Green Apple Themed Tablescape

Posted on April 1, 2013 by inspirationaldetails

Image credit: Google

Another member of our Gourmet Group hosted both a lunch and Gourmet dinner at her house within a week of each other. She used a beautiful “green apple tablescape” for both events . This tablescape works well not only for spring or summer but is perfect to use anytime of the year. See how she added some minor things to the table to transform it from a casual luncheon to a dinner party scape.

Lunch

An overview of the table

She started with a white tablecloth and three vases all filled with just green apples. She glued on fun-looking green and white ribbons to each vase.

She started with a square mirror at each place setting to add some sparkle and elegance. A great looking green and white plate was used to continue the theme. The plates were angled to add another element of interest and dimension.

Cute green pinwheels were added to the napkin rings.

She cut off the top of a mum and floated it in a small, shallow bowl tied with green ribbon. Bowls were placed at each place setting.

Another glimpse at the pretty tablescape

She served chicken salad on tomatoes topped with onion and avocado.

“Banana Caramel Cream Dessert” – you can find this Yummy! dessert on Pinterest.

Dinner

An overview of the dinner tablescape

The same vases have been used but they have now been also filled with water and white hydrangeas. Candles have been added to the table.

The same place setting is used – now just with a little more formality to it including place cards.

The flowers and pinwheels are used again at each place setting.

This “gourmet couple” hosted at their home on a summer evening. Accordingly, they had a “gourmet BBQ theme” with the following Menu:

Appetizers:

Carmelized Onion, Mushroom, & Gruyère Tartlets

Grilled Endive

Homemade Guacamole & Chips

Dinner:

Assorted Sausages

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Chinese Bok Choy Slaw

Charred Corn Salad

Dessert:

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Bon Appetit’

She and I both collect figurines made by Lori Mitchell. I just love how she put “Bessies Beach Ball” under the cloche for the summer.

Posted in Entertaining, Food | Tagged book club lunch ideas, cooking inspiration, entertaining at home, entertaining ideas, entertaining with a passion, food inspiration, Gourmet Cooking Group, Green & white tablescape idea, Lori Mitchell figurines, spring tablescape, Summer tablescape, Table setting, tablescape idea, tablescape using apples | Leave a comment

A Springtime Tablescape for Entertaining

Posted on March 1, 2013 by inspirationaldetails

I love to entertain…

Photo credit: Colin Cowie (Colin Miller)

I find lots of inspiration from the gorgeous tablescapes that “event planner extraordinaires” like Colin Cowie and Preston Bailey create. Pinterest is another outstanding and fun source these days for entertaining inspiration. However, unfortunately for me, I do not have many sets of china and tablecloths to pick from and use. Nor would I have the storage for these extra items. I do think, though, that I (or anyone) can put together a ‘maybe simpler’ but still very beautiful backdrop for a dinner party. It’s all about the details…

One key point to remember is to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prepare, set, and tweak the tablescape. Often times it helps to do some or all of the table setting days or even a week in advance especially if you also have a meal to prepare. If I do set the table days in advance I always turn the plates and glasses upside down for ‘dust reasons’ till the day of the dinner. I almost always get more exhilarated working on my tablescape preparation than my meal preparation.

Image via Google

My husband and I have been in our “Gourmet Group” (a.k.a. cooking-entertaining group) for about 20+ years. Our group consists of 4 couples including ourselves. The core of the group has stayed basically the same but due to things like jobs and relocation, some of the couples have changed or rotated over the years. Each couple takes a turn hosting in their home. The host couple decides on the theme, the menu, and picks out the recipes. One recipe is then given to the other couples to cook and bring the night of the dinner.

Our group is now much more relaxed about the ‘rules’ we follow. For approximately the first 5-10 years, the host had to pick a specific theme for dinner such as “French”, “German”, or “Middle Eastern” months before hosting. It also required taking the time to go to the library and search for good recipes. All recipes were home cooked and nothing store prepared (even salsa!). Thank goodness for change! The internet came along and sites such as Epicurious and Food Network are now available in our homes. Per our current ‘group rules’ dinner themes are more general and some of the dinner side items can even be store prepared.

Last year my theme was “Spring Fling”. Here’s the tablescape I put together for that evening.

I like to set the tone of the evening for my guests the moment they walk in the front door and are taking their coats off. This chest is in my foyer and I begin my entertaining backdrop there.

Here is an overview of my spring tablescape. I used white, green, and yellow colors as part of my theme. I almost always start with a mirror or several mirrors on the table. I just love how they reflect the light. Mirrors like these are inexpensive and can be purchased online or at stores such as Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

I put lots of white candles and votives on the table. I also added single stem hydrangeas to it.

I, once again, “brought the outdoors in”… I cut branches from one of my trees (the branches actually had new leaf buds on them). I put the branches in a crystal vase, scattered some additional sticks and branches on the table, and added some pretty stones.

I love birds so, of course, I had to put some tiny birds in the branches…

I added a bird’s nest and some bird eggs.

I alternated green and yellow colors for the place settings. It was almost Easter so I added an Easter cookie as a take home goodie.

I wrote each person’s name on a stone to mark their place. The extra spoon was for a “Sorbet Interval” course.

I also have a chest in the corner of my dining room. I usually use it as an additional backdrop.

This evening I had various vessels with candles lit in them. I continued my white flower theme with vases of roses and lots of white rose petals. Lastly, I displayed my Sid Dickens “Friendship” tile on the chest. The inscription on the back of the tile reads, “A friend dispels the cold and warms the soul”.

Photo taken in the evening with all the candles lit

My “Spring Fling” menu consisted of:

Appetizers:

Portobello Pizzas

Cucumber-Yogurt Soup Shooters

Buffalo Style Meatballs with Pineapple & Poblano Peppers on Skewers

Sorbet Interval

Salad:

No Fuss Cheese & Pear Salad with Apricot Nectar Dressing

Main Entrée’ & Accompaniments:

Chateaubriand

Roasted Asparagus

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Dessert:

Walnut Pear Sour Cream Cake

Bon Appetit’

A few weeks later, one of my sister-in-laws hosted a fabulous Easter brunch and egg hunt. She displayed this bunny on her buffet table – how cute is he?!! I just had to share the photo…

Get Inspired!

Posted in Entertaining, Food | Tagged Colin Cowie, decorating with candles, dinner party ideas, entertaining, entertaining at home, entertaining ideas, entertaining with a passion, Gourmet Cooking Group, inspiration, Preston Bailey, spring dinner menu, spring tablescape, tablescape details, tablescape ideas, tablescape pictures, tablescapes | 2 Comments

A Lunch for Book Club…

Posted on January 14, 2013 by inspirationaldetails

I love to entertain, but I am especially passionate about tablescapes.

