In the Spirit of the Season!

Outside, inside, almost every room has a bit of Christmas spirit on display.  Instead of using a few items to decorate this year, I opened up all the boxes that had been stored away to see what there was.  Some of the treasures had not seen the light of day for a long time.  It feels nice to reminisce about how some of these items came into my life.  Nothing like it to get you in celebratory mood!

Wishing everyone the best kind of Christmas this year--surrounded by people you love and things that make you happy!

Vintage toys as decor....

For years I worked as a children's wear designer and used vintage toys and other items for show displays.  Before long I became a BIT obsessed with these items so these collections spilled into my private life.  There are quite a few "whimsical" doodads scattered throughout the house but I confine most of the old games and wood toys to our family room where we also keep our modern collection of family fun items--board games, puzzles, lawn games, etc. etc.

With light colored walls and tile in the kitchen, I have collected a variety of old rusty metal items--some less rusty than others--that I enjoy displaying to add dimension and texture to the room and make the overall feel less contemporary.  The dark colors play nicely with the soapstone counter tops too!

I was pretty happy when I found two of these great old fish molds--one would not have been nearly as interesting.  The trick was how to mount them without putting any holes in the fish.  Let's just say I am pretty handy with 16-gauge wire!

I am also quite fond of pinecones--anything organic with texture frankly--these are perfect for fall decor and the bit of sparkle lets me know Christmas is not far away without going full holiday just yet...soon though, very soon!

BEAM ME UP

From the main living areas of the house the beams create a dramatic effect that give a rustic element to the light colored walls and ceiling.  

There are many walls waiting to be "decorated" but just when I think I have made a "final" decision on what to hang I change my mind.  Too many choices apparently....The "Marsh Mellow" sign is one of the few things that has stayed in it's first location.

The only way to show the contrast of before and after with the family room is to share these pictures!  I lost count of the different wallpaper designs that we discovered in this room.  Hidden underneath the "interesting" harbor mural shown in the two pictures above were these fanciful treats below!  The red, white, and blue eagle design was my fave!

We weren't really sure how to use this room when we moved in.  It was connected to the kitchen and the dining room so we used it as a temporary "den" of sorts.  Mostly it was a dumping ground for odds and ends as you can see from the photo above.  What you can't see is the view from that tiny window.  It was one of the smallest ground floor windows and it happened to have the BEST view of the backyard, which is one of the highlights of the property.  Of course you had to press your nose against the window to see that great view, but it was there...with...so...much...potential.

When they cut out the opening for the French door I wanted to cry with happiness!  Of all the changes we had done to the house this was the most transformative.  Not only did it let in a LOT of light, it finally connected the main living area to the brick patio outside that has been one of my favorite additions to the property.  We put the cart in front of the horse by doing the patio first but it all worked out in the end.  

In the summer months we throw open these doors and the breeze from the marsh cools down most of the first floor and the views make me so HAPPY.  It is also Ginger's favorite place to sit and watch critters.

Images of local beaches are scattered throughout the house.  Some as wall art others displayed in unique ways like this photo pillow.  The newly exposed beams in the living room add a rustic touch to the pale wall colors.  Mid-century style furniture fit nicely in this antique house with its low ceilings and modest-sized rooms.

This is the room before renovations began.  We bought the house with furniture in it, which included the items shown above.  Most of these pieces are now in the family room and one of the bedrooms.  I play a bit of "musical" furniture and move things around when I want a new look.  

Deconstruction Part I

We had no idea what was hidden above the dropped ceiling in our old house but feared the worst.  We were thrilled when we discovered original beams that were relatively unscathed.  That happy find began the rest of the "great reveal".  

Our original plan was to renovate the outdated kitchen using the floorpan that existed with some minor "tweaks".  With the beams being in such good shape we found that there was adequate support to remove an assortment of partial walls in the kitchen.  Basically we took down every wall that had chopped up the space creating an 18x20 foot kitchen that was originally 6x12!  

Looking west--future location of breakfast nook with powder room at left and future laundry closet at right.

Looking north at future stove wall.  Look at the silhouette of an old staircase in the corner--one of many interesting historical markers unveiled in the process!

Looking east.  We moved the door to the right to  lengthen counter space and create better "flow" in the new space.  This area was formally a old pass-through pantry that had been converted to a laundry area--not a great way to get to the dining room!  That rectangle of light colored flooring was the formally walled-in entrance to the basement.  We decided to create a "hatch" instead to open up the kitchen area since we don't visit the unfinished basement often.