Sammi's Summer House

Long before my favorite TV show,  Sarah's Summer House aired on HGTV, my good friend Sam was busy renovating her own summer home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts along with her husband, Scott. Their little cottage was built by Scott's grandparents and was in desperate need of some TLC. This is the state it was in before they got their hands on it. 

They spent fall, winter, & spring gutting it inside and out. Now it looks like this

Quite a difference, huh? 

Chris and I were lucky enough to spend a few days on the Cape with Sammi and her family a couple of weekends ago, and she was kind enough to let me share pictures on the blog.

Come on in, I'll show you around...

This is the view of the back of the house from the water. Oh yeah, did I mention the house is ON THE WATER?

Lucky ducks :) 

View from the backyard

They blew out the ceiling in the living room to make it into a cathedral ceiling. I love those beams. The wainscoting was made using wood from the original ceiling.

The side chairs belonged to Scott's grandmother. Sam had them recovered by prisoners at the New Hampshire State Prison. Yep, you read that right, there's a program at the NH State Prison that will reupholster your furniture for cheap.

The kids' room

Master bedroom. Sam found this headboard at a thrift store and re-covered it herself.

Kitchen

This chandelier is from the original cottage. It was an unidentifiable shade of yellow before and pretty gross. Sam spray painted it white and added navy blue shades. I'm obsessed with it. 

I'll leave you with one more shot of the water from their yard. That's right, FROM THEIR YARD!!!

Sigh...doesn't this look like a fantastic place to spend your summer? 

Thanks again, Sammi and Scott (and happy anniversary)! We had such a wonderful time! 

(Btw, today I'm linking up our old Kitchen to Remodelaholic)

Hazard Ranch

Hanging a lucky horseshoe over an entrance to our house has been on my "fun idea but not a priority" list for a while now. In fact, it was on my list of things to do in our old house! I finally got around to purchasing one off eBay ($6 including shipping) and Chris hung it for me in the mudroom.

 Kinda cute, right?

 The sailboat art is also a new addition to the mudroom. I found it over the weekend while thrifting with my sister-in-law. It came in a frame, but I like it much better without.

 I also found this fun cowboy barkcloth...$6 for 1.5 yards. Not sure what I'll use if for yet, but I couldn't pass it up. Don't you just love the colors?

Between our new horseshoe and this fabric, I may have to consider renaming the blog to Hazard Ranch :) 

Family Room Floor Plan

Since we moved to Hazard Ave, we've struggled with the furniture arrangement in the family room. Our goal is to fit the maximum amount of people in the room and have a comfortable spot to view the TV.

We're pretty much starting over from scratch in this room, so we have an opportunity to change the layout from its current configuration, which looks like this

To get a comfortable view of the TV from the couch, one of us always has to lay down. Quite frankly, that makes eating dinner in front of the TV kind of hard (and let's face it, Chris and I occasionally eat a meal or two in front of the TV). Plus, there's not a whole lot of seating for guests.

We could add another chair, like in the drawing below, but then the best seats in the room would be the side chairs. I'd rather get comfy on the couch.

We briefly considered a love seat instead of two chairs, but this actually limited our seating even further because really, only one person can comfortably sit on a love seat. It also still leaves one of us eating our dinner lying down.

That brought us to putting the sofa directly across from the TV.

As you can see, that's not going to work either. The sofa would block all the traffic flow in and out of the room, and the two chairs would probably look weird blocking the TV like that.

Finally, we arrived at the "TV over the Fireplace" solution. 

We were reluctant to put a TV over our only fireplace in the house, but as you can see, it really does give us plenty of seating and allows for the best flow of traffic. 

Where do you stand on the "TV over the Fireplace" debate?
Have you done it in your own home?

Side of the Road Score

Chris and I happened upon this chair while walking the dogs recently. One of our neighbors had put it out at the curb for trash pickup. It looked pretty grimy, but I liked the shape.
So we hurried home, drove back to the chair, and popped it in the back of our pickup.

gross.

gross.

gross.

