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Posts Tagged ‘chartreuse’

Mid-century Modern Farmhouse

Posted in Inspiration, Tag Sale Updates, tagged antique, apartment style, barn sale, before & after, buckeystown, chairs, chartreuse, chartreuse & co, chartreuse and co, decor, decorating, decorating ideas, farrow & ball, farrow and ball, home, home decor, home furnishings, mid-century, occasional sale, paint color, renovation, tag sale, vintage, vintage furniture on February 16, 2015| 3 Comments »

The Farmhouse is getting a facelift!

Yes, that adorable little (heated) house has new residents: Barefoot Dwelling. These girls had a vision immediately. And what has inspired me so about this is that their vision was totally different from what mine had been.

I don’t know about you, but someone with a fabulous vision, totally outside my usual style, inspires me like little else can. It’s what invigorates me every time I travel, and to have such a vision unfold right here in front of me is exciting!

So here’s a little BEFORE & AFTER fun for you:

BEFORE, Room 1: Let’s start in the first room, which was the kitchen. You may recall how it looked when we first took possession of it in July 2012:

After removing the contact paper ‘wallpaper’ and vinyl ‘parquet’ floors:

Two and a half years ago, after applying Farrow & Ball’s Pavilion Grey :

Now, with a fresh vision comes fresh color! Using Farrow & Ball’s fabulous paint, Lisa and Mary, owners of Barefoot Dwelling, chose pure white, with contrast, feature walls.

AFTER, Room 1: In this first room, the color grabs you right away, it’s Farrow & Ball’s Charlotte’s Locks. Such a great punch with the fabulous mid-century pallet they’ve collected.

BEFORE, Room 2: Then on to the second room, as we found it 2 1/2 years ago:

After removing the rest of the contact paper covering the wanescoating, and more of the vinyl ‘parquet’ floor:

Then, after a fresh paint job (Farrow & Ball Pavilion Grey) in 2012:

AFTER, Room 2: Now with a a fresh white facelift, complemented by a contrast wall of Farrow & Ball’s Churlish Green (yes, that’s a paint name, don’t you just love it??!!)

And check out the sleek mid-century aesthetic.

This room has NEVER been so cool!

More great stuff is being added through the week, and you’re all invited to come take a look this weekend, February 20-22, Fri/Sat 9am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm. I hope you’ll find it as fresh, original, and inspiring as I do!

Thanks for reading,

Virginia

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New Windsor, Maryland – an architectural treasure

Posted in Inspiration, tagged 19thcentury architecture, antique, architecture, AtleeHouse, chartreuse, chartreuse & co, chartreuse and co, decorating, exterior paint, home decor, NewWindsor, renovation, vintage on February 13, 2015| 3 Comments »

I have long loved New Windsor, Maryland for its exceptional collection of early 19th century homes. I first discovered it during my college years – my then-boyfriend (now husband), Chip, attended college in Westminster, Maryland, and the best route there from Frederick was Rt. 26 to Liberytown, and then a left onto Rt 31 (which has some beautiful homes. Have someone else drive so you don’t miss any of them!). Rt 31 takes you right into the small, but charming town of New Windsor. Take a look:

And all these houses are just along the first couple of blocks as you come into town.

On this particular occasion, a friend of mine, Mary Ford-Naill, had told me about an extraordinary house she was listing on the market and thought I may enjoy seeing. When she told me it was in New Windsor, I was immediately interested. And when she showed me the pictures of it, I couldn’t resist.

Because I know so many of you are as keen on architecture as I am, I asked Mary and the home-owners, if I could share it with you on my blog. So here’s the Atlee House, New Windsor, Maryland, as I saw it just last week:

The Atlees were the founders of New Windsor. They first New Windsor Atlee was the second son of a prosperous Lancaster, Pennsylvania family. And being a second son, he had to go make his own way. He traveled into Maryland, found the rolling, Carroll County plat listed on the maps as New Windsor, bought it and settled in. The house is dated to 1800. The current owners, who run it as a B&B, have some pictures of it from history:

This one is my favorite! The girl’s name is Bessie Roop, and her dog is Shep. I just love that the dog made the picture, and his name was noted for posterity.

This was from the mid 20th century, when it was painted white.

This view from above, shows the old barn (which burned), and the town of New Windsor rising on the hillside beyond.

At some point during the latter half of the 20th century, it was used as a boarding house, with the boarders fed from the produce of the once-extensive gardens.

I’ll take you inside the house in my next post, where you’ll see the deep windows, the old built-ins, the brick walls, and spectacular attic and basement. (Not to mention the full commercial kitchen – yes, I’m lusting after their stove and huge fridge!). The Atlee House and several others in New Windsor are available for sale. Click here for more information.

