Layering Art With Mirrors

A client who has recently moved into a new, much larger house, was struggling with what to do with several small pieces of art that, while holding sentimental value, simply looked too small for her much larger rooms. One solution would have been to have the small pieces reframed with thicker mats and larger scaled frames. But neither the client nor I wanted to overwhelm the pieces with frames and mats that dwarfed them. The solution we came up with was unique and worked very well to accomplish our goals. On the large wall we wanted to hang the pieces on, we had two large custom framed mirrors made. The scale of these mirrors suited the room, and echoed the mirrored nightstands on an opposite wall. Then, on these large mirrors, we hung the small pieces of art directly to the mirror. The result is striking!

Now, you'll have to wait to see my finished project...we're still waiting on a custom rug and a few more pieces of furniture. But here are some photos of similar setups to inspire:

Here, mirrored tiles visually expand a small living room, and the designer affixed sconces to the mirror. I bet it looks great at night when those candles are lit!

Diamond mirrored tiles fill a niche between bookcases...a perfect backdrop for the oil painting and sconces.

A mirrored wall reflects the crystal in this traditional room, and serves as a backdrop for the large floral oil painting.

Companion pieces of art hang on the mirrored walls flanking this fireplace.

Mirrored paneling and a muted color scheme make for a striking space. The abstracts hung on the mirror leap off the wall.

This is the photo that inspired my client's room. Similar to what we did, a large framed mirror serves as a backdrop for several small mismatched pieces of art...bringing them together into one cohesive piece.

A closeup of the room pictured a few photos up...mirrored walls on either side of the fireplace serve as a backdrop for art.

And the opposite side of the room above features more mirrored walls with art hanging.

You are probably wondering what I was...how do you make it work? Well...there are a few answers. If you're committed to the idea, or hanging something particularly heavy, you'll need to pre-plan the spots where the art attaches to the mirror and have the glass company drill holes or cut openings in the mirror itself so the hanging hardware can attach directly to the wall behind. For lighter pieces, and for flexibility in moving the pieces around, or later removing them altogether, consider using professional mounting squares, velcro, or Command-type hooks. One caution...you want the art to hang as flat against the mirror as possible, otherwise you see a reflection of the back of the frame. So remove any big picture wire hooks before trying this.

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On the Market: A Robert Stern Design in Aspen

If you have just under 20 million to spend on your ski cottage, then you'll want to put this Robert A. M. Stern designed stone mansion at the top of your list. Built in the mid-90's, the almost 13,000 square foot house is perched on Red Mountain and has stunning views. Stern, known for his meticulous detailing and fresh take on classical architecture, is one of the stars of the architecture world, and a personal favorite of mine, so I am always excited to get a peek at his houses.

The front elevation is a symmetrical composition in stone.

The left side of the house looks out over the mountains. What a beautiful setting!

 

 

The backyard and view.

Stone terraces step down to a dark bottomed pool and water feature.

And because Aspen winters hardly allow for al fresco swimming, there is an indoor pool that overlooks the view.

The living spaces showcase the sort of detail Stern is known for. In this library, a barrel vault and gorgeous millwork join a rounded fireplace nook for a truly memorable space.

In the great room, graceful arces and multiple seating groups make the large space comfortable and inviting.

The formal dining room features a gently curving wall with fireplace.

One of the house's five bedrooms is this charming bunkroom.

None of the guest bedrooms are as large as might be expected from a 13,000 square foot house, but all  have been beautifully decorated and look very comfortable.

Another of the intimately scaled guest suites makes heavy use of toile fabric and wallpaper.

The master dressing room

The finishes of the master bedroom are beginning to look dated, but the bones of the room are timeless.

Love this home office! Separate nooks for the working space, and a central library with comfortable reading chairs. Work would not feel like a chore here.

And if the new owners don't burn off enough calories on the slopes, they can hit the fully outfitted home gym.

(all photos taken from MLS listings and the RAMSA site.)

