Crazy Daze of Summer

Chaos still reigns at my house, this first week of summer being perhaps the busiest since it all began. I am working crazy long hours at a job that is ending. Ironic, no? College Girl is still here and has extended her stay by as many weeks as it takes for her future roommates to find them all a decent place to live. We've had a house guest. I've been on two job interviews. Met with a client to consult on her kitchen/family room remodel. Had lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in ages. And there's still one more day to go! And one too many cats in my house. I'm pretty sure he's on my dining room table as I type this. He'll head up the coast when College Girl goes. Her I'll miss; him, not so much. If it weren't for my husband keeping us fed and the kitchen clean, things would be much, much worse.

So it was with great delight and a long sigh of relief that I happened upon these photos of a beach house that took me away for a much-needed imagination vacation..... My faux-cation begins with a stretch and a yawn as I wake in this quietly serene bedroom. A bit of vintage makes me feel right at home.

I toddle out through the dining room in my jammies and bare feet—the better to fully enjoy that cool blue floor—

and into the kitchen to pour myself a giant cup of whatever the staff has prepared for me today. Vanilla latte and carrot spice muffins? It must be Thursday.
I take my breakfast into the sun-filled living room. Love that glossy ceiling and the way it bounces the morning light all around. Makes reading my requisite trashy novels so much easier.
My plans for the day include alternating walks on the beach with naps on this lovely private patio. While I have no intentions to play chess—a vacation is for resting my brain, not hurting it— I'll be quite happy to simply contemplate this unique "board". The quiet colors and lush greenery have such a calming effect on me that zzzzzzzzzzz

Sorry, I dozed off! Excuse me while I duck into the bath to splash some cool water on my tanned, relaxed face. I'll only be a few minutes and then we can stroll into town for drinks and dinner. Thanks so much for driving out to join me!

When we return to the cottage and it's time to tuck in for the night, I'm sure you'll enjoy the cozy guest room. Don't you love those twin headboards? I myself am inspired to bring this idea to College Girl's room re-do. After she leaves of course. No bad cats allowed on those beautiful beds.

As much as I love my home full of color and pattern, a house full of white and quiet looks like heaven to me right now. Unfortunately, this is not a beach rental but the Fire Island getaway of one Alex Bates, creative director at West Elm. As seen in the June issue of Country Living magazine. And in my dream vacation dreams.

One Show House, Two Kitchens : Part 2

Here's where my last post left us... inside the renovated kitchen of The Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. I found two new photos to show you. Above is the view looking over the island toward the sink area as if the photographer's back is to the refrigerator. Here you also get a closer look at the copper-colored Metalcrete countertop on the island and the original cabinets, against the walls, some refinished in a dark brown stain, others painted white.


This view, above, takes in the sink area too, as if the photographer has pivoted to the left, and shows the opposite end of the kitchen. See the light coming in from between the cabinets on the right wall? Let's go out that door...


...cross the terrace and turn around. There's the door we just came through. The window to the left of the door and the first one around the corner to the right are the kitchen's only two windows. Don't they look tiny against that imposing brick facade? Now, let's walk forward and to the right a bit, turn around and look back again.

You can see the iron cage of the house's main entry portico in the upper left corner of the photo above. Directly behind us is the area now occupied by the new outdoor kitchen. Before receiving its show house makeover, it looked like this...

...and it appears as if there wasn't really any way to get to it because of the retaining wall and short iron fencing you see in the photo above. That fencing was removed or modified to allow for a set of steps and a handrail leading down onto a new deck. You can just see the handrail at the bottom of the photo below. You also get your first glimpse of the estate's second kitchen.

The outdoor kitchen is tucked into a corner of the house. The brick makes a great backdrop and undoubtedly played a key role in the designer's decision-making process. The cedar-look deck, made of recycled plastic and wood products, has been cut out to accommodate the existing liquidambar tree. In one view here, you'll see the soil area was eventually covered in tumbled aqua glass. The tree provides excellent shade for this area—when the 3-story house itself isn't doing that job.


Some photos show a wrought iron table and chairs set near the kitchen area, another shows a high-top bar type table. Both were present at the time of my visit, pushed into opposite corners to allow for lookiloo traffic.

Inside the kitchen work area, a Wolf grill is positioned beneath a stainless range hood. Guests who wish to interact with the cook can relax at the bar topped with architectural glass made using renewable resources. The designer chose all materials for this kitchen just as carefully claiming everything she used is either recycled, sustainable or recyclable. The cabinetry and countertops are, of course, built to withstand the elements all year round.

