Window Coverings and Drapes

I do admire photos of rooms that do not have window coverings.  I think they can look cool, clean and simple. I also think that window coverings are a lot like jewelry...they complete a look.  With that being said, not every outfit needs jewelry but a heck of a lot of them do. Most of the rooms in our house do need window coverings and, I believe, will take the design to the next level (and are also needed for obvious reasons such as privacy and sun protection). We are also moving slowly because that was a little something I did not budget enough for.  And, whoa, you can pretty much buy a new car by the time you put blinds and draperies throughout an entire house!!

I have been waiting (and waiting) for our dining room drapes for months.  The fabric was on back order, the rod was custom, blah, blah but they were so worth the wait!!  I think this room need a little jewelry.  Like a big ole beautiful necklace to complete the look. Here is our dining room now.

I have to show you a way before...as in before we got our hands on it for kicks.  Yes, this had drapes but not the kind I was thinking of!!

This is what it looked like until yesterday with no drapes

Another room in our house that needed a little something on the windows was the kitchen. Now, this room did not technically need window coverings.  It does get some sun so they are useful for that.  Here is a progress photo...

And, here is a now.  With woven shades from Home Depot.  I think this is like a cool brown bracelet with an all black outfit.

One room in our house that we will not do window coverings in is in the family room.  It has a pocket door and a sliding door.  I think the doors and the wood give it enough substance and the overhang prevents this room from getting too hot or bright.

I would love to hear your thoughts on window treatments...yay or nay??

xo, Paige

New Series- What I would do if this was my "fixer upper"

What I would do if this was my fixer upper-The Modern Cape Cod

I am a little (ok  a lot) obsessed with browsing real estate listings, looking at homes, and imagining what I would do to make these homes functional, livable, and stylish. So, I thought it would be fun (at least for me) to take you on tours of these various houses that I find interesting and that have so much potential and do design/mood boards for them. After all, they just need some loving and some style!!  I truly believe almost every house has potential!!

So, I just returned home from visiting family in Virginia.  It is a pretty magical place...especially in the summer.  Summer in Virginia typically consists of lots of boating (boat rides, cocktail rides, tubing, jumping off the boat, taking the boat to lunch or dinner...you get my drift, right)?), swimming in the pool, fishing, bike rides, horseback riding and lots of family time and southern hospitality. I just love it!

So, I broached the subject with my hubbie...would he ever move to VA?  First, he looked at me as if I was crazy and then that was followed by a flat "no."  OK, then...I do not think I will ever win this one. He is after all a San Diego boy who has never experienced a "season" and thinks 65 and cloudy/light sprinkle is torture. So, in the mean time, I was browsing real estate listings in VA and at the very least, a girl can dream, right?

This house was built in the 50's and obviously needs some lovin!! The most important asset...this view and location. It sits on this beautiful inlet, has a dock, amazing views and a sun room (OMG!!).  SOLD!!  SO, obviously we will not be moving to VA anytime soon.  But I am humoring myself and, if truth be told, I think I have an addiction to remodeling.

So, today I am going to show you the exterior, the view, and the family room.

Before photos....

The view does not need anything, of course. How amazing, would this be to look at every morning.

The pool, we could give this a little make-over

 

With a flagstone patio and trex decking

 

 

And, some wicker outdoor furniture like this.

 

 

 

The exterior...now this where it starts getting a little "needy", as in maybe needs some charm, character and style.

 

I think a deep gray is just what the house needs with white windows and flower boxes. Maybe, a couple of steel windows and a door mixed in (my fav!!)

 

 

 

 

 
Copper lighting against the gray would be stunning.

Cape Cod garage doors

White/cream stone stacked all the way up the chimney

I love this dark gray/almost black house with the white windows and of course the snow:) A good source of inspiration!!

 

 

White roses and hydrangeas and ivy for landscaping...

 

 

 

Now, on to the living room

 

This is how I would design the space if I was the client:)

 

Old barn wood plank flooring would go through the entire house minus the bedrooms and baths.

The majority of the house would be painted a creamy white.

Also, this room would get a healthy dose of hand hewn beams across the ceiling.  Maybe 5 across.

Rustic stone and mantle for the fireplace.

 

Built like this shape and as a focal point

 

Woven shades

And, natural linen drapes (below...Kathleen Clements Design)

 

And the built in's that you can see in the below photo will be painted. 

 This is the Mood Board for the living room-  A gorgeous and very comfortable Verellen sofa  paired with the upholstered antique african textile ottoman.  A mixture of old wood pieces with worn-in leather, beautiful textiles, and velvet. The built-ins are painted an indigo, the floor lamp is rattan, the sisal is paired with a moroccan rug, and bronze/brass lighting for the built-ins.

 I will be back soon with the kitchen, dining, bedrooms and bonus room. Do you think this fixer has potential?? I would love to hear your thoughts about what you would do to beautify this baby!!

 

xo,

Paige 

The guest bath

The guest bath...We were not supposed to redo this bathroom completely.  We were going to replace the cracked tile on the shower floor and do some other quick cosmetic changes and call it a day.  But, that did not happen.  After all, this is the bathroom that our guests will use, as well as friends hanging out by the pool.  It had to be special.  That is my excuse for everything:)

Before...

 

 

 

We already had the sink console.  It is a wood base and a concrete top.  I was selling these sinks to a local store and I had this one left over.  And, it was sitting in my parents garage so I had to get it out of there:)

I had already picked out the stone for the shower pan (as this was going to work with the existing beige tile).  And, I liked it enough to keep it for the new "look".

For the shower wall, we used a stucco.  This idea came from Brooke Gianetti's shower of her vacation house.  I thought it was such a cool and simple look but very natural and rustic at the same time.  I believe she used a pool plaster. See below.

 

We used a waterproof stucco in a gray color. This pic was taken at night so it is quite dark.

 

 

I love this large driftwood mirror.  It was on sale for 50% off at a local retail store so that was a score!! The floor is slate.

And...ta dah...our guest bath.  I still need to style and accessorize ( a basket, some flowers, and something for the wall) it but here it is...almost ready for guests!

 

 

 

 

Thanks for checking it out!!