FarmHouseUrban

FarmHouseUrban House Remodel Update - Windows are in!

The latest news on the home front-- the windows and glass doors were installed this past week! I must tell you, it gave me a huge sigh of relief to finally see them in.  The process of selecting windows took longer and was more difficult than I ever imagined. We're not working with an architect, so I'm the fall girl if things don't look right! Luckily, they are great and the only adjustments were to raise the two kitchen windows.

Just to recap the decisions that went into the window selection:

manufacturer - Jeld-Wen

style - I call it 'new farmhouse'

opening/closing options - we chose casement for the most part

color - white on exterior trim, black on interior (primed in white for now)

Previous posts on choosing the windows are here and here.

The above french doors open from the kitchen to an outdoor dining area and garden.

The window on the right is in the family room nook.

This is the nook window from the inside.

These are the two kitchen windows that needed adjusting.  They were too low, so we raised them by eight inches. There is a nice view of the hills from here, so it was necessary to raise them or else anyone taller than 5'6" couldn't see out!

The range with hood above, will go in the middle and a long countertop will run from one end to the other. On each end will be upper cabinets that come all the way down to the countertop.

The dining room doors that will open to a railing (no deck).

The living room french doors that will open to a deck. 

This is the hallway that goes the the bedrooms. Kids bedrooms and linen closet are on the right, back staircase and master bedroom on the left. It was super dark before, so we added a skylight. Huge improvement!

This is the master bedroom. There are two windows on each side of where the bed will go, and french doors that open to a small balcony. 

Another shot of the master bedroom doors.

We added a skylight to the master bathroom too.

This window is above where the bathtub will be.

Since the kid's bathrooms were added last year, not much is being done to their rooms. Lily is due for a decor update (click here for info on that) as well as new windows to match the rest of the house.

Lily has two twin beds, so I had the window moved to be in the center of where they will go. While they were at it, right?

New windows from the outside.

House related posts coming up soon... If you want to make sure you don't miss a post, you can subscribe by clicking on the button on the top right of the blog.  Make sure you open the email that will be sent immediately afterwards! Otherwise you will not get them! Also, I'm wondering if I should activate the RSS button? How many people get their blogs in a reader?

Cabinetry decisions 

Architectural details

Wide plank flooring 

Have a wonderful week and Happy Hanukkah!!

Traditional Home Napa Valley Showhouse and my birthday weekend.

I'm short on words today, but wanted to show you photos from my birthday weekend a few weeks ago which I spent in wine country. It was perfect in every way.

Traditional Home magazine - with the help of a bevvy of talented designers - transformed the guest cottage located on the grounds of Cardinale Winery into one of the most impressive showhouses I've seen.  It was our first stop.

The view from the driveway.

I liked this rock wall, so I took a photo to keep on file for future landscaping inspiration.

The foyer designed by Kathy Geissler.

I loved the rug, especially with the Fortuny pillows and antique bench.

The library was designed by Cathleen Gouveia - a veteran of Bay Area showhouses. Her rooms never disappoint. She puts so much thought into the details.

The walls are venetian plaster.

The living room was designed by Sunrise Home of San Rafael.

Great lessons to be learned in styling bookshelves.

A close-up of these linen and nail head uphostered pieces.

The dining room was designed by Joe Lucas.

My absolute favorite room was the kitchen, designed by Barbara Colvin. Check this out.

I really liked the gray cabinets + bronze hardware. Bronze and brass are a huge trend in kitchen and bath fixtures these days. 

I ususally don't gravitate to bright neon colors, but these stools in lime green worked beautifully with the gray. I may be a convert.

The paint colors she used...I think from Pratt & Lambert.

Here is the adjascent family room, also designed by Barbara Colvin.

The table was an existing piece belonging to the homeowner. The armchairs are by Lee Industries.

French doors in the family room lead you to the patio and this view.  They were pouring wines from Cardinale, so we took a moment to sit and savour them and the scenery.

The bench cushion and big pillow fabric is by Martin Lawrence Bullard. 

