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	<title>On the Fringe. &#187; Collections</title>
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		<title>Good To Be Home</title>
		<link>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2012/03/good-to-be-home/</link>
		<comments>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2012/03/good-to-be-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Mar 2012 01:29:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>toddrichesin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Artisans and Manufacturers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carpets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Draperies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[air duct cleaning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Audio Video By Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dan Border]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Duct Doctor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Duct Dr.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[floor finish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Choice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Choice Windows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John McGilvray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mack's wood floors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marvin replacenent windows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marvin windows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[McGilvray Woodworks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paul McKee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phillip Jeffries]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Randy Vaden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[remodel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Renovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[replacement windows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Schmid and Rhodes]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Sferra linens]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[tung oil]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/?p=1081</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[































































































































It has been a full four weeks since my last update on the progress on our home.  After many tedious punch list items, we are fully complete inside, and have moved back in.
Home Choice came through!  Marvin Windows sent one of their factory technicians to go through the entire house and tweak everything. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
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<div>
<div id="attachment_1136" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-082.jpg"><img title="House After 082" class="size-medium wp-image-1136" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-082-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The new basement mantle.  Still waiting for the glass top for the vintage lucite cocktail table.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1135" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-0851.jpg"><img title="House After 085" class="size-medium wp-image-1135" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-0851-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Seating by the new basement doors overlooking the pool</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1134" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-0931.jpg"><img title="House After 093" class="size-medium wp-image-1134" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-0931-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Basement entry/laundry room</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1106" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-0781.jpg"><img title="House After 078" class="size-medium wp-image-1106" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-0781-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The basement cabinet filled with our treasures.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1105" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-077.jpg"><img title="House After 077" class="size-medium wp-image-1105" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-077-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Our antique desk in its new home, along with a souvenir painting from Antwerp.  The Russian sideboard was from the living room.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1107" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-080.jpg"><img title="House After 080" class="size-medium wp-image-1107" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-080-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A re-purposed desk in the new office space</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1108" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-081.jpg"><img title="House After 081" class="size-medium wp-image-1108" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-081-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The new office space is amazingly comfortable.  TRS made the sofas for us.  The rug and zebra hide were repurposed from the living room.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1110" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-087.jpg"><img title="House After 087" class="size-medium wp-image-1110" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-087-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">New vanity, bowl, and plumbing.....as well as the wool plaid walls, in the basement bathroom</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1093" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-043.jpg"><img title="House After 043" class="size-medium wp-image-1093" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-043-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A simplified grouping of accessories on the foyer chest</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1090" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-033.jpg"><img title="House After 033" class="size-medium wp-image-1090" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-033-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The new dining room window looks fantastic from the foyer</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1092" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-057.jpg"><img title="House After 057" class="size-medium wp-image-1092" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-057-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Sideboard from the bedroom really gives us extra serving space in the kitchen</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1082" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-036.jpg"><img title="House After 036" class="size-medium wp-image-1082" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-036-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Kitchen looking toward the living room.  Notice the counter top we honed, as well as the gleaming floors!</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1083" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-044.jpg"><img title="House After 044" class="size-medium wp-image-1083" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-044-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Chairs from the living room rest beautifully in the foyer.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1087" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-0411.jpg"><img title="House After 041" class="size-medium wp-image-1087" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-0411-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The painting over the fireplace, a souvenir from Venice, adds new energy to the den</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1094" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-046.jpg"><img title="House After 046" class="size-medium wp-image-1094" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-046-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">New floors in the den</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1095" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-048.jpg"><img title="House After 048" class="size-medium wp-image-1095" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-048-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Close up of the new den painting, and a couple of our favorites....hand made Staffordshire cats by a contemporary English artist</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1096" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-049.jpg"><img title="House After 049" class="size-medium wp-image-1096" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-049-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The den</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1097" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-055.jpg"><img title="House After 055" class="size-medium wp-image-1097" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-055-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The dining room from the living room</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1098" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-058.jpg"><img title="House After 058" class="size-medium wp-image-1098" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-058-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Chairs from the foyer look fresh in the living room</p></div>