Must Have...Absolutely

If I ever build my dream house (or even get to gut out the master bathroom of our current home), at the very top of the list of "must haves" is a shower with slab walls. Our current shower is tiled, and while I like how it looks, keeping it clean is the bane of my existence.

A typical morning might find me scrubbing the grout with the toothbrush I keep on the soap dish, or going at the floor with the scrub brush that stays inside the shower for that purpose. It's never ending.

And so I want my shower walls lined with seamless slabs of marble or granite. Sounds pricy, but I'm convinced that a careful shopper could actually realize some savings. Tiles can be terribly expensive, and the labor to install them even more so. Surely finding a good deal on a slab would ultimately mean construction savings. And if not, well, my time is worth something after all.

What a heavenly bathroom! 

The Art of Dale Chihuly

You've heard of Dale Chihuly, no doubt. His glass sculptures are world-renowned and his name is known even to people with only a passing interest in art. I won't spend time here talking about the man himself...others before me have done that much better than I could.

You owe it to yourself to see Chihuly's work in person if you ever get a chance. Photos simply don't do the work justice. Even the best photo loses the texture, the intricacy, the play of light. I've seen the Chihuly chandelier installed at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, and a small exhibit in Peoria, Illinois. But a friend of mine recently saw a much larger installation at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and captured some wonderful images I wanted to share. Enjoy!

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Reclaiming An Underused Space

One complaint I hear over and over is that people don't have enough space. Not enough closet space, not enough kitchen space, not enough bathroom space. Often, it truly is a square footage problem. But, frequently there is plenty of space, it just isn't being used properly. Now, the house I call home has way more square footage than two people need, but I'm constantly looking for ways to better use the space we have.

Perfect example, our morning room. It's a wonderful area, open to the kitchen, with high ceilings and lots of windows overlooking the back yard--where seasonal flowers bloom just outside the window, and birds of all types (plus the more than occasional squirrel) gather to feed.  But when furnished with just a dining table, it was rarely used. Despite having  a formal dining room, a counter for eating in the kitchen, AND a morning room, we take most of our meals in the great room in front of the TV. It seemed such a waste to have an inviting room that we simply didn't use. So,  a few months back we decided to change that.

First, a look at the BEFORE:

Lots of unused square footage around the room, and a table that collected dust instead of memories of family dinners. 

First, we had to decide just what to do with the room. We had no real NEEDS for it, so it became a question of what we wanted it to be. We entertain fairly frequently, so adding a bar area where we could serve drinks during parties was one idea. And with it's wonderful morning light, I pictured a space where we could sit and have our morning coffee and read the paper (or, in our technology-heavy home, read the news on our iPads.) We weren't quite ready to give up using it for meals...we did occasionally have breakfast in there. So the wish list became: a bar, some comfy chairs, and a dining table that would at least seat two. We started out thinking we would purchase a piece of furniture to use as a bar, and look for a bar-height table that would tuck into one corner. But, as with all projects, our thinking changed as deals were found and the new room came together.

After pricing several pieces of furniture, and realizing that a wine fridge would be a great addition, we decided it made more sense to do something built-in. So we tracked down the person who did our adjoining kitchen when the house was built, and had a new bar built to match the existing kitchen cabinets. (I could get long winded about the four months it took to finish the cabinetry, but that's a story for another time.) The upper cabinets provide a great spot for glassware (and frees up the cabinets that used to hold these for other uses), while the wine fridge keeps drinks of all kinds cold (freeing up space in the big fridge), and the lower cabinets provide storage for table linens and small appliances.

The new dining area is visible here too. I picked a small glass topped table and two upholstered dining chairs. When needed, it's a perfect spot for a meal for two. But the chairs are comfy enough that the room now serves as a secondary living space. 

