Living Rustic

Living Rustic, our blog about weekend living in Adirondacks is hatching!

                                                          Check out this photo my daughter
                                                           Victoria snapped last weekend-

                                                          Looking forward to sharing all
                                                                   that we experience!

Renovating the fire pit!

Franklin Falls New York

                                                                                    
It has been a crazy ride these past few weeks- and our house renovation has slowed down a bit.  We spend most weekends in the Adirondacks, leaving little time to work at home. We feel blessed to have the opportunity to live rustic as Adirondack weekenders. We enjoy the solitude  and serenity of the woods and water.  We are always improving our little cabin in the woods, most recently - The fire pit-

Renovated Fire Pit

                                                                                

Jared did a beautiful job of raising it up a little bit and making it even more beautiful to look at. Soon we will get to work on another pit. A bit more private in the woods, should be fun to see that come together!

Follow me soon on a new blog dedicated to the Adirondacks and living rustic. This will be a great outlet for me to share interesting places, people, activities and cabin life. We are also planning to get married at our cabin, Labor Day weekend 2013. We look forward to sharing our family style Adirondack wedding.

Image from Pinterest

                                                                                         
I hope you will join me!

Building walls for artwork- My Imperfect Blessed Life

Jared said, "Well honey, I don't think we need to build walls , you have so much art we can  build the walls out of art"!

He was right, I love art. On the other hand , he loves photographs. He had so many photos on the walls of his daughter, Anna , it was like a shrine. Every photo ever taken , every drawing she had ever drawn, every where. It was clear we were going to have to make some hard decisions about art and photos. Its a small space!

In figuring out the first floor plan, I had to decide how to group up the art and provide walls large enough to accommodate them. At the same time, I was taking walls down to create an open floor plan to make the house feel more spacious. That was my challenge. 

Grouping always works when deciding what to do with art. I group together subjects with similar colors first. The same with photos. All photographs together, with frames that relate to each other.

These are my favorite photos of my kids- A great time for us as a family-

I got the paint samples out and started the process of matching up art to room color/formality and created "Art Gallery" walls in the house.

This is a gallery wall in our Master Bedroom

Artwork grouped by color  - these large pieces work well together-

 Blending and editing - all part of the process of making Jared's home our home-

Next blog- Finding a space to be alone- in a small house with 2 kids and 2 dogs- Challenging!

 

Blending a Family and Furniture, defining our own style- My Imperfect Blessed Life

I can't help but think of the song Donny and Marie Osmond sang in the 70's-

I've worked with many couples who have different style preferences.  I can always hear Donny and Marie singing in my head..... I know its hard to find common ground for everyone to agree on. Even still, a blend and direction has to be established.  Jared's style is more natural. He likes wood and country furnishings. I like a clean traditional look, and antiques. As mentioned in a previous blog post we decided what furniture would work for both of us and I started to assign the pieces to areas of the house. I decided we would arrange the different styles by formality. I call it, "front of the house/ back of the house." My antiques would find a home in the front of the house, (New Dining room, foyer, Master Bedroom and Library suite) and Jared's the back of the house, (Family Room ,Downstairs Bath and Kitchen)

After we agreed on the new locations based on style, I needed to start thinking about color. I know it sounds nuts, but the process of selecting colors for paint really helps further solidify your design direction, and if its not working for you, its early enough to change direction.

I have always been really good at selecting paint colors, so this was a no brain er for me and I kept it simple. I went to Ace Hardware, (because Jared likes their paint) and gathered up paint chips. I focused on a warm neutral for most of the walls for the front of the house and added  ceiling colors as accents; For instance our Master Bedroom has neutral walls and a green ceiling.  In a small space the ceiling can be a great spot to add color. I taped the chips to a piece of paper and labeled their destination. Hung it on the fridge for a while and rechecked my selections for a few weeks. No fancy presentation needed, I needed to see all of the colors on paper to make sure they flowed well.

My Mom asked me what our color scheme was and I snapped this picture and emailed to her- No fancy presentation needed , It works!

Next Blog- Building walls for all of my artwork- My Imperfect Blessed Life

Tweaking the floor plan and adding character- My Imperfect Blessed Life

The existing Master Bedroom and Bath took up the entire second floor

The first challenge:

 Finding room for 2 bedrooms- One for Queen Victoria and the other for the Princess of pink- Anna

At first I adjusted the floor plan in my mind - almost daily. I came to the conclusion we needed to consider making the Master Bedroom into two rooms. One for each of the girls and a shared bath-

As with any project,first I draw concept sketches. I draw them because they give me a good sense of the space before I go to the trouble of scaling it out.