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<div>
<div id="attachment_1098" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-058.jpg"><img title="House After 058" class="size-medium wp-image-1098" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-058-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Chairs from the foyer look fresh in the living room</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1099" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-059.jpg"><img title="House After 059" class="size-medium wp-image-1099" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-059-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A new Louis XV lacquer desk and pair of antique Chinoiserie lamps add weight and drama to the living room</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1100" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-060.jpg"><img title="House After 060" class="size-medium wp-image-1100" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-060-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A new display cabinet holds treasures in the living room.  John McGilvray built the pediment to add a little history to this room.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1101" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-063.jpg"><img title="House After 063" class="size-medium wp-image-1101" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-063-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A new cocktail table continues the ebonized theme in the living room, and the re-positioning of some artwork adds a new look</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1102" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-067.jpg"><img title="House After 067" class="size-medium wp-image-1102" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-067-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The new rug provides a unifying backdrop for the room, and the addition of the cocktail table with a shelf helps to hold a collection of books.</p></div>
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<div><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-073.jpg"><img title="House After 073" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1103" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-073-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a></div>
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<div id="attachment_1115" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-099.jpg"><img title="House After 099" class="size-medium wp-image-1115" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-099-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Navy lacquered walls and a repurposed desk from my office add depth to the master bedroom</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1116" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-100.jpg"><img title="House After 100" class="size-medium wp-image-1116" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-100-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A simplified bed in the master bedroom.  Still waiting on Sferra to complete our linen order.</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1118" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-112.jpg"><img title="House After 112" class="size-medium wp-image-1118" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-112-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">New Sferra linens add brightness to the yellow bedroom</p></div>
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<div><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-117.jpg"><img title="House After 117" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1119" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-117-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a></div>
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<div id="attachment_1120" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-118.jpg"><img title="House After 118" class="size-medium wp-image-1120" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-118-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The green bedroom</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1121" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-121.jpg"><img title="House After 121" class="size-medium wp-image-1121" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-121-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The green bedroom</p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1122" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-122.jpg"><img title="House After 122" class="size-medium wp-image-1122" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-122-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A repositioned console and painting, as well as the addition of draperies really soften the green bedroom.  The Scalamandre&#39; linen was a perfect color match.....12 years after the original fabric was used for this room.  </p></div>
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<div id="attachment_1122" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-122.jpg"><img title="House After 122" class="size-medium wp-image-1122" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/House-After-122-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A repositioned console and painting, as well as the addition of draperies really soften the green bedroom.  The Scalamandre&#39; linen was a perfect color match.....12 years after the original fabric was used for this room.  </p></div>
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<div>It has been a full four weeks since my last update on the progress on our home.  After many tedious punch list items, we are fully complete inside, and have moved back in.</div>
<div>Home Choice came through!  Marvin Windows sent one of their factory technicians to go through the entire house and tweak everything.  They worked on every window to make sure that they were working easily and smoothly.  All the screens work great now, and locks work perfectly.  It is amazing the difference that this tweaking had.  Home Choice has our replacement doors for the basement on order as well as one window that was not as ordered, and those should be here and installed soon.  We are really happy with the finished product, and are glad that we have had a happy ending with the issues we were having with the windows.  Schmid and Rhodes needs to be commended on their efforts to get all of this coordinated and making sure that it was all perfect.</div>
<div>The process went really smoothly&#8230;.with a few minor hic-cups.  The biggest time waster was the final coats of floor finish.  The floor finisher did not ask what sheen level we wanted&#8230;..and considering that they installed our living room floor when we moved in 8 years ago, I didn&#8217;t think to tell them.  The antique floors we have are finished with tung oil.  I had put a touch up coat on the living room floor and steps a few years ago, and just used the basic Minwax tung oil finish.  It renewed the floors beautifully, and gave them their original glossy sheen.  Bobby and I, at the advice of Schmid and Rhodes, planned a short trip to Asheville duing the time the finish was to be applied so we would be out of the fumes.  Well, the plan did not work as planned.  When we came home, our floors had a matte finish on them, so ALL of the floors had to be re-coated with a glossy tung oil.  Who knew that tung oil came in sheen levels?  It was always shiny before, so I never thought about asking.  Just goes to prove that the only stupid question is the un-asked question.</div>
<div>The wallpaper was installed in the basement, and it is lovely.  Bill Armstrong did an amazing job on this.  The stripes make for a really casual look that is perfectly appropriate as an area just off the pool, and the grasscloth texture makes it feel really cozy.</div>
<div>The new glossy navy paint in the master bedroom is amazing.  It is one of my favorite rooms now.  The paint, coupled by several re-purposed pieces of furniture, and a new grouping of art in this room have really given it a facelift.</div>
<div>Dan Border and his crew were diligent painters, and in the end re-coated every piece of trim in the house.  Everything looks fresh and pretty&#8230;..but this is one of the things that added days to the process.  The floor finishers got the tung oil finish on the base boards and stair risers, so then those had to be re-coated.  Things like this just really slowed down the process.  The paint is silky smooth, and now that it is complete, our door detail really pops.</div>
<div>Shoe molding was another pain that took time.  You can&#8217;t put down shoe molding until the floors are fully finished&#8230;.and since they all had to be re-done, we were late with that.  The finish carpenters did a great job though, and the molding looks great now, and you cannot tell that the floors we just put down were not original.  Even the trim around the kitchen island proved to add a beautiful detail to the island itself.  Another molding detail was the mantle in the basement.  The &#8220;wall&#8221; had been installed for a couple of weeks, but the installation of the completed mantle really dressed up the space, and gave new life to the fireplace.  John McGilvray did an amazing job with this.  It looks amazing.</div>
<div>The electronics installation proved to be more complicated than anyone imagined.  We are using the RTI remote control on some of the lights, and we discovered that since we live in an older home&#8230;..not every switch was grounded, so we had to do a considerable amount of re-wiring to get the lighting controls to work properly.  Now, we can control lots of lights in the house from the iPad and from the iPhone.  It is great, and super convenient.  The television in the basement works on these same iPad controls, as does the 7 Sonos systems that were installed to give us sound throughout the house and pool and deck areas.  The sound is amazing, and the fact that you can control it from your phone is just&#8230;.well&#8230;.cool.  Paul McKee and his crew at Audio Video by Design did an amazing job putting this system together, and it was a real trick to do in a house that was built as ours was.</div>
<div>Final installation of lighting trim kits was another punch list detail.  It just seemed like that nothing was getting fully complete.  The workers would do 90%, and then move on to something else.  Maybe there was some logic in it somewhere, but it was hard for me to see.  We got the counter top in the basement bathroom, and the sidesplashes could not be installed until the wall fabric was applied, so that was one more little detail that had to come later.  The sink was installed with the Toto label showing&#8230;..I didn&#8217;t like that, so it had to be re-installed backwards to cover up the label.  Lighting in the new cabinet was installed&#8230;.but the color was wrong so it had to be re-ordered.  Shelves were installed in the cabinets, and we discovered that with some of the electronics, we needed some modifications so those had to be made.  John McGilvray did a great job with those final details, and everything is now fitted perfectly.  A missing vent cover, a missing switch plate cover, a missing door handle&#8230;..all these little things just took time to take care of.  We were 98% complete on Friday, February 17.</div>
<div>The next processes went very smoothly.  I had scheduled Duct Doctor to clean all the ducts and HVAC systems in the house on the 17th.  It had been 8 years since they had been fully cleaned, and with all the construction dust, I knew we would never get rid of the house dust if we did not do this.  They did an amazing job, and at this point, we have little to no house dust.  Over the weekend we started cleaning.  We had the entire upstairs complete by Sunday, and on Monday I started working with our house keeper Janette on the main floor.  We cleaned all the kitchen cabinets fully, and re-organized in the process.  It is amazing what we were able to eliminate, and just pulling everything out lets you really see what you have so it can be put back together in a better way.  We polished floors, washed walls and trim, and had everything on the main floor cleaned by Monday afternoon.  The window washers came on Tuesday&#8230;..and were here for two full days.  They say it won&#8217;t take so long next time&#8230;..just the construction clean was really involved.  The windows are shining now, and they really look great.  On Tuesday, Janette and I worked again and this time cleaned the basement, starting in the laundry room and storage closet.  Those areas are also well arranged now and more functional.  We washed all the moldings and floors.  Carpeting upstairs was also cleaned on Tuesday.</div>
<div>Wednesday is when the house started coming together.  The rugs that had been out for cleaning and repair all were re-installed, along with the new living room rug and repurposed sisal rug in the basement.  Randy Vaden took care of the rug installation, and as always did a perfect, pristine job.  Pads fit perfectly, and everything is perfectly square.  He also did an amazing job applying the velvet border to our living room rug, and leather to the re-purposed sisal rug in the basement.  Prestige Cleaners had taken our draperies out when we moved out, and stored them for us.  I didn&#8217;t have them &#8220;cleaned&#8221; but they did thoroughly vacuum them and got rid of all the dust.  They came on Wednesday and reinstalled them, so the rooms really started to look complete.  Paul McKee and his crew spent all day Wednesday working on the audio video system tweaking it for final install.  They worked until about 8:00!  Less than 15 minutes after they left, we had a power surge, and the entire system went out in the whole house.  No cable.  No internet.  No phone.  This was just typical of the construction process&#8230;&#8230;and it seemed like it was all related to the new system, but it wasn&#8217;t.  Thursday, I had to spend the afternoon here getting the problems fixed with Charter Cable and TDS Telecom.</div>
<div>Friday, February 24, was really a great day.  We started loading the trucks with everything that had been stored, and had the first load here by 10:00.  We had 5 box truck loads and about 3 van loads to get everything back in the house.  Mike Croft and his delivery crew were amazing.  They are so careful with everything, and I don&#8217;t think we scratched one piece&#8230;.or dinged any trim in the move in process.  We knew where most things were going, but this was our opportunity to really think about where things would end up, and we did a fair amount of &#8220;trying out&#8221; on items to make sure we were getting them in the best place.  As a result, there are lots of pieces with new homes within our house.</div>
<div>Saturday, Bobby and I spent all day working on the art.  We pulled all the art that had been stored in the upstairs bath and powder room out, and started playing with where everything would go.  There were certain pieces that went back exactly where they were before, but many others moved around.  We hung, and hung, and hung.  We tried things in different places&#8230;.and edited the collection in the process.  What we ended up with looks really great, and it showcases our collection better than it has been before.  During this work, we were also placing lamps and a few key accessory pieces&#8230;.but the main focus was art.</div>
<div>Sunday, Bobby and I worked on accessories.  We really tried to limit the number of pieces that were on display, and what was left over, would go in either the new cabinet in the living room, or the new cabinet in the basement.  This worked really well.  We got to showcase some of our most favorite things, while at the same time being able to display virtually all of our treasures.</div>
<div>The process of installing rugs and draperies one day, furniture the next, then artwork, then lamps and accessories was really perfect.  It allowed you to see the rooms develop.  In a typical move, the house gets cluttered with empty and full boxes, art and accessories sitting everywhere, as well as things that should never be &#8220;on display&#8221; sitting out.  By doing this move the way we were able to do it eliminated all of that and you could really see what you were doing.  As a result, this project came togehter really quickly.</div>
<div>It was rewarding to do this for us.  We install jobs all the time, and get to experience the joy that clients have with the finished product, but it is truly rewarding to do it for yourself&#8230;.and when you are complete, be able to call it home.  One of my clients told me a while back that her builder gave her words of advice years ago on the building process.  You will forget how messy it was.  You won&#8217;t remember what a pain it was.  You will forget what the headaches were, and you will forget the things that had to be done two or three times.  You will even forget how much it cost&#8230;..but you will never forget if you like it&#8230;&#8230;so it is really important to LIKE what you are doing.  In retrospect, I&#8217;m not sure there is anything I would do differently.</div>
