I picked up the September/October issue of Design New England this evening and, as always, really enjoyed the rustic sophistication of the homes the editors chose to feature.
This home is the cover story – owned and renovated by lighting designer Craig Roberts – the house is near Dorset Vermont.
Roberts completely gutted and renovated this home – the result is a lovely spot which has a rich but light air. I picked out a few shots from the feature – to see more check out the online version of the magazine. These photos are by the very talented architectural photographer Eric Roth.
I went out yesterday intent on photographing some Fall color here in New England – as well as some Halloween decorations. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t cooperating as well as it could have – it was very stormy but I made it to Essex (on the Connecticut River) and got some shots of some of their doorways and houses.
The cottage above is one of my favorite homes in the area – an antique probably built in the 1800’s it really looks like a mini English estate to me. Yet it’s located right towards the foot of Main Street in Essex. Love the hedges and the large elaborate bird house.
The house below demonstrates how you can indeed decorate for Fall all in white! Love the white pumpkins flanked by white chrysanthemums.
My camera isn’t the best for taking scenery unfortunately, but I thought this shot (above) came out pretty well. It’s the tracks for the Essex Steam Train.
They stand upright, greedy for light to bend through them so they can cast their spell on each passerby. They are part of the Tube Collection from Tsunami Glassworks – each hand made and imbued with remarkably unique characteristics by Eva Milinkovic and Kriston Gene.
Available in a range of colors and sizes from 20″ tall to 56″ they are designed to be arranged in groups but look gorgeous showcased singularly as well. Prices range from $250 to about $2900.
Available in frosted or shiny glass, available colors include:
black/iris
olive/aqua
cerulean
citron/jade
cherry/turquoise
strawberry/saffron
citron/saffron
amethyst/black
new blue
So Tyra Banks – or at least the nice folks that help run her website – had a relatively workable office set-up, but not one befitting a talk show queen by any means. See before pics on her website to see what I mean.
Enter Kyle Schuneman, wonder designer from Los Angeles. In just a short time, and on a very reasonable budget, Kyle transformed the former so-so space into a spot you’d go ga-ga over.
Kyle started by painting the blah off white walls a serene blue shade from Benjamin Moore’s Natura collection, which is non VOC and very eco friendly. Then he rounded up a lovely but sturdy desk and matched it with a solidly feminine filing cabinet, window panels, a crystal lamp and some accessories like the vase below.
And what office can exist without a luxurious tufted setee? Certainly not Tyra’s – so a gorgeous subtle gray one was brought in. The drama of the color is set off by the very cool frames from Ikea that are filled with wallpaper for a graphic touch. Do you love? We do!!
photos by Joe Schemlzer
I’m sure when Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, founders of the Beekman 1802 line of bath products, leave their remarkable 200 year old farm in upstate New York and head into the city, there must be something of a sense of leaving nirvana and heading into a hornet’s nest.
Good thing they have this fabulously renovated sanctuary to call their home away from home. You might expect that guys who spend most of their time working on a rambling goat farm and garden estate would find this 900 square foot spot to be a bit confining. But thanks to careful planning, color and furniture choices, this sweet spot is anything but cramped.
In keeping with Beekman 1802 principles, Brent and Josh wanted their apartment to be as eco friendly as possible when they were planning their renovation. For starters this meant no VOC paint, sustainably harvested wood used for cabinetry, and the use of recycled or repurposed materials whenever possible. All major kitchen appliances were rescued from a demo project nearby, and much of the furniture, as you can see, is vintage mid-century office furniture. Floating white cork flooring that required no toxic adhesive was used throughout.
“The apartment has three exposures, so the idea was to let as much light flow through the apartment as possible, so all the doors in the apartment were made from floor to ceiling frosted glass–even the bathroom,” says Brent Ridge of the apartment.
“We like to be organized. As you can see from the photos, there’s very little clutter in the apt,” says Ridge. “Almost all of the “walls” you see in the apt are concealed closets and cabinets that open up to reveal copious storage space (so important in a small city apartment).”
“The stainless steel sink in the bathroom, the steel bed, and the steel coffee table in the living room were all custom-made and turned out to be a cheaper alternative than buying furniture/fixtures off the retail floor.”
What a fab space for trips to the city! Be sure to visit the Beekman 1802 website to see a great gallery of the Beekman Mansion, Farm and Gardens for a bit of contrast to this lovely spot.
Scott and Leyla Jaworski own a 1910 Victorian in Weehawken New Jersey that they’ve been remodeling since 2006 – room by room. Scott, with a background in construction, and Leyla a homestaging expert, had a loads of ideas for putting their house in order, but first they had to contend with a very wild a rambly front porch and yard. Here, Scott tells the story of how they turned their front yard from out of control to oasis:
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Deanne Abbanat and Paul Caldwell have one of those lovely older homes in Piedmont – just across the Bay from San Francisco in Northern California.
I lived in this neighborhood for a good many years so when I first saw the description of the home I was immediately amused.
Many of the homes in this particular East Bay neighborhood were built as weekend cottages in the early 1900’s for San Franciscans looking for a respite from The City – the concept of working out floor plans to maximize natural daily flow patterns was last on the list of priorities at the time. The cottages were afterthoughts as most of the homeowner’s time was spent out of doors. Marin County is also loaded with interesting cottages that dot Mount Tamalpais, many of them accessible only by foot and set on miniscule parcels of land – but we’ll talk about those another time.
The Abbanat /Caldwell residence featured a pretty typical floorplan from this era of homes. Perhaps the biggest issue was the fact that the home was appointed with one bathroom – yes sited at the back of the master bedroom so that guests had to trudge through their private quarters to get to it.
A teeny dining area was de rigeur, don’t even think about counter space in the kitchen – cooking wasn’t a big activity on weekends at the time.
Enter Josh Larson and Carrie Shores from Larson Shores Architects in Oakland. Through their knowledge and expertise, LSA presented Deanne and Paul with cost-effective design options that would create a practical and beautiful living environment, while making the most efficient use of space without altering the home’s footprint. Staying true to the footprint saved Deanne and Paul time and money in terms of permits and materials that would have been required for an addition.
The renovation included the removal of walls and ceilings which added volume and light, the addition of large glass french doors, the installation of simple white cabinets and stainless steel appliances, a granite topped central island, wood flooring, and recessed lighting in the ceiling.
New features for the revamped kitchen and dining room include:
• A second bathroom that is easily accessible to guests
• A utility closet that houses the washer, dryer and additional storage
• A beautiful, functional kitchen and dining area that is now used for everything from cooking, working on the computer, listening to music, hanging out and entertaining. It’s the new hub and social space of the home.
“I’ve never had a really great kitchen before, and now I do,” says Deanne. “I really love cooking in this kitchen, the design is perfect and everything is in the right spot.”
“To be honest, when we started the remodel I didn’t really care about the kitchen, but now that it’s done I think the kitchen is the best part of it,” said Paul. “It really wasn’t a comfortable space before, but now it’s where we spend most of our time – it has great light and guests like to congregate there; it’s just so much more compatible with our lifestyle. We didn’t add square footage, but we made it so much more usable and it has a much better vibe.”
Below, find the before and after floorplans:
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