Charles Faudre outdid himself in this gorgeous Cashiers, North Carolina mountain lodge.

Charles Faudre loved Cashiers, North Carolina and he completed a number of stunning cabin projects there before he died in 2013, including this stunning mountain house.

I've always loved Charles Faudre's charming designs.  There's so much to see in every house he designed--the detail, whimsy, color and pattern is always so intricate and developed.  French country inspired, most of his projects were city and suburban projects.  But, it's in his inspired work in Cashiers that he was able to combine his emphasis on French decor with cabin style.


In all of his work, Faudre mixed quality antiques, perfect scale and placement along with elegant fabrics to create a look that is comfortable, inviting and beautiful all together.  In fact, even his mountain rooms are very refined, but they also manage to have just enough rustic to make them feel absolutely appropriate for the country.


As always, Faudre's accessories are perfect, from the majolica, the design books, the cut crystal vase, bronze sculpture, Black Forest carvings and gorgeous oil paintings.  Once again, a beautiful refined fabric is contrasted with the rustic and placed right in front of a fabulous bark-on twig staircase banister.  


Above, killer corner cupboards, beautifully crafted curtains and wing chairs...a lovely blue and white collection...cashmere plaid and leather dining chairs.  All this elegance is placed in a room with rough-sawn log walls and chinking.  To further the contrast, Faudre added a rustic moose antler chandelier.  Are we in the Appalachians or in Provence?   


Again, every detail in this delightful kitchen by Faudre's is so very perfect.  Faudre has found what is probably one of the best French butcher blocks ever, but he doesn't stop there.  He loads it up with old copper, Spode transfer-ware, Black Forest, oil paintings and majolica.  And it all comes together perfectly!  He really was a master at arranging collections and mixed accessories together.  Again in the kitchen, another beautiful fabric.  This one is upholstered onto painted and aged country-rustic chairs with big round rustic nail heads.  Beautiful!  It's all in the details, and the layers, and more details.



Above...perfect!


Faudre has a love for French antiques, and here in Cashiers, he demonstrates how beautifully French furniture works in rustic mountain homes.  You don't see a lot of wallpaper in rustic homes, but above is a great example of just how effective it can be.  I find clients are so afraid of both wallpaper and curtains.  Why?


Above, country French trumeau mirrors and chests for night stands.  Rich, beautiful fabrics subtly mixed together.  A gorgeous upholstered headboard.  Faudre does seem to like prints with leaves as well as plaids and he mixes them together expertly.


Handsome, but soft, above.  More French antique furnishings.


Above, an absolutely perfectly selected and displayed collection of blue and white with candlesticks on a charming old French chest.


This porch is so perfectly kitted out you almost don't even need the rest of the house!  Why would you ever leave it?


A porch swing!  Don't you just love a porch swing?  And what a wonderful shape this one has. Faudre adds rustic red painted rustic twig chairs and yet places velvet leopard upholstered cushions on them! Beautiful old French antique pots co-exist with a rusty tin bucket full of hydrangeas.  On paper it sounds like such an odd combination... and yet, in his deft hands, it works perfectly.


A truly lovely home...

and a lovely man.  I have all his books and I really admire every project he worked on.   




Want more cabin design inspiration? 

Explore two of our most-loved posts:   


See hundreds of wallpaper and fabrics curated especially for cabins, lodges, and mountain homes.  Tahoedreaminteriors.com    

Follow along for fresh cabin ideas and new mountain home inspiration: 

Let your mountain home reflect the beauty, comfort, and creativity you love.

— Sue Pipal


Posted by No comments:
Labels:

Paint Colors for Cabin Exteriors

Are you struggling with selecting the right colors to paint your cabin, rustic mountain lodge or ski chalet?

As you may know, I am an interior designer.  And yet, a number of years ago, I was contacted by a stranger who had somehow heard about me, asking me if I would be willing to recommend exterior paint colors for a condo development in Tahoe.  Although this was not my specialty at all, I agreed to do it.  Since then, I have done dozens of exterior paint consults on mountain houses, large, small, old and new. People seem so genuinely stumped about what to paint their cabins that I generally agree to help out.




