That’s My Jamb

jamb 9Good Morning Lacquered Lifers. This month, World of Interiors featured the latest project by Will Fisher, the founder of the famed UK-based fireplace and reproduction company, Jamb. Having been a big fan of Jamb’s products for a while, I was thrilled to see Fisher’s latest project. Located in the East End of London, this house was quite derelict when they found it – inhabited by squatters, with a vacant commercial space on the ground floor, it took a lot of vision to see the potential in this property.  jamb 1The partition between the living and dining rooms on the first floor was designed by Fisher and built on site. Although the turn-of-the century building was not under the protection of the Spitalfields Trust, unlike so many of its neighboring buildings, the Trust was extremely helpful in making recommendations – which included that of the joiner that built the glazed partition. 
jamb 4The paneling is not original to the house. Fisher had the paneling added throughout, which contributes just the right amount of character to each space. In this photo, the beauty of the original floors really stand out against the creamy paneling. 
jamb 5In an upstairs bath, the buttery color of this vintage tub is the perfect counterpoint to the gray-green of the paneled walls. Looking closely, I believe those shower fittings are Catchpole & Rye – one of my personal favorites.jamb 8In one of the bedrooms, the mantel was custom made using Peacock’s Eye marble. So incredibly chic. And looking to the right in this photo, you can catch a glimpse of the built in cabinetry that lines the small hallway to the bathroom – I so appreciate his use of furniture pulls on the drawers.

For more photos and information of this project, check out World Of Interiors January 2016 issue, or visit the Jamb Blog 

photos via Jamb Blog

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Schafer & Bielecky

Lake PlacidGood Morning Lacquered Lifers … and good morning Gil Schafer. As most of you are aware, I have always been a fan of architect Gil Schafer’s work. He does a beautiful job renovating historic houses, as well as building new “old” houses. Case in point, this stunning “great camp” inspired Lake Placid house. Gil, if I ever owned a lake house, I would imagine it to look just like this one. While the design and architecture of this home are phenomenal, something else caught my attention … the rattan furniture on the porch.Lake Placid 2Bielecky Brothers. Manufacturing wicker, cane, and rattan pieces in Queens since 1903, Bielecky Brothers is the industry leader in natural woven furniture. Famous designers such as Billy Baldwin have designed pieces for Bielecky Brothers. And frankly, if one were to ask what I wanted the piazza at New Street to look like (whenever we actually get to the point in the project when we’re doing furniture) I would paint to this photo – no question. So thank you Architectural Digest, and thank you Gil Schafer

Photos via Architectural Digest

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Seeing Beyond the Looking Glass

Window Sink 1Good morning Lacquered Lifers! Hope everyone had a good weekend, and I hope everyone enjoyed last week’s interview with Bunny Williams. If not, you can check it out here. Today I thought I would share one of my favorite designs that I recommend to clients all the time, and one that I will most certainly be using at New Street … the bathroom pedestal sink in front of a window.  Understanding that this is an option in bathroom design can be very handy, especially when renovating an historic home where spaces are never ideal. Window Sink 2I think often when people are designing a bathroom they avoid putting a sink in front of a window because they worry about the location of a mirror. However, as you can see from these photos – there are several ways to solve that problem. In the first photo, at Christopher Spitzmiller’s Clove Brook Farm, Spitzmiller mounted a small mirror to the frame of the window. This allows the guest to experience the beautiful view and be able to apply makeup. In the photo above, the mirror has been mounted in front of the window, without completely blocking the window, so one still gets all the benefits of the natural light. IMG_6684In this photo I took at an 18th century house here in Charleston, you can see that this homeowner took their paneled plantation shutter and placed mirrors in the inset panels. What I love about this is that you can have the mirror when you need it, and then you can open the shutters and look out into the garden when you don’t. 
Window SinkFinally, in this Caribbean bathroom, these windows aren’t even paned, they’re louvered, so the simple mirrors are mounted directly to the casing of the louvered shutters, which allows the louvers to still operate despite the mirror mounting.

So next time you’re renovating a bathroom, don’t look past the window as an opportunity for sink placement … and frankly, I much prefer a sink in front of a window than a toilet, don’t you?

photos via Architectural Digest, Veranda, Lacquered Life, and Elle Decor. 

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