<div>Now, the final phase of the project.  The slate roof.  We are having a bit of an issue in matching the existing slate, so it has been decided that instead of trying to match it, we will replace it.  This has brought up an entirely new concern in that our custom color clad windows were designed to coordinate with the roof we currently have&#8230;..so color is very important.  Schmid and Rhodes is working to find a solution to the problem, and hopefully tomorrow we will have the perfect sample for the slate.</div>
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		<title>Time For Change</title>
		<link>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2012/01/time-for-change/</link>
		<comments>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2012/01/time-for-change/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:30:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>toddrichesin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Draperies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Projects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artwork storage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[before and after]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fresh look]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heart pine flooring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prestige Cleaners]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Renovation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[replacement windows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Schmid and Rhodes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[storm damage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/?p=1013</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_1015" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-158.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1015" title="House Before and Empty (158)" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-158-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">My former office.....now a giant chunk of square footage we don&#39;t need</p></div>
<p>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 &#8220;stuff&#8221; to make the process a little easier for them&#8230;..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. </p>
<dl id="attachment_1014" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px;">
<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-114.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1014" title="House Before and Empty (114)" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-114-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></dt>
<dd class="wp-caption-dd">The Den&#8230;.all empty</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<p> The list grew, as most projects do, and now includes the following:</p>
<p>*Reconfigure the former office and create a media room, office, and entertainment area that services the pool</p>
<p>*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</p>
<p>*Create an updated mantle and overmantle for the new media room</p>
<p>*Eliminate the horrid track lighting in the office, and in so doing, create a sensible lighting plan, and install a new wooden ceiling</p>
<p>*Replace the marble floor in the kitchen&#8230;.which continues to crack despite our efforts to correct it&#8230;.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.</p>
<p>*Replace interior door hardware with lever handles appropriate to the style of the house, and add detail to the door painting</p>
<p>*Fresh paint colors for the green guest room, master bedroom, and laundry room</p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>Our goal is to give our home a fresh look.  As a designer, it is easy for me to look at a client&#8217;s home in a fresh light.  Since I am so attached to this place, and spend so much time here&#8230;..it is really hard to do that with my own home.  The repair work forced us to remove the majority of our &#8220;stuff&#8221; and it is giving us an opportunity to &#8220;re-think&#8221; 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. </p>
<div id="attachment_1016" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-137.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1016" title="House Before and Empty (137)" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-137-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Foyer into dining room</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>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&#8230;.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 &#8220;stuff&#8221;.  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.</p>
<p><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-149.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1017" title="House Before and Empty (149)" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-149-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.</p>
<div id="attachment_1020" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-135.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1020" title="House Before and Empty (135)" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-135-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The Foyer</p></div>
<div id="attachment_1021" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-1321.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1021" title="House Before and Empty (132)" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-1321-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">The living room</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-129.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1022" title="House Before and Empty (129)" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/House-Before-and-Empty-129-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p>
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		<title>Never Refuse the Venetian Offer</title>
		<link>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2010/05/never-refuse-the-venetian-offer/</link>
		<comments>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2010/05/never-refuse-the-venetian-offer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2010 20:07:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>toddrichesin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shopping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antique shopping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antique shopping in Venice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Venetian Palazzo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Venice]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/?p=735</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Antique shopping is always a part of our travel, and Venice is no exception.  You never know where you might end up, but if you are truly interested in the products a merchant has, and you are polite, doors might open.  Today we were casually walking toward Campo San Maurizio in San Marco and happened [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_736" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-736" title="023" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/023-300x225.jpg" alt="A beautiful room in the Palazzo" width="300" height="225" /><p class="wp-caption-text">A beautiful room in the Palazzo</p></div>
<div class="mceTemp">Antique shopping is always a part of our travel, and Venice is no exception.  You never know where you might end up, but if you are truly interested in the products a merchant has, and you are polite, doors might open.  Today we were casually walking toward Campo San Maurizio in San Marco and happened upon a shop we have visited many times called &#8220;V. Trois Antichita.&#8221;  We were admiring a fabulous 18th century painting of young boys dressed as architects when the owner started talking with us.  When he found out we were dealers, and that I was a designer, he asked if we would like to visit his &#8220;annex&#8221; a canal away.  All I can say is this is why you don&#8217;t refuse the Venetian offer.  You never know where it will take you.</div>
<div class="mceTemp">We walked a canal away, and down a narrow sidewalk to what appeared to be a common entry door.  Turns out, the &#8220;annex&#8221; was the palazzo where the owner was born and grew up!  It was fabulous.  We walked up to the &#8220;piano nobile&#8221; or first floor, and into a wonderland of 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th century Venice.  The palazzo was built in the 1600&#8217;s, and still maintained some original details.  It had been burned in the 18th century, so some of the decoration was more of that period&#8230;..but it was all amazing.  I could not focus on the antiques at hand because of the setting in which they were displayed.  As you can tell from my photos, I didn&#8217;t even know what to shoot.  The experience was fantastic, and it is great to see how Venetian houses really looked&#8230;.and in some cases still do.  The owner doesn&#8217;t live there anymore, but his mother does.  He traded this splendor for &#8220;the simple life&#8221; of a one room studio.  Much easier to maintain&#8230;.and a lot less to dust.</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_737" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-737" title="024" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/024-300x225.jpg" alt="Another view of the main salon" width="300" height="225" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Another view of the main salon</p></div>
</div>
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		<title>Art Restoration in Venice</title>
		<link>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2010/05/art-restoration-in-venice/</link>
		<comments>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2010/05/art-restoration-in-venice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2010 19:42:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>toddrichesin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artisans and Manufacturers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shopping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antique painting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antique painting restoration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bruno Vianello]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[painting restoration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shopping in Venice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Venice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Venice Italy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/?p=728</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_729" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-729" title="001" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/001-225x300.jpg" alt="The beautiful studio of Bruno Vianello" width="225" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">The beautiful studio of Bruno Vianello</p></div>
<p>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 &#8220;treasures&#8221; available for purchase in his studio.  It is a treat to see such a talented craftsman.</p>
<div id="attachment_730" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 235px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-730" title="003" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/003-225x300.jpg" alt="A work in restoration for a private collection" width="225" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">A work in restoration for a private collection</p></div>
<p>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.</p>
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		<title>Chicago&#8217;s New Metal Crafts</title>
		<link>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2010/01/chicagos-new-metal-crafts/</link>
		<comments>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2010/01/chicagos-new-metal-crafts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:27:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>toddrichesin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artisans and Manufacturers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antique lighting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chandelier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chicago]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crystal sconce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lantern]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Metal Craft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Metal Crafts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sconce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[smoke bell]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/?p=425</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="mceTemp">
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_443" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-443" title="DSCN0291" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0291-168x300.jpg" alt="A beautiful antique French iron lantern" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">A beautiful antique French iron lantern</p></div>
<p>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.  </p></div>
</div>
<p>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.</p>
<p> </p>
<div id="attachment_431" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-431" title="DSCN0279" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0279-168x300.jpg" alt="New Metal Crafts" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">New Metal Crafts</p></div>
<div id="attachment_433" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-433" title="DSCN0281" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0281-168x300.jpg" alt="A fabulous pair of Italian lanterns waiting on the perfect home" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">A fabulous pair of Italian lanterns waiting on the perfect home</p></div>
<div id="attachment_434" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-434" title="DSCN0282" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0282-168x300.jpg" alt="An endless array of smoke bell lanterns" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">An endless array of smoke bell lanterns</p></div>
<div id="attachment_436" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-436" title="DSCN0284" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0284-168x300.jpg" alt="Detail of one of many &quot;walls of sconces&quot;" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Detail of one of many &quot;walls of sconces&quot;</p></div>
<div id="attachment_438" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-438" title="DSCN0286" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0286-168x300.jpg" alt="More crystal than Versailles" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">More crystal than Versailles</p></div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_442" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-442" title="DSCN0290" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0290-300x168.jpg" alt="Antique railroad lanterns awaiting conversion" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Antique railroad lanterns awaiting conversion</p></div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_445" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-445" title="DSCN0293" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0293-300x168.jpg" alt="Walls of bronze sconces" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Walls of bronze sconces</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_446" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-446" title="DSCN0294" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0294-300x168.jpg" alt="Beautiful mica shades on iron sconces" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Beautiful mica shades on iron sconces</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_451" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-451" title="DSCN0302" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0302-300x168.jpg" alt="The third floor attic, a treasure trove of antique parts" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">The third floor attic, a treasure trove of antique parts</p></div>
</div>
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<div id="attachment_454" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-454" title="DSCN0305" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DSCN0305-300x168.jpg" alt="More treasures in the attic" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">More treasures in the attic</p></div>
<p> </p></div>
</div>
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		<title>A connection to the past</title>
		<link>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2010/01/a-connection-to-the-past/</link>
		<comments>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2010/01/a-connection-to-the-past/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>toddrichesin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Interior designers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[makeovers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/?p=398</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Candace Manroe of Traditional Home wrote the below article, &#8220;Free pass for all us pack rats.&#8221; This is a brilliant summary of how a collector feels. I never have been able to put my finger on the reason I can’t stop, but Candace has. The connection to the past.