Thanks for reading!

Virginia

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Heading to Paris!

Posted in Inspiration, Musings, tagged antique, architecture, chartreuse, chartreuse & co, chartreuse and co, Ciney Puces, flea market, food market, france, French market, Paris, Raspail on September 28, 2014| 5 Comments »

I’m heading to Paris this week, and just can’t wait!! I’ll be staying with my dearest friend, who is currently living in the 6th Arrondissement, just steps from the Luxembourg Gardens, The Cluny Museum, and La Seine.

It’s a beautiful neighborhood, but then is there a Paris neighborhood that isn’t? Not only am I obsessed with home decor, I also love to cook. And, yes, I’m a huge Julia Child fan. Just outside our door is the famous Raspail food market. And I can’t wait to explore it!

If I can get them to understand what I want, I’m hoping to gather produce, flowers, bread, and meat, and bring them all home for a fabulous dinner! Oh, and a bottle of wine, of course.

And then there’s the Montemarte neighborhood, where we are going in search of a fabulous, 5-story fabric store (in anticipation of which I’m bringing at least one empty suitcase with me!) And everywhere we go, we’ll be seeing sites like this:

And of course, this:

And we’ll be heading to Belgium (she has a Suburban – yes in Europe, she’s got a Chevy Suburban!) to fill it up at the Ciney Puces:

Have you been to Paris recently? Any suggestions on some not-to-be-missed markets, sites, or events? I’d love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading,

Virginia

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Traveling Light

Posted in Inspiration, tagged barn sale, buckeystown, camper, camper remodel, camper renovation, camping, chartreuse, chartreuse & co, chartreuse and co, galavantin gal, market days, mid-century, renovation, vintage on September 9, 2014| 1 Comment »

If you were to hit the road, and really travel throughout this great country, how would you do it?

Lisa Kamin, The Galavantin’ Gal, participated in this past weekend’s Chartreuse & co Market Days. It was such fun when she arrived, and saw that she has created the most inviting nest-on-wheels ever. Come take a tour with me . . .

It’s an adorable mid-century, pull-behind camper in the most delightful shade of aqua blue.

Notice the funky, sphere exterior door lamp. And, of course, so much of her cool merchandise is from this same era and speaks to the 1950s/60s camp feel.

But, before we go inside, I want you to see these pictures of what Lisa’s spectacular camper was when she found it. She completely gutted the interior and lovingly restored the exterior.

So, now we go inside:

From the wood floors and bamboo rug, to the vintage dresser with its myriad knob details, this interior calls out the vintage girl.

Space is at a premium in this tiny traveling home, so this dresser is her sink, and all those little cubbies in the vintage cabinet above hold her essentials. Love the metal backsplash and the clever toothbrush holder.

The sink is vintage enamelware, and she just hooks it up to an outdoor hose! Such a great pink, too!

A few modern conveniences and some vintage touches round out her kitchen.

Just to the left of the sink is Lisa’s only full-sized storage – a vintage metal locker painted a soothing celery green. And, of course, enhanced with a graphic design.

I also love the vintage chenille bedspread and the delightfully feminine skirt which hides some more essential storage.

Don’t you just want to curl up here?! It’s every vintage girl’s dream!

The charming Americana she’s displayed on the shelf above the bed is a collection of favorite items.

Lisa’s even got a spot for you, should you drop in to visit for a while. Check out the distressed, pink board used to create yet another little nook for storage. And the derby-hat chandelier is adorable.

So that’s it. Should you get the traveling bug, you now have the inspiration you need to do it right!

Thanks for reading,

Virginia

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Great pictures of temporary dealers here this weekend –

Posted in Tag Sale Updates, tagged antique, barn sale, buckeystown, chartreuse, chartreuse & co, chartreuse and co, decor, flea market, home decor, home furnishings, market days, occasional sale, tag sale, vintage, vintage furniture on April 6, 2013| 2 Comments »

I just love the tent city that crops up here every Spring and Fall. Imagine how much fun you would have if the best vintage dealers you could find, all agreed to come to your house and put on a show? The BEST, right?

I had a blast today chatting with everyone and oohing and aahing over their great stuff. Here are some of my favorites:

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Market Days are Coming!

Posted in Tag Sale Updates, tagged antique, apartment style, barn sale, buckeystown, chartreuse, decor, flea market, home, market days, occasional sale, shopping, style, tag sale, vintage, vintage furniture on April 5, 2013| 2 Comments »

Tents were going up all day today. Here are some shots of what caught my eye – inside the barn, and out.

Here’s some highlights from the temporary dealers’ tents:

And great stuff in the barns, too:

Hope to see you Saturday and/or Sunday!