Now that I like what I see I can draw it out to scale using  my new computer program to refine the new second floor plan. The addition of the built in desk areas will give the hallway more character and is a great use of the space- with a small home you need to be creative with every square inch!

Dream House Redefined- My Imperfect Blessed Life

Jared 's House

I was really struggling with living in someone else's home. Jared and I spent a lot of time tossing ideas around  about how to make his home work for all of us. We are both self employed and want to live comfortably without some of the expenses other people take on when renovating. Not to mention we wanted to keep the cabin in the Adirondacks. The renovation would be planned and executed without a loan and we would do most of the work ourselves.

I started sketching ideas about how to make the best use of the square footage we had, without adding on.

Step 1-

What furniture would work and what would be stored or moved to the cabin. Making the list of furniture worth keeping and needing to find a home for -My parents dining table and chairs,my antiques would find a home - Jared's king size bed and dresser, as well as his grandmothers dry sink..... So far so good! We know whats staying whats going. Now all we needed to do was to assign the furniture to a new room.

First assignment-     Jared's Grandmother's dry sink-

Jared's Grandparents had this dry sink made in Bath NY

 We will use it as a coffee center in the kitchen - I bought  cute fork, spoon and knife hardware to use instead of the brass hardware it has now.

Next Blog-Tweaking the floor plan and adding more character- My Imperfect Blessed Life

Dream House Revisited- My Imperfect Blessed Life

About ten years ago I found the perfect home for my family to live in

The kind of house I dreamed of living in since I was a child. A big white house on a hill with column pillars and a big front porch. Built around the turn of the century with great moldings and a quirky floor plan. I was in love.

We set out to turn this multi family home into a single family residence. The Interior Designer in me took over and I drew plans that suited our family as well as our lifestyle and construction began. 

 After a few months of knocking down a wall or two , my daughter Victoria was born and my dream house renovation was at a stand still. I was overwhelmed with my life. My son Mike was 11 years old and the active lifestyle of a young boy was a huge responsibility with a new born.  My husband Forrest, was always a work alcoholic kind of guy and seemed to be working even more, he was never home. It was then I realized I was suffering from depression, postpartum  depression.

Renovations stopped , our world was still. and the house, my dream house became a source of disappointment.

It took another few years to come to grips with the idea that not only the house was at a stand still, so was our family life. I spent the next five years raising my son and daughter and putting the idea of my dream house on hold.  Our lives as a family were about to change. My husband got out of bed one Monday morning and announced  he was leaving me and the children. I was blindsided,had know idea he was unhappy. I thought he was working hard and that providing for our family was his goal. I found out a few days later he had met someone new and was moving in with her.

I asked what would happen to our home, He said, "nothing, you and the children can stay." We turned the house back into a two family home. We lived in our family home for another 4 years, and every time I drove into my driveway I felt that old pang of disappointment.

It took some time but I did fall in love again, I met Jared. He had a sweet home in East Greenbush. He had spent lovingly updating and making it his own. He was sure he was never going to meet anyone to share it with. As our relationship blossomed and we started to blend our families the interior designer in me took over.I took on the task of stuffing us all into a house half the size of my dream house. 

The first step was to reassign rooms, for instance the old home office became part of our master suite. That was when one of Jared's dreams come true, he always wanted a office in a private space.We decided to build an office for both of us in the garage and he started building.

Jared working in his rustic office with all of his hunting memories

Next post: Redefining the term "Dream House" - My Imperfect Blessed Life

The Art of Fly Fishing and My Imperfect Blessed Life-

                                              Fishing gives you time to think

While at our cabin in the Adirondacks this past week, I had some time to think about the art of fishing and how it relates to real life. Fishing, for some people is innate. For me, ... I am getting the hang of it. The children stand back while I cast and I have a light up bobber. What can I say! I am a glutton for punishment. I am the most uncoordinated women on the planet. Still in all, I am patient and  will learn eventually. I know its not cool, but I really love the excitement I feel when my bobber goes PLUNK! and the fish is running, especially at night, I feel like I am living inside a video game. Its a real adrenalin rush, as cheesy as it sounds, I am having a ball!

