Details are a Rooms Best Friend

I've got a lot of projects rockin' and rollin' right now. It's been a busy summer and it doesn't look like it will be slowing down anytime soon. The jobs I'm working on at any given time can range from new construction projects where we are doing cabinetry for an entire house, to remodels where we may be working on a powder room vanity. Regardless of the type of project, those projects with heart and consideration ALWAYS turn out the best. Earlier in the summer I talked about the importance of details and with every project I start and finish I'm reminded of what a difference the details can make.

We recently completed a fun laundry/mud room project that takes functional to a whole new level. The project consists of new laundry room cabinets and the addition of a mud bench right outside the laundry room. The space is not very big, but the homeowner is SUPER SAVVY and was determined to get as much functionality out of this space as humanly possible. Every square inch of these spaces was considered. Countless items such as the ironing board, iron, laundry detergent, spray bottles and baskets have been measured and re-measured to ensure they will fit in their designated areas. We have literally squeeeeeeeezed every last drop of usable space out of this room and it turned out great.

Is this not THE cutest little mudroom/bench area? In order to create this space the contractor, Chris Pfahl of Dreamweaver Properties, had to modify the wall to the right of the door by pushing the wall into the garage to create this niche'.  This space is just big enough to house the little backpacks and jackets on decorative hooks. Additional storage space was captured in the drawers under the wooden seat and the open shelving at the top of the unit is the perfect place to house baskets. 

What you see above may seem like a pretty, updated shot of a laundry room, but it's oh so much more....

This wall of cabinetry literally explodes with storage! As I mentioned above, every inch of this space was considered to ensure that as much storage was captured as possible. We installed a partition in the far left tall cabinet to house the ironing board. Adjustable shelves were installed to the right of the partition. The partition as well as the shelving sit back 4" from the front of the door so the broom, mop and other items hung on the back of the door have a place to land when the door is shut.

 
 
The tall cabinet to the right houses three adjustable rollouts, adjustable shelves and a pullout trash can. As you can see the homeowner is utilizing baskets both in the mudroom/bench area as well as on the adjustable shelves. It's a great way to store miscellaneous items in a drawer like setting without having to actually have the drawer or rollout. Also, the adjustable shelving lends itself to a lot of flexibility in that the shelves can be moved or removed to accommodate stored items in various shapes and sizes.

A countertop was placed over the washer and dryer which creates a nice uninterrupted folding area.

 Wall cabinets & a hanging rod were installed above the washer and dryer. This addition offers plenty of drip-dry hanging space and even more storage.

 The washer and dryer take up most of the space on this wall, but it should come as no surprise that leaving valuable storage space on the table just wasn't an option. The homeowner gets 100% credit for thinking up this smart little cabinet sandwiched in between the washer and dryer. This cabinet serves as the perfect space to house laundry detergent, dryer sheets, fabric softener, etc...

The adorable shirt/short hardware was another customer find and really adds another layer of personality to the space.

All cabinetry for this project was Bell Custom Cabinetry and was constructed in Paint Maple. The Mudroom/Bench area was painted in Benjamin Moore's Frostline AF-5 and the wooden seat was stained to match the floors. The laundry room cabinets were painted in Benjamin Moore's Metropolitan AF-690.

There is no doubt about it - this client had done her research, she had talked to friends, surfed the web and utilized sites like pinterst and Houzz to find inspiration photos of what it was she was looking for. She gathered all of this ammunition and then set out to make her space work for her and her family. All of her hard work paid off because she has a truly functional and aesthetically beautiful space that others will be pinning and adding to their idea books for years to come!

All photos in this post are my own.

If You Give a Blogger a Diamond Ring...

She  goes on a blogging hiatus.

 

I know, I know it's been a hot minute since I last blogged, but I have a good excuse.....

 I got engaged on September 7th! 

 

The proposal came as a huge shock, my now fiance, Brent surprised me with the sweetest proposal in Highlands, NC on our five year anniversary. After the initial proposal we went back to his family's mountain house where I was further shocked to find both of our families there to celebrate! It was awesome and I couldn't be happier. But, since the moment the words, "yes, yes, yes" (while bouncing up and down, ugh they even caught this on camera) came out of my mouth my world has been ROCKED! Engagements require a lot of attention. Everyone wants to see the ring, offer congratulations and find out alllll the details not only on the proposal but on the date, the dress, the colors, you know all the decisions we haven't had a chance to make. It's been a whirlwind, a fun and exciting whirlwind, but a whirlwind nonetheless.

 

Amidst all of this engagement fun I have a lot going on at work too. We have SO many fun projects going on right now and a lot of them will have blogs attached. I have a post in the works right now that will  showcase a recently completed laundry/mudroom project. Plus, my Chattanooga project installs TODAY, so I'm hoping to post some shots of that one too.

