August 07, 2019

Beachy Bungalows

August 07, 2019/ Meryl

Here we are in August - the time of year we always vacationed when I was a kiddo. Which got me thinking about a summer long ago - my folks rented a lovely little shingled bungalow with a private beach for a few weeks in Dennisport, MA - which started me on this piece. Let’s take a look at some of these lovely gems.

“shingle: a small thin piece of building material often with one end thicker than the other for laying in overlapping rows as a covering for the roof or sides of a building ”

— Merriam - Webster

This is my Grandparents church Sacred Heart in Bay Head NJ, so pretty.

There are two vastly different beach towns that my family love. Ocean City, NJ with its Board Walk- filled with rides and yummy treats from Shrivers Candy Store and Manco & Manco Pizza and the beatific Chatham, MA located on the elbow of Cape Cod with it’s pretty shoreline and delightful downtown filled with shops and eateries.

Steven and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary with a stay at Chatham Bars Inn.

This sweet cottage above once belonged to my Mother-In-Law Marge and her husband Jack. The home below we rented with good friends on Main Street, Chatham in 2006.

Is there are style of architecture that really speaks to you? Let me know what it is!

Til next time!

July 17, 2019

Deck Refresh

July 17, 2019/ Meryl

Recently I had a ton of fun helping a client with the redesign of the massive deck she shares with her husband and three small children. This is where we started. They had the furniture we just needed to get busy bringing this space to life!

The client and I are IG friends. When she posted the above image - I sent a message suggesting she reorient one of the couches and pull in the two chairs to make a cozy lounge area. The next day she told me she and her husband had sat out there the previous evening and how much they enjoyed the new vibe.

May 28, 2019 Just having pulled the lounge area together

We kept chatting about the design - the different zones. The lounge, the dining, grilling and kid zone and that’s when she hired me. The next steps included making a plan, a shopping list and then getting a date to meet at the At Home Store in Wayne, NJ.

It’s important when working with a client that I keep their design sensibility and budget in mind. As I mentioned my client already had the furniture she just needed my help to finish the space. She is a lover of a classic aesthetic - and wanted this area to be grounded in neutrals.

As we chatted I asked: do you need cushions? do you need an umbrella and base? do you have a large tray for the table? do you have lanterns? do you have battery operated candles? do you have real candles? do you have melamine dishes and glasses? Remember this is a room that just happens to be outside - you need all the same things you need for inside!

I wish I had thought to take the cover off of the grill but, you all get the idea…the grill now has it’s own area instead of being next to the seating area. It’s actually closer to the kitchen door. now.

I suggested an AstroTurf rug for under the kiddos play table which is behind the lounge area. Something fun to do is to fill a large plastic bin with bubbles and water pistols. This way the kiddos have access to them and Mom and Dad will know where they are too! You want to enjoy your deck and your children do too - so set them up to have fun so you can relax!

For less than $400.00 we purchased:

One 7 x 10 Rug
A 7-1/2 foot Crank Umbrella
Umbrella Base
Three Throw Pillows
Two Chair Cushions
Three Decorative Bowls in various designs and material all good for Outdoor Use.

The clients are enjoying the space both day and night!

Click here to read the full client services Chaletmomma offers.

Til next time!

June 12, 2019

Chalet Design

June 12, 2019/ Meryl

In January I shared a piece Design Shift where I mapped out how I got to our new Crate and Barrel Couch and the evolution of the changes that have taken place in the Chalet decor since last summer. I followed up with Inspirational Images sharing images of spaces and designers who were inspiring me in the direction of my rug search.

Today I’m wrapping up this conversation. If you follow along on IG than some of these changes aren’t new but, let’s dive into the final result anyway…how I got where I am today June 12th, 2019.

Here’s a bit of the backstory if you’re unfamiliar - So last summer - when no amount of pillow swapping would cure my angst about the decor in the Chalet. I pulled the trigger with my husband’s blessing and ordered a new couch. I felt the taupe theme that was in our livingroom for 10 years had to go.

Here’s what the space looked like last fall.

I ordered the couch and found my round coffee table at Home Sense and I was off to the races my friends!

Once I had the coffee table and couch I worked my way around the Chalet refining book piles, editing picture frames and in general making it tighter. Layered is great but, messy and unfocused is not. When I got to lighting - I adding a new drum shade to the vintage Chinese lamp - a new smaller more modern lamp for the black Chinese cabinet and I went mid-century modern with the set of green ceramic for the diningroom - all purchased at Home Sense. I lessened the amount of decor on the mantel - limiting them to one side and focusing on a sole piece of art by Allison Ford on the other. I made pillow covers - you can spy one on the leather chair above. Then we moved some chairs around between the porch and the livingroom.

While trying to figure out the rugs - as you read in Artistic Artery - I pulled all the art down and repainted our Hall Behr Paint Pink Prism. Our Bedroom is also Pink - I love pink - to me it’s a neutral. It makes everyone happy who sees it. I also lessened the approach when I rehung the art - taking my time to focus on a portrait gallery - I put some art away.

Crate Kids

Rugs USA

Home Sense

Target

Crate and Barrel

Crate and Barrel Baxter Rugs

The process of finding new rugs took about 6 months. I looked and looked - I vacillated over the design direction. As is my curse I like so many styles. Our old rugs were Pottery Barn - and to span the challenging length and width of the Chalet livingroom and den area - 10 x 24 - I had previously gone with 3 rugs. The Images above show the progression of the Rug hunt. Top left was a Crate Kids design I tried to order but, it was Sold Out! It still makes me cringe! Then I decided to shift my focus to a layered look ordering the top middle geometric design from Rugs USA - I thought I would layer a rug I have over it - they were delivered all the furniture was moved but, the moment Steven started rolling out the rug I said “Stop it’s bringing on a Vertigo Episode” so back they went and the hunt continued. Finally I ended up at my local Crate and Barrel store (I really am a big fan of this brand -Hello Brand Ambassadorship anyone? my dining table and glass door cabinets in the diningroom are from Crate) there I bought three Baxter Rugs a 5x8, a 8x10 and a 6x9. They are made of New Zealand Wool and have shed little to none. I’m very pleased.

I completely restyled the little spot in the diningroom last month. I love it now! I still needed to change the shade to a modern drum shade - it took a while to find just the right one. Many shades were either too small or too large. I just picked up the pretty patterned number below on Monday at my local At Home store - while I was there working with a client.

Will I say that I’m done… NO… I still think I may want to add a layering rug under the coffee table to make the room pop more. I would love more pattern; recently I added Bessie to the wall, more books and collections to the Coffee Table and here we are. The design scheme is more streamlined and I’m pleased… I no longer think my style is Cacophony of Crap! I think my style has traditional elements with a bit of Modern, Chinoiserie and Vintage thrown in. I’d label it: