Our beautiful new tv cabinet and bookcase in the office!

 Progress is moving a little slowly since the last post…..but the work that has been done is amazing!  We have our new tv cabinet in the office 90% installed…..minus about two days worth of electronics installation.  At this point, in my opinion, BIGGER IS BETTER!  Wow!  What a difference 17′ of glossy black cabinetry can make in a space!  Instead of shrinking the space, the floor to ceiling cabinet has truly blown the roof off our room!  It is amazing the lift this cabinet gives to the space.  This is going to house so much of our collection of antique accessories, it is unbelievable!  Plus, it will hold all of the electronics for tv and sound for the entire house, as well as a fax machine AND printer for the office.  I am so excited to be getting this piece in our home.  It truly is a beautiful marriage of form and function.  John McGilvray and his crew have worked tirelessly to complete this, and they have done an amazing job.  The effect that the air conditioning soffit had in the room has been completely eliminated, and this room has started to feel larger, more cozy, and it now has details that are consistent with the rest of the house.

Guys from McGilvray Woodworks working on the cabinet installation. They were perfectionists!

So in addition to the nearly completed cabinet, the ceiling, crown, and base moldings are complete in the office…..so tomorrow, Dan Border and his crew will start putting the finishing touches on ceiling and trim paint.  Hopefully by mid week we will be ready for wallpaper in this room. 

Antique heart pine floors, nearing completion.

Max Wood Floors worked ON SATURDAY to complete the floors in the kitchen and den.  The floors are fantastic, and they did a really great job of fitting them together perfectly.  It really has given these rooms the patina they lacked before.  We have trim work details like shoe molding in both the kitchen and the den to complete.  In the kitchen, the trim work will be a little more difficult since we have to marry a slightly lower new floor to the position of the cabinets.  This can be overcome with new base pieces on the cabinets, and a new molding at the base of the island.  Once again, John McGilvray and his crew will be rescuing us from what could have otherwise been a tricky predicament. 

Kitchen floors are complete.....and just lacking a little trim work

Dan Border and his painting crew are making steady progress.  The upstairs bedrooms are in the process of getting their new colors, and windows still continue to be completed.  They are doing a great job……and delivering a silky smooth finish.  The former “green” bedroom, will still be called the green bedroom…..but the walls have gone from green to cream.  The master bedroom is getting a much more dramatic treatment.  We had a neutral tan tone in the bedroom that was matched to the toile wallpaper behind the bed, and a perfect blend with the carpet.  I wanted to change the color to give us a fresh look, and really wanted to do a lighter color.  What I realized…..as I lived in an empty house for the past two months…..it wasn’t the lightness of the color I disliked.  It was the fact that the color was so blah.  Just beige…..it wasn’t dramatic or exciting, and it really didn’t add anything to the room.  I am not opposed to light wall colors, and we have lots of them in our house, but in the master bedroom, the color just seemed to be flat.  Our solution……GLOSSY NAVY BLUE!  Can’t wait to see this going up tomorrow.  The painters are stealthy, and don’t make a huge mess, and are quite while they are here, so it is sort of difficult sometimes to tell exactly where they have been…unless they are making a major change in wall color, which they have done today.

Another shot of the new bookcase and tv cabinet

 Home Choice continues to disappoint on the window front.  Andy, the guy who has done such an amazing job installing the windows and putting up the window trim is M.I.A.  He was here Wednesday of last week for part of the day, and it is now Tuesday and he is no where to be found and will not return Seth’s (our job foreman) phone calls.  Sounds really professional, right?  In an effort to get our job complete, Seth and Schmid and Rhodes have enlisted the help of John McGilvray to complete the window trim in the house.  There isn’t a lot left to do….just a little bit of molding on the upstairs windows, and about half of the new dining room window.  Seems like Home Choice would want to be finished with this job…..but that doesn’t seem to be the way they operate.   John is anticipating completion tomorrow! 

Another view of the office.....with the new V-Groove fireplace. Mantle should be installed this week!

