Friday, February 24, 2012

A Quaint Little Bar


This quaint, little bar is just another wonderful little nook in the fabulous 1920's restoration that I have referred to here, here and here, that I have been working on.
This small space, between the family room and the kitchen, wasn't part of the kitchen eating area (you'll see that later), and it was closed off from the family room, so it really didn't make much sense. In the 'before' image below you can see how it was kind of awkward.

We took the wall down in order to open this space up to the family room. I had the contractor match the arc of the groin vault and this arc is mimicked on the wall parallel to it as well. Opening this wall up completely changed how the space felt and made it make more sense.

In the 'before' image below, you can see the wall that we removed. Aren't those groin vaulted full plaster ceilings fabulous?! Notice the thickness of the full plaster walls as well...love.

You can see in the 'after' image below how wonderfully dramatic it was to remove that wall.
The wall across from the window was also closed in and led to a butler's pantry, which the client's didn't need. I love how the new space is open to the family room but still feels defined and cozy.

In the 'before' image below you can see the other wall, parallel to the window, that we removed as well, in order to make the awkward space into a little bar.

We opened the wall up and built a bar where we added a wine refrigerator and a small sink.

Now, this little space has a purpose and it is wonderful for entertaining (which the client's do)...the whole house is actually!

Here are some of the details for those of you who like to see the little things as much as I do :-)

Fun nailhead detail on the updated wing chair.

These chairs are so fun. They are kind of a mix of a club chair and a wing chair and they are huge. The back is almost 5' tall!
I love love love the light fixture that I spec'd for this space. It is the Crown Top Banded Globe by Sandy Chapman for Visual Comfort. I seriously love it!

A lovely, quaint little bar, right in the convenience of their very own home.

Things are going well on the home front. I'm enjoying getting back into the groove of life now that Alice is becoming a little more predictable. Those first few months were brutal!!! Lot's of pizzas delivered to the Beck casa :-/
I cooked Williams Sonoma's pork chops with hard cider pan sauce,from their Steak & Chop book, on Thursday and their Penne Alla Vodka on Saturday, and they were both awesome! Actually everything in the Williams Sonoma Collection cookbooks is wonderful! They are my favorite set of go to cookbooks! The books are beautiful hardbacks and if you like food photography too, the images in the books are absolutely gorgeous and will make you want to cook every recipe!
I got an extra relaxing treat yesterday :-) I received a gift certificate to the Lantana Spa at the JW Marriott for Christmas and have been anxiously waiting to use it. I'm no diva and spa visits are a true luxury that are a special treat. I would walk by the gift certificate and wonder what treatment I would use it on and imagine the dark room and the zen music, all whilst Alice was pulling my hair and spitting up on my shoulder ;-). It was the best gift ever! I'm sure every mother out there would agree that the best gift to any mother is just a little time to herself. After my treatment I made myself stay extra long in the relaxation lounge, which I don't usually do. I just sat there and stared at the wall and sipped hot tea, it was amazing :-)
I hope you had a relaxing weekend as well and are getting a great start to the week!
*due to client contracts, I am unable to share sources*

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

What I'm Loving...


Not the typical stuff you usually find posted here.....something kind of design related.....designs from the wonderful imagination of a child's world that is.
Child's Own Studio is super cool!!! How neat is this?!?
I absolutely love the idea of encouraging creativity in this way! I will definitely be using this when Miss Alice is old enough to create :-)
Found at the lovely Small Town Lovin blog.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Samantha's Bedroom

This sweet little space was designed for an even sweeter little Miss! Samantha is just the kind of precious little girl that makes you want to have a precious little girl of your own! She received a baby doll from Santa Clause this past Christmas and named her "Baby Alice"...oh, melt my heart!
We designed a little girl room for her that is sweet and sophisticated. She can gracefully grow into her new space, without it being too grown up or too juvenile, for a while.
In the image below you can see how the space looked before.

Here is the space now.
One of the first things that we did was replace the large sheets of glass from the windows. They were not insulated, not tempered and didn't meet code. In the image below, taken from another room in the house, you can see the brand new windows. We divided the large expanse of window into 3 sections. Notice the horizontal muntins, I love these!...and in a beautiful bronze too.
The new windows were layered with a gorgeous embroidered linen over a soft woven wood shade. The woven woods were outfitted with a blackout liner to help little peepers stay asleep.
 

I found this beautiful distressed dresser and paired it with an antique trumeau. I love the way the marigold in the trumeau complements the pale lavender walls. I forgot to snap a pic of the custom painted chandy but you catch a glimpse of it here in the mirror.
The dresser paint is chippy and rough and every now and then you can see a fleck of gold peer through. Love.
The trumeau. Double love.
See that cute little nightstand? It has a surprise when you open the drawers. The citrus green is the same green in the graphic fabric on the bedding. I love this. It's like a lined envelope, or a beautiful patterned lining of a jacket. Such a special detail that often gets overlooked.
Take a closer look at our bedding.
In the image below, you can see how the closet looked before. Yikes. That's no closet for a princess.
We took out the dated accordion doors and redesigned the shelving and hanging system inside.
The closet doors received a nice little piece of jewelry as well.
In another corner of the room, we designed a reading nook. I love to come into this space now and see Samantha's woobie blanket all balled up next to some books. Just precious.
I hung some chicken wire birdcages, adorned with large lavender bugs above, for a little whimsy.
Here's a closer look at some of the art details in the room.
I hope you've enjoyed seeing Samantha's sweet, little space.
I also hope that you are having a great week! Thanks for stopping by to see what we are up to at M. E. Beck Design, Inc.
*Due to client contracts, I am unable to share sources*  
 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Our Little Doll Baby


Just a little photographic update on the Smidgen...I do love her so!!!
I hope you're having a great week!