Monday Field Trip, The Fireplace

Inspiration for todays post came from my Monday field trip to meet the masons on our Craftsman style beach house...  aka the SGG project.  I had the Monday morning early call.   Susan can you come out and meet with the mason to confirm how you want the stones placed?  Nobody wants to make a mistake on this enormous fireplace, especially me.  In fact, there are three of them in this house but for today we're going to look at the great room, as it was the main focus of Mondays work.

The exterior is coming along nicely with the addition of the upper balcony rails.  Looks so good.  But as you can also see it's still spring in PEI, a mix of snow and mud covering the ground. 

On days like these "Special Gear" is required for on-site meetings.

That's Anita's foot with the very muddy boots and the black designer rubbers are mine.  I was very careful where I walked... that day.

Actually both pairs are mine and this is how the the ones she was wearing got so muddy... I am walking with my camera taking a picture as I inch my way through the muck.  This was one week before at another new construction job site.  Since Anita was with me Monday I had to lent her my extra pair.  On PEI you never know when you're going to need them. 

Obviously I wore the wrong shoes on this day a couple of years ago.  Since then I always have a pair of rubber boots in my trunk.  Yes ... us designers sure have glamourous jobs :)

As we turn the corner to go into the house we are first greeted by one of several very large boxes of cultured stone that will be applied to the fireplace.  The fireplace will be a mix of fieldstone and ledgestone.

The fireplace,as you can see this is no small job.  The stained mantlepiece is in place so the mason can apply the stone.  The piece is a solid wood beam from salvaged from another project.  It has been stained and looks amazingly perfect.

After much discussion about how the stones should be laid the mason got underway.  This is the first stone he applied at the base of the hearth.

And this is what the hearth looked  like as we left Monday afternoon.  Still looks messy but he actually got alot done as we did a walk through of the house. 

There's just something about a stone fireplace that exudes coastal charm.  Lets look at a few more stone fireplaces for inspiration.

 

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Susan

Monday's Site Visit

Today I'm posting an update on one of my design projects, the craftsman style summer home.  I posted a couple of exterior pictures way back in December but since work is progressing so nicely I thought I would share some updated images of the progress.  Last Monday I was on-site with the owner, the builder http://www.baysidegroup.ca/ , the cabinet maker, and the foreman to review the details. 

Our discusssions centered around the cabinetry including the kitchen, baths and built-ins, the electrical plan, the staircase, tiling patterns and the fireplace facades.  My images are a mix of before and afters, which I am hoping will give you a feel for the space and just how much work has been done.

Here's a review of the exterior first.

 Late fall... the builders were trying to get it closed in as quick as possible to get ahead of winter weather.

Mid December... the windows, roof, chimneys and house wrap are almost complete, just in time for our first of many snowfalls.

Last Monday... the siding is almost complete, all the windows are in and the house is really shaping up. Isn't it gorgeous?  Love it!  The blue Hardy Plank siding looks wonderful.  And as you can see we have about a foot of snow left on the ground now and looking at the images the sky is the same grey tone.  P.S. The sun does shine here but it didn't make an appearance on any of my visits.  Brrrr....

This is the back side of the house that you can't see from the road and for obvious reasons is the main entry to the house.  The driveway runs up to the right of the house and curves around to the garage and front door.  This image illustrates why I own and wear insulated rubber boots :)

 

As you enter the home you can see right through to the front side which is the waterside.  Look up and you will see a bridge.  But not the Confederation Bridge kind :)

Fast forward to last Monday with the drywall installation well underway.  There's that bridge again.  It spans both sides of the second floor and on either side of the bridge there are 2 large bedroom suites.  The suites are complete with full baths, walk in closets and each has it's own balcony overlooking the water view.  They run from the front of the house to the back.  BIG.

Everyones favorite beach house, The Something's Gotta Give movie set.  Look up at the staircase landing and you will see a bridge.  This is what ours is going to look like when complete.  Yes, it's true I'm working on a Something's Gotta Give beach house :)  A dream job for moi.

So now we're looking at the great room with just the framing and water all over the place since we were not closed in just yet...

Monday.  The drywall is now up the room is really taking shape.  You can actually get a feel for the size of the room.  The floor to ceiling fireplace will be clad in a combination of mixed fieldstone and ledgestone with built-in cabinets on either side.

