I LOVE A GOOD SALE!!!

I LOVE a good sale!! And what could be better...a super sale at Baker Furniture!

Last Friday Baker Knapp & Tubbs had a wonderful floor sample sale and I thought I would stop by to peek at their bargains. Whoa! I might have gotten a little carried away. It's probably a good thing that I do not attend many auctions - I can get carried away.

I have to say it was fun. I lost a few pieces by not acting quickly enough - ahhh, indecision. Looks like my losses are going to a good home - to live happily ever after. That's the beauty of Baker pieces, they are well constructed and will service their owners for many years to come.

I did manage to select 12 - count them 12 - pieces for our home. And they are mostly chairs!! I have a chair problem and belong in some sort of 12 step chair recovery program - Chair Addicts Anonymous. I love a good chair!

I thought I would share my super bargains with you. I still have not disclosed to my hubby how much we spent - perhaps I will after I have met him at the door with drink in hand and I have whipped up his favorite meal (to be enjoyed on our new dining chairs!!)

Baker Barrington Chair - currently residing in our Master Bedroom sitting area. It's in the most gorgeous wool! It is sooo comfortable with the high curved back. I think this little number will be mine.

Baker Harrison Chair - also residing in the Master Bedroom sitting area and also super comfy.

Baker Campaign Table - perfect for my nightstand

Baker Greek Lounge Chair - don't you just love this one?? And it's incredibly comfortable.

Baker Greek Lounge Chair - view from the back.

Baker Huntington Host Chair, skirted - 2 for the Dining Room. Very comfortable!

Baker Louis Dining Side Chair, ivory finish - 2 for the Dining Room. Very fun back.

Baker Vienna Side Chair, Walnut Finish - 2 for the Dining Room. I like mixing up finishes and styles - I think the variety that I have selected for the Dining Room will provide some whimsy and interest. I have created a minor problem - now we are in the market for a new dining table. My friend and fellow designer, Lisa, suggested skirting our existing (cheapie) dining table - great idea - it could work until the perfect table appears.

And last but not least - Baker (McGuire) Arm Chair - to be used as my desk chair in the office.


As I contemplated what I would purchase, I took a big picture view of our furniture requirements and needs. The Baker sale was the perfect way to acquire high quality furniture pieces with great style, at a wonderful price, that we can use now and for many, many years to come, in this home or wherever we may roam.


I think that there are a few sale days left. Better hurry.... Really, I did not buy everything, I promise. It just looks like I did!!

PS- In case you were counting - I also purchased a cute little side table for Steve. That brings my count to 12 pieces total. See...I was thinking of him too!

Timberframe Journal - Wall Finishes and More

Site visits to Lawry's timber frame project are wonderful. It is such a treat to be out in the country and to see the progress that is being made between my trips.


Over the last month or so Lawry has had the radiant heat system installed in the floor, had the electrical run, and has worked with the audio video person to install the necessary runs/zones for his television and stereo system.



Lawry's horses, pictured right.




Lawry has also been hard at work outside on the property sorting sandstone and creating a beautiful set of ponds with a waterfall adjacent to his home and bunkhouse. He has done the backbreaking work of sorting and stacking all the stones to create a series of cascading ponds. Can't wait to show you - it's truly beautiful.

Remnants of sandstone from the pond/waterfall construction

Currently, the runs are being made by geopro for the geothermal heat system.

One of several horizontal runs for the geothermal system - very cool!!

We are meeting today on site with a veneer plasterer to discuss using plaster for the wall finish in all of the main areas of the home. Pictured above is one of several samples that we were considering; nice soft finish with lights and darks. We can select from a huge, standard palette that is available or custom color for a nominal fee. We both like this finish or effect. Perhaps we will look at something in the green tones - but I think we want a touch more sage and a bit more dark areas in the finished product. We will have Bill create samples for verification.

Another plaster style using a different mix and pigments. This is a rougher texture with lots of pits. Very nice effect but not quite what we are looking for.

Another possible plaster style. This texture sample is too flat, not enough depth for us.

Bill Pischieri from Veneer Plasters

Ralph Lauren - Suede

I am a big fan of the Ralph Lauren specialty finishes such as the Suede, River Rock, Linen, and Denim. I have used them many times with great success. To be perfectly honest, painters seem to dislike working with the finishes. Lots of push back when I start talking about using Ralph - but the effect is soooo sumptuous.

The Ralph Lauren Suede color palette - yum!!

The Real Milk Paint Company

I have wanted to use milk paint for years but never had just the right client and/or opportunity. I sent Lawry (a most adventuresome client - yeah!!) some milk paint as an experiment. He mixed up a batch and applied it to a piece of drywall. It's great!!! I know we'll be using milk paint in some of the rooms. It arrives as a dry powder and you mix it yourself. Natural ingredients - perfect.

Milk paint sample in the butternut squash color. Doesn't it bring out the great tones in the fireplace stones??

Lawry had some of his left over fireplace rocks sitting outside being washed by the endless rain that we have been getting...and...look!! With the dust washed off the stone the color is excellent!! Looks like the fireplace is going to be receiving a delicate wash; tricky to do because if the stones are washed too much, the moss may come off.

Lawry standing in his future living room. You can just catch a glimpse of the door in the background leading outside to the sun porch and the cooking porch.

Butternut with clear top coat

We have decided on our wood species for the kitchen cabinet - butternut. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE butternut. I don't understand why everyone doesn't use/love this wood species. Lucky for us, it's not commonly used and it's available.

Butternut with a wire brush finish - more rustic.

