Monthly Archives: January 2010

Lots of great progress today!  The first “layer” of parquet was pulled up in the den.  Evidently, the way this product was produced, there was a thin layer of wood over a plywood base……and this thick layer of black tar that joined the two together.  It went down in one piece, but it comes up in two!  Tonight, we have the black tar layer exposed, and tomorrow that should be gone.

Parquet…..gone

We also discovered that part of the soffit in the basement can be removed without totally redoing all the duct work, so we will be able to get draperies in that room now and really add a great deal of softness to the space.

Four windows were pulled out and replaced…..at least positioned in place and secured.  There is lots of trim work that has to be done at this point, but at least the new windows are in two of the bedrooms.

Paint on the door details continues to move slowly, but the result is fantastic, and we are really pleased with the look.

First stages for window removal…..take off the trim

Another great day today!  Schmid and Rhodes is doing a really great job, and they are being so careful with our house……even in its current state.  Every day when I come home, my desk is uncovered, and the floor swept.

The floor came completely up in the den today, we got a real head start on wiring for house sound and for security cameras on the outside of the house, and the old tv cabinet in the office got removed.  The rain definitely slowed the window installation process, but they did a lot of prep work in taking off trim on the windows so more will be ready to change out tomorrow.

So after 7 years, our home, Casa Real was ready for a little facelift.  Thanks to a horrible hail storm in April of 2011, we ended up with a long list of things that needed to be done.  The major projects were to replace all the windows and exterior doors, as well as the slate roof.  Our contractors, Schmid and Rhodes in Knoxville, TN, asked us if we would clear out some of our “stuff” to make the process a little easier for them…..and we thought that was a fantastic idea in order to provide the most protection for our artwork and antiques.  It also opened the door for the list of things that needed to be done.

The list grew, as most projects do, and now includes the following:

*Reconfigure the former office and create a media room, office, and entertainment area that services the pool

*Create a new storage and display piece for the new media room that will house part of our collection of antique accessories as well as new components for television and sound

*Create an updated mantle and overmantle for the new media room

*Eliminate the horrid track lighting in the office, and in so doing, create a sensible lighting plan, and install a new wooden ceiling

*Replace the marble floor in the kitchen….which continues to crack despite our efforts to correct it….with antique heart pine, and while in the process, replace the parquet floor in the den with the same flooring; thus unifying the entire main floor.

*Replace interior door hardware with lever handles appropriate to the style of the house, and add detail to the door painting

*Fresh paint colors for the green guest room, master bedroom, and laundry room

There are probably other things that will pop up along the way, but this is the bulk of the list.  My goal is to document the project as it goes along, and provide before, during, and after photos of the work.

Our goal is to give our home a fresh look.  As a designer, it is easy for me to look at a client’s home in a fresh light.  Since I am so attached to this place, and spend so much time here…..it is really hard to do that with my own home.  The repair work forced us to remove the majority of our “stuff” and it is giving us an opportunity to “re-think” exactly how we want spaces to function, and to really look at how things can be put together differently.  We are adding some new pieces into the mix as we go along, mainly with the goal of creating more storage space for a growing collection of antique accessories.

One of the first things we did was to remove all of the artwork and accessory pieces.  We packed many of them, but there were two bathrooms that were getting no work at all other than fresh paint on the doors and trim….plus the new door hardware.  A few weeks before we started on the major project, we had those areas completed, so we could start packing them with “stuff”.  Next, the movers came and packed up what was left and we carefully moved everything to a climate contolled storage facility.  Then, up came the rugs which have gone out for cleaning and any needed repairs, and finally, Prestige Cleaners came to get all the draperies to get them back into tip top shape and to store them for us until we are ready for installation.  The process took time, but it was a well organized plan, and we worked on it a little bit each day for about a week, it became a manageable task that way, and it did get completed.

The above photo is of the upstairs hall bath filled with paintings and lamps.  It is best to store paintings vertically, and when you can, put them back to back and front to front.  This really helps minimize frame damage from hooks and wires rubbing on the finished part of another piece.

Today was the first full day of work, and most of what happened was protection for the surfaces we were not changing.  The upholstered walls in the dining room were covered, floors were covered, and the few pieces of furniture we were able to leave in the house were covered with foam board to protect them.  This will be an exciting process, at least for Bobby and me, and I hope that you enjoy reading about our newest adventure.

