Showing posts with label Wisteria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wisteria. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

One Room Challenge - The Big Reveal!


Here it is!  The big reveal!
It feels soooo good to post this and have this project completed! It has been loads of fun and lots of stress but, in the end, I hope that you enjoyed following along with the progress and that the visitors to White Oaks Ranch will enjoy the living room! 

You can click here to see the "before photos" and I hope you like what we did to freshen the place up!

Tucked into this window nook is a game table I bought at auction.  I love that we can fold it up and get it out of the way or pull it out and start a puzzle for the weekend!  I love the mix of old and new with the acrylic easel from Wisteria and the antique pressed print that my husband bought in Ireland. 


Thank you all so much or your feedback on the green chair too!  I have a feeling it is going to be everyone's favorite spot in the room!  It found the perfect cozy corner and turned what was an unused space in the former layout into a wonderful reading nook.  What do you think?  

I'm crazy about the Mastercraft Brass and Glass Bar we found on Viyet! 
I love it with the brass picture hanging system we installed around the room.  The mix of antique prints and the Animal Prints by artist Natalie Groves on Minted gives the corner a fresh feel.


The picture hanging system goes around three walls of the room and seemed like the perfect way to hang my collection of equestrian pictures.  Some are antique or vintage and others are new! 

If you have been following along the last five weeks, you know that I wanted to upholster all of the walls in a black and white check but that plan was foiled when I realized that upholstered walls and the dust and critters that live at the ranch don't really mix.  Oh well.....
Once I found this fantastic Karastan Carpet, I decided that the paint color that was already on the walls would suit the makeover just fine!  Yay!  One less thing I need to do and I figure that if we tire of this color in a while, we can try something new. 


 I found the little fawn on the left on Minted and the black and white etching of the horse on One Kings Lane.  The older paintings have been collected over time and several were purchased at auction this summer in Ireland.


The prints above were another One Kings Lane find.  I sent them off for easy breezy framing at FrameBridge! If you haven't tried FrameBridge yet, check it out!  I love it!



The furniture layout in this room was always a bit tricky.  It felt crowded and there wasn't really enough seating for everyone.  Our new dramatic English sofas covered in a Ralph Lauren pinstripe are welcoming but bold and, because they are a tad shorter than the old sofas, give us just as much seating but a lot more wiggle room when walking around!

In my original plan, I was going to cover two English wing chairs in Alessandra Branca's Alexander Tartan in Griege but I wasn't able to get them done in time.  No worries!  These fantastic Southampton Wing chairs from Prospect and Vine came to the rescue.  I ordered them on-line and they arrived promptly!  They don't sacrifice on style and I was able to get my hands on them so quickly and easily!

Stephanie Freeman and her team at Custom Drapery Designs did a great job.  She built exactly what I needed for the drapes and then went the extra mile to help me install the roman shades from Lowes.  I felt like the drapes needed a warm and natural element underneath since we didn't have time to add any trim or details.



I've filled the room with so many nicknacks from our travels like the Irish Beleek vases from our trip to Ireland last summer.  It is hard to see in the photo but they  have the most beautiful lustre.


My mother bought the antique Staffordshire Spaniels this summer at an antique show.


These trophies are a mix of a few we have collected and a little collection we bought pre-assembled.


I  bought this vintage box of Whitman's Chocolates for my husband a few years ago.


One of our biggest problems in the room was accommodating our large family.  We often gather as a big group and there wasn't ever enough seating.  When I found this club fender I was so excited because it gives us more seating around the fireplace!  I can't wait for holiday gatherings now that we have room to gather by the fire together.  


One of my favorite additions to the room are these new andirons from 1st Dibs.


I simplified all of the piles on the mantle and added this dramatic large trophy cup from Bellacor which has such a great selection and satisfied my late-night on line shopping craving many evenings when preparing for this challenge!  I needed to off-set all of the pairs and symmetry so I moved this antique silver Polo trophy to the side of the big dish. 


Which came first?  The brass chicken or the brass egg?


I fell in love with these X Base benches from Lazzarro Leather. We needed a square ottoman and they only come in rectangles but I put two together which gives us even more flexibility when we have a big group in the room.  We can separate them and use one for seating!

