Mimi Moves

I am the oldest of 12 grandchildren. There is a very special bond between the oldest grandchild and the grandparents, and my "Mimi" and I have a rare connection.  She is 83 years old, is the funniest person I know and has always been there for me. She has never raised her voice, took me to Baskin Robbins at least once a week for my entire childhood, walked hundreds of miles with me "shelling" at Bald Head, and about a year ago, broke her hip.
We became very afraid she would not be able to safely continue to  live in the house she built over 50 years ago. This house is a brick Georgian where she and my Granddaddy raised 5 kids, 12 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren and hosted countless Christmases for over 40 people (each year)...  

(Me and My Mimi the last Christmas in her old house)

She asked me to renovate her new home and turn it into a place in which she could start this next chapter of her life. Needless to say, with tons of opinions and ideas coming at me from every direction, I was nervous to take this on. Not to mention the fact that it has been over 50 years since Mimi has built a house and her favorite colors are mint and peach. Need I say more? 
The home was dated, carpeted, wallpapered and just didn't feel like her. It would be hard to image Christmases here, or sleep overs without some changes. Before...

 The galley kitchen was dated with wallpaper and a floral border, laminate white (and stained) tops, linoleum "brick" floors, florescent lighting and outdated appliances.

The breakfast room, while equipped with floral border, was closed off from the kitchen and crowded. To make this feel like home, we were going to have to make some changes.

Moving day was bittersweet. She was nervous and sad and we kept her occupied her somewhere else, so we could knock it out and surprise her with her new home. My mom, her sisters and I began transporting her fragile heirlooms, breakables, portraits and most importantly... memories.Last Friday, when we hung the last picture, we called her to come over. The kids waited in the driveway holding up their "Welcome Home Mimi" signs and we took pictures of her walking in. I can only equate it to a ticker tape parade. It was one of those moments that when you are in the middle of it, you know it will stick with you forever. I was so thankful to be right there in that very moment to reveal my most important project to date.

Krista DeChamps from Prestige Kitchen & Bath designed an amazing new kitchen that incorporated the breakfast room. David DeChamps of Red Star Construction did the renovation and both did an amazing job. See below...

 We tried to duplicate her breakfast room. We added the built-ins for additional storage and opened up the space. 

 She loved this tile and it is various shades of MINT. The shape is contemporary, but on the diagonal, they are more traditional. 

 All new cabinets, tops, backsplash, hardwoods, appliances, lighting. 

Thank you Krista and David! You did and amazing job...

She wanted a cozy space so We picked her favorite colors and went from there.

The portrait of my grandfather is the focal point. 

 We moved her drapes, accessorized with her things and got her an Oriental to lighten up the room.

 I love her portrait. She was so beautiful (and still is).

 Her dining furniture fit beautifully in this large dining room. Previously, it was carpeted and the walls were dark green. We added the coffered ceiling and brought her chandelier over from the other house. A portrait of her when she got engaged hangs over the sideboard. 

 Her bedroom is awaiting aqua and ivory wool carpets, but her bedding, furniture  and drapes from her other house fit perfectly in the new space.

And a spot for me to sleep over... 

She was speechless. Literally. She walked through the house with her hot pink leopard cane with her mouth wide open. There were no stairs to fall on, no thresholds to trip on, levered door handles for arthritic hands, easy to operate faucets, handicap railings in the very comfy soaking tub and mint and peach galore. 

She called me that night to thank me and to tell me how much it meant that we did that for her. I told her that she has been doing that for me every day for the last 36 years and I'm glad I could finally do something to show her just how much I love her. In that very gesture, she got a small taste of just how much we all love her. My hope is that this next chapter of her life lasts a very long time, with all of us by her side.
I love you Mimi!


Bye bye birdie,
~H

Indiana... $1500... & a Before and After!

Sooo.... I had a busy weekend. Friday I flew to Indiana with my M.L. (mother in law) to visit my husbands cousin, Natalie. I know that sounds scary but I have a great M.L. and don't mind flying. (it was practice for London...did y'all know we were going there?) Anyway... I went to put together Natalie and Sean's house.

This is how it went down... Boy(Sean) meets Girl(Natalie). Boy and Girl fall in love and are getting married in April. Boy has house, Girl has apartment. Boy likes modern, Girl likes cottage. (lucky for them I like everything!) Boy and Girl gave me $1500 to re-do Boy's house. (remember Hooper's $1500 re-do here. Don't go thinking we can do this for everyone!)Boy and Girl get a weekend transformation!

Before:

 When I got there all that was left in the L.R. was the sofa. Everything else was history... Sean and Natalie had painted the walls Benjamin Moore beach glass.

After:

I will walk you through the transformation and how I stretched $1500 with some D.I.Y. as well as  what I splurged on...

The chair was less the $200 and the wool rug was $150- both from Overstock. The  side table , lamp, and blinged out coral was  from Home Goods. The gray linen drapes were a major splurge at over $100 but sooo worth it! All the window hardware came from Lowe's. This is always the first place I go, they have a great affordable selection!

The console was $160 from Overstock, the mirror, lamp, tray, frame,  basket , and 3x5 rug  all came from Home Goods. (never underestimate the power of Home Goods...)

The pillows were a splurge. The big pillow came from HG and I had the zebra pillow made. But the printed pillows are silk and from West Elm. This is a good place to drop a little extra cash. The pattern is delish and really ties the room together....A place to save is the DIY art. I found frames I liked at HG, I just didn't like the art inside. So we made a quick stop at the fabric store and bought this beautiful taupe damask. We framed it and voila! 