The lower level lounge was designed by Elizabeth Cameron and Kathleen Pfaff.

Cool piece of art - I think it's an actual grape vine.

My other favorite room was the Master Bedroom designed by Melanie Turner.

I didn't get a shot of the bed! Darn! It was so pretty.

The guest suite was designed by Melanie Coddington.

This is a close-up of the wallpaper in the bathroom. It's so pretty.

The showhouse was not big, but the rooms were cohesive and worked together. 

Here are a few random photos from our weekend...

We went to a fruit and wreath farm on Saturday morning.

Hi there little bee.

Later we went wine tasting. The most beautiful was Bella (the wines were good too!)

Inside the cave.

This is a ceiling mounted art piece.

Driving to Geyserville for lunch.

The driveway into Trefethen Vineyard. Gorgeous!

After our visit to the Traditional Home Showhouse, we were smitten with Cardinale Vineyards and scheduled a private tasting on Sunday. Here is what was served. The wines were outstanding (with prices to match).

Last but not least, the spectacular Carneros Inn.

It was an amazing weekend. The birthday festivities continue... Girlfriends arriving from Seattle this weekend for some SF fun!

Wishing you a fun filled weekend too!

Gratitude

 

Isn't it wonderful to have a day dedicated solely to gratitude?

This has been quite a year for recognizing those things for which I am truly grateful...

Thank you, my dear readers, for continuing to support this blog. I love hearing from each and every one of you. Knowing you are reading it keeps me writing it :-)

Wishing those of you celebrating Thanksgiving, a happy, restful day to appreciate all that is wonderful in your lives.

"For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and

food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends."-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Xx

Serena

 

FarmHouseUrban House Remodel Update

The most exciting part of the remodel so far has been seeing the entry being built. It's the only new space being added (other than the garage) so it's really fun to see how it's taking shape and changing the look and feel of the house.

This is the view of the front door from the upper foyer. A full height window flanks each side.  The entry is 2+ stories with the cupula at the top. The ceiling will be open so when you look up you can see the inside of the cupula. There will be a staircase (being built tomorrow!) that will be on the right leading to the main level - living room, dining room, kitchen and bedrooms. The lower level - rec room, office, laundry and guest room - can be entered by going straight as you enter the house.

 Boards are partly covering it right now, but you can see a little bit of the cupula.

Here's a view of the cupula from the outside.  It still needs a roof and a weathervane. There are so many options for weathervanes from traditional roosters and horses to something custom. Based on the direction that ours faces, and the neighbor that was a total $%^# during the permitting process, we are considering a weathervane that looks like a hand giving the finger. Just kidding... Not really. Maybe a pirate flag in the interum.

This is the retaining wall that was filled with concrete this past week. There will be a path leading down to a lower garden.

The view from the main driveway.

I almost forgot - the garage roof was finished last week too!

For a look back at what the house looked like before and what the first set of plans looked like, click here.

To read about how we got from there to here, click here.

If you are interested in my design inspiration boards, you can follow me on Pinterest here.

Have a wonderful week and as always thank you for reading! 

Recent Design Project: Coastal Farmhouse 'before and after'

Recently I completed a small, sweet project I've been meaning to show you. I met my client when she came into the shop a few months ago. She and her husband have three young children and just bought their first home which overlooks the water in Belvedere, CA .  She likes the farmhouse style, but wanted to weave in a coastal vibe since the home has water views from almost every room. 

before's

The scope of the project was to furnish the living room and solve what to do with the off-center fireplace wall.

after's

We wanted to make the shiny black granite disappear and at the same time make the fireplace and tv not feel so off-center.

The wall color is Restoration Hardware's Charcoal.  The beam is an old, reclaimed piece that my wood working guru had buried in a pile behind his shop. It was sanded and sealed to perfection (just luck that it ended up being a close match to the coffee table).

Here are more photos...

Before

The home doesn't have a mud room or coat closet. With three kids, things were piling up around the front door. As a temporary fix, the homeonwner used a coat rack for hanging items, but there was no place for shoes and other miscellaneous outerwear.

