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Posts Tagged ‘exterior paint’

The Atlee House – an embellished interior

Posted in Inspiration, Musings, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 18, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Though I enjoy viewing beautiful homes from the exterior – I mean who doesn’t love a stroll through New Orleans’ French Quarter, or a drive through Kenwood during dogwood season?  But to get a look  inside – that’s pure joy.

So here’s a peek at some of the detailing inside the circa 1800 home of the founder of New Windsor (Take a look at the exceptional architecture in this little town here).  Click on any image to enlarge it.

Hope you enjoyed this mini tour of New Windsor and the Atlee House.  For details about houses for sale in New Windsor, check out our Vintage Homes for Sale page.

Thanks for reading,

Virginia

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New Windsor, Maryland – an architectural treasure

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 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:

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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:

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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:

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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.

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

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

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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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The Doors of Paris

Posted in Inspiration, Musings, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 4, 2015| 4 Comments »

I have always had a love of architecture, and doors in particular.  They are the life-line to the space within, and as such have far more impact than we often give them credit for.  As I strolled through the extraordinarily beautiful streets of Paris, it was the seemingly infinite variety of portals – size, shape, color, embellishment – one right after the other.  Take a look:

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This beauty is along the boulevard St. Germaine on the Rive Gauche.  Extraordinary as it looks to us, this is a typical door along the beautiful Paris boulevards.

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Okay, so the red is a bit over-the-top.  But the almost Asian look of this one made it a stand out along the square in front of St. Sulpice.

Along the Rue du Cherche-Midi, a quiet street of

Along the Rue du Cherche-Midi, a quiet street of elegant shops.

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Just down the Rue Napoleon Bonaparte from Laudauré.  I just LOVED to be able to peak into the courtyards when the portals stood open.

Classic Parisian door. Note the Nuit et Jour sign. I LOVE those!! Some of them even lit up. I can think of sooo many times I could have used one!

Classic Parisian door. Note the Nuit et Jour sign. I LOVE those!! Some of them even lit up. I can think of sooo many times I could have used one!

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Looking into the courtyard of the Art Academy (yes, the one that wouldn’t accept Claude Monet and his friends).

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A peak through the doors into the Grand Salon of the Art Academy.  In a time before electricity, this glass ceiling was a critical innovation for clearly seeing art.

That’s just a taste of the delightful doors, and some of what’s behind them!  Hope you enjoy this little peak at Paris.

Thanks for reading,

Virginia

 

 

 

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And the winner is . . .

Posted in Inspiration, Tag Sale Updates, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 12, 2014| 2 Comments »

Yes, I’ve finally committed to a paint color for the Chartreuse & co barns!  The winner is:  Railings for the window and door frames, Cornforth White for the mullions – both from Farrow & Ball.

And here’s the really cool thing:  As I stood there, staring at the face of the barn, trying desperately to envision it painted grey, charcoal, anything, Rosanna (owner of Bella Villa shop in Aldie) approached me and asked what I was doing.  I explained my agony:

“See those silos and how they’ve weathered?  I love those colors and want that pallet for the barn . . . but how ?”

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Rosanna, gifted stylist that she is, offered this suggestion:  “Why not just sand it and seal it.  Keep the weathered look you love, and just freshen the paint on the trim?”

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I could have kissed her!

So where you see the dark green paint now, we’ll have the Farrow & Ball Railings.  The mullions (the inside dividers of the windows) will be Farrow & Ball Cornforth White, plus, because it’s an awesome part of the barn structure, the upper barn door (partially open in this picture), as well as it’s hardware and track, will be painting the Railings, too.  All the rest will be simply power washed, lightly sanded, and sealed to preserve that beautiful, natural aged, gray and white wooden appearance.  Can’t wait to see it complete!

So we lined up the paint, the painter, and a block of sunny days.  But, of course, nothing goes as planned.  As work began we realized that all the old wood framing around the windows was completely gone.  And by gone, I mean you could push your hand into it and pull out wood pulp!  I couldn’t believe it!  But as luck would have it, Rob, who was doing the painting, is also a gifted carpenter.  He is actually recreating the window frames exactly, to match the circa 1920s pieces.  Some of the painting is complete, but the whole project will be ongoing into fall.

NEWS FLASH!!!

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Beginning with our  August event (August 15-17), Farrow & Ball paint is available at Chartreuse & co!  Yes, that fabulous, best-in-the-world paint that I’ve been gushing over for years (Bedroom Redux, Color Happy, Before & After, Laundry Room Blues)  We’re working with Patrick Street Interiors, the local stockist for the paint.  You’ll find a seasonally edited selection of the 750ml cans (approximately a quart) to try on your furniture, or, as I have done, all over your walls!  Be forewarned:  Farrow & Ball paint spoils you for all other paints.

Thanks for reading!
Virginia

 

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It’s so hard to decide . . .

Posted in Inspiration, Musings, tagged , , , , , , , on July 11, 2014| 11 Comments »

Paint can be tricky.  Add to the mix the lightening effects of painting exterior surfaces, and I become frozen with indecision.  Whatever I choose, I’m stuck with it, and so is everyone who drives by and/or visits my barns.   So here I sit, paralyzed with indecision as the warm summer painting season passing by.

A mere six years ago, when we purchased this property from my family, we had the barns painted.  Feeling nostalgic and wanting to honor the past, I simply had them repainted as they had been all my life:

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Classic white with dark green trim.  If you travel up and down Buckeystown Pike, you’ll find barn after barn painted this same way.

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But the job was done poorly, and now, after only six short years, we’re faced with the need to paint again.   And I’m itching for a change.

I’d really like to move on to this look:

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Farrow & Ball’s Railings is an great choice.  I attended one of F&B’s color seminars, where I learned to go 2 tones darker for exterior color, as the sun washes it out, making it appear much paler outside than it does indoors.

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Here’s Railings as a trim color – so beautiful.

There is no comparison for richness and fullness of color to the Farrow & Ball paints.  And here’s another choice – but paler:  Downpipe:

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downpipe against red brick

I really like this color in combination with the red brick.  Our house (which could also use fresh paint) is red brick, and I’d like consistency throughout the property.

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This image above is F&B’s Downpipe against Cotswolds stone.  But doesn’t anything look beautiful against Cotswolds stone?

 

 

Amherst grey

And then there’s Benjamin Moore’s Amherst Grey.  So elegantly sharp with it’s crisp white trim.

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Or, Benjamin Moore’s Kendall Charcoal.  This image gives you a great look at how color can change.  On the cards, Kendall Charcoal is darker than Amherst Grey, yet if you compare these images, they appear to be almost the same color.

 

Best Exterior Outdoor Green House Paint Color, Benjamin Moore Black Forest Green, Gardenista

And here is Benjamin Moore’s Black Forest Green.  Try to envision this barn with crisp white trim framing the small door, and outlining the detailing on the large barn door.

You see how it goes?  I just need to choose and get on with it.  But whatever I choose, it necessarily eliminates all those other beautiful, tempting choices.

It’s just so hard to decide . . .

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this vexing issue!

Thanks for reading,

Virginia

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