Maison Decor

Friday, June 18, 2010

A petite garden conservatory made out of old windows

The story ends this way:

Here is the beginning....
My petite garden conservatory..how it came to be:

It started with this image.
Wow...a bunch of old windows put together to make a garden solarium!
That went right into my brain file..the one where I start hatching a dream plan.
I figured the next time I saw some old windows being thrown out on the side of the road,
I was going to claim them. Sure enough, it happened!
There was a pile of nice small sized windows that could fit in my mini-cooper this week!
I brought them home and asked my husband to unload.
He smiled a funny smile and gave me a kiss...
he thinks I am kooky sometimes...quirky, kooky and lovable. ;-)

Thrilled with my find, but I needed to do some more research online and in magazines.

This little greenhouse is on a stand. That's a neat idea from Country Gardens Magazine Summer '08.

In my mind I secretly want one of these attached to the house...swoon.

I like the scrolled iron at the top here.

Looks like there is a wooden base with legs
( maybe it's a table base)

and then the windows are put together on top of that. Neat.

This is cute, but maybe a tad too small?
Maybe I could make a village....

I saw an idea on a real model that I might use for my plan
..a stone base.

Maybe I should build a mortared stone base and stick the greenhouse on top like above?

We have lots of rocks in our yard...wanna see?

Yes, this really is my back yard..my husband likes to collect granite blocks.

I like to collect old windows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But lets get back to my little miniature conservatory project.

I wasn't sure how to put them together, and as I often do,

no plan in my mind, I grabbed my tote bag of tools.

I have a lot of drapery hardware and I decided I would

just start attaching them to each other with angle irons.

I started to build a basic box with the larger of the two sizes I had.

I wasn't going to get fussy about this and started

screwing without benefit of a level. Sorry Dad.

The last window had to be coaxed a bit before I put the angle iron and screw to it.

The windows leaning against the chair are going to be the roof!

Now the basic window box shape is built.
You can see the old spring system in the sides.

It's pretty solid!

An iron hanging planter and bracket from TJMaxx

Wondering what I could use for a fancy iron scroll for the top like the model picture I loved.
It hit me: I had that new iron planter on a scrolled iron wall mount bracket!!!
Yippee.It was a perfect fit.
As my husband says, "better lucky than good".

Now I have the roof finial mounted with screws.

I am going to turn this into a hanging planter conservatory.

I will leave open the ends for ventilation and mount

a hook inside that I can suspend a hanging plant.

Otherwise anything in here in the summer is going to cook.

I attached a piece of aluminum gutter strapping by snaking it through the joint in the roof and anchored it to the top. This was going to be the planter hook. I tested it out.
I hung a pink geranium and blue lobelia planter from the hook and it happened.

I was just captivated! I fell in love in my yard.....

Couldn't stop staring....
I'm getting there! But it really need some more finish work.

I made a pattern of the peak of the house
and traced it onto a shingle and then cut it out with a jigsaw.

I found some lead flashing and I cut it to fit the peak, with my kitchen scissors.

I tacked it all in place with nails.

Then I secured the scrolled bracket to give it the frenchy flair!

I covered the exposed spring system with a primed 1x3.
I notched out one side so it would fit better.

I used a solid white stain by Cabot
to paint anything that wasn't white.
I didn't want a completely fresh white paint job.
I wanted to leave the areas with the age and patina of time.

I added an old skeleton key.

An iron & glass vessel is going to serve as a petite lantern.
A zinc number 1 plate to say this is the first one I ever made.

Hubby and son put a slab of granite in place for
my petite garden house.
It's handy having an excavator and operator around the house!

Set on it's new foundation, it is a proud little structure.

I'll plant foxgloves and bleeding hearts around it.

I know I will get a lot of pleasure looking at it in my garden.
I will gaze upon it from my office window.

Rainy days and sunny days it will bring a smile,

snow on the roof with a little bird feeder inside...
candles inside for an evening garden party...

I see it twinkling in my garden all year round.

Vintage Pink Ladies Luncheon

You're invited to my vintage pink luncheon party ladies!

I set the table with a lot of vintage things I have been collecting and loving for a long time.

I need to back up, because this party started when I found this Ethan Allen chair at the thrift shop.

I love pink and I love yellow. My dining room was a creamier yellow, but this chair inspired the geranium pink and butter yellow paint combination. It is a happy little dining room now.

I'm in the mood to throw a party! I set the table with my old wedding china when I married my kid's dad 30 years ago. I still love it. It came from the supermarket everytime you spent $100 you got a place setting! Wish they still did that...

Each dinner plate has a different antique plate on top.
This one is my favorite.
I got it from Evelyn Wyman, my 85 yr old neighbor and friend.

Each place setting has a different pastel footed drinking glass rimmed in gold from T J Maxx.

I like these because youngsters feel grownup at our family dinner parties.

An old pocket watch, pink reading glasses and a book about love are on the menu too.

My dad gave me these silver teaspoons with my grandmother's name engraved. So lovely.

An old broken pearl necklace cradles the pink and yellow teapot I found thrifting.

I adore old silver and silver plate alike.

I found this champagne bucket at the thrift store too and it is great for holding my hydrangeas.

Pale pink beaded napkin ring holders are paired with my grandmother's silverplate.

My white dining table has cut out glass top sections with a gate inspired motif.

My mother-in-law lives next door.

We are painting her house right now! Peek a boo.

This new chair is perfect...

it only cost $49 at Salvation Army Thrift store. Retail $549!

Yes, Ethan Allen....unbelievable!

Thanks for coming to lunch ladies! It was my pleasure!

Linking to:

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Grand treatments for small windows

I have a client who is very talented at sourcing out her materials.

She selects her own tile, paint colors, wallpapers, sinks, fixtures...

and at the end she calls me in to do her windows.

The latest project at her house were
two second floor bathrooms that were

small to average in size with one small window.

She likes it grand, so grand she's gonna get!

Master Bathroom before window treatments.

Caramel brown walls, chocolate brown trim, melon ceiling.

Granite in spicy tones, deep copper sinks, rich cabinetry, and burnished gold mirrors.
The goal was to make a formal window treatment on this small window.
To do that I needed to go from the ceiling to the floor.
That always will make a window look bigger than it is.

The window treatments lay on her bed waiting to be hung.

Kalahari bedding by Horchow Collection.

I hung silk floor length pleated panels from a

standard rod mounted at the window frame first.

Then I hung up an elaborate valance on a 2'decorative pole.

You can see the brackets in place.

I am adjusting the bronze silk panel over the holdback.

The valance has a leopard upholstery fabric lining with a face fabric of brown and gold embroidery.

There is a leopard rosette detail and 5" long black and brown tassel trim.
I made this from a pattern by the M'Fay company.
My workroom made the panels. They won't do really intricate work.

Fancy shmancy!
The floor to ceiling treatment adds height and elegance.

The tiled shower is fabulous!

Handsome deep bowl copper sinks. Glass mosaic backsplash tile. Bronze fixtures.

The guest bath has grey trim, wallpaper in black, grey, golds,

granite in mutli black, gold and brown, and a gold metallic ceiling!

And one little window...

I specified tiny loops to be made on my tucked panel so I could slip

them onto holdbacks mounted under the gold ceiling.
I designed this panel from a photo I saw in a magazine.
It was about 1.5 times fuller than the window so it could
drape gently between holdbacks without revealing any window molding.
Once again it is a floor to ceiling treatment.