Again this year, I was notified by an email from Jeremy Bernard, the Social Secretary at The White House notifying me that I was again selected to be among the volunteers to decorate the house for Christmas.  My method for applying was the same as last year.  I wrote a letter to the Chief Floral Designer, Laura Dowling, and also to the Social Secretary.  I sent my letters in February, and did not hear anything until the first week in October.  Once I got to Washington, I discovered that the selection process was essentially the same as it had been before.  A few veteran designers were retained to keep some amount of

familiarity with the process.  This time, there were about 160 total volunteers, most of which had not done it before, instead of the 100 who were there the previous year.  Some of the volunteers were selected on the basis of their skill, ability, and talent; while others were selected because of their want to do the work.  It was again an honor to work with all these volunteers to make the People’s House beautiful for this country.

That’s me with the incredible Jim Marvin from Nashville. We worked together on several projects this year in the White House. Here we are in the Green Room.

Many of the details of these days were similar if not identical to the previous year, so I am not including as many specifics about timing, descriptions of the warehouse, and even the preparations because it is so much the same.  If you want to just see pictures of the finished product, please just scroll on through.

The first day of work was Black Friday.  I worked at The White House warehouse somewhere on the outskirts of DC.  There were sample “baskets” of ornaments for each room sitting in front of huge stacks of boxes marked with the same names as the basket.  A basket and box stack (or box row) for almost every room in the house.  From the West Wing, to the historic State Floor, to the Private Residence, every part of the house would be decked for the Holidays.

My mom, Patricia Richesin, and I in The Blue Room at the Volunteer Reception

The theme for this years decorations was “Shine, Give, Share” and was all about celebrating and finding ways to lift up those around us; to take time to reflect on the opportunities we have; and to shine, give, and share throughout the season.  Each of us has the power to make a difference in our world through service to one another while at the same time brightening our future.  The hope of the President and First Lady was that “the sparkling brilliance of the People’s House, and all it represents, remain with us throughout the year, and may it remind us to reflect the light and joy of this season each day in our service to each other.”  My personal hope is that I was able to “shine” at The White House and use my gift and talent to bring joy to others.  Over 80,000 people will see the house during the Holiday season.

We unpacked ornaments, counted them, and sorted them into like containers for each room.  We removed any broken ones, repaired ones with missing tops, and added wire to ones with none.  Last year, about 75% of the decorations were recycled from previous years.  This year, I would say that outside of the greenery itself….which would all be fresh…..95% of the things that were used were recycled from previous years.  I have done holiday decorating professionally for many years.  It is really hard to re-use items in a different way, even in a small scale project, because what you have is designed to fit a certain way.  Ribbon is especially hard to re-use in a different way.  Somehow, the folks at Agency EA who organized the event had all that figured out.  Agency EA is the group who organized the entire production of decorating the house.  From coordinating volunteers, to deciding what goes where in the house, they were the team who supervised, planned, and ultimately were responsible for the magic that would happen.  I didn’t see all the personal ornaments this year that were sent in that I saw last year…..but they were there.  Many people were unpacking those, I just was working in a different place.  I can tell you that if it was sent in, it was used somewhere in the house.  They even read ALL of the letters of request for the volunteers!  Once counted and sorted, all of the boxes were re-sealed and labeled with a different color label….pink meant it was complete and ready to be put on a truck…..then inspected by the Secret Service, and put on a truck to be delivered to the house.

Detail of the magnolia and fruit cluster garland for the State Dining Room

One of the things we started at the warehouse on Friday was figuring out the look for the State Dining Room.  I worked with Jim Marvin on this.  Jim has been a White House volunteer for 15 years, and consulted and designed many of the decorations for years before that.  A large percentage of the decorations used in the house were originally designed by him.  We decided to use magnolia garland as a garland on the two large trees flanking the fireplace and Lincoln portrait in the room.  We would create clusters of fruit made from tiny individual glass beaded apples, pears, and plums; incorporate fresh seeded eucalyptus into them; and tiny green velvet leaves.  This was a labor intensive process, and one that would ultimately start on Friday at the warehouse, and still be going until mid-day on Tuesday in the State Dining Room.  There were literally hundreds of these clusters made and used on these lavish garlands.  We also decided to use gold glass pinecones, and beautiful pink glass spiral ornaments to decorate the trees.  We added in gold shiny balls, and other decorations in brown and copper tones to add some depth.  The overall effect would be stunning once complete.  The items for the State Dining Room were not totally grouped together in the warehouse, so we made sure we got them all in one place before we finished for the day.

