My favorite house - TOUR

You can only imagine my reaction when I took a tour of our close family friends' beach house. The interiors were designed by her incredibly talented niece, Caroline Brackett of CBB Interiors, and every inch of this beautiful home reflects the family that lives there. Caroline nailed the homeowner's love of color (and mine)! This house takes my breath away so I wanted to take you on a tour.  

Have you ever seen such a beautiful aquarium? It is living art -- bringing the outside in. Literally.

Speechless, right? All of the upholstery is done in white Sunbrella. It just feels so fresh with the bold pops of turquoise. I adore the Oly Studio coffee table because it adds great texture to the space. 

Note the dining room mirrored wall and fab art work.

  I could curl right up and read a book. 

 It is hard to pick a favorite bedroom, but this one is up there for me. The high gloss white wood floors are crisp and lovely. You know how I adore a painted floor...

 And painted walls...

The tile in the kitchen is stunning and perfect...

 right down to the very last detail.

 And, did I mention the view?

 The master bedroom is so peaceful and beautiful.

 It's truly difficult to pick my favorite room in her house because I love them all. Each is like a jewelry box, accented down to the tiniest detail. 

Isn't it exquisite? Even as a child, I loved her brightly colored spaces so when she and Caroline took on this project, I knew it would be phenomenal.
Bye bye birdie,
~H


Credit to: Wrightsville Beach Magazine, CBB Interiors

Spring Break 2012

When I was a little girl, we spent the summers at Bald Head Island. It was quite the adventure back then (we won't say how long ago). No phones, TV's, no stores, shops, restaurants. It was good old fashioned fun. We spent the days looking for shells, alligators, catching turtles, swimming and exploring. Now it has the convenience of a grocery store, clubs, pools and planned activities and we try to take our children as often as we can so... Spring Break... here we come! I have gotten in a very bad habit of selecting a vacation rental based on decor. Not sure this is how most (including my hubby) would go about the process. Price, location, proximity to the water/golf/attractions. Not me. Check out this completely remodeled villa where we will be spending Spring Break!

 They had me at the Egg chair. 

 Hello! How long have I wanted a swinging bed (ok that sounded bad). 

 Driftwood mirror AND and amazing outdoor space? My husband saw the TV and that's all it took.

 West Elm zig-zag... 

 I love how they did the built-in bunks -- perfect for all of my kids. 

Isn't it just divine! I can't wait to tell you all about it! 
Bye bye birdie,
~H


credit to: Tiffany's Rentals, Villa 28

A Before and After Project with my Brothers!

For the past several months I have been working on a dream project! I was called in to help overhaul a house for a young family. The house was dark and too formal for their casual living needs. They wanted walls down, light pouring in, all new furniture and custom touches galore. Pinch me! Not only did this appeal to my inner architect BUT I got to work on the project with my very talented brothers.

(My cute bro's John and Lindley of Sound Side Carpentry)

Together we designed the built ins and hashed out the details that would reflect the homeowners style and wants. We tackled the Living room, Dining room, Kitchen and Guest bath...

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

AFTER:

By opening up a wall, we created a bar between the kitchen and living room. The bar surface is concrete which is a nice modern blend with their existing granite. 2 over sized pendants add personality and fun while a new fireplace surround and barn wood mantle are now more reflective of the homeowners style. (get a peak of the built in wine rack leading into the dining off the foyer!)

The custom built in houses a TV my hubby would love to own (sorry Jeff...) and has a desk for their cute daughter to eventually use for homework and a spot for a new mac! Jen from Fotojenik helped me with the install and did a great job with the shelves. (thx Jen!)

I loved the lamps that the homeowners already had and wanted to still use. I made them work by adding a butterfly pillow with a similar color to the sofa. I went light and airy on the sofas and rug but threw a lot of pattern together in the pillows and ottoman.

THE KITCHEN (no befores... my bad...)

Let their be light... Creating this bar completely opened the space and allowed for more natural light to pour in...

Making a larger opening from the kitchen to the dining room  helped with flow...

