18th Century Colonial Renovation: Move In Day!

I can't think of a better way to end the year than with being able to answer the most commonly asked question of the year, "Have Meg & Kurt moved into their new house yet?" with a resounding "YES!". The movers came on Wednesdsay and while there is still a lot of unpacking and a few final items to take care of, they are very happily in their new house after over 14 months of renovations. Before we go too far, you might want to take a peak at the beginning of this 18th Century Colonial Renovation to refresh your memory on what it looked like in the "before" pictures.

The most dramatic changes on the front were the removal of the front porch and the addition of a double sided staircase as well as new Hardiplank clapboard.

The sides and back of the house have been re-shingled and the trim has been painted to coordinate with the front of the house.

In addition to the new shingles, the back of the house got a new 8' sliding door and mahogany decking at both entrances.

Here is glimpse up the very narrow back staircase by the kitchen which received a fresh coat of paint on the walls and stairs. I always love a second staircase in a house. I don't know why they don't do that more often in new homes.

Before I go too far, I need to mention that I went in to take pictures the day before they moved in so there were still a few work related things laying around like a dry vac and garbage can in the middle of the kitchen. The kitchen was the one room that received new flooring. The cabinets are Abstrakt by Ikea.

All new appliances went into the kitchen and there are some nice little features like the pot filler over the stove. The one thing that still needs to be decided on here is a backsplash.

There used to be a chimney in this space, but as it wasn't necessary, they removed it and were able to add this custom built in bar and entertainment unit between the kitchen and den.

This room was considered the dining room, but they will be using it as a den as it is open to the kitchen. The new slider is the biggest addition to this room. You can see in the corner of the room and on the ceilings that there are exposed beams. The one in the corner was partially damaged and needed repair, but they were able to cover up that area with a nice box molding that doesn't look out of place.

The living room/dining area has a new wood stove and under that furniture cover is a wonderful gate-leg table that fits nicely along the wall when not in use and can be pulled out to the center of the room when entertaining more formally. While you can't see it in these pictures, the upper part of the walls are covered in beautiful grasscloth wallpaper by Elitist.

The rooms are filled with natural light which makes them so open and bright.

The front entry and stairwell were painted as well as the floors and staircase. Unfortunately, the old floors here were in too much disrepair to refinish, but I love the look of painted floors.

The stairwell from upstairs.

The master bedroom is enormous and very bright.

A new master bath was added off of the master bedroom. The upstairs had only 1 half bath before the renovation, but now has two full baths as well as a full bath downstairs.

The master bath shower. This proved to be the most challenging of their DIY projects, particularly in getting the tile floor level with the drain, but it came out really nice. The glass enclosure has not been installed yet, but will be soon.

The long hallway was once part of each of the bedrooms so that one had to pass through one room to get to the next one. The color is one of my favorites-it's in my own living room too-Ocean Air by Benjamin Moore, although it looks quite different in this space because there is only one window in the hallway.

The guest/kids bathroom is spacious and soothing. Again, the floors were painted in this space.

An antique vanity adds some more character to the space.

This is the third bedroom. I actually didn't get pictures of the second bedroom because the final coat of paint was being added later on the day I was there. This room fits a twin bed, and I love the melon color.

While this room is on the smaller side, it is cozy and quiet and a spot one might retreat to for some down time.

On the third floor, the original beams and closet remain with their dark wood, but the floors and walls have all been painted Super White by Benjamin Moore.

I LOVE this! I have always wanted an all white room. This will be an office space and is the one room in the house with clear views to Newport harbor. I also love how they had built in drawers added into the walls to maximize storage space.

So there is the grand tour! I'm sure we will have many more projects from this house to share as finishing touches are made on the decor and things get unpacked. I know this is making for a very happy New Year for this family.

I am so excited about what's to come in 2011. Just a few of things I'll be bringing you include a fabulous wedding I'm planning in June, several projects around my own house, a Chateau & Bungalow product line and perhaps the revival of another fabulous product line as well as all the other great things I come across in my travels.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year too and thank you for following me!

~Sarah

Popham Design Tiles

One of my other favorite blogs, Design Sponge, came out with their list of their top 15 tile resources yesterday. And while I've fallen in love with many of them before, I was so excited to learn about Popham Design. This is my kind of tile! These graphic patterned tiles are available in multiple sizes and colors so that you can truly create your own unique look.

Here are just a few of my favorites. The Zig Zag tiles (top) can become a chevron pattern, diamond pattern and much more, and can even be done in multiple colors. A great way to create the permanent look of popular rugs in high traffic areas. I also love the Moroc tiles (above) for a more subdued but still graphic look.

And the more intricate Fretwork tiles can create a truly elaborately detailed look in bold or muted colors. I love these tiles for backsplashes, but they would also be really fun on the floor too. Check out their web site and play with the different layout and color options to find your favorites too.

Modwalls Tile

ModDotz in Palm Beach Blend

Wow, this back to work thing is really causing me to neglect my little blog here. I was so excited last weekend because I had so many things to share with you all this week, and here it is Thursday, and my first chance to sit down and finally do it. Never mind the fact that I need to remember what it I had to share in the first place. Luckily, there was no chance I could forget Modwalls tile. I absolutely love it! They have subway tile, penny tile and more at reasonable prices and in fabulous colors and color blends.

