Tea Tables Give Way to Coffee Tables

The tea table came into homes in the early 18th century, and the coffee table 200 years later.  What is the difference?  Over thecenturies, differences have developed in the way we enjoy our favorite hot beverage, be it tea or coffee.  Most modern coffee and tea drinkers head to their nearest name brand hot beverage shop to enjoy a cup or mug of their favorite caffeinated or non-caffeinated beverage; but centuries ago, “modern” families were just beginning to enjoy the exotic flavors of the Far East.

Tables, dishes, and pots were designed for imbibing these new culturally fashionable drinks, not to mention new silverware pieces.  Manufactures were all too happy to deliver something new to homeowners who needed to show their neighbors and friends that they had “arrived” and were up-to-date with the latest and greatest.  Apparently, not much has changed since the 1720s.

While tea tables were typically something you pulled a chair up to while dining on small sandwiches and sweets, they needed to be tall enough for ladies and gentlemen to sit with their knees neatly tucked beneath the table.  Remember ladies were wearing full skirts with bustles, no less; and gentlemen had buckles on their shoes; if the buckles were not properly shined, they were discreetly hidden under a tea table.

Skip ahead a couple of centuries, and you have the modern coffee table, following the importation of coffee from Latin America.  The practice of sitting around a tea table or now coffee table as a form of entertaining in the home was more relaxed in the 20th century.  The coffee table sat low and was found in living rooms or other leisure spaces in the home.  This lower table was to encourage a more relaxed atmosphere and casual living.  In fact, by the 1950s, the coffee table was a staple in most homes and was used for displaying the family’s extensive magazine collection.  I know in my house, those magazines were fanned out on the coffee table that sat in front of the sofa.  Teen and Seventeen Magazine were not considered suitable for display; Look, Life, Sunset and The Ladies Home Journal were magazines of choice in our home.

Today, we still see and use both of these tables, sometimes even to hold a cup of tea or coffee.  Often, the taller tea table finds itself at the end of a sofa or chair holding a lamp, with space for a cup of tea or coffee or cocktail.  Both tables continue to be of service and can be fashionably fun as well as useful, with coffee tables often being a favorite spot to rest feet while watching TV.

I have an artist client who loves color and whimsey.  She asked me to paint a tea table, and a small coffee table to add some color to her predominantly black and white living room.  Each piece I painted for her, had a particular detail that I thought I could enhance with some gold or silver leaf; she chose gold leaf, and the added touch brought the pieces up a notch in the interest factor. Her home is such a fun place to visit, with such interesting pieces, and she is fearless when it comes to accepting decorating advise.  I think her only regret to her downsizing, is now she does not have the room for all the things she loves to collect.  But, color is her signature.

As with most wood furniture that may seem outdated in its look, a fun paint color can bring more years of enjoyment; especially if you were just going to kick it to the curb and buy something new.

To Hire A Professional or Not

My latest endeavor has been an exhausting task to say the least.  I plan to add a new phase to my business.  The Dexter Room was the first step in creating a space to spray paint cabinet doors.  Purchasing an HVLP 9.5 paint sprayer was the second and expensive part of this mission. The learning curve came next.  I am a very experienced painter using a brush or a roller; I paint walls, cabinets, shutters and furniture.  

I have spray painted small projects successfully, using cans, but I do not consider such painting a practical way to tackle kitchen cabinet doors.  I needed to develop a new skill; and while I knew I needed new techniques that would develop with experience, and I even expected a slow learning curve, I did not expect to regress.

I have talked with my paint representative, paint technical support and spray machine representative, but none have given me a definitive answer for my problem.  I have watched countless U-Tube videos on-line and read blog after blog hoping for more insight.   I am not sure it is my skill level that is at fault or even the weather, which can affect the way paint lays on a surface.  My next move is to talk-face-to-face with a professional (again) about the spray gun, which has been suggested to me as the culprit.

My personal story is to remind you that there are reasons to pay a professional to do tasks at which you are not proficient.  We all have gifts or skills that are valuable, but it is wise to recognize when your life will be improved by hiring a professional as opposed to doing a project yourself.  

I am grateful to my CPA every tax season; doing taxes is 180 degrees from my area of expertise.  I know that hiring an interior designer is not in everyone’s budget, and many people feel that they can do as well.  After all, it is not rocket science, right?  However, it is a particular skill that not everyone possesses though it can be learned to some extent; but having a natural ability goes a long way, just like working with numbers.

It is an unfortunate time when you are faced with an electrical problem in your home, but you know well enough not to tackle it yourself unless you are proficient working with electricity; the results could be deadly.

Fortunately, that danger is not the case with decorating and design, but a bad job is sometimes much more costly in the end.  People who hire an interior designer usually have reached a point in their lives when they recognize that their home is not the comfortable retreat they have been trying to achieve on their own.  Many people can decorate a room using catalog pictures and recreating spaces that appear in magazines; and there is nothing wrong with doing so. However, this type of decorating does not reflect a homeowner’s personality, which is what a designer can achieve to make family members comfortable in their home.

A good designer can create a comfortable living space, using your actual room to bring scale, color and balance into play for a pleasing room.  Just like learning about electricity, there is a plan to design; and there are reasons for the choices a designer makes.  We need electricity in our homes, but we do not get too excited about wires in the walls or paying for it.  We prefer to get to the end product, the visual; so it is with design.

The next time you hire a professional, be it an electrician, a tax attorney or a designer, please remember that there are good reasons for their recommendations, and the reasons all have to do with the end product.  Sometimes the beauty is in not what you can see, as in the internal wiring that gives your family the heating and lighting needed for comfortable living; a good designer can bring visual comfort to a room with careful and sometimes clever choices.  Hiring an interior designer even for an hour or two consultation, can save you and your budget in the long run from making costly mistakes.

