Visiting Florida Keys Design Center - Coastal Design

I just returned from a wonderful (but hot) vacation to the Florida Keys with my husband.  It is a lovely area and although this is still hurricane season, we had wonderful weather and fabulous sunsets.  One of the nice things about traveling is the opportunity to see design influences in different areas.  Clearly, the Keys are influenced by the water which is everywhere and the tropical setting.  We stopped at a design center in Marathon which is about halfway between Miami and Key West.  I took these photos at the center and was delighted to see that my most recent home project's (see Terrace Level Renovation) color scheme of seafoam blue with sand and charcoal was well represented in their decorated spaces.

Doorway to design center - love that large shell above door! 

Love this pattern - this could be one of my sets. 

Lots of caning and bamboo ..

Nice chair combination!  I like different hostess chairs at the ends of the table. 

Love all the greens!

Colorful group with just a little of the beachy feel!

More lovely greens ...  

Sand-hued - very popular at the Center ... 

Seafoam plankboard walls - nice!

I love this bed - have been thinking about an upholstered frame for my own space. 

Lovely table-scape! 

More seafoam and sand ... 

Love that coffee table - reminds me of my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint projects,

Clearly a coastal theme ...

I like the "sea glass" description on these popular colors - represent well the color schemes at the Center. 

I have a special love for chaise lounges and this one is wonderful!

Of course, the classic blue and white is always in style and season!

I fell for this lovely console table - would have liked it for myself.

Another ASCP reminder ...

This is close to the size piece I am looking for to add to my terrace level project - narrow, long and stylish! 

My friend Ouida loves roosters and this reminded me of her. 

A little over the top for me but clever! 

This actually is a photo of the bed and breakfast room we booked in Key West - sweet but not quite up to new decor standards!

 We loved our trip and I appreciated my husband's indulgence in letting me visit the Design Center.  For those traveling in the area, it's right on Highway 1 - can't miss it!

Terrace Level Renovation Completed

Renovated terrace level space in our home!

Since June, we have been working on a major renovation project in our terrace level (aka basement or lower level).  I reported on the beginning of this project in this posting - link to post.  Since then, I have been providing some information about the "process" and also a recent posting on the mostly-completed bathroom link to bathroom post.

Today, I am showing the rest of the space - it is at about the 95% point in terms of completion including furnishings.  I think it will never be at 100% because I want to exercise the continued option of changing things out and modifying the details.  Decorating should never be static!

I'll start with a brief summary of the project.  We started in early June after hiring a general contractor who we've used for two other major additions/renovations.  Like all our projects, the end result came in over-budget (many because of changed/expanding requirements) and took about 45 days longer than the initial projected.  Having said that, we are VERY HAPPY with the space and how it works for us and would change very little.  I will end this post with some suggestions on how to save money and get the best value on this type of renovation - advice we did not always follows.

This is a view of the main "media" room area which includes a large-screen TV to the right.  

Another view of the same space looking at built-in media cabinet, display cabinet and TV (we have noted how out-of-date our TV is and may have to spend just a little more for a new one)! 

Built-in Bar area including refrigerator behind door on right.  The backsplash is a mirror.

This is a glimpse of the adjacent "pool room".  The only change in this room was the addition of the surrounding flooring to match the new floors in renovated space.

Detail - Built-in bookcase next to stairwell. 

Detail - Hall table just refurbished with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue. 

As you can see, the space is totally transformed and we are already loving doing our TV-watching down here.

Saving $$$ on renovations - our lessons learned including some things we might do differently if we were to redo:

• Since our general contractor worked on a cost-plus basis (very common when you cannot predict everything you're going to run into), we saved money buying some items ourselves such as the wallpaper for the bathroom, as well as light and plumbing fixtures (the latter bought on-line for further savings).  We probably should have pushed to do more of this and save more money.
• Since this was not totally "raw space" before (had been done when house was built in 1988), we kept the existing doors and bathroom cabinet (painted a new charcoal color and given new hardware).  We also did not replace the shower tiles since they were in good shape and the cost would have been high.
• We chose to create a built-in media cabinet to house all media components and the surround sound equipment we had already been using.  The contractor and his electrician sub developed the specifications including communicating with the cabinet-maker.  This proved to be problematic and the communications were not ideal.  Next time, we would ask the contractor to bring in a media center expert to coordinate all elements and we might even skip the built-in cabinet for a stand-alone.  It turned out be pretty expensive and while we like it, we could have bought a very high-end model that we could take with us if we ever moved.  
• We were refurbishing this area adjacent to space that had been newly added (by same contractor) in 2004 and already had high ceilings and nice trim.  We worried about the results being out-of-sinc with each other.  To alleviate that, and at not significant additional cost, we had the flooring sub add a border of the new floor in this space and were able to keep the old carpet - just re-tacking it back in place.  This was a winner!

Those are some of the highlights - I'm sure other things will come to mind but the end result was great and we were very pleased with the outcome!  

