It’s been a productive year at the Collins/Howard household (we built a kitchen island, bought a sofa, hung bookshelves, installed a chandelier, and constructed a birch-log table, to name a few projects). Though, as anyone who owns a home knows, your work is never done–but that’s the good news. Mike and I always have a blast doing these projects, and we have no shortage of them lined up in 2010.
To-do List
(Above) Living Room Art: We bought these 19th-century fern prints almost a year ago, and they desperately need to be matted, framed, hung, and enjoyed! Once that happens, I have reserved a home for them to the left of our living room fireplace.
Living Room Storage: I’ve been eyeing this shaped storage unit from Brocade Home since it came out in 2007. (Think I should pull the trigger already?) This unit–or a yet-to-be-discovered vintage hutch–would flank the other side of my living room fireplace and be the hub for Mike’s incredible antique camera collection, our books, and a few other favorite accessories.
Bedroom Fireplace: Much to our handyman’s chagrin, we ripped this once-cherry-colored mantel off the wall, cut out its ornately carved archway, and painted it an oil-based white. We love it, but it has been pathetically leaning against the wall since the fireplace excavation. The next step is to lay bricks along the foundation, seamlessly secure it to the wall, and somehow get this bowing piece of wood to lie flush. Genius will strike, I’m sure.
The Kitchen Bar: Our 1950s tin-top table works nicely as a bar, but the surface is getting a bit cramped. Now I’m on the hunt for a wall rack/shelf that we can use to hang wineglasses from below and store cookbooks and kitchen tchotchkes on top. If any one sees something fabulous like this, please let me know!
Guest Room Window: I love this oversize red magnolia wallpaper so much that I considered having it printed as a fabric for a Roman shade. However, since I need only a few yards, this started to sound like a rough proposition, plus the existing shade is in fine condition. The new plan? Build a wooden valance and wallpaper it. If all goes well, the small dose of pattern should balance the room and finish the window.
Office Shelves: In the new year we have to get Mike’s office in order, and once we do, the antique ski shelves are going up!
The list goes on and on–art for the mantel, a rug for the guest room, refinishing the kitchen cabinets–but it’s all a process, and we hope to be tweaking, improving, and enjoying this home for a long time to come.
If you don’t already know about Barbara Cosgrove’s lamp designs—let me tell you—they are gorgeous! I’ve been eyeing her work for a few years, but now I have an apartment pretty enough to warrant such chicness.
At the time, I didn’t realize my love for extra tall table lamps. But Mike did. He saw this 26″ piece towering above the crowd and, without much struggle, convinced me to get it. I was a little nervous about the height but seeing it in our bedroom, I feel like it brings a sense of importance to the light and the whole space (note: wall art, coming soon).
