Summer Sale 2012

EVERYTHING is on sale.  If you want to just revive or completely renovate your kitchen or bath this is the time to do it!  Want to re-decorate your living room or bedroom?  Come in to the showroom and we will set you up!

.

50% off In-Stock Plumbing, Tapestries, Lamps, Fabric

Up to 25% off of Cabinetry & Plumbing

30% off In-Stock Home Accessories

Up to 20% off Hardware, Soft Goods, Fabrics, Wall Coverings, & Tile

20% off Interior Design Services

.

 Call to schedule an appointment or just stop in.

860-927-4855

6 Kent Green Boulevard

Kent, CT 06757

See you soon!

- A.

Read Full Post »

Collect & Cluster

Are you a collector?

Oh yes I am!

.

For me, three really is the magic number.  It all starts with three.  When I find I have three of anything – purchased intentionally or not – a collection has formed.  From there I must expand it & display it, but with an exacting eye.   I am not a hoarder of similar looking things, here.

I am a discriminating collector.

There is a big difference!

.

(Back me up, people.  My V.I.P. disagrees vehemently.)

.

Clustering collections makes for the most eye-catching displays, don’t you think?  I’m all over anything that grabs your attention.

.

.

 Collections I’ve developed over the years…

- roses

- hands

- lamps

- hearts

- iron beds

- ephemera

.

.

- bentwood chairs

- antique metal fans

- antique fashion plates

- green line diner dishes

- glass compotes & cloches

- scallop-edged antique shaving mirrors

.

.

- James Whitcomb Riley’s Complete Works

- just about anything painted hi-gloss black

- hammered aluminum serving pieces in the Chrysanthemum pattern

- really cool furniture (if I say so myself, though I’m pretty sure you would agree)

.

.

What are your collections?  Do we share any?

There are a few I’ve left off and a lot of the ones I listed are no longer active, but I think collections are one of the best ways of revealing a bit of yourself to someone without saying a word.  Wouldn’t you agree?

.

~ A

Read Full Post »

All dressed up…

Upholstered benches and banquettes have become a formal option to traditionally informal seating.  Give me a glass of wine, good food and conversation, and who wouldn’t want to cozy up in one of these banquettes?

.

Warning: impromptu gatherings may occur.  Keep a well-stocked bar for best results.

.

Dinner parties will last all night long!  Lots of seating and when the early birds hit the road, I would guess three adults could stretch out with room to spare.

.

This space needs an abundance of candlelight.  And a cheese platter…

.

.

.

Slightly less formal, but just as inviting…

.

No detail is amiss – right down to the cushion’s French mattress edge.

.

Original (& un-upholstered) Thonet chairs and bench are just. plain. perfect.

.

And suddenly I want to host a dinner party.

.

{images}

Read Full Post »

Kitchen Jewelry Part 2: Cabinet Hardware

Cabinet hardware is one of the last decisions that you make in a string of about 100 when designing a kitchen.  At this point you’re tired of making decisions and of construction and waiting for parts to come in and all of these people trekking through your house and so on and so forth…  You.are.just.so.tired.

.

I understand – it’s really taxing.  Just a little longer and then you’ll have a beautiful kitchen you get to live and play in for years to come, so take a deep breath, pull on your big kid pants, and get a grip.  This is not an opportunity everyone gets to have, and you don’t want to give up on such an easy opportunity to bring a lot of character into your home, right?!

.

Right.

.

So, you might already know what the metal finish should be based on your faucet…

.

but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.  Using a finish that correlates with another element of the kitchen is completely okay, too.  Like matching your shoes & accessories.  See…

.

.

and here, too…

.

.

Match the finish of your hardware to a collection you intend on displaying such as the pewter in this kitchen…

.

It’s all about deciding what feature you want to emphasize.  Remember: this is jewelry for your kitchen.  Think about it like you do everyday when getting dressed – with a neutral strapless dress (shaker cabinets) & fine features you might consider a matching set of statement jewelry (hardware), like Heidi did at the Emmy’s earlier this week…

.

.

or like this home in Boston…

.

.

Bin pulls are a classic in cabinet hardware – like gold stud earrings…

.

and icebox latches have had a revival…

.

Latches have been around for a long time.  Variations of them were used on Hoosier cabinets from the 1910′s on.  They’ve been around the block.  Think estate jewelry.

 .

This (gorgeous) kitchen shows well how the two styles – bin pulls & latches –  can be combined…

.

I’m really enjoying un-lacquered brass hardware lately, which is what is in the photo above & photos below.  The patina it develops over time is flat-out perfect.

.

Un-lacquered brass is not the painfully shiny, cheap stuff that went through a hay-day a couple of decades ago and caused almost instant regret to anyone that installed a polished brass anything.

.

The toe-kick even.  Wow.

.

*Un-lacquered brass is NOT polished brass*

For one thing, un-lacquered brass doesn’t flake off.  It can’t.  What you see is the raw material used to make the hinge, door knob, light switch plate, register grate, scale, lamp, door knocker, cabinet pull… you’re looking at.  If it’s an antique, the beauty might be buried under three inches of gunk & nastiness, but elbow grease and determination (or a professional) will make that baby shine like the day it was born.  Quality brass products in a polished finish will last where the poorly made, painted on generic brass finish fails.  The “polished” on the good stuff can be stripped to make it “un-lacquered” if you’re motivated.

.

I’m not a huge fan of super clean and shiny brass.  I like a little age to it.  If you are like me, have no fear!  Un-lacquered brass can be patina’ed or waxed for a variety of looks, or if you’re patient (not like me) you can let oxygen & time do the work for you, but my tangent will end here.  Moving on…

.

See more a lot more photos after the jump…

                                       

                                                    

                                     

.

Read Full Post »

The Chalkboard Bandwagon

.

In grade school they were black.  At some point, likely when I changed schools after my family moved to a nicer part of town, blackboards changed from the self-titled black to the newer, improved, and ambiguous green or brown chalkboard.  Eventually chalk was replaced with markers, chalkboards replaced with whiteboards, and white dust replaced with black, red, blue, and green dry-erase marker grime that sticks to your fingers and smells to high heaven.  I’m dating myself here – its very possible many of you had nothing but blackboards all the way through school.   Contrast that against today’s cold, comparatively impersonal, digital teaching tools, and the whole memory of blackboards seems romantic.

.

Image a lá Carte Blanche

.

Reality check: chalkboards are MESS-Y!!  Chalk dust can really get everywhere, and colored chalk is even more invasive.  And don’t even think about cleaning erasers indoors!  Despite that, there has been a surge in popularity for chalkboards.  More accurately, chalkboard paint.  I know you’ve seen it.  Everywhere.  Whole walls, restaurants, whole walls in restaurants,… its everywhere!

.

.

Why?  Because they are romantic.  They are charming and functional and are being used in unique ways to personalize a space, decorate a powder room, or to label a wine glass or dinner place-card.  Nothing is sacred from the application of chalkboard paint – but it’s okay!

.

.

See beautiful photos & read more after the jump…

                                        

                                         

                                      

Read Full Post »