Have a bargain of a day everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Outdoor Adventures, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: Brimfield Flea Market, flea market finds, Flea Market Flip, GMA, HGTV, Lara Spencer, The Elephant's Trunk Flea Market

Jun 13, 2013

Bench Dressing

By countrydesignhome · 1 Comment

Not to be confused with ranch dressing,

which has much more white than this restyled country bench does! So the bench is finally done and done. From the painting poll that I took on a recent blog post, the colors that won were distressed aqua/blue/gray/mint.

I have to admit, I tried the mint and it didn’t really work with my nautical vision, so I stuck with the blues and grays. Before I committed to the final colors, I wanted to find the co-ordinating fabrics I was planning to use for the cushions and pillows. Made a trip to my local Joann’s and-go figure-I fell in love with these lobsters.

(Folks that know me realize that this is rather puzzling, as I think that the best part of any lobster is the melted butter : ). Fanciful fellows, bright reds on a background of dark teal. Perfect! Had some difficulty choosing the cushion fabric, but then discovered 1.this gorgeous aqua and navy block fabric that looked to me like nautical flags

2. and then discovered that, of course, it’s from HGTV-sold! So starting with the old worn bench,

I added a layer of Annie Sloan French Linen, mixed with water to give it a washed look.

Then I added on layers of Behr’s Gulf Wind Blue, Peaceful Night, Battleship Gray and Gray Morning

by dry-brushing to allow the lower layers of paints to be more transparent and add another dimension to the finished product. To enhance the spiral detail at the bottom, I added a touch of dark blue.

Time to dress the bench! We all know that any delicious salad is just a bunch of veggies in a bowl until you add the spice and flavor with the dressing. Same holds true with decorating-it’s the finishing touches that define the piece. I love layering mis-matched co-ordinating pillows to achieve a casual, comfortable effect. So I started with the HGTV Home nautical flag cushion.

Added a large middle pillow-soft and sinkable for maximum comfort, created with two cotton kitchen towels from HomeGoods).

The sailboat pillow came next-again, created with an embroidered kitchen towel (also thank you HomeGoods!) that I added the “SAIL” to.

The next pillow was lobsters and sailboats with star buttons, both of those from Joann’s Fabrics.

When I stepped back to admire the bench, utilizing the squint test, I realized it needed one red item in the center. One more nautical towel, surrounded by the flag fabic, completed the vignette.

The finally finished, decorated bench is now sitting proudly in the perfect spot on my country styled summer porch that is now patiently awaiting spring. Which cannot come soon enough! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: decorating with fabric, HGTV, HGTV Home, HomeGoods, Joanns, nautical fabric, pine bench, sailboat fabric, VIntage Thymes Montly Market

Mar 29, 2013

Design Challenge!!

By countrydesignhome · 4 Comments

Have you ever seen the “White Box Challenge” on HGTV?! Do you ever watch design shows and think “I could do a better room than that!” Well, now is your chance to strut your design and staging stuff and show off your style sense to the world- and you don’t even have to fly to L.A!

Next weekend, April 6 & 7, The Mill 77 Trading Company in Amesbury, Mass will be hosting its first annual Guerilla Staging Competition!

This is a two-day event, where teams of 2-4 amateur design fanatics will compete to win cash prizes or gift certificates, all to benefit Our Neighbors Table in Amesbury.

The idea? There will be a staging area set up (not necessarily a white box, more like a cleared out space, but you get the picture.)

The teams will blindly choose a category- there is a long list of potential ones, including Cats and Dogs, Vintage Kitchen Goods, Mid Century Modern and Make Yourself At Home. Then the team has 40 minutes, that’s right, 40 minutes, to run through the shop, grabbing whatever would work to tell the story and then create a themed space, using only the items available in the store! If you’ve not been to the Mill before, there are so many great things you could use to decorate your space. Room after room of everything from antique dressers and desks, kitchenware and clocks…

to vintage toys, artwork, lighting and sports memorabilia.

The event will be video-taped and the show-stopping rooms will be photographed for publicity and online voting. You can sign up online, its only $10 per person, and remember, the proceeds go to a great cause!

I’m a member of the team “Mother Knows Best”- two moms and their daughters who love to decorate, have fun and win money : ) So sign up today for your chance to be a design star- you never know who might be watching! Have a great weekend everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love · Tagged: HGTV, Mill 77 Trading Company, staging competition, The White Box Challenge, vintage mill shops in Massachusetts

Aug 28, 2012

Picture This!