In the photo above, you'll notice that the pergola is fitted with canvas shades that extend and retract manually as the cook needs them to further shade the prep area. A good idea that also adds softness and an opportunity for additional color.

I've included the photo above to show you how much space and storage there is between the bar cabinet and grill area. Plenty of room for a cook and a bartender so the steaks won't burn when the grillmaster stops to refresh a guest's drink! The last photo, below, gives an idea of the overall size of the area. It is spacious enough for two or three tables yet feels intimate because of the walls of the house and the enclosing perimeter wall .

Along the wall to the right, you see a small vegetable garden. Behind that is a water feature made using a tall panel of textured glass. It adds visual interest as well as the soothing sound of trickling water. Beyond the fountain, which is set into a circular garden bed of its own, is another small garden that was packed full of edibles such as mint and rosemary and the gorgeous blooms of tall foxgloves in full flower. Behind that garden is a staircase that is considered the home's side entrance and is said to give additional access to the interior kitchen.

Unlike my mixed emotions over the indoor kitchen, I really loved this one. It was so pretty to look at with all that warm red brick and freshly-painted white wood. And I'm sure it would be as comfortable to work in as it would be to hang out in on a weekend afternoon. The size and ideas were not so grand that they couldn't be incorporated into almost any home, my own included. Excuse me while I go have a conversation with my husband...

For more information about the designer and builder of this and other outdoor kitchens, click here.

Notes From A Show House

Fresh from my visit to the 2010 Pasadena Showcase House of Design, here is what I learned...

1. I can love a really large space and a really small space for exactly the same reasons. The Drawing Room, above, and Retreat, below, shared the following: honey-toned panelled woods, decorative ceilings (one painted, one panelled), beautiful overhead lighting (a pair of antique reproduction chandeliers in one room, a single Fortuny pendant in the other), furniture that actually looked comfortable and not just set out for show, and direct access to the outdoors. That I could be equally happy and at ease in each space says something about my personal preferences but is also a credit to the designers who made them both so approachable, functional and warm despite the challenge of size.


2. It really is the details that make the difference when it comes to good design. All through the house, the things I took note of had less to do with the overall look of a room than with a specific detail that could be reproduced in a room of any size and at nearly all price points. For example, the double ruffle on the top edge of a sheer, fixed, shirred curtain panel hung for privacy at the lower half of a very tall window. The narrow ribbon edging each of those ruffles was a slightly darker tone that added a dressed-up crispness to an otherwise nondescript window treatment.

3. It is very frustrating trying to recount such details about the show house when no photography is allowed. Can anyone explain to me why that is?

4. Good design repeats itself and repetition brings order.

Like multiple dog prints on the mudroom walls, above. A row of potted succulents lined up down the center of a table or winding through a rose garden. Books with similar colored bindings massed into a bookcase of nearly the same hue can unite and "neutralize" a large wall of built-ins; what could have been chaotic visual noise became a calm but still interesting background.

5. In a residence of 50 rooms, there are a lot of redundant spaces. Morning Room, Breakfast Room plus a table and chairs within the kitchen itself. Three Sitting Rooms and a Drawing Room, also for sitting. Solarium on the first floor, Sun Room on the second. You must be very clear about which bedroom you say you'll take your breakfast in when there are eleven of them. I have decided that I am very happy not to have this particular problem. But, for the record, as I don't have one now, I wouldn't mind a private Sun Room next to my bedroom. Or an upstairs Retreat with connected balcony. Or both.

6. I am too traditional to enjoy juxtaposition simply for the sake of it. The Cravens Estate is a beautiful house built in 1930 with elements borrowed from a classic French chateau. Original details still present include a series of large murals in the entry. For the Showcase, the murals were preserved and restored. Then the designer of the space added these:

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An ultra-modern, glossy black totem, a space-dominating black console down the center of the room, lime-colored accents and upholstery, and a black Lalanne-esque sheep the docent called "Tommy". It was all a bit too much for me. What do you think?

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7. I may be traditional, but I do love an eclectic mix of styles and colors. The large, formal dining room with its original murals and painted ceiling was furnished with two round tables rather than the more expected long rectangle. It appeared as if the guests had momentarily stepped away from a lavish birthday party in progress. Seating was a mish-mash of brightly upholstered chairs and an ottoman or two. Even the mix of lighting styles is appealing in this photo, below, but I swear those Ikea Maskros pendants were not in the room when I was. Could I have been so distracted by the party that I missed them? If they were removed, I wonder why?

