Part One:  The Gala Event

Last night was the long-awatied Gala Event for the Cape May Designer House. What an awesome night.  Anne Gibbone, from the MidAtlantic Center for the Arts did an awesome job!  Designers, vendors, contractors, and guests mingled and enjoyed the live music, great food from the Washington Inn, and wine.  I met the owner of Kravet Fabrics, Ellen Kravet.  I was so impressed (and honored) when she told me she read my blog and remembered the story behind my ‘table’ find!  What a nice woman, and so personable.

Guests mingling in my space at the Gala Event

Dave, from Hi-Fi Sales in Cherry Hill NJ admiring the chair fabric

Part Two:  The Dining Table Update

I realized I never posted a finished photo of my table.  Sorry about that.  Everyone loved the finished look and really liked the story behind the table.  (if you missed that part, check out my older post:  Plan D)

So, here she is:  all decked out.  A true labor of love. What do you think?

I had such a great time creating this table!  I wanted it to be a soft design element for the room, but with purpose.  It might be hard to see here, but the green wall color was put into the grooves on the legs, the skirt and the center column.  Small accents, some distressing, and low sheen make this table truly unique and filled the space beautifully.

Here’s the finished look with accessories:

And from another angle:

Here’s a close up of the back pillows- they fit right into the ‘x’ back of the chair and bring in a bit of  color and playfulness. (If you look closely, you can see the chair fabric in the background- love the way these pillows pick up on all the colors!) Marilyn Arnold did a great job creating the look I asked for!  I just love them!

Part Three:  The Fireplace

Here’s a view of the sitting area, looking into the space from the dining nook:

The Great Room, before

The fireplace:  originally a dark brown stain, now faux finished to look like weathered, distressed wood.  I used a combination of white, black and tan colors to create this look.  Here are some close up views:

Here’s another angle:

I love the small letter box to the right of the fireplace- Can’t you just see it filled with cinnamon scented pine cones in the winter?  Or long match sticks?  Or artificial artichokes sitting on a bed of green moss?  Hmm… might have to fix this up before the photo shoot this Friday!

How did Plan D happen?  Well, let me tell you.  Since I still was up in the air with Plan B and wasn’t thrilled about Plan C: the idea of covering a ‘temporary’ table with fabric wasn’t what I envisioned for that nook, I got an idea- well, more like a slap in the face.

While I was driving home from my clients house, I passed by the local thrift shop.  I’ve been in there before and knew they carried a huge warehouse of furniture, accessories, some antiques, etc.  I didn’t think any more about it and went on to finish my errands.

Did you ever get that feeling, that little voice in your head, that tells you ‘you should do this’?  Well, as I drove past the store, I got that voice.  Loud and clear.  ”Go in there- they have your table”.  I ignored it.  (not a good thing to do)

The thrift shop was now 15 miles out of my way.  But, my little voice kept nagging at me and I decided to listen to it and drove back to the store to “find my table”.  Now, I have to fill you in on a little secret of mine.  I have been talking about repurposing items and how I love to reuse things in my designs.  To take an item and make it your own.  I’ve been wanting to start painting ‘discarded’ furniture pieces and give them new life…and use them in my designs.

Well, someone’s been listening to me.  I went back to that store, marched directly to the furniture section marked “As Is”, and, there it was.  A solid oak round pedestal table with a leaf, 42″ in diameter.  Perfect.  Plan D was now in place.

Here's my table, dismantled, and ready to get refinished!

What is my Plan D?  Today I’m off to pick up the table, get the paint and create a show piece.  Here’s a little hint of what I’ll do to it:  paint it black, add some color, decorate the top with a little hand painting.

I can’t wait for you to see it completed- but here’s what it looks like with just the black paint….

Here 'she' is, two coats of black on- next step: distress & decorate!

My goal today was to get the furniture in place, set up the accessories, hang the drapery, and see what else needed to be added.  And post some photo’s here to keep you in the loop.  That did not happen.  Last night I found out I would not be getting the dining table because the warehouse only had the top, no base.  Still, I was optimistic and took the 4 dining chairs with the hopes of hearing something today about the ‘plan B’ table.  Nothing.  So, I have a “plan C” table in place, just in case ‘plan B’ goes kaput.  Plan C:  I’ll just build one myself.  I should know tomorrow which plan I will be doing, so keep your fingers crossed it’s ‘plan B’!

The rest of the furniture from LaZBoy did arrive today, without incident!  The delivery men were outstanding and Kristina Steelman (from the Egg Harbor Township Store in NJ) was a huge help!  I felt sorry asking her every hour if she heard from the warehouse about ‘plan B’ table…. but she was so kind and put up with my inquisitiveness all day.

