A beautiful guest house

Although my sister and I are quite different, we both share a love for design.  Pictures from her former Chesapeake Bay house, which have been published in magazines and have been much used in the design blogs, were originally posted in my blog a few years ago (see post here).

Jim Hawes of Caldwell-Beebe is my sister’s designer, and he always does such a beautiful job creating a serene and nuanced interior.  This picture is one of my favorites from his portfolio, and is from my sister’s vacation house (since sold).

Recently my sister moved to a new house – new to her, but an older home that was built in the 1920s.  The home had been renovated a few years ago, and came with a carriage house that had a room over the garage, but was in a state of disrepair and needed some TLC and cosmetic improvements.  The repairs were literally finished the day I arrived for a visit – so I was the first guest!

Hopefully my sister won’t be upset that I am posting pictures of her carriage house, because it is still a work in progress.  There are no window treatments yet (the measurements were taken just yesterday – they will be a Clarence House linen with the Clarence House Greek key trim), the bar stools and bedskirt have yet to arrive, and the decorative accessories and art items that finish off a space are not yet in place, but the comfort and beauty of the space was so striking to me that I had to share it with my readers!  Please excuse the quality of the pictures; I was using a little point and shoot tourist camera that fits into my purse, and the configuration of the space combined with my tiny camera did not allow for sweeping vantage points.

The view of the guest house when entering the door – it is essentially the space over a 2 car garage, with a floating wall that separates the living area/kitchen from the bedroom.  The floating wall is actually an ingenious solution for this space – it keeps the rooms open, yet also creates distinct spaces.  The sofa is also a bed, from Lee, which will accommodate extra guests.  The Ian Mankin pillow is from a small store in Primrose Hill in London, a play on the Union Jack flag. 

The kitchen is clean lined and elegant, with open shelving for the basic dishes a guest might need.  The kitchen faucet is the Grohe Minta, with a pull down sprayer spout.   I am loving the color on the white oak floors – my sister said that it took a long time to find the right combination of stain and finish to achieve this color (which I am also experiencing in my quest for the perfect light floor color).  For the finish, my sister wanted to use an eco-friendly, low VOC product, and ended up using a product from a Canadian company called Saman (http://www.saman.ca/home).  The wood has a relaxed and slightly rustic appearance, which works beautifully in this space.

A view to the entrance and the bathroom.  Since I am the first guest, a temporary TV is perched on the floor –works for me!  The little window over the door brings light into the stairwell.

It was almost impossible to get a decent shot of the whole bathroom with my pitiful camera, so I will show some of the highlights.  The floor is a marble basketweave mosaic, sourced from Amazon of all places!  My sister reports that this particular tile is no longer available on Amazon, but there are others that are similar. Just search for basketweave mosaic.

Not the best picture, but the space is small and tough for a good picture without a wide angle lens.  The vanity has misty carrera Caesarstone as the counter, and it is SO great – no worries about staining or etching, and it is really attractive.  Also, the vanity has decent counterspace – a great thing for a guest who has a travel kit.  My sister’s previous house had a pedestal sink in the guest bathroom, and there was nowhere to put stuff!

A closer view of the countertop.  I am seriously considering using Caesarstone for my kids’ bathroom countertops – with three daughters all approaching the teenage years, I need surfaces that will withstand a lot of wear and tear.  Note the Greek key border tile along the wall, which is by Michael Smith for Ann Sacks.  The subway tile is from a different manufacturer; usually people get the tile from the same company, as they want to match the color – but my sister fell in love with the Greek key tile, and wanted to use an inexpensive subway tile.  It all worked out well - the grayer white of the Greek key tile actually provides a nice subtle contrast and blends well with the floor tile and the cabinet base color.

Love the shower fixtures – the squared off shape is so unusual.  They are by Kohler. 

The tulips came from Whole Foods, and are the perfect accent to the custom ‘X’ motif table/island that was made for the space.  The marble is Calacatta Caldia, from a marble store in Virginia.  It is great looking marble, primarily white with subtle soft gray and taupe veining, honed, and is such a luxurious surface in a guest house.  The bar stools are arriving tomorrow, and will be a great addition to the space.

