2014: The Year of the Dog

Okay, so in the Chinese calendar, it's the year of the horse. But for me, 2014 will be the year of the dog!

Obviously, 2013 will not go down as one of my favorite years. As a matter of fact (and not to be a total Debbie Downer about it), the last five years have not been really fantastic for me. I lost both my parents and my home, and in 2014 I will go through the task sorting out their lifetime of belongings. As a designer, I'm in the business of helping clients acquire new belongings and make better use of what they already own.  I believe in the value of things in our lives - not as status symbols but as kind of charms on the bracelet of our lives. As I look through old photos going back long before I was born, I see the antique clock my Dad lovingly kept wound, the rug that belonged to my grandparents, family photos at the dining room table with the china and silver - all of which still graces the house. These "things" literally vibrate with memories. Not everything has great monetary value, but most are certainly personally valuable. My dad's woodworking skills abound - in the Grandfather clock he built in an adult-ed shop class, his Mom's rocking chair that he refinished and upholstered in another long-ago class. My mom's contributions were more ephemeral - her gorgeous gardens, delicious meals she lovingly planned and prepared. Together they made a beautiful home.

But, more immediately, I'm on the lookout for a new dog! I've wanted one for a long time and the time has come. We always had dachshunds and I just love, love them! So, within a few weeks, I hope to be able to introduce a new member of the family!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2014. Thanks for sticking with me - more exciting things are to come in the new year!

What I've been up to

Thank you to everyone who has reached out regarding my mother. I so appreciate all your kind words and messages! I'm doing okay, getting back into the "game" is the saying goes. I'm not feeling all that Christmassy, or at least the Christmas decorating and hoopla that usually surrounds the holiday. But I have been working and wanted to share some project work I'm doing right now.

For long time South Shore clients, I'm doing some pretty little touches in a few of their rooms. We've been working on their sunroom for a while, but I wanted to share the design plans for a pair of slipcovered Parsons chairs I'm doing for their dining room. They originally wanted 2 extra dining chairs for their set which was only purchased a little over two years ago, but they were discontinued. Poo on that. So, I recommended doing these pretty, very decorative slipped chairs that can sit pretty in the corners of the room and be used when needed. We're using Fabricut's Aviary Toile in Rose for the main fabric and a Kravet highly durable velvet for the trim. I'm also having the dining chair slip seats recovered in the velvet to tie it all in. I'm picking the slip seats up today to bring to her tomorrow - very exciting. It will be such a rich and luxurious look! Sarah O'Neil of Storibook Designs is making the slipcovers for the Ballard Designs parsons chairs.

I've also been working on the design scheme for a beach house project in Massachusetts. I presented the client with my concept boards this week and she loved everything!  The house is an open concept three story overlooking a gorgeous marsh. The ocean is a block away. Because of the harsh environment, everything has to be durable and not subject to rust or mildew. The clients built the house a few years ago while they still had a large traditional home in the same town. This was a beach getaway. As near empty-nesters, they decided to downsize and move to the beach full time. So with that has come new cabinetry in the dining room and living room (more to come on those plans!) to provide lots of storage and all new furniture that is highly durable for beach house use, but also warm and comfy for a frigid New England winter. While their newly sold family home was very traditional, my clients wanted to go light and modern in this new space.

The front of the house is all windows, which we will be covering in a Sunbrella sheer with decorative drapery in Thom Felicia for Kravet's Tousey (the paisley above). Seat cushions on the swivel chairs will be covered in Kravet's indoor/outdoor Valhala in Algae damask which is incredibly soft. The furniture will be a mix of woods and rust proof metals so that we develop a collected look. Restoration Hardware's Orb chandelier will be hung in the two story entry which divides the living room and dining room. I think it has a kind of onion lamp nautical feel to it.

I'm very excited about all these plans and that I get to decorate very traditional spaces as well as more eclectic modern spaces for beach houses. Ever since I did the project in Truro, I'm very into modern, paired down beach home aesthetic with nary a light house or shell theme in sight!

