Back to the Home Tour ... Our Living Room ...

A couple of weeks ago on my Friday Snip-its ... I discussed brick.

To paint or Not to paint.

The images I shared ... I agree with you totally.  DON'T Paint.

But here's what I have ... and no, the fact that a lightbulb is out is NOT the problem!

Do you see how DARK it is in that back wall and in both corners.  I tried so many ways to keep the brick and lighten it up.  

Then, I took the jump.  And painted the whole damn thing.  WHITE.

Here, I was playing with mantel colors.  Mustard.  I am not a fan of Hot Dogs.

This was short lived.

The little bar area also had no light.  I loved it ... but I just need LIGHT!

Here is is today.  White Brick, White behind the bar ... and a little door treatment in the bar area.

Red Mantel. Fun for now.

The LIGHT.  Oh how I love the LIGHT.

The Bar.  White Walls. Portrait Light. Pattern on the Doors. Love.

John Gonella Art

Again, the Before ... 

The Original Dark Corner.  Now has Light.

Favorite piece of Jane's Art.

The Whole After ... 

No Shades on Chandelier.  White Brick. Portrait Light.

Making my life brighter!

Things continue to change with the wind.  But I am so much happier with the Light.

I have fallen in love with New England.  But when it is dark at 4:30 in December, I need the light.  The painted brick delivers the goods.  

In my case.  It was necessary to Paint the Brick!

Glad you stopped by for another visit ... have a wonderful week!

Making the World More Beautiful.  One Room at a Time.

xo,

kim

Our Home ... The Upper Deck!

Earlier this week I shared with you Callie's celebration .. and promised I would bring you to the Upper Deck for the rest of the Party!

Here we go ... now here are the House Rules:

1.  I am a re-user!  So you have probably seen some of these things before.

2.  I have been desperately wanting new lighting for the Deck.

3.  Callie chose the menu.  

Bar-b-que, mac-n-cheese, mashed potatoes and Southern Style Green Beans.

4.  Once the party begins, I forgot that I am a blogger and put my camera down!

Remember the One Light Four Ways post that Linda did?  Well, this was my introduction to Rejuvenation.  Have you seen their catalog?  They specialize in Classic American Lighting and HouseParts.

Traditional. Current. Industrial. Substantial. Spot On. 

Yes.  Exactly what I need.

Can you spy one of my new lights?

Here's how it was looking before the party ...

A little PUNY ... wouldn't you say???

So I found these. Here.

The Carson Gooseneck.  QuickShip. Oh Yes.

Let me Bring you in a little closer to appreciate the REJUVENATION of my Deck Lighting!!

It's really the little things that can transform a space.  Indoors or Out.  

I ordered two lights to go over the wicker sofa here as well.  But, I have to say, they were just to large in this space.  I am going to send them back and see how I might be able to Custom Design two to go here.  I will keep you posted on my findings.  I have a feeling we are all going to be pleased!!

Late night S'mores for all.

Making the World more Beautiful.  One Room at a Time.

Inside and Out!

xo,

kim

Our Home ... Celebration Week!

Happy to announce we made it through a week's worth of celebrating ... family and friends in town to visit and share in the excitement of Callie's graduation!!

Last week I shared a piece of my backyard and announced I had two days to get this looking pretty.  Two days? I was asked several times.  Yes, two days.  My own timeline because I knew the rain was coming and I just wanted the area to look a little prettier. The lower patio was where I wanted Callie and her friends to be able to have their own party within the party!

A few flowers and plants for pots I already had ... and a quilt for my hammock ...

I have used the kids' graduations as an excuse to spruce up and splurge on a couple of items ... I bought four of these huge lanterns from PB 3 years ago for Erin's party.  I have used the hell out of them!!

This year I had electricity run down to the patio ... you can see the lights wrapped around the trees holding the hammock.  They look so pretty at night!  

You will notice another reason I don't have Charlotte's backyard ... there is a trampoline back there (do you spy the legs in the photo above?) and it has to stay for a while longer!!

A view from our deck ... things set up for Callie and her friends ... 

That is Don's bamboo shooting up in the background ... he is on a mission to create a Bamboo wall.  It has been a slow process, we don't think there is quite enough sunshine back there, but it is coming along!

Later this week I'll bring you the "Adult" party and my Splurge on the Upper Deck!!

Making the world more Beautiful.  One Room at a time!

xo,

kim

Our Home ... The Master Bathroom!

 Happy Monday!  This is going to be a Week of fun and celebration ... Callie graduates and we have several small family, close friend celebrations on the schedule.

So it seems natural I am taking you into my bathroom ... yes???

Now, I must reveal that this bathroom is SMALL ... like Don and I can each have our own sink ... but we have to walk in single file!  We loved the moldings and mirror detail that were already in here so only did the minimal.

Like ... of course, we added Art!  This piece by artist and dear friend Jane.

More layering ... I love a beautiful sconce ON the mirrors!

And we did add the Glass Shower Doors.  The toilet is so close that we weren't able to door a frameless door.  We wouldn't have been able to get in!

Also, it used to be "open".  Okay ... do y'all have men living in your house?  Had we let it open it would have been a wading pool.  Just sayin'!

Short Post.  Small Bathroom!!

Don't forget to Enter to Win the Moen Shower Heads!!  Drawing Friday June 7th so I can ship in time for Father's Day!

