European Visions.......part one!

image via House Beautiful

Have you ever noticed that when you renovate or change a room all the other rooms off your “new” room seem to be lacking? Well it was no different for my husband and I, once our kitchen was done we decided the downstairs bathroom needed major help. Yes unfortunately there’s a bathroom right off the kitchen, not my favorite place in the world for one but it’s a 220+-year-old house and when bathrooms came into vogue it seemed the best place to put them was off a kitchen.

Since our newly renovated kitchen has a slight European flavor that can be seen here I had visions of old world European dancing in my head.

image via Maisons Cote Sud

At one point along the way someone had taken what looked like a closet in our bathroom and put in a nasty plastic shower insert that had to go! So dreams of stone wafted through my head. Hey, I can dream! I would also love a stone floor but that's an option I KNOW won't happen.

A rain shower head is one of my first choices!

I love the antique mirror with sconces but usually mirrors like that cost $2000 and up and isn’t in my budget…still dreaming here. And I know the husband doesn't like vessels sinks, sigh, must we always think of them too?

image via Relics they have some wonderful old stone and marble sinks

Since the husband hates vessel sinks I showed him some examples of marble sinks on decorative bases but he wasn't impressed.

image via Bobby McAlpine in House Beautiful

So maybe something unique like an urn.......

image via Barry Dixon

or semi vessel sinks, aren't those iron stands stunning?

image via Phoebe Howard

or a single marble sink on a chrome stand? That isn't reaching to far out there is it?

I was vetoed on every sink but one, the sink that's still in there from when the bathroom was originally put in circa 1925! Yep, that sink is from 1925, a good ole American Standard sink, still has the original brass tag with date underneath and the original faucet handles.  If you look real close under the sink and to the right you can see the bottom part of the water pressure gauge, it has this huge round gauge on it that Mister Man, aka the husband, wants to keep. He doesn't understand the words EUROPEAN, WORK WITH ME HERE!

Stay tuned, up next the finished results! (I hope)

Amazing Achievements

I’m showing you bits and pieces of homes because my best friend Deb’s company Village Interiors Inc. made some or most of the furnishings. I am so incredibly honored to be able to call her my friend but also I’m so incredibly proud of her and her achievements. She has worked so hard through the years in the background of others that I thought I would give her a little of her due credit here.

The "Pierre" French for rock, designed by Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig Architects

This home in Washington state is amazing, it was built within an outcropping of rocks up on a peak to capture the views, hence the name "Pierre".

While the custom furniture was designed by Olson Kundig Architects’ interiors studio, it was Village Interiors that had to make those dreams a reality.

Hong Kong Villa designed by Jim Olson of Olson Kundig Architects

This house was also designed by the same architectural firm of Olson Kundig Architects by Jim Olson who also designed the interiors, two very talented men in that architectural firm. This home is located in Hong Kong overlooking the South China Sea.

Village made all the furniture in this residence too! Isn't that view something out that wall?

Auckland, New Zealand Architecture by Pip Cheshire, Interiors by Terry Hunziker

"Visually the house is intended to be seen as a piece of constructed jewelry amid a natural landscape,” architect Pip Cheshire says of the seaside Auckland residence he built for Sue and Peter Cooper. He collaborated closely on the project with interior designer Terry Hunziker."

While modern house design is not typically my thing I just love this house and all the elements, that fireplace surround is zinc clad! Yep, more sofas and chairs by Village, they ship far and wide!

Furniture by Village Interiors for projects of designer Holly McKinley

Deb does so much more then make furniture she also owns Storage By Design better known as SBD, a high end white lab coat, white glove storage facility for antiques, furniture and specialty furniture installations.

She also owns a pillow business called Olde World Pillows and is in the process of opening a well-anticipated shop next month. (Nope, no competition between us and our businesses since we don't really sell the same pillows, besides we're best friends!) 

It always amazes me what goes on behind the scenes, like the people who have to take a drawing and create what they see and not get any credit for their efforts such as Village. If you’re a designer and live in the Pacific Northwest then Village and SBD is for you but Olde World Pillows will be open to everyone and wait until you see her shop, think jewel box! Be sure to check out some of the homes listed here they’re freaking amazing!

Located in Seattle Washington, conveniently just two blocks from the Seattle Design Center. 

Village Interiors Inc.

217 S. Findlay

Seattle, Washington 98108

(206) 768-9601

Dreary!

It’s raining, sleeting and some snowing here today and it’s very dark and dreary out so I thought some happy color would be just the ticket.

What do you think, could you live with such a mix of bright color?

Images via Design Love fest and House Beautiful

Orange Crush.....

I can’t help myself I simply love ORANGE! It doesn’t matter if it’s bright orange, burnt orange or anything in-between, I simply love orange. So when I opened the October issue of Elle Décor, I’m always running a month behind, and saw the home of hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai and his wife Shirin von Wulffen I drooled.

Orange is a power color and it also stimulates creativity so it isn't surprising that someone as creative as Frédéric Fekkai is drawn to orange. I love how the burnt orange of the dining chairs play off the bronze chandelier.

They even have orange carpets that I think looks fabulous with that gray sofa. My husband reads my blog so…”honey what do you think of orange and gray for our new living room scheme?” Loving it!  

Frédéric Fekkai and his wife Shirin also own a country home in Millbrook, New York. This picture was taken in their living room and as you can see they continued the orange theme.

Seems like a lot of people in the hair and makeup business like orange, this orange framed mirror belongs to Estée Lauder executive John Demsey.

Hair guru John Barrett is no different and used pops of orange in his living room too. I personally think orange works better then red for that bit of pop, orange isn’t as explosive. So what’s your take, do you like orange or not?

images via Elle Decor