This stainless steel counter protector is a clever idea – my sister got it at Peter Jones in London.  Has anyone ever seen one sold in the States? It fits right over the edge of the counter, and provides a great surface that helps protect the marble.

I thought that this set of drawers, full depth but built into the slope of the wall, was a very clever use of space.

Here is the bedroom behind the floating wall (picture taken on a gray, rainy morning – the light was tough for a picture).  The room is still coming together - the bedskirt is not ready yet – but the linens are pretty, with a subtle Greek key embroidered into the duvet cover (from William Sonoma Home).  The side tables are antique Swedish tables from Tone on Tone.  The rug is a sisal that came from the old house.

This picture, also taken on a gray and rainy morning, shows the separating effect of the floating wall.  It both separates the two spaces, and creates a great wall for the bed.

The hardware for the doors will be arriving next week – Ashley Norton, in the white bronze finish.

And finally, the view from a window of the guest house - a rainy day, but beautiful nonetheless with the National Cathedral in the distance. 

Update: my sister just emailed me a before picture of the guest house - what a difference!

The guest house, before.

Here are some other details about the space:

• cabinet color: amazing gray by Sherwin Williams
• wall color: Benjamin Moore white sand BM-964, trim Benjamin Moore dove wing
• bathroom walls: Benjamin Moore silver satin BM856

If you have any other questions, please feel free to post in the comments here.  I thoroughly enjoyed staying in this wonderful guest house this past week, and look forward to many more visits!

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A Beautiful Tablescape

Recently, while in the Washington DC area to visit family, I was invited over to the beautiful Northern Virginia home of nationally acclaimed designer Jim Hawes Beebe, of the firm Caldwell-Beebe. I wish I could have taken pictures, but it seemed a bit rude as Jim's house is going to be published in two major magazines over the next year. Suffice it to say that his home is absolutely exquisite. One of my favorite rooms was the guest bedroom, a lovely space filled with beautiful fabrics and antiques. I immediately noticed the side table in the guest room, and Jim noted that it is an antique that served as the model for one of my favorite pieces by Niermann Weeks, the 'Lucien' table. In fact, the name for the table was inspired by Jim's beloved departed King Charles Cavelier "Lucius'. I should stop writing about Jim's home, it is not fair to go on and on given that I do not have many photos!

I asked Jim whether I could take a photo of the tablescape in his lovely entry hall. Jim is a big believer in beautiful entries, as they welcome visitors in and set the tone for the rest of the home. Jim's entry is always changing based on his recent acquisitions, and he is constantly rotating his selection of treasures on display. The foundation for Jim's entry is the beautiful architectural space of Jim's elegant townhouse, the richly colored marble on the floor, and the Niermann Weeks Baldwin console in rift oak with a light whitewash applied to the finish. The mirror is an antique, 1820s American, with its original glass.

The 'urns' on pedestals are called 'Tazzas' or 'Tazza en suite colonne' - it's a classical form that dates back to the Etruscans. They are in three separate pieces - the base, column, and urn - and are made of carved stone. Jim found them at David Bell Antiques in Georgetown; they are circa 1800 and they came from a Bellevue Avenue 'cottage' in Newport, Rhode Island.

My favorite part of the entry was the collection of shagreen items and Meiji and Edo period Japanese sterling silver and articulated models, collected over decades of travel and focused searches. This is truly a one of a kind tablescape! The articulated items are a mix of insects (dragon fly, scarab beetle, praying mantis) and crustacea (crabs, lobsters), made of copper, bronze, or sterling silver. They range in age from 80 to 300 years old, and are predominantly Japanese (a few of the pieces are Russian). Legend has it that the Samurai armor and sword makers made them to demonstrate their meticulous metalworking craftsmanship (every part moves naturally, and the anatomical details are perfect). Jim particularly treasures his collection as they are quite rare and hard to come by as so many bronze and copper Japanese items did not survive World War II.

The boxes and obelisks are shagreen, from the 1920s and 1930s. Shagreen is the finely granulated skin of sharks and rayfish, ground flat so that the pearl like structures make a granulated pattern. It has been used since the 17th century for covering small boxes, tea caddies, and such. It is called 'galuchat' in France, and was a favorite material for mirrors and decorative furniture by the great French designer Jean-Michel Frank (who died in 1941). Jim's collection of shagreen items includes cigarette cases, card cases, compacts, obelisks, and clocks. Jim often uses the boxes as bases for displaying smaller objects, like the articulates and a starfish.

