Enslaved by Possessions

So who wants to be held hostage by your possessions?  I think no one!  No one enjoys worrying 24/7, whether the silk covered sofa will survive another day. 
What about the white carpeting? (I’m enough of a stress case, that would put me way over the edge!) 
The kids, the dog, the sun- oh my!

If you’re like me (I need to think someone is), you yell at your kids enough.  Some days more than enough.  Why add unnecessary things to yell about (silk sofa, for example).  We do have rules in our house, all food stays in the kitchen or dining room, no arts and crafts in the living room and NO SPORTS in the house. Other than that we are pretty lax (the house is drip dry)- my kids have lived with beautiful things all their lives and have a healthy respect for them (read: fear of me) as long as most of the stuff in our house is more carefree.

The things kids, dogs, and in my case messy husband, tend to stay clear of are: Window treatments, light fixtures, art, mirrors, accessories on mantles (occasionally on tables) and case goods (side tables,bookcases,secretary's,sideboards etc.).  These are areas where I can have my Interior Design fun and splurge.
With all this said, to keep stress to a minimum and not sacrifice style, here are some areas where you should consider going almost industrial: Coffee tables, carpets and upholstered furniture.

Coffee tables

These vital pieces should not be so precious that you can’t put your feet on them, my advise is to look for something upholstered (ottoman with tray), weathered, painted (you can always repaint), metal and defiantly distressed.  Wear and tear on distressed furniture only adds character but a scratch on a slick piano finish table – it’s ruined!  Don’t set yourself up for constant care and militant discipline of your family if you’re not that type of person. This is also a piece that does not need to “match” the other tables- it should be interesting- have fun with it.  Even if you already have polished wood just accept that you will have to refinish and let it go- Live!

Carpets

1. Sea grass- durable, chic, affordable and can be layered upon with other area rugs like zebra hides or orientals (certainly to hide stains if they occur, but no need admit to that motivation).  It also looks great and takes on character when worn. 
2.  Another work horse is hand-knotted, 100% wool carpets.  The more pattern the better, but stay away from adding silk to the pattern (cleaning nightmare).  These carpets have been getting the job done for hundreds, if not thousands of years.  Literally, you can’t kill-em. 
3.  My last suggestion is something for traditionally more casual spaces –  (However I used really fun ones in my formal foyer- LOVE THEM) they are Flor carpet tiles.  We live in New England so there’s always mud, snow, rain, etc. (plus I have two dogs in addition to my kids) and these carpet tiles kick serous New England Butt!  You can even pull one up and wash it in the sink- really!  I chose a great texture and colors and threw them under formal antiques and love the playfulness.

Upholstered furniture

The big one - sofas , chairs, ottomans etc.… these get major abuse!  Some hints to help are:
1) SLIPCOVERS that can be washed- ok really this one is huge and has saved my house.  Slipcovers are no longer big sloppy loose, baggy sacks over furniture, but tight beautifully made covers that fit like gloves.  You may not even be able to tell that something is slip covered anymore.  This may seem crazy but the real work-horse of slip cover fabric is pure white denim or linen.  It can not only be washed but bleached as well (think of the possibilities).  If you used yellow or green or blue you can wash but we all know some stains just don’t come out- UNLESS you can bleach it.  If you plan to wash your slipcovers please be sure to wash and dry the fabric prior to having them made in order to pre- shrink it.  There is nothing worse than slip covers not fitting after washing.

(country living)
2) Leather!  Leather is so great and if already slightly distressed it will only take on more character when used.  You can wipe offending spills and dirt right off and dog hair doesn't stick- hooray!

3)Other fabric options some more and/or less expensive and fab than others: wool mohair (you can find antique chairs with the original wool mohair still intact- seriously tough and deliciously fabulous stuff), Toray Ultra suede (the real ultra suede- not the cheap micro suede version) and finally some manufacturers are introducing indoor outdoor fabrics that are finally not like sand paper- these do the job incredibly well.

(Ryan Korban)
When I grew up my parents didn't decorate the way people do today and I dreamt of the beautiful house in which I would someday live.  I love beautiful things and need spaces that are visually appealing to mostly adults but not at the cost of my kids and dogs not sharing them with me.  Keep some things easy care and go fabulously nuts with the rest without the stress of being held hostage by your things.

