On my walk home last night I stopped and got some lilies, not only to help mask the
steak smoke smell but because it's our first taste of spring in DC.
I spent St. Patricks Day evening eating shortbread for dinner (ok, and a more nutritous salad) and watching
The Irish Country House narrated by the magnificent Angelica Huston who was lucky enough to be raised in one of these grand mansions.
I also wanted to share with you the progress of my friend Maxine's house (hi Maxine!). You may remember I've been helping her in setting up her new townhouse (remember the
colored lites?). These are some
rough snapshots of the work we've accomplished so far.
Maxine travels the world for work and is always bringing back new treasures. She is not afraid of color and her home is beginning to show this! I loved this blue updated damask wallpaper we chose for her stairwell along with one of her many moroccan lanterns we hung throughout the house.
These lanterns really add a lot of additional color to the neutral backdrops we chose for the bedrooms which don't benefit from the colored lights with the exception of the mater bedroom. This wallpaper is subtle in person, the pattern being an embossed silver over an ivory background which matches the wall color.
The mirrored nightstand and nickel lamps pick up the silver accents in the wallpaper and also help reflect the natural light which streams into the master bedroom in the morning.
One last hint of color we brought into the bathrooms was by painting the wood builder-grade cabinets in bold glossy colors - why not bring a smile to your face in the morning with color?
On my walk home last night I stopped and got some lilies, not only to help mask the steak smoke smell but because it's our first taste of spring in DC.
I spent St. Patricks Day evening eating shortbread for dinner (ok, and a more nutritous salad) and watching The Irish Country House narrated by the magnificent Angelica Huston who was lucky enough to be raised in one of these grand mansions.
I also wanted to share with you the progress of my friend Maxine's house (hi Maxine!). You may remember I've been helping her in setting up her new townhouse (remember the colored lites?). These are some rough snapshots of the work we've accomplished so far.
These lanterns really add a lot of additional color to the neutral backdrops we chose for the bedrooms which don't benefit from the colored lights with the exception of the mater bedroom. This wallpaper is subtle in person, the pattern being an embossed silver over an ivory background which matches the wall color. 
One last hint of color we brought into the bathrooms was by painting the wood builder-grade cabinets in bold glossy colors - why not bring a smile to your face in the morning with color?
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18 comments:
These pictures are great but they're a tease! Makes me want to see the whole place. I love all the colorful bits and the collected pieces from her travels. Does she take baths with that giant rubber ducky? :)
I love lillies. I did a whole Christmas tree once in silver balls and white lillies. Gorgeous, but I spent the entire month of December refilling the little flower vials.
Loving Maxine's wallpaper as well, especially that dark damask. Great choices.
Eric - she actually has like 6-8 of those giant rubber duckies -so fun!
David - They do drink a LOT! Ordering the wallpaper from England was a bit of a hassle so now that it's up we're so glad they worked out well.
Great work, Stefan! I love the wallpaper, the Moroccan lanterns and the blue-painted cabinets, especially. We did the same with our kitchen cabinets - 1970s dark, dark cherry - after, and this was in the years when contractors could charge what they wanted, getting an extortionate estimate for the kitchen remodel. Ours are a grey blue and work well with updated counters and appliances. Why send something to the landfill when a coat or two of lacquer will make it more beautiful and perfectly serviceable?
Wow, that wallpaper (and the way the light hits it) is amazing! Great eye!
Color, color COLOR! Three cheers. I've seen Blue's blue cabinets and they seriously blue.
I love the wallpapers you chose! I've long hesitated doing any wallpaper in my own home because I like to change things fairly often and wallpaper seems like much more of a commitment than paint, but I've seen enough great papers recently to make me rethink.
Brandon- we used wallpaper sparingly -mostly just as feature walls. one wall of the stair hall (the opposite is fully mirrored) and the bed wall of all 3 bedrooms. I suppose in a few years they can be painted over if Maxine were ever to grow tired of them.
The use of color is just so fun and represents vivacious Maxine so well!
The house is looking amazing. Love your choice to paint her bathroom vanity such a pretty blue. I need to rent the show on Irish Houses you mentioned. Hope you have a great weekend. So loving the weather we had in DC!
I would fall in love with any house with a lantern from Morocco...wanted to bring one home years ago, but couldn't quite manage with two small children in tow (one of them your friend JCB!) Most of all, I am ecstatic to see color again and you have used it so creatively.
Stunning!
I look forward to seeing more of your work, Stefan.
Looking great! Especially loving the beautiful blue hallway wallpaper!!
I also love lillies - they remind me of Easter service and my grandma's house - and the wallpaper is really jazzy - KDM
SO much fun....love the glossy blue!
Love the color and the Maxine Workshop tours. Why have we become so beige (not in my house, mind you)? Here's an idea that might be better than lillies to clear the air: houseplants that asborb the bad stuff: http://www.zone10.com/nasa-study-house-plants-clean-air.html
Stefan,
I love the moody feel of the stair hall and feature walls with paper, I agree that sometimes that's all you need! And, the choice to go with a glossy blue bath cabinet looks great against the creamy tile!
Holy Cow...what a surprise!
Stefan, you make great photos.
Thanks for the kind comments.
And Stefan, great job with the styling!
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