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8. There really is such a thing as too many crystal chandeliers. A narrow, lady's closet contained five. The connected dressing room, a few more in sconce form. The adjacent hallway, yet another. Too much, too many.

9. I hope no client of mine ever wants to outfit her office with a desk chair straight out of an Austin Powers movie. The room below displayed a very creative mix of colors and textures, but I am not the person to call if this is your style. I know my limitations and exactly to whom I will refer you.

10. When dining out of doors, there should be plants to admire near the table as well as a mature garden in the distance (even if that distance is only twenty feet further away at the edge of your small yard). The outdoor dining area my friend and I enjoyed was bordered by a row of espaliered apple trees under-planted with colorful, textural ground covers and small border plants. Plants near the table add a closed-in coziness that alters your perspective of the surrounding garden; having something to look beyond makes the "beyond" appear further away than it is.

11. I discovered an interesting new-to-me way to achieve a unique display of art in your home. This bit of fun needs its own post. Stay tuned...

That's all I have to say for now about the Showcase House. Should you go? I can't really say. There was a lot to see, but I didn't like being herded through like cattle. The shops offered unique and beautiful things but were expensive for someone who doesn't drop two hundred bucks on jewelry and table linens without more than a few minutes' (or a few days') thought. The Wolfgang Puck dining experience was lovely but my quiche was under-cooked. The house itself with all of its original elements is gorgeous, some of the decorating decisions too "showhousey" (but that's to be expected). If you have a good friend to share the day and the drive with, as I did, you'll have a wonderful time even if you don't agree about the kitchen.

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Cravens Estate rendering by Eva Margueriette.

All photos by Alexander Vertikoff from the official program.

No, I didn't talk about the kitchen in this post. There were simply too many contradictory ideas and treatments and I still can't make heads or tails of it. The nicest thing I can say is that my friend and I agreed that the restored, original turquoise tile floor was fantastic and the best element in the room.

Thanks for the day, Leslie!

If you want to get a look at the house yourself, go here.

A Closer Look: Randy Florke's Farmhouse Style

In my last post about rainy day reading, I used two images from the New York City apartment home of Randy Florke. You may recognize his name from his contributions to Country Living magazine. In addition to being a designer, Florke is also an author, real estate broker and home designer/builder/renovator. I'm not at all surprised that I inadvertently featured two of his spaces because I have always been drawn to his farmhouse-in-the-city aesthetic. These first several photos are from the apartment he shares with his partner and their three children. While not your typical farmhouse by location, this home exudes the kind of casual, put your feet up living one would expect from an old-fashioned country home but with a modern sensibility and even luxurious use of fabrics and accessories. Look closely and you'll see that this home is as welcoming and family-friendly as it is beautifully put together.


The photo above is from a feature in Country Living magazine published a few years ago. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it looks completely different now—most designers don't leave things alone for long—but these rooms have the timeless appeal that Florke brings to all of his work. No unfortunate, dated trends are apparent. Classical elements and antiques mix freely with thrifted and reclaimed utilitarian objects and furnishings. Florke does tend to use fresh, new fabrics; mixing and matching patterns with abandon. There is always an underlying harmony though, as in this living/dining room dominated by glowing yellow gold. The creamy painted walls and crisp white woodwork provide a soothing, orderly backdrop for the other colors and patterns used throughout the space.

In the detail at the top of this post, you see the tray on one of the living room's tufted, checked ottomans, above. On it, Florke has gathered a collection of silver tea and coffee pots, left charmingly tarnished, and filled them with flowers and berries. That's just one of the ways in which he creates his own brand of farmhouse style—by using fine and classical elements in a casual manner. In his home, silver serveware, gilt-framed artwork and silk drapes live side by side with cotton tickings, chippy paint finishes and folk art. One more word about those twin ottomans : two smaller ottomans instead of one large was a very smart choice. The designer has achieved the look and function of a large surface but with much greater flexibility for this modest space. For a party or larger than usual gathering, those two ottomans can be pulled apart and repositioned as extra seating while a single large ottoman would be difficult to reposition.