Tempered Glass Bits

Several years ago, a glass shower door in our home spontaneously shattered.  What a racket!  Thankfully we were downstairs, and no one was near the door when it exploded.  Sadly, it was a week out of warranty.  The glass, was just bunches of broken bits, none of it was sharp because the glass was tempered.  Once we swept up all the bits, my question was, “what to do with it all?”  It was a pile of shiny, sparkly glass, like diamonds, I needed to find a use for it.

I have seen small bags of tempered glass in craft stores; now I had a five gallon bucket of it.  Christmas was the next holiday on the calendar, and I thought of ice, which made me think the glass was a good substitute.  My idea was to use the glass as a base for a small vignette: a cardinal bird, a bit of greenery and a nest sitting on the glass “ice”.

Earlier this year, my daughter and I were planting small container gardens using succulents, and I brought along some small stones, both natural and colored, and some of the tempered glass for added interest in the gardens.  I liked the contrast of colors and textures of the plants and glass in the copper colander, I used as a container.  The succulents can take the heat of the sun reflecting off the glass in the small gardens.

I have a simple glass container to which I added some beach glass from Kauai, and have a few pairs of earrings hanging from the rim; I added some tempered glass pieces for interest.  You could add layers of clear and semi-clear stones to a tall, glass cylinder vase; the stones would give your creation an interesting texture.  You might add the vase to a vignette.

I added some of the glass bits to a tall vase, with a single gerbera daisy; the combination makes a beautiful, simple statement.  A grouping of similar vessels would make a pretty centerpiece for a spring or summer table setting.

A “found” medium can create a fun opportunity to spark ideas for its use.

Spalted Maple Artwork

The wonders of nature never cease to amaze me.  On our trip to the wine country last month, my daughter and I visited a gallery and were mesmerized by some of the collections; but what captivated us and held our attention was the spalted maple turned to art.

The gallery representative was anxious to tell us that spalted wood is caused by a fungus that occurs primarily in dead trees, and the artist is careful to use only felled trees. 

Spalted wood is divided into three types: pigmentation, white rot and zone lines.  The artwork that my daughter bought is zone line spalting, which is characterized by thin lines of black surrounding heavy, black, irregular spots that appear very hard, almost like stone, called dark mycelium.  While all this is somewhat technical, the effect on the wood is simply beautiful, almost like thin ink lines shakily drawn around the heavy black spots.  In the gallery exhibit, the wood was cut into unevenly sliced slats and mounted on thin strips of wood to hold the piece together.  

My daughter bought the two pieces that were in the gallery to place over her bed’s headboard.  I suggested we paint a solid rectangle on the wall a very dark color to form a frame and place the work inside, the rectangle, of course, being larger than the two pieces together.  We did that, but once the art was up on the wall, it seemed too flat.  My daughter wanted more color, so we repainted the rectangle right over the original color, but without care to cover the sharp lines completely, while staying within the original shape.  She thought she would like to add a frame of molding to the painted on wall and paint it the same color, for texture.  Then she decided the irregular color on top of the dark color was interesting and she would leave it for the time being.

Artwork, of course, is a matter of very personal choice; fortunately we share similar tastes.  Her room is coming together nicely and I think she is beginning to feel it is just about right.

If you look up spalted wood on the Internet, you will see some amazing pieces of art, that are not only beautiful but useful too.  Spalted wood is used for musical instruments, bowls, tables and cabinets.  Some of the images show inlays of turquoise and metals.  Artists find uses for this wood in jewelry and furniture; their creativity seems endless.  Please be sure to take a look, next time you are at your computer, I think you will be amazed at this oddity of nature.

Salvaged Goods—New Uses

In recent weeks and months, I have felt like a small animal foraging in the world, collecting items tossed aside by others, to put in my own nest.  My daughter calls us, “roadside bandits”, but since these items are set out for pick-up by anyone, we are hardly bandits in the true sense of the word.

Some of these items are small, some are large, but all are useful and fun additions.  The smallest of these items was actually salvaged from our own stuff: a small shelf that was originally in the Hoosier Cabinet’s lower inside door.  I removed it years ago in order to make better use of the cavity under the pull-out counter.  I store all sorts of stuff under there, and the shelf was more in the way, so it has just been on a shelf in the garage for years and years.  The addition of the farm table allowed for much needed counter space and overflow eating space when needed, but using it as a landing spot for my husbands keys, sunglasses and change was not a good solution.  

I found the shelf and put it under the table top on the apron and discovered the space was exactly the right size to hold the shelf.  It just needed a backing, since it did not have the back of the cabinet door as a stop.  I knew we had some of the decorative metal screening we used to make the backyard lanterns for my daughter several years ago, and the screening turned out to be the perfect solution to keep all the loose change and keys from falling off the shelf.  The shelf is convenient and out of the way, not really even seen.  

While in Phoenix several months ago, my friend spotted some very cute shutters with the quarter moon cut out, and I had just the place for them!  Initially I thought I would put them on either side of the door inside the garage’s three piece bathroom, but there was not enough space.  However, flanking the bathroom window on the outside was more appropriate, and helped identify where a bathroom was located for a quick stop without having to go inside the house.

I put another salvage find under the bathroom window.  Along with the farm table, I had purchased a baby bathtub, and will be an ideal spot for washing my paint brushes outside, once the plumbing is extended through the exterior wall from the bathroom, in what had been a guest house addition next to the garage.   I will be able to attach a small hose to the drain spout and allow the tub to drain into an existing drain in the patio only a few feet away.  The tub is a great container for ice and cold drinks, when we have backyard parties.  The farm table journey was a positive one for sure.  I was able to pick up an old wash basin stand and enamel basin to use as a succulent garden and add a spot of color to a dull entry.

A number of friends now keep an eye out for me in my pursuit of doors for my fence idea.  A friend of my daughter’s spotted some french doors on the side of the road, and notified her.  My daughter picked up her Dad’s SUV and headed out to locate and load the doors; the bonus was an antique chair and some windows. 

