Summer Duck is Almost Done

When I stopped in to check on my Summer Duck project last week, I couldn't contain my excitement.  There were tons of tradespeople there working, so the photos aren't the best, but hopefully you can see why I am loving this house!

Home of a future red front door...

View from Upstairs

Another example of why I love wallpaper.

I can't wait to show you more photos of this master bath.  There is a freestanding tub, an amazing shower and did you notice we used wood flooring?  BEAUTIFUL!  

I'm off to celebrate Thanksgiving.  I'm truly thankful for so much - my son, my family and my clients!  They are truly the reason I love my job so much and can't wait to see what the next day has in store.  I hope you will be surrounded by love and laughter this holiday weekend.

Oh, and WAR EAGLE!

Chez Sois {take six}

Well, it's almost finished and anyone who has ever been a part of a construction or remodeling project knows there are always a few "hiccups" along the way.  Even with the best laid plans, things don't always come together as you hope and Chez Sois is no exception.

The kitchen selections were all done, but then the inevitable back order happened.  The accent tile wasn't available and the company couldn't even tell us when it would be.  With the counters already ordered, we made a safe decision by going with the mosaic version of what we already selected for the field tile on the splash.  This ended up being a much better choice than our first!

Here is what we originally picked out...

The quartz counters were white with a warm neutral veining, cabinets were white, main field tile was a white/gray marble and our accent tile (the sample leaning against the cabinet door) was going to tie it all in together.

Once everything was installed, my client just wasn't happy with the white counters.  She waited until everything was done before deciding, but it just wasn't working.  I'm proud of her for not just "living with it" and regretting it years later, but it was definitely a delay and expense we weren't counting on.  So, gray counters were ordered!  Thankfully, we were able to use the first set of counters on another project.

The new counters were installed last week and I took a quick picture before they had finished up...

And this is the only photo I have showing the original counters...

 

With all that was going on with our counters, the contractor made great progress on some of the trim details we had planned.  He was very patient with us in laying out the mantel and paneling on the walls so my client could envision everything he was going to do.  Here's how the mantel literally came to life this week...

Pencil drawings to get all the measurements worked out.

Then, the marble tile surround was installed.

And we are almost there.  Just needs a coat of paint and the new logs!

I will leave you with one last photo of the powder bath progress.  These rooms always end up being my favorite and I can't wait to show you the finished space!

 

A New Project

I love starting new projects!  The ideas start coming to me at all hours of the night, I find myself constantly pinning inspiration photos or looking for products on my phone while I'm in the carpool line at school.  It's even better when you have a client who is so excited to be working with you.  I was lucky enough to meet one such client on Monday.

She's in a hurry (most clients are), so we're fast tracking a lot of decisions so we can move onto the others.  The first item on my list are paint colors.  Here is a little sneak peak of the colors she currently has to face every day.

Hard to really tell, but here's a shot of three rooms - family, kitchen and dining room.  Each is a different paint color.  Gold, tan and baby blue.  The "French's Mustard" in this room is creating the most angst.

This color is a tie for being the worst in the house.  It honestly looks better in this photo than in person.  My client called it "baby poop" as we walked through the first day.

In addition to the paint colors, we had to start making decisions on a few fabrics so we could select just the right colors for the walls.  It's much easier to match a paint to a fabric than the other way around, trust me!  Here are a few rooms we put together in the last few days.

These are the selections for the upstairs playroom.  We are using an indoor/outdoor rug.

This is the fabric for the shower curtain and beautiful paint for the guest bathroom.  This is going to be a major improvement of the current baby poop on the walls.

Finally, we are using wallpaper in three rooms.  When my client said she liked using wallpaper, it was like music to my ears!  I'm super excited about what we have ordered and can't wait to see it installed.  

Here's the paper we selected for the powder bath.  Sorry for the bad photo.

This is one of the light choices I'm sending her today.

And this one.  Which do you like best?

I can't wait to see how everything starts coming together.  She has guests arriving at the end of this month, so let the games begin!  If you need help getting your home ready for a special occasion, give me a call!

Thanks for reading,
Jennifer  

Powder Baths

The powder bath is usually the smallest room in the house, but it probably gets more use than any other.  Not only is it used by the family, but also by your guests.  I love to take advantage of this little room and fill it with as much character as possible.  Almost always, my clients end of loving that space more than any other.  That's because they usually took a risk that they wouldn't do in another room - bold paint color, wallpaper, interesting light fixture, etc.

Here are some great examples I've found out there and why I love them so much!

This bathroom featured on Houzz has done everything right, in my opinion.  From the large scale wallpaper, to the lighting and vanity cabinet.  Perfection!

This bathroom from home is where the heart is shows a unique way of using swing arm lamps on either side of the mirror.  I also love the wallpaper and round table in the corner.

I wasn't sure about the window above the sink, but they made it work by keeping the vanity style simple.  Plus, you have a great mirror to the side to check your makeup.  This comes from Style Carrot.  Oh!  I love the pendant light, too.

There are so many things I love about this powder bath featured on White+Gold.  The herringbone style paneling creates much needed architectural detail.  The blue grasscloth not only brings in color, but texture as well. 

If anyone knows where this vanity came from, please let me know as I searched for this after a client showed me this photo while designing her new house.  The open shelving provides much needed storage a pedestal sink can't.  This bathroom was featured on Better Homes and Gardens.

This contemporary example from Houzz shows how tile can make such a huge statement in a small space.  The neutral colors was the way to go and I love it in contrast to the dark cabinetry.  The glass bowl looks like just another accessory.  Lovely!

So, take a chance when it comes to decorating your powder bath.  Go bold or go home!

Thanks for reading,
Jennifer