This weekend I'll be taking a mini-break out of town. I'm headed up to the Newburyport Christmas holiday house tour on Saturday (I may not feel like doing a lot of decorating, but I can enjoy others' work!) and will be going to the last day of the Glen Magna Farms decorator showhouse sponsored by the Danvers Historical Society. I have several friend's who are participating, so am excited to see their work. I'll be staying at the Garrison Inn, a boutique hotel in Newburyport and will hopefully blog or at least instagram some pics of. They offer tea time in the lobby lounge in the afternoons. So, when I'm done visiting decorated houses, I plan on partaking. I just hope the anticipated snow storm doesn't rain on my parade too much! 

Rest in Peace my beautiful Mother

We are burying my mother today. I've talked a lot here about my father over the years, but not as much about my mother. As with many mother/daughter relationships, we often find ourselves annoyed by things that it's possible we see in ourselves. But when the time of life runs short, the old annoyances become cherished foibles and the good memories are what's truly important.

My mom died during the early hours of Thursday morning. She'd spent a week in the hospital for respiratory distress and pneumonia and other things, and then about a week and a half of an anticipated four weeks in rehab. Last Tuesday night, I had dinner with her and said good night at 8:00pm. They called my around 3AM to say she'd been sent to the hospital in respiratory distress. I was by her side shortly thereafter. My eldest brother arrived a while later and my middle brother flew in from Colorado by midnight Wednesday night. Throughout that long day and night, one of us was always with her. When my Dad had a heart attack the year before he died, she and I spent a night at the same hospital, in the same room, when we thought we would lose him. She was 79 at that time and no matter what, she was not going to leave him alone. My Dad was the love of her life. We three kids knew that while we were everything to them both, they were each other's core. And they are finally reunited.  The photo above was taken at the Spaulding Rehab Hospital (then Rehab of the Cape & Islands) when my parents volunteered there after they helped get my Dad back on his feet after a debilitating stroke. But it was Mom who made sure that he had a wonderful quality of life for the rest of his days.

Mom and Me: 1962 - 2013 (photo taken earlier this year on her 85th birthday)

I wrote this on Facebook last Thursday:

My beautiful mother Dorothy Costello Merrill passed away early this morning after a brief illness. We shared not only a face, but a home for the last couple of years. She was a true lady in every respect of the word. She was elegant and intelligent and earned a bachelors degree in English Literature at a time when it wasn't the norm for women. She taught me how to sew and to entertain. An early devotee of Julia Child, Mom was a gourmet cook and continued to try out new recipes from Ina Garten which she would look up online and print out herself. She adored our family above all else. She's with our Dad now and we're cheered to know they are reunited in faith and love. 

Her full obituary is here if you're interested in learning more about her. 

After the funeral, we've invited attendees back to the house for lunch. We'll be serving a delicious Provencal Vegetable soup that my Mom made and froze just six or so weeks ago. It will be warm and nourishing, just as she was. 

I will be returning to the blog next week sometime. I'm missing it, but there's much to do. Meanwhile, if your Mom is still with you, give her a hug from me. Happy Thanksgiving. 

Designers Should be a Resource for their Clients

In this world there are "holders" and there are "connectors." Holders treat their resources, time and materials like precious metals that need to be saved for "best." Connectors, on the other hand, are great at making introductions, offering resources, referrals or other services simply because they can. If knowledge is power, the Holders believe it needs to be carefully dispensed in order to be effective and the Connectors think its importance is derived from how far it travels.

Read more on Williams-Sonoma Designer Marketplace.


I'd like to give another shout out - this time to Traci of Beneath My Heart Blog for including three of my project shots (including the image above) in her Favorite Pins Friday post.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. My mom is still in the hospital, but is getting a little better each day!