Lush in New Leaf Blend

There is literally something for everyone on this site whether you want to bold and boisterous or calm and collected. And perhaps the most amazing thing they offer is custom color blends for their 3/4" Brio tiles so that you can create exactly the color combination you want and with a minimum order of only 20 square feet.

Lush in Hamptons Blend
However, what lead me to the Modwalls site was the tile designs by Henry Road which are just lovely. From simple circles to modern blooms, it's unlikely anyone else on your block will have these wonderful tiles.

Henry Road Lush Circles in Dune/Cloud

So if you are dabbling in the idea of re-tiling a space, definitely check out Modwalls.

Floored

I am completely in love with painted wood floors, however I find it so difficult to paint a perfectly good wood floor so I haven't done one yet. I hope one of these days I'll get up the nerve to just go for it, but until then I have fun just looking at some of the amazing designs other people have done. The diagonal design above is fabulous juxtaposed against all the straight lines of the furniture.

The herringbone pattern makes this entryway much more intimate, and gives the appearance of a rug in a high traffic area where you don't necessarily want one.

This kitchen looks like it's straight out of the French countryside with the painted diamond pattern.

This diamond pattern successfully combines the look of tile and wood together, but could easily done with two paint colors as well. To find out how, click here.

Brighten up a room and add to a theme with a pop of color and cute motif....

or go bold with dark stripes and a large motif.
And this is a great way to spruce up some well worn floors without having to paint the entire room.

Photos: Mark Cutler Design, House Beautiful, Coastal Living, Design Sponge

FLOR

I've always been a big fan of FLOR tiles for their design qualities because they make it so easy to customize a rug and they are ridiculously simple to install. On top of that, they are super eco-friendly being made of renewable and recyclable resources, having low VOC's, and you can return them to the company when you are done so that they can recycle them into new product. The company's founder, Ray Anderson, is one of the leader's in innovative environmental design. But in addition to all these wonderful things, I have (fortunately or unfortunately) been reminded just how practical these carpet tiles are. We installed them in our basement playroom and office and twice in the past week and a half we've had part of our basement flood due to a problem sump pump. Normally, this would mean destroyed carpet, but with FLOR tiles, we literally just popped them up and put them in the sink to drain the water off. Once they're dry you can reinstall them in virtually no time at all. If you need to clean some or all of them, you can run them under a hose, and if you totally destroy a tile or two, just order one or two more without having to replace the entire carpet. They offer styles refined enough for your dining room and durable enough for your garage so if you have any need for carpet of any sort, I highly recommend you check them out.

Turquoise Rocks 2010

Pantone, the world renowned authority on color, has named Turquoise THE color of 2010. Turquoise always reminds me of my grandmother's living room when I was very little. When you opened the french doors into the room, it was like entering the turquoise abyss. Everything from the walls, the fabric and the oversized ceramic shells (0ne of which I have now) by the fireplace were turquoise. I always laughed about that room, but it really did work...in a very bold way. Here is a little inspiration in how to use it as a bold statement or just to add a splash of color to your existing rooms. Clearly, balance is key when using such a bright color so go for it, but don't overdo it.

The retro appliances and backsplash aren't overwhelming here because they aren't competing with any other colors. When committing to a bright color on your investment pieces for the room, this is the way to go. (Coastal Living)

Not only do I love the color of these benches, but I love the idea of the sqaure table with benches on each side. (Homes & Gardens)

Turquoise and fuschia go great together, and they are really well balanced with each other in this bedroom. (Better Homes & Gardens)

Many of you know how much I love a bright painted floor. Once again, it works because it's not competing against any other colors. (Coastal Living)

If you aren't ready to commit to the color on your walls or flooring, you can still make a splash with pops of turqoise paired with classic white plates, silver and clear glasses in a table setting. (Homes & Gardens)

To add turquoise to your own bedroom, check out the new Lilly Pulitzer home line which incluses this Treasure Chest Quilt, available exclusively at Garnet Hill.

You can't go wrong with Fiesta Dinnerware so add that splash of color to your table with all new dinnerware or just a few accent pieces.

If you really aren't ready to commit, but like the color, this turquoise frame by Jonathan Adler is perfect. He has loads of other turquois items as well.

And if you want it as an accent, but not the main focus, I love the Palm Beach Rug by Dash and Albert. Available in sizes from 2' x 3' to 9' x 12'.

Photos: Coastal Living,

L-O-V-E Lacquer

I was flipping through the pages of Elle magazine at the gym when suddenly the elliptical came to a screaching halt when this lime green lacquer floor appeared in an article about the inside of Tory Burch's house. L-O-V-E this! While I am partial to all things lacquer, this may be the best use of it I've ever seen. Not everyone may want a lime green floor, but the possibilities are endless as to what color and patterns you could do, and as someone who has a textured tile floor (installed by the previous owners) in my kitchen that I hate because every spec of dirt gets trapped in it and it's impossible to clean, the smoothness of it is incredibly appealing to me. It is officially part of my kitchen re-model (that is only happening in my head right now until I hit the lottery).

Photo by Paul Costello for Elle.