On Saturday, I was assigned to work at the White House instead of the warehouse.  I reported early, and was escorted into the First Lady’s office suite by Ximena Gonzales, the asisstant to the Social Secretary.  We had a sneak tour of the First Lady’s office, which looked more like a comfortable living room than an office.  There was a large mahogany dining table and 10 chairs on one side of the room, and a sofa with a pair of “spool” chairs from Hickory Chair Company on the other side.  I was tickled to see the spool chairs, since it is one of my favorite frames.  We have one of them at home, and even have one in the shop right now.  The look was very tailored and neutral.  There are a lot of people who work in The White House….it truly functions as an office, a museum, and a home….so most of the offices are very small.  Even people who hold really important positions have relatively small offices.

Finished trees and garland in the State Dining Room

After this sneak peek, we had to unload one of the delivery trucks that had arrived with the decorations for the West Wing.  The President was getting ready to leave the house with his family, and there were at least 10 vehicles in the driveway on the South Lawn.  We had only a few minutes to completely unload the truck because it had to be off the property before the President could leave.  We staged items on the terrace of the Rose Garden, and would ultimately carry them through the Palm Room, down the collonade to the West Wing.

I worked on the mantle in the Roosevelt Room, directly across the hall from the Oval Office, with Jordan Calgaro…..one of my veteran friends from last year.  Sherri and Cate, new friends from this year, worked on the tree in the Oval Office.  We used thick noble fir garland and draped it across the mantle letting it drape onto the floor on the ends.  We wrapped the garland with wide gold satin ribbon, and a brown and gold woven ribbon with wired edges.  This ribbon would ultimately be used in many rooms of the house.  We did large clusters of natural pinecones painted gold in the corners and center of the garland, and then added some glass pine cones, and glittery copper balls in.  We tucked in some gold leaves…..the same ones we used last year in the State Dining Room and East Room.  After lunch, we worked on the garland in the Cabinet Room.  We used the same thick noble fir garland, and laid it straight across the mantle and let it drape onto the floor.  This look is apparently a White House standard, and is something I always try to do in my own work.  The extra length on the floor really adds a lush look.  The ribbons for the Cabinet Room were a gold satin ribbon, mixed with an orange and green stripe with gold sequins.  We tied large bows for the corners of the mantle, and let the tails cascade into bishop’s sleeves down the sides.  Everywhere the ribbon tucked up, we put a cluster of gold pine cones, satin orange balls, and bronze glass acorns.  We then did a similar cluster in the center of the mantle and at the corners.  Add in a few gold leaves for sparkle, and it was really beautiful.

Beautiful sconce decorations in the State Dining Room, created by Jim Marvin, and using laurel and bay leaf swags, pink spiral glass ornaments, and clusters of beaded fruit

The top of the tree in the Oval Office was out of Sherri and Cate’s reach, so I finished off the top for them.  Security was super tight.  There was a guard inside the colonnade doors, and to get into the Oval Office itself, you had to show your identification….where it was recorded in ink in a book.  No white out or deletions that way!  Once recorded, you could move freely about the office, but only for the time period you were allotted.

The Oval Office was a beautiful space.  Very neutral, with beige shadow stripe walls, and sofas upholstered in a rich brown velvet fabric.  There was a modern cocktail table with a simple wooden dough bowl on it filled with honey crisp apples.  There was

definitely a lack of decoration, but it still looked Presidential.  The draperies were in a wool crepe shadow stripe fabric in a deep red tone, and by the fireplace were a pair of tan leather chairs.  A beautiful antique table on each side of the fireplace held a bronze bust of Lincoln on one, and of Martin Luther King on the other.  The rug was noticebly not plush, but was a beautiful neutral texture, having the eagle symbol in the center also in neutral tones.  The border was deep blue with inscriptions that were meaningful and inspirational to The President.  Of course, there was the legendary desk.  It was a little smaller than I had imagined, but the detail carvings on it were amazing.  The ceiling in the office was slightly domed, creating perfect acoustics.  You could literally hear a pin drop.

I also got a peek at the Vice President’s office.  No Rose Garden view here, and considerably smaller; it was painted a navy blue, and was accented with reds and golds.

Summer is always a favorite season at Casa Real.  We love this garden.  After the hail storm here in Knoxville in April, it was crippled.  Mother nature has been a fast healer, and finally, in summer’s final days, it has become beautiful once again.  Enjoy these photos of our little paradise in Summer’s final days.