A Reader's Home & Treasure of Landscape and Chinoiserie Murals

This is the kind of email that for me, as a blogger, is so exciting to receive. In response to my recent post on windowless dining rooms, I was contacted by a reader about the landscape scenes painted in her historic Woodstock, VA home built in 1796. Winnie, the homeowner, commissioned artist Virginia Jacobs McLaughlin of Frederick, MD to paint a Shenandoah Valley inspired landscape wrap-around mural in her dining room. Absolutely stunning!!
Now in her 80's, this talented artist has been painting for the last 50 years and her work is featured at the Mount Vernon Inn, Brafferton Inn, Grand Army of the Republic Building in Gettysburg, Defense Acquisitions University and numerous other public buildings and private homes. This includes the 1750 Julia Etchison-Hannah house in Frederick, MD, of which an author noted the following about the dining room mural; "To say that Virginia McLaughlin's mural ably captures Frederick County during the Civil Was is to damn with faint praise. The mural is quite magnificent, providing a sweeping panorama of the great landmarks, moments, and key players." (complete article, go here. author unknown)
In an article by Greg Caruth of DUA Press he notes, "Her painting style is full of personality and incorporates the styles of Moses Eaton and Rufus Porter, and includes hints of the famous French scenic wallpapers by Zuber et Cie...She paints boldy and directly on the wall with little or no preliminary drawing. She consults photos and drawings from many sources, but as she explains, the finished wall is sketched in her mind before she starts painting." (full article here)
Winnie mentioned that it was Virginia who strongly urged her that a Chinoiserie landscape scene would be the best choice for the front parlor. Yes, absolutely the best choice! Love this.
An interesting note about Winnie's home is that the original plat was laid out by a young surveyor named George Washington. If you would like to see even more close-up photos of Virginia's work in this home, which is now for sale, go HERE
Virginia does not have an email or website, but if you're interested in contacting her, send me an email and I will forward her number. I think having Virginia's painting in your home would be something to treasure. mynottinghill ( at ) gmail (dot) com.

PETA May Not Approve . . .

But cowhide rugs are everywhere. I really like the look of them. I just can't decide if I'd like one in my house.

They seem to look best in light and airy interiors, which I love, but unfortunately don't have.

Maybe if I lived in California. And had cool wide plank floors like these.

 

Why am I thinking about cowhide rugs? They are for sale right now at Southeastern Salvage (a regional outlet) for $99. That's a really good deal considering Ballard Designs is offering them for $449 and West Elm on sale for $299. Of course, the fact that big catalog companies/retailers are selling them is evidence they may be overexposed. But I'm a bit trendy, so I don't care.

 

My hesitation? I'm just not sure I want a dead cow on my floor. I don't have an ethical problem with eating beef or wearing/carrying leather goods, so why should I care? I don't know. Something about walking on a cowhide just creeps me out ever so slightly.

 

But my friend Kristen has one in her entry, and I think it looks great! Another slight problem . . . I'm not sure where I'd put it. Details, details.

 

Just look how chic.  Hmm . . . this will require more thought. What do you think? Is it okay to walk all over a dead cow?

Photos: My Little Happy Place, My Favorite and My Best and My Interior Life

A Little London Loft

I've had these photos of the Loft Suite at Covent Garden Hotel, London floating around in my inspiration file and thought it was finally time to post them. I like the simple furnishings and the contrast between the open space and the more intimate space tucked in under the bedroom loft above. A huge mirror over the marble fireplace is balanced on the opposite side by the large painting.

Love these charcoal striped pillows - don't think the space would be the same without them.

Solution for a Windowless Dining Room

Earlier in the month I had wrote about my dilemma in decorating my small, windowless dining room that now functions more as a pass-thru than a dining room. I received so many terrific ideas comments - thank you. Prompted by a suggestion from Beth of Chinoiserie Chic, I've been giving alot of thought lately to the power of scenic wallpaper to visually expand a windowless space. Recently I came across this windowless dining room designed by Laura McLaughlin - you can see it just beyond the couch.
The misty English landscape was painted by Boston area artist Patricia Trapp. I'm not sure I would like to make that type of commitment, but I'm wondering about a landscape scene in muted tones or grisaille painted on, or applied to, an oversized canvas. Being a bit fickle, the trick will be in finding something we won't tire of and appeals to us personally, like the country side of the Finger Lakes in NY or Co.Kerry, Ireland.