Our family loves to play games so I ordered a customized backgammon game from Mark and Graham for the ranch. I'm going to leave it out all of the time - inviting our guests to start a game. I love the engraved plaque and the way the black and white game board picks up on the checks in the drapes.








This witty words cocktail napkin from Wisteria perfectly sums up my One Room Challenge experience! And how pretty are these new glasses?  They are from Wisteria too!  I'm going to leave them out on the bar. 



I love nothing more than a basket full of extra pillows and throw blankets in a living room.  These whimsical pillows are from Arianna Belle, a fantastic resource for accent pillows!


My husband retired his Polo Mallets a few years ago (thank God!) but they still make a nice decorative element in the room.  For him, they are a reminder of some fun matches!


Aren't these riding boot bookends just the cutest?  I found these at Strawberry Banke Studio.




World Market has long been one of my favorite resources for affordable accent chairs like these black Square-Back Paige Dining Chairs.  They come in a set of 2, perfect for flanking a large piece of furniture and if you are in the market for new chairs, your timing couldn't be better because they are offering 25% off all furniture with the code HUGESAVE. Justin and I found this darling pup on our most recent trip to Charleston in a booth at Fritz Porter Design Collective. 


I filled the new piece of furniture with even more collected nicknacks, like these leather and silk horse tassels and a collection of arrowheads so large that most of it stays in the drawers - like a cabinet of curiosities!


I propped some of the arrowheads up on selanite risers from Wisteria ( a million great uses for these!).





Another one of my favorite things in the room is the pair of tortoise lamps from Bassett Mirror Company.  






So, what do you think?  I hope you like it and I hope you will check out the other participating bloggers and their big reveals! 



Thanks, again, for following along and sharing your feedback!
xoxo
Kimberly

Photography by Kelsey Foster




Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Lake Life Mood Board and Farrow and Ball Giveaway!


We have been struggling all summer to figure out some updates that need to be done to our little summer cottage on the lake.  We love it here.  Our time here is spent building sandcastles on the beach with the children, reading that pile of books that collects on our bedside tables throughout the year, boating, and eating dinner on the deck with a glass of rosé and the sunset. 


The last thing I want to deal with when we are here is updates to the house but another one of our dining chairs broke and the sofa is covered in stains - It's time!

Normally, a design project is the kind of thing that I take great joy in but when I arrive here, it just seems like an overwhelming and daunting project.  I realized this week that part of the problem is that   I don't have a vision of what the new look for the place should be?  

It is currently a hodge-podge of old pieces that seemed to make their way here from other spots.  I can't even bear to share a photo with you of the interior.  The house was built in the 1970s with a pitched roof, open floor plan and amazing views of the lake. We love the layout but it certainly could use some TLC.

So what do I do now?  Make a mood board!
It is the perfect way tool to help me make decisions when picking out paint and wallpaper and shopping for furniture.  I had to jump on it because we are headed to a local Antique Fair this weekend and I want to be ready to buy!

I set to work making the mood board earlier this week and it all just started to fall together.  I now feel so excited about fixing this place up and getting it ready for the rest of the summer and many more to follow. 

I make mood boards for everything from home design projects to my children's birthday parties but the hardest part of it is getting started.  So hard!

They always start in a different way for me.  Sometimes there is an item that strikes a chord in me, it could be anything from a little plate to a piece of furniture.  Other times it is a color combination, fabric swatch or wallpaper design that jumps out as my starting point.  I always wait for something to  resonate with me and I leap off from there.



In this case, it was this fantastic seagull motif pattern called Yukutori, a block print wallpaper from Farrow and Ball.  It is perfect for here and the second I saw it I said YES!  That is it!  The inspiration I've been looking for!

Then I started browsing through their amazingly well edited selection of paint colors.  I found three that struck me as the colors we often see in the magical sunsets (although every single sunset is different!).  I took small screen-shot "swatches" of India YellowDrawing Room Blue, and Parma Gray and saved them to my desktop.

I browsed through our photos from this summer and picked out a few of my favorites and then started playing around on Pinterest for a little bit more inspiration.  This photo really stood out.


Isn't it charming?  It sums up everything I love about this place...simple, elegant, relaxed with a dose of fun!  

