Maison Decor

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

French Fall Decorating Tour....

Just a special notice to let you know that I will be joining twelve

other French Country bloggers in a French Fall Home Tour.

We are partnering with the amazing Soft Surroundings company

and Romantic Homes Magazine!

Thursday and Friday, there will be homes showing off the

best of the best in French Country for fall.

Don't miss it!

My Photo Shoot with Fifi O'Neill and Mark Lohman

I had the pleasure and the honor of being selected to have my house featured in

Fifi O'Neill's Romantic Country magazine. For months it's been in the making, and

the last few days were killer, getting everything looking polished and shiny.

Living with a pesky puppy in particular means white slipcovers need to be washed

and I didn't dare put them back on until the morning of the shoot. As soon as I

did, Colby came over and wiped his breakfasty mouth on one of the cushions.

Grrrrrr!!! I decided to have him spend the day with my son Brandon to get him out

of the house and away from what was about to take place. While I waited for

Fifi to arrive with photographer Mark Lohman and his assistant, son Taylor, I took a

few shots of my "before" status. I was very interested to see what Fifi would do to

style the rooms in the house. As soon as they arrived, I gave them a tour of the

house and they rooms they wanted to shoot. They spoke their own language it seemed

as they made decisions rapidly about what angles would be shot, and what things

needed to get changed up for a good looking photo. They have shot over 50 homes

together and they work efficiently and playfully to capture the best these private homes

have to offer. So for me it was a pleasure to observe and sometimes chime in on

the different stages of how the photos were coming together.

Although we started in the bedroom, these iPhone pics show them in action.

Little adjustments are made between each shot, and then accessed in the monitor.

Notice how dark the room is...after having sunshine for the last three months, it decided

to be the darkest day ever the morning of my shoot. But I was told not to worry.

And boy was that the truth, as I soon would find out.

They set the monitor on the piano top and focused for this shot, only the sofa

and coffee table. Fifi set up a cup of tea (actually diet coke with water) and some

other items she rummaged from my kitchen. She asked if I had a few cookies...errrr...

no I did not. But luckily I had my mother in law (who lives next doors) to rely on.

I proudly told Fifi and Mark that she was a Swedish gal who loved baking cookies and I

would run and get a few for this shot. But when I went over to get them, she looked

flummoxed and said all she had were some Keebler elves cookies in the freezer.

Hahah!! OMG, the cookies were little elves....with writing on them. Not so Romantic.

Then Fifi asked me if I had any mint, and when I gave her some sprigs from the garden,

she arranged the cookies on the plate with the mint and it all looked quite nice.

This was the resulting shot. Most beautiful!

She added big fluffy pink hydrangeas to my Costco bunch of roses

and the floral arrangement went from standard to luxurious.

Fifi plucked elements of my pink lusterware collection for the "tea" service.

A snap of the camera would result in micro adjustments of a pillow or a throw,

and those little adjustments often made the difference between average and glorious.

The shoot actually started on the top floor of the house with my bedroom and bath.

The equipment was all brought up by Taylor and set up to include lighting

and the camera and the monitor. Here Fifi checks the shots from the bedroom.

After checking, she would go make adjustments. When it came to my bedding,

she opted to switch out some of the pillow cases and added toss pillows and a pink

chenille bedspread to give it a more layered Romantic look. Colby hates that pink spread

and when I did have it on the end of the bed once, he made sure to get it off in short order.

After the main shot of the room was taken, Mark zeroed in on some detail shots.

The small swedish chair came out of the bathroom, as did my pashmina.

It ended up being a very pretty shot, and I loved it.

Seriously, how good is this?!

The master bath was the second room to shoot, and they worked on an area

that centered on the sink. White rugs were replaced with a vintage hooked rug

I had and Fifi set up my vanity bench in the center. It looked pretty before

they even snapped a shot! She switched things around and used some of my costume

jewelry and my big bottle of Chanel No 5 to make the shot more glamorous.