I am currently using a couple of our old reclaimed doors as a backdrop for some climbing vines by attaching small nails to the door frame, allowing the vines to climb up the door and add interest to the plain garage wall.

All in all, these salvaged items have proved to be useful, sometimes simply as decorations, but at other times, providing a very useful function for my family.

Try to look at the ordinary with an open and creative mind; a simple box can be so much more than just a box.  Oh the possibilities!

Bookcases for an Empty Corner

After we downsized into our smaller home, and finally got the living room set up with the final furnishings, I was left with boxes of books.  The boxes lived under the window by the fireplace until I moved the old Magnavox cabinet that I had recently painted, displacing many boxes of books.  

Finding bookcases that suited both my husband and myself was proving to be a challenge.  I traveled to North Hollywood to look at a pair I saw on Craig’s List—oh my!  The picture was grainy enough to allow my keen imagination to fill in where I wanted it to, but the reality was very, very sad.  So I began the search again, through the various sources available to us now via the Internet and catalogs.

I found the perfect pair through a catalog, but wanted to see them in person at the brick and mortar store.  I had called late in January and was assured there were plenty, so I decided not to make the trip on one of our rare rainy days, knowing I would be in the area in two days.  To my surprise, the rains brought out shoppers, all wanting those bookcases—they were completely sold out by the time I made it to West LA.

I decided I would wait until the end of the next month for the new shipment, and wait another two weeks as the shipment was coming from overseas.  After what seemed like months of waiting, the bookcases were finally delivered.  They were assembled and installed easily.  I still have a couple of boxes of books in the garage that will eventually get unpacked and fitted onto some of the lower shelves, which should complete the corner and finish the great room.

The round table that is the real focal point of this area, was built by my handy husband in 1978 from a picture I found in Sunset Magazine.  He used two inch by two inch wood pieces glued together and cut into a circle, and narrow wood slats glued onto an old salvaged paper barrel for the base, thus creating the perfect puzzle table for his parents.

The puzzle table was housed in my husband’s upstairs office for years after my in-laws downsized, and served as a conference table when business associates visited.  Once we moved, with much smaller circumstances, the corner of the living room seemed like the best place for it be useful.

We use the table for overflow dining when we have large gatherings, and on occasion for a new generation of puzzlers to enjoy. 

Panel Problem Solved!

In my last article I described our latest project, which was removing a peninsula that closed off the kitchen from the dining area.  No regrets!  However, it posed a question as to what I would do with the pretty panel that faced the dining area and backed the peninsula.  My husband was successful in removing the panel in tact, which pleased me; to have destroyed it would have been very disappointing to say the least.  

I did not know if or how I would use it, but I would have offered it up for free to anyone who could use it before I would have it cut up and put in the trash.  The panel was set aside in our breezeway for the time being; I passed it many times a day when I went to the backyard or garage.  It was always on my mind.  I decided I needed to measure it and see if I could find a place to use at least part of it, if not all of it.  

It dawned on me with its dimensions, it might be a perfect panel for hiding the space behind the washer and dryer and the wall.   Since we replaced the original apartment-sized stackable units with full sized appliances, we needed to rotate them 90 degrees, leaving the backs exposed to the side wall of the basement.  The smaller units had been housed in a cabinet, hiding the vents and hoses against the back wall.  With the rotation, those unsightly, but necessary hoses were exposed; and you could see where the painters had painted back as far as they could reach on the wall, without moving the bulky appliances.  It was just plain ugly and I would see it every time I walked through the hall or went to the basement.

With the measurements of the panel in mind, I used my trusty tape measure on the space and discovered with a little cutting down and turing the panel on its side, it would be a perfect covering for the gap between the wall and machines.  Now I had to convince my husband this was a great use for this panel.  I am the idea person; he is the engineer who can figure out how to attach it to the wall.

The result is perfect!  I love that the pretty panel is useful again, and that the ugly space between the wall and stackable units is hidden, and I did not even have to paint it.  My original thought was to have the panel on a sliding mechanism, similar to a sliding closet door, for easy access to the machines if necessary, but my husband decided in the short term to simply screw it to the wall until he comes up with cabinets above the machines.  Saving the panel from the landfill has been achieved!  It is a win, win either way—proving once again that reusing what is salvageable is the best way to recycle.

Farm Table Addition

I have been waiting a long time to write about this topic; since I first saw this house, three years ago, a farm type table has been onmy mind.  As I toured this house, I knew the kitchen area was not my ideal, yet it had all the essentials; and it was pretty with all the molding trim.  In fact, when we listed it as a rental, the kitchen and dining area photos, brought people to our door.  Functionally, however, it was far from ideal; but it sure was pretty and had such appeal; everyone loved it.  Form took the lead over function. 

The peninsula that separated the kitchen from the dining area was a huge problem for me, though I understood the reasoning behind the peninsula.  The house was built in 1938; then, there was a pair of odd pull-out cabinets under the counter next to the sink.  The cabinets were, no doubt, very serviceable; decades later, the homeowner wanted a dishwasher.  I am sure the dilemma was where to put the dishwasher, without giving up the pull-out cabinets and all the storage they provided.  A peninsula was the only option.

Unfortunately, the peninsula with a dishwasher would have to be adjusted to accommodate the pull-out cabinets, making for a very awkward space.  I am certain it was a case of wanting the cake and eat it too; something had to give, so they decided awkward would suffice.  The space drove me crazy!  If I could have done the work myself, I would have removed the wall that backed the peninsula before we moved in; but, that would not do; moving alone was enough.  Besides, it is always better to live with a problem awhile to make sure you know all the shortcomings.

I was anxious to be rid of the under-counter cabinets in favor of putting the dishwasher in their place.  Removing the pretty wall was a problem for me, but we were able to remove it intact.  How I’ll use remains to be determined.

Years earlier, I had seen a magazine article with a great plan to build table out of pipe and wood.  My husband humored me on this topic for a couple of years, even after we moved in; but finally, he admitted he did not like the plan at all. His admission was frustrating to me since I had just seen a great farm table in a Phoenix salvage show and had passed on it since I had my planned table settled, I thought.  

The hunt began for the next perfect table to act as an island between our kitchen and dining area.  Luck was with me when I made my way to the Rose Bowl again, with my daughter, my favorite hunting companion.  We found many bargains and a table; unfortunately it had already been sold.  However, the booth owner said he had more in his warehouse, if I was willing to go to Santa Ana.  My daughter and I nodded in unison and spoke the words, at the same time.  We were anxious to say the least.

What a fantastic experience it was to be able to climb through all the salvaged furniture and other relics the owner had brought back from France; we were like kids in a candy shop!  We found the table, purchased it and had it delivered within days of our adventure. 

Next step was preparing the space, which meant some electrical and plumbing work under the sink, not to mention the deconstruction of the wall separating the kitchen from dining area with the peninsula.  After three weekends of work, the dishwasher is under the counter and the table is in place.  There are a few flooring issues to take care of, but I will call my flooring installer and have him tidy up the area where the dishwasher had been.

Fortunately, my husband and I are equally thrilled with the results.  I now have an additional six and a half feet of counter space in the farm table.  It is so convenient to have a place to set things down from the refrigerator and a place to prep food.  It feels as though the room should have been like this all along.  Using an old farm table is the perfect solution for more counter space and giving the kitchen and dining areas a more open, appealing feeling.

Reclaimed Wood Shelves

The pretty bathroom that we added onto my daughter’s house a couple of years ago has been finished for sometime, with the exception of some reclaimed wood shelves she had always wanted to add.  We spent some time researching reclaimed wood, drove to a salvage business in downtown Los Angeles, and found what might be a good fit.  Then, as other projects moved forward, the salvaged shelves were put on hold.  

Finally, the wood was purchased, and the shelves were added to the area above the commode.  My daughter wanted this rustic look to relate to the natural weave of her laundry basket and to add some relief to the fancy turned legs of the reclaimed dining room buffet we made into her vanity with the addition of a vessel sink.   The beautiful faucet set and vanity, along with the custom tile band for the shower, are the show stoppers in the bathroom.

The ceilings are tall in her 1930s Spanish home, and my daughter felt the commode area needed a little special attention.  She added the stenciling on the commode wall for a little sparkle, which adds to the elegance of the rest of the bathroom; the rustic shelves are a juxtaposition to this design element.

Dressing the shelves was the next project.   We found a fun little wire basket at the “Junk Bonanza” in Del Mar a couple of weeks ago in which she could store her spare bath towel.  Then she added some of her favorite things from trips abroad and down under.  The memorabilia are a nice reminder of fun trips and outings with friends and family.

Additionally, we picked up some fun pieces during our salvaging outings.  We picked up vessels for planting succulents on the patio along with an old bedspring she will use as a planting screen for added privacy behind her outdoor patio furniture.  I will share more about these and other items in another article, so stay tuned for more of our salvaging exploits.

Window Grate Reinvented

Some weeks ago, I went to a salvage store and found an old, exterior, decorative window grate that I thought would make a good interior dog gate.  I did not want to have a typical dog or baby gate because I did not want to store it or have an unsightly gate permanently attached to the door jam; besides the wall could use a little dressing up, I thought.

I knew my handy husband would not be thrilled with another kooky idea of mine and then have to adapt it, so before I even decided to buy the grate, I made a plan.  That plan would not involve my husband initially, only later to attach it to the wall.  The grate was a little too large for the door opening, and would require cutting down the iron material.  I knew just where I was going to start for that project.  Unfortunately, the first guy sent me up the street a few doors, and those guys sent me next door to a fellow who would do the cutting and welding of the hinges, but wanted a detailed plan;  he then offered had a cousin would could make me a gate.  I was not deterred!  I had yet another source; however, my husband took the grate out of my car, thinking he was doing me a favor.  I told him my plan, and he decided he’d do the project—exactly what I did not want to have happen; he has many projects on his list and this is not one I wanted to have him tackle at this time.  Apparently, it was one he wanted to do.

Once he cut the grate down to fit the doorway, he used a metal epoxy to fix the hinges to the grate, let it dry and set, then he screwed it to a wood slat he screwed to the wall, perfect.  Now the dogs cannot get to cats who prefer not to socialize with the canine kind.  

This gate was a good solution to the problem of having to keep pet species separated and wanting to keep the area easily accessed by the humans who tend to them.  Someday, I hope to have cats that accept the dogs, but I do not think that will happen with these cats; they were not raised with the dogs, and the cats were here first.

Imagine all the places this window grate could be incorporated easily— certainly outside for a similar solution to keep pets out of a garden area or kids for that matter.  The grate was inexpensive and that was appealing; besides, it was close to the right size and had at the look I wanted.

Stay tuned for what my plans are for the unsightly area behind the washer and dryer, a work in progress.

Semi-Custom-Made Blinds

Finding suitable window treatments for my living room was a concern for me.  I wanted something that would give us a little privacy at night, and disappear during the day, but be attractive all the time.  When I did my first design project back in the 60s, I got high marks for using matchstick blinds, and trimming them with decorative fabric trim tape.  During that period, there was a bit of a Bohemian vibe, and matchstick blinds were easy to acquire, hang and decorate, not to mention inexpensive, too.

I have continued to use matchstick blinds throughout the years, sometimes sacrificing most of the blind to make simple valances— where full coverage of the windows was not necessary— but still giving the impression of window treatments.

In the early days, I did not use liners with the blinds; they were not in an area that required privacy.  In my previous office that faced east, cutting the bright morning sunlight and heat made lining a must.  Once the sun rose above the blind area of my view, I could easily raise the blind and enjoy the view.  

My current living room faces the street, and I felt too exposed to do without any window treatments.  I had considered a lightweight wool drape for the window; but with an east facing window, I felt it would require a lining, which would make the drape too heavy to fall nicely and would add considerably to the already expensive wool fabric.  Besides, wool would be more formal than I wanted.

Matchstick blinds were a little harder to find this time around.  Once I got the requisite sizes, color and number I needed, it would be up to my handy husband to cut them to size—standard was not going to work in my space.  The cutting down of the blinds would be put off for sometime, since it required the use of his table saw, which had not found a place to operate right away.  Bummer!

The trick to cutting down matchstick blinds, is to roll them tightly and use a new, fine tooth, sharp blade.  In days gone by, he used painters tape to hold the blind while he cut it to size, but this time he thought of using hose clamps.  Brilliant.

Once the blinds were cut and fixed to the windows, I was delighted with them.  I wanted to live with them for a little while to see how I felt at night with lights on inside the house—still a bit exposed. 

The solution was to line them.  Again, there was nothing standard about the now customized blinds.  I bought some light-weight batiste fabric, trimmed it to size and hemmed all four sides.  Perfect.  Now to attach.  I began doing it by hand, but quickly decided that hand work would be too labor intensive; and my hands and back would not appreciate it.  I thought of using a nylon tag gun that is used to attach price tags to clothing, but would employ shorter nylon pins.  Fabric stores carry these guns.  They are called Quilter’s Basting Guns; however, I found that the nylon pins were red or hot pink, and that would not do for my project.  I went on-line and found the basting tool with shorter, clear pins; but had to wait for them to be delivered—over a holiday weekend.  

Once I had the basting tool, I was in business; and it worked like a charm!  I was particular about getting the lining up as high as possible and tacking it all along the top as well as the bottom.  Additionally, I pinned all the way down the liner and across the blind in neat rows, to ensure the liner would roll up cleanly; and from the outside it would appear smooth.

The end result is just what I wanted: the privacy issue is solved, and it feels cozy from the inside at night.  During the day, with the blinds raised, I love the light and the look of the blinds rolled up; it adds to our casual lifestyle, not so Bohemian since the blinds are unadorned.

Design and Function—The Beauty Within

Not everyone will agree on what beauty is, but it is one’s perception that counts; however function is a bit more concrete.  As a designer and decorator, I strive for both, it is in my DNA.  I know that not nearly as many people will find a storage shed a thing of beauty as will find a pretty fabric or the lines of a lovely chair; but to me, the shed illustrated here is a thing of beauty.

I do a great many painting and refinishing projects that add to the aesthetic quality of my life and the lives of my clients; so having a place to work on these projects is particularly important to me.  I wholeheartedly subscribe to the designer mantra that form follows function.

I purchased an eight-by-ten foot shed last fall, and my handy husband spent a couple of weekends getting it set up; first he built a frame for the foundation so the shed to sit level on the back patio that was sloping for drainage.  Suffice to say that he built the shed and foundation with his usual precision.  There are still some additions to install, such as lighting and a box fan for exhausting paint spray and fumes.

Fitting the interior with a tall, wire-frame shelving unit was key to storing the many cans of paint and other necessary supplies.  I thought it would be a good idea to wrap the wire-frame shelves with an insulation blanket meant for a water heater.  My hope it to help preserve the paint, which degrades in extreme temperatures— since the shed is not as well insulated as the garage.  Investment:  Insulation, $22, shelving unit was a donation from my daughter, $0. 

I bought a set of adjustable saw horses to hold a discarded, standard interior door; this serves as my work table. Investment:  Saw-Horses, $59, Interior Door, $0, Lighting, $140 and the Box Fan, $25.  The shed was certainly the most expensive, but I did get it on sale.  I do not remember what the pressure treated wood and flashing cost, but probably somewhere around $100+/-, and the labor was based on pure love which is priceless.

Without the lighting or the fan installed yet, the room has been a valuable addition.   My husband was the first to use it.  I insisted that he spray paint some auto parts for the restoration of our 1930 Model A, which has not seen any attention in 50 years!  Next up was the painting of a cabinet my daughter uses to conceal the litter box in a bathroom.  The shed, which we have nick named "The Dexter Room", has been deemed a great asset and in my mind, a thing of beauty. 

A word about the decision to purchase a pre-made shed; we looked into many less expensive options of which there are many.  First, was the least expensive, was inspired by the popular TV series Dexter but, involved assembly and take down after each use.  PVC pipe fitted to make a frame, and heavy sheet plastic sheeting attached to the PVC constituted the “room”, and would cost about $50.  I liked that, but from a realistic stand point, I didn’t think I could do the assembly by myself, and weather might be an issue.  The next idea was a simple pop-up tent, a bit more expensive, and certainly easy enough for me to assemble; but it would limit the size of the projects.  The ability to use the Dexter Room shed in just about any weather for large and small projects drove the decision to acquirea more formidable structure.  My daughter and I have plans to spray paint some custom doors for the newly installed cabinets in her laundry room; a couple of the doors are quite tall and require a fairly large area to work on them and allow a place for them to dry without interference.

From the outside, the shed is a pleasant enough looking piece, with a cottage look, but the interior is pure function.

Something Old Is New Again

After the excitement of Christmas and the clean-up aftermath, I set a new goal for myself:  to rid the living room of boxes of books that thus far have had nowhere to go. I had wanted to get a bookcase for the area the boxes occupied, but it would have to be low enough to allow in the lovely light from the window above.  A low bookcase would not be sufficient for the many boxes of books.  

The space where the boxes were stacked for the past six months is right beside the fireplace—a pretty prominent feature in the room— and the boxes were not at all attractive.  I have selected a place for tall bookcases— which will solve the book problem—but that is another story.