Bobby and I are collectors to the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Candace Manroe of Traditional Home wrote the below article, <a href="http://blogs.mydevstaging.com/blogs/companion/2010/01/15/free-pass-for-all-us-pack-rats/" target="_blank">&#8220;Free pass for all us pack rats.&#8221;</a> This is a brilliant summary of how a collector feels. I never have been able to put my finger on the reason I can’t stop, but Candace has. The connection to the past.</p>
<p>Bobby and I are collectors to the core. Our shop, Bobby Todd Antiques, was born of the things we had no more room to house. Wooden boxes, tortoiseshell, Imari porcelain, Rose Medallion, 18th century French furniture, 16th and 17th century Italian paintings, Persian rugs, Staffordshire, silhouettes, Italian wood carvings, and anything quirky that has genuine artistic value. That is just in the foyer! These are things that we move around, use, and re-use, and they continue to look good and fresh. Years after we started, we are still drawn to the same genre of items. There must be something that is ok with that.</p>
<p>Anyone who would like to see our collection can go to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.toddrichesininteriors.com/">http://www.toddrichesininteriors.com</a> and look at my “portfolio” and “Casa Real” to see what we love and live with every day. Thanks Candace, for bringing this to your readers.</p>
<p><span style="color: #0000ff;"><a href="http://blogs.mydevstaging.com/blogs/companion/2010/01/15/free-pass-for-all-us-pack-rats/" target="_blank">Free Pass for All Us Pack Rats</a></span></p>
<p><!--Written on January 15, 2010 at 3:00 pm, by-->By <a href="http://blogs.mydevstaging.com/blogs/companion/author/cmanroe/" target="_blank">Candace Manroe</a></p>
<p>Every time I start to houseclean before a party, I’m confronted by my collections. The dust they gather. The clutter they might represent to a more detached eye. The statement they haunt me with—you know, that one about hanging onto baggage and what-not.</p>
<p>But the fact is, I love them. The old black-and-white family photographs in Victorian seashell frames or in smaller micro-mosaic frames collected from travels in Italy (first trip, first frame, trip to Rome with Mother when I was 14; Mother’s been gone 9 years, I still have that first frame) and to antiques shops and flea markets everywhere else; all my books—antiquarian full-leather-bound and otherwise (just short of trade  fiction), that  started as gifts from both grandmothers and have grown to a houseful since—every room book-lined,  each with a different category of books: poetry in entry, family room, and master bedroom; history and art in living room; crime novels, first upstairs bedroom; and so on); my father-the-painter’s brilliant art; turn-of-the-19th-century whimseys (I’m like an ostrich: anything that glistens, sold!); seashells, especially cowries; Victorian seashell boxes and art; Staffordshire; ironstone; etc.</p>
<p>Here’s how bad  the book collecting alone has gotten. My BFF, neighbor, and fellow collector Andi Kunert once had a nightmare about me. Books had so overtaken my home in her dream that my sofa literally was reduced to nothing but stacks of them. No fill, no fabric, just books as form. Quite uncomfortable, she assured me the next Saturday, as we were out antiquing together, me scouring the shelves for more great old books I would enjoy both reading and treasuring as objets d’art. Andi suggested that, based on her nightmare, maybe it was time I backed off the book collecting. I knew I was in trouble hearing any such heed from her. When we watched  GRAY GARDENS (the made-for-TV movie about Jackie O’s increasingly eccentric aunt and cousin whose Long Island home ended up a collector’s and cat owner’s nightmare), separately, in our own homes, and later discussed it, we each pointed fingers at the other and said, “I thought of you!”  (I’m eccentric, she’s a crazy cat woman. We’re both collectors. Maybe that’s why we get along. But, truth told, she’s the one tottering on that slippery hoarder slope far more precariously than I.)</p>
<p>All of which is to say, you can imagine how relieved I was when I was at my TRAD HOME desk one day and flipped through an unproofed copy of a new book, OBJECTS OF OUR AFFECTION, by Lisa Tracy ($25, hardcover, 2010, Random House’s Bantam Books). I haven’t had a chance to read it all the way through, but I was immediately intrigued. It’s a vindication for all of us pack rats.</p>
<p>The book is Tracy’s account of her and her sister’s task of emptying their mother’s brimming-with-objects house after her death. Tracy writes: “Even as we know we should be winnowing, we’re wallowing.” She and her sister ran across an inventory that included silver gewgaws, dueling pistols of Aaron Burr’s, a Chinese chest, a chair G. Washington perhaps sat in. All in all, good stuff.</p>
<p>Here’s what the dust jacket has to say: “Tracy chronicles the wondrous interior life of those possessions and discovers that the roots of our passion for acquisition often lie not in shallow materialism but in our desire to possess the most treasured commodity of all: a connection to the past.”</p>
<p>That’s good enough for me. I would love to know what you think of the book—and about your own collecting experiences.</p>
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		<title>Christmas at Casa Real</title>
		<link>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2009/12/christmas-at-casa-real/</link>
		<comments>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2009/12/christmas-at-casa-real/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:33:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>toddrichesin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Projects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seasonal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Casa Real]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas Decorations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas garlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas ornaments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas ribbons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas Tree]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christmas tree decorating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[garlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italian antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kitchen Christmas decorations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Knoxville]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Loir Mitchell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mantles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[master bedroom Christmas decorations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nutcrackers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ornaments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snowmen]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/?p=256</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have had some requests to see how our home looks during the Christmas season.  This morning, we awoke to the season&#8217;s first snowfall, and the view from the bedroom window inspired this post.  Nothing says Christmas like snow.  It was so beautiful here this morning, I had to share.  The first photos are of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="mceTemp">I have had some requests to see how our home looks during the Christmas season.  This morning, we awoke to the season&#8217;s first snowfall, and the view from the bedroom window inspired this post.  Nothing says Christmas like snow.  It was so beautiful here this morning, I had to share.  The first photos are of the outside, and following are interior shots of the house in its full Christmas attire.  Enjoy.</div>
<p> </p>
<div id="attachment_257" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-257" title="DSCN0145" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0145-168x300.jpg" alt="Snowy back yard" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Snowy back yard</p></div>
<div id="attachment_258" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-258" title="DSCN0146" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0146-168x300.jpg" alt="Snowy shade garden" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Snowy shade garden</p></div>
<div id="attachment_259" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-259" title="DSCN0147" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0147-168x300.jpg" alt="Garden urn in the snow" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Garden urn in the snow</p></div>
<div id="attachment_261" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-261" title="DSCN0150" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0150-168x300.jpg" alt="Snowy trees in the backyard" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Snowy trees in the backyard</p></div>
<div id="attachment_262" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-262" title="DSCN0152" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0152-300x168.jpg" alt="Front entrance in the snow" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Front entrance in the snow</p></div>
<div id="attachment_264" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-264" title="DSCN0155" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0155-168x300.jpg" alt="Mailbox" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Mailbox</p></div>
<div id="attachment_263" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-263" title="DSCN0154" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0154-168x300.jpg" alt="Snowy stone lions" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Snowy stone lions</p></div>