Thanks for reading,
Virginia

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Here Come Market Days!

Posted in Tag Sale Updates, tagged barn sale, chartreuse, garden, market days, tag sale, vintage on April 2, 2013| 2 Comments »

It’s Easter Week and Spring Market Days are coming. Finally the weather seems to agree with us that it should be spring!

Here are some highlights of what’s here so far:

Our new patio has become a favorite gathering space. We’ve got a nearly 10′ long farm table we’re placing outside this weekend, with an iron chandelier for above. It’ll be irresistible. You’ll just have to sit down and enjoy – you’ll see.

These dazzlingly graphic rugs are made of recycled plastic – and perk up spaces inside and out. I love this one with the pretty, vintage iron seating.

Pretty metal details made outdoor spaces more inviting.

Hard to believe that these aren’t real. I love to use these branches because, real as they look, they are completely pose-able. So I can make them go exactly where I want them.

I have a set of these sweet chairs – all upholstered to match, but each one a little different.

Vintage concrete is so much better than new. The sharp edges of this fruit urn were worn down decades ago, leaving the perfect shape and color.

I felt hip just walking into this space. Martini anyone?

The color of these pretty french tables is a fresh, happy aqua. Just the thing to perk up your indoor space.

Yes, these are bags! How pretty and fun! Just the thing for a day at the beach, or a quick overnight.

More urns and greenery. This one is getting that patina I love. You can see the old grey peaking out on top. Over time, the whole urn will have that lovely hue.

I just love the color and shapes combined here. When putting together a display, keep in mind color, of course, but also shape and texture. The graphics on the game boards playoff against those on the cash register, and all of that sharpness contrasts so nicely with the tattered vintage books.

Don’t you just love the play of the utilitarian jars and scale in contrast to the ornate, gold frame?

I just LOVE this chair. The nail head trim, the graphics, and of course the pretty french lines.

Color! I just love it.

Vintage wicker sofa with freshly-made cushion, covered in a pristine piece of vintage bark cloth. So pretty.

Here’s a detail of the bark cloth. Just lovely.

Truckloads of great things are coming in every day. Our facebook page and website are getting updates almost daily now.

Great architectural salvage is everywhere at Chartreuse & co right now!

I just love the lines and the details of this beautiful French cabinet.

And our gardens, planted through our new patio area, are coming out. It’s such a delight to watch.

We have dozens of temporary dealers joining us this weekend, Saturday and Sunday. They specialize in everything from handpainted furniture to mid-century decor to handmade, industrial lighting.

Some pictures of these one-weekend-only dealers’ items will be coming soon!

Thanks for reading,

Virginia

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Springing Forward

Posted in Inspiration, tagged antique, architecture, barn sale, before & after, buckeystown, chartreuse, chartreuse & co, chartreuse and co, home, landscape, planting, renovation, spring, walled acres on March 12, 2013| 6 Comments »

Think about Spring and what comes to mind? Warm sunshine on your face. A breeze carrying that kiss of warmth and promise of summer. And gardens bursting into their own.

This Spring is bringing me the most spectacular garden I’ve ever had. And it’s been such a rewarding lesson in being faithful to a vision.

Here’s some befores, some durings, and you’ll just have to wait a little on the full-on afters:

Beginning the Monday after our February sale, Jared Herman and his team arrived and began the earth moving.

Beginning the Monday after our February sale, Jared Herman and his team from Old Towne Historic Landscapes arrived and began the earth moving.

As the footers were poured, I began to see Jared’s 2-dimensional design come to life.

I had tried over the years to create a pretty little shade garden along this wall. The only thing that thrived was poison ivy. Solution? A water feature!

The brick paving throughout is artwork, but what I really can’t wait to see is the water wheel that’s going to be hinged on the iron frame built into the pond’s coping.

The irrepressible crew, who worked through wind, rain, and snow to finish this huge job inside of a month.

The crumbling wall.

From inside the planting beds, accented with ‘windows’.

The crumbling walls on the north side of the entry.

The plants are coming in this week. Can’t wait to see! I’ll be shooting pictures all summer long . . .

This one’s of Jared, the mastermind and creative genius who saw our barns and could see the gardens they needed.

So there you have it. Our work in progress is becoming pretty spectacular. Jared’s planting a beautiful wisteria in that picture of him. He planted it and trained it’s branches over the ‘ruins’ and up the fireplace. The other plant he’s featuring? Hydrangeas. I almost cried when he told me. I absolutely LOVE them. And dogwoods, and magnolias. Historic, timeless plants to complete the vision.

But what do I love most about the whole construction? The stone and brick used in the walls and fireplace is all salvaged from toppling farm buildings right here in Frederick County, Maryland. So in our own little way, we’re preserving something of those other barns that couldn’t be saved.