  

Here's another angle.  The ceiling, way up there, is a barrel ceiling following the curve of the eyebrow windows.  It will be finished in white beadboard.  And what do you hang for a light fixture in such a grand space?

I chose this 15 light chandelier to grace the ceiling.  My client had one stipulation with the lighting... make it fabulous.  Do you like it?  It's from Kichler, Hendrik collection.  42.5" wide and 36" deep.

Named after renowned Dutch architect, Hendrik Belage, the Hendrik Collection is a gorgeous family of contemporary fixtures that honor the man who was regarded by many as the "Father of Modern Architecture".   We're using this series throughout many of the rooms.

The view from upstairs... that's the Northumberland Strait with The Confederation Bridge in the distance.

And this is the view from downstairs, it's pretty impressive.  However much better in the summer...

As I was driving away this little creature was walking up the middle of the road. Which goes to prove you never know what you're going to see or what is going to happen next on any given day.  He eventually climbed up the snowbank at the side of the road was making his way along the top of the snow as I safely drove past.

 

Actually it was pretty cool to watch him walking along without a care in the world.  Nobody messes with

The Skunk.  I definitely kept a safe distance.  Seeing skunks out is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner :)  Oh I hope so, it's been a long winter season.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Susan  

Dinner with Style at Home Magazine

Normally I read Style at Home Magazine for decorating inspiration however for the past couple of issues I've also been intrigued with their recipes section.  Since I love to cook (and eat) I decided to test drive a couple of  their recipes.

It started with Novembers issue of Style at Home magazine. And I have to say their cover shot room is amazing. Loving the white room, the low laquered table and most especially those amazing velvety green cushions.  However, my dog simply would not allow me to have these white sofas.

Since PEI is known for growing potatoes, how could I not resist making "Lemon-Scented Potato, Dill and Bacon Soup. In fact, It was super easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

- 5 slices bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces

- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 stock celery finely chopped
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup 35% cream

Instructions
Cook bacon in small skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.  Combine stock, garlic, potatoes, celery, salt, and pepper in large pot and bring to low boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree. Return to stove over medium heat. Add lemon zest and cream. Simmer for 5 minutes. Garnish with bacon and lemon wedge.

My newest Style at Home magazine January 2010 issue.  What's Hot Now or High/Low depending which side of the magazine you open first.

My favorite room from inside the pages.  Fresh traditional.

I'm starting to sense a pattern here.  This is my livingroom :)  A softer more muted colour scheme but basically the same room.

I went to the recipe section once again... after browsing the beautiful rooms, I found yet another recipe to try out in the Dinner Tonight section. 

Ricotta + Spinach Pasta

Since I love pasta and this picture made my mouth water, this recipe seemed like a no brainer.  It was so easy and fast to prepare it truly deserves its descriptive title as A Fast Five.  You should try this super easy and delicious pasta recipe by Style at Home food editor Donna Hay.

Ingredients:

-4 oz. (125 g) fresh ricotta cheese

-7 oz. (200 g) cooked warm, short pasta

-Baby spinach leaves

-Lemon juice

-Extra-virgin olive oil

-Pinch sea salt

-Pinch of basil

-1 tsp. cracked black pepper

-Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Add fresh ricotta to cooked warm short pasta. Toss with baby spinach leaves, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, cracked black pepper, sea salt and basil. Serve with grated Parmesan.

We arrived back from the furniture show late this week.  We bought lots of new and fresh spring merchandise for Moving Designz Home & Cottage.  If you are in the market for a new sofa or chairs, we are clearing out last years floor models at up to $400 off to make room for our new items.  I will be sharing some of our finds in upcoming posts. 

In the meantime this is one of our interior design projects currently on the go. 

A Craftsman Style beach house overlooking Confederation Bridge. Photo taken November 28/09

2 weeks later Dec 12/09 and the house in almost weather tight.  And note winter has arrived.  I needed a hot bowl of soup after that 2 hour site visit.  We have just finished choosing and getting approval on all of the interior surface finishes and materials between Christmas and New Years.  The construction schedule should see this house complete by late June. I'll post some updates as we progress further along.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Susan