For more than four decades, I have had a cabinet always used just to fill space in our home.  It is an old Magnavox Hi-Fi cabinet that I gutted years ago to make it easier for me to move around.  It is a very traditional mahogany piece and has seen better days since it first came to us.  After our move, I decided it might be more appealing if it were painted.  It certainly was not valuable as an original cabinet with its insides removed.  It had some battle scars from early use as a stand for a small portable TV. Paint seemed to be in order.

I had considered a black and gray combination, or a turquoise; turquoise won.  At first, it seemed too bright and lacking in depth, so I added some antique glazing; that was better.  Still not sure before Christmas what to do with it, I first put it in the spare room and let the holidays occupy me.

Come the new year, my daughter suggested I try using the old, painted the cabinet in the space beside the fireplace until I found something better; it certainly would fit.   I decided that the cabinetwould allow “Sophie” the cat, a more stable place in the sun to view the dogs next door; the boxes of books were sinking under her weight!  It also would add a bit of color in a room that already has a lot of wood furnishings.

I was not thrilled with the cabinet even after the paint; it just was not something I thought I would use again, but using it under the window was a good idea, so why not give it a chance.  Just when I thought I would kick it to the curb and see who might pick it up, it was spared that humiliation and has a place in our home once again.

The moral of this story is not to give up on a piece just because it is old and worn.  Paint can revive just about anything and bring new life to an old piece.  Who knows? It looks good enough to stand the test of time for another few decades.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

“The Mending Wall”, by Robert Frost, is a poem I studied during my high school literature days; I remember well discussing what the author meant by good fences make good neighbors.  Now, my family and I are trying to be good neighbors as we face a fencing issue of our own.

The neighbors behind us have a couple of large dogs that seem to want to tear apart the fence when we are in the back area of our yard; and when our daughter’s dogs come to visit, the neighbor dogs sound like attack dogs.  This problem seems to stem from the fact that there is a bit of space between the grape-stake fence that is fastened to a chain-link fence.  The grape-stake fencing, no doubt, was intended to add privacy and improve the look of the link-fencing.   While we have plans to make improvements in the back yard, the fence falls far below the top of the list—except when we have dogs visiting.

The problem seemed to be that the dogs could see and smell each other through a space in the fence; so my immediate solution was to block that area, which I did with a large trash can.  Never intended as a long-term solution, it seemed to work initially.  Next, I bought an old gate from a local salvage store, and my husband clamped it to the fence—a was a good solution for a time, but the smaller of our visiting dogs could nose her way under the gate enough to be a perceived threat to the dogs behind us.

Next, we decided that a series of old reclaimed doors would take care of the problem.  The plan is to link several old doors of different styles, to create a strong, closed barrier and paint them a mossy color to blend with the ivy growing from the neighbors fence.

We have a start of this new “fence”, already.  My daughter and I were driving around after going to the salvage store and found some doors beside the road, clearly needing to be picked up and carted away; we were obliging.  Maybe we will get lucky and find more doors that are someone else’s trash, but ones that can become our treasure.

My goal is to create a secret garden look with odd styled doors and unite them with a common color, keeping the gate for added interest, and to help create that secret garden aesthetic.  Naturally, I have to embellish the plain gate until I can implement fully my plan.  I rolled some tree stumps that were on our property and set them on either side of the gate, then added some pots and plants for color.  A wreath gives the gate a touch of holiday spirit; I felt it was no longer an inside wreath, but it would do for the garden.

So far, my investment is the cost of the gate, and a quart of paint and a few annuals.  I will keep you posted on the fence project as it progresses.   We might get it done very soon since we will have all the kids home for the holidays—another family project!

With thanks to Robert Frost for his inspiring, thought-provoking poem, we too hope that a good fence will indeed make us all good neighbors. 

Repurposing—Again!

Necessity is the mother of invention, it has been said; and to me, a truism.  No sooner had I sold my old sewing machine cabinet to a friend—a cabinet that we had re-purposed more than four decades ago, as a place for the Hi-Fi turntable—, yes, that long ago— I found a need for it as it had been intended for: a sewing machine cabinet!  For many years since we first used it as a place for the turntable, we used it as a small entry table.  It served at Christmas time a fine place to set a tall Santa looking upwards towards stars I hung from the ceiling.  The rest of the year, however,it was just a small table to the side of the door, with no real purpose; so selling it was the logical thing to do.

Now I find myself in need of a convenient place to do some mending in my office.  I have 36 inches between my storage unit and a wall, and thought that would be a perfect place for the table.  I began going through the spare room, where all the extra furniture resides at this time; I soon remembered I had the sewing table!

I began my quest at a familiar antiques store and found an old- fashioned, wrought iron base with a marble top.  “Perfect,”I thought.  I inquired about the price, and the owner said she would get back to me.  Unfortunately, while the price she quoted was acceptable, I could not get back to her and the shop would not hold it for me.  I found myself back to square one.

What I had liked about that particular table was that it had a flat surface on which I could set my mending machine; now the search was on.  I found that many antique sewing tables still had the old machines intact.  I really did not want the machine; I, perhaps foolishly, had gotten rid of the one that came with my cabinet all those year ago, so the thought of having another one to discard did not sit well with me.  My searches took me to Craig’s List and a fairly near-by community where I found what appeared to be a suitable cabinet—with machine, ugh.  I went to see the piece and after talking with the owner, we came to an agreeable price.  We loaded it into my car and off I drove.

The cabinet top was in fairly poor condition; but I knew my husband could remove it, and I had planned to get a stone cut to fit it.  In the mean time, however, my husband cut a piece of cabinet grade plywood, sanded the edges and set it on top.  When I saw the new top, I decided to give it a coat of stain, just for the time being.  

Well, as luck would have it, the stain was a perfect match to the existing cabinet drawers and frame of the old top; so the thing was settled; it would so remain.