This week, our goals are to complete painting in the office, finish electrical work and get all recessed lighting installed, get electronics installed in the office, get new counter top in the basement bathroom, get wallpaper installed in the basement bathroom and office, get trim work complete in kitchen and den, and hopefully get painting complete in the upstairs bedrooms.

New bookcase and tv cabinet in process of installation....and a COMPLETELY installed ceiling!

LOTS of progress over the past week.  The mess seems to have grown today….but that is part of the progress.  Great strides have been made in the former office space.  The random width V-groove ceiling is completely installed, and the painting is well under way.  We have crown molding now in the office space, and the backboards for the fireplace are installed.  For the backboards of the fireplace, we used 8″ wide V-groove and installed it horizontally.  I think this is going to be a great effect once the mantle is in place.  Still to do is to paint the existing brick gloss black.  John McGilvray of McGilvray Woodworks is responsible for building the beautiful cabinet as well as installing our wood ceilings and mantle.  He has also done a fantastic job on the custom baseboard and crown in the office.

Paul McKee with Audio Video By Design has done an amazing job of getting all the wiring installed for house sound and the new tv….and my favorite new toy, CAMERAS!  We will now be able to see what is going on all over our house from anywhere in the world that we have i-phone service! 

All of the windows are installed, and window trim is nearing completion.  Andy from Home Choice, and all the guys from Schmid and Rhodes are really doing a great job and making sure we are happy with every single detail.  I have been a little disappointed in the window ordering process from Home Choice.  Schmid and Rhodes is taking care of all the errors with the window order so that I do not have to deal with the vendor…..and I am most appreciative of that, but the owner of Home Choice did not listen to our requests, and several mistakes were made that will ultimately cost him money.  There were no divided lights on the functional doors in the office, so those have to be replaced.  Over the front door, the window panes are a different size than the ones on the rest of the front of the house, so those two panels have to be replaced.  Our new dining room window was to be fully stationary, and the panels open…..this isn’t a big deal….just there was no need to have these functional, and now we have to take an extra measure to secure them.  Our screens are fantastic phantom screens that slide from the side, and completely disappear into the window frame when open…..but that was a pricey detail.  We had selected specific places where we thought it would make sense to use them, but we have ended up with them on almost every window….again, an expense we weren’t counting on.  None of these things really make that much of a difference, and the quality of the product is amazing….but a little communication from Home Choice would have been appreciated.  Still….even as I write….no call from the owner apologizing for the mistakes.  My words of advice here…..go over your window order multiple times to look for errors.  Our order appeared to be written correctly, but there were changes made to what we approved that we were never informed about.

Above is our new mantle back board made from horizontal V-Groove paneling…..partially concealed behind a mountain of bookcase parts!

My FAVORITE thing in the renovation thus far is the new dining room window.  Schmid and Rhodes did an AMAZING job of removing brick from the outside of the house to be able to enlarge this window.  I always felt that the dining room window shortened the view of the outside.  We have put a lot of effort over the past few years into making the backyard really special, and it was simply disconnected from the main floor of the house.  The new TALLER window really has made a huge difference, and just pulls you toward it so the backyard becomes a real feature of the main floor. 

Our new dining room window.....partially hidden behind our kitchen appliances!

After living with no floor in the kitchen and den for a month now, the antique heart pine flooring started going down today….and it looks GREAT!  This is what we should have done when we moved in 8 years ago.  I think it is “aging” our house beautifully.  This will be the perfect touch to make us feel like we have always lived here….and that the floors are original. 

The beautiful antique heart pine flooring going down in the den!

The large cabinet in the office should be complete by Monday, and next week, we should be complete with painting in the office.  Counter tops get installed in the office bathroom on Wednesday, and Bill Armstrong….our wallpaper installer, will start hanging the fabric on the walls in the bathroom on Thursday, and work until finished on the grass cloth wallpaper for the office.  Painting should start on the walls in the upstairs bedrooms next week.  We have a move in date set at this point…..TWO WEEKS!  Keep your fingers crossed that we make it.  There are a lot of loose ends to tie up before then, and a whole lot of cleaning….but I think we can do it, if we continue to see progress like was made this week!