Image via Pinterest

Maybe you’re like me and love to read books, and also possibly in a book club…

Image via Pinterest

My Book Club meets monthly with the exception of July, August, and December. Our group (all women) is a small group and we like it that way. Keeping our group small allows us each month to not only “catch up” with each other socially, but also spend the time we want to actually discuss the book.

Image via Pinterest

In addition to books, our group also “does lunch”. We all love to entertain, so we rotate homes and each take a turn hosting book club and serving lunch. There is no right or wrong way in our group as to hosting in our home. Hosting has run the gamut from semi-formal (using the good china & silver, cooking homemade recipes, etc.) to very casual. A good dessert and/or chocolate always seems to make an appearance each month too. Sometimes our lunches have included wine (especially appropriate when we discussed “The House of Mondavi“), or even meeting and eating at a restaurant. Any of the scenarios are fine with our group. It is all about getting together and the enjoyment we get from “good reads and good company”.

Image via Pinterest

My last turn hosting was in September. I love the colors and the beauty that the fall season brings. With its vibrant colors, autumn is one of my favorite times of the year to entertain and decorate my home.

I usually served lunch in my kitchen, but this time I decided to use my dining room. Here’s a glimpse at the tablescape I put together for our September book club lunch.

I find inspiration in the outdoors and love to bring the “outside in” to decorate my home.

The book we were discussing was “Defending Jacob” by William Landay. Our group overall found the book to be quite disturbing, but we did have a very interesting discussion from it.

I combined the look of fall with books & reading. I cut branches off some of my trees and put them in a vase. I then hung pages from a book on the branches. A fall wreath surrounds the base of the vase.

I also rolled up some of the pages, tied them with twine, and added those to the table.

I put stacks of books on the table and throughout the room to add ambience.

I like to collect different leaves from outside and use them in various places to add another element of autumn in my home. I scattered some of the leaves on the table. My fall napkins were tied with raffia.

I didn’t take pictures of the food, but I served tuna fish on lettuce along with heirloom tomatoes drizzled with a reduced balsamic vinegar.

I hope you found some inspiration from my tablescape and maybe for even some of you the motivation to start your own book club. I’d love to hear about any good reads that you would recommend, and also what other book clubs are doing at their discussions.

Posted in Books, Entertaining | Tagged book club at your home, book club inspiration, book club tablescaape, Book discussion club, BookClub, entertaining book club at home, entertaining tablescapes, fall decorating, fall tablescape, hosting tips, tablescape inspiration, tablescapes | Leave a comment

Building a Dream House: Light Up Your Beautiful Home

Posted on November 3, 2012 by inspirationaldetails

Postscript: I apologize for this lengthiness of this post. However, I wrote what I think are some important things to consider with a lighting plan. I also wanted to include some photos for inspiration and some of our lighting selections from our new home.

Planning ahead is essential to achieving successful lighting…

The electrical walk-through takes place very early in the

building process – long before you really need to select light fixtures. However to avoid possible additional costs (“Why didn’t we think of that earlier?”) or possible regrets (“I wish we had…”), it is well worth your time and effort to really think through all the lighting needs throughout your home in the blueprint stage. I would also highly suggest taking it to the lighting store that your builder works with to get their feedback on things such as the number of lights, stair lighting (turning the light on downstairs and then turning it off from different bedroom locations upstairs), under cabinet lighting, over cabinet lighting, bath lighting, recessed can lighting, and ceiling fans.

Some Things to Consider:

Generally speaking, there are 3 types of lighting: task/accent, ambient/general, and , of course, natural lighting. Review each of these types in every room of your house.

Natural Lighting

Photo credit:
Pella.com via Houzz

Natural lighting comes in through our windows and doors. It is going to vary depending on the time of day, time of year, and what direction each room faces. I love as much natural light as I can get in a room. As we all know, though, in reality we have to put other important items in our homes like beds, appliances, furniture, and artwork that require us to have walls. I love fabrics and beautiful window treatments and those also are going to take away some of my natural light coming in through the windows – a price, however, I’m willing to pay.

Task/Accent Lighting

Task lighting needs to be adequate enough for us to perform all our daily tasks. Tasks like reading, computer work, school work, cooking, and grooming should be considered. If you don’t have enough, you may get eyestrain, headaches, moodiness and maybe just not want to even perform the task. Examples of task lighting to possibly put into your home would be recessed lighting, pendant lights, and under cabinet lighting.

Photo credit:
hgtv.com

Cans or No Cans??

Some designers dislike the use of recessed can lighting throughout a home. I agree that cans do make a ceiling unattractive. However, I find the benefit of having recessed lighting when you need it or want it outweighs the ugly look of them. We put them throughout our entire new home. We even made the choice of using recessed cans over our kitchen eating area rather than putting a hanging fixture. I tend to work on projects or read at night while sitting at the kitchen table and want the additional light recessed cans provide. Also sometimes when we entertain large groups we like the option of moving our kitchen table to another location and we don’t want a fixture hanging down where a guest’s head may hit it.

There are two things, though, that I think are “musts” when installing can lights in a home. The “first must” is to install dimmer switches with them. Dimmer switches can serve two purposes: they can take away some of the possible glare from the lights and they can provide ambience to a room when dimmed significantly. The “other must” is painting the baffles that surround the cans the same color of the ceiling. This minor detail helps the cans (somewhat) disappear into the ceiling.

Photo credit:
Cameo Kitchens, Inc.

Cans are often used in a coffered ceiling like the one in this beautiful kitchen. The also shows a great example of under cabinet lighting.

Image by:
utilitechlighting.com

Notice the placement of the cans in the photo above – only two sides of the room. Cans do not have to be installed all over the ceiling – careful placement of them can make all the difference in a room.

Cans also serve as accent lighting in a home and can provide an impact in a room. They can be used to illuminate artwork or special objects in a room especially in a niche area. You can also create drama in a room by using cans to flood or wash the walls with light.

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
R.J. Gurley Custom Homes

Notice the accent can lighting in the niche and a few carefully placed cans in the center of this dining room by R.J. Gurley Custom Homes.

Photo credit: Houzz
Applegate Tran Interiors

This is a great example of recessed cans highlighting the objects in each of the niches.

Photo credit: Houzz
M Squared Design, LLC

This game room shows the use of recessed cans combined with rope lighting in a tray ceiling. Rope lighting is another way to create some drama in a room.