Thanks to An Urban Farmgirl and the power of Pinterest

I wanted to share a quick shout out to Mary of Urban Farmgirl blog for pinning two of my portfolio images onto her Pinterest page, sharing with her 62,000+ followers! I received hundreds of hits on my portfolio site in the last couple of days.

 

These are pics of a seaside community garden house I did in Duxbury, Massachusetts a couple of years ago. The clients live in a high end senior community (when they aren't in their Cape Cod beach house or winter home in Mexico) and have an amazing collection of art and antiques. Truly so much fun having worked on this project, turning a large but bland garden unit into a comfortable showplace for their treasures! You can see the enitre project here.

Just a pretty, pretty pic and an update

My mother is experiencing some health issues and I've unfortunately had to cancel my Art & Design lecture with artist Rick Fleury. All the team - Rick, his manager Sharon, our location host Danielle of Snow & Jones and I had worked so hard pulling this together in a relatively short period of time. The slide show looked fabulous and we were excited to be showing Rick's beautiful paintings along with his new print collection, as well as my design ideas. However, we will be rescheduling for early in the New Year, so please stay tuned!

Meanwhile, just have time for a pretty pic I saw on Pinterest today, courtest of While Living.

Hope everyone is having a good week! In addition to being with my Mom, I'm also in the starting phase of a great new beach house design project!

Art in Interior Design

Due to a family health issue, these lectures have had to be canceled. But, we will be rescheduling for early in the New Year, so keep an eye out for details, or email me to let me know your interest and I'll notify you when they have been rescheduled. Thank you!

I wanted to share a quick reminder to local peeps that my lecture on incorporating fine art in interior design is coming up next week! Painter Rick Fleury and I will be sharing our thoughts on the important place that art holds in the decorative process and how it brings true life to our homes. We'll be speaking in Norwell on Tuesday, Nov. 5th at 5:30pm and Saturday, Nov. 9th at 10:30am. We've been hard at work putting together our talk and we're going to heave some great giveaways! I'll be giving away two gift certificates for a design consultation, Rick is offering two of his fine art prints and our host Danielle at Snow & Jones will be offering a fabulous Moxie shower head by Kohler. And there will be snacks too!

Below are different schemes I've created around two of Rick's paintings that will be on display at our talk:

"Perception" by Rick Fleury with a modern, masculine design scheme.

"Respite" by Rick Fleury with a beachy, feminine design scheme

All the important details and registration information is here. I hope you can join us! (Now, if I can just get rid of this cough!)

Have a great weekend friends!

Posted with Blogsy

Book Recommendation: Living With Light by Axel Vervoordt

 

©Axel Vervoordt: Living with Light by Axel Vervoordt, Flammarion, 2013

This fall has been an amazing one for the release of gorgeous new books and the new Axel Vervoordt: Living with Light book is truly one of the standouts.

His ability to mix the old with the new into gorgeous and harmonious interiors is truly on display here and it's a much needed text book for any interior designer who wishes to study a rare master of European design. One of my favorite aspects of European design is the ability to mix the old with the new and for it all to seem modern and of the moment without ever being trendy.

This master bedroom furnishings include an English X-frame leather and wood campaign stool (c. 1890), an English walnut lowboy as a side table (c. 1720) and a sandstone torso of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara from Thailand. 

Dining room in a summer house features an Enrico Castellani relief painting (1967, Untitled, and 18th century Aix-en-Provence chest of drawers, an 18th century Piedmont crystal chandelier, and Louis XVI Italian armchairs and a beautifully draped table.

 A refined gallery sitting room for taking in the view. 18th century Italian refectory table and 17th century chairs. The rest are designed by the Axel Vervoordt Company. 

A grand party room.  Italian walnut credenza (c. 1660), a trio of 18th century Italian chestnut chandeliers, Louis XIII armchairs and an English oak table.

An amazing light filled dining gallery. Louis XIV dining chairs with protective slip covers, French chandeliers (c. 1800). The walls are covered in white Delft tile.