My next conundrum was what to do with the sewing machine.  Appreciating all the beautiful detail in painting and metal scrolling that was engraved on the face of the machine,  I was averse to just tossing it into the landfill.  I pondered the problem for a short time.  I decided to use it as decor and a “nod” to its glorious past.  I found a shelf and bought a couple of matching, iron brackets that appeared to be similar to the iron work on the base.  

My husband fixed the brackets to the wall and we set the shelf on top and then the old machine upon the shelf.  Now it sits in its place of pride, not in the way of anything, but a pretty reminder of the past.  I learned to sew on a treadle machine, not too unlike this one, so it brings back fond memories to me as I sit at my desk and work.  While the space of 36” is small, the iron frame has tiny wheels, and I can easily slide the machine out for work that requires a bit more space.

So the hasty selling of my old cabinet turned out to be a good thing, as my friend has a place for her computer monitor, and I have a given an old machine a place to shine and be saved it from the landfill.

A Pretty Utility Cabinet

 I have had a curio cabinet for many, many years; and it has been in a couple of different rooms in my home, always holding pretty objects that I have collected.  Sometimes it held delicate china and porcelain figurines, while at other times I used it to hold attractive serving pieces in the dining room, and sometimes a combination of both.

With limited space, I had planned to sell it, but it must have been too dated in its traditional pecan finish to be very appealing to buyers.  I decided to give it a bit of a facelift with some cottage looking paint; even the paint had a few iterations before I settled on a lime washed finish.  Right up to the time I was putting the final finish on the cabinet, I planned to sell it; but then I began falling in love with it again. 

I took measurements around the house, trying to find a place where I could squeeze it in.  The bedroom seemed like a good place, but no.  The bathroom would have been my first choice for anyone buying it, but our bathroom would not accommodate its dimensions.  Then I thought of our laundry area.  We do not have an actual laundry room; the washer and dryer have space at the back entrance, but not room for much more.  I had a multi-tiered wire rack on rollers that fit behind the back door—it was pure utility.  Because the rack was all open, I did my best to disguise the huge jug of laundry detergent that stood out like it was on the grocery store shelf—ugly!

I did find a solution for covering the bright green jug, because I just could not stand looking at it.  I bought an attractive, firm storage basket, and turned it upside down and covered the jug completely; it was quite the curiosity object.  A recent party guest just had to lift it up to see what it was—boy was he surprised!

The space that the wire rack occupied was perfect for the cottage style, transformed curio cabinet.  Now I have space for bottles of water to grab when I leave, a place for towels that are always needed when an accidental spill occurs, and a space for the laundry products.  It is a perfect combination of using what I had to fill a need, and it is pretty too!  I guess it is a good thing no one wanted my old curio cabinet.

Storage for the Home Office or Playroom

Finding functional and attractive storage can be a challenge.  Using what is already available to you should be the first thing you consider; after all, using what you have is both economical and practical as long as it functions well for what is needed—now.  What worked before may no longer be what will work today.

  After you access what your space can accommodate, and measure your current pieces, you need to start moving your furnishings around so they will function best.  After determining function, see how you like the arrangement.  Is it attractive as well as functional?

If you no longer want what you have, and your budget allows, find new pieces that will fit your space.  There are places where discount retail shopping is feasible.  IKEA is a master at utilizing function and space while keeping the look clean, attractive, and budget friendly.  

I knew the office space in our new house would be a challenge for me because I had an oversized office previously.  Like a goldfish, I grew my possessions to fill the available space; downsizing is no easy task.  My current office would have accommodated the large cube structure I had before, but would not be as useful as a different configuration.  I purchased three, equal cube towers from IKEA.  Like the building blocks I played with as a kid, I could conform these to suit my new needs.  

Laying one of the structures on its side with the two other rectangular pieces upright on either side, creating a low center—perfect for my TV, filling the wall space between two windows.

One of the improvements IKEA has made with their most popular storage structure, is in the various coverings for the cubes.  The choice of drawers, doors, bins in many materials or the option to leave a cube open, make these building blocks very useful for work or play.

As with many things, I needed to try a few options out to see what I liked best.  I discovered I did not like so much open storage; it was too chaotic seeing all that stuff every time I sat at my desk.  I had more open storage and, very few bins in my previous storage unit, but I did not see it much, because it was behind me.  This was an exercise in trial and error, I needed to determine what I wanted or needed in the way of closed storage, doors or drawers or bins.

I made a scale drawing of the units and played with the balance of the coverings open to me, as well as what I had to store in these spaces.  I needed to do a bit more editing of stuff I have kept over the years.  I finally decided that the two taller towers would have open cubes across the top, and just below, I chose to have a combination of a bin next to a set of drawers; both sides of the towers matched, of course.  

The next level of openings was a bit more of a challenge since it would go across the entire width of the combined three units, as well as the bottom level.  Drawers were better located up off the floor level, but doors would do fine there as well as bins.

For my office, this works well; the units suit my particular needs.  I can see how they would work for many home offices.  If more space is needed, you can easily add more.  Everything is bolted together and to the walls, for safety.  These would also make a great play storage station for a playroom with plenty of space for toys, games and crafts.

IKEA has made a great business of simple, efficient units; and there are several color options to suit your decor.  These units will not withstand abuse, of course, and will not appear stately in many homes; but they are great service pieces at a great price for many.

From Drab to Fab

Every few decades, changing the look of a piece of well-made furniture is necessary.  Such is the case of this petite wing chair illustrated here; its modest proportions makes it an easy fit for many places in the home.   When it came to our home, it was a faded lime green, which was hardly my choice, but the budget dictated that it would remain as it was for a number of years.

When I could finally have it recovered, I chose a sedate navy, which gave it a decidedly more masculine look and suited its place in the family room.  Years later, when I began divesting my house of furniture, my daughter’s home was a great option for both of us.  I have always liked this chair; and it is quite comfortable, a size that suits the feminine form very nicely.  Once it moved into my daughter’s home, it traveled from one bedroom to another and finally settled in the master bedroom; but its drab covering was showing its age, and the fabric had faded considerably.  