I had the upper cabinets painted a soft grey and the lowers painted one shade darker. They were originally a medium wood tone. The granite was existing but a new back splash and cabinet colors changed the dark, traditional vibe.

My bro's added the banquet which I kept simple with soothing colors, a smaller bamboo table and  traditional chairs. Coffee anyone?

DINING BEFORE:

AFTER:

The homeowners really wanted to keep the bow front chest (glad they did!) Soooo... we designed built ins for either side. The glass has an antique feel while the pulls and chandelier (fave!)  read modern. (Remember our word of the year was juxtaposition)

It's like a little piece of art...

Not only did my bro's do the built ins, wainscoting & construction, but they also whipped out a barn wood table for the dining room.  I think the room has a fun, whimsical feeling to it... It's not just for holidays now!

BATHROOM BEFORE:

This was a typical builder bathroom...

AFTER:

A wise and talented blog partner ;) once told me to always treat guest baths  like little jewel boxes. I took her advice and tried to do just that. Thibaut wallpaper and a painted ceiling create a soothing space. While removing the sconces and adding the overhead lantern gives you something unexpected.

If you can sketch it, they can build it... My bro's always laugh  at my scribbled on scrap paper drawings, but

they always manage to figure them out and  these doors turned out exactly like they were in  my head. We used the existing cabinet box and added the doors and new pulls .

a teak top and vessel sink complete the custom look...

This project was so fun for me. The homeowners were awesome and I love when John, Lindley and I can work together. I am always amazed at their craftsmanship and artistry. Check out their etsy shop here and visit them here.

Let me know your thoughts... We love hearing from you!

Happy Monday!

Bye,bye birdie,

~A

Credit to: Soundside Carpentry, Carve Surfaceworks

Triptych Heaven...

I know you have seen this.... Don't you still love it!? I had a client that had to have it! She said the first time she saw it, she lost her breath...that's almost a direct quote. We all know that feeling...

It's Lord Bodner's Octopus in triptych... Love it in brown...

Thom Felicia used it in a dining room....

And I got to use it ....

here! So here is my question... does the table need something on it? Maybe a silver tray, interesting boxes? The room is super tall, so I didn't want to hang it any lower or take away from how cool it is...

Or, how cool the console and stools are. Hooper and I found these at  fall market...LOVE!!! This client has a fun eclectic, bohemian vibe happening in her house- speaking my language! It was hard for me to deliver the stools... They would be so happy at my house too!

Thoughts? I can not wait to show you the rest of the space. (As soon as the rug company finishes shearing the sheep to make the wool to make the rug...waiting!) 

Happy Thursday!

Bye, bye birdie,

~A

credit to: google images, Thom Felicia

A Haven for 2 Sisters

I recently got a phone call from a new client/friend who wanted to switch her master with her girl's room. Initially, I thought... uhhh. why? Until I saw her amazing house and how much she and her husband adore their little girls. In about 2 minutes, she had me convinced. It is an older, historic Cape Cod with two bedrooms upstairs and one large shared bath in the hall. They have done a ton of amazing work on the home and her very talented husband can repurpose just about anything. Her little girl moved out of her nursery into her big sister's room (age 5), to be close to her. My sweet friend wanted both of her daughters to feel like they had their own new room to share. She didn't want the little one to feel like she was moving into the big one's space. So... they traded rooms.  I helped a little, but can't take credit for all of this. 

 They got bunk beds with a trundle for sleep overs and we ordered another Pottery Barn Kids quit for the bunks -- one in pink and one in green. 

 The antique chandelier was moved to the new room and pops against the new pink ceiling.

 The dormers make perfect alcoves and this room has two -- one for a study spot for each little girl. 

 Her handy hubby took an old curtain rod, and ran it from the floor to the ceiling with wooden braces on each end. He added pegs for the girls' hat collection and hung a mirror at their level for dress up.

 There is tons on storage opposite the bunks from a repurposed shelving unit. 

 There are details galore...

And my favorite, old record covers framed in glossy white frames. Isn't it dreamy! I can't wait to show you more of this house. Next stop, the little girls' room turned master!
Bye bye birdie,
~H