Other rooms were the kitchen, my tiny dark kitchen.

But they made it look bright and beautiful.

And the dining room, which centered on my transferware collection and the Swedish bench I got

from Matthew Mead and then they did an overall shot showing the whole room. So pretty!

After six hours, my day of watching styling and shooting had come to an end.

Things were returned to their rightful spot and we said our goodbyes.

It was such a fun experience for me, as I covet home decor magazines,

and have examined lovely rooms over the years in their pages.

To have my house come out in Romantic Country will be such a thrill!

Due to be out in December, it will officially be the spring issue.

Other homes around New England will also be featured.

If you have instagram check us out!

Fificoconut and Amymaisondecor are our account names.

Since we both hate having our pics taken we decided to just

look at each other, hahah!

At the end of the day, the wires were all corralled and the dog was let back

into the house. Life begins again, regular style.

But I will always love the idea of how it could be... with a small village to help!

A Shocking Green Paint for the TV Room

A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say.

This is our tv room, or man cave. It is possibly the least photographed

space in the house, because I have always kind of hated this room.

With a photo shoot on the way, I kind of felt compelled to do something

about the room I hated so much. Enter paint.

If any one thing can change a room, it is the power of paint.

This is a good "before" shot, taken last Christmas.

You can see for yourselves the changes that were made.

We edited out a lot of extra furniture and then

I added new curtains and a rug and some pillows.

The only other thing was the paint! I took a risk and picked
a green that was out of my norm, I wanted a fun and modern green.

Fun this was not.
When it started to go on the walls, it was a yellowish green that
looked simply awful. My son Brandon was helping to paint, and we were laughing but
kind of nervous....however I always think of the idea that most things look horrible before they look
better, so we continued to reserve judgement until coat number two.
(Although commentary included words like Frankenstein Green and Nickolodeon Slime.)
Above you can see the second coat on the left,
and one coat over the door and the wall on the right. We painted out
the door because we have a sofa in front of it, so that makes it kind of disappear.
However, this is pretty scary looking green, don't you agree?

After it was all painted, it was incredibly bright, but not as scary.
Just kind of scary.
We moved around some wall accessories and I added a big clock

next to hubs favorite chair. Curtains in a buffalo check from Country Curtains,

and a plaid indoor outdoor rug from Overstock.com were the new additions.
When everything went back up, the room came together nicely.

A vintage painted table in a black floral and some new pillows from

HomeGoods added a bit of femininity to the space. I am so glad this

room is over, and the end result is that everyone LOVES it!!

I will say that when Mr. Maison Decor saw the first coat, he actually said

outloud, "how could you pick such an ugly color??". The next day when

he got home and it was all finished he yelled, "ITS AWESOME!!".

Phew. I was getting kinda nervous.

But again, it's only paint and you can paint over ugly colors. Hahha.

By the way, the color is Benjamin Moore, Basil Green, in Aura matte.

And it was definitely a two coat job.

One more look....its a fun modern lodge look, to quote my pal Matthew Mead.

In other news, I am preparing for a Romantic Country magazine shoot

with noted author, editor and stylist, Fifi O'Neill.

She will be here next week, and I have tons of other things to get finished.

Colby is already exhausted from all of it as you can tell.

Toile Curtains from sheets and an Amazing Decorating Book!

Decorating is a never ending process for me.

A space should never get old or boring to your eyes and keeping things pretty and fresh is kind of what I do....all the time, in between my mom and housewife duties of course. My kitchen is quite small and dark and has one window that used to wear a pair of lace panels. Next, I made some green and white buffalo check panels, but moved them to our back door for privacy and light control. So I have been pondering what to do with the kitchen window, especially since the house is going to be photographed in ten days or so for Romantic Country magazine. While shopping for bedding I ran across a set of twin sheets by Tommy Hilfiger, in a pretty green toile with deer and a woodland setting. I decided they would make cute curtains in the kitchen, perfect for the cottage vibe I have going.