Photo credit:
www. scottsdaledesigner.com

Designer Vicki Bergelt has created “quiet drama” in this Master Bedroom by carving out lighting niches in the wall.

LEDs Bulbs or Not??

The last point I will bring up regarding recessed lighting is whether to choose to put in LED bulbs. Currently, this is another decision to carefully consider (it probably will not be in several years). Fortunately, you will not have to make this decision until the builder actually has electrical power running in the house. Here are some of the major pros and cons of LED recessed lighting.

Pros:

Keeps your electrical bill down and will save you a significant amount of money over time

You won’t have to change a bulb for many years nor purchase replacement bulbs very often

They burn cooler than other types of bulbs

A “greener choice” – better for the environment

Cons:

Currently an expensive investment to make especially when you have to buy so many bulbs at one time (when building a house)

They are still working on improving the quality of light they emit – luckily that horrible, bluish color is in the past

We actually made the decision to “bite the bullet” and put in all LED bulbs throughout the first floor. We decided it was worth the investment in the long run. Some of the rooms also have very high ceilings that would make changing bulbs a painful process, and we wanted all the recessed can bulbs on the same floor to look-alike.

Exterior Lighting

Photo credit: Houzz
(Fourteen Estates)

Another critical decision you will need to make is your exterior lighting. Exterior lighting is important for two main reasons: security for your new home and curb appeal. I am very big on the curb appeal of a home. It is the first impression people have of your home. Is it welcoming and inviting?

Photo credit: hgtv.com

Some exterior lighting needs you may want to consider are :

Exterior light fixtures

Lighting up steps to your front door (promotes safety & security)

Security lights mounted in dark corners of the house

Recessed can lighting in the eaves

Deck, patio, and pool lighting

Pathway lighting (electrical or solar)

Landscape lighting (spot, flood, and up lighting (trees/house)

Lighting roof peaks and house angles

Holiday Lighting

One last type of lighting you may want to spend some time thinking about are any holiday lighting outlets you may want during the holiday season. It is much easier and less costly to put in an outlet now than later. Consider whether you want to add an outlet in certain areas and eliminate the need to be running an extension cord(s). For instance, we added outlets above the fireplace mantels for lighted garland. My husband also had the forethought to add outlets in our eaves for Christmas lights on our roof and eliminating the need for an extension cord running down the sides/front of the house.

Photo credit: hgtv.com

You now have the lighting you really need to basically function, so now it’s time (months later) to use your creativity…

Selecting Light Fixtures: Adding “Jewelry” to Light Up Your Beautiful Home

Sparkly? Ultra Modern? Traditional? Simple? Colorful?

Exterior Fixtures

Your front door is the most important door in your house. Front door fixtures should be the largest of your exterior fixtures. If you are choosing between two sizes of fixtures, the bigger one is probably the right choice. Fixtures will appear much smaller when viewed from the street. Also choose a fixture with a color that compliments the colors of your home’s exterior. Take your time to really find that fixture you love and is the right scale and color – you’ll be happy you did.

Photo credit: bhg.com

What instant curb appeal this front entrance has! It is so warm and inviting – you want to see what the interior of the house is like. Even though this photo came from bhg.com, it sure looks like “Nell Hill’s” (Mary Carol Garrity – Kansas store owner/author) to me.

I knew that I wanted gas lanterns for our front entrance. I love the beauty and charm of gas lanterns and the constant flickering flame they have.

Photo credit: postcardfromparis.com

This is one of our front door gas lanterns (not turned on yet). Our other front exterior fixtures match this one in a smaller size but are an electrical version.

Foyer Fixtures

How do you imagine your dream foyer saying “Welcome”? Do you see it as fairly formal or casual? Is it a big foyer or small? The answers to these questions should help direct you to the style of light fixture you will want to hang in there.

Do you prefer the look of a crystal chandelier?

Photo credit: Robert Benson
Foyer Design: Luxe Interiors via Houzz

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
KannCept Design, Inc.

This is the chandelier we selected for our foyer (made by Murray Feiss ).

Or maybe you prefer the timeless look of a glass lantern?

Photo credit:
traditionalhome.com

Photo credit:
brucekading.com

Photo credit: Pinterest
Design by: Mackin Architects

Or maybe something with a “real wow factor”?

Photo credit:
elementsofstyleblog.com

“Re-dressing” My Dining Room Fixture

This lovely home was one we seriously considered buying during our 6-year-house-search. I fell in love with this antique fixture. Once we decided to build, my goal was to find a beautiful antique fixture for my dining room. I wanted the charm and grandeur that an antique fixture can bring to a room.

Photo credit: TraditionalHome.com

Not only do I love this antique fixture from Florian Papp Antiques, but I think this whole room is gorgeous.

After I did some looking, I decided I wanted to find a “Paris Flea Market” crystal chandelier like the ones in the following photos.

Photo credit:
habershamhome.com

After an extensive search in stores and on the internet, I could not find a fixture both within my budget and the right scale for the room (“large enough” per Lucia, my designer)…

Chandelier by Cyan

Did you know you can have a fixture “re-dressed” by a lighting store ? I purchased this beaded, more casually looking chandelier, and had the lighting store re-dress it with crystals.

I now have the “Paris Flea Market” chandelier that I wanted for a reasonable cost.

Study Fixture

One of the rooms that I think turned out beautifully is our study (check out some of my previous posts for building pictures of it). Our study is right off the foyer so I wanted a fixture that had a “study feel” to it but was not too casual looking. I am quite pleased with our selection.

Kitchen Fixtures

As I mentioned before, we did not want a hanging fixture over our eating area. However, we certainly did want a fixture(s) over the kitchen island. I had 3 requirements in my search for the perfect fixture. It would have to provide good lighting, have visual interest, and would not take away from the cooktop hood which I consider the focal point in the kitchen.

Photo credit: postcaardfromparis.com
Design by Linda McDougald

Pendant lighting over a kitchen island is a popular choice like the ones in this beautiful kitchen.

Photo credit: hgtv.com

This stunning kitchen has a very interesting chandelier.

Photo credit: Houzz
design by RLH Studio

The drum shades are a great choice in this gorgeous kitchen designed by RLH Studio.

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by
GreatSpaces.com

I love the classic look of glass lanterns over a kitchen island. I highly considered this option for many months.

Photo credit: jkandsons.com

How extraordinary is this island chandelier and kitchen designed by John Kraemer & Sons?!

Bathroom Fixtures

You can find many great-looking bathroom fixtures at a very reasonable cost these days. In most bathrooms you will want a fixture that gives off a good light for grooming purposes. There are two other things to consider when making your selections. One is whether you want the lighting and plumbing fixtures to match. The other is whether you want the light fixture mounted in the mirror or above the mirror (if mounted above, make sure the size of the fixture and the height in the room works together).