It was upholstered in vinyl, so I figured that it wouldn't hurt so see if I could get it cleaned up a bit. 

 The results were promising, so I kept going...

I started out using a vinyl and leather car upholstery cleaner. It worked well, but I got faster results when I tried laundry soap and water.

Before long, it looked like a brand new chair!

The seat cushion is clean, but discolored.  I think we can get by with covering it with a sheepskin throw from Ikea, but if you have another suggestion, please let me know!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Chris and I came across this house while visiting my parents in Ohio a few weeks back.

It is so perfectly imperfect, it looks like it was made to be crooked on purpose.

Turns out this home is on the National Register of Historic Places as the John Snow House built, ca. 1815.

Do you have any quirky homes near you?


(Btw, Elizabeth of the Mustard Ceiling is hosting a Mix and Mingle party this week. Stop on by and check out some new-to-you blogs!)

We're Starting a New Roofing Trend

Yay. We are the proud new owners of a two-toned roof.
Do you think this will be the next new trend in roofing?

There's one small area from the street where you can see the top of our house and our new roof.
Our nice new roof that doesn't match the rest of our house.
The matching synthetic slate roof on the mansards isn't slated (no pun intended) in the budget  until next spring. Oh well.

Btw, I'm giving the readers of a' la mode a tour of our home today, including a never before seen picture of our kitchen in its current state. Yikes!

I'm truly obsessed with Shelli's design style. You've got to visit her home tour to see for yourself.

High contrast

Do you like dramatic colour schemes? They have too much energy for me to live in, but I certainly find them attractive and I love the edgy a dramatic combination  produces. Contrast always demands attention and there's nothing like a combination of white and black to add high drama to a room.  Getting the colour balance right and finding interesting textures are challenges that must be overcome when you set out to command interest in any room. There can be degrees of contrast in a white/black scheme;  some are toned with the addition of grays or are heightened by the addition of a bold accent colour, some are white with a little black and some are black with a little white..

Perhaps you will be inspired to take the leap and create a white and black decor.  These rooms should provide lots of inspiration. 

Mark English Architects, AIA

What an entrance!  Don't you wish you could visit this  house? 

Mark English Architects, AIA

And now for the view from the opposite end. 

 

Tom Stringer 

There's no doubt that the geometric rug is the eye catcher in this design . Even the patterned drapes are forced to play second fiddle! The simple hotel bedding calms down the energy of the room and adds a splash of brightness.

Kelley Interior Design

Kelley Proxmire of Kelley Interior Design  creates tailored traditional interiors.  Many of her designs show an "appreciation for the fresh sophistication of white and the daring elegance of black". Strong black walls set the tone for this dramatic bedroom with colourful shell patterned accents.  

And now for the other side of the room.... 

Kelley Interior Design

Christine Ralphs and Michelle Lloyd make up a dynamic design team (Ralphs Lloyd Design) as you can see from the high contrast rooms I've highlighted below. 

 LLoyd Ralphs Design

 In this one white is the predominant colour with just enough black to provide contrast. The addition of the yellow flowers adds a simple but commanding touch.

Lloyd Ralphs Design

The addition of soft gray white on the walls  of this bedroom provides a soothing backdrop for this mostly white design. The splash of yellow again - just enough to provide a touch of energy.  

Lloyd Ralphs Design

 This is another room anchored by a dramatic area rug.  When you choose something this strong you've already established your future selections.  Note the touch of yellow  in the paintings.

Dillard Design Group, LLC

Red is another colour frequently seen as an accent with white and black. This room has just enough of it for my taste.  Judicious use of red with black is important to prevent that bordello look you probably wouldn't want to have in your house.  Love the artwork. 

Tobi Fairley

 Black with a hint of green in accents is one of my favourite combinations.  Designer Greg Natale  has created beautiful rooms black and white rooms with just touches of green. 