By countrydesignhome · 3 Comments

Just recently watched the season finale of HGTV’s Design Star (thank you, DVR). I loved the pilot concept by runner-up Britany Simon, “Picture Perfect Spaces“. The idea was to take photographs and make them an integral part of your decor scheme. I don’t know anyone who does not have a home filled with photos of pets, families and friends, some curated into collections, some more randomly scattered throughout. Always fun to look at, bringing back memories of trips abroad, lovely weddings, fantastic parties and family.

I am, like millions of other bloggers, an amateur photographer, with a small Olympus 35mm camera that I use for many occasions. But, more often than not, I find myself using my Iphone to take the shots that I post on my blog. The pics are serviceable, but certainly not museum quality. But then again, my home is not a museum. It is a reflection of the way we live our daily lives, surrounded by friends, families and a few furry friends.

Most of my photos are stored away-albums and boxes for the ones before the digital era- DVDs and flash drives for the more current photos. My favorites are scattered in frames throughout our home. I have often thought about displaying them all together in one space, but couldn’t really conceptualize the look I was trying to achieve. The grand scale of this framed series of photographs draws your eye beyond the fabulous white leather sofa. While the overall effect is drama, I am not certain it is the best way to display the photos.

Below are some equally fabulous ways to show off your treasured photos. Hopefully it will inspire you to create a space to share your favorites! Stairways and halls, long and narrow, are the perfect place for a “gallery” effect.

It can be more formal, as the stairway above, or you can use a series of wires and brackets to create a “clothesline” effect. Cute. Neat.

A small music studio would be the perfect place to “tile” the walls with photos that are similar in size and color. A room full of vintage star pics would be a great backdrop for a concert, yes?

Color blocking is effective in creating an overall image. This green sofa is a standout paired with this wall of green-flocked images.

Black and white photos also convey a soft, unified look.

This monotone palette is effective for creating a soft, neutral, inviting decor.

Vintage can take you in many directions: multiple sizes and pictures are unified by the frames and color tones that complement the rustic pieces, the furnishings and wall color.

This room stands the test of time. Could be from a summer cottage in the Hamptons, a prep school dorm room, a young man’s retreat. Even though the background is a large scale print (yay, buffalo plaid!), the pictures are hung close together around the headboard to create a unifying effect.

Vintage can also be colorful, as shown here with the white mats and frames on the books and pictures on a dark grey background.

Oversized wall art and murals from photographs are becoming increasingly popular. They add a whimsical, personal touch to any space.

There are many companies that will take your photographs and transform them into wallpaper or giant canvases. These fair-haired girls in black and white with the pink and grey furnishings is charming and fun.

F is for funky. LOVE. Perfect for a young beautiful couple just starting out who are decorating with trash to treasure finds mixed with contemporary pieces. Multiple colors and textures are unified with one large backdrop. Not sure if I could look at a giant pic of me and coach every day…

A sporting life: this vintage baseball photo is mounted on slats, used as a headboard. Even though the overall theme is sports, the look is soft and polished with the blue backdrop. Not your typical sports room!

Stone is a natural, neutral background for hanging photographs, especially if they are tinted the same color for an overall dramatic look. This room in sepia…

This room has more colorful photos,

but they are lightened to add a soft pop of color to an otherwise unending white room, balancing the black baby grand. For a great tutorial on how to hang your photos, click here. OK, time to quit hanging around and collect up all my favorite family photos to create my own special gallery. Have a terrific Tuesday! Susan

Filed Under: Inspiration, My Little Red House · Tagged: Britany Simon, decor, Design Star, HGTV, interior design, Photo Gallery, Using photos frames

Aug 20, 2012

Rejected…and Dejected…

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

As everyone who reads this blog knows, I am an HGTV junkie. I read the website and blog, watch all the shows and drink the HGTV Koolaid. I wouldn’t be studying interior design or writing Country Design Home if it weren’t for the inspiration of HGTV! I have learned so much about design and honed my own personal style while watching some of my favorite shows like The High Low Project

and Color Splash. I have often wondered, along with millions of other TV viewers, “how does someone get chosen to be on a design makeover show?” Knowing that the HGTV website has a continuous “casting call” searching for homes to renovate, I checked the listings often. Only to discover, much to my dismay, that the majority of the shows are filmed on the west coast or in the NY Tri-State area. Imagine my delight, when one day, while perusing Craigslist (searching for a whale coffee table?), I happened upon a local casting call from Powderhouse Productions, based in Somerville, MA! They were searching for large-scale renovation projects in the Metropolitan Boston area where the homeowners would contribute a certain dollar amount, and then HGTV would quadruple that amount, while providing the overhaul of your space. AMAZING. Can you say BARN WORKSHOP?!?!?