The next step is setting up a collage format.  I like to use PowerPoint because it is so simple to arrange, re-arrange, fiddle with, etc.  A lot of people like to use photoshop or other programs with more bells and whistles but I like to keep mine simple and easy.  This is supposed to be motivating and exciting and to me that translates to user-friendly!

Now comes the really fun part: Shopping with out spending any money!  I love to visit my favorite sites and resources to pull items that would fit my dream results.  I'll choose anything from any price point because, after all, this is a mood board, not a shopping list!  This is a place to dream, scheme and play.  This is where I'm bold and daring with colors and patterns!  I always like a combination of warm and cool tones to add rich layers.  I add the images to my Power Point and start playing around with them.  I typically start with more items than I need and then edit down to only my favorites.

Once I have a layout I like that I feel achieves the look I am after, I always put it away for a day (or two) and then pull it back out and take a second look.  Does it still portray the mood to me? Did I get the essence of it right the first time or do I need to edit?  This Lake Life board got a lot of editing.  It was a tricky one to put together but I tried to really keep in mind what our mornings, noons and nights were like.  I tried to think of the places and spaces here that I find most relaxing and inspiring, like the row of Adirondack chairs that I like to plop down in with a throw blanket and my morning coffee.  Now that I'm done with it, I feel like this:


Here is where I need your help and my friends at Farrow and Ball have generously agreed to let me reward one of you with up to 5 Litres of their incredible paint (there isn't a designer in the world who doesn't agree that Farrow and Ball makes the-best-paint-hands-down!). That is a big value and I can't wait to give it away!  So, help me out here...

Leave a comment here or on my Instagram Post and let me know what you think.  I'd love to know your thoughts, ideas, suggestions and I'd love to see your mood boards!  If you make a mood board - could be for anything - include a Farrow and Ball paint color or wallpaper, post it on your social media sites, tag me (@KimberlyWhitman) and use the hashtag #myFABmoodboard, that will count for major points!!!  I want to see you be bold, experiment and play with patterns and colors to put together a dream board.  Let's inspire each other!




Custom Painted Plates from Jacqueline Poirier - The Crazy Plate Lady

This post is in partnership with Farrow and Ball, a brand I love.  All opinions here are my own.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

One Room Challenge: Week 6 - The Big Reveal!



Did y'all hear that?  It was the sigh of relief that I let out yesterday when the final mirror was hung in the dining room at White Oaks Ranch.  The rug didn't make it but I can live with that if you will let me off the hook on that one! Seriously, I was so down to the wire on this project that as John Cain Sargent was shooting the angles towards the window, we were hanging the mirrors behind him!  He has so much patience which is how we made it through shooting my upcoming book as friends!


I truly don't know where to begin on the story of this room.  If you haven't been following along with my progress on the One Room Challenge, you can catch up with these links. 

If you have been, then you know that my goal was to brighten up this dreary room to make it worthy of the celebrations that take place in it.  I wanted it to be happy and soothing and to draw people in and make them want to stay all they way past dessert after dinner.  

I also needed it to be flexible enough for a casual lunch to a holiday dinner. 
So, enough about what I needed!  This is really about what you can do to your home so I've opened my notebook to all of my sources and I hope you will follow your heart and follow the links and makeover a space in your home!

Wallpaper: Brett Design Ombre - As Stephanie from Custom Drapery Designs put it when she first walked in the room: "This wallpaper is a feeling."  Loved that reaction!  The more time I have spent in the room since the installation, the deeper I have fallen in love with this paper.  I must admit I was a bit nervous about adding it to this traditional house but I love the way it adds a fresh and modern touch to a room filled with traditional decor.  The best part is that the colors in the paper transform as you adjust the lights and as the light coming in through the window changes.  It is like magic!

Drapes: Pearl Gray Lightweight Linen Custom Drapery from Loom Decor with Adjustable Window Hardware with Simple Cap Finial in Bronze and Simple Drapery Rings in Bronze.  I added this Fabricut Lavazzo Charcoal Trim from DecoratorsBest to the leading edge and along the bottom to add a finishing touch.  Big thanks to Stephanie and the team at Custom Drapery Designs for driving all the way out to White Oaks to help me with the installation!