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by Carey Mudford Interior Design

We have a pop-up ceiling in one of our baths. I just love the orb fixture we selected for it.

You may want to put special lighting in rooms such as the powder room or master bath.

Photo credit:
traditionalhome.com

Photo credit:
lauracasyinteriors.com

Final Words: My lighting selections will play a significant design element in our new home. There will be one more finishing touch to my “lighting jewelry” with the addition of some beautiful table and floor lamps….Oh yea, and some candles too…

Photo credit:
tobifarley.com

Posted in Design | Tagged accent lighting, building a dream home, building a house tips, Custom home, design inspiration, details, dining fixtures, exterior fixture tips, foyer fixtures, indoor and outdoor lighting, inspiration, interior lighting tips, kitchen lighting, LED bulbs, lighting in a new home, planning lighting, Recessed light, selecting lights tips | 8 Comments

Building a Dream Home: Paint, Granite, and Tile Decisions

Posted on August 12, 2012 by inspirationaldetails

Paint Decisions…

Our paint decisions involved deciding on paint colors for the walls of each interior room. It also included paint/stain color decisions related to all cabinets, moldings, and casings in the house. We were allowed 10 wall/cabinet color changes and 4 ceiling color changes with our builder, Jeff Paul. Not all builders allow this many color changes, but this was the deal we had originally worked out with Jeff.

I had been really dreading this point in our building process…I knew I was not merely making paint and stain decisions. These decisions would have a “domino effect” on so many other things I would be required now not to only think about, but decide. I was permanently impacting and ultimately limiting our color choices for other design elements like countertops, tile, fabrics, and furniture. This was a major crossroads for me…

When you walk in the front door of a house, I think it is important that there is a good flow from room to room and there is continuity throughout it. This is what I wanted too, beginning with my color palette selections.

Photo credit: Houzz
Entry by Brian Watford ID

This entry knows how to deliver a great first impression! I, too, decided on a neutral color for our foyer/entry.

Our Paint Decision Adventure:

Lucia Harness (my designer) and I spent 2 straight days at the house to discuss and select all our paint/stain decisions (along with discussions involving countertops, tile, etc.). Lucia who, of course, has been through this process many times before, came mightily prepared for this event. “My gal” brought a folding table and chairs with her for us to work. At this stage of building, the only other option for us to work at there would have been the cold concrete floor. So what a comfort difference that made for our long work days!! I wish I had taken a photo for you to see. Another critical item(s) Lucia had brought with her were her paint color wheels and boxes of color samples from Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore.

For many months, Lucia and I had been gathering countertop and tile samples that we thought were worth considering. We also had already decided on a light cream paint color for all the casings and moldings throughout the house (with the exception of the Study). Since our home is French Country in style, the natural starting point was to begin looking at some blue and bluish-gray colors. Over the course of the next two days, Lucia and I selected some blue tones for some of the bedrooms and baths. We then selected other coordinating colors like creams, beige, browns, grays, and a wonderful yellow for the kitchen.

A Quick Look Back at Our Decision-Making Process:

Throughout the process, we would look at our current paint choices and see how they were looking with the many tile and countertop samples we had acquired.

Painted Cabinet Decisions: Now and Then…

If you recall from my previous blog post, “Trim Decisions”, this is the bath cabinet with the front curvature now painted a cream color.

It’s hard to tell from this photo, but this bathroom cabinet is painted a light blue color . The X’s including the center molding piece will be glazed with a silver hi-lite to accent the exquisite details. I plan on putting antique mirrored glass in the door panels.

Here you can see some of our granite samples for this bath…I also plan on putting this divine wallpaper in there. A very, cool mirror above the sink will complete the look in here.

Stained Cabinet Decisions: Now and Then…

Remember our Study photos from my previous blog post? Well, this photo shows one of the first steps in our process for selecting the stain color for that room. We were seeing how the stain sample looked in the actual room with a sample of the hardwood flooring that will be going in there.

Look how beautiful the stain color turned out. Nothing says warm and cozy like a room filled with wood…

We are also very pleased with the work that Jeff’s paint/stain crew did with our Pantry cabinets. We were looking for that timeless elegance that mahogany cabinets can exude.

The stain in this bath cabinet shows off the molding detail in the center panel and the fluted molding on the side of the cabinet. We wanted a slightly masculine feel in this bath.

Tile/Countertop Decisions…

A photo showing our tile selection with a possible granite choice. We did not use this unusual granite selection for this bath, but we did choose to use it in another room.

We looked at so many tiles…

The backsplash tile in this photo is from Walker Zanger’s Contessa collection. I love that it has an old world feel to it while being very beautiful too. This is the backsplash tile I selected for one of the walls in my kitchen.

This is the granite countertop and backsplash tile Lucia and I selected for the Butlers Pantry. We had already decided on using this collection of Asian wall tiles in there. One of the days after we made that decision, we were out trying to select granite slabs for several rooms including the Butlers. Both of us stopped in our tracks when we spotted this extraordinary granite. We think our tile and granite selections will be gorgeous together!!

Our floor tile, granite, and paint color selections for the Utility Room.

A photo of the current stage of our Utility Room. The tile was just laid this week! You can also see the cream cabinets and beadboard. I have always loved a checkerboard look for floor tile.

Final Words:

As I continue to add other layers of design elements to our home such as lighting, fabrics, and furniture, I am hoping I have started to create a beautiful backdrop for them.

Posted in Design | Tagged building a dream home, Building process, Custom home, decorating inspiration, first impressions, Jeff Paul Custom Homes, selecting granite, selecting paint colors, selecting stain colors, selecting tile, Walker Zangar Contessa tile, Walker Zanger tile | Leave a comment

Building a Dream Home: Blessings from God to Our New Home

Posted on July 5, 2012 by inspirationaldetails

Special Note:

A Short Post but Noteworthy

I have been praying to God throughout our building process for guidance with the many decisions we have had to make. I have also prayed that my family and I will put God first in our new home. So when I recently read in “Atlanta Homes Magazine” about what Monica Pearson had done when she was building her home, I knew I wanted to do the same thing. Monica Pearson and her builder, John Ruben Caillero, wrote little Bible verses on the wood beams in the house. So behind every wall in the house is a Bible verse. She said she felt like “from the beginning her house was built on sacred, blessed ground”.

After reading this, I rushed over to the house to incorporate this into our new home before we were too far along in the building process. I wrote on the walls, floor, and wood countertops (before the installation of the actual countertops, of course).