Nothing like a refrigerator in the foyer to say "Welcome Home"!

Bunny Williams with me in her new "Bee Line Home" showroom in High Point

One of the highlights of this market was meeting design legend Bunny Williams in the new showroom for her new product line, Bee Line Home.  I am now carrying Bee Line home here in Knoxville thanks to my sales representative Roe Pitts.  Bunny is truly an interesting person who has a unique perspective on design, and who has lived a life full of doing what she loves, and creating beautiful interiors along the way.  Her classic book, “Affair with a House” is one of my favorites, and chronicles the evolution of her country estate.  Her partnership with John Roselli in Treillage is also an incredible story of interesting travel and places…..again coupled with beautiful objects from around the world.  Bee Line Home gives fans and consumers the opportunity to purchase some of her all time favorite pieces which she has beautifully reproduced. 

Another highlight was meeting Alexa Hampton.  I had met her a few years ago when she introduced her first collection for Hickory Chair.  This time, she was autographing copies of her new book, “The Language of Interior Design” at the Visual Comfort lighting showroom.  She has designed a collection for them that is beautifully chic…and of course, since it is from Visual Comfort, it is affordable.  She is so gracious, and an inspiration to me knowing her history and the fact that her father, Mark Hampton, was one of the greatest designers of all time.  The book is beautiful, and richly showcases many of her projects.  The book is interesting because she speaks to so many different styles and can’t be categorized to one look.  This is something I strive to do in my own work, and is the result of listening to what your clients have to say and to what they want.

The final highlight was meeting legendary designer Michael S. Smith and Elle Decor editor Margaret Russell at the Press Party in the Baker showroom.  The showroom is of course unbelievably large and even more beautiful.  They have created an entire Michael S. Smith home in the showroom to showcase his new product line for Baker.  I have enjoyed watching his career develop….even before his most recent honor to design the private living quarters in the White House.  It was an incredible experience to walk through his brilliantly laid out spaces and soak up inspiration.  His look for Baker is classic but fresh at the same time.  It walks a fine line between the 18th century and today.  This is a tricky place to be because there has to be enough fresh elements to keep the look current….but at the same time has to referrence history enough to make the look classic.  He is a master at this mix.

Angela with me in her fantastic shop

On our first day in Venice, we visited the studio of Angela R. Greco on the Ponte Delle Ostreghe, near San Marco.  Angela and her sister have been in this same location for years, and make the most beautiful Venetian style lamp shades I have found anywhere on the planet.  Each shade is made by hand, and you can see their love for their craft in every piece.  Angela’s typical shade is made from Fortuny fabric, and stretched over a wire frame.  I love these shades because they have an exuberance of style not found in most American lighting.  They have the fantastic shape of the Venetian shield style shade, plus color and pattern brought by the fantastic fabric.  A stunning combination.  We chose this trip a small pair of shades in blue and silver for a pair of lamps in a bedroom. 

Angela hand sewing the lining of a shade while her sister looks on

Besides being a fantastic place to find the fabulous, Angela’s shop is warm and friendly.  She loves to see people enjoy her work, and welcomes photography.  It is fun to see Angela and her sister again on this trip….in their matching smocks and pearls.

Lamps in the shop of Angela Greco

Bobby and I outside the shop

A carved wooden lamp base with a fantastic Fortuny shade

The beautiful studio of Bruno Vianello

A favorite stop in Venice is the studio of Bruno Vianello on Calle De Pistor in Castello.  Bruno is a painting restoration specialist whose work appears in the Accademia, the Hotel Danielli, and in many private Venetian collections.  Currently, he is working on a group of Biblical paintings from the 16th century in which he has beautifully restored the canvases; erasing years of soot and dirt; water damage; and bad patches by previous restoration.  Bruno typically deals exclusively in restoration for museums and private collections, but always has a few “treasures” available for purchase in his studio.  It is a treat to see such a talented craftsman.

