The Perfect White!!

Inspired by the Southern Creole style of well-known architect Ken Tate, this LSU alumna Claire Boyles wanted a home with a timeless and livable mix of old and new. She hired architect J. Marshall Porterfield to create his spin on Louisiana style and Steve Blalock to build her dream home. Keeping to clean lines and a primarily white color palette for the walls, the homeowner warms up the space with rich plaster, wonderful antiques and pops of contemporary art.

The entry hall has a great modern meets old world feel with these custom-made lanterns from Boxwood Interiors that echo the metal and glass front door. We plastered the walls and ceilings in the tone of the homeowner’s favorite white (Benjamin Moore “White Dove”). Though making a plaster this white proved challenging because plaster has a natural gray cast, I love the way that plaster made these tones warm. The rich medium brown flooring from Peacock Pavers out of Alabama also adds wonderful character!

This elegant dining room is so timeless with its antique elements like the gorgeous chandelier and French dining table, both from AREA. The white, slipcovered chairs are a temporary fix from IKEA, but definitely fooled me! She brought in a bit of an animal theme that continues into other areas with the artwork and antelope patterned wool rug from Creative Flooring. Carrying over the same plaster treatment from the entry really balances the great earth tones in this room and adds to the flow of the home.  As the homeowner says, “plaster brings so much life to variations of white which I absolutely love!”

This study has such a fun, eclectic feel!!! The homeowner collaborated with her friend, designer Holly Hibbert, to come up with the thoughtful placement of accessories on the shelves. It creates an incredible focal point that draws you into the room. The two red paintings by Houston artist Van McFarland provide a great pop against the Sherwin Williams “Anonymous” painted built-ins and paneling. The different textures of the Conrad grass cloth shades and the layered rugs adds so much dimension! And I love the sawhorse desk from AREA!

Inspired by Betaplus interior design books that showcase Belgian interiors, the homeowner came up with this lovely mix of sleek and antique elements. The concrete by Del Gunnells creates a contemporary feel amidst antique accents like the gilded mirror from Carl Moore Antiques and the sconces from Janet Wiebe. The baskets underneath from Indulge add great texture – plus extra storage!

This bar area that functions as a butler’s pantry and wet bar is an ideal space for entertaining! Its geometric, clean lines work wonderfully mixed with the beautiful oval window and custom-made doors.

To achieve a sophisticated, yet comfortable living room, Claire focused on building a backdrop that would bring history and warmth. The wood beams, wide-plank floors, and stone fireplace play up the architecture while the plastered walls develop greater depth. She brought in some of her favorite antique finds but kept the room from feeling too formal through the styling. For instance, using two unique lamps rather than a pair of matching ones adds an unexpected touch, and leaving the mirror resting on the mantle rather than hung lessens the formality.

 

For the breakfast area, Claire played with simple elements to create a winning combination. The modern artwork from Frame Tek is a great graphic accent. Notice the mix of chairs to go with this beautiful table from The Sitting Room!!! Once again, all the chairs are from IKEA!!! 

Serving as a central gathering place, the kitchen needed to be functional, light-filled and inviting. To help create the right ambience and ensure efficient use of the space, Susan Schneider was brought on as her kitchen designer. Benjamin Moore “White Dove” on the walls and Martin Senour “Polished Granite” on the cabinets perfectly complements the beautiful Calcutta Gold marble countertops. While marble can be porous, “the imperfections that develop over time add character, and the beauty of the marble makes it worth any of the downsides,” according Claire. Susan did an excellent job incorporating the appliance panel, a have-to-have on her list of wants! The hanging light fixtures were custom-made from C. Damien Fox Lamps which specializes in custom pieces and one-of-a-kind lighting.

Even the staircase has personality!!! Getting inspiration from designer Blake Winston, a close friend, this leopard runner was added to liven up the stairs and hold up to kids and dogs. The painting by Houston artist Marthann Masterson who happens to also be the homeowner’s mother-in-law adds just the right amount of color!!! And the geometric lines of the chair in the painting carry over to the beautiful balustrades that the homeowner found at the Warrenton Antique Festival. 

The kids love using this upstairs space as an extra area to hang out for video game extravaganzas. The slipcovers, made of white hemp from High Fashion, are great for easy clean up! To personalize the space, the kids’ artwork adds a great pop of color.  I love the old balustrades that are used as side tables!!

Her son’s room has a great Texas-themed neutral palette. These new pine beams from The Wood Shop of Texas were distressed and grayed to look old, keeping costs down. Blake Winston helped again in choosing the fabrics, paint and furnishings. I love this neutral stripe fabric they chose from Pindler and Pindler! 