Here are some of the short Bible verses/prayers that I have written into the “hidden spaces” of our new home.

Kitchen:

God of mercy,

God of grace

Be pleased to bless

This dwelling place.

May peace and kindly deeds

Be found;

May gratitude & love

Abound.

putting prayers to God when building a house

Foyer:

With God all things are possible.

– Matthew 19:26

Pantry:

Lord, we thank you for blessings and abundance.

Dining Room:

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything

Thy goodness sends,

Father in Heaven,

We thank thee.

Study:

The Lord is good

to those who wait for Him,

to the person who seeks Him.

– Lamentations 3:25

Closet:

Seek the Lord and His strength:

Seek His face continually.

Psalm 105:4

Butlers Pantry:

A good name is to be more desired than great wealth.

– Proverbs 22:1

Sitting Room:

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

– James 4:8

I am hoping that we too will be surrounded by God’s blessings and love when we move into our new home.

May God Bless Us in Our New Home …

Posted in Design | Tagged Bible verses, Blessings from God to Our New Home, building a dream home, design inspiration, Guidance from God | Leave a comment

Building a Dream House: Trim Decisions (Cabinets, Moldings, etc.)

Posted on July 4, 2012 by inspirationaldetails

Trim Decisions…

One of the more important decisions that we probably have made is our trim decisions. This included decisions regarding cabinets, door/window moldings, crown moldings, and baseboards.

To me, the key to making something ordinary become something extraordinary is in the details, and that is exactly what I was hoping to achieve with our cabinet decisions. Besides my kitchen inspirational files, my collection of bathroom and cabinet photos was probably the next largest. Before we did our official “trim walk” with Jeff Paul (our builder) and his crew, Lucia Harness (my designer) and I met to look through and talk about my “inspiration pictures”. She and I spent many hours discussing elements such as the style of the room the cabinet would be going into, necessary storage, drawers, doors, stain finishes, paint finishes, glass, and molding details.

For each room, we would discuss and then Lucia would “work her magic” and redraw my inspiration into something that worked for the space and looked fabulous. She then made up packets for each cabinet piece and had copies for each person at the “trim walk”. These packets included my original inspiration picture and the revised drawing for each room. Lucia’s foresight in making these packets made our “trim walk” not only very organized, but also go more efficiently.

Jeff builds all his cabinets “on site”. “On site cabinets”, for those of you who may not be familiar with the term, mean they are built exactly to the space wanted. A big pro for “on site” cabinets is there are no fillers used and thus no wasted space. A possible con to “on site” vs. “factory built” cabinets is sometimes the wood quality used is not as desirable or the paint/stain finish is not as good as “factory built”. However, in our case we have been nothing but extremely pleased with all the trim work Jeff’s crew did for our house project. You can see some of the trim work, in the photos I’ve included below, that were taken during the trim phase in our building process.

Study/Library Inspiration Photo:

Photo credit: WoodMode Fine Custom Cabinetry

This was my inspiration picture for our study. The cabinetry is Made by Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry. I had a copy of this photo in my file for many years from an old Wood-Mode catalog. I fell in love with the pine wood and the glass cabinets. I could see myself curling up in a room like this one with a good book in front of a fire.

Study/Library Trim Work

The above pictures were taken during the trim stage of our study. I think Jeff’s trim crew pretty much “nailed” my inspiration photo!

Other Study/Library Photos for Inspiration :

Photo credit: John Kraemer & Sons

This warm and inviting study was built by John Kraemer & Sons for their project in Lake Minnetonka’s Wayzata Bay.

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
Norris Architecture

This study by Norris Architecture is just spectacular.

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
Krieger Architects

I love when the books stretch all the way to the top.

Photo credit: Houzz
Deisgn by:
Maria Schrank Interiors

A good-looking rolling ladder is always a plus in a study.

Pantry Cabinet Trim Work:

This is one of our beautiful glass doors in our Pantry. I have always been attracted to this gothic mullion door style.

This is a close up of one of the doors. I think even Jeff and his team were surprised & impressed by the workmanship that his trim crew had done with some of our cabinet details.

Photos for Inspiration

Photo Credit: Suzanne Kasler

How great are these glass-fronted cabinets designed by Suzanne Kasler? I love the mullions in the shape of an X. They give the cabinets a delightful old-fashioned look.

Photo credit: Elements of style blog

But … O-M-Gosh, Jeff and his trim crew are so lucky I hadn’t seen this inspiring picture before I made my trim decisions because I absolutely love the nail head detail that these cabinets have – how extraordinary is that?!! I have no idea how much something like this costs, but I would guess it is very expensive.

Bath Cabinet Trim Work:

This cabinet is in one of the bathrooms. There is an exquisite molding piece in the center of each of the Xs. I plan on putting antique mirrored glass in the door panels. I would also like to wallpaper the walls in this room.

This photo is one of the other baths. I really wanted a bowed front. I also added a tiny bead trim detail around each of the drawers.

A bath cabinet with a front curvature. It has two tall doors in the center of it. This cabinet has a feminine feel to it.

This is a close up of a door front for a bath linen cabinet. I plan on putting clear glass in the front of this panel.

Photos with Unique Cabinet Details for Inspiration

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
Hendel Homes

This gorgeous bathroom was my inspiration for the bath cabinet. The bathroom was built by Hendel Homes for their Minnetonka Lakeshore Lifestyle project.

Photo credit: Kitchen and Bath Ideas Magazine

As you can see in the above photo, this kitchen island molding detail has a very similar feature to the one in our bathroom cabinet.

Photo credit: Houzz/
Tiffany Eastman Interiors

This beautiful, mirrored armoire cabinet is from Tiffany Eastman Interiors’ Greenwich Penthouse Project. I just love the octagonal shape and find the design so interesting.

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
Daniel Contelmo
Architects

A great looking bath with a bowed out front that comes straight across which gives the cabinet a much more traditional feel.

Photo credit: Houzz/
Rugo/Raff Ltd. Architects

I find the look of this cabinet (& bathroom) exceptional. I love the masculine feel of the bowed front and think the wood species is just beautiful. This cabinet was part of the Lakeview Residence Project by Rugo/Raff Ltd. Architects in collaboration with Tom Stringer Design Partners.

Sitting Room Niche Trim Work

This is a photo of a niche in our sitting room. I also added additional pretty trim molding pieces to the top of it. I plan on having the niche faux painted and glazed. I will be using candles inside of it.

Inspiration Photo

Photo credit: Tuscan Style Magazine

I fell in love with this small wall fireplace when I first laid my eyes on it. This fireplace is in a private residence that was featured in “Tuscan Style Magazine”. I explored several options as to how to put a similar one in the house. I decided on trimming out the space which kept the costs to a very reasonable amount.

