Tile, Tile, Tile Part 2

This is the second installment in a series chronicling my summer tile adventures.

The photos below are from a brand-new Arts and Crafts style house. It's such a charming little house and as the project progresses I'm really falling in love with all the custom woodwork and one-of-a-kind detailing that is going into it.

I have to say that this is the most enjoyment I have ever seen a client get from tile.  This client collected authentic Arts and Craft decos as well as modern reproductions from many sources.  They are tucked into the tile and flooring throughout the house.  She had a wonderful time tracking down each and every deco tile. After all, the fun is in the hunt, right?

Let's start with the fireplace. This was the first tile we purchased and it set the tone for the house.  We found this tile in an antique mall in Sonoma County.  The 4 x 4 Monterey Pottery tile as well as the decos are all original Arts and Crafts tiles that had never been used before.  We were so excited to find the whole cache that we scooped it right up, though we knew we would be a little shy of the total needed for the fireplace. 

We solved the quantity problem by topping the hearth off in brand new 2 x 2's that we had custom made in colors to match the older tile. 

There is a lot of woodwork in this house and the floor will be wood, too.  I'm really glad we added this colorful fireplace because I find that in houses with wood walls and floors, color tends to disappear making it easy to end up with dark, bland rooms.  As the antiqued wood floors and antique Arts and Crafts furnishings go in (primarily dark stained wood and leather), this tile will tone down and become one of the few color pops in the room. 

By the way, the other bit of color planned for the room will be curtains in this fabulous large-scale Mulberry Flying Ducks fabric.

http://www.dragonflytahoe.com/mulberry-home-flying-ducks-fabric-choose-from-4-colorways/

Isn't it beautiful!  You can buy it here, and it comes with matching wallpaper, here.

Although many authentic antique Arts and Crafts furnishings and fittings will be used in the house, the client did not wish to sacrifice modern function and practicality, so the house is becoming what we like to call an "updated mountain version of Arts and Crafts".  This is especially true in the kitchen where we used modern appliances and granite counter-tops which can easily be wiped clean.



The photo above shows the kitchen tile above the cook-top.  Unfortunately, I don't have a finished photo with the tile grouted.  Here, we mixed modern and old.  The ginko tiles are current but are made from old patterns.  We mixed them with slate, Pratt and Larson 4 x 4's in an Arts and Crafts glaze and a fabulous Art and Craft inspired mosaic from Syzygy Tileworks.

In the master bathroom, we used custom Syzgy tile again in an Arts and Crafts inspired deco panel. 

There is a gorgeous copper sunflower tile featured in the center of this.  The strip of glass up the right side of the back shower wall is also trimmed with Syzygy mosaics.  Here is a close up of the deco panel:

And below, the vanity back splash has just been installed:

Finally, here is a photo of one of the guest baths:

And a detail of one of the flower decos:

This house isn't finished yet.  We are still busy tracking down just the right antique Arts and Crafts furnishings.  Someday when it is finished I'll be sure to publish more photos.

Ralph Lauren Does Mountain Style

Ralph Lauren has a stunning home in Colorado. He has been a long-time collector of Indian artifacts, camp blankets, concha belts. vintage cowboy gear etc. and many pieces from his beautiful collection are on display there. The house has been photographed by Architectural Digest and also by Oprah for both her magazine and television show. As a designer, I look at it often and find inspiration. I am currently working on a project that is using a lot of Western and Native American influences, so Ralph Lauren's house is at the top of my mind these days. I thought I'd share it with you here.

Ralph Lauren's Double R Ranch is 45 minutes from Telluride.

With his wife Rickie on horseback, above. Photos of the living areas below:

What I love about these interiors is that Ralph Lauren is not afraid to celebrate the rustic, the aged, the faded, the frayed and the simple. While there's no doubt that he mixes in many fabulous expensive items, there are so many charing and wonderful flea market finds that really make these rooms seems so personal and comfortable. Of course, the fact that every piece is perfectly staged and placed has a lot to do with the overall fabulous-ness!

This room is absolutely mind-blowing!

The spectacular home theatre.

The outdoor areas are just as wonderful as the interiors.

What a place to spend the afternoon!

An outdoor dining room for a crowd.

The Double R ranch logo.

In addition to the main house, there are a handful of guest cabins, teepees and even trailers used to house guests on the property, below.

Lauren's 1936 red Ford pickup.

The teepees are every young boy's fantasy come to life! Mine, too.

 Loooooooooove this refubished vintage Airstream! Want!!!

Ranch hands and cowboys on a real cow drive, above.

For a tour of Oprah exploring the ranch with Ralph Lauren, click here.  
For a look at Ralph Lauren's Alpine Lodge Collection, look here.  

Photography by Gilles de Chabaneix/Portrait by Bruce Weber as well as George Burns/Harpo Studios.

Ralph Lauren has a beautiful collection of Native American inspired fabrics, many of which are available for purchase in the Dragonfly online store. Click below to view them.

3D Sketches--A Wonderful Decision Making Tool

My business and client projects are always changing and this year I seem to be involved in several construction projects. I think one of the most difficult parts of building a house (aside from paying for it) is the enormous number of decisions one has to make.

I remember bursting into tears once at the paint store in the middle of remodeling my first home. The paint clerk had asked me what color I planned to paint the closet doors in the master. It was just one question too many in what had been months of attempting to visualize every little decision.

Now I use a 3D drawing program to help clients with these decisions. Below are some sketches I've been working on for a client who is building a new Craftsman style house on the lake, here in Tahoe.

This is a 3D model I created of her living room. There will be a lot of complicated carpentry trim and finishing. I will be able to print out scaled close-up drawings of trim details that the carpenter can use on the job-site. This saves everyone time and money since changes and new ideas are put into the drawings first. We all know what happens on the job when changes are made after something has been built....$$! My 3D model eliminates guessing and poor decision making from the process. Over the years I've found that if the drawings look good, the finished product looks good.

Another view of the living room. Because of TRPA restrictions, the living room is pretty small. It has been a challenge to get enough furniture into the room to make it comfortable. I'm confident that we've solved the problem because I can see clearly that the 3D model is working. By the way, I can spin the model around and look at the room from all angles. I can also get close-ups of details by zooming in.

Here, I've drawn in the two interior door styles we're considering. Which one do you prefer?

We're also deciding about the interior wall by the stairwell. Should it be painted?

Or should it be trimmed out in wood? It takes me only a moment to make these changes on my computer screen and we can quickly make a decision and move on to the next question.

Above, here's a bird's eye view of the room.

It's just so much fun to spin this room around and around!

Embroidered Skier Sheets

Well, the plow is in front of my house at this very moment cleaning up a small snow berm left from earlier this week. It's that time of year again. The mountains are starting to open and I plan to be skiing in a few weeks (I ski Squaw Valley and if that's your mountain, I  hope to see you on the slopes!)    

                                                                                                                 

Anyway, here's a little tidbit just to get you into the mood. After a long days ski, what better way to climb into a cozy warm bed than with these charming embroidered skier sheets?

A client tipped me off to these...thanks, Laura!  The link is at 

 http://www.cuddledown.com/product/bedding/sheets/embroidered-skier-percale-flat-sheet.do 

And just a reminder, the flannel sheets below are available at Garnet Hill . I've posted them before but thought I would include them again.

Charming!

Stay warm!