The backyard is such a nice place to relax and enjoy the pool. These chairs were a great find from Roundtop. Formerly bright red, we painted them a nice, rich gray brown to look like her patio furniture. The house just turned out amazing!! Claire you did an amazing job!!!  Thanks to Wade Blissard for such wonderful photography!!

 For more information on Segreto:Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors go to http://segretofinishes.com/the-book.html    Oh big favor- if you like the blog or Segreto Finishes, please "like" us on the Facebook! Have a great week, I love that it is getting cooler!!! thanks xo-  Leslie

Ideas for Wine Bottles and Corks

I love a glass of wine at the end of  the day to wind down and relax so I always have an accumulation of bottles and corks.   Picking up a Continental magazine on a recent flight I see that the US isn't the only country that may have a few empty bottles in their recycle bins. According to the Wine Institute (http://www.wineinstitute.org/), the highest per capita consumption of wine in any country is in Vatican City State with over 70 liters (or nearly 100 bottles) per year! In France, it's around 55 liters of wine a year. No wonder I like to travel abroad!!  And the US? A scant 10 liters!   I wanted to find some creative ways to re-use bottles and corks I've accumulated. With the internet to my rescue, I found these wonderful ideas from Pinterest, my new obsession, (http://pinterest.com/) and various blogs.

Applying finishes to bottles gives them a whole new look! The various sizes of the assortment above provides interest but the cohesive white color scheme unifies the collection. You could spray paint these any other color to suit your decor or even age them with a tea stain to give patina.

 

These, from Curious Sofa (http://curioussofa.blogspot.com/), are perfect for a French country look.  Covered in muslin and then topped with gesso, the wine bottles have an age-old finish that is further enhanced by the vintage style of the stenciled numbers. While a bit more of a complicated craft than some of the other examples, I love their look.

These elegant champagne bottles featured on The Next Bird (http://www.thenextbird.com/2011/09/bachelorette-party-part-1.html) were the perfect place settings for a wedding.  Served chilled and placed on the table at the event, the guests took them home as favors.  I see so many versions of this  fab idea.  You could paint favorites phrases or cool designs on it and use on book shelves as decoration ,as flower vases,  or as soap dispensers with a nozzle attached!!    Here’s how to do --After cleaning off the bottle with a brillo pad, you simply take puff paint to carefully write names or designs on each bottle, applying a second coat when dry to ensure the words will pop. You can use either chalkboard paint, available at any home improvement store, or any other acrylic paint to cover the bottles and complete the transformation.

 

I love this idea too!!  So easy to do and so cute!!  Rebecca's Soap Deli News (http://www.soapdelinews.com/2011/05/diy-chalkboard-paint-ideas.html) showcased these bottles that are also covered in chalkboard paint but are simply customized with chalk rather than puff paint, allowing them to be used again and again. What a fun way to write menus or just to use as a message board for the household!

What a beautiful romantic center piece to this elegant dinner party!!  This look from Curbly (http://www.curbly.com/diy-maven/posts/9944-six-heavenly-wine-bottle-centerpieces) is so simple but so impactful!!!  If you can't find different size bottles, you can use different height candles, as seen here, to create levels.  The bottles could also be filled with sand, rose petals, beans or other small items to suit the party or holiday's theme. For instance, candy corn would be great for fall, red hots for Valentine’s Day, or even dirt for an older than dirt party... I guess that shows how old I am!  

 

Another Curbly look, I think the mixture of matte and gloss black adds a lot of interest and could be achieved in any color, not just black.

Wine bottles can make great, simple flower arrangements. Grouping some different heights together, each with a few stems, would create a beautiful centerpiece. I love that the corks, attached to wire, were incorporated in with the flowers here for a whimsical touch.

These wine bottles are great just as they are.  They are a limited edition Mer Soleil Silver Unoaked Chardonnay 2009. You can purchase them at Kroger for $25; and best of all, the wine is as good as the bottle looks.

 

While bottles are perfect for tablescapes, I think corks are becoming just as popular for decorative accents. I have seen corks being sold at Pottery Barn, even at Marburger Farms Antique show in Round Top Texas... I could probably quit my day job and support myself selling off my stash!!! These are great to use as filler for bowls, as a cork board at a desk or even as a wine room or cellar backsplash.

 

Placing corks between two hurricane glasses, as shown here from Tip Junkie (www.decorate.tipjunkie.com), creates a nice candlelit glow. The neutrality of the corks makes this an easy accent piece to incorporate virtually anywhere in the home, not just something to pull out for parties.