We have met with our concrete countertop fabricator, Ideal Surface, and are awaiting our samples. Soon to be featured on the blog - stay tuned.

MASTER BATH REMODEL - DAY 33

Into each project some rain must fall...today is my day. It's raining outside and inside!

I am eager to complete our tiny bath remodel and move outside to enjoy what is left of our summer and the bounty of our garden. I popped out of bed this morning eager to prime and paint after last night's sanding. With a smile on my face and a ray of hope in my heart that we can finish our Master Bath this weekend, and once again have a towel bar and a robe hook, I began priming and painting.

As I began cutting in with the primer I realized two things; it was pouring rain outside and...there is just a ton of weirds walls, cabinets, etc. to cut in around - this is going to take a while. Uhg.

Also, as I had suspected, there will be a bit more patching required. The more I paint, the more I see to patch. Steve thinks I am being a perfectionist...me??? (One or two contractors have complained about this character trait/flaw in the past.) Just a little set back...I can hit those spots.

And then it happened, I noticed strange things forming on the wall where I was applying the paint. It's looking a bit like cottage cheese on the walls. Remnants of the wall paper paste!! I have heard about how awful it is to take walls back to paint after they have been wall covered. Here it is. Muck on my walls and in my paint. Black storm clouds outside and inside.

I quickly scrubbed down the walls, yet again, and am back at it, swearing that this project MUST end soon. I am mulling over how typical this scenario is; as the project drags on and the homeowners are eager to have their lives back to normal, something happens to temporarily stall the project and...there's a melt down. Familiar???

So...after a break and a bit of blogging, I am back at it. I have lots of time to think while I am cutting in around every door, window, cabinet (3) and weird angle in our tiny, tight bath and I just keep repeating to myself...I can finish this...I can finish this...I can finish this. Or, in Bob the Builder's terms...can I finish this? Yes, I can!!!

rain, rain, go away...come again another day!

Diana's New Home - Update

We did it!!! What a team! Diana's home was ready for her party!!

Unfortunately, I had to go out of town several days before the party and during the critical crunch time when items were arriving in town to be installed. Fortunately, I have a wonderful, efficient partner/husband/architect who took over and handled everything (especially me...calling and texting for hourly updates.)

The photos below were sent to me by Steve via text message while I was at the conference. Huge sigh. Everything made it on time - no missing pieces, parts, damage.... Bumps are common in our industry so this smooth install was fantastic and one for the records.





Mirror arrived and was installed on Friday morning. The mirror expands the space and the bevels adds sparkle to the room.

The glass table top arrived on Friday morning as well. Castle Glass did an outstanding job of getting our glass on site and on time - no hiccups! The crew used a laser to center the glass on the table and the table under the light fixture. Don't you just love it when people care about their work and do a super job??

Ignore the pillows in disarray. Are not the mirror and the table wonderful??

Window treatments arrived and were installed early/on time. They look spectacular. We did lots of shopping for decorative items and, of course, a few orchids.

More pics of Diana's home to follow soon.

Rumor has it that the party was a huge success!! Congratulations, Diana!!!

Party girl extraordinaire!!

MASTER BATH REMODEL - DAY 32

It's time for a Master Bath update! Things are going slowly...but there is progress! There is an end in sight!

Finally, all of the bath cabinets and woodwork have been painted with Sherwin Williams, Sands of Time, #SW6101. Love it!! Perfect color.

We have replaced the hardware (hinges, lever, knobs) with all new in an oil rubbed bronze finish. Perfect for the slate.

After seeing a post on one of my favorite blogs, Mrs. Blandings, about covering furniture with paper as a decorative finish, I decided to try my hand at this crafty technique. After some searching I found the best supply of decorative papers at Jo Ann Fabrics, and brought an assortment home to try. I decided on a combination of two papers; dots and flowers. I covered the "box" of the cabinet with the floral pattern and used the dot paper for the face frame.

I cut the paper one strip at a time, aligning the dot pattern as I went. I used rubber cement to glue the paper to the frame. I also spray painted the little knobs with an oil rubbed bronze finish and painted the wood strips on the mirror with the Sherwin Williams trim color. My final step was to coat the paper on the frame with many coats of Mod Podge for protection. Aligning the dots was challenging and a little time consuming, but I think the final result was well worth the effort. I love it! But, I'm not so sure Steve loves it....

Oak medicine cabinet covered in paper

You can see the unpainted walls in the background. I have washed them several times to remove the left over wall paper paste. We had some extensive patching to do in the ceiling around the exhaust fan and where the old wall covering took some of the wall with it when it was removed.

Our next steps are a good sanding of all of the walls and ceiling, priming, and two coats of Sherwin Williams paint tinted to match Benjamin Moore, OC-2, pale almond.

I couldn't wait to see the color...I tried a small patch on the wall. It's going to be great!!! Can't wait!!!

New Oil Rubbed Bronze Hardware

Don't you just love the woodwork color???

Last week I attended ASID leadership training in Cincinnati. Our group made the four hour trek from Cleveland to Cincinnati - a drive that took us right by the outlet mall. I found these super thick, yummy pumpkin colored towels when we stopped at the Pottery Barn outlet. I also scored some great towel bars and a glass shelf for the Master Bath. Yeah!!


Yet to do...paint walls, find and replace lighting, replace outlets and switches, install towel bars, new shower curtain and some clean style window treatment over the existing wood blinds - maybe a inverted pleat valance??? Sewn by yours truly. :)

But it's such a small bath...how can it take this long???

PS-Let me know what you think of my paper framed mirror.