After a day of exploring on the water and the girls are neatly tucked into bed, Jared and I watched an old movie called- A River Runs Through It, starring Brad Pitt. I love to watch movies about the outdoors and how the story line relates to real life. Pitts character is a "Fishing Newspaper Writer" and the movie shows the most breathtaking scenes of him fly fishing. The way the rod and line moves is almost musical. They dance on the water. The Angler makes it seem innate, like a gift. Brad Pitts character lives a life of two extremes, but both are fearless. I was so impressed with the contrast of the story, yet, I understood, its his life path.

I will be writing a series of stories in the next month or so about life, my life and its path. I am fortunate to have been blessed with love, as well as a career I love. I know every life experience helps me define my career. It remains the best way I help people find their own personal style.   Making their home a positive reflection of them.


In the coming posts, I will share with you my passions and my struggles- My blessed imperfect life that made me who I am today which I hope  inspires you,  makes you laugh (or cry) along the way, as I share my journey and Its ups and downs-

"God has blessed us all today......he has just been particularly kind to me"  (A River Runs Through It)

                                                  Victoria and Anna- After a day of exploring-

                                          Jared- Always calm and patient- 

My next post- My Dream House Revisited- I hope you will join me!

                               

Remember the Details!

                                                  Great design is about details-

 It takes some thought. How can I  make a piece of furniture special ?  How can I make it memorable? The sofa shown above has a contrast fabric band on the bottom of the kick pleat that matches a chair in the room-


The window seat has contrasting welts on the cushion and all of the pillows have whimsical details to contrast the fabric on the window seat cushion

                                            
                                           This is one of my favorite Sun Rooms

The fabrics are bright and cheery. The wood ceiling adds texture and keeps the formality down. The chandelier is whimsical and draws the eye up to the focal wall with the fireplace. The built in window seats perfectly balance out this room.

Its a room you can relax  or entertain  in.

The details are what makes a room unique and at the same time, timeless. I do not believe in rooms that are  untouchable, everyone walks on by. I call it "velvet rope design". The kind of room that takes itself so seriously no one wants to enter. All rooms should be lived in and approachable.

So, take a look around your home. Are you living in every room?

Great design is in the details!

New program for me! Picture this-

 Just a quick note today-

 I have installed a computer program that will allow me to design a room over a photograph.

I simply take a shot of your room and over lay designs-

 In the photo above- I designed a window treatment right on the window. I have a lot more to learn but I think its going to be a really great design tool-

Have a great day!

My Dad always looked like a movie star !

                                                My Dad Charlie in 1955 - He was 13

When I was a child, I remember looking at my Dad and thinking he looks like a movie star. My dad is celebrating his 70th birthday this week. My Dad may be 70 but he lives his life ageless. If I called him right now and asked him to help me move a sofa, he would be right over. Well, if they lived locally anyway. My parents are now enjoying retirement in sunny Florida and  loving every minute!

                                          Left to right- My Grandpa, My Dad and his Brother Ron


I felt compelled to pull out some of the photos of my Dad from his childhood. As I pulled them out I thought ,yup there he is all dashing, dressed for a photo shoot, even though its really just Christmas with the family. I see my grandfather dressed in his finery as well. I remember grandpa was always dressed. He would say,    " I'm styling Lori," and boy was he, in his  hat and ever present cigar. I remember how different it was to take photos then. Having to buy film and then having the photos developed. You would take photo after photo and hope for the best. Inevitably some photos would have eyes closed and  interesting expressions. The look on their faces were like,  "NO I'm not ready yet!" These silly photos from the past would be deleted now, as we seem to keep only  the " facebook" worthy photos.

                     Left to right- My Dad, my Brother Chuck, Me, Uncle Ron and Grandpa

                                          My Dad, Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Ron

I for one, am glad these silly photo rejects made their way down to me. I love getting a glimpse of the cars behind them, recognizing where the photos were taken and remembering all of the holiday dinners shared.

 My Dad and his Brother Ron

I love to help clients through the process of displaying family photos and memorabilia . The best family displays include not only formal portraits but the humorous candid shots as well. I ask a lot of questions during the process which often sends people on hunts through old boxes in the attic, or calling Mom to see if someone might have a photo of grandma in the christening gown all of the family members wore. Its nice to group subjects if you can. Let the display tell a story and include photos that will encourage family and friends to ask you questions about where you came from.


I am a lucky girl to have these photos, encouraging me to remember the sights and smells of my child hood. I grew up in a family of bakers. My Dad was always a vision, whether dressed in bakery whites and smelling like crumb cake or  dressed for a holiday. Yes, in the photos no one else wanted , the "silly" rejects if you will, my Dad was and still is a movie star to me!       
                                                             
Happy Birthday Dad!