Happy Spring! Hope you’re inspired to go out and create something wonderful in your yard.

Thanks for reading,

Virginia

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Style Trends for 2013

Posted in Inspiration, tagged brass, chartreuse, decor, elle decor, lace, pantone, style trends on January 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Elle Decor (one of my favorite magazines) dished out their prediction of style trends for this coming year. Some of them are obvious, as we’ve already been seeing them. But some are unexpected things to look for:

1. Brass is in

After years of silver being the hip, fresh metal, gold tones had to make a come back. In contrast, brass now looks so new and unexpected. Truth be told, this trend has been developing of a while.

I do like how the gold accents warm the space. Not loving the walls and rug with it (or the lamp for that matter). This room still needs some life . . .

Here’s an example I love from the Atlanta market I just attended. The charmingly curvy legs on this pretty metal table make me happy. I think I have just the spot for it. The warm gold is just right for it, too. It wouldn’t work at all in the shiny silver we’ve seen so much of over the past 5 years.

2. Green is in.

This one I totally applaud! As you probably know, green is my favorite color, and I just can’t decorate without it in one shade or another. Pantone has declared Emerald Green the color of the year. We’ll see. But green in general is a must-have color.

I’m not one for pure modern (there’s a nice nod to history with the french chairs), but I just love this space. And what makes it pop? Why that fabulous chartreuse pear lamp, of course. A continuing trend I’m predicting for this year: lucite furniture. That invisible little end table is perfect.

3. Embellished walls

According to Elle Decor this means anything from full-on trompe l’oeil to sea-grass wall paper (a pretty broad category, if you ask me). However broad, I love the trend.

Ahhh, my two favorite trends in one – embellished green walls. To die for . . .

Here’s a great example from the Atlanta market I just attended. This compelling Paris street scene was drawn with charcoal on a drop cloth, and put up as a temporary wall in the High Design hall of the market. The image drew you straight into the ‘room’.

Absolutely love this space! These ‘walls’ are also hand-drawn on drop cloth. The ‘french moldings’ appeared to have been created with a Sharpie! So clever. And if you have a sure hand, so easy! (The russet silk sofa is pretty awesome, too. Love the perky, striped pillow with is.)

4. Lace

This is one I’m not so sure about because, frankly, I don’t love lace. But here’s a pretty use of it:

Lace accents on textiles is something I was definitely seeing in Atlanta, too.

5. Beige is big.

Somehow ‘Beige’ as a trend is a little silly to me. I mean, isn’t Beige just always a go-to in interior design. It’s almost cliché. But they say it’s trending for 2013, and I’m not going to argue with the loveliness of these rooms:

And what makes Beige a workable, interesting design choice? Use of texture. Look at all three of these rooms, and you’ll see that it’s the variety and play of texture that makes them great.

What trends do you see evolving out there for 2013 and the future? I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations.

Thanks for reading,

Virginia

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Spatial Relations 101

Posted in Musings, Tag Sale Updates, tagged antique, barn sale, buckeystown, cha, chartreuse, chartreuse & co, furniture, home decor, home depot, occasional sale, tag sale, vintage on January 10, 2013| 7 Comments »

I understand that many women are not good at spatial relations, that is, understanding how objects fit in and move through space. I offer myself as a case study:

Two days ago I made plans to pick up a large hutch that the owner told me was in two pieces, the larger of which was 5’3″ x 4’11” x 18″ deep. She didn’t think it would fit in my Suburban. “Of course it will,” I thought blithely.

But I was wrong.

So yesterday, upon returning without the hutch from her home, I ordered a rental truck from Home Depot. “I’ve got a 16-footer for you, mam,” replied the nice young man on the phone. “Oh, no. I just need a cargo van; I don’t want a box truck!”

Later that day, we made our second trip to pick up the hutch. It took engineering and muscle power that, honestly, neither the homeowner, my daughter, nor I had just to get the thing out of the house and to the back of the waiting van. With my dear daughter on one end, the very kind furniture-owner on the other, and me at the end, we realized that, in fact, I needed a box truck.

So, back to Home Depot we went. I would like to publicly acknowledge my gratitude to the young man who helped us. He was very efficient, and didn’t once say, “I told you so.”

On our third attempt to retrieve this hulking, impossibly heavy piece of furniture from it’s former residence, we finally succeeded. Plus, into that great big truck went an oak chest, a drop-leaf pedestal table, 3 wicker chairs, a desk, a vase and a can of paint.

Next time I’ll start with the box truck.

Here are some photos of what’s at Chartreuse & co right now (including the infamous hutch).