Blue Ceiling Beach Cottage

My friend and wonderful photographer, Jamie Salomon of Salomon Photography, recently sent me photos of this beautiful beach cottage in Maine. The home is the spectacular retreat of designer, Francine O'Donnell

The home has a traditional beach house decor with a bit of whimsy. I love the stools and the center island. What is most striking to me is the color palette. Take a look at this kitchen - taupe/beige cabinets and trim with creamy walls, but the most interesting is the soft blue ceiling. An area often overlooked - so let's have a closer look ceilings in this beach cottage.

Here is the kitchen from another angle. The ceiling color is much paler in this shot. This is a common occurrence when you use pale colors, in some lights the color actually washes out. With ceilings my preference is always to go on the paler side. I like to feel the color with out getting overwhelmed by it.

Here is a closer shot of the same space and you can see the blue ceiling more strongly. I love the whimsical signs - this particular sign adds such personality to the kitchen. Vintage style light fixtures and pale floors also add to the ambiance.

Moving to the family room we again see the use of blue on the ceilings. Notice how the color does not make the ceiling seem lower, but actually makes the ceiling almost disappear.

The same room from a different angle. You can see the patch of blue (like the sky) in the top left side of the photo. Again the SEA letters, life ring and assorted wood signs add a happy lightness to the room. I adore the beadboard walls. Also notice the slanted wall area - often times it is painted to match the ceiling - in this case it would have been a mistake. Keeping it white allows your eye to travel up and adds a feeling of openness to the space.

Here is the Family Room again from another angle. I love the slouchy softness of the big throw covering the chair. This a room where you can really kick back and relax.

The upstairs hallway continues with blue ceilings. Also notice the gray/blue painted floors. I love the doors - clearly they are original to the house.

A peek into the bath - which seems to have white ceilings but wonderful sea glass green walls. More of this beautiful home to come next time!!

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But for now just a quick tour of a great beach cottage which was enhanced by painting a space often overlooked - the ceiling. Have any of you taken on the ceiling??

(all photos Salomon Photography not to be copied with out permission)

Fabric as Wallpaper (in the Kitchen)

My dear friend and former college roommate, Emily, and her family recently moved to a new home in a new city. It has been so fun working with her a little (online) on her house projects and seeing the transformation of her beautiful home.

I'm sure there will be more pictures of Emily's home in future posts, but here are some photos of her kitchen.

Emily uses her blue milk glass collection to store all those little things that seem to pile up at the kitchen sink. Oddly, our sinks attract the exact same items: kids medicine syringes, water color brushes and jewelry.

Using magnetic containers from Bed, Bath and Beyond, Emily stores her herbs and spices on the side of her fridge. She likes that they are mostly hidden and off the counters, but still very accessible.

Adorable DIY message board...

Are you jealous, like I am, of Emily's coat hooks and bench? She made the coat rack with an old piece of black walnut and hooks from Anthropolgie.

When Emily and her husband, Todd, purchased the house, the kitchen was pretty boring and outdated:

Here's the 'after' shot. They have plans to put in french doors (not pictured) and to add hardwood to match the rest of the floors in the house. But it looks great now doesn't it?

I think it's cool that Emily has a computer on her counter. She wrote out all her recipes and has them stored here (the tower is hidden behind the moulding on top of the cabinets).

NOW! For the project that inspired the post title. Emily wanted a little punch of color and pattern in the sea of her newly painted white cabinets. Since wallpaper can be so expensive, and since Emily has the same fabric-collecting disease that I have, we decided to put some of her pretty fabric to good use in the kitchen.

One of my favorite things about using fabric as wallpaper is that it's completely removable and does not damage your walls. Even the fabric comes out unscathed! It just needs a good washing to get all the starch out.

There are lots of tutorials online for how to hang fabric like wallpaper. Emily kindly wrote out her step-by-step here:

Materials:

- Liquid starch (we were able to find some at Walmart)

- Fabric (While lightweight fabrics are traditionally recommended, we used a home decor weight material and just used more starch. It worked great.)