Fabric Donation to Goodwill - A Good Deal for Someone

Here's a quick heads-up to readers in the greater Atlanta area.  I just donated about 200 yards of fabrics to the Goodwill Industries of North Atlanta link to website.  I do this two to three times a year after sorting through my fabric room for pieces and bolts that are not likely to be used.  Sometimes the fabric has been selected many times for a project just to be replaced by a fabric I prefer.  Sometimes I've already used the fabric on a piece or two (or three) and either they've been hard to sell or I am no longer thrilled with the piece.  I am so impressed by the Goodwill stores in this area and their employees that this is a likely donation spot for me.  Based on my observation (going there at least every other week helps), they seem to spread the fabrics through their stores - not all land in any one place.

The size of the pieces range from less than a yard to over 20 - lots to choose from!

Here are some of the ones donated!

A Labor Day Tribute - Upholsterers and Their Magic

In honor of labor day, I want to salute the great work done by my upholsterers, the fabulous Lees of Norcross, Georgia, in helping me execute my passion for refurbishing heirloom quality upholstered furniture to live another day - a GREEN way of decorating.  I am hoping that these images help inspire others to save/buy those well-constructed, mostly American-made pieces of furniture that would otherwise go into our expanding landfill problem.  They truly do not make them like they used to!

Here are some of my most recent transformations - enjoy!

I bought this set of chairs (with three other chairs) from a friends neighbor who was moving - she had inherited some of her pieces from her parents and grandparents.

I bought this set at a neighborhood sale in the Ansley area of Atlanta.

I bought this set off of Craigslist from a widower who was remarrying.   These had been his deceased wife's favorite chairs.

I bought this set (and two sets of wingback chairs) at an estate sale in Alpharetta - a suburb of Atlanta.

I bought this set from a Craigslist add from a fellow Wisconsin transplant.  

My husband and I took a long Sunday drive to the Lake Lanier area of Georgia to buy this chair from a Craigslist ad.

I bought this chair from a shop on Miami Circle - near the Buckhead area of Atlanta. 

This set came from the same sale as the settee below - a moving sale billed as an estate sale.

I bought this settee at a moving sale in the Buckhead area of Atlanta.

Isn't the transformation wonderful and magical!  Unfortunately, the skills required to do fine upholstering work like this are in short supply - it is a diminishing field of expertise.  I hope that it doesn't disappear altogether!

Check out these and other of my refurbished pieces on my website - link to website.  This blog is linked to the following parties - Savvy Southern Style

Shopping for Rugs at HomeGoods - I'm a Fan!

We just completed our lower level renovation (aka basement) and one of many struggles was finding a nice rug that would work well in this new space.  I hadn't shopped for rugs for quite a while and didn't quite know how to approach it.  I wanted something a little more contemporary for this space but couldn't quite get to buying a jute or seagrass rug although I saw MANY beautiful settings with just such a rug.

One of the things that really frustrated me were the seemingly huge selections (and recommendations) for buying an online rug using a site like Overstock.com link which offers a huge selection at great prices and great shipping ($2.99) and does allow returns - although not at this price.   Another site was Josh and Main link which also offers wonderful options at pretty good prices but doesn't allow for returns.  Most on-line sets were variations on this theme - lots of choices but either costly or no returns.  Considering I have a business selling refurbished heirloom upholstered pieces mostly on-line link to Wydeven Designs, it was unsettling to find that I just didn't feel right about buying a rug that I couldn't feel in colors I couldn't quite trust.

A friend suggested I check out HomeGoods - link.  There are quite a few stores in our area and I had barely visited them more than a few times.  I checked on their rug return policy and learned they accepted returns for up to 30 days.

I visited the one closest to my home and did find a nice but  limited rug selection at really good prices and also noted that several people were in the process of buying rugs.  I visited two other sites and found the same pattern - not too many rugs but at great prices and active purchasing.  One store clerk told me that the rugs arrive (different ones at different stores) three times a week and are usually put out the next day.  They move quickly!  With that wisdom, I developed a plan to visit each of the three stores at least once a week and sometimes more if convenient.  

I planned to buy each and every rug that might work for me.   I needed a 8X10 preferably wool rug with some or more of the following colors - cream, taupe, charcoal/black, pale gold and/or seafoam blue.  I was really hoping to add the latter color to my decor, but figured it might be the hardest to get right.

I saw many rugs but nothing worked quite right.

 After about ten visits (and close t the time I actually needed the rug), I found a black and white and grey patterned (unfortunately, I did not photograph it) but thought it might work.  I purchased it and planned to pick it up last week Saturday to actually place in the just-completed space.  I wasn't 100% sure about it but it was a nice rug (8X11 wool - $299) so I felt it was worth a try.  As I waited to have it put into my van, I checked the rug section again and found a seafoam blue and cream/gold patterned rug (8X10 wool - $299) that looked even better.  I brought it home as well and there is remains.

Rug in new space - love it!

SO ... perseverance pays off here.  HomeGoods is not a quick solution unless you are incredibly lucky to find just what you want right away.  I also found that, generally, some of the patterns and colors are not the most popular ones - nice neutrals were also hard to find.  But, if you can wait it out, it's a great solution at the right price!