A work in restoration for a private collection

Through the years, Bobby and I have been fortunate enough to have purchased a number of paintings from Bruno that are still in our private collection.  We are always inspired by the beauty of the art here, and it is easy to find pieces to love.

An outstanding Louis XVI style tall post bed, the latest introduction from Alfonso Marina

Up until this week, when I thought of Mexico, the beautiful white sand beaches of Cancun came to mind.  Say what you want about the Mayan Riviera; the beaches are among the most beautiful in the world…..even if they are man made.  It never dawned on me that Mexico was really a foreign country.  My view was totally suntanned.  It has been years since I basked in the sun on those beaches, but my memory of it was very Americanized.  The truth about the “real” Mexico is completely different. 

 There are photos sprinkled throughout this post, so please keep reading to see the story unfold.

A few weeks back, I was extended an invitation from Alfonso Marina Ebanista in Mexico City to tour their factory and see their showroom.  I’ve done business with them for years, and knew all about their quality, design, and generally fabulous product; so, I was intrigued.  It wasn’t exactly a place that was high up on my to-see list, but the fact that it was an all expenses paid trip sweetened the deal.  Given the current social climate in Mexico, elective travel is not advised; but I felt safe in the fact that Alfonso Marina is a first rate company and that they would escort me wherever I went.  The Camino Real Polanco Hotel was rated as super safe, so against the better judgement of Bobby, my friends, and family, I went…..and I am ever so glad I did.

The ride from the airport to the hotel confirmed that I was in a third world country, but once behind the gate of the hotel, a beautiful side of Mexico emerged.  Brightly colored and spacious, with typical Mexican stucco finishes and marble floors; the hotel was beautiful. 

I was met by my sales rep and the owners of Alfonso Marina and we proceeded to the factory….about an hour away from the hotel.  Did I mention that Mexico City is the largest city in the world?  It is an hour to everything. 

The factory is in an industrial part of town, tucked behind guarded gates in old buildings.  It forms a compound around their offices.  We started our tour in the engineering department.  All of the pieces start here.  Detailed drawings are done entirely by hand.  Models are made from those drawings, and the drawings are tweaked again after the prototype is perfected.   Once perfected, the drawings are recorded on their computer system, but they maintain those beautiful hand drawn ones and those are the ones they use to build each piece.  We met their engineering staff, as well as the person who carves all of the original carved details.  It was readily apparent that all of those pieces I have changed just a little bit….adding an inch or two here….or an inlay line there….had to be COMPLETELY re-engineered. 

Drawings are done full scale and entirely by hand

A door panel model, fully to scale

Chair frames are carved in styrofoam first to perfect the lines

Racks of templates

A room of router bits

The next stop on the tour was the prototype room where all of the first pieces are produced.  Here, they make templates and jigs from which the production pieces are made.  Templates and jigs are painted bright yellow so they don’t get mixed up with the actual wood pieces to be used in the finished products.  The next area was where the templates were stored.  A huge room with rack after rack of intricate pieces.  Chair parts are kept in neatly organized boxes.  We then saw the room where all the router knives are kept that make the beautiful moldings on their pieces.  They have an artist on staff full time creating these knives, and repairing the existing ones.   We moved from there to their raw wood storage and receiving area where the real process begins.  A production list follows each piece through the factory, from the time the wood is pulled from storage, then cut into the rough blocks it takes to make each piece.  The rough blocks are put on a trolley which stays with the piece throughout its creation.

Drawer fronts for an Italian chest being cut on a band saw

A woodcarver turning a chair leg

End grain banding being glued together by hand

Hand cut and inlaid veneer for a table top

There are no CNC machines.  Old fashioned bandsaws and lathes are where the magic happens.  Their workers are extremely skilled artisans.  The factory was like stepping back in time….years before the modern technology most companies utilize.  When I asked Carlos Marina how the wood turner knew he had a particular leg made correctly the response was “It is in his heart.  He has made this leg many times, and knows exactly when it is perfect.”  That quality is characteristic of every employee…..and the owners recognize that, and treat their employees with the utmost respect.  We walked on through the production line seeing drawer fronts being glued together and sawed out on the band saw.  We saw legs being applied, and pieces being assembled. 