I had a custom bench made based on the size of three vintage-style wire baskets my client purchased at the shop. One for each child. 

Hooks mounted on wood planks replaced the coat rack.

Below is the other side of the entry.

before

after

The homeowner found this great industrial piece (I forget where, but Carrie if you are reading this maybe you can put the source in the comments?) We thought this trio of mirrors (sold individually) makes a much more interesting vignette than just one.

More photos...

The living room was a blank canvas. It's the room you see first upon walking into the house. We started with the striped wool dhurrie rug and pulled the colors from there.

A new sofa from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams replaced the old one (very similar, but new one is less modern), a Belgian style coffee table and a few new accessories finished off the space.

The chairs were purchased previously, but the home owner was not fond of the contemporary lines, so we added vintage grain sack pillows and matching throws to soften the modern style.

We're still filling in a few blanks, like this corner...

Everything is new in this space. We're considering different chair options that can serve double duty for extra living room seating for parties, and we'll move the zinc accessoires to a new spot.

I hope you like the tour of this coastal farmhouse!

FarmHouseUrban House Remodel Update

The focus for the past few weeks has been on drilling pilings and pouring concrete for the foundation. The windows have also been framed and the Master Bedroom has been re-built. 

Design details that I've been working on are fireplace and mantel selection. More on that process in the next post.

For now, here are some photos and a video of the latest progress.

This is taken from the back driveway looking at the Master Bedroom side of the house.

This is the kitchen wall where there will be french doors going out to an outdoor kitchen and dining area where I am taking the picture from (wow, bad grammar...)

This is where all the major work has been. The driveway is widening and a pathway is being added that will lead to the front door. The structure that is partly covered by the tarp will be the new entry with a wrap around porch on each side.

As I was taking photos, a neighbor came by with his dog (scared the daylights out of me actually!) and suggested I get in a picture. So here I am.

This is a video of the interior.

 

FarmHouseUrban: Window Inspiration

One of the most difficult decisions we had to make with regard to window selection was picking the color of the trim. Both interior and exterior trim colors needed to be decided before the final order was placed. The exterior is made of metal and is fixed - you pick a color and that's final. The interior windows have a little wiggle room, but not much. The reason being - they are primed before they arrive and need to be painted on-site, so the final color is improtant to know because it will dictate the primer color.

The house will be white - both exterior and interior. For awhile, I considered painting the exterior window trim black...

I eventually decided against it, and went with white on the outside...

I do like the idea of a contrasting door. I'm leaning towards black or dark charcoal gray.

As far as interior windows, I decided to go with black. I know! This was a tough one, but i looked at tons of photos and it helped in confirming that I'm really drawn to that look. 

The windows will be the same throughout the house, so it was helpful to see images of black framed windows in every type of room.

Do you have either an all white house or interior black framed windows? Thoughts?

Have a wonderful new week!

FarmHouseUrban Remodel Update

Since my last post (click here) showing the final stages of demo, steady progress has been made. Mainly framing and major concrete excavation.

Above is the kitchen side of the house. The door on the right was how we entered the house. It will soon be gone and two windows will be added on each side of the stove. The door on the left was to the dining room and was never used. It wall also be taken out and a larger window will replace the long rectangular one.

The hole on the lower level is where the second bay of the garage will go.

Chipping away at the existing foundation.

Above is the view from the new family room 'nook' towards the kitchen door that will be replaced with a window. The floor was lower because it was previously a brick courtyard that had been enclosed with cheesy sliding glass doors. The real front door was inside this courtyard, but no one could see it through the cheesy glass doors, which is how the kitchen door became the main entrance.

Above is from the opposite direction looking into the new nook from the kitchen. It also will be the connection from the hall to the kitchen, so the actual nook is pretty tiny. Only a small sectional and ottoman will fit, with the tv on the above wall.

The powder room was framed and is larger than I expected.  The contractor spray painted where things will go. I moved the toilet to the door wall so the sink will be what is in view when the door is open. Do you want to see the sink I'm leaning towards for in here?

