BONJOUR! Here’s a little postcard mail from me, to cheer any of you up out there, who might be suffering from the cold and cloudy sky days of January.
A cute little something I created with one of my life’s loves – Apple iPhoto. These are photos I took when out with my mom a few Saturdays ago. We went to some local salvage/architectural shops and warehouses in a little town near our horse farm called Landrum, SC.
So let’s talk French Country Construction…
Here are my balusters and panels right after they were installed on the balcony. I wish you could see how beautiful they really are – they look good, but the pictures do not do them justice. You cannot see the finish on them in the photos, nor the mass size of these balusters. They are antique bronze – even though the pic makes them look black, they are actually a dark brown with gold/bronze underneath. They are so big and heavy-duty, yet they were a fraction of the price of other places I shopped. You can go to www.directstairparts.com.
Here’s an upclose shot of it. I’m staining the rails the same grayish color you see on the beams.
I found an old Newell post that was removed from a local historic mansion that someone just let fall in on itself. I watched this happen as I drove past it over the years until they finally tore it down, and always felt so sad about it. My sister Jess found it at a local antique shop here in Travelers Rest for $75. I feel like I am saving and restoring a small piece of that grand old house. I cannot wait to see what my Brother in Law, Rob does with this. He’s very talented – I’ll post pics later of the “after”.
Samples of some of my flooring choices…
Above is our main house wood floors with Dominick’s bathroom tile.
Here is the wood floors again with our kitchen backsplash selections.
The stone choices I selected are getting ready to go in any day now. These are not our exact slabs, but they give you a fairly good idea of two of my choices. Remember every slab is different. A little tip is if you are very particular, that you go to the warehouse directly to pick out your exact slab choice. Then have your fabricator cut and install it.
First is my selection. We have separate bathrooms (pretty exciting right), so we could choose different ones. Mine is light in color of course, it’s Botticino Marble.
Here’s the granite choice for my husbands vanity…It’s called Maroon Breccia. (Note – there’s no maroon in it.)
I chose granite for him, because marble’s a bit too delicate for “his harshness”. (And no, not his highness, as he would like me to say 🙂
The guy in the middle is my custom cabinet-maker, BO. He’s been so great to work with. His pricing is half that of even your local big stores that sell cabinets and he built everything as I designed it. Here they are doing the rough install. They will come back after the countertops are in, to finish and pretty everything up. (Hardware, sliding pull out trays, glaze, trim, etc)
I have to show you this great little find from Marshalls HomeGoods store. I can’t wait to find a place for it in our new home. So Fabulously French!
I will leave you with a little French inspirational quote…
I would love for everyone to follow their heart and make their dreams come true. That is my wish for the world.
Remember – In your mind you can dream, design, and create the life YOU want to live – so then why not live Beautifully!