The tablescape also has a mixture of natural items such as a spiny sea urchin, a hand made (by Jim) tree lichen ball. The 'X' bronze on the stand is a piece of African currency, and the letter holder is vintage Hermes.

I asked Jim how his collections begin, and whether he has an approach to expanding the collections. For the articulates collection, Jim recalls that he kind of grew into it. He saw one 'bug' articulate at an antique show and was intrigued with it, and that was the start of the collection. Next came the fixation on shagreen; he loves the soft colors, the form and the use in display. He also loves things that are of the sea, and the fact that the collection feels so 'French'. All of the items that are seen in the tablescape came from a variety of sources: private dealers, a private collector or tow, antique stores/markets, and even ebay auctions!

Jim notes that he is a serial collector. He usually concentrates on four things at a time, and likes to acquire great pieces as he comes across them, knowing that they are one of a kind and once they are gone, he will never find them again. He always looks for things that resonate with him personally, and often they are items that are wonderfully crafted, and are usually an art that is no longer crafted in today's world. He does not go for new glitz, but for things that evoke nature, craft, and craftsmanship. To Jim, a big part of interior decoration are the accessories - it is the intensely personal part - and for him, they are the 'soul' of the home.

Although difficult to convey in this picture, the color on the wall was really beautiful. It is one of Jim's favorite colors - DK16 by Donald Kaufman paint. As is characteristic of Donald Kaufman paint, it appears to be a different color based on the light. Jim uses this paint throughout his home.

Please make sure to look at the updated website for Jim's design firm, Caldwell-Beebe. There are some new project photos, and of particular note are the new sections - 'buzz', which features Caldwell-Beebe in the news and the blogs (including a link to yours truly), and 'our favorite things', which includes Jim's favorite paint colors among other things!

Tulips

Sometimes I come across a picture that stays on my mind all day.  Such was the case yesterday when I saw this beautiful image on Decorology:

Just looking at this scene makes me happy.  I always love a casual dining area that has windows with light streaming in (if I ever build a house, I will need to have the kitchen facing east so I get the morning light at breakfast).  However, what really inspired me about this picture was the bunch of tulips on the table; the burst of red in the middle of the fresh light room is striking (and I love how the branch of the tree in the backyard looks like it is part of the tulip arrangement).   Without a doubt, tulips are my favorite flowers.  So great is my love of tulips, that I had my bridesmaids carry a simple bouquet of white tulips, and my bouquet was comprised of white tulips and pale, pale pink roses. (Photography by the very talented Annie Schlechter)  

In this room, designed by Ginger Barber, the tulips are a nice little burst of color in a neutral setting, and pink is an unexpected color in this room.  Via Cote de Texas.

I am not a tulip expert, but I believe these are parrot tulips.  I once went to a wedding where the theme was red and yellow (it was the most fabulous, dramatic, and sophisticated wedding I have ever been to).  Parrot tulips, red roses, and red/yellow orchids were all used to great effect.  Image and interiors by Caldwell-Beebe.

I saved this picture for the beauty of the window in the background. However, I also love the contemporary tulip arrangement on the table - how many tulips did it take to make this arrangement? Quite a few! Image Slettvoll, via Willow Decor.

I remember really liking the way in which designer Ty Larkins used tulips in this room - look in front of the mirror on the right, and you will see small vases with just one or two tulips in each vase. It is the small details like this that make a room so beautiful.  I recently went to a friend's house for a meeting, and she had such a memorable arrangement of tulips on her kitchen table - one or two stems in small bud vases that were of varying heights.  I wish I had taken a picture!  Image via Cote de Texas.

One of my all time favorite designers, Gerrie Bremermann, uses a lush arrangement of tulips on an antique French commode.  Via Cote de Texas.

Barbara Barry is one of my favorite designers, and I was not surprised to find tulips in a picture from her furniture line for Henredon (white, no less - perfection).  The white tulips play off the calligraphy style script etching so beautifully.

Another Bremermann designed room, with an arrangement of white tulips. This is one of my favorite rooms, and I love the art by Amanda Talley.