The opposite side of the room now has two comfy club chairs, which we have used just as we imagined. Any Saturday or Sunday morning, you'll find us piled up on the chairs with our breakfast danish and coffee. While most of the furniture was bargain finds, I splurged on some custom pillows and ottoman (which has wheels to give it some flexibility)

Custom made ottoman lets us kick our feet up. The pleated skirt and button tufting add some softness to the room. 

Custom pillows with silk cording and blingy trim add some sparkle.

Much better if I do say so myself! So how about you? Are there rooms in your house that you could be using better? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to join us on Facebook!

A Dramatic Bathroom Renovation

This is one of the most dramatic before and afters I've ever worked on. When the new owners went to contract on this large house, they knew they'd want to immediately do some updating. The original owners had built the house during the nineties, and while they had fastidiously maintained it, it was beginning to look dated. Working for Design Elite architects and Bergeron Builders, I came up with a plan to renovate the kitchen and master suite.

The "before" shot reveals plenty of space, but not much in way of style. The wood trim, dated wallpaper, and inefficient layout made the huge bath feel dark and gloomy.

Yes, that is a live palm tree. A small sunken bathtub was surrounded by a planter filled with greenery. More dark wood made the vaulted ceiling an eyesore rather than a feature.

 

And here is the "after". Double vanities were added, specially built to be the perfect height for each of the owners. Their wish for large sinks was satisfied by deep apron-front ones specifically tailored for use in bathrooms. The clean lines and dark finish of the cabinetry contrast against the silvery blue walls. The woodwork was painted a bright white, making the space clean and bright, and a dramatic pendant lets light dance across the space.

 

 

Where the palm tree once grew, now stands a huge shower with multiple shower heads, including one cleverly located in a thin stainless steel rail across the top of the thick side walls. Bands of polished and honed tiles provide visual interest and a multi-colored accent tile gives a punch of pattern. The glass wall that separates the shower from the freestanding contemporary tub ("Soiree" by Toto), is lit from below by miniature LED lights, allowing the glass to glow dramatically at night.

We painted the wood ceiling, opting to leave the planks in place for texture, and the original bricks were left, complimented by thin brown pinstripes in the 12 x 24 rectangular tiles.

 

These open-backed shelves were custom designed and built to provide a graphic statement against the brick walls and a spot for stowing towels and bath products.

 

Stay tuned for the before and after of the kitchen in this house!

 

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A Little Election Day Eye Candy

I am so looking forward to the end of the election season. The Facebook political posts, the incessant ads, the campaign sign litter. It seems that not only does everyone have an opinion, but they feel the need to share it and stubbornly defend it...often stepping way past the boundaries of civility in the process. Naturally, the best way I could think of to escape it was to take a look at some political houses. Care to join me?

Former President Bill and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton call this classic home in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, DC, home. The timeless "five over four and a door" house is one of my favorite styles. 

Former Vice President Gore calls this Nashville mansion home. The columned portico and white clapboards are pure southern.

The first President Bush calls this seaside charmer home. In Kennebunkport, Maine, the house enjoys panoramic water views. 

Hickory Hill, in McLean, Virginia, was briefly home to JFK. He sold it to his brother Robert, and he and Mrs. Ethel Kennedy raised their family there. Restrained and elegant, the symmetrical core has been added to several times over the years.

 Finally, we get to the homes of the two candidates currently vying for the White House. This brick house is the Chicago home of Barack and Michelle Obama. The heavy cast stone window heads and door surround make the house feel a bit like an old school to me. Presidential types must love symmetry!

The home that Mitt and Ann Romney shared for many years is somewhat reminiscent of Hickory Hill--a classically proportioned center flanked by wings added later on. I love how the garage addition has barn-like detailing. 

Lastly, another former Romney house. This one is in Utah, no doubt used when Mitt was running the winter Olympics there. Massive and rambling, I adore how the house steps down the hillside. Had to be quite a challenge to design and build!

So there you have it...that's as political as we're going to get at Southgate. Do you have a favorite political house? We'd love to hear about it in the comments!

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