While I'm Away - Rewind to Last Summer

While I am away here is one of my most popular posts from last summer! Enjoy!

Here is a spectacular house in Cotuit, Massachusetts on Cape Cod that is listed for sale. Cotuit is a small village in located on a peninsula on the south side of Barnstable about midway between Falmouth and Hyannis. The house was designed by the renowned designer Fritz Kreiger. For three years craftsmen worked on his vision to create this spectacular residence. He incorporated many antique elements such as doors, columns, and windows into the design. The home is being sold fully furnished with the finest collection of antiques and appointments. All photos are from Sotheby's. The main house has 12 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 6 full baths and 2 half baths with over 7,928 sq. ft. It sits on over 7 and a half acres. It also has a guest house on the property.

Notice the main house with it sweeping lawn, lovely porches and cedar shingle roof. The quintessential beach house!

The living room and dining room have many antique architectural elements incorporated in their design. Notice the columns. The chandeliers were all imported from Paris.
The kitchen features a professional eight burner Parisian stove and a two story breakfast area with a dramatic wall of whitewashed Boston brick. Notice the post and beams built in with the whitewashed brick. It is difficult to tell for sure, but it looks like a slate or soapstone counter. I love the antique mirror over the fireplace and vintage wooden doors. These rooms also include chandeliers from Paris. I love the whitewashed wooden ceiling and railings in the top photo.
The spectacular Library features unparallelled craftsmanship. Notice the work over the fireplace and again the chandelier from Paris.
The Master bedroom has an incredible arched ceiling, wood paneling and built in bed. The effect is similar to the main sleeping cabin of a luxury yacht. The wood has been slightly distressed and whitwashed. Chandeliers again from Paris. Here is a close up picture of the French doors.
The master bath is magnificent with glass etched doors reminiscent of Lalique styling. Notice the white marble floors with the dark wood. Stunning!
Architectural splendor! The circular staircase with hand forged iron railing brings you up the turret to the guest house.
The Guest House is a charming retreat. Whitewashed beams, painted furniture , iron beds and a blue and white color scheme are lovely.

No beach house is complete with out a pool area. This seems to be an area with out the same level of thought and planing. I do not care for the fence.

The final view through a small window in the upstairs of the house shows the water and the pool perched above. It is hard to believe this house is new construction. Makes me hopeful that wonderful building craftsmen still exist in America.

Calming Rooms in White

I have been running crazy trying to get ready for my my sister's wedding in Denmark and then hiking in Switzerland. Packing for the kids, finding temporary homes for the dog and the fish, well you all know how it goes - I will need a vacation after all this!

So, I thought I would share some beautiful rooms in white to calm it down a bit. This room above could be very soothing, but the artwork provides a level of tension, which I thought was appropriate for my current situation. Change out the photo series with seascapes and the room will take on a whole different feeling. Notice the grain sack upholstery and interesting rope detailing on the sofa.
Here is a wonderful space. The architecture of this room is lovely. Notice how the built in art niches mimic the lines of the doors and the windows. I also like how the interior wall creates a room with in a room.
I could relax in this simple room. The wood ceiling and walls, as well as the stone fireplace, bring in the texture. I would prefer something larger over the fireplace though.
This kitchen cozy. The wood counters warm up the space and the green acrylic stools and matching pendants give it a bit of unexpected personality.

In this kitchen the artwork is the focal point. I like how they place a painting under the table. Can any one identify the object on the top of the cabinet? It adds interest to say the least!
Here is one of my favorites - first, notice the curve in the ceiling. I love the wonderful old cupboard, french doors, linen shades, saw horse style table and slate floor. Are those chairs from Slettvoll? I could certainly relax and enjoy a latte and chocolate croissant in this dining room.
An interesting bunk room. This would calm down the most unruly children. This is a room for sleepovers and I really think they might actually sleep.

White calms the mind, and if done correctly it can soothe the soul. Enjoy your day. I'm off to do laundry!

xx-Gina

Getting Creative with Jute Upholstery Webbing

Tara Dennis

With so much focus on burlap and antique grain sacks we are starting to see a trend using other utilitarian products in home decor.

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Lately I have started to notice jute upholstery webbing, usually hidden inside sofas and chairs, in the most unexpected places. I was just over at Velvet and Linen admiring the new bench that Steve Giannetti had made for a client in Maine. The bench top is woven with jute upholstery webbing. It reminded me of my Father. The Long Threads

Many years ago my father found a huge box of upholstery webbing at the dump. As a child of the depression, and not one to waste, he rightly scooped it up and brought the box home. Similar to the photo above, he took chairs with broken rush seats, probably also acquired from the same dump, and wove new seats out of the webbing. We used them for years in our cottage on the Cape. Click the picture link to learn how to do it yourself.