Incredibly easy to stitch just a rod pocket at the top, and hem the sides, as I split the flat sheet into a pair of panels. They are a 60/40 cotton poly blend so they should wash up without any shrinkage. I think they are really sweet and add that bit of personality I was looking for in the kitchen.

The leftover bit is on the dining room table for now.

Yardage with sheeting is fantastic and its easy on the pocketbook too.

And speaking of always decorating....

Hold on to your hats!! I have just finished reading and drooling over this new book from Leslie Sinclair, SEGRETO VIGNETTES. Leslie is a gifted decorative painter turned entrepreneur, author and designer. This is the third book she has written and its fantastic! Let me tell you about Segreto, if you are unfamiliar. They are a company of incredible artists that create amazing finishes for the home. From walls to ceilings, from floors to cabinets, you will never see finishes more beautiful than you will from Segreto. Based in Texas, some of the most beautiful residences have been touched by the artists of Segreto. What is so wonderful about this book, and her other books, is that you get to have amazing tours of incredible homes, one after another.

Leslie sent me some of her book images so I could share them with you all. This dining room has a special plastered ceiling that has been polished with wax to give it a reflective glass like quality. Of course she did the walls too, and I love seeing the light fixtures and the beautiful furnishings in these rooms, don't you?

This book not only discusses trends in fine finishes, but it also focuses on some of a home's rooms in particular: The Kitchen, The Bedroom, and The Bath. When she told me that part of the book shows off Bedroom Retreats, I was very happy as that is one room that has always been difficult for me in my home. I hoped I would get some ideas and inspiration that I could steal and use for my bedroom.

After seeing so many beautiful bedrooms I came to the conclusion that I would need to start from scratch, hahah! Well not really, but her lovely rooms all start from a calming zone of neutrals, and that indeed is one sure way to get a bedroom that is a retreat. Of course many of these rooms have a french flair, and the fabrics and furnishings were just a treat to look at. Look at the big trumeau mirror and the slipcovered chairs in the sitting area of this bedroom. A window over the bed is disguised with shutters and balanced off with drapery panels, creating a back drop for a pretty bed. How to work with problem areas and use finishes and other tricks to are also covered in this book. It is essentially a decorating handbook for creating a GORGEOUS home!!

Ideas are worth millions. At least I think so. When I get my hands on something as special

as Leslie's latest book, Segreto Vignettes, I know it will stoke the fires in my imagination as it relates to my own home or other projects I may be working on. Stenciling a wall can be so amazing, when it is done as beautifully as the Segreto team does it, and images such as this, make me wonder where I can create similar magic. So get inspired and get your hands on what will sure to be a staple in your decorating library. I still look at my first two books from Segreto, and I know this new book will get dogeared pages from repeated reference. One thing I like to mention is that Leslie is a very lovely person, and she has been supportive to me in my business and family life. She has created an amazing small business for herself, and I am so impressed that she self publishes her books to bring her portfolio, her ideas and her tips to us readers. So best of luck Leslie, and I am proud to have your newest book in my collection.

If a book loaded with heavy glossy pages of beautiful interiors and decor ideas interest you,

you won't be disappointed. I give this book an 11 on a scale of 1-10.

To purchase Segreto Vignettes click here.

A French Style Courtyard Comes to Life

What a dump!

Seriously, our "back yard" did not exist just a couple years ago. It was

behind the house and a very narrow strip with only one window on the lower level. A totally

awkward space that became the spot to dump things. Husband was amassing a pile of granite boulders and little did I know that they would become the foundation for a French Country Courtyard. Courtyards are narrow, and usually made of stone, and over time I put a vision and a wish list together. We ended up with a space that the entire family loves!

