A New Old Ranch...

Thursday and Friday the girlies and I hit the road for some mother daughter bonding. We headed to my college friend, Laura Lynn's house in Chapel Hill. She and her husband recently purchased and gutted his childhood home. It was an average 60's ranch in a beautiful green rolling Chapel Hill setting. With a toddler, they wanted a more open concept family friendly home. I literally got there the day after they moved in so I promised not to show all the rooms (I promise a before and after post later!)

So come on in...

Wish I had the before... seriously, this was a ranch!

Of course I couldn't come with out painting something! Pale blue and grey zig zags make the mud room fun!

 (I love the light fixture they found... AND the old door leading to the laundry room)

For them, it was all about the details and bringing in the natural light...

Enter the Master bath...

marble floors, claw foot tub, I so wanted to take a bath but thought asking might be a little awkward!

Opposite the tub are his and her vanities. I spy with my little eye... barn wood! Yes, Soundside carpentry made some beautiful tops that look amazing next to the old pine doors. Love the old glass in the transom above the doors!

 I told my husband Chad and Laura Lynn now have my dream kitchen... simple and pretty.

The cabinets are a light grey while the island makes a statement in a greyed out teal...

If that was my new gas range I would definatly cook more. (Jeff, are you reading this?)  The range is now located against the old garage wall. Laura Lynn had it painted white and used a white subway in a herringbone pattern on the other 3 walls...

Apron front stainless sink (does it get any better?) You can never go wrong when industrial meets farm...

One of my fave things is this piece of furniture that they have had forever. It looks like they designed the space around it. It makes for great storage and is much better storing cookbooks and platters then blood. Yes, it is an antique blood bank out of a hospital. I have always coveted this piece!

Can't wait to show you more... Thanks Chad and Laura Lynn for letting us spring break at your new old house!

Don't ya love??? Whats your fave part?

Happy Tuesday

Bye, bye birdie,

~A

credit: Soundside Carpentry

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! You may remember a guest post we did last year on House of Turquoise. See here.

We wanted to share this Spring Table with you (again) and wish you a very Happy Easter! 

Remember Ann's beautiful mural? For those of you that wanted to know, it is not wallpaper. Ann painted this!

Have a wonderful day with friends and family!

Bye bye birdie,

A&H

My old new desk....

I'm not going to be jealous that Hooper is still at Bald Head... I am happy for her... really, I am. My vacay is next week- Jeff and I are flying to Chicago to see my sis and fam and then on to Indy for a wedding. Alone. We are leaving all 4 kids here with friends and fam and blazing. We have never done that... ever. Check back in next week and see how I'm doing.

Anyhoo, While my girlies have been off this week (poor Jackson didn't get the week off...) I have been spring cleaning rearranging.

I finally got my secretary in my living room and my computer in my sun room. It's starting to feel like a grown up house

Remember this? See here.

and the winner is....

the lucite shield chair!

 

Remember these? See here.

I had lots of interest in these lamps BUT in the end we couldn't part. I've never had 2 lamps on my sideboard before. I'm not one for symmetry however I love these lamps so much -they both made the cut! Thinking about a DIY cork shade project- (I'll keep you posted)

Moving furniture and vacuuming  really took a lot out of me sooo I think today I'll go relax on the beach...

Happy Wednesday!

Bye, bye birdie,

~A

Moving on to the dining room...

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