Room With A View

I loved the view from our tent window. We hiked into the woods enduring a rocky, hilly, hot  and buggy hike, just before dark. Even still we took the time, about twenty minutes, to make sure we woke up to the best view possible. The time and effort was worth it the next morning. It was a beautiful view.

Great rooms take the same time and effort. When I work with my clients it can take up to a year or more to finish a room. Making sure every detail is right and if it isn't, waiting until a better opportunity comes along.

You have to live with these decisions a long time ... so don't rush .... Good design takes time. A design project can take on a life of its own. You may make several decisions fast and feel really confident about them. Or on the flip side, it could take a year to find the perfect piece of art work for above the sofa.

So, take your time - Great rooms unfold.... Its part of the journey!

Accent Furniture....Every room should have a piece!

I mean every room! :)

Every room needs at least one piece of furniture that is like a work of art. A piece of furniture that makes a statement. I call them memory pieces.... The kind of furniture that sticks in your mind like a piece of art you can't forget.The first piece is kind of a teaser- Its a table Jared made on a five mile hike we took last summer.  It was functional and memorable... I loved it- !

Accent furniture is like art and a very personal choice. Kind of like the saying- one mans trash is another mans treasure.
I hope you think about adding a accent piece of furniture to your decor...It will make your room uniquely yours!

My Mother in Law was right?.....!

Way back in the beginning of my design career, while married to my first husband, my mother in law was seeking my design advice. She had been wanting to change the color scheme in her home to a more popular palette. At that time, rose and blue interiors were the hottest home fashion colors. She expressed her feelings about not buying a new rug for her new palette. Her existing rug was wall to wall bright green! I was speechless, how was I going to be diplomatic with her? How was I going to break the news? Then... She blurted out," After all GREEN goes with everything, just look out side! " I stopped for a minute trying to get my had around what she had just said, and I just couldn't come up with an answer. My Mother in law was right!


 I chuckle about that conversation quite a bit when trying to pull together presentations for clients. My Mother in law is one of the most positive people I have ever met. Shes see the world through her own pair of rose colored glasses. She sees the world with amazement and vitality because she appreciates what god has given us, especially nature.


Since that conversation over 20 years ago, I have more fun with the idea that god has created a palette for me. I just have to look around. When in the woods hunting, a few weeks back with my fiance Jared, I found it hard not to take stock in her philosophy. The trees were all beautiful and the textures were amazing. Every green you can imagine was represented. The wind changed them with every gust as the evergreen bows flipped front to back. The water and rocks in their cool grays with plenty of  pine needles to warm up the color scheme of the day. 

I have seen my mother in laws palette quite often over the years. A pink sunset on a blue sky backdrop over a field of green. With St, Patricks day approaching this weekend with all of its green glory, I hope you take a minute  to take a look all of the colors god has provided for our enjoyment, and bring them into your everyday lives. Go to the beach , take a walk in the woods and bring that feeling back home in some way, Maybe its time for a new paint color,or to rearrange the furniture, either way open the windows up and enjoy!

Passions and Struggles-

I have had my share of struggles over the years. I have had many challenges both personally and professionally. We all have our personal demons, mine being depression. When you suffer from such a disorder you have to keep reaching inside yourself to find strength and ambition to get you through the tough days. You have to keep your passions alive. I have been fortunate enough to have found my true passions. One is my profession, Interior Design, the other a pastime, Boxing. I found both passions later in life. I was 25 years old when I knew I wanted to be an Interior Designer. My career started with a job interview with the owner of The Concord House, an Ethan Allen furniture dealer. I went on the interview eagerly and confident, where Mr. Kaplan asked- "What do you know about furniture?" I said nothing, but I am wiling to learn. He handed me a catalog featuring the furniture Ethan Allen sold and said, "Come back when you know about furniture". I left very excited and spent the next week at the library learning furniture styles. I called Mr. Kaplan back and said I'm ready!  He said, "I'm sorry, who did you say you were?" I am amused now, he had no idea who I was, and the effect he would have on my life and career. I found my passion that day we met. I did get the job at Ethan Allen and eventually earned my degree at Sage for Interior Design. My other passion- Boxing! I started boxing for fitness about 4 yeras ago. I entered Sweeney's Boxing, a middle aged woman with no idea why I was interested in this form of fitness. I had never played any sports, None! I was looking for something in my life to make me feel strong and alive. I was met at the counter by Javy Martinez, who made me feel at ease immediately. I made an appointment for my first boxing session. The first time in the gym with Javy and his encouragement made me a believer. I was hooked! After that I had many trainers....  Zach Smith, Charlie Roohan and the owner of Sweeney's, Rick Sweeney. Everyone of them made me feel like I was a winner. I eventually narrowed my training down to one personal trainer, Zach Smith. Every time I have worked out with Zach, I leave the gym saying the same thing... "I love boxing!" I have not seen Zach in about a year.... we have an appointment to start boxing again next week... I timidly sent him a text a few weeks back and said to Zach, "I am in rough shape....I am wiling to work hard- will you work with me ?" He was enthusiastically supportive and  I cant wait to start again. I may have found both of my passions later than most, but it just goes to show you, you can find them with a little guts and encouragement ... Many thanks to Howard Kaplan and Javy Martinez for believing in me! Many of the boxing professionals I mentioned are in the boxing documentary Passions and Struggles.... Watch the trailer, its going to be a great inspiring movie. Most of all remember, its never to late to find your passions!