Either I have an affinity for pictures with white tulips, or the designers I like tend to use them more than any other color!  This is one of my favorite rooms by Kerry Joyce.  Look at the profusion of tulips on the mantle - in vases with different shapes and sizes - plus a big vase of tulips on the table. This would be a hard look to maintain day after day (not to mention expensive), but it is beautiful styling for a photo! 

Another great picture by Annie Schlechter.  There is something so right about red tulips in a blue vase.

One of my highlights of 2008 was being invited to a White House Christmas party. Huge arrangements of tulips were all over the White House that evening; this one in front of a portrait of President Reagan was my favorite.

In the spring I love to buy tulips from the grocery store, and this month I have been selecting different shades of pink.  Normally I do not gravitate to pink, mainly because it looks horrible with my coloring. However, I love how it looks against the green walls of my family room; it must be the preppy in me.  (The screened in porch in the background is getting cleaned and painted as soon as the weather improves - which is why it is empty right now!).

I personally love the life cycle of tulips when they come home from the store: the first day, they are upright and proud. Slowly but surely, over the next few days, the heads of the tulips begin to droop under their own weight, which adds a beautiful sculptural quality to the arrangement.  When I googled 'drooping tulip', I learned that tulips begin to droop because they continue to grow even after they are cut, and eventually droop because the stem can no longer support the weight of the flower.  Some suggest to put just a little water in the vase, and change it every day. Others suggest putting a pin through the stem just below the flower, when the tulip is newly opened; according to anecdotal evidence, this not only prevents the tulip from drooping, it also makes it last longer.  It might be an interesting idea to get a bunch of tulips and put a pin through the center tulips, so they stay nice and upright, and let the outer tulips droop. I may have to try that when I buy next week's tulip bouquet.

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Design challenge: a marriage of styles (with spectacular results!)

I recently had the opportunity to meet one of my favorite designers, Jim Beebe Hawes of the McLean, Virginia based design firm Caldwell-Beebe (Jim is the designer who created the magnificent interior of the Chespeake Bay house that I posted about in December). We hit it off immediately! The next day I was thrilled to get an email from Jim with pictures from a recent design project he had completed in the West End of Washington, DC, and permission to create a post using these unpublished photos.

Jim's clients for this project had always lived in a traditional houses (one was featured in the magazine Traditional Home in 2001), and were moving out of a traditional house in Charleston, South Carolina. When moving to DC, the 'young at heart' empty nesters were ready for a change. Jim's challenge: to make both the husband (a lover of contemporary style) and the wife (an avid traditionalist) happy. In other words, to create a marriage of styles.

The entryway sets the tone. A signed 18th century French fauteuil and antique tole plant stand look right at home next to the Saladino 'Platinum' console and subtle contemporary art. A few carefully chosen accessories are on the console - a blanc de chine Chinese dog and silver boxes. The space, already filled with light because of the architecture, looks ethereal with the beautiful light floors. The organic form of the branches is the perfect touch for this space. The paintings are by David Bell, owner of David Bell Antiques in Georgetown. His store is one of the 'go-to' places in DC for antiques (the antique tole plant stand in this picture is from his store) and his reputation as a painter is growing. He mainly paints on commission, and will create contemporary masterpieces to the exact color specification of his clients.

The glass walls make the space quite contemporary and fill the room with light, but how is privacy maintained with no visible window treatments? Jim said that the ceiling is recessed and privacy solar shades are mounted in the space created by the recess (this can be seen in the picture below). The shades can be pulled down when there is a need for privacy or to block the sun, and when pulled up the shades are invisible due to the room architecture. Jim said that his clients enjoy the view so much that they rarely lower the shades!

The sofa is Saladino's "Cape Sofa" upholstered in J. Robert Scott's Silk Tapis, with two pillows, one in Fortuny fabric and the other in Jim's signature diamond quilted ultrasuede.

I am particularly enamored with the antique Swedish armoire. It is circa 1800, and when opened reveals the initials of the couple who received it as a gift on their wedding day in 1819. What a history this piece must have! A flat screen TV is mounted within. The ottoman/bench is the Randolph Minor bench by Niermann Weeks, upholstered in a Great Plains nubby linen. (By the way, when checking the Niermann Weeks website for this post, I noticed that they have a brand new blog. It looks very promising!)

