Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Curb appeal revisited

Some of you may remember the post I did back in the spring about this house. A reader from Hooked on Houses. emailed me about giving her home a virtual makeover. It was a fun little project. I reved up the photoshop and dived in.

This is the original photo that she sent me.


I started by putting a darker color on the roof. Beefed up the porch pillars.
Just for fun I added a gable to the brick section of the house.



Here I removed the Portico and inserted a pediment door surround,
and for even more fun extended the gable out to create a two story portico.
I also removed some of the over grown landscaping


She recently sent me some pictures of the finished project. I have to say it is a stunning transformation. Some relatively small changes made a huge difference. Now when I say "small" changes I am in no way belittling the amount of work it took to make the changes. I merly meant that it wasn't necessary to make drastic changes to get this great new look.
Beefing up the columns, a new BLACK front door, new light fixtures and a dark colored roof.
Look what a difference it made.

The front portico looks substantial and formal.



New light fixtures can help any entry. These are perfect.

And you can't go wrong with a black front door.
I congratulate the home owners, and their contractor on a job well done.

Open house. A Dream project comes to an end.


The Gothic Revival project that I have been working on since 2007 has finally come to a close. Sure there are still thing to be done. The homeowner, and now a dear friend, needs to begin the process of gathering and collecting those perfect and personal accessories. Things that make it a home. I feel I did a good job of putting all the bones in place. It helps when your client has impeccable taste and trust your taste too. They wanted a new house with an old soul. I think we achieved that. It has truly fooled some people. The greatest compliment I have gotten so far is when a member of a local historic society asked what year the home was built, and I shocked her with the year 2007-2009. She honestly thought is was a renovation project of a house built in 1860. We recently had an open house to which I invited some friends and potential clients. At one point a friend of mine said I had perma-grin. I couldn't stop smiling. Thank you to all who came and supported me along the way. You can see more on the design firm website here.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Porches

Julia over at Hooked on Houses, Posted some her favorite Porches today. I thought I would share some or my own. Without further adue....




























Saturday, November 14, 2009

My Best friend NED.

It's that exciting time of year once again. The Ned Young studio open house. I just can't get enough of his artwork. I look forward every year to see what old house he has chosen to grace his calendar for the coming year. I am never disappointed. Ever year the new addition to his collection has that signature Ned Young feeling. You may have never actually seen the house is his painting but you feel you know it. Like a memory from the past. It welcomes you like a familiar friend. It's got that coming home feeling. I find it so easy to connect with his work on an emotional level that you don't get with a lot of artist. Art is however a very personal thing we all react differently to art. Ned Young's work strikes a cord for me, my sisters and my Mother.( I'm not sure but I think our love for his work may be in our genes.) Most likely it could be because we share a similar connection to the past. Places and times that he paints remind us of places and times from our own past. Times that we look back on fondly. Our Grand parents lived in similar old home. I often find myself reminded of that house as I look at his paintings. The house may not be anything like our grandparents home, but the spirit of place they depict is very much the same. You Rock Ned. When I first met Ned Young three years ago. I told him I was his biggest fan. Three years later I think he might believe now. You can join his new Facebook Fan page here.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A lost Gem, Cliff House.

I literally stumbled upon this website dedicated to Cliffhouse. For the next two hours I was glued to my monitor as I paged through the seemingly limitless amount of old photographs of this once grand seaside resort. The first Cliff house was built in 1863. A two story structure and far less grand than its future incarnation. In 1869 it was expanded to triple its size
In 1894, after changing hands, it burned to the ground. The new owner build it again. It's replacements is a marvel to look at.

To see hundreds more pictures check out this FANTASTIC website dedicated to Cliffhouse.
Be sure to check out the film section. There is a link to movie clip from 1903. It's fun to see the children playing in the surf and the men all in suits at the beach. Cliffhouse begs to be the location for a great period film. It would be thrilling to see it recreated for some "Somewhere in time" Romance film.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Postcard models

See this great little house? Everything you need to make it comes on a single postcard. Just cut it out. Fold it up. Add a little glue, and there you have it..... Check out all the other models you can get on postcards.... HERE

The Steamboat House BnB

I love this Gothic Revivial House in IL. The gazebo is a little out of place, way to modern for the house. It needs to be white and in the back. It currently obstruct the view of the house. It's a bed ad breakfast now.....See it here

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Peppard Cottage

Over on Hooked on Houses, Julia has some great pictures posted of this Cottage. Peppard Cottage. Famous for its appearance in the Merchant Ivory film "Howard's End" I have hunted high and low for a good picture of this cottage to no avail. I did manage to get a cryptic address for it. Then spent hours combing the Oxfordshire countryside via Google Earth till I found it. The house is in fact much larger than we are led to believe in the movie. Head over to Julia site for all the great pictures.