Last Trim Work Photo…

This is a photo of a worker from Jeff’s trim crew installing a piece of crown molding. I found it fascinating to watch him – he would hold up a large piece of molding in one hand and use his pneumatic nailer (hammer) to secure it to the wall all while standing on the ladder.

Final Words:

I hope you have found some inspiration from the photos from our house project and especially from some of my favorite design photos. Make your ordinary into something extraordinary!

Posted in Design | Tagged Building a Dream House, building a study/library, Building process, cabinet details, cabinet selections, decorating inspiration, details, Dream Home, house construction, inspiration, Jeff Paul Custom Homes, library/study details, moldings, trim work in a house, trimwork choices, unique cabinet details | 2 Comments

Kids’ Party Ideas

Posted on June 15, 2012 by inspirationaldetails

My niece has a “Family Birthday Party” every May for her young girls. I always ask her for the girls’ “wish list”. My niece emailed several of us back with their lists. One of the items on her younger daughter’s list was that she was now into baking and loves to wear her “Cake Boss” apron. Well, I quickly snatched that item off her “wish list”. I told my niece I would love to give her a basket with baking goodies, and inquired if she already had a cupcake stand. My niece said the basket and cupcake stand were awesome ideas because her daughter was going to have a “Kids Cupcake Birthday Party” a couple of weeks after the family party and she could use the cupcake stand for that party.

One of the reasons I had jumped at the opportunity to do this gift was I had previously used this idea for a fundraiser I had worked on about a year ago. I was in charge of the silent auction items for the fundraiser and knew that kids auction items tend to do very well (lots of bidding) at fundraisers. Cupcake TV shows were already very popular so I had come up with the idea of doing a “Lil’ Cake Boss Basket” and a “Lil’ Ace of Cakes Basket”.

“Lil’ Ace of Cakes” basket for the fundraiser I worked on

“Lil’ Cake Boss” basket for the fundraiser worked on

The items in the baskets were not wrapped. We wanted people attending the fundraiser to be able to see all the different things in the baskets.

Instructions for Building a Kids’ Baking Basket (or for an adult):

First, get a great container (“basket”) to hold the items that you are planning on putting in the basket.

I like the plastic, colorful kids pool totes for this purpose. They only cost a couple of dollars and can be used again. The totes can usually be found at a Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or other craft store.

Next I like to put a “base” into the bottom of the tote. It gives greater height to the items you are putting in the container and makes the basket more visually appealing. I used a piece of heavy cardboard that fit nicely into the bottom.

I wrapped the cardboard with a piece of tissue paper so it would look nicer from outside the basket.

Some of the items I purchased and put into the basket: different shapes of cookie cutters, lots of sprinkles, cupcake wrappers, frosting, and icing. I also put in a couple of stickers for fun: a glittery cupcake sticker and stickers with baking items from Martha Stewart’s collection.

Other possible items to put into a baking basket: ready-made fondant (a huge time saver in case you have never made fondant) and cake mixes. I also included cute tulip-shaped cupcake papers from Wilton.

What kid doesn’t love to get those giant boxes of candy like Whoppers, Sour Patch Kids, and Ring Pops?! The candy also helps fill in those little gaps that can occur between the items you are putting in the basket. The green squishy guy has a great feel to it. He is also very lightweight and can be tossed around without doing any damage. My main purpose for having him, though, is to cover the twist-tie when wrapping the basket.

Of course, I also purchased a cupcake stand.

I wrapped the cupcake stand because it was too large to fit into the tote basket.

Some photos to show the basket filled with the items

Use cellophane paper or a cellophane bag to wrap up the basket. If you really want to secure the basket tightly, use the type of cellophane paper that can take the heat of a hair dryer to shrink it. We did this with the fundraiser baskets. I used a large bag this time. As you can see I put the wrapped cupcake stand underneath the tote.

The finished basket – I used tissue paper to cover the items inside the basket. I would not do this for an adult gift basket but I thought it’s more fun for a child to open a basket without knowing what’s inside of it.

Kids’ “Cupcake Party”

As I mentioned, my niece had a “Cupcake Birthday Party” for her daughter’s kids party. The party was held at her home. Here are some photos from the party to give you some ideas to throw your own fun cupcake party for your child.

When the party started, each child was given a white apron to decorate. They would later wear their finished aprons for the cupcake decorating part…

There were lots of markers and stencils for them to use to decorate their aprons.

Using a stencil to decorate her apron…

Decorating their aprons…

“Cute as a Cupcake” finished apron – and it is…

Some of the creatively designed finished aprons…

My niece’s daughters baked and decorated these gorgeous cupcakes before the party and displayed them for inspiration with the cupcake stand. The cupcakes looked like they came right out of a bakery. Yummy!

Each child got 6 cupcakes to decorate.

There were lots of pretty frosting and icing for them to choose from…

and sprinkles too…

**See how pretty the cupcakes look when you bake them in the Wilton tulip-shaped cupcake papers…**

She’s making her own “custom color frosting” by swirling some colors together…

My niece found these plastic containers at a “supply type” store – perfect for the kids to take their decorated cupcakes home with them…

One of the decorated cupcakes – how beautiful is that!

Cupcakes all packed up & ready to travel home…

The children also played a few games, sang Happy Birthday, and had cake and ice cream. Everyone enjoyed the party!

Kids “Beauty/Spa” Party :

My niece’s older daughter had a “Beauty/Spa” Kids Party. This party was held at home too. My niece had 3 adults to help her with the party. There were 3 stations set up for each girl to visit: a Hair Station, a Nail Station, and a Make-up Station. The adults had previously gone to a “everything’s-a-dollar” store and purchased lots of pretty hair clips, ribbons, nail polishes, etc. They also had various lipsticks and eye shadows for the girls to choose from.

The girls then got to visit each station and tell the adult the service they were interested in having. For instance, one girl with very long hair wanted her hair styled “just like Cinderella”. The girls not only looked very beautiful at the end of the party but had a great time too.

It’summer and you know what that means…Baseball!!

Kids “Baseball Themed” Party :

If you are planning on a baseball themed party for your son or daughter’s upcoming birthday party, here’s some tips to add some additional fun and interest to it:

Have each child wear their favorite baseball team T-shirt or possibly their own uniform shirt if they play on a baseball team.

Of course, serve hot dogs and have peanuts and cracker jack. Baseball-decorated cupcakes for dessert.