The coffee table is one of Jim's favorites, the Saladino three-legged coffee table with marble top. The paintings on either side of the armoire are by David Bell. I love to see symmetry on either side of an armoire, but usually I see this achieved with sconces or framed prints. The look of a set of four unframed paintings is quite beautiful.

Another one of Jim's favorite pieces is the Ellington wing chair by Dessin Fournir. He says the chair is not only beautiful, but also incredibly comfortable. The Ellington wing chair is upholstered in a sophisticated Classic Cloth linen. A custom Tibetan rug is on the floor.

The library/study is a cozy little room, with walls covered in ultrasuede. I love the contemporary piece of art set in a Baroque frame; the elaborate frame is the perfect contrast to the abstract art. The art is by Maxine Wright, and is from the collection of Vincent Price. In this picture, the subtle window sheer (described above) can be seen.

Jim's design challenge was to combine contemporary style with an element of the traditional; if the intent of the project was a 'marriage of styles', the resulting union is incredible! The contemporary is brought in with the architecture, the streamlined furnishings, and the art; the traditional is present in the antiques, the beautiful hand crafted Tibetan rug, the soft styling of the many of the upholstered pieces, and the classic fabrics. Jim also notes that many of the accessories add to the traditional element (many of which are not seen in these pictures); silver boxes, horn boxes, blanc de chine, a sweet Chinese table or two, balustrade lamps, a crusty French window frame, antique tole planters, and Redouté engavings are but a few of the treasures throughout the home.

I am not sure whether I have ever seen a home that has Swedish antiques, contemporary art, and Saladino furniture all under one roof! The wife took a big leap of faith and a major step in moving to a 'glass box', but was so thrilled with the results that she called her husband at work after the furniture was installed and thanked him for giving her such a beautiful place in which to live. Jim said that there is no better feeling than having his clients so delighted with his work.

In an interesting follow up, the couple received an unsolicited offer substantially over their purchase price just 90 days after moving in. What a great testament to the power of beautiful interior design.

To see another amazing project by Jim, please see my post on the home on the Chesapeake Bay.

All photos used with permission from Caldwell-Beebe.

Flowering Quince

Whole Foods is my favorite places to get fresh flowers. The location that is closest to me is one of the largest Whole Foods in the US, and they usually have some more unusual choices in the flower department.

When I went there yesterday, I was thrilled to see that they had a nice selection of flowering quince. Although not to everyone's taste (my husband can't understand why I have a bunch of branches in a vase), I love how flowering quince looks because of its sculptural qualities.

This is my all time favorite picture of flowering quince, in a room designed by Michael Smith. Michael Smith is, of course, the decorator selected by the Obamas. He must be floating on air right now, don't you think?

Another favorite picture in my files, both because of the amazing Jean Royere sconce and the flowering quince.

Do you spot the flowering quince in this picture? It is a bit tucked away. I love the look of the branches of flowering quince reflected in a mirror. Interior design by Suzanne Kasler.


A room by one of my favorite designers, James Beebe Hawes of Caldwell-Beebe. I am not sure if this is flowering quince, but it has the same look and feel. Don't the branches look like a sculpture?

When I look at this picture, I can imagine that the owner of the house went out and clipped some flowering branches (look at the basket underneath the table) and stuck a blooming branch in the water. Great stylist at work here!

I love the beautiful symmetry in this picture - the Italian consoles, the mirrors, the lamps, and the branches facing one another is perfection. I did not note who did the interiors on this room - does anyone regognize it? I just saw it recently on a blog.

A masterful David Hicks tablescape. I am not sure if this is flowering quince, but it has the same effect. The branches connect the smaller items to the height of the lamp, don't you think?

This is one of my favorite pictures of an entryway - from an Ethan Allen ad!

Here is my entryway, with the flowering quince I bought yesterday. It looks quite twiggy right now (and after looking at the pictures on this post, I should have bought two bunches), but within a week, it will be in full bloom. I removed my usual collection of items off the chest in order to make room for the quince, and rearranging things made me realize that I am lacking a good medium scale item for to put on this chest. I think a nice piece of sculpture would be great here, so I will be on the lookout for that when I go to my favorite annual art market next month.