Finished! A Classic Cottage

Last spring, we shared THIS POST about a new cottage we had in the works for an infill lot near downtown Greenville, South Carolina. Well, the finishing touches have been put on and it is now ready for it's new owners.
Here are a few photos:

The house has great curb appeal. The exposed rafter tails, "swoopy" roofline, and mix of materials are cues taken from the neighborhood the house is in.

The house sits on a corner lot, with a two car garage on the lower level, so it had to have two "fronts"

The foyer features a beautiful arch top mahogany front door, and an open rail staircase with a classic wooden newel post.

From the landing of the stair, a view of the fireplace beyond and more of the wrought iron railing above.

The Great room is light-filled, with traditional window stools, a fireplace surrounded by travertine, and warm oak hardwoods.

The bright kitchen has painted and glazed cabinetry, a tumbled travertine backsplash, and granite countertops.

One side of the kitchen features a handy built in desk, perfect for homework or paying the family bills.

The bright and fresh master bath has a contemporary flavor, with 12 x 24 striated tiles, a rectangular soaking tub, and clean lined glass shower.

The master bedroom is bright and spacious.

The hardwood floors extended into the powder room, where a colorful piece of art gives a punch of character.

The upper floor's bathroom has carerra marble countertops and a classic black and white tile, a feature that is found in many of the vintage homes in the surrounding neighborhood.

We hope you've enjoyed the tour of this traditional style cottage. Be sure to join us on Facebook to see more pictures and plans of the homes we design!

Folk Artist Mary Paulsen

Five miles from the shores of Holden Beach, NC sits an interesting and fascinating place--"Mary's Gone Wild", the home, gallery, and studio of folk artist Mary Paulsen. Since 1996, Paulsen has been creating various vignettes for housing her doll collection, colorful and fun paintings done on the glass of old windows, and sculptures and structures of various types. (You can learn more about Mary at her website-- Mary's Gone Wild)

The property looks like a scene from one of the hoarding television shows, and I would imagine that Paulsen could easily be diagnosed as a hoarder. But the property has drawn attention and visitors for years, a stop in any day will find tourists exploring the grounds with cameras in hand. And today, I was one of those tourists. Please enjoy this look at the fascinating work of Mary Paulsen:

A typical scene at Mary's. The property is littered with child-sized playhouses filled with vignettes.

Inside one of the structures, this one outfitted as a church, with various religious iconography at all sorts of different scales.

One of the playhouses. All of them are constructed of what appears to be leftover materials.

One of the treehouses on the property.

Kitschy donation boxes like this one are located throughout the display. Procedes go to feed hungry children.

The front porch of Mary's house. Most of the property is likewise cluttered with "stuff"--no apparent rhyme or reason to it.

There is "stuff" everywhere. It's beyond overwhelming.

A typical Mary Paulsen window painting. Bright colors and cartoonish figures.

There are hundreds of these window paintings on the property. All for sale.

Inside another of the playhouses. This one was fully setup for housekeeping.

A suit of armor stands guard over some of Mary's treasures.

One of the newer structures was setup as a light filled gallery, full of Mary's window paintings.

Even the ceilings of the gallery building have gotten the Mary treatment.

Mary herself at work on another piece. Throughout the property is evidence of works in progress.

Some of the newest creations at Mary's are these structures built of bottles. Inside this one, there was an interesting play of light through the bottles, which framed a classic Mary painting of a mermaid.

The exterior of one of the bottle structures.

If you're ever near Holden Beach, you have to stop at Mary's. It's an experience you won't soon forget. Take your camera!

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A Virtual Tour--Shaker Heights, Ohio

As I've confessed before, one of my favorite time-killing activities is browsing real estate listings. And one of my favorite towns to browse is Shaker Heights, Ohio. I won't go into the town's history too much, those interested can click HERE for a lengthier look at the fascinating story of the place. The town is named, natch, because the land on which it is built was originally owned by the Shakers. A first-ring suburb of Cleveland, Shaker Heights is a tree-lined enclave of about 30,000 residents.

In the early 1900's, members of the Van Sweringen family developed the land that became Shaker Heights. By the 1920's, visitors declared that Shaker Heights was "the finest residential district in the world." Building standards were strict, early guidelines outline appropriate colors, resales had to be approved by neighbors and the developers, and as an unfortunate glimpse at our country's sometimes unpleasant history, deed restrictions (until after WWII) even prevented Blacks, Jews, and Catholics from living there.

The Van Sweringens noted that "The most pleasing is never conspicuous--never flashy." Further restrictions dictated that "only a graduate architect, or one whose qualifications warrant and whose drawings express a thorough, technical knowledge of the highest and best in architecture, together with the ability to combine materials and and prescribe color schemes that will proclaim the result the work of a trained and competent hand." The peak years of development coincided with a flush of historical revival architecture. The result is a town filled with gorgeous Tudor style homes, perfectly exectured Georgians, and charming English architecture.

A Colonial Revival in Shaker Heights

A Georgian Manor

Another Perfectly Executed Georgian

A Typical Tudor-style

Gorgeous entry and double-height bay on another Shaker Heights Tudor

Similar massing to the Tudor above. Beautiful stone door surround.

Restrained detail. Remember, "never conspicuous".

Beautifully detailed chimney and a human-scaled entry on this English cottage style.

(all photos taken from MLS listings)