Mercury glass honeycomb vases flank the T.V. above the mantle. I raided Sean's office for a few books to put under the shorter vase. Sean has some great books. I remember when I used to read....

I used the ottoman from a chair at Natalie's house as a coffee table. It doesn't take up to much space and didn't cost a dime! The cowhide and leather tray almost went home in my suitcase. Another fab find at HG with more great books on top from Sean's stash!

We didn't stop there... We had a dining room to do as well:

Before:

After:

 The room had been painted, Natalie's table was in place and  the vertical blinds had been ditched. (good move) We brought a sea grass rug over from Natalie's house that fit the space perfectly. We bought $6 worth of burlap and made the runner using no sew tape. (greatest invention EVER!!!) The drapes and hurricanes both came from Target.

A new light fixture will replace the fan and transform the space!

The plate rack was in the room and not removable. So we embraced it with a DIY project. Natalie and I found .99 cent plates at Goodwill and bought $6 worth of craft paint.

After a little wine, taping, painting and touch up we got a fun collection for $12 that adds just enough whimsy to the room.

The kitchen could not be ignored... When I got there it was blue. Go Colts.

Before:

Sean had replaced the hardware with modern pulls (that I loved!) and we (really they...Sean, Nat's mom, and my Mother in law) painted the walls Ben Moore Rockport Gray.  Some no sew valances in a cool print was all the room needed and completely within budget!

After:

Sooo.... After a long weekend, the project was complete! Boy and Girl were happy....

And Boy and Girl will live happily ever after in their 1945 bungalow...

 
Congrats Sean and Nat!
Bye, bye Birdie,
~A

A Treasure Trove

Ann and I went to Raleigh on a recent trip to work on a little boy's room (more on that later). She was painting a very killer bullseye (no pun intended) on his wall, and was about to run out of paint. While I was out shopping buying more paint, I came across this amazing shop, very near the the hardware store and just had to venture in. Studio 123 at Seaboard Ave. in Raleigh is now one of my favorite places. They have all kinds of vintage and new furniture, art and accessories. Check it out (and don't tell Ann), I was buying paint. 

 Ok, could do an entire room around these. 

 Anywhere, they would go anywhere. 

 Love him and the color!

 Divine. Brass is back AND with lucite. Two of my favorite things. 

 This is one of those shots like the "I Spy" book where you can select 10 things on a page (that you love). Start with the vintage screen, the bamboo table, the credenza... How cool would the screen be as a headboard. Might just have to go back... 

Ah ha! A brutalist piece. Remember our find from the brutalist era? See here. The wood on this piece was in better condition. Don't you just love it AS IS? 

I mean, how could you NOT go in? I love the Dwell Studio wing back, the orange ming side table and the iron/brass bar cart. Next time you run out for a quick errand, stop by. It will be worth it and take Ann with you because I will be hearing about this tomorrow.
Bye bye birdie,
~H

123 Seaboard Ave., Raleigh, NC 27604 ·  Get Directions
Phone	1 919.600.8051
Website	http://twitter.com/#!/SBStudio123
Hours	Mon - Sat: 10:00 am - 5:30 pm

And the winner is...

Us because we are going to London! Oh no is that rubbing it in? Sorry...

The winner of our giveaway is...

Eddie Ross!

We LOVE Eddie and Jaithan. If you are not checking out all that Eddie is doing you should be. Follow him here. You can pretty much find him anywhere... he has a column in Southern Living and Woman's Day. He has worked for Martha Stewart, House Beautiful and has tons of big name clients.

He even used to travel around the country checking out flea markets for work. Puh- lease!

(we hope you are this excited when you get your cowhide cuff in the mail)

Dear Eddie- We love you (and Jaithan too) We want to be you when we grow up. We want you to come visit us and we will take you to our secret murder junk shop.  We call it that because we never know if we'll come out alive but if we do, we know we'll have something good. Worth the risk. Anyway, congrats on winning the hide cuff that cute Jen made. We hope you love it.

Bye, bye Birdie,

~A&H

London... and a giveaway...

Hi ho hi ho , across the pond we go. So.... we can't wait any longer, we have been dying to tell you. Tickets are purchased and it's official.... We are off to London!

We have been working with an amazing client on her mountain house. But, she lives in London. We are going to see her and go with her to.... (wait for it) THE LARGEST ANTIQUE FAIR IN EUROPE! Have we died? Is this heaven?

What if we run into Wills and Kate? (er um excuse me, Katherine) What would we say?

Not to worry, we have been practicing our expressions a bit...

Bloody- a great swear word HOWEVER it sound's silly to the Brit's when Americans use it. So as much as we'd like to drop the B bomb, we will refrain.

Jolly- means very. Jolly good= very good

Ace, Brill- means cool... We like brill. (though kids mostly say it) Hoping it will come to the states!

Arse- you know...

Give us a bell- means call me though I wouldn't give you a bell, I would ring you.

Anyway, we are jolly excited and can't wait to go (the end of this month) and show you lots of pics!!!

And onto the Giveaway... oh bless your heart (southern expression- sounds funny when the Brit's and people from the north use it)... Did you think London was the giveaway? It's not but you have one more day to win this...

cowhide cuff from cute Jen!

To enter:

Visit Jen at Fotojenik and tell us you did for one chance

leave a comment on any post we've written in October or November for another chance

Become a follower for a chance

Winner will be announced tomorrow!!!

Good luck and Cheerio!

(Bye, bye Birdie)

~A&H