Here's an example of the place cardholders I mentioned above. While extremely low-cost, the corks add an elegant touch for dinner parties or, in this case from Wondering Weddings (www.wonderingweddings.com), for wedding table cards. Delores from Vignette Designs  glues two together forming a base and adds a third on top to make a tripod; then cuts a slit down the center to insert the card.

What an incredible backsplash for this wine bar from Pinterest! This would be significantly less expensive than using tile and would be a great way to remember some of your favorite wines. While corks are porous, a few coats of polyurethane or polycrylic will protect them from water splashes and allow for easy clean up.

Here's a fun, kitschy cork board from Craftster (http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=343669.0) that would also use up old bottle caps too, perfect for beer and wine drinkers. 

Large, graphic letters being hung as artwork is always fun. Create one out of corks, like this cork 'D'.  You can find wooden letters at craft stores to use as the base or for large scale ones cut your own. Then glue on a mix of a few cut-up corks with intact ones to create a sort of mosaic that adds interest and highlights the graphics on each cork.



 This painting I did for a clients bar has wine corks embedded into the painting.  Looks like they have a shadow box of meaningful corks framed on the counter as well!!

Here is another painting I did where I used corks in the art!!!  This is for my daughters house--no worries she is over 21!!  Hope you find all these ideas useful and fun and beware you may get addicted to Pinterest as I have!!   Send me some photos of any great project ideas you have for wine bottles or corks!! Leslie@segretofinishes.com 

On November 1 from 10:00-2:00 I will be at Joyce Horn Antiques at 1022 Wirt Rd # 326, Houston, TX 77055 for a booksigning and their new fall shipment. Visit website:  www.joycehornantiques.com  Hope to see you there!!

Updating Without Renovating!!

One of my dear friends and former employees, Leslie Carrigan (yes, another Leslie - it was very confusing!), is selling her beautifully updated townhome that's full of specialty finishes. While at Segreto, Leslie worked as the liaison for Houston's high-end builder spec homes market and saw firsthand how finishes can lend a custom feel to a spec home.

This wonderful townhome is situated in the Rice Military neighborhood, close to Memorial Park and plenty of other great Houston attractions and restaurants. This tri-level unit has three bedrooms and three and a half baths, as well as a two car garage!

Leslie and I gave the home a completely new, elegant look with wall, ceiling and cabinet treatments. In this main living and dining area, the walls formerly had a blown-on texture while the ceilings were covered in a stomp texture. While these textures hide sheetrock imperfections, they can really detract from a home's appeal. We updated the room by plastering the walls and ceilings to give Leslie the sophisticated feeling she was looking for. Notice how beautiful the ceilings are!!

All the furnishings were hand-me-downs and leftovers that she had recovered for a facelift.  By using textiles found at Interior Fabrics and High Fashion Home, we achieved a charming French look for a fraction of the cost. I love the medium-toned wood floors - they have so much character to them!

We chose the plaster color to complement the existing marble on the beautiful fireplace, creating a neutral, cohesive backdrop for furnishings. The trim was still in great condition, so we made sure the plaster color was light enough to seamlessly blend into it, rather than plastering all the way to the floor, which can be costly.

I love this window treatment. The previous owner placed a rod just above the door, which chopped up the room, made the ceiling feel lower and left a big gap between the doors and the ceiling. This cornice effect, with shades that can drop down for privacy, lifts the room and really adds great architectural interest.  We used neutral burlap and brought in French blue with the cornice accent fabric. And the best part - she's leaving it with the home since the draperies are customized to the door size!!!

 

Because the cabinets were previously spray-painted white, the granite stuck out too much for Leslie's tastes. Applying glazes to the island in a neutral tone found in the granite and to the perimeter cabinets in a soft blue shifts the focus from the countertops to the overall kitchen. By changing the cabinet finishes rather than the granite, Leslie transformed the beautiful kitchen with very little expense. The colors bring a warmth and coziness to the wonderful open floor plan. We brought the burlap into the breakfast area window treatment as well.

For this charming master bedroom, we did a very soft ragging faux treatment on the walls and added a pretty stencil design to the ceiling, playing up its pretty shape and height!!

The master bathroom is painted the blue base color of the fauxed walls in the bedroom. I really love how the bedroom and bathroom flow together -  It makes you feel like you're in a spa retreat!! What a great, relaxing place to come home too.

This is one of the guest rooms with a great neutral paint color that will be so versatile.  I love the carpet that she picked... it'll be a great color for hiding dirt!!!

