Wilmette Hardware for the Win!

DSC_0002Does your dog bark at the mailman? Hamish has developed a real problem when it comes to being vocal towards the mailman. And our poor mailman would have to come through our privacy door on the street onto the piazza where he would often encounter a less than pleased Hamish in order to put mail through the slot on our front door. For more information on Privacy Doors click here. Typically a privacy door has a mail slot, and thus this problem is typically avoided. However, I didn’t want just any old mail slot. I wanted the perfect mail slot. IMG_5702 Enter Wilmette Hardware . Located in Wilmette, IL, they are the creators and purveyors of the perfect mail slot. Flush with the door, un-lacquered brass – the most attractive mail slot I had ever seen. And trust me, I had looked at a lot of mail slots in the search for the perfect slot. When it arrived I couldn’t have been more excited for the install. IMG_5718 DSC_0017And the finished product. I couldn’t be more pleased with the scale, design, and craftsmanship of this mail slot. DSC_0020 DSC_0028Here is Hamish posing with the new mail slot. Thanks to Wilmette Hardware I know that our mail man is going to be much happier visiting our house. Wilmette Hardware manufactures some absolutely beautiful hardware – look out for a post on doorknobs coming soon. And in the meantime, follow one of their accomplished craftsmen, Micah Eastvold on Instagram at www.instagram.com/micah6eight

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Schoolhouse Rocks!

Schoolhouse 4I am a big fan of modern architecture that takes subtle, and often not so subtle, hints from the past. The Faherty’s modern farmhouse in Portland, Oregon is a perfect example. Brian Faherty is the owner of Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co., where his wife, Jill, is a Product Developer. Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. is an amazing company which started out as a source for great period hardware and lighting – a website I often visited during our restoration of Church Street. Today, Schoolhouse still offers hardware and lighting, but has grown to include furniture, bed/bath products, and even jewelry. Schoolhouse 6The Faherty’s recently scaled down to this single level ranch-style home in Portland because they realized that in their larger home, the whole family would “end up in the 150-square-foot TV room to be together.” After a five month long renovation, today the Faherty’s are loving their smaller home, which acts as a test site for most of the Schoolhouse product line. Schoolhouse 8Schoolhouse 3Schoolhouse 2Schoolhouse 7Schoolhouse 5Schoolhouse 1The renovation of the c. 1958 house was inspired by Swedish courtyard farmhouses, and accents such as the knotty oak flooring and ship lap walls create the laid back family friendly feeling the Faherty’s were aiming for. A favorite detail of mine? The douglas fir beams from a  decommissioned wood mill used to frame the entry way. For more photos and information visit Nothing Fancy at NYTimes.com.

Images via NYTimes.com

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Caught Up in the Ceiling

New Old 2Country Living Magazine’s 2014 House of the Year is being referred to as the “New Old House” and is located in Rhinebeck, NY. The interiors were decorated by the duo from Tilton Fenwick, and I am completely in love with their design in the living room. The pink shiplap ceiling in Benjamin Moore’s Coral Buff is heavenly, and you can see in the photo above that it reflects onto the Acadia White walls creating a warm pink glow. 
New OldPainting the ceiling a bold color like Benjamin Moore Coral Buff and leaving the walls white  (Benjamin Moore Acadia White) is a great way to have major impact with color in a room. While the bold color doesn’t surround everything in the room as it would on the walls, it acts as a great accent piece … not to mention a conversation piece. I think Michelangelo was on to something with the Sistene Chapel – don’t you? Happy Friday!

Photos via Country Living

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