I searched for fabric and found one, both my daughter and I agreed was perfect.  However, delays of one sort or another had a disastrous effect; when it came time to order, the fabric had been discontinued.  Facing the thought of another search for the second, “perfect” fabric was not high on my list, nor was telling my daughter we would have to reselect. 

 Reselecting was the only choice.  I brought bags and bags of sample fabrics home from the design center, with a few favorites, but one in particular.  The process of deciding which piece will make the cut, is a bit of a game with us.  I place all the fabrics over the chair, like patchwork; and we stand back and begin picking off the ones we immediately do not like.  With every few samples, she would ask me if my favorite was discarded or still standing.  It may seem like a silly game, but I really like her to make these decisions based on her likes, not mine— although our tastes are very similar.  After nearly all the samples had been discarded, there were only two left; she asked the inevitable question, was my favorite still standing; the answer was: yes!  

We were down to the last two and liked them both, but for different reasons.  One was the “safe” choice, the other was a bit more bold.  The colors were similar— that was the easy part!  The patterns, were also similar, but the scale is what made them so different.

The favorite pattern was a large-scale houndstooth, while the other was a more traditional scale of the same classic pattern, but the color was a bit brighter.  I am always proud of my daughter’s ability to step outside of the comfortable and go a bit bolder.  Mind you, this bolder fabric is a very calm color; it is the scale that makes it bold.  For such a petite sized chair, it might be considered too large, but that is what makes it interesting.  I think if the colors had been bright and bold, the pattern would have been too much for the scale of the chair, but subdued coloring allows it to work well.

Besides changing the fabric covering on this chair, the wood trim needed to be lightened up as well.  I chose a silvery gray to compliment the fabric’s background color.  It makes the chair much more feminine, even with the classic, bold houndstooth fabric.

When Small Makes a Big Impact

A few years ago, a very talented artist friend of mine painted this little Kingfisher for me (pictured here).   I was not only surprised, but thrilled to be the recipient of one of her original works.  This little bird makes quite a statement even though it is diminutive in size, both in real life and in this piece of art.   Art does not have to be large to be a focal point.  Keeping a decor simple allows for this little blue and orange feathered fellow stand out and to draw you into the room for a closer look.  He is the reward.  His color and his size beckons you for a closer look.

My point is that small can be just as impactful as large.  It is just as important to not to over stimulate the eye; a small piece can command your attention even from a distance.  When you have something small, and you want it to become your focal point, simplicity is the key.

Consider the artwork over the sofa pictured here.  The art sits within a large frame that was painted a complimentary color to coordinate with the art.  It is an unconventional way to display a piece, but I think it makes quite an impact all by itself.  

The frame began as an ornate gilded piece, that I found along the side of the road.  I painted it the same color as the walls and had it over my sofa with the little kingfisher resting in a corner; because the texture of the ornate frame was down played by the matching wall color, the little kingfisher took the stage with its bright colors.  Now the again repainted frame gets at least second billing as it stands out against the wall but blends with the art it houses, making for a very pleasing composition.

Keep in mind what you want to highlight.  Small vignettes will keep the eye moving about the room; each individual setting can be its own focal point.  Having a common thread of color or subject will help you achieve a cohesive look, while each display can speak for itself.

I am certain that in the coming months that the Christmas holiday will take over this mantle, and the little kingfisher will go to rest for a month, but he will reappear to watch over us.

When In Doubt, Paint It

I have several pieces of furniture that no longer fit my home, and I figured they were likely in need of an update when they didn’t sell on Craigslist or during a yard sale.  I decided to give them a coat of paint to see if that would make them more interesting.  The first two pieces I have finished, the rest are in a holding pattern waiting their turn at my brush.

In addition, there was a jewelry box that was given to my daughter by her brother after he spent time in Japan.  He did not purchase it overseas, but it reminded him of his time there and thought she would enjoy it.  My daughter has caught the decorating bug for me and wanted to incorporate the box somehow into her eclectic, Spanish— style home.  Many of my followers are familiar with my mantra, “If you don’t like it, paint it”.  So with that in mind, I decided to make a drastic change in the box.

This project will no doubt offend some, while others are happy to know that something can change so drastically with only a can of chalk paint, brush and some clear and dark wax.  I proceeded to paint the piece, hardware and all with a soft Paris Gray.  It was not all that great looking after the paint went on, so my interest lagged a bit.  I wondered if I had made a mistake.  The first coat of clear wax, did little to assuage my concerns; but with a coat of dark wax applied, I could see the possibility of it fitting into my daughter’s Spanish cottage.  Once I had buffed the final coat of wax, I called my daughter over to see if the change; to say she was shocked would be an understatement.  After a month of careful purging in nearly every room of her house, I knew the box would have to be useful to find a home in her home.  It did!  The main bathroom has a cabinet that will hold this large box, and it now contains contact lenses— all lined up on the left and right side of one of the little drawers; it is easy to tell which to pick up, even without glasses.  The rest of the little drawers are suitable for tweezers and other little things that can get lost in a larger drawer.  The gentleman of the house seems quite pleased with this new addition and all its possibilities.

Another piece, I worked on is similar to a piece I did for a client last year, a two-tiered end table from another generation.  I had used it as a side table next to my bed; it held all of the necessities: the land phone, my glasses, pad and pen, and a ton of books, along with the bedside lamp.  It suited me and the room well, but I just don’t have the room for it in this house, so now it is painted in the same soft Paris Gray, but I used a bronze glaze on the top to give it some depth.  The glaze is easier on my hands.

I find this kind of work not only rewarding, but fun, I simply plug in my headset and listen to the latest book downloaded from the Library and go to work, hopefully giving new life to something old and tired.