I think that in general, many people, especially second home owners, feel uncomfortable about what colors to select for their mountain home, whereas, they might have little problem finding an easy solution for their suburban or city home.

Of course, color preferences are regional anyway.  Certain colors just look better in certain environments or on particular styles of houses.  You wouldn't paint a mountain house in peach or terracotta, and yet, those colors look wonderful in Southern France or Southern California.  And while an ocean cottage in New England looks great with white paint and black shutters, a scheme like that just lies flat in the mountains.

Adorable in the suburbs, but not in the mountains!
Nowadays, in Tahoe, new houses use mostly transparent stains, not paint, and the stains look wonderful as they let the natural wood grains show.  Unfortunately, if you've got an older cabin, however, stain is not an option because once paint has been used, it can only be covered over with another paint.

So, let's talk about paint color for older cabins.

Grays, Greens and Browns Predominate in the Woods
In the mountains, cabins pop in earthy woodsy tones.  Rich shades of browns, greens and grays look smart and right here.  And, of course, you do see these tones everywhere reflected in the woods, the soil, the pines, the boulders and the bark.

Reds and Golds are Beautiful, Too!
I also like to see certain earthy gold tones and yellows on mountain homes as well as reds, used as accent colors.  You do see these colors up here in summer grasses or wild flowers in our mountain meadows.  And in the autumn, these colors are everywhere.  

I do like gray paint here, but too often I see pale gray paint with white trim.  That's just plain boring and it can turn an interesting house into something unremarkable.  Even worse, people often select a cool gray, whereas a warmer, muddier gray tone works better here.   The house below, uses a nice strong gray, however, and importantly, has popped the gray with lots of rusty red.


Here, the grey is rich and muddy.  Also, the red is repeated in several places with red windows, red front door and a fabulous rusty red corrugated roof.  Not only that, take a close look at the chimney on the left side of the house, and you'll see a lot of red and gray toned rocks.  One of the secrets to making any color combination work is repetition.  Repeat almost anything enough times and it starts to make sense in the brain.  And, did you spot it?  There is one more fabulous red in this photo, the red cotoneaster shrub in the garden.  I wish they'd planted more of these!

There are two additional colors in the house above that make everything come together so well.  One is black.  Even though there is very little of it, the black iron square rivets and strappings on the entry supports give this house punctuation and personality.  If these were painted almost any other color, it just wouldn't be the same (although I could see them working in a deep earthy moss green, too.)

The second color is the bright yellow green you see in the shrubs and plantings.  Red and green are complimentary colors and using this bright green emphasizes all the wonderful red elements all the more.

I also like a color I'll call Mouse, but it's really a color that is sort of half brown and half gray.  It just works in Tahoe.  Sometimes I'll use it in a deep dark, almost black version, but I like it in light and medium tones just as well.  Below, we see it in a medium brown.



This is really the simplest little cabin, but it is on the main road that winds around the lake and every time I drive by I do a little double take.  It's a small houses hidden between trees and kind of hard to spot and yet, those red shutters just light it up.  Also, because the gray/brown "mouse" paint is dark enough, using creamy white as the trim paint looks crisp and fresh.  Don't you agree?  And look at how beautifully the red contrasts with the rich green on the fir needles.  Again, a complementary color combination that sets up just enough tension in your vision to create a little excitement.

On Old Tahoe cabins, I always love warm brown paint colors with creamy yellow trim.  You don't see it that often, but it always works, like in this charmer, below.


This house has a spectacular wrap around porch all done up in that wonderful old river rock.  It's a little hard to tell in the photo, but the rock really does have soft creamy areas where the light reflects on it, repeating the color of the yellow trim.  The taupy-gray roof, which is very visible in one's view of the house is also seen in the soft grays and browns of the stone porch walls.  It all just looks so harmonious, welcoming, warm and charming.  There are several of the dark green umbrellas placed around the porch which add a lot of personality to the overall impression of this house.

