Thursday, June 9, 2011

Details, Details, Details!



The last you saw our barn/my new studio the plaster board was just going up, well what do you think of the plaster painted? I had the whole barn, annex, ceilings and between the rafters painted in Benjamin Moore paint called Pismo dunes, number AC-32, it’s gray with a taupe undertone but stays mainly gray. Since I’ll be draping and hanging textiles everywhere I didn’t want a blue, green or purple undertone interfering and I needed a neutral background for those textiles.


Unfortunately at the time I took this picture the only light came from the windows and my contractors blaring workman’s light since the light fixtures weren't up yet. I had the trim painted in Benjamin Moore paint called water chestnut number 522-3. Because the trim paint wasn’t as warm as I wanted it to be we had the paint primed double or 200% to achieve the warmth.


This shot was taken from the annex looking out across the staircase and out the French doors into the back yard of the barn which is really the side of our house, does that make sense? The whole space, barn and annex, work as one space and is sort of L shaped but you have to go up two small steps to get into the annex and it’s actually a whole separate BIG room.


During this whole project everyone from our contractor on down liked to torture me in some small way and our electrician was no different. I wanted him to hang the chandeliers in the barn first because they were in huge crates and I hadn’t seen them yet and the suspense was killing me, so he hung the annex chandelier first and then went to lunch…. Grrr! This chandelier came from Wisteria and is called their regal French chandelier. It works for my needs but I’ll be honest here its not as hardy as I was hoping and not what I was expecting but since we were closing in on our budget it was good enough.


Now these bad boys were what I was expecting!!!! The chandeliers came from Restoration Hardware and were fashioned after 19th century Italian street gas lamps. I was a tad worried before they went up because at four feet tall they were massive at human level but once hung they sort of got dwarf by the sheer size of our barn. Since the barn has those cross beams at equal intervals I kept calling each area bay one, bay two, you get the idea and the two chandeliers were hung in bays two and three. The second is directly at the top of the staircase. Each bay, and there are four bays, is slightly bigger then an average room if that helps in gauging the size of the barn.


I couldn’t get to the hardware store fast enough to buy light bulbs for the chandeliers but when I got back our electrician was gone for the day…yikes! I hate heights and to take pictures from a ladder I was having some heart palpitations. But I sucked it up and climbed a ladder and just look at my chandeliers! They don’t really put out a ton of light they’re mainly for ambiance but that’s ok since it’s not like I was relying upon them to sew by.


With everything done except the baseboards it was time to lay the flooring. Our home has the original flooring of heartpine wide planks. Heartpine is the actual heartwood of the tree. Since pine used to be quite large when it was logged some hundred or more years ago, the pine trees were able to grow large enough to develop heartwood. Not any more as pine trees do not grow as big because they are harvested at an earlier age. The "heart" is dark colored. It is decay, insect and rot resistant and more stable than the white/yellow sapwood. We wanted to match the flooring from our home in the barn since they’re connected.


So we went to Carlisle Wide Plank Flooring since they have a great reputation and they’re close by here in New Hampshire. We had the floor stained deep walnut and I for one am in love with our floor. The railings hadn't arrived yet as they were being custom made.



It was at this stage it was time to have our home re-assessed because we added on more livable square footage and we wanted to make sure we didn’t price ourselves out of the neighborhood and for insurance. Just because you may have spent a fortune remodeling, renovating or adding on doesn’t mean you’ll get that money back out when it’s time to sell. I know this might crush a few people but the decorating in your home doesn’t mean much to the worth of your home it might only help sell it easier some day.


I couldn’t help myself even though there were odds and ends waiting to be finished I had to move something into my new studio. I didn’t care there was a wire hanging down, see right above the chair, the outlets needed their covers, I just needed something in there! But in the end I had to move these items back out because the walls were dusty and the floor needed cleaning, you get the idea but it was a cleaning job I actually enjoyed.


So after all the painting was done, everything was scrubbed and walls dusted down it was time to move in and it was only fitting that the first item to go in was my desk, ok so it’s really a table but hey I need room to spread.

Up next are still more details but what do you think of my new studio?


30 comments:

The French Tangerine said...

Wow! I am in love with your new studio! The Restoration Hardware lighting is fabulous as are the beams and the hardwood floors... a beautiful and inspiring space!

The enchanted home said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Acquired Objects said...

Hi Tina, The beams are actually orginal to the barn and are over 220 years old.

Thanks for asking!
Debra

Room Seventeen said...

The wooden beams and the chandeliers ....stunning!

LaPouyette said...

Stunning!!!
Would love to have a space like yours for work!
Everything is well balanced, the window at the end with the 'demi-lune' one on top - just perfect!
And the pair of lanterns work brilliantly as a kind of contrast to the 'country' beams. Well done, Debra!
Oh yes, I do understand that you had to add quickly a few pieces of furniture, would have done exactly the same, I can never wait.....
xxxkarin

Maison de lin said...

Hello,

This place is just perfect i love the wooden beams.