Also, thanks to your comments, the bench has been moved out of my dining room and the table is now centered in the room. Instantly, the room felt more balanced. Now instead of 44 inches of space to walk by on the left, there's 39 inches on both sides of the table. This also solves the lighting problem and now I'll plan to go with a chandelier/hanging fixture.

For more pictures of this beautiful home, originally published in Traditional Home Nov 2005, go here. (Photography by Frances Janisch)
For additional ideas on scenic papers, SW Design has a very comprehensive post here.

Before and After

I don't have too many great "before and after" photos of design projects for a couple of reasons.   


1. I haven't redone a whole lot of stuff.  
2. More importantly, I forget to take "before" photos thus lessening the "ooh and ahh" effect. Because seriously, who cares what something looks like now if you didn't bother to record the piece of crap it was before.


But, I did happen to find some great shield-back dining chairs on Craigslist a few months back AND I remembered to take a couple of photos. I knew they would need to be reupholstered, but I also got the idea to paint them white making them look a little less granny and a little more current. 


Without further ado . . . here is the BEFORE:

And drum roll, please . . . the AFTER:

Some people, and you may be among those, think I'm crazy for painting these perfectly nice mahogany chairs white. First of all, I actually paid a nice lady and her daughter to paint them for me. Secondly, I like the effect and just wanted something different that would contrast with my fairly traditional dining room table. I re-upholstered the seats myself. They're not perfect, but who cares. 

I ordered a host and hostess chair in the same fabric for either end of the table from one of my best friends Kristen, the interior designer (who has access to great stuff).

I could have gone with a coordinating fabric but I had already purchased way more of this fabric than I needed, so I used what I had. Plus, I liked the idea of having different styles of chair with the same upholstery.


So, finally, after almost two years of having just a dining room table with no chairs (I can be indecisive at times, and at other times just lack the funds), I have a somewhat complete dining room.


Ta-da!

So what do you think? Should I have left well enough alone?

Jennifer Sergent's DC by Design!

I was a big fan of Jennifer Sergent's work as Senior Editor at the recently closed Washington Spaces and am so happy to hear she has launched DC by Design! Love Jennifer's description - "I'm a design writer and blogger, recovering from almost 20 years in mainstream journalism..."

DC needs dedicated coverage of talented local designers and knowing the quality of her work, DC by Design is going to be a terrific go-to source for anyone seeking up-to-date info on the design scene in the Washington, DC area.

Having been self-employed for the last 15 years, I'm always inspired when someone launches out on their own to pursue their passion. Congratulations to Jennifer - I have a hunch 2010 is going to be a great year!






First up, Jennifer has some great photos of a new project by DC designer Sally Steponkus. As usual, Sally's interiors are gorgeous - go here to see more. (photography by Annie Seckinger)
There's also a scoop on the designers named for the upcoming 2010 DC Design House in the 10,000 square foot Chevy Chase Beaux Art mansion that was once the site for the Harry S. Truman inaugural party. Jennifer will be covering the Bare Bones Tour on Feb, 27 - which I was dying to go to but am going to be in St. John USVI that week. You know I'll be trying to hunt down internet access somewhere on the island to take a peek at the pics. Go here for more and the listing of designers.

California Dreamin' . . .

I don't know about you, but the weather is getting me down. First we had the arctic blast a couple of weeks ago, now there are tornadoes in the forecast. And the utter and complete devastation in Haiti is horrific and almost unimaginable.

At times like these, I could use some diversions. 

 Ornamental fruit tree blossoms from blogger Slim Paley's Southern 

California garden before the floods came.

 Recognize this? It's the kitchen of Nora Walker (Sally Field) from the show 

Brothers and Sisters (set in Cali and filmed there).

Namely pretty pictures. Delicate flowers, interesting art, beautiful interiors. Some of my favorites at the moment come from sunny California. Of course, California is flooding right now . . . another victim of Mother Nature. What the @!#!@$?!!

California interior designer Katie Leede's work. Just pretty. Ahh.

What are you dreaming of on such a winter's day?