 Pardon me while I go back to pouring over each of the pages! Oh, and BOO - Happy Halloween!

Botero Collection from DuVerre Hardware

I'm loving this new collection, Botero, from DuVerre Hardware, designed by William Harvey. 

CURVY, SENSUOUS AND MODERN - just like the artists' paintings.

 

The original mobile home

 This historical society (DRHS) in my hometown of Duxbury, Massachusetts posted this great old photo of "Halls Tavern" from 1908. This original Federal style house was built somewhere between 1790 and 1810 (1810 per DRHS and 1790 per Wikipedia referencing the National Registry of Historic places). The house was moved to Cambridge at 20 Gray Gardens West in 1930 and in 1983 it was listed on the Registry of Historic Places. Interestingly, the City of Cambridge's real estate records list the house as having been build in 1700, but it's not the right style for that. Unfortunately, what stands in its spot today is a gas station. The town, which is quite beautiful, is known for being very hostile to business development and maintaining it's original rural splendor. This section of town - Hall's Corner - still revolves around a flagpole as seen above in the 1908 pic above. Five roads lead to this traffic circle and we're still required to "keep to the right". You can always tell an out of towner when they go the wrong way and chaos ensues. The smaller house to the right of the original Halls Tavern was a school and is now known as the Girl Scout House.

Here's the house today. According to the records, it's been in the same hands since 1966 so there are no interior shots that I can find. Can you imaging watching this house being dismantled and trucked 40 miles up to Cambridge?  An amazing feat and a testimony to good original workmanship!

Am battling my first cold of the season right now. Yuck - though I do enjoy my medicinal hot toddies in the evening! My recipe: tea, lemon and a liberal dose of honey and whiskey.

I've also been busy working on my upcoming Art & Design lecture. Here's a sneak peak of one of my design schemes around artist Rick Fleury's painting "Perception"

It's going to be a fun evening with great refreshments provided by Snow & Jones and we're giving away design consultations, Rick's art prints and a fabulous Kohler shower head!

For more information and to register to attend, click here.

Hot Pic: An Inspired Sitting Room

 

This week's Hot Pic on Pinterest comes from Hutton Wilkinson's home in Beverly Hills. Killer. Makes me reconsider my ode to white spaces from last week! Are any of you schizophrenic when it comes to color and decor? Some days all I want is simple and New England stark and then I see a space like Mr. Wilkinson's above and it just ticks all my boxes. Love the color palette first off. Love the two colors and various shades of each. Love the antiques with the amazing pow of the wall treatment. Love, love love the tiny bergere. Marie Antoinette meets the follies bergere! The wallcovering is based on a painting by Tony Duquette's wife Elizabeth.

This house is situated next to Dawnridge, the late decorator Tony Duquette's amazing house. Hutton Wilkinson worked for Mr. Duquette and continues to nurture his brand and style.

Here's the living room Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson. Rowrrr! 

The view through the master bedroom.

Another view of our Hot Pic room which is Ruth Wilkinson's room and below a final look at the first image.

At first glance, the living room may seem completely at odds with this exuberant but more muted sitting room, but when all the photos are viewed together, the color story becomes more clear.

The inspiration painting: Elizabeth Duquette (American, 1917-1995) Classical figures in an interior; Classical figures with attendants, mid 20th Century (2) gouache on masonite, each signed Elizabeth Duquette lower right and further signed on the reverse. dimensions 14 x 16in (35.5cm x 40.5cm) 

Another Elizabeth Duquette: Pair of gouaches on masonite, Monumental Decorative Panels, circa 1950, by Elizabeth Duquette (American, 1917-1994), 10'h x 4'w. Provenance: Estate of Leona Helmsley

Photos by Christopher Sturman for Harper's Bizarre.

New from Ann Sacks Tile

Loving this new Pietra collection of porcelain tile from Ann Sacks which looks like natural Calacatta marble.

Can't wait to use it in a project soon! If you'd be interested in pricing and purchasing options, please contact me.