July 31, 2019

van Gogh

July 31, 2019/ Meryl

My son - who always has the best ideas - suggested I share a piece about Vincent van Gogh. I so hope you enjoy!

I can’t tell you how many images I’ve taken of this painting Roses over the years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art it’s one of my favorites. I recently watched Loving Vincent this film is incredible. Oil paintings come to life. If you have not watched you really should. Not only is it incredible to view but, it offers a different take on the painters life.

I love the above painting Oleanders so much I have a framed copy in the Chalet.

I took these images just a few weeks ago on the July 13, I was in the city to celebrate my birthday and what better way to spend an afternoon than wandering around the best place on earth! I’m excited to be sharing a piece about my visits to the Met in the upcoming weeks… I hope you’ll look for it!

The Self Portrait with a Straw Hat has a painting on obverse The Potato Peeler - it was extremely difficult to photograph - so I am sharing my image and the image from the Met Museum.

The Potato Peeler on back of Self Portrait with Straw Hat wm.jpg

The Potato Peeler clear image from catalog.jpeg

There are so many works by this amazing soul… I thought I would share some options that were available at the Kiosk outside the Gallery. You can find much more at the Met Museum Store.

Three Ink over Graphite works that hang in my sisters powder room.

Three Cottages in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.jpg

Engagement Calendar Self Portrait Study.jpg

The above images are from a 2006 Engagement Calendar - I love the variety of works included.

I hope you enjoyed this peek at this brilliant talent. Who is your favorite artist?

Til next time!

July 24, 2019

Celebrating 16 years of Chalet Life!

July 24, 2019/ Meryl

Today marks the Anniversary of the day we took ownership of the Chalet! 16 years ago today … we signed the papers on this quirky little beauty. The Chalet was the first home built on property subdivided in 1924 from the Leaycraft Estate. Our street bears the name of that Estate.

Chalet: a wooden house or cottage with overhanging eaves typically found in the Swiss Alps.

While driving with a friend we stumbled upon a For Sale by Owner sign that soon turned into our destiny. A home for sale in my old neighborhood! My dream location full of quiet streets, unique architecture and close to the park. I knew the house - while growing up a few block away I trick or treated here and rode my bike by what we called “The Red Schoolhouse” because it was painted red and the center chimney looks like a bell tower. You can see it here in the 1968 watercolor by artist Nat Lewis. This painting was gifted to us by a former owners daughter. We are so very blessed to have this hanging on our wall.

We started calling it “The Chalet” soon after moving in. Built as a vacation home by Austrian craftsmen brought in specifically by Dr. Morgan the original owner. At roughly 1400 square feet it’s not overly large - it has three-bedroom and although we were originally moving to gain space we have forgiven the Chalet for only offering us one small bath. It has wonderful unique features such the hand cut railings and multiple sets of French doors throughout - there’s so much to love.

We’ve so fortunate to enjoy open-concept living in a home which is almost 100 years old. We’ve jokingly coined the phrase Step-Saver to describe our Kitchen because if you stand in the middle of the room you can reach out and touch everything without taking a step!

Adding to the homey feel, is the fireplace with it’s beautiful carvings in the center of the house.

One major change we’ve made to the Chalet was enclosing our porch. It was an open air galerie - you can read more about it here. Hands down the best thing we’ve done. Both the Master bedroom and our son’s bedroom are above this space. The Chalet is weather tight and quieter!

We love sleeping in the tree tops!

1952

2004

1976

I love these images - the middle is when we still had the humongous American Beech out front. We loved that tree but, it started loosing limbs. You can see it in the image that was published in a local history book in 1976.

Steven, Liam and I have filled the Chalet with many treasures but, the best part of the Chalet is sharing it with others!

We feel so very blessed every day to be able to call this jewel home.

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.