<div id="attachment_265" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-265" title="DSCN0156" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0156-300x168.jpg" alt="Snowy front yard" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Snowy front yard</p></div>
<div id="attachment_266" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-266" title="DSCN0157" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0157-300x168.jpg" alt="Snowy hedge and bench" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Snowy hedge and bench</p></div>
<div id="attachment_267" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-267" title="DSCN0158" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0158-168x300.jpg" alt="Window decorations" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Window decorations</p></div>
<div id="attachment_268" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-268" title="DSCN0159" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0159-168x300.jpg" alt="Front door" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Front door</p></div>
<div id="attachment_269" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-269" title="DSCN0160" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0160-300x168.jpg" alt="Front of house" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Front of house</p></div>
<div id="attachment_272" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-272" title="DSCN0163" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0163-300x168.jpg" alt="Dining room view" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Dining room view</p></div>
<div id="attachment_273" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-273" title="DSCN0164" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0164-168x300.jpg" alt="Back porch" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Back porch</p></div>
<div id="attachment_274" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-274" title="DSCN0165" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0165-168x300.jpg" alt="Den Christmas Tree" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Den Christmas Tree</p></div>
<div id="attachment_275" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-275" title="DSCN0166" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0166-168x300.jpg" alt="Den mantle" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Den mantle</p></div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_276" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-276" title="DSCN0167" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0167-168x300.jpg" alt="Lamps in den" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Lamps in den</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_277" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-277" title="DSCN0168" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0168-168x300.jpg" alt="Kitchen nutcrackers" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Kitchen nutcrackers</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_278" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-278" title="DSCN0169" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0169-300x168.jpg" alt="More nutcrackers and transferware bowl with ornaments" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">More nutcrackers and transferware bowl with ornaments</p></div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_279" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-279" title="DSCN0170" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0170-168x300.jpg" alt="Kitchen clock and Jackson" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Kitchen clock and Jackson</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_280" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-280" title="DSCN0171" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0171-168x300.jpg" alt="Kitchen table centerpiece" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Kitchen table centerpiece</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_281" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-281" title="DSCN0172" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0172-300x168.jpg" alt="Lori Mitchell figures on the kitchen counter" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Lori Mitchell figures on the kitchen counter</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_282" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-282" title="DSCN0173" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0173-300x168.jpg" alt="Lori Mitchell candy figures, antique Italian jars, and transferware in the kitchen" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Lori Mitchell candy figures, antique Italian jars, and transferware in the kitchen</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_283" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-283" title="DSCN0174" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0174-168x300.jpg" alt="Dining room chest with bust" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Dining room chest with bust</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_284" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-284" title="DSCN0178" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0178-300x168.jpg" alt="Foyer nativity and antique Italian candlesticks" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Foyer nativity and antique Italian candlesticks</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_285" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-285" title="DSCN0179" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0179-168x300.jpg" alt="Foyer stairs" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Foyer stairs</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_286" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-286" title="DSCN0180" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0180-168x300.jpg" alt="Living room lamp table with glitter deer and ribbon" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Living room lamp table with glitter deer and ribbon</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_288" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-288" title="DSCN0183" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0183-168x300.jpg" alt="Living room tea table with bowl" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Living room tea table with bowl</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_289" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-289" title="DSCN0184" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0184-168x300.jpg" alt="German boot on living room chest with tortoise box" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">German boot on living room chest with tortoise box</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_290" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-290" title="DSCN0185" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0185-168x300.jpg" alt="Living room mantle" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Living room mantle</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_291" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-291" title="DSCN0186" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0186-168x300.jpg" alt="Living room Christmas tree" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Living room Christmas tree</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_292" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-292" title="DSCN0187" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0187-168x300.jpg" alt="Living room center table with lamp and crystal bowl" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Living room center table with lamp and crystal bowl</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_293" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-293" title="DSCN0188" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0188-168x300.jpg" alt="Living room table with crystal lamp and Rose Medallion porcelain" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Living room table with crystal lamp and Rose Medallion porcelain</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_294" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-294" title="DSCN0190" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0190-168x300.jpg" alt="Master bedroom night stand" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Master bedroom night stand</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_295" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-295" title="DSCN0191" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0191-168x300.jpg" alt="Blue and gold in the master bedroom" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Blue and gold in the master bedroom</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_296" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-296" title="DSCN0192" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0192-168x300.jpg" alt="Madonna in the master bedroom" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Madonna in the master bedroom</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_297" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-297" title="DSCN0193" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0193-168x300.jpg" alt="Yellow bedroom Scottish chest with ribbons" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Yellow bedroom Scottish chest with ribbons</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_298" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-298" title="DSCN0194" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0194-168x300.jpg" alt="Yellow bedroom roe deer antlers and hats" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Yellow bedroom roe