- Clean sponge

- Large pan (cookie sheet works perfectly)

- Push pins

Process:

1. Prime the backs of the cabinets with Zinsser water-based primer.

2. Cut your fabric to fit, with a few inches of allowance on all sides.

3. Pour the liquid starch into a clean pan. Using a clean sponge, apply starch to the top half of the cabinet wall and work your way down.

4. Again, starting at the top and working down, smooth the fabric into place on top of the starched wall. Apply starch with the sponge on top of the placed fabric. The goal is for the fabric to be pretty well soaked in starch.

5. Use a few push pins to hold the fabric in place as you smooth. Keep sponging and smoothing. A credit card works great for the sides and corners where you want everything to be tight and secure.

6. Let the starched fabric dry completely (overnight is usually long enough). The fabric will shrink as it dries, so be sure not to cut it when it's still wet. We recommend using a sewing rotary or a sharp razor/X-acto knife to cut the dried fabric, but be careful not to press too hard and score the cabinets!

Great job, Todd and Emily! I love what a little color and pattern can do to any space!

Have a fun project that you'd like to share with LGN readers? Send your photos and submission to pearlstreetinteriors@gmail.com.

Cement Countertops

I salivate at the mention of carrara marble. Seriously, though, it is so expensive, and I've heard that it's really hard to come by these days. (most people are using Calcutta?) I don't do work on kitchens and I have never done a serious kitchen remodel of my own, so I don't know all that much about counter tops.

But, I know I fell in love when I saw these cement counter tops on design*sponge. The home owners MADE the counters themselves, and, admittedly, they said it was a lot of work, though the cost of goods was pretty low.

Do any of you readers have cement counter tops? I've read that sealing them can be tricky. Though carrara is not exactly stain-proof!

At any rate, concrete counters make for a very pretty kitchen. And check out those vintage lockers they installed as a pantry! Genius!

And don't you just love the ink blue cabinets? They really did a great job here.

And now, just like that, I'm back to wanting a big home in the suburbs. :)

Which Would You Choose???

Here are my current wood counter stools with the Ballard Design toffee checked chair cushions. If you look closely you will see that the chairs are actually different. The two on the ends I bought at a discount many years ago because they were being discontinued by the manufacturer. When I needed an additional stool I bought a similar one from Ballard Designs.

What I like - the tall backs, the warm wood tones and cushions - over all the chairs are very comfortable for sitting. We don't like that we can only fit three stools. I have two children and when they each have a friend over, only three can sit. Also we don't' like how the stools protrude into the walking area.

Here are the Tabouret stools. Aren't they great?! Did I mention they were only $50 each - I am still giddy about this...you can find them here. What I like: Aesthetically I like their lines and the way their color ties in with the stainless steel in the kitchen. I love how four stools (and children) fit. I also like how they push in and make a clear pathway for walking by. I don't like how cold they are to sit on in the morning and how uncomfortable they are with out a back. I also worry they are just too industrial looking (a family lives here after all!)

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So readers, what do you think?? Which do you prefer and why???

Tolix or Tabouret?

(House Beautiful)
I really love industrial style pieces mixed in with my decor. One of my most popular posts last year was on industrial kitchen stools, if you missed it click here. Perhaps its because they look wonderful mixed with any decor.
(Alimesh)
One of my favorite items are the industrial stools from Tolix. What appeals to me most is their small size, wonderful lines and how I can tuck them under the center island to create a clear walking path.
(Apartment Therapy)
Tolix is a French company that makes extraordinary metal furniture. I wanted a change in the kitchen, but budgets being as they are I really couldn't justify the price when I had perfectly fine wood stools.
The Tolix stools are available through Melissa Edelman Antiquaire, a Chicago-area dealer who represents the full line of Tolix or above from Sundance catalogue. But at $245. plus shipping per stool I had to pass. So imagine how thrilled I was when I found a copy at Overstock.com. The "Tabouret" stools are very close to the wonderful original Tolix stools and at 2 for $99.00, I thought they would be worth a try.
(overstock.com)

I have had them for several months and I am very impressed with the quality. The are wonderfully versatile and since I purchased them, they have been moving all over the house. They have been in the Butler's pantry, the basement playroom and even as our primary kitchen center island stools. Here is the link to them at Overstock.com. When I first found them they were out of stock but I signed up for a notification and when they were back in stock I purchased them.