If you're a brave soul and love color, you might consider a gold house like in the photo below.


Adding mossy green and intense red to this house has given it character.  Adding changes of materials always adds extra interest and character.  Here the stained shingles and river rock bring so much to this house.  This rather unremarkable cabin has been made special with these details.  (If you try this at home, don't forget the red adirondack chairs, the twin carriage lanterns, the flag and the perfect lawn!)  

Finally, let's look at a lovely muddy green that I just love in Tahoe.  

Again, creamy white trim sets off this beautiful muddy sage color to perfection.  Unpeeled log supports add just what this house needs to make it special.  Of course, a wonderful porch, another perfect lawn, and wicker seating all contribute to the perfection.  

Perhaps you feel like you could use a little help finding the perfect paint combination for your mountain house, too.  With so many requests for help with exterior colors, I've put together a document that gives lots of suggested cabin paint color combinations, including paint product numbers so you can just go to the paint store and buy the exact scheme shown.  I've included all my favorite combos from past projects and also some great ideas from beautiful homes I've photographed around Tahoe.

Exterior Paint Color Combinations for Mountain Homes
There are so many great color combinations in this downloadable PDF that you're sure to find something that works perfectly for your cabin.

Want more cabin design inspiration? 

Explore two of our most-loved posts:   


See hundreds of wallpaper and fabrics curated especially for cabins, lodges, and mountain homes.  Tahoedreaminteriors.com    

Follow along for fresh cabin ideas and new mountain home inspiration: 

Let your mountain home reflect the beauty, comfort, and creativity you love.

— Sue Pipal


Posted by 5 comments:
Labels:

Stunning Woodcarving in this Charming Chalet

Who does this anymore?

I am really knocked out by the carved details in this beautiful baroque mountain chalet in the Italian Dolomites.


The carvings are made by a pair of brothers who mix modern technology with old world skills. As part of their design process, Gianpaolo and Davide Zandegiacomo of Bottega d'Arte meticulously photograph, catalogue and computerize every measurement and space before they design and then painstakingly carve the interiors of their projects.  The brothers also work in a beautiful contemporary chalet style (I'll show you a couple of photos of this later in this posting), but I really love the detail and beauty of this tiny traditional chalet.  


Check out the beautifully coffered ceiling in the sitting room (shown above and below)...


Of course, those of you that follow me know that I love antiques.  And European Mountain antiques are some of my favorites.  I love the cut-out chalet dinning chairs, the black forest carved chair to the right and the beautiful old painted armoire.  Utterly charming.  


Above, a view showing the fabulous painted ceiling.  And don't miss those fantastic parquet floors.  It's a room built for a snow princess to live in.  


Above, an exquisite antique clock pairs with charming painted interior paneling.  


The bedrooms display the same carved detailing.  Love the fantastical curved headboards, the old oil paintings, the rustic plaster work and the carved diagonal support beams!


What a ceiling, above!


Love, love, love... from the amazing iron hardware on the custom carved door, to the beaded crisscross molding on the wall panels and the gorgeous Murano chandelier hanging above all the rustic splendor.  


Even the bathroom, below, has many original carved wood details.  It's a place where old world charm meets perfectly with contemporary comforts.  



If you're a fan of chalet style, you might enjoy some of the items in the Dragonfly Designs online store...

There is a wide selection of chalet inspired fabrics, many from our favorite European manufacturers.

We often have a number of European mountain antiques and accessories to add a touch of whimsy to your mountain house.  
This fabulous clock is hand carved and painted by a modern day American artist in the Rocky mountains.  
Chalet charm is as easy to add as a few charming and affordable pillows.  We have several to choose from.


And here's a few photos of some of the brothers' more contemporary chalet work:




Beautiful!  You can view additional photos of each of these photos here at Archilove.  

If you 'd like to take the official Houzz tour of their Dolomite site, visit:

Houzz Tour: The Art of Woodcarving in the Dolomites


                                                         

Want more cabin design inspiration? 