Kitchens With Character

Let’s generalize here for a minute and look back:
In the 1990’s kitchens had honey wood cabinets, full overlay doors, highly speckled – probably green granite, undermount stainless sink, tumbled stone back splash, ceramic 12 x 12 tile floors and black, white or some stainless appliances.
Since the end of the 90’s the HOOD has arrived, the kitchen of the 2000’s have the big mantle hood, white cabinets (inset doors if high end) or painted cream with glazing, stainless commercial looking appliances, Carrara marble or absolute black-honed granite, different color cabinetry for the island- counter top too, porcelain farm sink, subway tile back splash, picture framed tile motif behind range, wood or limestone floor.
How crazy is it that the most expensive room in the house is so easy to date.  I have done kitchens for clients on the cheap for $20,000 and high end kitchens for $300,000.00 and both can just as easily look completely dated in 10 years or less.  I do love a white kitchen (Christopher Peacock and the movie “Something's Gotta Give” have totally changed what kitchens look like) and I must say my heart skips a beat for a custom mahogany kitchen with inset doors.  A French range can stop me in my tracks and make me giddy with happiness.  But these things are obscenely expensive.  I’m also sick of all kitchens looking the same, I need to see some character in future kitchens.  Below I have compiled a group of kitchen photos that are slightly different, it’s not that they don’t have any of the standard things mentioned above but they have a special feeling that makes them unique.  Please note that I am in New England so most kitchens are traditional although I have done and truly LOVE contemporary Kitchens - these photos are not.
























Now let’s talk about things I think are really great and in my world necessary:  Double sinks and double dishwashers- in our family we all cook, my husband is the main chef but I do love to get in there and tinker actually more than tinker, my kids are also cooks in their own right- so double sinks is a must.  For anyone who entertains often the double dishwasher is a great luxury/necessity.  (I have neither)

My kitchen is not in anyway ideal- we had a week to put together a kitchen to move into the house.  I didn't want to spend much due to only having a week to plan so we went to IKEA for their stainless cabinets.  I thought within a couple years I would redo the kitchen and have something I loved- 4 years later and we have no plans to redo.  The bummer is that not only do kitchens look dated but they also look shop worn so easily (anyone with chipped dented cabinets knows what I mean).  As much as the stainless cabinets I have are cheap and a pain in the butt to clean (finger prints!- think stainless fridge) They are almost indestructible, they don’t dent, chip, crack- if they were hammered stainless so you didn't see the finger prints I would never look back.

Ok the French stove is something I lust after (sorry honey, you turn 40 and it’s the French range that does it for you!)  But look at the matching cabinets- my heart be still!!!  Indestructible, smudge proof and classically freaking fabulous!  (Although I need to sell my house to afford them)


I wish I knew who made these stainless cabinets (above)- so classic.


Great towel bars (below)- check out the French range in the back ground- my heart: thump thump thump!!!

Things I like:  Pantry's, corner angled drawers, cement- Lava stone and wood counters, accessorizing with paintings- sconces and lamps, wood floors, radiant heat, French ranges, indestructible cabinets, timeless design, inset cabinet doors/drawers, big drawers for lower cabinets- not doors, tons of storage, as few as possible upper cabinets, seeing all food at one glance, seeing all dishes at one glance, Fabric  or bamboo/textured window treatments, Deep window sills for herb gardens, mirrored back splash for pantry’s, Under cabinet lighting, Hanging lights, un-lacquered brass hardware, kitchens to coordinate with the age and architecture of the house, character, personality, quality and the final must: a bar with stools for people to chat while you work.
Things I don’t like:  Open shelves (your dishes are constantly dusty and greasy), cabinets that don’t go to the ceiling (all I can imagine when I see that is dust bunnies the size of golden retrievers and people always try to put stuff up there- think fake ivy from the 1980’s Yuck!), tons of recessed lights- I feel like I have spaceship beams on my head, Tile floors (ice cold and too hard), Clear refrigerators (seriously if your fridge is always that clean and organized- you have too much time on your hands and you need to volunteer or get a job!), dido for clear cabinets unless your dishes are perfectly matched or for glass wear- don’t set your self up for constant maintenance if your not the type.
So what isn't going to date??? that’s the big question!  What’s next in kitchen trends?  I have always been a fan of the eclectic look but I am even sick of that due to companies like restoration Hardware mass producing items that you used to only find at antique shops.  What’s unique and desirable that can’t be mass produced and isn’t obscenely expensive- maybe that’s a whole blog post in it self. Finally, here is my quirky crazy kitchen or at least parts of it and me, photo taken from a photo shoot for Country Home magazine (it’s not usually styled for the country look- usually more eclectic):

Matchy Matchy

Should you buy art to match your room or should you decorate you room to match your art?  Or maybe you should just buy art that really speaks to you, evokes an emotional response, buy it because you LOVE IT?

(frank Ropp)

Generally speaking If you always buy things you really LOVE then they usually go together.  Have you ever heard of anyone buying a painting with colors they hate? NO!  Have you ever heard of anyone buying furnishings in colors they hate? NO!  I generally find that people’s possessions - or what they gravitate to buying - usually sit well together.

(Kelly Wearstler)

I come from a family of art lovers and collectors so i would never buy art I didn't absolutely LOVE.  But what about the piece that hung in your childhood home?  You don’t LOVE it, it’s not exactly “you” but you have a deep connection to it?  Maybe it hangs in a guest room or maybe you build a room that you do love around it, all of a sudden it shines with new life.