Hand matching veneer

That beautiful striped veneering

Inlaid detail

Faith is at the core of the workers. Shrines to St. Joseph abound throughout the factory.

An escutcheon plate being cut by hand

Near the end of the construction process, we saw the room where the inlay work is done.  All of the veneers and inlay are hand matched and hand cut, specifically for each piece.  Truly amazing.  Their supply room for veneers was incredible.  So many different types of wood, in such thin pieces.  After the miracle of the inlay and veneer department, we went to a part of the factory where end grain banding was being cut and applied, as well as where their signature tiny “stripe” banding was being glued together and cut into the stripes.  It was a beautiful process. 

A cabinet being fitted with doors

The final part of building one was the final assembly and sanding area.  All the pieces come together in this area and the finished product begins to emerge.  After final assembly, the pieces are transported across the parking lot to building two for distressing, finishing, and packing. 

Piles of hand forged locks and hinges

An unfinished masterpiece

Hand applying ink to bone details

Beautiful completed bed in a custom navy blue finish

Between the two main buildings is a small room where hardware is milled.  Brass barrel hinges are cut by hand from long tubes.  Escutcheons for locks are hand cut out, and engraved entirely by hand.  Iron locks and straps are finished and distressed.  Hinges are cast and drilled.

The distressing is done completely by hand.  They don’t miss a detail with this, and the worker moved swiftly and with great skill.  He had no fear of scraping a corner off a beautiful drawer front, or putting a gash 5″ long on its face.  Even the insides, backs, and bottoms of the pieces that are distressed get that treatment.  It really adds to the overall authentic look.  After distressing, pieces receive a final sanding, and then move on to the finish department.  Varnish is applied to the wood first, and then stains are hand applied and rubbed to achieve depth and patina.  Waxes or sealers are the final layer. 

Also in the finish department is the area where artists hand paint pieces.  Bone details on some of the pieces are “inked” with a tiny pen by hand, creating intricate designs.  Pieces getting gold leaf trim are finished here as well.  The artisans have a vision to create finishes that look as though they have survived for hundreds of years.  Hand painted designs are done here as well. 

Finally, pieces are carefully packed and shipped. 

The showroom entrance

A beautiful Italian style console table

A beautiful newly designed primitive chest

Imagine this bench at the foot of a bed

After a full morning at the factory, we paused for a decadent lunch at a restaurant near the showroom.  The showroom was beautiful.  Over 14000 square feet, and every room was full of the fabulous products we saw being created in the morning.  Alfonso Marina is keeping alive a lost art.  Their products are truly bench made, and hand crafted in every way.  I am thankful for the experience, and have a new found appreciation for their furniture which really is “art.”

Beautifully tailored bedside or end table

Primitive console table

Chic upholstered pieces and dining chairs

A beautiful Louis XVI transitional style commode with marble top

The "Essen", another chic bed

Beautiful newly designed accent table

Sophisticated cocktail table

Even their accessories are hand made and hand finished

Alfonso Marina welcomes anyone who would like to come to Mexico City and visit their showroom.  It is a trip not to be missed, and you can be assured of two things:  You will be treated like royalty; and you will fall in love with a people, a place, and a product.

A beautiful antique French iron lantern

Lighting is an integral part of what I do as designer.  It has the power to be one of the most important elements of a design because it can control the mood of a room.  Bright light promotes activity, while dim light promotes relaxation and conversation.  Lighting also is important because it is a great way to continue the look of a space.  