What do you think? I'm thinking of having brass fixtures, so I'm still on the fence with it as I don't want to mix metals.

The pantry has been framed. The door is temporary! It's where the contractors store their tools at night. It will have a barn door. I'm so excited to have a walk-in pantry!

This is the view from the living room towards the main foyer and powder room.

We needed major piers and as such, lots of digging.

Above is the wall of the master bedroom. As you might recall, there was a sun room there. Instead of trying to create an insulated room with adequate flooring and roof, it was decided that it would be easier to tear it down and start from scratch.

Just to follow-up on the window selection, we went with Jeld-Wen.  The quality is still excellent and I was able to get the narrow size bars (is there a name for them?) that the Marvin windows had, but significantly less expensive.  Here is a photo of the style I chose.

Beautiful Chair

I recently was contacted about selling a chair that ended up not being used for a new home renovation project. I typically decline this type of thing, but after seeing the photos I couldn't resist passing the offer on to my readers!

The chair and ottoman are by Lee Jofa and upholstered in mocha and cream fabric by Kelly Wearstler.  It is brand new, never used. The price is $1,250 + shipping and tax for both pieces (less than half of retail!).

The color palette for the room changed after the chair was ordered, thus the reason for selling it. The workmanship on the upholstery is clearly top notch. If you are interested,  please email me at serena@serenaarmstronginteriors.com and I will put you in touch with the seller.

Things I'm Digging - summer to fall

Well hello stranger... I'm working from home this week. I decided a mental health break from the office was in order. I'm still technically working FOR SURE (hello clients that read my blog!), but I needed to buzz around town so much this week, that I decided to work from home in between errands and appointments. I must say, it's been nice to wear sweats (cute sweats mind you!) and fuzzy socks, a pot of tea at the ready.  

With summer drawing to a close, but fall not quite here, the 'theme' of this list of things I'm digging is reflective of this time in between.

Here you go...

The Family Love Tree

First, they had me at the name. Then they had me again at the logo. Ever since I discovered this Australian based company this summer I've been mildly OBSESSED. I have thought about these headboards many times and when/where/for whom I can use them. I find them so incredibly nostalgic of summer homes of my youth.

 

 Since I haven't found a place for them yet, I've decided that I must use them myself...someday...whenever I get a Stinson beach house. Two of these will go in the 'girls' bedroom.

 

Boho chic Peacock Chair. Love it.

Janus et Cie Outlet

If you're not already familiar, Janus et Cie is a high-end outdoor furniture company. Their lines are on the contemporary side, but they also carry some classic pieces that will appeal to the traditionalists. I recently discovered they have an online outlet that offers 70% off!

I love the settee below. It was originally $3,757 and is now only $1,350!

Artisian Sheds

I would love to add a shed or out building to our property. Whether it's a potting shed, artist studio, office or just a destination, there is just something about being able to escape to your own little cocoon. This company makes shed kits in a few sizes and offers packages for the intended purpose - guest house, gardening, etc.

Mottega 

Finding just the right lamp can be difficult. It's an accessory that is both practical and decorative and often is one of the last pieces to be added to a room. Recently I needed a pop of purple in a gray family room. I was thrilled to find this new line of custom lamps that only take two weeks to make! They are on the pricey side ($900-$1,000/ea), so I didn't use them for this client (otherwise I would show you!), but I bookmarked it for future reference. (I realize this is one doesn't fit in with the 'theme', but the jewel tones they offer made me think fall. Plus, I wanted to share it anyway and it's my blog:-).

Mottega offers a choice of glass or ceramic bodies in many shapes, several shade options, and choice of material for base and finial.

Weekends Away

It's been a little cooler here in California lately, so I'm finding myself getting in the fall spirit and daydreaming about being here...

And here...

 

Wearing something like this...

Doing things like this...

and eating things like this (pumpkin pancakes)...

last two photos via Honey & Jam

Then going back to places like this...

Happy Fall and a wonderful weekend to you!