Chandelier: This Shed Antler Chandelier was already in the room and the only thing my mother requested when I started this project was that it stay!  My original plan was to do trelliage in the room but I didn't think that would work with this light fixture so we switched gears.  I'm so glad we did because I'm so happy with the wallpaper!





Mirrors: World Market Natural Geometric Wood Malika Mirror - Such a steal!  It is on sale today -from $179.99 to $107.99! That is what I call "Bang for the Buck!"

Buffets: Gustavian Buffet from Wisteria 
I'm completely obsessed with Wisteria.  First of all, they offer great design and great prices and secondly, they have a lot of what I need in stock!  I'm not very good at waiting for anything, especially once I've decided on a piece of furniture so the second part is major!


On the Buffets:

Antler Shed - Similar on major sale! 85% off!

TraysSimilar and I LOVE these.

Horn Tumbler with Succulents

These mounted horns were a Wisteria find from a few years back but this is similar.


On the Table:


Plates: Spode Glen Lodge Stag Dinnerware from Wayfair.

Placemats: Pearl Gray Lightweight Linen Custom Placemat Set from Loom Decor

Napkins: Pearl Gray Lightweight Linen Custom Napkin Set from Loom Decor with a custom monogram by Halo Studio Gifts (They do wonderful Facebook Flash Sales!)  I found this monogram in an old book of antique monograms.  It just happened to be my husband's initials and Jen from Halo Studio digitized it and embroidered it for me!

Candlesticks: This was the most similar one I could find.


Art: Shamardal': One of a limited-edition run of giclee prints of multiple prize-winning racehorse, Shamardal, painted by animal oil portrait artist, Rory Mackay. Shamardal rose quickly to notoriety in the racing world after earning the 2004 European Champion 2-year-old status, before going on to win many other trophies and courses around the world. Original painting commissioned by a well-known horse trader in England, who later sold the horse to the famous Godolphin racehorse stable. Now, I'd love to tell y'all that Shamardal has a connection to White Oaks Ranch but he doesn't.  The connection is that I am a big fan of Rory MacKay who does the most amazing pet portraits.  So, whatever type of pet you have, I hope you will check out what he offers!

Art Display System: Walker Displays 



Flowers: I'm not sure how I could have gotten through the shoot yesterday with out Shannon King.  You might know her from Hope Hill Designs. Didn't she do a beautiful job of adding elegant pops of color to the dining room table?  Truly, she went above and beyond yesterday when we took these photos and I'm so grateful.


Monogrammed Mint Julep Cups used as vases - Hexagonal Mint Julep Cups from Mark and Graham.  We put one at every place setting for this tablescape but I can't wait to use them in other ways as well!  So versatile!  



These chairs were from our first home when we were married.  They have been sitting in storage for nine years because they didn't suit our second house but when I found this amazing Ronda Carman Fine Fabrics Pale Blue Check, I decided that I needed to give these chairs a makeover.  My upholstery gent added the old french nails to the trim and I love the rustic and ranchy touch.  


Table: Restoration Hardware Salvaged Wood Architectural Column Dining Table - On major sale right now!  This one was my sister's but she moved two weeks ago and it didn't fit in her new apartment.  Worked out great for me!



Paint:  Valspar from Lowes  After spending time trying to find the perfect match, we decided to head to Lowes with a sample of our wallpaper and simply color match so that the color of the baseboards matched the bottom of the ombre paper and the trim and ceiling matched the top.

Truly, throwing this room together has been a comedy of errors and I'm so grateful for the patience, determination and hard work of everyone who helped.

Don't forget to check out the reveals of the other nineteen talented ladies who have been working hard to bring their visions to life over the last six weeks too!  I was so honored to be a part of such an outstanding group!

Photography by John Cain Sargent


There are so many credits to give and people to thank!  If there is something you want to know about that I failed to mention in the post, please leave a comment and I'll try to get you a source or answer your questions.

Thank you all so so much for following along the way with this challenge.  It has been fun, exciting, and stressful but I have enjoyed the journey and I loved sharing it with you.  Please keep in touch and let me know what you would like to see more of on this blog! 
xoxo, 
Kimberly



 

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