http://youtu.be/bbzcJWJyRoI

Nice desk for a small space-

I was shopping for a client a few weeks back and came across this desk. A great desk for a small space. In this age of laptops and tablets, a small desk is all that's necessary for a home office. The size and shape of this desk lends itself for use in a Living Room or Bedroom. You can carve out a home office with very little space needed. The matching chair is comfortable enough for you to stay awhile but also works well with a more formal room design- Technology is changing our furniture needs... no more wires, stacks of paper and desks the size of an old Buick.... !

Mans need for shelter

 While hunting in the snowy woods yesterday- we came across two structures. I found it interesting- Mans need to create comfort. Truthfully, It was probably my frame of mind. I have been reading a book with my daughter called The Hunger Games. Its a book about a young girls survival - its a great read and also a movie coming out this month- you should check out the trailer - With that said, we have had a lot of conversation about how comfortable our lives are. For me as a designer, I am always looking to make life easier and more comfortable through my designs. I was tickled to see these attempts at comfort in the middle of the woods yesterday- Check it out-

 This Tee- Pee was never finished and was really on its way to being quite nice.......

Tables  chairs even a wood stove all brought in to the woods for the creature comforts of home- I was amused - I hope you are too!

Simple things....

 When homemade bread comes out of the oven -Smiles take over- Simplicity can be so satisfying ...Baked perfectly brown and smelling so amazing..... Simple ingredients - amazing end result! Counting all my blessings today and everyday....... I see so much out and about,shopping for my clients- recently I was thinking about how some of the design elements from days gone by make there way back into our everyday environments-

I saw this awesome quilt at Joannes Fabric - It has an inspiring new design edge to it - the embroidery is so detailed, making it easily fit in with today's interior designs

My Mom sent me my birth announcement as a Valentine!

Sweetest idea! My Mom sent me my birth announcement as a valentine- I hope you can read it- apparently my drama filled life was my path from the very beginning- I love you Mom and Dad!

A really nice option if you love a wood floor but a reluctant to installing it in a high traffic area

I love this product. It's a floor tile that has been made to look like real wood- and its a darn good one! One of the most dreaded areas to install wood flooring is in a mud room or high traffic entry- Rain, snow, mud, pets - all of them make a beautiful wood floor look warn and soiled in just a years time- So this is a great alternative- it also comes in many colors - making it appropriate for any interior style from modern to country and everything in between!

With a bit of creativity.....

With a bit of creativity you can change your custom window treatments..... This cornice window treatment  has a detachable fabric "scarf" - the scarf buttons off of the cornice- so you can change it to go with your new room scheme. The button on scarf can be made in any shape or style> So ..... Be creative!

A question that is frequently asked.....Do I have room for a cocktail table?

Most often my answer is  - Yes! As you saw in my last post, you can carve out a small seating area in an  awkward space. Its again, all about the scale and color of the furniture you are selecting.  I used a cocktail table in the previously posted Master Bedroom. This table works because it is a small tea table. I painted it a light color and added a mirror to the top. The mirror reflects light and makes the table seem smaller.

You can carve out a beautiful sitting area-

I carved out a cute little sitting area in a Master Bedroom- You just have to keep the scale of your furniture selections small to be successful - the shape of this love seat was perfect- you can still see the TV from the bed- the scoop allows you full view

Check out this Semi Custom Window Treatment

I am really pleased with this semi custom window treatment- The wood cornice was purchased from Smith and Noble.com and I designed an upholstered cornice to fit right under it- My upholstery guy did a great job !