our poconos lake cottage

Happy Friday! I know it's been a very long time since my last blog post. The main reason? I've been super busy making beautiful pillows for my wonderful clients. I've also been renovating our historic row house {well...not me, but highly talented contractors}. The final reason I've been holding back blog posts is because I'm waiting for the Better Homes and Gardens magazine feature of our home in Charlotte to be published - it was a year ago this month they did the photoshoot. I stopped sharing renovation photos of our Philly house because once again there are plans for a photoshoot and magazine feature. I do plan to share many progress photos in the coming weeks of our row house renovation {if you follow me on Instagram, you've probably already seen the pics}.

After living in Philadelphia for one year, a few weeks ago we loaded up the dogs and drove two hours from center city to the Pocono Mountains..."The Poconos" to spend our first night at our new lake side cottage. Just as I finished our complex kitchen and master suite renovations at our historic row house, I find myself invigorated with the idea of simple DIY projects at our 1980s lake house

For now, let me introduce you to our lake house!

It was built in the 80s with a fabulous open floor plan. The first level has a large entryway, half bath, coat and laundry closet, eat-in kitchen, dining room and living room - a great room. The back of the house is all windows with views of the mature birch, cherry and spruce trees, and of course, the lake. The spiral staircase leads to the second floor with two small guest bedrooms, a full guest bath with a vaulted ceiling and skylight, and the master suite. The master bedroom is huge with a vaulted ceiling and the same wall of windows the living space below enjoys. The kitchen and entryway have pegwood floors, bathrooms have white tile, and the rest of the house has Berber carpet. The one downside to this house? It's very 1980s in its style and decor. The house came furnished, so I am living with what we have for the most part.  I plan to slowly introduce a more functional 'modern cabin' aesthetic to our home. I've already updated the entryway with cedar trim, paint and lots of hooks {a before and after post coming soon}! I've painted the spiral staircase black from white. Actually, the whole house is light beige with white trim, so there will be many rooms to paint. Here's a photo of the back of the house at dusk.

morning steam rising from the lake

Before & Progress Photos: The Office

While the planning continues for our kitchen and bathroom renovations, there are a few smaller projects in our new Philadelphia home that we're finishing up this week. One of those projects is my husband's office. So it's time to share some 'before' and 'progress' photos! I'll share the 'after' photos once it's all put together. 

The office has a lovely fireplace {one of seven in the house} with recessed walls on both sides. Whenever I see recessed walls, I think "bookshelves!" There's nothing better in an office or living space than a wall of book, don't you think? And we have a lot of books. 

I wasn't a fan of the fireplace mantle - the color of the wood and the style didn't fit the aesthetic I had in mind for the office. We removed the wood mantle and the surround {it's now in our painter's new home}, and painted the room in "Abalone" - Benjamin Moore's Natura color. Then we had eight floating wood shelves built and washed in a light ash stain. I can't wait to add our books to the new shelves! 

I'm pulling together an idea board for the office's furnishings and decor - mostly using the pieces we already have. Part of our larger renovation includes refinishing all the heart pine wood floors in a darker color - removing a lot of the orange tone. One odd thing about this office is that there's no overhead light - so we'll definitely have to install new lighting. 

Getting settled in the new home

Settling in…how long should it really take after a big move? Well, I think I'm setting a new record. It seems the only room truly unpacked is our formal living room, which we rarely use. Since we are planning to remodel our kitchen, guest bath, and master suite this summer, our house is still full of boxes and most of our possessions are misplaced. 

However, the good news is things are moving along in my new studio. The top to the large worktable arrived today, and they are building the base of the worktable as I type this post. It took five young men to hoist the table top up to the fourth floor from the courtyard below because it's too big to fit up the stairs. The carpenter is building the table today and painting it tomorrow! {see preview shots below} My new utility sink arrives next week, and then I can begin screen printing again. Woo hoo! 

I thought I'd share a few photos of the formal living room with you today. It's not complete but it's presentable in small does! I haven't hung anything on the plaster walls yet for fear of cracking them. 

My new worktable top being hoisted up to the studio from the roof deck.

Studio Space: Attic or Basement?

Context is everything. Especially when it comes to space planning and interior design - for me, at least. I've never been one of those lucky people who can visualize a space in my mind, and make design decisions about it. I have to be standing in a space in order to design it. Case in point: My studio.

If you recall, my first post about our new home in Philadelphia mentions placing my studio in the basement where there's a separate entrance from the front of the house, a utility sink and lots of built-in storage. Perfect, right? I thought it was perfect until my husband floated the idea of moving my studio to the fourth floor. So after spending a few days in the house, I've changed my mind. I'd love to get your opinion...even though I'm sure you'll agree with me!

paint colors for a new home...

Hello! I know it's been awhile since I've posted any news about our move to Philadelphia, but I have so much to share now. We closed on our new 200-year old Federal style row house on Friday, and I took hundreds of 'before' photos so I can start sharing my renovation and decorating ideas with you.

We're having the interior of the house painted next week before we move in, and I've kept the color palette very simple. Basically, white, white and light grey. Why so much white? The house has 11-foot ceilings, seven fireplaces, several chandeliers, ornate gilded mirrors in the living and dining rooms, and wide plank heart pine wood floors. For me, those features are enough, and adding color on the walls before I know how my furniture will change the space makes me a little nervous. Here are a few of the before photos I took this weekend to give you a flavor of the house...

Before: Living room with marble fireplace, gilded mirror, heart pine floors & chandelier

Before: View of pocket doors into dining room

Before: View from living into the entry hall and dining room.

Before: Dining room with another marble fireplace and a gorgeous ornate mirror.Before: Entry way with two chandeliers & picture rail molding.

My color choices:
The trim, doors and windows in "Decorator's White" by Benjamin Moore.



The walls and ceilings in "Clam" by Benjamin Moore.

The office, and entryway space above the picture rail in Abalone by Benjamin Moore.





I've decided to paint the floors in the master bedroom white. This will be my first white floor! I've always wanted to try it, but my wood floors were much too pretty to paint. Don't worry, I won't be painting the heart pine wood floors. The floors in the master bedroom at some point were replaced with 2" pine or oak with an unappealing yellow-ish stain. I'm not a fan of the golden stain along side the beautiful dark wood trim and cabinets surrounding the fireplace. Don't you think the white floors will make the room feel more cohesive and much more elegant? 

My Plan. Paint the master bedroom floors white.

Note the transition from wide plank heart pine floors to 2" oak flooring just after the wall.

I can't wait to share the 'after' photos with you in a few weeks. Until then, I plan to share more of my renovation ideas with you - there's so much to do! We're starting with the master bathroom, kitchen and a small guest bathroom. Plus, there's all the little details - switch plates, door knobs, light fixtures, my studio...it just goes on and on!