A Successful Ending...and, a little sad!

The 2009 Bucks County Designer House came to an end today. It is always a little bittersweet when the house closes. So many hours has gone into the design and presentation, then we staff the room and "live in it" for a month. It's easy to become attached and feel a true ownership of the room. This one felt particularly warm and calm. The response was overwhelmingly good . All in all, it was a great experience and being only a few miles from home helped as well!

I lingered and took these final stills of some of my favorite areas. (Feel free to skip over, as you will see, I had a lot of favorites!) These shots are also for permanent documentation of a project I put my heart into. I really love this room.

One of my favorite bookcase vignettes, featuring vintage books, favorite framed spectacles w/button and tiny round bulls eye mirror.

Another favorite bookshelf featuring vintage books, clocks and a very fond old framed hound.



Poor lighting didn't help this shoot! More books, buttons (in abundance throughout my room, and I simply adore these old pigeon trophies. The art, a framed card of buttons from a Paris flea market.



One of the other bookshelves framing the mantle. I painted all the entire bookcase/mantle wall my favorite black-Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black. Look at these hand carved fish, more old books, an old trophy soldered, and sent by my father for one of my birthdays, and an old Polish document as framed art. These bookshelves remind me of this quote,"Sorry to appear insistent, but I must have my trinkets"!



Hanging on one of the adjacent walls to the bookcase, another collage of vintage buttons and a ladies watch face. Love this frame!


Making the bookcases complete, the mantle! Black urns, carved doves (coveted by all who visited the room!), old maps rolled up, feathery ferns, Paris books,ceramic finials, and a beautiful serene photograph that could be the Bucks County countryside. I could definitely live with this.

A cropped close-up of the carved doves on the mantle.

I had to take this photo of the firewood that I used as sculpture! Sneelock cut it from the fallen trees on the grounds with precise cuts just the right size.


Favorite painted chest of drawers (don't forget to use them in hallways, foyers and bathrooms....not just for bedrooms!

Wall of plates, mostly vintage cream ware with my assorted framed buttons and keys coll aged in amongst them. This wall was a favorite for most guests.

Closeup of the dove wall sconce plucked from my guest room as an afterthought. I sold these in my store about 10 years ago, and could have made a killing if I would have had 30 or so to sell.

The small original letters with dates in the mid 1800's from Paris that I found in some of my old books became art for the wall. Ahhhhhh. I love old documents! Beautiful colored inks and the most fabulous penmanship.

Bring me your cherished correspondence and I'll help you frame them!

Fabulous Black-eyed Susan ferns, lush and full! No water, please!




A shot of the entrance into our room from the foyer. The ferns were the perfect drama to flank the entrance into the living room. Also noted, the three iron mirrors over the front door. This is a favorite space of mine to accent.

Giant birds nest fern. I love this plant, I suppose it's the cost that others don't love. This could be one of those inventory items that I would never be sorry to end up owning!

Linen chair with monogrammed french flea market linen resting on it. Hmmm...wonder where that "T" will end up! (Don't worry, I have more in the store.)


That all too favorite silk pillow collection with pompom embellishments. There could not have been a finer compliment to the room!



That pop of color to an overall calm room--pumpkin and taupey-grey silk throws. Wow.



I used this square bolster on the floor with an old open book on it just for a bit of whimsy. WAY cute pillow!! And, not a bad shot of that extraordinary $48,000.00 rug!



Goodbye beautiful mid century rug.



There were several favorites by those who visited the room. One was this vintage frame tied into the window with a chocolate french ribbon. It served as the backdrop for books tied with raffia and a sophisticated painted dove sculpture.

The swing-arm drapery rods, linen banded panels, and sheer linen embroidered dot shades were another noted favorite. I love them as well!

A good shot of the poised swing-arm rods with the linen painted lampshade which marries the linen furniture and the wall color, in the foreground.



This dramatic and loved chandelier took center stage. I called it, "Bucks County meets New York"!

I staffed the room the second half of closing day and when the final notes played on my jazz CD, the lights were turned off for the final time and I took one last look at the room, it was with a tiny twinge of sadness!

Deep windowsills make my heart sing. Featured in this one, an urn filled with fantail pussy willows, collected globes, and framed seashells. Would you think to put those items together?! Sometimes, it all about color and scale. It works. Still loving those swing-arms!!


A really good closeup and I promise, that last shot of the swing-arm drapery rods!



One last self portrait of me in the room . The lights are off now. Goodbye Color of Calm.

Sneak Peek

Unlike last night, when I began by telling you it the short, edited edition...and then posted umpteen photos, this one really is!

This is the vingette I created for the program booklet for the Designer House. It's almost one full month ahead of the D-day, so who knows if this is still what this great little chest will look like on opening day, but for now, I really like it!

I painted the chest the lighter color of the stripe, including the hardware. The platters are some that I found at the Paris flea market last spring while visiting my daughter. The books, also from the Paris flea market offered a wonderful surprise when a stack of 8 or 9 very old letters fell from the pages! The envelopes are smaller than an index card, with the most beautiful califgraphy-like penmenship/manuscripts in chocolate and eggplant inks. No one writes with that beauty anymore. Of course, the letters were in French, but they were still fun to cast my eyes upon. I'm thinking that they would make a wonderful framed piece of art for the room.

I'll let you know, but they are a real treasure.

I got the idea to tuck one of the new linens that just came in into the drawer. These are the vintage linens from France that are remade and collaged, some with monograms added. I told you about them during my buying trip in January. They didn't disappoint me! You must stop in and see the fabulous selection.

The lamp is interesting as well. The shade is a natural gray linen and has a manuscript faintly written on it. The manuscript is Italian wedding vows! Oh, my.

I got rave reviews from all around, and I think the room will be a hit. With the difficult work behind me, it will be exciting to put the whole room together in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted!

Closeup of part of the acccessories. *note the old postcard from France, which also fell out of my book! I'm hoping it's still there tomorrow when I stop by to clean up the photo shoot set-up. I neglected to tell you that the letters dated back to the early 1800's! Treasures, indeed.

The designer house is going to be a good one this year. There is the main manor house (the one we are doing the living room another Victorian house , and multiple outbuildings , boutiques and gardens. The cafe will be catered by Jamie Hollander, YUM! Save the date.

And don't forget that you can get your advanced tickets at Black-eyed Susan...a full $5.oo less than at the door!

Start counting. See you there!