(Melissa Gulley)

Or what about the art collector who buys for value first, then love?  When art is bought for value, it is then an investment and often the purchaser has many pieces they have collected that need to hang together - but do not relate.  In this case, a neutral pallet for interior design might be the best foundation for an eclectic collection.  Maybe even colorless so the art can shine. By hanging art in a room in which it clashes, the art is by no means de-valued, the space is.  The piece will not be appreciated fully, nor will the room…in that way the art can devalue the space.  When art doesn't look good in a room it’s very clear that something’s wrong.  There’s no harmony, the room looks disjointed and people’s enjoyment in spending time in the room will literally be diminished.

So with this said, if your not a collector by profession, should the art match the room?  Not necessarily.  However, it should compliment the room.  Or to put it another way, the room should compliment the art.  There should be a cohesive feeling.  Often it can complete the room even if purchased first (which came first the chicken or the egg).  Keep in mind; If you LOVE the piece of art, you may not want it to blend so much that it loses its voice. 

(Melissa Gulley)

The last problem not touched on is what to do when your husband or wife has favorite art that you hate?  As I have done with many clients- give them their room to hang the art and design the room as they see fit- an office, a man cave (or woman’s version).  If this doesn't work then there’s always divorce???

YIKES a snake!

Antique snake jewelry!  To me there is something so beautiful about organic shapes and symbols done in precious metals and stones.  To make the common into decadent art is so appealing.  Now I know my Mother-in-law (deathly afraid of snakes) will read this and think the last remaining small bit of my brain has finally drained from my head (hi Nanc), but these pictures are truly stunning.  I was recently in a jewelry store and the owner told me that people have been melting down antique jewelry and selling the gold in this bad economy.  The gold, he said, can be worth more than the antique piece (many of which are very heavy). 

Blasphemy!!! 

 

In the Victorian era, the snake symbolized eternity, vitality and life.

"In many cultures it is believed to protect one from evil spirits…It is the mystic representation of the snake that fascinates many people. Take the Egyptians. The snake was worshipped and feared. The native American’s saw the snake as a healer and so on.” Jane H. Clark

"The SNAKE or serpent was the symbol of royalty and deity in early Egyptian society. Victorian jewelry often used an entwined snake to symbolize infinity and eternal love. Over the years the snake has also come to symbolize sexuality, rebirth and wisdom.
While serpent motif jewelry goes far back in history, it's popularity really spread starting in the 1840s and peaked between then and the 1860s (Understanding Jewelry, Bennett, pages 88 & 104).

Whatever, i just love it.  Hey Kev, my birthday’s in a month.

I’ve Been Swamped!

I have not posted for a week or so - OK, so two weeks - we have been flooded.  We got water (a lot) in our basement -for the first time - during the huge rain storm a week ago.  The fire department came to pump us out and realized that there was nothing they could do until it stopped raining.  Instead they shut off the gas to the house (furnace floating was kind of bad), so we had no heat, no hot water, no way to cook.  The house was yucky and freezing.

(below, see my tres chic turquoise leather golf bag- FLOATING!!!)

As luck would have it, my dear friends Carol and Jerry were on vacation and their house was empty.  When they heard about our problem they offered their house.  Now that’s a good friend.  So my husband, two kids, two dogs and I moved into one of the most spectacular houses I have ever laid my eyes on (did I mention good friends!).  During the day we would go work non-stop on saving the basement at our house (so stressful and un-fabulous)  and by night we would enter this amazing house and the stress would just fall away- it was what saved us from losing our minds.

(Meg Braff)

It was so interesting to live at a friend’s house for a week.  You think you know someone- but when you live at their house you see details of them and how they live their lives that most are not privy to.  I will report that my friends are surprisingly normal!  What did hit me about how they live is the amount of organization in their house.  Built-ins everywhere, not just your average built-ins but the most well thought out, detailed and space saving built-ins I have ever seen.  I have always felt that instead of the bigger house, bigger rooms, bigger garage, bigger basement, etc., houses can be small, as long as things have been planned properly.  That upfront thinking means that everything has a place (and doors to close!) so you don’t look at the storage (clutter).  It can be so much more effective. 

Carol and Jerry had thought out their storage so beautifully they had quick access to everything they owned.  For example, if we want to go ice skating I have to unearth the ice skates in the basement, find warm sock in the bowels of someone’s dresser - god knows who's - and a bag to transport all this stuff from somewhere else.  Ultimately when we think to go ice skating- the process of finding the right stuff is so arduous that we nix the idea.

 

At Carol and Jerry’s house they want to go ice skating, they go to the cabinet, open the door and choose the bag from the shelf that contains each person’s ice skates, socks, ice skate guards, then below, they pick the hat, mittens and gloves need and they are off!  Wow, that is so awesome!  Think of the activities we could all effortlessly do on the fly if it were all that easy.

This weekend I am reorganizing for sure!