Thursday, July 28, 2011

Southern Entry


Welcome to the south entry to our house! It is the second entry, which is more casual than 
the one on the west side

I found the antique hat rack years ago in an antique store. I hadn't been looking for one but the shape was so beautiful and the price so affordable ($45), that I knew I'd find a use for it. 

 Mike's tattered and stained work hat is shown, but we also hang our coats here from time to time. Mostly when we're too lazy to walk into the living room and hang them in the coat 
closet - which is often.

I've always loved this lantern, but it has spent most of its time on a shelf in our downstairs den closet. Though we rarely use it, it's not in the way and I like being able to look at it everyday. 


Below the hat rack, we have a stool to sit on while putting on our shoes. We also use the stool to get things off the kitchen shelves, or any other task that requires a high reach in this area of the house. 


On the wall next to the hat rack is one of my Great Great Grandmother's mirrors. Originally part of the tall dresser in our master bedroom, we've used it here because it does not fit beneath the sloping ceiling upstairs. 


Entering the hallway from the entry, the french doors on the left open into the dining room. On the right is the door that goes upstairs. 


Because there are two entries to the house, we decided to connect them in a more aesthetically pleasing way with a wraparound porch. In this way, both entrances are accessible, depending on the occasion (formal or casual). 

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Christmas in July


Country Living magazine was here for a photo shoot! The shoot was for their upcoming December issue. In the lazy days of mid-summer, we enjoyed everything Christmas -  

Tree, 
Garland,
Wreaths, and 
Christmas cookies.


We even had a visit from a few of Santa's helpers (they enjoyed my roses). 

I have subscribed to Country Living for years. Some of my favorite images have come from their pages, as Country Living's aesthetics and sensibility have really resonated with me. 

Deputy Style Editor Lili Diallo contacted me last December with interest to include our home in the magazine. Needless to say, I was thrilled and honored. A winter or spring shoot wasn't possible as we had our hands full after the birth of our two sweet babies - so Christmas in July it was. 


Lili is an incredibly insightful and talented stylist, and so much fun! She also happens to be the author of the beautiful and inspiring design book titled, Details. 

Here are a few behind-the-scenes glimpses from our week! 

On Sunday, we ventured out to cut three Noble fir Christmas trees. The trees, strapped to the top of our car on a July morning, were a perplexing sight to many as we made our way home from the tree farm. 

Packages started to arrive on Tuesday, the day Lili arrived from New York. Wednesday evening brought the photographers and their gear. 


We learned a lot about the meticulous detail that goes into capturing magazine-worthy images. Screens were placed outside the nursery windows to filter light. 

Here's the crew in action! Photographer Max Kim-Bee (a selection of his gorgeous photography can also be found under the 'photographers' link at this site) with assistant Kevin Kerr, Lili, and Design Director Sheri Geller, who flew in for Friday. They're working on a shot in the living room. 

It was so much fun having them here. Max even helped out with some dish washing! Kevin and Sheri, with children of their own, held babies at just the right times. Kevin also gave us a few very welcome photography pointers!


Here are Sheri, Lili and Max discussing angles for the dining room. 

Mike, my mom, and Graham took a break before lunch, for which we moved the patio table and chairs into the shade under the porch. I'll do a post on our new patio table and chairs soon! 

At one point, Kevin and Mike moved the Christmas tree. 

The Country Living crew arrived in red rental cars... pure coincidence but festive nonetheless. The screen shown above was used to control the light for the dining room shots.

Having the Country Living crew here was wonderful. We really enjoyed the first-hand insight into the details, hard work, talent, and collaboration that create gorgeous images for publication. It was absolutely fascinating and everything they did was simply beautiful. 

We also especially enjoyed getting to know four lovely, inspiring people...who Mike and I consider new found friends. 

Monday, July 18, 2011

Cherry Season


We've been gobbling up local organic cherries like these since last week and can't stop.  At the farm stands you can get them as fresh as can be - within a couple hours of being picked. 

Last year I made a cherry pie - this year (with our hands full of babes), we'll just eat them straight from the colander - plain and simple. 

Next up are peaches and nectarines!

Also, we had some very special guests last week. I look forward to posting about the visit in the next few days.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

A Full House for the Holiday


My brother and his wonderful family were out this past holiday week and we had so much fun! One of our favorite activities was watching movies on the barn. The old Victorian couch was my Great Grandmother's. It used to be in our play room when we were kids (also my Dad's childhood room). 

We hauled it out of storage (from the barn) for movie viewing under the stars. 

Here's part of the gang just before pancake breakfast - my nephew Nathan, my nieces Lauren and Katie, and my Mom with Graham. My sister-in-law Marna and I (with baby Margaret) are reflected in the mirror. 


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