Custom bookcases with the look of built-ins flank the living room fireplace. Above, in the unit to the right of the fireplace, a collection of rustic, painted stools is displayed in a way that lends a sense of importance and value. Raised in Iowa, Florke brings a Midwestern sensibility and appreciation of simple things to his decor choices. The beadboard cabinets with backs painted a sunny yellow are as homey as can be and yet the arrangement of objects within them is quite sophisticated. Country dressed up for the city.

In this modest-sized apartment, the dining and living areas share the same space. You can just see the dining table and chairs in the whole room photo two pics up. 19th century Swedish chairs surround a nothing special oak table that's been dressed in a floor length cloth—proof that a clever disguise can dramatically improve the appearance of a less than perfect piece. The large painting on the wall, left unframed, says Florke, so it wouldn't seem "too important", is a much better choice for this space than a collection of smaller items or artwork. Having a single item to focus on, especially one that is so beautifully calming with its soft colors that flow right into the room, expands the space and is a more contemporary touch that situates the room firmly in this century.

Another contemporary detail : the sleek swing-arm lamps that flank the mantel. Leaving the mantel itself free from the clutter of more objects was also an important choice. The scroll work on the fire screen, topiaries in what look to be concrete garden urns, and single large painting are all the decoration this area needs. It's a nice break that allows the eyes to rest between the two bookcases brimming with shapes and colors.

In this corner of the living room—see the colorful stools of the bookcase arrangement reflected in the mirror?—a rustic chest does triple-duty as an end table, bar and long term storage space. (Quadruple duty if you count the space-saving ipod dock and speaker system that's so small it wouldn't have to live here full time)

On the wall opposite the other set of bookcases and near the dining area, is a large French mirror that serves to expand the space and light in the room. If you look closely at the photo above and the three that preceded it, you'll see an element that repeats throughout this space. The amber glass tableware, barware and junk-store lamp add a warm glow to the room that was very intentional. Textiles too add to the warmth. From the vintage patterns on the area rugs to the more subdued stripes and checks on the furniture and windows, all of Florke's choices for this space add a familiarity and homey quality that I'm sure make both occupants and visitors feel instantly at home.

In the master bedroom, the dominate color scheme changes from warm yellows to a mix of soft grey-greens. This room feels much cooler and quieter than the main living space. Patterns are subtle mixes of green and cream. Decorative objects are kept to a minimum—except where they can be contained within bookcases and what appears to be an antique sideboard and hutch to the left of the bed. Again, the fireplace mantel is left bare while a single large mirror fills the wall space above. It appears also as if the designer has used the very same swing arm lamp in this room as those seen in the living room. Such continuity in decorative elements throughout the rooms of a small home give the viewer a sense of expanded space, just as repeated color schemes and architectural elements and hardware will do. A patternless seagrass rug brings a sense of simplicity and calm to this room that likely also serves as a daytime getaway for busy parents.

In this tiny bedroom shared by young sisters, below, decorations are again kept to a minimum but the space doesn't feel spare at all. Tight upholstery lends a clean, contemporary feel to the gingham-checked beds that must feel like snug little cocoons. I wish there was more to see here. Fitting all the belongings of two little girls into what appears to be a very tight space was, I'm sure, quite a challenge even for this very accomplished designer.

Only one photo of the kitchen appeared in the article too—a tight shot of the sink area, below. Even still, there's an awful lot of that country-in-the-city look going on. Two-tone, beadboard-faced cabinetry is a look straight from the heartland. Countrified accessories like the chalkboard, canister and spice mills look right at home next to the clean lines of the glass fruit bowl. Items like the clock and box of wheatgrass on the windowsill could go either way—country or modern—while the glass tile backsplash and solid surface countertop bring on the contemporary in both function and appearance. Add in that great view of the adjacent building and you know you're a long way from the farm.

Step into this bathroom though, close the door behind you, and you just might forget where you are. The industrial storage cart does bring an edge to this otherwise country-inspired space, but nothing about this room says modern day New York City. The apartment is in a building built in 1928. I wonder how many authentic elements remain in this little space—or if the clever designer simply remodeled with authenticity in mind.

Wearing his realtor/broker hat, Randy Florke is the owner of The Rural Connection, a company that specializes in locating homes for city buyers who want to spend their weekends in the country. The company is located in Sullivan County in upstate New York, a place Florke knows well and values for its quiet tranquility and natural beauty. That it's close enough to the city to make day and weekend trips easy is the big bonus for homeowners. The Rural Connection offers a variety of properties from humble farmhouses like the one below with the Delaware River in its backyard, to estates on large acreage and land parcels waiting for a builder.