The second hiccup:  the construction crew never came to spackle, sand and paint a 3′ tape line on the ceiling in my room.  This normally wouldn’t bother me, but because it’s directly over the center of the cocktail table, and right in line with the chandelier that still needs to get hung, I didn’t want to chance spackle or dust getting all over everything.  (If you’ve ever sanded spackle, you know what I mean).  So, bless those delivery guys, they helped me set up the space so I could visually see how it all looked and then moved everything out of the way and wrapped it all in plastic. The chandelier and furniture setup will have to wait until the ceiling gets finished.  A delay I did not want as opening day is only 2 weeks away.

Even though all planning didn’t go the way I intended it to today, I’m hoping for good news tomorrow….and I’ll still keep a positive outlook.  At least I got all the switch-plate and outlet covers back on the walls!  Check.  Cross that one off my list of “To Do’s”!  :)

Here’s the before photo:

"Before"

And, here’s the room showing a little taste of the colors I picked.

The fireplace wall is my focal point and I had fun with this wall- used 2 different colors on it, painted the fireplace, and the side walls are another color.  Used Benjamin Moore (you’ll see me refer to them as Bennie Moore) paint colors “Misted Fern”, “Dried Parsley” and “Savannah Shade”. The names alone make me drool.

An unexpected pop of color!

I can’t spill the whole thing to you just yet….

I love when your imaginations run, so go for it! Tell me what you think so far, too.  I’d love to hear your comments!

or Township committed to assisting me with my room and it’s been a whirlwind since.  Opening day is June 17, 2011.  It’s going to be in  a four-story town home, right on the bay.  Here’s the address and the link to get tickets, if you want to come:  Osprey Landing, 109 Rosmans Lane, Cape May NJ. www.capemaymac.org

While I don’t want to give away the whole ‘look’ here, I do want to show you the fun things I’m planning for the space!  There’s a lot of planning that goes in to getting this done, and before opening day!  (Which is June 17th!)

If you don’t know me yet, I love playing with color and patterns.  Here’s a little sampling of what to expect in my space…..Tell me what you think!

I hate the cold- mind you, not the snow. But when it’s a bone-chilling, below freezing temperature outside and the wind is whipping around, well, that’s when I stay inside.  I’d much rather be by the fire with the music playing and doing ANYTHING, as long as it’s inside!

Needless to say, the Jersey winter has been one that’s kept me indoors, except when I venture outside to, yet again, shovel myself out from the snowstorm and let my dog, Pepper, join in the fun.

Pepper waiting to go out and play in the snow!

But, I digress.  Being stuck inside has had its perks.  I’ve cleaned out kitchen closets, rearranged my family room furniture, cleaned out my closet (boy, that was a job!),  and tore apart my basement storage room.

My feeling of accomplishment is way over the top!  Now, to just get my taxes done. But, that’s a whole other blog discussion!  You should see my desk….

Here are some simple ideas to create vignettes for the holidays using what you have around your house (or with some new items to freshen up  your look).  Just have fun creating little ‘stories’ all over your home.

Using an automatic, electric candle on an entryway table to warmly welcome your guests and gives a warm glow all through the night.

Take a handmade greeting card and display it by itself to give it the attention it deserves.  Here I’ve displayed a card on a small shelf in my powder room.

make a statement

If you have a large item, don’t be afraid to make a statement.  This angel stands tall on a pedestal table.  Anchored with a small candle in the same color tones brings the two together.

Keep it simple and secretly spicy!

Here is the perfect example of keeping things natural (and being a little sneaky too):

Take a woven basket, add some fake pears (or green or red apples) for a splash of color and some cinnamon-scented pinecones and put it by a heater vent. Every time the heat kicks on, you’ll have instant holiday aroma without anyone knowing where it’s coming from!

Use unexpected things

I love grapes- and I have them usually displayed in glass candle holders- but I wanted to make this sled a little more my own, so here they are surrounding a battery-operated candle.

And here are those glass candle holders the grapes are usually on, only now they’re filled with green glittered candles whose glow will be reflected in the buffet mirror once  they’re lit….

The chandelier is another place to put a simple or ornate decoration…

I’ve gone simple this year and adorned the metal frame with holly berries and evergreen branches.

Well, that’s it!

Hope this has inspired you to create some of your own holiday vignettes. Just remember to have fun with it and make it your ‘own’.  Tell your story, your guests will love it!

Happy decorating & Happy Holidays!

~Julie

Before a plain, ordinary foyer light

What I had to work with....

My clients wanted a clean, contemporary look for their foyer.  They showed me what we had to work with….a gift from their architect friend….a pile of wood in a circular shape, unfinished, and a beuatiful contemporary light fixture.

First thing we did was got rid of the builder’s standard grade ‘fake brass’ foyer light.

Clean, sleek & contemporary

The architectural detail of the original design is further enhanced by the texture of the vertical material used on the outside and sleek trim around the top.  Finished to match their decor in the entry, the look is sleek and contemporary.

Bath Time in Cape May

just add water!

When I went to Cape May to visit the show house, I came across this cute bath store and just loved the way they displayed their soaps…… check it out!

I love the faucet & pipe used as the shelf support! "Fitting' for this shop!