Making the World More Beautiful ... One Room at a Time! 

xo,

kim

Our Home ... The Un-Foyer!

Good Morning!  This weekend was kind of the calm before the Storm!  Prom next weekend, Erin comes home, Callie graduates, Graduation parties ... and all the while Sammy and Christopher have to keep it together because they aren't out of school until June 25th.  Here we go baby!!

In the meantime, back to My Home Tour!  

This week is rather short ... but focused on the details.

Old Colonial Homes don't have nice tall ceilings.  Nor does mine have a "Foyer" ... but simply an opening to the hall to spit you out into the rest of the rooms! 

The only REAL changes that took place here is the paint color.  I was over the Tan/Green hued hallway and we painted it BM Frappé.

We also tore out the beat up flagstone threshold and put in a nice "grained" porcelain tile which seems to be bullet proof!  Hallelujah!

As I have also mentioned to you ... this is a work in PROGRESS!  So you see the beginnings of my antique art that I have just begun and hope to add to as I find things I love ... 

One day I will tackle the stairway.  I am in total limbo trying to choose to just paint ... bringing in the Gloss Black ... or adding a Sisal runner ... or Both.

So it sits here until I can come out of my Frozen State and make a move!

As you walk in the door you are basically Met by our "Man/Girl" ... Don thinks is is a Girl.  I think it is a "slight" Man.

We were walking through Boston one weekend ...MANY years ago and stumbled into an Art Gallery.  Announcing how we are NOT really abstract/modern art kind of people.  Oh how naive we were!  Not only did we walk out with this Jamali ... but it has been the opening in the door to a broader art world that we now love!

Now while the Foyer itself is small ... my favorite part is the Details.  So when you can't bring alot of Stuff in ... focus on the mechanics!

The Door and Lock System ... Brass, Heavy, Old School!

And the most fun doorbell in the world!!  We don't have it labeled as they do at Downton Abbey ... we only have ONE!!  No getting Lost in our house!

The Jewels of the Door!

Small Spaces need attention to ... and I am really just beginning to acknowledge this space  ... I hope you will stay with me as it continues to "Grow!"

Hope you make it a great day ... and pay attention to the Details!!

xo

kim

Our Home ... The Sun Porch!

Monday ... here again!  I am not going to lie ... last week was a BEAR!  It seemed like it should have been Friday ... On Wednesday!  But we made it through and what a GLORIOUS weekend we had ... once the sun starts to shine New Englanders come OUT!!  

Folks were biking, walking, running, chatting, SMILING!!!  It was a nice little Thank you from Nature after a long week!  

We regrouped and spent much of the weekend outside ... I hope yours was good as well.

Here we are at Week 4 of Our Home Tour!

Our Sun Porch ... where Don and I live.  Truly, we could almost do away with every other room in the house.  This has become "our" place ... and the kids' even know I have MY spot!!  They get the rest of the house ... stay out of my seat!

Here's how it looks TODAY ...

If you have been following me for a while, you know that this has been my Inspiration Photo.

Here is where it all started ... A screened in Porch when we moved in here in 2007.  Now, I am a Screened Porch Girl.  I NEED a screened in porch.  I fought Don HARD ... we need this room.  Not the way it looks here ... but I wanted it to stay.  He won ... and we both won!  We could probably use the porch as it was for ... maybe ... 5 months out of the year.  Now we have a room that we use EVERY single day and I couldn't be more thrilled.

He was right ... Damn, I hate that!!

First it was enclosed and we added a small tray ceiling since we had the space to go "up" a little.  Old furniture got shifted around and we were IN!

I found a Lee Jofa fabric I fell in love with for the windows ... I like the colors, the bold, but simple pattern that could go from window to window!  The Roman Shades do go all the way down, however, we have never found the need to drop them.  We love the openness to our back yard, which is truly nothing but woods.  

A good friend was sending a Slipped loveseat to the Dump ... WHOA sister, I might want that!!  So we tried it out.  A little puny, but I was happy with the solid fabric ... Also a big chair ( on the right) in here that Don hated ... Byron, however, loved it.  Done deal ... no more dogs on the furniture ... out it went!

Finally this past Fall I called my SlipCoverMan ... I need my Sofa recovered ... I have to ditch the LoveSeat ... so it took a little detour to our home for a few months and ended up in the dump after all!!  I also had a new fabric cushion and pillow cover made for the leather chair (ala my Inspiration!).

We have Swap Shop here at our Dump.  It is like our local flea market ... take some, leave some!!  Remember the ottoman from there?

The Chair that I just had redone that brought some fun color contrast into the room.

HomeGoods Lamp jazzed up with a little black ribbon ... giving a nod to the new black chair!

I like animals.  I am finding that the fake ones are becoming more appealing!!

My NM/Target Tray ... finally the way I like it with my Books, Chinese calligraphy brush, Chinoiserie Vase!

Because the room had been a screened porch ... it is truly a "3 Season Room" that you have to step down into.  We added the Barn Style doors just to give the room a "separate" feel and some personality.  We didn't want to keep French Doors due to space.

I love all the Barn Door Hardware!

While I said our home is full of art ... this room is so full of windows that we only have room for this relic carving.

The Inspiration Photo was what I needed to help me PULL this look together.  I miss the bookcases of the Inspiration ... but love my view.  

Hope you have a wonderful week ... I am counting on it!  Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and visit!!

xo,

kim