Just a quick post to introduce the new and improved Fitzgerald Tile showroom! The huge warehouse and showroom recently moved
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2019 Color of the Year...and the winner is...
The much anticipated Benjamin Moore 2019 Color of the Year was announced today and it is….drumroll…
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3 Tips for Creating a Dream Kitchen
Updating a kitchen is on my mind lately…I’ve had the privilege of helping many clients create their dream kitchens over the last 20 plus years. Researching new trends and gaining knowledge about the latest available options is one of my favorite pastimes. And my own kitchen saga taught me a few things early on as well.
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Kitchen Remodeling Decisions
A kitchen HAS to be a functional space, but it should also bring you joy – even if you DON’T love to cook. Everybody has to eat and food lives in the kitchen so by definition, you will spend time there, regularly…it is probably one of the hardest working and most used rooms in the house. It is also one of the most expensive to remodel, so making good choices is of the utmost importance –
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Transformations: How this kitchen went from tired to timeless
Frustrated with her dark and dated kitchen, our client knew it was time for an overhaul. Traveling extensively for her job, and short on time, she wanted her kitchen to be a welcome retreat for cooking, not an exercise in perseverance when she was home.
The first step to change is identifying the problem, and this kitchen had several
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Luxury Bathroom Remodeling
Create your perfect bathroom while avoiding the
"design fad" trap
You might renovate your bathrooms once in the time you live in your house…maybe twice if you stay there for more than 30 years, but in any case, whatever you do will need to have staying power. Having worked on dozens of bathrooms with clients over the last 25 years, we have the benefit of much experience. We have seen many trends come and go and have learned to discern which are fads and which are new classics.
Here are some things to consider when creating your perfect bathroom:
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Seen Around Town: Stunning Chandeliers and Lanterns
For many of our design projects, we need to specify new lighting. Recently, we have been on the hunt for chandeliers and lanterns and wanted to share some of our finds!
Trying to avoid another fussy crystal or ubiquitous barrel stave chandelier we found these classic alternatives to be a refreshing change.
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What do you say to a naked sink?
One of the smartest upgrades in a house is a kitchen renovation. And one of the most common kitchen renovation projects is replacing the countertops - and when you do, the sink and faucet as well. WHAT to change your countertops TO is a subject for another day, but today we're talking about faucet choices.
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High Style, Low Maintenance
Low maintenance…we appreciate it in our relationships, but we adore it in our interiors! As long as we can get great style, low maintenance versions of natural materials are an enticing alternative.
I love natural materials but they require extra care – they are susceptible to staining, fading, scratching, and wear. Sometimes we just don’t have the time or patience or lifestyle (or house denizens!) to accommodate the care often required by natural products.
Luckily, technology is keeping pace and there are now products available that imitate nature well, but are MUCH easier to keep looking good.
Here are 3 of our favorites:
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Should I hire an interior designer?
Should I hire an interior designer?
The short answer is YES. If you want to ...
Save time
A designer should have the experience and know-how to diagnose what is bugging you about your house and come up with several possible solutions tailored exactly to your situation. OR you can spend your precious free time scouring websites and magazine articles looking for someone with your exact design dilemma who found a viable solution you like and then assessing all the options for implementing it and trying to figure out which is the best real value. The choice is yours, of course.
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seen-around-town-brimfield-september-market
Seen Around Town: At the Brimfield September Market
I love going to Brimfield, and the fried dough is not the only reason! The HUGE Massachusetts outdoor antique and flea market takes place three times each year and September is usually my favorite one. This year, we managed to go on a 90-plus degree day with humidity somewhere in the stratosphere so it was less crowded than usual.
As always, it was a mix of new, antique, reclaimed, vintage, and unique finds - some of which defied description! Luckily, we snapped some photo's so here are some of the highlights from our visit...
This vendor had a terrific assortment of marine salvage with a LOT of light fixtures. We thought some of these pendants would be fabulous over a kitchen island!
marine pendant lanterns
marine light fixtures
nautical lighting
If you are in the market for unusual tables, there were a fair number of options to be had.