Greetings
Jérôme

Heather Robinson said...

I think it is absolutely amazing and I can't believe the transformation. Gorgeous and bravo!! Lovey those big lanterns! And the parquet!!!

lvroftiques said...

It's beautiful Debra! I love those lanterns from restoration Hardware! That darn electrician was working ya wasn't he? *winks* I wouldn't have been able to resist putting a few pieces in just to get the "feel" either. Did you find yourself just going in there all the time and staring at it? I know I would've had lots of quiet contemplation time just soaking it all in. Vanna

The enchanted home said...

Now I am even more jealous knowing they are "the real deal" AMAZING!

The enchanted home said...

Debra......I AM LOVING THIS SPACE!!!!!!!! Wow....oh wow did it come out amazing! Just the sheer volume of the space, the gorgeous beams ( I forgot were they antiqued or are they actually old reclaimed beams) and of course you just know how I feel about those lanterns:) It came out incredible......so exicting as you will start to move things in! Cannot wait to see it full of all your beautiful things....truly stunning!

for the love of a house said...

what a great space! can't wait to see it with all your tapestries in it! the wall color is a great choice. so sorry about your well.... at least the hydrangeas will get a bit of water with the rain we are having!!

joan

under spanish moss said...

Dear Debra,
Angela and I are remodeling our business office and have always loved wood beam cathedral ceilings! Beautiful details and lighting...
XO,
Renee and Angela

Greet Lefèvre said...

The transformation is a success!!!! I love the lanterns and your desk!!
Congratulations with this project! It is gorgeous!!
xx
Greet

Mona Thompson said...

Oh Debra, I'm so excited for you. This is just turning out fabulous!!!I love it all. the floors, the beams, the gray paint, the lanterns...It's just all wonderful. I just wish I could see it all in person. Mona

Loretta Fontaine (EcoHappy Blog) said...

Debra- Wow. I am in love with this new space. What a light-filled place to be creative. The Restoration Hardware lights are an amazing touch. And over four feet tall! I would have never guessed, the room does have such powerful proportions.

Loretta

designchic said...

Oh my gosh, Debra, it's FABULOUS...you must be thrilled. I absolutely love the old beams and the chandeliers...exquisite!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend ~

Karen T. said...

What a fantastic studio! Those chandeliers, those beams, those floors. Perfection!

quintessence said...

Debra it looks simply AMAZING!! Most definitely worth the wait and all the hard work you and your husband put into planning and executing the space. So looking forward to seeing it filled - can't wait for the shots!! Have a great weekend!!

Decor de Provence said...

Absolutely stunning! I love old barns with character- and those lanterns work perfectly! You have an amazing eye!

lol,
Desiree

desde my ventana said...

Wonderful transformation!!! like the fabulous lanterns.
Have a wonderful sunday eevening

Hugs

Cecilia

Blooming Rose Musings said...

Absolutely stunning! The lighting from Restoration Hardware is glorious! The beams, the floor, the lighting...all gorgeous. The size of the "barn" is amazing yet there is so much warmth and texture. Absolutely stunning and wonderful!!! Fantastic!

Stacey said...

The beams are tdf and adds so much stateliness to the space! The Restoration Hardware chandelier is really exquisite and really, one can't go wrong with Restoration Hardware. I'm so happy for you and how it's all coming together! XX

Anonymous said...

What an amazing space! Love those floors!
xo E + J

'LUSH' said...

Gorgeous beams and light fixtures, of course! WOW factor has been captured!

lvroftiques said...

Debra I couldn't believe that price on the bed! I kept expecting them to tell me it was priced incorrectly...that they'd somehow forgotten the zero? Lol! I hauled that baby outta there faster then you can say "where'd she go?"
And thanks for the bow. Coming from you it means a lot!

To answer your earlier question, I do wear hats quite often. I wish we lived in a time when more ladies wore them so I wouldn't have to appear quite so eccentric *winks* Vanna

Acanthus and Acorn said...

Debra,
It's gorgeous, even in process!!! I love the floors and oversized lanterns!

So very true what you said about renovating...it's a difficult challenge sometimes to strick the right balance between what we want and what makes fiscal sense!

The Paper Mulberry - Glenda Steel said...

Ohhhh what a lovely barn! As a lover of old beams and lanterns this is a dream! Warmest wishes from England - Glenda

French-Kissed said...

What do I think...can I just move in? It is wonderful in every way! Great choice of wall color...will be perfect for your textiles...you had me with the beams. It has been such fun to follow the progress. You must be thrilled.

Jermaine

cotedetexas said...

whoa! those r.h. lanterns were made for your barn! they look fabulous. it is coming together.

you know how we dealt with code - we did what they wanted and then after we passed code, we changed all the railings!!!!

michele said...

i think i want it! omg it's such a transformation and so elegant. if ever you're in my neck of the woods i have an antique wholesaler source for you that you'd love for his imported european light fixutres.

GORGEOUS.

michele

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