Today’s Tasteful Take on a Historic House

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Barry Dixon, Baton Rouge, courtyard, designer, DIY outdoor drapes, drop cloth, Elway Hall, floor plan, French, historic house, historical renovation, House tour, interior design, interior designer, Italian chandelier, Ivy, library, neoclassical, painters drop clothes, Parsons desk, Target, Thomas O'Brien, toile, traditional, Travertine, Ty Larkins, West Elm

Historical renovation is something I am passionate about because of my love for the architectural features. In my “About Me” section. I referenced almost buying a beautiful, historic house named Elway Hall, but it was just too far away from my office and I would have spent a minimum of 3 hours in the car a day. Two interior designers ended up buying the house that I had to begrudgingly pass on; it seems that interior designers frequently take the challenge of older homes head on without thinking twice.

House Beautiful profiled one such designer…

Courtney Cox’s Modern Malibu Manse

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étagère, Bourgeois Bohème, Celebrity home, Celebrity homes, Charles Pollock, Christain Liaigre, Courtney Cox, Elle Decor, Haenisch, Hans Wegner, Harland Miller, Hermès, Intérieurs, Kent Williams, Malibu, Massimo, Matt Palmer, Matthew Heller, Michael Kovac, Minotti, Paul McCobb, Rug Company, Trip Haenisch, Vitali

Courtney Cox recently moved from a house that she adored because it was level with a public beach and she couldn’t even go for a walk without pictures being taken. The home, designed by famed architect John Lautner, was “futuristic”, “modern” and, according to Cox, “the most amazing place I’ve ever lived in.” (See bottom for details on the house.) But, the silver-lining in all this is that she got to buy and renovate a new home!

According to Elle Decor, before becoming an actress, Courtney Cox wanted to become an architect. Hmm…that sounds familiar (Brad Pitt). Difference being, she actually took college courses in the architecture before pursuing acting. She has been very involved in every home and this project was no different. She held weekly, 3 hour meetings with the architect, Michael Kovac, who was referred by Laura Dern, and her designer (and friend), Trip Haenisch.

The team took this house, which they were not allowed to demolish:

It’s Tulip Planting Time!

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beds, double bloom, exotic, Fall bulbs, flowers, Landscape design, landscaping, lavender, mulch, peonies, perennial, pink, purple, tulip, tulips, unusual tulips, varieties, white, yellow

The last time our mower came out, my husband inquired how much it would cost to mulch around our house. His quote? $3,800. My husband hates yard work and rarely, if ever, wants to venture out there. Last year I mulched everything, but I guess this was my husband’s subtle way of saying it needs to be done again! Of course I am not going to pay that much money, so I said I would do it again. His response? “Have fun”! That was his not-so-subtle way of telling me I was on my own…again!

I figured since I’m out there, I might as well do some fall bulb planting as well…but it’s so hard to get motivated sometimes!! After looking through a few of my favorite gardening catalogs, I really would like to plant some tulip bulbs.

These pictures are just insanely gorgeous!

With a Heavy Heart…

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animals, bleeding heart, cancer, cemetary, death, dog, Garden, grieving, how to bury a pet, Jack Russell, loss, nature, pet, rainbow bridge, statuary, statues

It has taken me so long to even touch on this subject – and even so, I have to gloss over it as it just breaks my heart. My sweet little Jack Russell, Lucy, died a few months ago and I still am in such a state of anguish and grief.

She was diagnosed 2 years ago with cancer and given just a few months to live. I told the vet I was desperate for any treatment, so he said we could operate to remove the baseball-sized tumor and extend her life by a month or two.

Kid Craft Birdhouse Project

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A Detailed House, Baby bird, Bird, Birdhouse, Birdhouses Feeders and Baths, Craigslist, Decorative Birdhouses, diy, Fledgling, Garden Accessories, Home and Garden, How to make a birdhouse, Kid craft, Loggia, Portico, Shopping

Since my children were gunning for a project and I wanted to finally start on my upstairs hallway project, I went to the craft store to buy large canvas boards. Unfortunately, they don’t carry any large enough (GRRRR!!!!). So….I’m either going to have go to another craft store -or- make my own. But I’ll figure that out later. Although my children were disappointed, they handled it well (i.e. no whining about it), so I suggested we see if there was anything else the store had that may be of interest for a project. They were beyond thrilled when we found these unusual, unpainted birdhouses:

Lawn Furniture

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A Detailed House, Chair made of grass, Creative outdoor seating, Furniture, Landscape design, Lawn, Lawn furniture, Sofa made of grass, Table made of grass, Terra Armchair

With so much land (and two very energetic children), we make the most of our acreage. Sometimes though, we make it so far away from the house that a place for me to sit is most welcome. It still allows me to supervise the children and gives them (and our puppies) more time to play, explore and enjoy nature.