Finding lighting fixtures that are appropriate to a space can be difficult.  A lighting source like New Metal Crafts takes a lot of the work out of the process.  New Metal Crafts is a Chicago resource I have used for years.  On our recent Chicago visit, I was finally able to go to their showroom and was blown away by the depth of their collection.  They have executed many custom pieces for me in the past, and any time I have an antique fixture that needs repair or rewiring, they are the only place I will send it.  Their work is always first rate, and their knowledge second to none.  Lighting is often overlooked as a design element, but after a trip to New Metal Crafts, you will realize how important it can be.  Following are some photos of the showroom and warehouse.

New Metal Crafts

A fabulous pair of Italian lanterns waiting on the perfect home

An endless array of smoke bell lanterns

Detail of one of many "walls of sconces"

More crystal than Versailles

Antique railroad lanterns awaiting conversion

Walls of bronze sconces

Beautiful mica shades on iron sconces

The third floor attic, a treasure trove of antique parts

More treasures in the attic

 

Photo shows a painted kitchen floor

We work with several different types of painters in the interior design business.  Different jobs require different levels of expertise.  A painter who is experienced at wall and trim paint, getting a silky smooth finish on woodwork, and walls free of drywall seams and nail pops is a wonderful thing, but he is probably not the person you want to do a decorative finish.  My experience is that an expert in that area is very important.  Faux finishing is a talent that requires years of experience to master.  A professional finisher will know where to start with the finish, how long it will take him to complete an area, and where a safe place to stop finishing will be.  You see, you can’t just stop for lunch anywhere along the way.  Stopping points have to be calculated in advance or your stopping points will be visible in the finished product. 

One faux finisher I work with regularly is Timothy Brown of Brown Studios in New York.  He makes monthly trips to Knoxville to work on my jobs, and is considering moving here in early summer.  Timothy’s work is world class.  He was trained by another of my faux painters, Daryl Garrison, who is still practicing in Nashville, Tennessee.  Timothy honed his craft under Daryl’s tutelage, and branched out to form his own company in New York.  There, he has worked for many top interior designers and their major league clients.  He has done work in the Kipps Bay Showhouse several times, worked with nationally recognized designer Eric Cohler, and his clients have included Katie Couric, Michael Douglas, and Katherine Zeta Jones.  Following are a few images of Timothy’s talents.

A painted nursery floor

Layered blocks

Painted monogram

Painted stripes for a playroom

Black and white stripes

Kipps Bay Showhouse

As you can see from the above photos, Timothy’s talent extends far beyond “walls” and includes floors, ceilings, furniture, and decorative items.  These are world class finishes by a fun and talented man.  His precision is amazing.  Who else could paint those perfect stripes with such detail?  Look for more of Timothy’s work in the future.

Completed Deck Railing with Decorative Screen at Bottom

Rail Cap Detail

Plinth for Lantern on Deck Rail

For the perfect deck railing, you should consider how the deck will be used.  Most decks are used for entertaining, and that involves drinks and food.  Sometimes there is not enough seating space for guests on a deck, so the rail is a great extra spot for guests to sit drinks and small plates. 

Make the top of the deck rail nice and wide.  We used a 2×6 with a routed bottom detail and a rounded top edge.  It is positioned on top of a 2×4 plain.  Our deck railing is made from 4×4 material, so the 2″ pieces together equal the thickness of the rest of the deck material.  It has a nice solid look; provides a place to put a drink or small plate, and feels substantial enough so that guests won’t feel like they are going to fall off.

I like the concept of porch lights looking like candle lanterns that have just been set on the railing.  To achieve this look, we added a 12×12 piece centered on top of the hand rail.  It got the same top and bottom details to make it consistent with the rest of the cap rail.  We drilled the center of it for wiring, and placed a custom lantern from McLean Lighting Works on top of that.  This is their Arts and Crafts lantern, which we felt had the same artistic design as a simple old French farmhouse lantern would have.  The base of the lantern is attached to the plinth, and the top is removable for changing bulbs.  Since the lantern was custom, we had the option of making the candles varying heights.  This is a great touch which adds a sense of real candles to the lanterns.