 

We are hoping for a Spring wedding, so until then....my brain will consist of: wedding planning, kitchens, baths, blogging, laundry rooms, designing house of my own, wedding planning, mudrooms, powder rooms and a little more wedding planning.....sounds like fun on the brain to me!

Here we are in Highlands!

Look, I've already made it into a wedding magazine....

 



Photo - Instagram
This little treasure was courtesy of Holly Hill Floyd. She knows how much I love being in magazines ;)

As far as the wedding goes I've decided I'm going to treat it like a kitchen remodel, one decision at a time. Piece of cake ;)


Unless otherwise noted all photos are from Lori Foster.

At Home With Christian Louboutin

When fashion and interiors collide, consider my interest sparked.

 I love and appreciate fashion almost as much as interiors, so needless to say I'm always very excited when the opportunity arises to get a sneak peak into the lives of fashion designers I admire. Because I believe how someone chooses to decorate and furnish their home is a direct reflection of their style, interests and personality, I always feel I "know" the designer that much better after seeing photos of their home.

This month the Wall Street Journal Magazine has a feature on shoe designer, Christian Louboutin's home.

September 2012 Issue.

For all of you shoe lovers out there, it's no secret that Christian Louboutin is one of the most influential shoe designers of the 21st century. His shoes are easy to spot as they feature the highly coveted red sole.

The red sole has become a symbol of the highest level of luxury in shoes. His shoe designs are a dream and range from uber elegant and classic to outrageous.

As is the case with most creative genius' Christian Louboutin is a bit eccentric, which is one of the many reasons I so enjoyed reading this article. He enjoys collecting pieces from across the world, regardless of if he actually has a specific place in mind to house them. The magazine states, "Nearly all of the decorative pieces in Louboutin's home were purchased on impulse.  I'd say with 5 homes across the world - in Paris, Portugal, Egypt, Los Angeles and the French Countryside he has plenty of space to house his treasures. 

This particular feature focuses on Christian's regal 13th century manor in the French Countryside.

Entry Hall.

 I love the grand curve of the mahogany stairway, it gives the space a very elegant vibe. Notice the venetian crystal globes at the base of the stairs.

The orangerie.

This sun room of sorts is the perfect mixture of foliage, earthy tones and textures. I would love to see the whole room, there are clues in this photo that suggest the room holds even more interest than you can spot in this shot. If you look closely you can see a tiny bit of what looks to be a very interesting and rustic beam structure in the ceiling. The sofa, chairs and table are from 1910 and were found in Egypt.

Living Room.

 To me, this room just looks so french and elegant. I love the soft color palette mixed with the gold furnishing and detailed trim work. The mirror and marble countertop shown in this photo were bought at auction.

This is a photo of Christian Louboutin in his archive.

The above photos shows Christian in his shoe archive at his home in the French Countryside. Yes, you read right -  SHOE ARCHIVE! This space was completed earlier this Spring and houses eight THOUSAND pairs of his shoe creations spanning twenty years.

The archive is housed in an oak barn. How ironic, right? Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of shoes housed in a barn. Love it.

This photo shows off the spectacular interior of the shoe archive. The space is filled with treasures Louboutin has collected from all over the world. The shelving you see to the far left houses all of the shoes and is decorated with pressed botanicals from his garden. The two large searchlights you see in the middle of the space are from a Paris Antique shop and  the Suez Canal. One was purchased in Egypt while the other was found at a Paris Flea Market. In addition, there are two Aztec totem poles, a pair of Indian rococo columns and Syrian columns that were picked up from Mexico City and a Paris antique shop.  The magazine states, "the mirrored 'basin' on the floor was modeled on the Canopus pool in Hadrian's Villa near Rome. " Finally, the walls are lined with  photographs, including a series of nudes wearing fetish shoes Louboutin designed. I really love how the space is a hodgepodge of all things loved by this artist. The space is bright, airy and filled to the brim with inspiration. Maybe the best part of all is the irony of the collectibles, expensive shoes and art work being housed in a barn. But what beautiful backdrop it offers.

Louboutin said, "I prefer buying things and figuring out where to put them later than regretting not buying them." I really admire and relate to this concept. I can't tell you how many times I've passed something up while shopping only to find myself obsessing over it hours later. More times than not, when I return the items have been snatched up and the opportunity has been missed.  I truly believe the most interesting spaces are those filled with decor and furnishings with a story attached. Stories describing the journey to finding those one of a kind pieces, handmade pieces, passed down pieces or random finds always intrigue me and make rooms feel warmer and more personalized.

All photos are from google search.