Monday, October 15, 2012

How to make the perfect bed

 Not Martha Stewart Style

If we spend half of our lives in our beds, we really ought to make them special. Here's my take on how to accomplish this.  Start with a good mattress and be glad that we no longer have to flip them on a regular basis.  Have you ever tried to flip a king sized mattress by yourself?


You do, however, have to change the sheets weekly.  I do have standards.

Ask whoever is occupying the bed to vacate, (this is my main man Willis), and remove the old sheets.  I like to air the bed before making it up with clean sheets.

I've heard it suggested that you have three sets of sheets per bed; one on the bed, one in the laundry and one in the linen closet.  Makes sense to me.






There are differing opinions on mattress pads, featherbeds etc. I think it is a matter of personal preference.  My wool fleece from The Company Store has served me well for many years and it provides cushioning comfort without feeling like I'm sleeping on a marshmallow. (sorry featherbed fans, I just don't like them.)

Design magazines are always quoting lifestyle mavens who swear by the wonders of crisp pressed sheets.  I am a true believer.   But unlike my famous brethren,  I don't send mine out to be laundered.  Having struggled with king sized fitted sheets on an ironing board, I was tickled pink when my friend Ester at our local Yves Delorme fine linen emporium,  shared their secret.
Iron the sheets on the bed!    

         GENIUS


I prefer percale over sateen. Thread count is not as important as fiber content. 100% percent cotton is a must and although I succumb to the temptation of wonderful patterns on occasion,  I'm a fan of all white sheets.  They go with every decor, are timeless, elegant and bleachable.

I complete the process with a mohair blanket, matelasse spread and down comforter.





What you see before you jump into bed at night is just as important as how it's made.  This wonderful Cecil Aldin print hangs on the wall by my bedside.



Nighty Night.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Good Read

The Great American House
by Gil Schaffer III


I have a weakness for wonderful design books and this, my latest fix, is truly a great one. Not only eye candy galore, but thoughtful text.    
Gil Schaffer is a renown architect who works with the traditional elements of classical American architect and reworks them to suite the way we live today.  
The book explores the elements of a great house; architecture, decoration, and landscape, and how Schaffer integrates the three to create truly exceptional places.  A great addition to anyone's library.









Thursday, October 4, 2012


The little house that could.  St. George, DE

One of my favorite projects has been the rehab of this small tenant house in St. George, DE.   Nothing fancy and done on  a shoestring budget and short time table, it stretched my creativity and proved that ingenuity, a great team and vision can carry the day.  
Little House before
Built in the early 19th Century, it had seen better days.  In fact, a family of snakes had taken up residency in the cellar!  Little House was sad indeed.

It's sole saving grace was it amazing views of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Looking to this as our inspirational starting point, we reconfigured space to maximize livability and reoriented the house to capture the view. The bathroom was gutted, closets installed and kitchen reworked.   We even moved the laundry upstairs, just in case the snake family returned!

Work in progress
Kitchen before

New lighting, windows,  reconfigured appliances and a coat of paint on the cabinet. 


Neutral carpeting, fresh paint and a new view of the marsh.

No room should be without one.
I recommend this look to all my clients.
Walls removed, new windows and a reclaimed space becomes a breakfast room with a view to die for.  Chalkboard paint turned the short wall on the left into a family message center and art gallery.                                                                                       





The access to the second bedroom was across this hatch.
 (no kidding)







Reworking doorways and this ingenious removable banister,
 (thank you Jimmy you're awesome!) allows safe passage and makes it possible to move furniture up these little period stairs.





Opening up the main floor, eliminated the dark cramped feel and provided a great view of the canal, pulling the eye through and providing visual space.


View from the new deck



Little House, Happy again. 
You probably can't tell, but we had to mirror the window on the right, first floor.  It now is in the much needed first floor closet. The best part of the project is knowing that it was rented to a young family.  Their first home.


Little House's friends on the street.  Also homes I've had the privilege to worked on.  But that's a story for another day.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Second Acts

"Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower" Albert Camus



I was suppose to be sweeping off the terrace while Mom was finishing preparations for Sunday Family Dinner, but.....    




these maple seed pods, blown down by the preceding day's storm, caught my eye and when gathered up, sparked my imagination.






Out came the floral wire and tape, and with the able assistance of my clever sister-in-law,  we began creating "flowers".  Simply gathered together in a cluster and then wired onto found stick "stems", we finished them off with floral tape.










I'm a huge fan of Magnolia grandiflora throughout the year, but especially when it is full of beautiful fury green seed pods.  A quick snip and we were off to create our arrangement.











With a brass champagne cooler for a vase, our creation was complete.  Although we didn't get around to sweeping, Mom says it's ok... this time.





Sunday, September 30, 2012

An Affair to remember



Steppin' out at the Queen    The Red Shoe Event


Last weekend's fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware was held at the recently renovated World Cafe Live at the Queen Theatre in Wilmington.  With people dancing the night away to The Strangers and enjoying the the delicious food prepared by the Queen, it was truly an evening to remember. 





I was privilege to be called upon to design the floral decorations for a fundraiser for an organization that means so much to me.  Many hands made quick work.









I was thrilled to find that half of the volunteers assembled were young ladies aged 9-12.  They were quick studies and their enthusiasm was infectious.










                       




                                                                                                         Some pretty spectacular foliage




A few of the twenty two centerpieces on their way to the party.



An amazing night for a truly wonderful organization.  To find out more on how you can support your local Ronald McDonald House  just click the link.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Great Read

At last! My much anticipated copy of Good Bones Great Pieces by Suzannne and Lauren McGrath has arrived.  Thank you UPS Man.  The McGraths have put words and pictures to what many seasoned designers have known.  There are some basic pieces, that if chosen wisely, can carry us from first apartment to retirement community.  I've finished the chapter on love seats and am moving on to benches.

Gracenotes

Flowers in the home

I love flowers in the home. Nothing fancy, no big fuss.  They add warmth, color and life to any room.  And besides, I just like them and they make me happy.  




A good neighbor had an excess of Sedum Autum Joy that she kindly shared with me.  I took my Felco pruners to my magnolia and Limelight hydrangea.  Added in the seed pod from the crape myrle, a few hosta leaves,  a slip or two from the coleus in my planters and was ready to create.






Don't overlook seed pods when your turning to your garden for material.  Sometimes the second act is more interesting the the first.




 Selecting a container is always fun and the pair on the right won.











The final product, quick, easy and free!  And as an added bonus, both the sedum and hydrangea will dry very nicely in place.  Just be lazy and don't change or replenish the water.  Another plus, the coleus will root and you can remove it and plant it in containers for some much needed winter color.



Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Audubon Prints in Your Home

Audubon Canvas Backed Duck

All design projects have a creative starting point, that something that starts the ball rolling.  For a recent library I designed, it was Audubon's Canvas Back Ducks.   The homeowner, with an international lifestyle, wanted something indigenous to the area, something that would relate the interior to it's location.


fabric selections
 After the print was chosen,  I selected fabrics using the soft shades of blues, greens and tans from the ducks' surroundings.  Our goal was to capture some of the serenity of the marsh.

Library and breakfast room

I pulled the deep red from the ducks head for accent pieces like the ox blood lamp and the ginger jar.


Library

Seagrass carpeting, rush seat benches and natural fiber window shades add an organic touch.