Starting with French doors that replaced the lone window in our dining room, this door is now the most used entry in the house. The rest of the facade was blank space and so a pair of vinyl trellises added some detail and architectural interest. The fireplace vent was hidden by a birdhouse constructed from an old wooden crate that we added a simple roof and cedar shingles. A few holes drilled out for the birds, and a big post was all it took to make it look like it belonged in the flower bed. That vent bugged the heck out of me, and I just had to figure out someway to hide it. It turned out to be a very good solution. In the fall when it comes time to vent the fireplace, we will take it down and store it in the shed until the spring.

This shows how the birdhouse was attached to the house. We used an L bracket in addition to attaching the post to the base with wood. Below you can see the birdhouse in its raw formation.

The crate we used was an old one that fit over the vent nicely. You could build one out of scrap wood if you need to construct one from scratch. I love that we made this just using things around the house and the yard. The moldings are old painted moldings I had from my Maison Decor workshop days, and then the tiny roof overhangs were made by cutting the corners off of a rectangular wooden photo frame. We glued all the moldings in place with wood glue and when it dried, we painted it in a shabby fashion with white Chalk Paint. Easy to do, it took us about two hours.

This is a closer view of the rustic table I created, simply by laying barn board planks on top of the old iron lattice patio table that I have had for years. (You can see the iron set in the before photo sitting on the lawn.)Hubs drilled a hole in the center of one of the wider boards so the umbrella could slide through, and then the other random width planks were set side by side and we screwed it together underneath on each end to unify it. This is SO EASY!! And it completely changed the feeling in the courtyard. The next thing on my list for the rustic dining space was to get rid of the iron patio chairs and replace with all weather wicker chairs. I wanted a greyish wicker, but none were to be found. At least in my price range...

Then this set at Lowes caught my eye, and I snapped up 6 of them at $60 a piece. Not a bad price for all weather wicker with steel construction. They are so comfortable and I love the way they look with the wood table as well as the color of the rustic iron daybed. I only needed four for the table, but I knew I would be kicking myself if I didn't get two more to use in the conversation area opposite the daybed. I bet they will be going on sale any minute now, but I had to have them for the photo shoot that was about to take place, and I thought the price was pretty good even not on sale.

All of the changes combined to create this wonderful European style space behind the house. Matthew Mead shot the courtyard for his spring issue UPSTYLED HOME magazine. We spent the day yesterday fluffing and styling it to perfection!

Matthew has such an array of props, whenever he shoots he offers to bring some of his stash, and I am always in LOVE with what he pulls out of his pickup truck. Like these purple linen embroidered placemats and napkins. They looked beautiful with the wood top and vintage china I had for the table setting. Some newer glassware in purple and green with gold embossed details came from HomeGoods. We used rustic galvanized pots and tubs and pails to hold the bushels of flowers he brought for the shoot.

My mora clock came outside for a bit of whimsy and in the end we decided to nix it, and it ended up propped up against the fence until it went back into the dining room. Stacks of purple transferware and scattered plums decorated the tabletop.

Matthew brought old purple toile bedspreads and we used them to dress up the daybed for the shoot.

I adored them!! You can also see my idea for a "coffee table" was a cube shaped granite block. I normally put a tole tray on it, but for the shoot we used my gigantic turkey platter in purple transferware. A bottle of purple clad champagne for Costco worked nicely too.

The other large undertaking was the completion of the shed and vegetable garden area on the upper terrace. Just the day before the shoot two of my sons and husband spread about 5 tons of pea gravel over a weed barrier all around the shed and the little vegetable garden. Wow, what a difference that made! Its an enchanting little spot now. Pea gravel is the key element to creating that French style courtyard space, and its inexpensive and pretty easy to do do yourself. So have some delivered and get out your wheelbarrow and make a precious little space for your own enjoyment. That spot that no one uses or looks ugly....could it be transformed somehow? Take a second look around your own home and yard and see if you can create a courtyard for yourself. I wish I had thought of this sooner, as it has been ten years now that we have lived here.

Without makeup and fancy clothes...we met in the courtyard bright and early so Matthew could capture everything. What a fun and exhausting day. I can't wait to see it come to life in the pages of a magazine.