Turned leg farmhouse, reclaimed wood on metal sawhorse brackets, and REALLY long in case you have a very large family...
farmhouse table
sawhorse table
extra long table
And then there was this really unique metal table made from a vintage metal door - it even still has the keyhole!
metal door tabletop
metal door table
Or this very funky dinette set...it would certainly make a statement, although I'm not entirely sure what that statement is...
vintage dinette
This table with the top covered entirely in vintage hotel matchbook covers would be an interesting conversation piece in a game room
decoupage matchbook table
Or add a statement piece to the library with this elaborately carved walnut claw foot table
carved table
Being a complete sucker for things with lots of drawers or cubbies, I loved these vintage storage chests
This one has 124 drawers!
124 drawer chest
And we saw two of these hexagonal beauties that spin and sport triangular drawers, and a crank-rotating hardware display piece full of cubbies
multi-drawer spinning chest
hexagonal chest
rotating hardware cabinet
Vintage signs, architectural salvage - some of which was upcycled into other things like mirrors, and painted furniture abounded...you could even buy the paint - both Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Milk Paint displays were seen.
vintage signs
column capitol remnant
architectural mirrors
burlap chair
chalk painted table
chalk paint
milk paint
And there were beds...from iron beds and metal beds....
iron beds
metal bed frame
to this pair of beautiful French carved and book-matched burlwood beds
French beds
If you have just the place for it...maybe a fun pool cabana house...this vintage ice cream fountain out of an old store in southern Massachusetts would be SO fun!
vintage ice cream bar
There were the usual suspects...tin letters (still?), metal embellishments for the Pinterest project crowd, or these fun paper flower accessories made from maps or music and buttons for those who want their craft projects already done
tin letters
metal embellishments
map and button flowers
music and button flowers
jadeware
vintage cookware
And this vendor with vintage dishes...he always has a fabulous assortment
And then there was this dealer who had some gorgeous hand painted Hungarian porcelain by Anna Weatherly...but alas, even at half the retail price it was still out of reach
anna-weatherley-handpainted-teacup-at-250-half-of-retail-price-hand-painted-hungarian
Not old, and not particularly a bargain, but still a great look - these lamps with architectural bases and these unusual rustic cage pendants were a nice find
architectural lamp
architectural lamp
architectural lamp
square rustic chandeliers
And finally, a couple of seats in the category of "WHY?" ...or maybe "WOW." I guess there really IS something for everyone!
cow bench
multi fabric chair
Brimfield. Always entertaining, one way or another!
The 2017 show dates are: May 9-14, July 11-16, and September 5-10
Brimfield
a renovation tale. chapter two
Project in Progress: A Renovation Tale, Chapter Two
Our hero has weathered the demolition phase ... dumpsters full of old cabinets and tile and TONS of brick and the supporting cinderblocks were carted away, and the framing of the new spaces is complete! Plumbing is being roughed in, and electrical and HVAC are all underway ... nothing that inspiring to photograph on the site at this point, but a lot of pretty finish selections to see!
Meanwhile, back at the studio, the homeowners are busy making the millions of decisions that will eventually add up to a beautiful space. Appliances and fixtures have been specified, cabinet styles selected and stone and tile selections are underway. Just this week, we are finalizing the stone choices so we can confirm the cabinet finishes. A recent stoneyard visit yielded the response of "I LOVE this" from the client and we knew we had the winning direction for the finish plans.
While I adore the space planning and problem solving phase at the beginning stages of a renovation, selecting the finishes is so rewarding because it is usually the part that clients get most excited about ... they can see and feel the materials and start to imagine the finished spaces better. And so begins the "fun" part of this renovation tale!
The powder room is just off the kitchen and laundry room - the kitchen will have white perimeter cabinets, a charcoal island, and grey stone countertops and the powder room will have similar finishes.
Here is the quartzite we are lusting after for the countertops:
Supreme white premium quartzite
and here is the charcoal finish for the powder room cabinets, a possibility for the sconces to flank the mirror, and the Carrera basketweave tile for the powder room floor (to be installed on the diagonal).
traditional wall sconce with narrow backplate
M-CAD1
carrera basketweave tile
The Master bathroom will have countertops, tub deck, and shower seat in this amazing quartzite with wonderful movement in shades of gray and greige and even hints of a blue-green.
Avalanch quartzite
Some 'supporting cast' tiles to go with this standout stone have yet to be selected, but the shower walls will definitely feature this herringbone Carrera, and the cabinetry will be in this warm dark brown-black stain:
carrera herringbone tile
AL-THI1
For the third bathroom, we are looking for a remnant of, most likely, brown fantasy granite for the countertops - this being an extremely popular stone at the moment, that should be a fairly simple acquisition!