deer antlers and hats</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_299" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-299" title="DSCN0195" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0195-168x300.jpg" alt="Yellow bedroom chairs and lamp table" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Yellow bedroom chairs and lamp table</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_300" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-300" title="DSCN0196" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0196-168x300.jpg" alt="Upstairs hall table with Mexican angel and old Paris post cards" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Upstairs hall table with Mexican angel and old Paris post cards</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_301" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-301" title="DSCN0197" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0197-168x300.jpg" alt="Guest bathroom with glitter house" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Guest bathroom with glitter house</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_302" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-302" title="DSCN0200" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0200-168x300.jpg" alt="Green bedroom night stand" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Green bedroom night stand</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_303" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-303" title="DSCN0202" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0202-300x168.jpg" alt="Green bedroom with Scottish spaniels, Spanish nativity panels, and bowl with ornaments" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Green bedroom with Scottish spaniels, Spanish nativity panels, and bowl with ornaments</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_304" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-304" title="DSCN0204" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0204-168x300.jpg" alt="Fortuny lamps in green bedroom" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Fortuny lamps in green bedroom</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_305" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-305" title="DSCN0205" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0205-168x300.jpg" alt="Green bedroom lamp with ribbons" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Green bedroom lamp with ribbons</p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_306" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-306" title="DSCN0207" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0207-168x300.jpg" alt="Green bedroom " width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Green bedroom </p></div>
</div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_307" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 178px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-307" title="DSCN0209" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0209-168x300.jpg" alt="Master bathroom chest with lamps and ivy" width="168" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Master bathroom chest with lamps and ivy</p></div>
<div class="mceTemp">
<div id="attachment_308" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-308" title="DSCN0210" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCN0210-300x168.jpg" alt="Snowman collection in master bath" width="300" height="168" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Snowman collection in master bath</p></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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		<title>A few of my favorite things&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2009/11/a-few-of-my-favorite-things/</link>
		<comments>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2009/11/a-few-of-my-favorite-things/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:03:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>toddrichesin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artisans and Manufacturers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[18th century sideboard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[19th century settee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMY HOWARD PLASMA TV HUTCH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AUSMAN BUFFET AND HUTCH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAUSMAN PLASMA TV POP-UP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HICKORY CHAIR MORGAN MEDIA CABINET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PATINA PALAZZO SECRETARY/BUREAU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[televisions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/?p=83</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Televisions being exposed in a room are no longer the fashion faux pas they once were as we embrace technology in 21st century design. Leading manufacturers have created thin, classically simple electronic components that can be incorporated into most any décor. In our own home, we have hung a flat panel television over an 18th [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Televisions being exposed in a room are no longer the fashion faux pas they once were as we embrace technology in 21<sup>st</sup> century design. Leading manufacturers have created thin, classically simple electronic components that can be incorporated into most any décor. In our own home, we have hung a flat panel television over an 18<sup>th</sup> century sideboard and yet another over a 19<sup>th</sup> century settee with beautiful results.</p>
<p>However, if you would rather not have your television exposed, there are stylish ways to disguise it. Many companies offer this type of product. See below for a small sampling, and to get an idea of what is available, <a href="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/index.php?page=featured-lines" target="_self">visit links to my vendors</a>.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-85" title="Picture 2" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Picture-21.png" alt="Picture 2" width="540" height="237" /><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-86" title="Picture 3" src="http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Picture-31.png" alt="Picture 3" width="523" height="525" /></p>
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		<title>Holiday Open House at Bobby Todd Antiques</title>
		<link>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2009/10/holiday-open-house-at-bobby-todd-antiques/</link>
		<comments>http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/2009/10/holiday-open-house-at-bobby-todd-antiques/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:43:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>toddrichesin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Collections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seasonal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[annual holiday open house]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bobby Todd Antiques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bobby Todd commercial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bravo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charter Cable.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lori Mitchell collectible figurines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oxygen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Round Top Metal Art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[signature ribbons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sweetwater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Travel Channel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[“Making Spirits Bright”]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toddrichesininteriors.com/blog/?p=74</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“Holiday memories begin at Bobby Todd Antiques.” 
Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. for Bobby Todd Antique’s annual holiday open house. “Making Spirits Bright” is this year’s theme. Shoppers will find red, green and gold decorations with extra sparkly vintage flair as we unveil this year’s window. We will be closed Monday, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>“Holiday memories begin at Bobby Todd Antiques.” </em></p>
<p>Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. for Bobby Todd Antique’s annual holiday open house. “Making Spirits Bright” is this year’s theme. Shoppers will find red, green and gold decorations with extra sparkly vintage flair as we unveil this year’s window. We will be closed Monday, October 5, Tuesday, October 6 and Wednesday, October 7 to pre- pare. The open house continues Friday and Saturday, October 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, October 11 from 1 to 5 p.m.</p>
<p>This holiday season, you’ll find Lori Mitchell collectible figurines at Bobby Todd. Full of whimsy and charm, her characters have won a place in the hearts and collections of folk art enthusiasts worldwide. We also have high quality Christmas sculptures from Round Top Metal Art. These hand- painted items are beautiful, fun and inspirational.</p>
<p>When you think of Bobby Todd at Christmas, you think of our signature ribbons. This year, our customers will have a chance to buy ribbons off the floor or special order them in time to make their holidays merry and bright. There are ribbons of all kinds including solids, silks, sequined, mesh, velvets, printed, embroidered and more.</p>
<p>Be sure to look for the Bobby Todd commercial that is airing on Bravo, Oxygen and the Travel Channel on Charter Cable.</p>
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