So I completed the form, attached some pics of the barn and hoped for the best. Months went by, with little communication from the film company. Fast foward to a couple of weeks ago, when I got a call from the lovely production assistant, Jenna, who wanted to know if we were still interested in moving forward with the project we had proposed. Seriously!?

From that point on, things got a little crazy, as Coach and I had to film, and then re-film (apparently when you use an Ipad to shoot video, you have to hold it horizontally) a video of us discussing our renovation proposal. I have to be honest and say that although writing seems to come pretty easily to me, being on camera brought me back to 5th grade speech class. Painful. That was submitted last week, and then the executive producer and her assistant, along with the contractor met at our home last Monday to view the barn in person and discuss our options. We left for vacation not knowing the verdict. Today we got our answer: “Unfortunately we cannot feature your space in an episode. You guys are great, and I appreciate you sending everything along; however, just due to time and location restraints we can’t move forward with you.” Ouch. Now I have an inkling what those contestants on Design Star feel like when they shut the lights out behind their photograph and say “sorry, we won’t be producing your show”. Oh, well, it was worth a try. At least we gave it our best shot. Not sure I really wanted to be on television anyway. After all, they say the TV camera does add ten pounds…

So, back to the cleaning and sorting and stacking and re-stacking. Coach and I will keep working on it, and hopefully we will be able to produce a room that will make HGTV proud! Unless there is another home network out there looking for an old barn to renovate. Hmmm. Wonder what Norm Abram is doing these days? Susan

Filed Under: My Little Red House, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: barn workshop, Color Splash, HGTV, High Low Project, Norm Abram, Powderhouse Productions

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

Mar 24, 2012

Gone to the Dogs

By countrydesignhome · 3 Comments

If you are family or a friend of our family, you must love dogs. Even if you don’t have a furry companion living under your own roof, chances are that you’re sure to encounter some muddy pawprints and a cold, wet nose no matter what or where the family celebration. In our immediate and extended families, the dog count stands at 11 and cats round out the pet quotient to 14. We are a pet-loving family, and they’re all treated to the finer things in life.

At 16 years old, Winston the Westie is our elder statesman, and following closely behind him at 14 is our rescued Lab Mutt Daisy. Nipping at her heels is Jesse, a beautiful Black Lab.We have big boys Harry (he’s visiting with his pal Milo) and Brooks

& little dogs Bucky, Bartlet and Chessy

And then there’s Finn and Astro… Adorable, mischievous and incredibly sweet.

The newest family addition is Ronan, a handsome southern gentleman recently adopted from the Animal Shelter.

Now as you can see by the photos, our dogs are part of our lives. Most of them have free run of our homes including the comfiest sofas, beds and occasional tabletops. That’s a lot of fur flying around!!! Which is why I am happy to share this helpful posting from HGTV: 9 Tips for a Chic and Pet Friendly Home from the great book Animal House Style.

The pet journalist, Julia Szabo, presents tips on how to live in a house with pets (she has a dozen!) while keeping it clean and pawprint free. An author of several books, a writer for the New York Post’s Pets column and a frequent guest on Martha Stewart Radio’s “Morning Living” Show, she knows her pet stuff! Several of the tips are common sense, including vacuuming daily- the whole house-Yikes! That’s a lot of sucking up-literally- unless you have one of those little iRobots that magically keeps your house dust and dander free. She also suggests ditching the wall to wall carpeting and using washable covers and bed linens, which I do have on every soft surface.

And how about choosing fabrics and furniture that match your pets?! For my niece Lindsey, this seems a tad impractical, since her three dogs are black and white, which would surely limit her decorating and her wardrobe! Speaking of which, I have one additional suggestion:

If you have a pet that sheds, DITCH THE FLEECE. Got that? DO NOT WEAR FLEECE & TOSS THE FLEECE BLANKETS!

Pet fur and dander imbeds itself in this fabric, and it is virtually impossible to get it out unless you pick each hair out individually. Which really lengthens your daily prep time to get out the door. So unless you want to wear that North Face hoodie looking like an old “cat lady”, switch to cotton. In a color that matches your dog. While you vacuum.