Photo Gallery

 

Our First Projectfor pictures

Owners:  Lisa & Mike

Rooms:  Foyer, Kitchen/Family Room

Team:  Lisa, Cheryl, Brenda, Eileen, Holly, Sue

           Mike & Terry

 

At our first meeting, Lisa shared with us her love of France.  Lisa particularly enjoyed the look of the old French buildings and outdoor cafes.  Over the years Lisa had collected an assortment of pictures that highlighted these scenes and ultimately selected one that had been reproduced on a coaster to serve as our guide for planning the project.

 

While the colors and textures were recreated to coordinate with the coaster, the inspiration for several of the color blends were autumn leaves that Lisa selected from around her yard.  We achieved a stucco look by a sparing introduction of joint compound to our paint technique.  Next we developed a jagged look of broken brick in a variety of shapes and patterns using trompe l’oeil.

 

The otherwise sharp lines and contemporary feel of the family room was softened by Mike and Terry through their contribution of custom woodworking to alter the face of the fireplace and surrounding built-ins, giving way to a much warmer appearance.  They further captured the exterior appearance of a European building by installing wooden shutters around the windows.

 

Being able to work with the existing furniture provided a greater opportunity for us to concentrate on specialized accessories – In the end, wine bottles, books on France, fine chocolates, lampposts, park benches, potted flowers and more were all among the accessories used in achieving Lisa’s desired look.

Our Second Projectfor picture

Owners: Brenda & Tod

Rooms: Foyer, Family Room/Kitchen

Team:  Brenda, Sheryl, Eileen, Holly, Lisa, Linda, Shannon, Sue

             Tod & Terry

 

At our first meeting, Brenda confessed her uncertainty if not a total lack of a clearly desired vision.

 

As the team peppered her with questions, Brenda was able to narrow her focus as she considered both her and her family’s interests and experiences.  As part of the process, we were delighted to learn about two of their treasured possessions - acquired by her husband Tod on a recent business trip to Egypt.

 

While there he found and purchased certain works of art that he was able to have personalized with hieroglyphics that spoke of their love and its measurement in gold.  Beautifully matted and framed, Brenda was prepared to find them a home under the bed, due to no available wall space.  Excited to be able to integrate them into their home’s décor, we cautiously set out developing a strategy for  complementing the art without turning their home into an Egyptian palace.

 

In addition, since the owners were in the market for a new sofa and love seat we decided to address that first.  After zeroing in on their desired style, we concentrated on its color and texture.  Since the central medium for the artwork was papyrus, we decided to design a paint technique to complement that aspect.

 

Relying on a combination of tissue paper and metallic paint we were able to achieve our desired look.   Realizing the room was missing a focal point and desiring an overall greater presence we consulted with Tod and Terry.  Together, they designed a mantle for the fireplace and came up with the idea for custom built-ins to serve double duty as an entertainment center and library.  Cinching the deal with their idea for matching crown molding they had won the job.

 

As a result, the white walls of this home were transformed into a metallic pallet of gold, bronze, copper, rust, silver and black and the addition of clay pots, and ancient artifacts  included among the added accessories, the home now speaks of royalty and love - allowing Brenda and Tod to share something special about themselves in the process…. 

 

Our Third Projectfor pictures

Sheryl’s love for country is immediately apparent upon entering her home.  Although unable to put an exact label on her style, she clearly appreciates many different forms of “country style”.

Her vision of the perfect kitchen is one that combines tempting aromas with a warm, friendly environment for welcoming her family and friends.  She compared it to the feeling she gets each time she visits her favorite home store in the mall - a shop that showcases all manner of homey accessories such as Mason jar candles, fruit pies made from ceramic, cookie cutters and the like.

Seeing how much Sheryl enjoys the country store helped the team clarify the concept and direction for her kitchen.  Ultimately we agreed on a rustic look that would incorporate custom paint techniques, wood applications and fabric.  Our colors of choice are burgundy and brown.

To begin the project, Sheryl’s husband Joe is installing wooden bead board three quarters of the way up the surrounding walls.  Once that is done we will create a unique distressed paint application for the area immediately above the wood.  Further warmth and charm will be added by introducing a variety of items including curtains, chair cushions, a patterned rug, period signs and various country accessories.  

When the kitchen is complete – Sheryl plans for the team to tackle the family room.  The vision for this room came after hearing that Lancaster, Pa, home to the Amish was also Joe’s home town.  As further inspiration, Sheryl showed us a few of the beautiful handmade quilts and treasured accessories they had acquired from the area over the years.

After the family room, the team will move on to the dining room and pursue yet another form of country style – envisioning more of a cottage country for this room.  Fabric, fabric and more fabric will be the main ingredients for achieving this look – and the team plans to integrate a soft color pallet of paint as a complement to the material that will be used on the windows and seat cushions. 

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