Explore two of our most-loved posts:   


See hundreds of wallpaper and fabrics curated especially for cabins, lodges, and mountain homes.  Tahoedreaminteriors.com    

Follow along for fresh cabin ideas and new mountain home inspiration: 

Let your mountain home reflect the beauty, comfort, and creativity you love.

— Sue Pipal


Posted by 2 comments:
Labels:

Freedom Lodge--Contrasting Elements Create Rustic Comfort and Excitement

I admire this project from Montana's Pearson Design Group.  In looking at their web-site, I see that they often use muted soft and grayed colors that contrast with the hard stone and wood surfaces that come with mountain design projects.  
Below, you see just how much wood and stone can be found in many mountain rooms.  Although these are beautiful, natural materials, they can create dark and "hard" interiors that are only lightened and brightened with the designer's smart use of contrast.

In this project, contrast is created with the selection of modern furniture, lighting and accessories. These set up a level of tension and excitement when placed amidst the natural elements of traditional stone and rustic log and stick trim.
In the living room, below, the soft caramels and gray-blues are welcoming and comfortable in this room of hard surfaces.  The plush blue velvet on the armchairs and sofa toss pillows is a particularly appealing fabric.  The modern shapes of the arm chairs and the luxe aspect of the velvet would be very at home in a sophisticated urban apartment and yet the leather sleeves on the arms of the armchairs take them back home to the mountains.  Sophistication contrasts with rustic.
 I love the wool plaid reference here on the single pillow.  It salutes tradition without screaming lumberjack.
Contrast:  The tradition of plaid fabrics in soft colors and a large modern scale.
The living room's plush area rug repeats the shapes, colors and patterns seen in the stonework on the fireplace but the rustic texture gives the room a soft natural appeal.  The carpet, the big wood slab coffee table, the huge stone mantle and hearth and the leather furnishings all have a heaviness that settles deeply into the floor.  However, that is all contrasted by the light and airy elements of the wrap around windows.   
Above, I really like how the quiet dark paint on the cabinets juxtaposes with all the movement and texture seen in each piece of wood and stone.  Here, simple and flat contrasts with complicated patina.   
In the bedroom below, the designer did a very smart thing in upholstering the bed niche.  It creates a comfortable tailored retreat and a beautiful "cocoon" for sleeping and relaxing amidst all the rusticity.  Again, there is a soft appeal to these fabrics and colors.  So often in mountain houses, people choose brown fabrics in dark muted shades.  Why not let the contrast of lighter colors in fabrics with gentle touch appeal create living zones that beckon and support?

 Above, beige, grey, taupe and cream are sophisticated, light and beautiful in this bathroom and yet, it settles perfectly within this heavily rusticated mountain retreat.
I love curtains in mountain homes and you can see exactly why in the photos above and below. They add both a sophistication and softening element that most mountain homes badly need.  In this room, the pretty curtains, the extra thick area rug and the upholstered bed nook contribute a human element amidst all the rugged textures of the rough-sawn reclaimed walls and ceiling, hand-hewn logs and old barn doors. This, to me is a skilled use of contrast in action.  Even more sophistication and comfort are created with the addition of an elegant chandelier, the comfort of swing arm reading lights and dramatic candlesticks.
Contrast:  I particularly love the way the homespun natural linen bedspread is topped with a luxurious knit fur throw.
Contrast:  A modern painting hangs on old barn wood siding.
Contrast:  A monumental hand-made natural log chair is softened and sophisticated with the addition of a few beautiful tailored cushions.
This beautiful mountain house could have been furnished in brown faux suedes and traditional furnishings, but in the experienced hands of a talented design group that knows how to expertly introduce contrast, it sparkles and sings.

Want more cabin design inspiration? 

Explore two of our most-loved posts:   


See hundreds of wallpaper and fabrics curated especially for cabins, lodges, and mountain homes.  Tahoedreaminteriors.com    

Follow along for fresh cabin ideas and new mountain home inspiration: 

Let your mountain home reflect the beauty, comfort, and creativity you love.

— Sue Pipal


Posted by 6 comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)