Have open bags of Big League Chew bubble gum on the table for the kids

Purchase enough baseballs for each child. Put the date of the party on each baseball. Pass around the baseballs at the party and have each child autograph every baseball. Give each child a signed baseball to take home.

I hope you got some inspiration from some of these party ideas. Take the time to enjoy these special times with your child!

Posted in Entertaining, Food | Tagged baseball party, birthday parties for children, Building a gift basket, inspiration, kids cupcake party, Kids party ideas, Lil' Cake Boss | 2 Comments

Building a Dream House: #2 in a Series (Exterior Selections)

Posted on May 21, 2012 by inspirationaldetails

Some General Notes about Our Builder: Jeff Paul Custom Homes (JPCH)

JPCH is comprised of only 5 people including Jeff Paul himself. From my observation of them, they are a close-knit group and use a “hands on” approach. Each person is very good at their particular role in the company. Jeff is easy going and very approachable. If I make a phone call to Jeff’s direct line, it is he who answers the phone. We like all of this about them.

Jeff has 2 Construction Managers. Our construction manager, Rick, has worked for Jeff about 30 years. If he sees something on our architectural plans that doesn’t seem right or he may think there’s a better way to do something, Rick will address his concerns with us and then let us make the decision of what we want to do about it, if anything. Since we are building long distance, we find comfort in Jeff and Rick’s knowledge and experience in the industry and local area.

Jeff’s staff also includes an interior designer, Jennifer, whose design expertise comes at no additional cost. She provides input, suggestions, and guidance for the homeowner’s many decisions to make with house selections. If needed she will go with you to look at and select tile, brick, granite, etc. Many of JPCH’s clients are in the process of relocating and Jennifer’s assistance with selections is a great help and relief to them (like ourselves). Lucia Harness (my interior designer) and I had already developed a history together by the time we started building so she really remains my main source for design expertise.

My husband threw the first party at our new home… an “Open House” with a few of his buddies

Recap Note about my “Building a Dream House” Posts:

We are more than halfway through our building process. The first several posts in this series are a quick look back.

Selecting the Exterior Materials for Our House

Some of you may not know but the exterior selections are the first decisions you will need to make in the building process. Of course it makes perfect sense when you think about the process, but the urgency of it did come somewhat as a surprise to me at the time. I would call our home “French Country Simplified”. It has many elements of French Country but not overly so. I even plan on the interior of our home to have cleaner and simpler features than some of the ‘extravagance’ that some French Country interiors can have.

Photo credit: bgoodell

This house has always remained at the top of my list for House Exterior Inspiration. Most of you probably recognize and know this house from the movie, “Father of the Bride”. I fell in love with this house the first time I laid eyes on it. Even though, the exterior of this house is not French Country like our new home, I still wanted the instant charm and appeal that I feel this house exudes.

Photo from a BRIC ad
(Building Real Estate & Investment Corporation)

This picture was one of my favorites in my file for several reasons: all the beautiful stone, the turret, the interesting elements of the roof, and the copper downspouts with the water collector feature.

Photo credit: Gridley & Graves (via Houzz)
Design by: Felhandler/Steeneken Architects
(fs-architects.com)

I find this exterior to be traditional French Country – a very soothing color palette.

Photo credit: Coastal Living

What a great “Nightscape Appeal” (just as important as daytime) this exterior has.

Photo credit: homelife.com.au
(via Pinterest)

I really wanted the exterior of our home to look like it had been built about a hundred years ago.

Photo credit: eplans.com

I found inspiration in the sweeping front porch facade like this exterior design.

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
a + b Kasha Designs

This house by a + b Kasha Designs has a Rustic French Country Exterior and looks like it belongs in the French countryside.

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
Norris Architecture

This home by Norris Architecture has a timeless appeal to it and a wonderful “southern style” front porch.

Photo credit: Houzz Deisgn by: Natchez Stone Company

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
Natchez Stone Company

There’s lots of inspiration to gain from this photo. Who wouldn’t want to dine in this courtyard by Natchez Stone Company?

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by:
Construction Innovations & Contracting

I find this home, constructed by Construction Innovations & Contracting, a perfect example of an extraordinary French Country Exterior.

Roof Details

We did try to incorporate a couple of French Country aesthetics into our roofline by adding finials and through our selection of roofing material. We selected Monier Lifetile roof tiles. These tiles are made of concrete and are supposed to be very durable. We had actually seen them on another home Jeff had built and really liked the look.

We upgraded to a “Staggered Roof Tile”. We felt it gave us a more Old World look with a reasonable cost. It also reminds me of a cedar shake roof you see a lot in the northern parts of the U.S.

Finials

I saw this finial last year when we travelled to France. This is the finial I really wanted to use on our house. Even though I spent a fair amount of time trying to locate a company that makes a similar style, I never did.

Some other styles of finials used commonly on homes.

This is another finial we highly considered using on our roof. I still really like this one.

We originally saw this one on a beautiful French Country home in the area we are building. The exterior of this home has blue elements to it that work well together. I found myself continuing to go back to this one in particular.

One of the finials on our new home. We were able to track down the manufacturer of the one we originally saw on the blue house pictured above. Each finial stands close to 5 feet tall.

Weep Hole Covers

We also put in weep hole covers. Weep holes, for those of you unaware, are gaps purposely built-in to the lower layer of masonry wall construction to allow the wall to drain and ventilate for moisture purposes. Unfortunately, weep holes also allow pests access to the interior of your house. Weep hole covers stop rodents and most little critters from entering your home while still allowing the wall to vent. They are not costly and can easily be put in during the masonry construction phase of building. I would highly recommend them especially if you live in the southern regions of the U.S.

Front Door Wreath

Photo credit: Pinterest
(Etsy.com)

One of the final details to our home exterior will be a wreath hung on our front door. Even though, I won’t be making this “selection” for quite awhile, you can be sure it will be there shortly after we officially “close” on our new home.

Posted in Design | Tagged building a dream home, country french houses, Custom home, details, Dream Home, dream house, exterior selections, french country exteriors, french country homes, house exteriors, inspiration, Jeff Paul Custom Homes | 1 Comment

Building a Dream House: #1 of a series…

Posted on May 4, 2012 by inspirationaldetails

General Comment:

We are more than halfway into the process of building our new home. This is my first post of many about our building process. The first several posts will be a quick look back, and then the others will continue with the current and future stages.

Photo credit: Houzz
Design by: fuscharchtiects.com

This gorgeous house designed by Fusch Architects is not our home, of course, but we can always dream..