 Greg Natale

When you view the portfolio of Sydney designer Greg Natale  you quickly recognize that he has a way with using black and white and subtle accents of colour.  In this  room it's green in the rug and repeated again in the ferns. 

 Greg Natale

Greg Natale

Have you noticed that one of the elements present in many of these  high contrast rooms is a strongly patterned area rug?

White with some black, black with a little white, white and black with a colour accent... Which do you prefer?

Stylish Living With Pets

Sounds like an oxymoron, huh?
Camille, the brilliant blogger behind The Vintique Object doesn't think so. She's compiled a series of guest posts from bloggers across the interwebs called "Ideas for Stylish Living with Kids and Pets". What a fantastic idea and resource!

If you have a pet (or a kid) and are looking for some fresh and interesting ways to make your life at home a little easier, you'll have to pop on over to read the entire series, including a today's guest post by yours truly.

Trust me, they only look sweet and innocent...

Choosing bedside tables

I am not fond of bedroom suites  or sets of anything really.  It is so much more interesting to see a well collected room where individual pieces have been thought out  with each piece adding individual notes to the overall design.  The minute you decide not to buy a  complete set you  have to start thinking about what, how many, how high, what colour,  etc.   Wonder no more!  Here are pointers that will help you choose interesting and design friendly furniture for your bedside. 

How High?

Your bedside tables  should not be so low that they look dwarfed by the bed  or so high that you have to reach way up to turn on a lamp. When your tables are the same height as your mattress (my preference) they provide a pleasing visual line all the way across.

Abbeyk, Inc.

These mirrored cabinets make great bedside tables.  They reflect the colours around them adding additional interest and provide plenty of storage.  The height makes them easily accessible from the bed with tops wide enough to hold lamps and other objects.  Although they are large they do not look large because of the mirrored surface - a great addition to any decor.   
 

The most important thing to consider is the scale of the table when compared to the bed. If you have a king size bed you need a larger bedside table ranging from 20" - 40" wide.

A table should not be dwarfed by a bed.

 Tracy Murdock Allied ASID

When you don't have much space it if often better to go without a table .  In this situation the table isn't functional because there isn't any room to place anything on it. 

 A three drawer chest usually works out well as a bedside table for beds that have a higher headboard.  It would not be visually pleasing to have the top of the chest and the headboard the same height.

 

via  Decor Pad

 via decor pad

Atypical Type A 

Habachy Designs

Modular furniture usually has a  bedside table lower than the mattress but the lines of the platform integrate the tables into a cohesive unit.

Do they have to match?

Not in my book.  I think it looks more interesting when bedside tables don't match, but it is more difficult to know what to put together. 

 Stonewood, LLC

If you  choose matching bedside tables consider using a padded headboard to break up the matching wood tones.

 

HGTV

HGTV

I like to pair a rectangular table with a round table especially if the bed is near a corner on one side. 

AB Home Interiors 

 In this room one of the bedside tables is a  desk which could also convert into a dressing table. Multi-functional furniture provides many options in a smaller home.

What else could I use? 

Centsational Girl

The covered table has been around for years but with a glass top it continues to look soft and elegant when paired with more traditional  furniture.

Michelle Hinckley

Shelves attached on either side of a bed is a real space saver in a small room. 

Seaside Interiors 

Trunks and suitcases make great bedside tables.

HGTV

A coffee table  is a great idea.  I like the way the three photos mimic the three pillows on the bed.  This type of repetition helps to control the scale of the coffee table.

The Urban Un-Martha 

In a country home a high chair does not look out of place as a bedside table.

Another great option for an informal look is a small kitchen table  with folding sides.  I like the way the lines support the slanted lines of the roof. If I could change one thing I would have a lamp with a little more volume and height.

Nora Schneider Interior Design

Attaching peeled logs together once cut to a standard length makes a very interesting bedside table.  Depending on where you live this could be a very inexpensive solution especially for a more rustic/cottagey decor.