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Tomorrow I'll show you our center island with the current wood stools and then the Tabouret stools and you can help me decide which we should use in kitchen.

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Enjoy your Saturday!!

Getting Reacquainted

I love to find designers who have a look and style that is fresh and fun, but also traditional. Designers who have a coastal look that is so wonderful and leaves you wanting more. So I was thrilled to be reacquainted with the work of Molly Frey from Marblehead, Massachusetts via House of Turquoise. (if you have a moment do go over and see all Erin's wonderful posts - I never miss one!!) I say reacquainted because I had also seen Molly Frey's work via Bandelle and had put that wonderful post in my saved file in the summer. When I went to Molly Frey's website I was reminded once again how much I admire her work. I have saved clippings from many of her rooms which have appeared in Traditional Home, Better Homes and Gardens, Renovation Style and New England Home.

She has a wonderful coastal style. Fresh and clean. She also writes a blog! Do take the time to see of more of her beautiful rooms. She has an incredible talent -and it's wonderful escape from these cold New England winters.

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And don't forget to spend some with Erin at House of Turquoise!

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(all photos: Traditional Home (photographs by Michael Partenio) & Molly Frey Design)

Family Command Center

Hi friends,

Happy Monday! I hope you had as much fun as I did this weekend. I'm home with my family in Arizona. We had a mini family reunion here and it was so wonderful to see almost all my siblings and their families (though we missed you, Heather!).

As a side note, I'm shockingly behind on emails. I won't be back in Delaware until March 3, and won't really be working at full speed until then. If you need an answer faster than that, please email me a second time. Thanks!

One of the fun parts about coming to see family is they always let me experiment with their home decorating projects. I usually get to do four or five projects or rooms each trip.



My sister moved to a new house this year and I think we're going to try this project from Southern Living in her kitchen. She has an end cabinet that looks just like this one in the picture.



Right now it's painted with chalkboard paint, which we'll keep, but I think some of these suggested additions will do just the trick, like a piece of cork, a magnet board and some trim to finish off the look.


Thanks to a tip from an LGN reader, we will order some over-sized nail heads from this site.



And for the ribbon border we'll be making a stop to one of my favorite little shops in Mesa - Ribbons and Lace.


We're planning to pick up a roll of cork at Michaels and we'll get some metal sheeting cut at Home Depot for the magnet board.

images via Southern Living

Dish Dish Dish

You will never believe who lives here!!!

Have you ever seen such an exquisite kitchen?

(click on it and look at it closely)

Or Here.

Who knew Joan Rivers would have such a stunning escape from NYC?

Let's review...............

She has small dogs.........at least she is a dog person.

That scores high with me.

Makes a lot of mean and degrading remarks on the red carpet.

Uck...........I think she goes over board.

She is a genius when it comes to business.

Even I like some of her jewelry (the pearls).

"Because Joan and Melissa Rivers are no longer capable of expressing human emotion on their faces, they have to really get over-the-top to get their point across.

After she was fired by Donald Trump from Celebrity Apprentice, Melissa erupted in an emotional tirade before she and her mother both packed up their fur coats and left." 

But anyway...................she has a beautiful home,

and in good taste.

Shocking.

Do you have an opinion on this?

*She is like everyone in Boca Raton.

For the whole house click here.
socialitelife.celebuzz.com

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A., Joan Rivers