How We Got Here…

Due to employment relocation, our house building “venture” really began about 6 years ago. For about 2 years, we explored and looked at many existing homes, new homes, and lots for sale without finding “the one”. In 2008, we even went all the way through the design phase of building a new home with a builder who owned a lot. We used their in-house architect for the design of the home. A short time after the 2008 housing market crashed, it was time to negotiate the actual price to build the house we had designed. We realized house prices were not what they once were…the builder “had not” (and wasn’t willing to move to “Reality”). We walked away from the deal, and took a much-needed break from our house search. Even though we had already spent an inordinate amount of her time with our house hunting, our realtor, Jacci Kilgore, continued to stick with us…

The market crash brought a lot (owned by a private investor) on the market in an area we were interested in. We purchased the lot. This ended up to be “the one” for us.

We decided to take an unusual approach to the building process this time. Our goal was to design the house we wanted, include the allowance amounts we wanted (for appliances, plumbing, tile, lighting, etc.), and then have the house competitively bid out to builders. Jacci remained an integral part of my husband’s and my team.

We hired our own architectural firm. Before we even started design meetings with the architect, Jacci had set up some interviews for me with a couple different local designers, and it was then that yet another person was added to our team, Lucia Harness. It hadn’t take me long in the interview process to realize Lucia’s portfolio and personality were a perfect match for our project. We were also building long distance so Jacci and Lucia’s input, expertise, and oversight were critical to us. Throughout our house search I had continued to collect and add pictures and information (lighting, appliances, exteriors, furniture, etc.) to my “New House Files”. My files were finally going to be used.

Over the next year, our team worked with the architect to design our house plans. In addition to these meetings, Lucia and I spent time picking out the appliances, tile, flooring, etc, that we wanted included in the house. In the meantime, Jacci had narrowed down our builder search to two excellent builders in the area. We started meeting with each of them periodically to keep them abreast of our design status, and ask them for any feedback they may have for us. Close to 12 months later, our architectural plans were complete. We submitted our plans to the builders for pricing. We also gave each builder additional information such as allowance amounts, tile layout drawings, and specific extras we wanted included in the pricing. It took the builders about 3 weeks to price out the house. We met and discussed their pricing details with each of them. After careful consideration, we decided on a builder – Jeff Paul Custom Homes. The final piece of our team was now in place!

Ready, Set, …We’re Ready to Build

Posted in Design | Tagged building a new home, building a new house, building dream home, Building process, Custom home, home construction, house design, inspiration, Jeff Paul Custom Homes, unique approach | Leave a comment

Lunch

Dinner

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I love to entertain…

Appetizers:

Portobello Pizzas

Cucumber-Yogurt Soup Shooters

Buffalo Style Meatballs with Pineapple & Poblano Peppers on Skewers

Main Entrée’ & Accompaniments:

Chateaubriand

Roasted Asparagus

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Dessert:

Walnut Pear Sour Cream Cake

Bon Appetit’

Get Inspired!

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Planning ahead is essential to achieving successful lighting…

The electrical walk-through takes place very early in the

Some Things to Consider:

Generally speaking, there are 3 types of lighting: task/accent, ambient/general, and , of course, natural lighting. Review each of these types in every room of your house.

Natural Lighting

Task/Accent Lighting

Cans or No Cans??

Cans also serve as accent lighting in a home and can provide an impact in a room. They can be used to illuminate artwork or special objects in a room especially in a niche area. You can also create drama in a room by using cans to flood or wash the walls with light.

LEDs Bulbs or Not??

Pros:

Keeps your electrical bill down and will save you a significant amount of money over time

You won’t have to change a bulb for many years nor purchase replacement bulbs very often

They burn cooler than other types of bulbs

A “greener choice” – better for the environment

Cons:

Currently an expensive investment to make especially when you have to buy so many bulbs at one time (when building a house)

They are still working on improving the quality of light they emit – luckily that horrible, bluish color is in the past

Exterior Lighting

Another critical decision you will need to make is your exterior lighting. Exterior lighting is important for two main reasons: security for your new home and curb appeal. I am very big on the curb appeal of a home. It is the first impression people have of your home. Is it welcoming and inviting?

Some exterior lighting needs you may want to consider are :

Exterior light fixtures

Lighting up steps to your front door (promotes safety & security)

Security lights mounted in dark corners of the house

Recessed can lighting in the eaves

Deck, patio, and pool lighting

Pathway lighting (electrical or solar)

Landscape lighting (spot, flood, and up lighting (trees/house)

Lighting roof peaks and house angles

Holiday Lighting

You now have the lighting you really need to basically function, so now it’s time (months later) to use your creativity…

Selecting Light Fixtures: Adding “Jewelry” to Light Up Your Beautiful Home

Sparkly? Ultra Modern? Traditional? Simple? Colorful?

Exterior Fixtures

I knew that I wanted gas lanterns for our front entrance. I love the beauty and charm of gas lanterns and the constant flickering flame they have.

Foyer Fixtures

How do you imagine your dream foyer saying “Welcome”? Do you see it as fairly formal or casual? Is it a big foyer or small? The answers to these questions should help direct you to the style of light fixture you will want to hang in there.

Do you prefer the look of a crystal chandelier?

This is the chandelier we selected for our foyer (made by Murray Feiss ).

Or maybe you prefer the timeless look of a glass lantern?

Or maybe something with a “real wow factor”?

“Re-dressing” My Dining Room Fixture

After I did some looking, I decided I wanted to find a “Paris Flea Market” crystal chandelier like the ones in the following photos.

Did you know you can have a fixture “re-dressed” by a lighting store ? I purchased this beaded, more casually looking chandelier, and had the lighting store re-dress it with crystals.

I now have the “Paris Flea Market” chandelier that I wanted for a reasonable cost.

Study Fixture

One of the rooms that I think turned out beautifully is our study (check out some of my previous posts for building pictures of it). Our study is right off the foyer so I wanted a fixture that had a “study feel” to it but was not too casual looking. I am quite pleased with our selection.

Kitchen Fixtures

Bathroom Fixtures

You may want to put special lighting in rooms such as the powder room or master bath.

Final Words: My lighting selections will play a significant design element in our new home. There will be one more finishing touch to my “lighting jewelry” with the addition of some beautiful table and floor lamps….Oh yea, and some candles too…

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Paint Decisions…

Our Paint Decision Adventure:

A Quick Look Back at Our Decision-Making Process:

Painted Cabinet Decisions: Now and Then…

Stained Cabinet Decisions: Now and Then…

Tile/Countertop Decisions…

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Special Note:

A Short Post but Noteworthy

After reading this, I rushed over to the house to incorporate this into our new home before we were too far along in the building process. I wrote on the walls, floor, and wood countertops (before the installation of the actual countertops, of course).