For buyers looking to build their own, Florke advocates modular homes as the new solution to obtaining an old-house look. Through his partnership with the company New World Home, he implements sustainable and green technologies to design and build modular homes that look like the Cape, Greek Revival and Federal farmhouses of the nineteenth century but work with modern-day efficiency.

The homes are factory-built, delivered to the site in modular units, then finished with classically inspired details like covered porches and wide-planked wood floors. The interiors of one of his modular houses, below, was decorated with Florke's winning combination of salvaged items, reupholstered vintage furniture and contemporary art.

Pics above and below show the front exterior of the home plus two views of the living room. (You can click on these pics, and some of the others, to open up larger views.)

Randy Florke's decorating style can be explored more thoroughly in his book "Your House, Your Home". Published in 2005 by Country Living, the book features ideas from Randy's own homes in Iowa, Harlem, Sullivan County and New York City. He refers to his beautiful and affordable heartland aesthetic as the "anti keeping up with the Joneses". It's a great book for anyone who finds the farmhouse look appealing but is also a source of inspiration if you wish to learn how to mix fine with found for an eclectic, individual look that is yours alone. On the book's cover, below, you can see the author standing in the entry area of the NYC apartment I have featured in this post. Notice the half wall and column he's leaning against? That's another space-expanding idea that is both modern in concept but has been treated here with the farmhouse elements of painted beadboard and simple forms.

A new book is due from Florke in May of this year. It appears that "Restore, Recycle, Repurpose" will bring even more focus to this designer's desire to live beautifully but sustainably. From the publisher : "Providing inspiration as well as instruction, Florke shows how everyone can achieve a look that’s both harmonious with the environment and beautiful... Anyone hoping to transform a home from ordinary to extraordinary will find eco-friendly, thrifty, and stylish ideas... Comfort, style, and economy are the bellwether elements of his approach to decorating." As much as I love his first book, this one is a "must buy" for me.

On its website and in its newest catalogs, Pottery Barn has proclaimed that farmhouse style is "what's new for spring". Those of us who love farmhouse and cottage couldn't be happier. Melissa and Carol both gushed over the new catalog and Jessica recently showed us some wonderful pics of modern-day farmhouse interiors. Their commenters were every bit as enthusiastic about this "new" version of the timeless look of American farmhouses. And I'm so happy to be "in style" myself for a while!

Now, I can't speak for Randy Florke, but I would have to imagine that he would not want us to shop exclusively at Pottery Barn (if at all) for our farmhouse decor. But if you don't have time to run off to the flea market every weekend or pop in and out of second-hand shops in search of "the thing", I think it would be perfectly fine to add a few of PB's new pieces to your collection of farmhouse finds. I already added a pillow to mine. And I'll probably go back for something more. Ssshhhhh! Don't tell Randy!

All images from countryliving.com and theruralconnection.com except the last from potterybarn.com

Flowery Favorites

Searching through my photo files, I found these two images that had inadvertently been saved side by side—the room very recently, the flowers well over a year ago.

This bit of serendipity confirms what I'm most attracted to: multiple strong colors used together, always with a pop of red, and a neutral base that not only grounds the lively colors and gives them something to show off against, but provides a place for the eye to rest. Additionally, both the flowers and the room feel casual, friendly, open and optimistic—no stuffiness or formality of any sort. My favorite kind of flowers and my favorite kind of room. Where comfort is every bit as important as style.And this is proof too, in a backward sort of way, that the color scheme of a room can be inspired by anything that attracts you: from a favorite fabric or pillow or rug to a piece of art or a floral arrangement.

The room is in one of my favorite homes published this year: Hemlock Springs, Southern Living's Georgia Idea House. If you didn't see it in their August issue, use this link to take a look. The whole house is just as pretty as this one room.

My Husband's Greatest Fear. . .

Have a fun weekend!

I'll be back next week with actual design and decor posts. Really. I will.

In the meantime, take a look at Lonny. A new online design magazine! It looks a little like Domino, a smidge like Cottage Living and a lot uniquely its own. Beautiful photography, striking page layouts and stories that go on and on because, unlike "real" paper and ink mags, Lonny is not limited by traditional production methods or size restrictions. The best feature, in my opinion, is the format that allows you to page through as if you're viewing an actual, hard copy magazine. Click on the cover to see for yourself.