That’s why when I came across this little gem, I perked up:

(via readymade.com)

It was love at first sight!! I read the directions here, and pondered, “Do I have the energy for this?” I certainly have the desire! It’s going on my every growing “To Do” List, but after reading the comments and directions several times, I figured out a few shortcuts.

Traditional English Garden Design

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A Detailed House, Charles Lewis Bowman, England, English garden, Formal gardens, Garden, Garden maze, Greenwich, Hedge maze, Limestone, London, maze, Mel Gibson, Mel Gibson's house, Old Mill Farm, Staddle stones, Stone cottage, Stone wall, Tudor architecture

In Greenwich, Connecticut, there is a private Tudor estate, Old Mill Farm, designed by architect Charles Lewis Bowman in 1926, that has timeless landscaping complete with secret gardens, a hedge maze, old stone walls and iron gates.

Mid-Century Make Over in Georgetown

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Ann Sacks, Black and white tile design, black and white walls, blue and yellow bedroom, blue dining room, blue living room, Conservatory, custom built library, Farrow & Ball, gold ceiling, greek key, green sunroom, Hillary Thomas, huge orb chandelier, huge orb crystal chandelier, Jeff Lincoln, Kendall Wilkinson, La Murrina, library inspiration, lucite bar stools, lucite chairs, lucite dining table, mid century chairs, mid century wallpaper, Mid-century design, modern white kitchen, Montgomery 1, nailhead, red chandelier, red sofa, round crystal chandelier, silver ceiling, Solarium

Georgetown, DC has many historic homes, but this townhouse, recently profiled in House Beautiful and designed by Hillary Thomas and Jeff Lincoln, was built in the 1960s. Since it was in my neck of the woods, I was very interested in the home. While some rooms I found a little “busy” for my personal taste, the home had some ravishing rooms as well.

I thought you might enjoy looking at it as well…

For a small foyer, having a table with an open design is smart…and I love it! Plus, with black and white pieces, you can switch them where ever you want throughout your house – and in the case of this table, even outside. I have several pieces like this that I switch from room to room.

Wild for Wisteria

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Flower arches, Garden, Ivy, Landscape design, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Tree arch, Vine, Virginia, Virginia creeper, White wisteria, Wisteria, Wood Thrush

Having a stone house, Virginia creeper love throwing their tendrils up the side of my house. My mother said it’s not good for the house and will weaken the mortar and thus the stonework, but the mourning doves love nesting on the window sills with the leaves as cover, so I let the vines run up to a certain point. Plus, they turn a spectacular red in the fall.

The only thing that is lacking is flowers, so I decided a few years ago to plant wisteria in the back of of house to crawl up our balcony.

My youngest is the bane of my green thumb as she likes to pluck the blooms, although I can see why; they are gorgeous!

Garden Games

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Board game, Concrete etching, Concrete Patio, DIY Scrabble, DIY Scrabble board, Do it yourself Scrabble board, Game, Garden games, Lowes, Outside games for children, Outside games for kids, Scrabble, Stained Concrete, tile, Word game, Words and Trivia

With summer coming up and two little girls to entertain and keep mentally engaged, I am always on the prowl for fun games. Kerry of AZ Soap contacted me through my submissions page asking if I would be interested in seeing the Scrabble board that she incorporated into her concrete patio. Hmmm…YES!! I was immediately interested.

I adore word games and play Word Warp incessantly, even with children. Scrabble is similar, in that all ages can participate. And, playing games together as a family (I think) is important. It teaches them sportmanship – how to win and lose gracefully – and it lets us connect in a fun way.

So, let’s take a look at Kerry’s Scrabble board:

Art Installation in Georgetown

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Andy Cao, Cambridge MA, Chicken wire, Dumbarton Oaks, Garden, Georgetown, Harvard, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Installation art, Massachusetts, Stephen Jerrome, Swarovski, Xavier Perrot

In Georgetown, far away from Cambridge, Massachusetts, there is an institute of Harvard University called Dumbarton Oaks that is dedicated to promoting Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian studies through fellowships, internships, meetings, and exhibitions.

When one thinks of Harvard, chicken wire and Swarovski crystals are the last things that comes to  mind. Enter Andy Cao (Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2010-11) and Xavier Perrot and their incredible creativity. They set up an art installation that is simple in execution, but nothing short of pure genius.

See for yourself:

Like a low storm cloud about to burst…