Photos: Slim Paley, Subzero.com and digsbykatie.com

Big Window Challenge = Eddie Ross Room Love

Hip, layered and fearless, Eddie Ross's design for Elle Decor's entry in the Big Window Challenge is a joyful celebration of the power of a room to make you feel happy and optimistic! Why play it safe when you can envelop a room in a vibrant blue splattered print and ground it with beautiful blue ceilings, moldings and faux bois floors. Echoing Elle Decor's panache for classic design with signature flair, Eddie's elegant room would be the perfect backdrop for a lively cocktail party or a quiet night at home.
Clean lined, upholstered furniture balance curved, vintage pieces that are warmed up with gilded bronze metal finishes. Love, love the chandelier.Shoes off + a pile of magazines + a blanket = Eddie's got my number!
The room is filled with original twists - check out these oversized pink patterned oval pillows.
If you read this blog, you know I'm a big fan of Eddie Ross. I'm also a big fan of this room and hope you'll take the time to check out Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge HERE and cast your vote. You can vote through January 28th. Hope you'll join me in voting for the Eddie Ross room!

Images above: Addie Juell (via La Dolce Vita)

Image source Kristy May

Fireplaces in Kitchens

If I was building a dream house, a fireplace in the kitchen would be near the top of my wish list. This kitchen of Canadian designer Brian Gluckstein is my all time favorite. I love the elevated placement of the fireplace surrounded by the beautiful dark wood cabinets and woodwork. Off the the left, not shown, is a gorgeous banquet seating area (more on that in a later post) Source: Canadian House and Home, Feb 2003, photography by Michael Alberstat

Here's another beautiful, traditional fireplace adding ambiance to the kitchen of this older home. Imagine Sunday breakfast here. (photography by Mark Walron, Southern Accents, via All the Best)

The fireplace stands out in this blue kitchen in a Notting Hill home that was for sale last year. If it was lit I think it would give a better sense of its impact in the room.

Do you have a fireplace in your kitchen? If you do, I'd love you to send me a picture so I could so a second post. mynottinghill ( at ) gmail . com

You Zig and I'll Zag

Confession: I love zigzags.

Some refer to it as a chevron pattern (chevron is basically a fancy term for the "V" shape).

Whatever you call it, I like it. And would like some in my home please.

I'm loving these Schumacher chevron pillows from Plum Cushion on Etsy.

But where, oh where, should I put them? I'm thinking my bedroom could use some sprucing.

 

These throws are a little out of my price range, but I do think their fun colors would add a bit of spark to any interior.

Or maybe a rug could fill my zigzag void? This one from West Elm fits the bill.

A gratuitous shot of the Schumacher chevron fabric on the club chairs by the fireplace.

So what do you think? Do you love zigzags as much as I do, or do they just remind you of this poor guy?

Photos: Revival Home and Garden, Madeline Weinrib, Plum Cushion, Unica Home, West Elm, Elle Decor and Photobucket.

I Spy: Coincidence or Styling?

Leafing through the March issue of Traditional Home, I noticed these light blue bottles in the room designed by Ruthie Sommers. Pretty and fresh, I think they look great as part of the tablescape. (photography by Grey Crawford)

Ten pages later I noticed the same light blue vases on the mantle of this room designed by interior designer Mark Williams. They look great there too, contrasted against the white walls and fitting in with the light, casual decor of the room.

(photography by Michael Garland)

In the source guide it appears that they're from Hollyhock. So it makes me wonder, is this a coincidence or a styling addition for the photo shoot? Either way, they look great in both rooms.

Additional thought - In the scheme of things that are going on in the world today, this really doesn't matter, does it?

Traditional Home Honors Paul Corrie & Chance to Win A Room Design

D.C. designer Paul Corrie has been named as one of Traditional Home's 20 Young Designers to Watch. Paul was also one of two designer's to be cited in the opening paragraph of the article, "...to the neutral but nuanced urban interiors of Washington, D.C.'s Paul Corrie..." Congratulations to Paul for this well deserved honor!

I featured Paul's work in my DC Designer Series a year ago (here) and am excited to see that Traditonal Home is holding a contest allowing readers to vote for their favorite designer. The designer who receives the highest number of Readers’ Choice votes will provide a personalized room design incorporating luxurious Duralee fabrics for drapery, sofa, pillows and more (up to a $5,000.00 retail value) to a randomly selected winner. My vote's for Paul - go HERE to cast your own vote and for a chance to win the prize.

All images from Paul Corrie's website.