Creativity & Care in the Constitution State

CT FarmToday a c. 1745 farmhouse from my home state of Connecticut. I absolutely love the twelve over twelve windows. In the 17th and early 18th centuries, glass making was extremely difficult, dangerous, and expensive – so panes were smaller. As glass making techniques improved and costs decreased, larger panes were made and you begin to see nine over nine, six over six, two over two, and so on. Often, 18th and 19th century homeowners would replace their twelve over twelve windows with six over six because being able to afford new windows with larger panes was a sign of wealth. Especially as it relates to the Glass Tax of 1798 … but that is a story for another time. CT Farm 5In this picture, note the twelve inch width of the floors, the exposed beams, and the ship lap wainscoting. CT Farm 2Although this room may look old, it is new. The homeowner wanted the sunroom to look like a brick terrace that had been enclosed sometime during the 19th century. The windows in this room were all salvaged from the butlers pantry of a rundown Victorian in the neighborhood. CT Farm 4Finally, everybody’s favorite – the kitchen. Check out that cabinet in the far right corner on an angle. As a preservationist I love to see people using creativity to work within the historic space. This cabinet is a wonderful example. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Story & photos via Country Living, check out the rest here! 

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Paddle Happy

PaddlesJust came across this amazing designer, Natasha Wittke, the founder of Norquay Co. who makes these absolutely beautiful canoe paddles. They are made from solid cherry wood, manufactured in Ontario, and then sent to Natasha’s studio in Montreal where they are hand painted. Might I add that she does this without stenciling! While Natasha says that these paddles are great for cruising around in your canoe, I would love to add these to the wall for a wonderfully unique accent piece. Think lake house, beach house, cabin … As they are handmade, it seems that many of the paddles are sold out on Natasha’s website, Norquay Co., but lucky for us, CB2 is selling a limited release of 175 paddles in two designs. Happy paddling!

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Paying for Planting

Planters4If you’re anything like me, you have always dreamed of owning a Chateau de Versailles Tree Box from Jardins du Roi Soleil, seen here on the left. Or more recently, after perusing the May issue of Elle Decor, I discovered a new planter to love, the Dutch Planter by Pennoyer Newman, seen here on the right. The only issue here is that the Tree box is upwards of $2,000 and the Dutch Planter is upwards of $1,000. Now, I love these planters, but I don’t know that I love them that much. Portraits, InteriorsEnter my wonderful contractor George, who was happy to build me some little boxes for our boxwood. They’re no Chateau de Versailles Tree Box, but I love them just the same. Now if you don’t have someone like George to build you some planters, I honestly think Terrain has some of the most beautiful planters right now. Cube Plant BasketLike this Cube Plant Basket. How chic is this? lattice box planterOr these Lattice Box Planters? Perfect for the Francophile! zinc pailOr how about these really cool Zinc Pail Planters? Very vintage modern. My girl Chassity over at Look Linger Love used these on her porch, and they look fab. You can get all of these planters from Terrain for under $200. I know that isn’t free, but it isn’t $1000, and Terrain often has some really great sales …

Church Street photo by Francesco Lagnese

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