Of course it wasn't a unique idea-Scandinavian designers have been using cloth webbing for ages. Both photos above from Retro Moderne give you the basic idea.

Better Homes and Gardens

But I am really intrigued when I see the upholstery webbing in more unexpected places. Here are some fabulous pillows -adding some webbing is a simple way to bring the burlap look into your home.

Little Byrd Vintage

This pillow above is wrapped with one length of webbing. The webbing costs about .50 cents a yard - so wrapping the pillow this way is very inexpensive. Here is a fabulous jute table runner from Tara Dennis. Click on the link to learn how to craft this yourself.

Always in the front of pack in terms of trends is Martha Stewart, with this lovely webbing hall runner. The link will also show you exactly how to make one for your home.

If you're feeling really crafty you could stitch up a few of these jute webbing napkin rings.

Learn how to make these at Vintage Indie-

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I prefer the webbing when it is woven. This is a photo of a display wall in Anthropologie. Not sure how this would translate in everyday living, but its an interesting look.

This is the back of wonderful headboard designed by Steve Giannetti. It is so pretty I think I might want to display it this way.

Here is another shot of Steve's bench. You can learn more about both projects at Velvet and Linen. The headboard here and the bench here.

This little pooch looks happy on his new upholstery webbing bed - very clever!
You can find instructions to make your own at Jezze

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I really like the webbing detailing on this curtain - great for a play room.

Here the webbing is used as a background for art at the Shabby Nest.

Here is an interesting bag from Hoganfe, a seller on Etsy. The webbing is used around the drawstring top.

Finally we see a mix of webbing used in other ways from Sadie Olive - to the left is a memo board weaved with webbing and the lower right picture shows the webbing wrapped around a stack of antique books. Charming.

I'd love to hear about any other creative uses for this inexpensive material!

Check out Southern Hospitality for other great ideas here !!

A Renovated Farmhouse in Belgium

Outside of the busy city of Antwerp, Belgian antiques dealer and designer, Henri Charles Hermans and his wife Natasha Hermans, also a designer, decided to relocate their business and their home to this wonderful 19th century Farm. Henri Charles Hermans, who once worked and studied under the famous Axel Vervoordt, found this property to be the perfect canvas to showcase the couples wonderful minimalist Belgian design style.

Formerly a fruit farm in the Belgian countryside, it took several years to restore the home. Above the outdoor pool is filtered naturally by aquatic plants.

The living room has wonderful bleached, then waxed herringbone floors. I love the mix of the hand plastered walls, and antique floors and doors, with the straight lines of the furniture by Jules Wabbes, and contemporary art over the fireplace by Jacques Denef.

The kitchen also continues this look by combining a thick oak antique farm table and waxed bluestone floors with contemporary light fixtures. The back wall of the kitchen is painted ebony to highlight the couples antique stoneware collection.

The main hall showcases a wonderful limed oak cabinet which houses collections of glassware and Khmer vases.

This is a lovely perspective of entry, kitchen, and living room from the main hall. The French doors bring wonderful light into the space.
The stark simplicity of the stairway is just beautiful. Notice the first step and is carved stone and the rusted iron railing. The furnishings echo the simplicity of the space.
An attic bedroom is the epitome of minimalism, with a Belgian twist. The antique bench at the foot of bed is covered in antique linen.

The bathroom with all white walls is the perfect backdrop for the gorgeous, antique zinc bath tub.

Here is a close up the of the Empire style zinc bathtub- notice the spectacular patina set off by the rustic milking stool.
In another hallway is a wonderful compilation of antique wood: oak table holds a walnut bowl filled with burl wood balls.
Hanging in the family room above the antique mantel is an artwork piece of ink writings from an ancient Hindu prayer book. The art work hides the television. Low trestle coffee table and linen slip covered sofas round out the Belgian style.
Antique marble topped bistro table and linen covered sofa look lovely. Waxed concrete floors and french doors open to the the outdoor terrace.

The beautiful facade of the house with pruned boxwood in planters and traditional boxwood hedge.

A pair of limestone dodecahedron (12 sided) pediments are believed to ward off bad luck.

What a lovely garden terrace. Fabulous antique table and twig style chairs make for perfect outdoor dining.

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I think the Hermans' minimalist Belgian style is just beautiful- what do you think?