The downstairs sitting room on the ground floor is such a peaceful room to sit, relax and visit with friends.  Both the walls and ceillings are wrapped in the same paint color to avoid chopping up the room and distracting from the overall feel. For rooms with no crown molding, like this one, this is the way to go. A white ceiling would just draw your eye to the break between the ceiling and the walls. I love the wall to wall seagrass carpet throughout - it's a great durable material. Leslie, you did a beautiful job!!! If you are interested in purchasing this wonderful home, listed for $385,000, email Leslie at lesliecarrigan@gmail.com.

I have two exciting booksigning events this week.  The first is at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church located at 717 Sage Road at Woodway at their 21^st Annual Joy of Giving Market at the Preview Night on October 18^th, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. ($15 admission).  Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and the opportunity to be the first shop at over 80 merchant booths.  For more information call 713-985-3844 or visit the website at www.stmartinsepiscopal.org

I also will be atThe Urban Market Houston Antique Show during their midtown Saturday and Sunday festival October 22nd and 23rd. This outdoor extravaganza has become THE event for dealers as well as bargain hunters who are looking to spend a weekend in the beautiful outdoors looking through tents filled with incredible treasures.  3101 Smith Street at Elgin & Louisiana Houston, TX  77006    [View website] 

Saturday, October 22: 4pm-6pm
Early Buying Event: $25 entry fee includes early buying, wine/drinks & hors d'oeuvres, and re-entry on Sunday.
Sunday, October 23: 9am-4pm $5 entry fee.

Hope to see you there and have a great week!!!

New Orleans Influence

Originally from New Orleans, this family wanted a house that would suit the artwork and furniture that they had collected and inherited over the years.  With the help of builder Tom Byer, building designer Rudy Colby and designers Frances Treadway and Emily Webster, these homeowners created their dream house – a mix of classic, timeless architecture, calm, peaceful interiors and European influences that draw on their New Orleans background.

Completed in 2007, the homeowners custom built this house as eminent empty nesters so they wanted a space that wasn’t overwhelming. The clever use of a mirror here – this one from Shabby Slips – makes this foyer feel larger while the beautiful 18^thcentury Walnut Lyonnaise Commode from Liz Spradling Antiques sets an elegant tone for the rest of the home.

The homeowner’s favorite part of the home is this stunning iron and glass front door that was inspired by the door of a beautiful Italianate-style home in the Museum District. “When we were interviewing architects, the same house was in Rudy Colby’s portfolio. I had no idea that he had designed the house I had admired since moving to Houston,” said the homeowner. Sounds like the perfect match to me! I love how she combines this more modern but classically inspired element with her amazing collection of antiques.

Off the entry, this living room’s muted color palette imparts a light and airy feel. The voluminous ball gown effect of the silk satin curtains is great for adding a sense of formality to the room. Designer Emily Webster, who moved to Houston after Hurricane Katrina, had these draperies made by a seamstress in New Orleans. While the windows pour in natural light, the limestone fireplace mantle from Francois & Co. and mirror from Maison de Provence in New Orleans which we at Segreto altered in color to go with the room provide a wonderful focal point. The homeowner’s New Orleans roots stayed with her – many of the antiques and artwork throughout the home are from shops on Magazine Street in New Orleans. “Now that we have lived in Houston for 11 years, it’s comforting to have these pieces from New Orleans in my home.”

Inspired by Mrs. Howard’s showroom in Atlanta, the homeowner decided to do a glazing over the wood paneling in this study and office space. The glaze treatment brings in a wonderful character and softness and allows all the old family pictures and paintings to stand out.

The homeowner loves hosting seated dinner parties for 8 so having a separate formal dining room for entertaining was important to her. She used most of her existing furniture and added in the eye-catching 18^thcentury, Italian chandelier from Karla Katz in New Orleans and the sideboard from an Atlanta dealer. These homeowners have so many pieces with interesting stories – the dining room table and chairs were a wedding gift from their parents and the oil painting, circa 1861, is a French farm scene that was purchased by their great-grandmother. Designer Frances Treadway who is based in New Orleans did the draperies made with Beacon Hill taffeta stripe fabric.

 

This intricately patterned wallpaper from Stark brings in an elegant feel to the powder bath while the neutral color keeps it from becoming too busy. Using this as inspiration, one of our artists added a hand-painted design to the sink that compliments the mirror from Liz Spradling Antiques and sconces from Mac Maison in New Orleans.

The den continues the same soft color palette seen throughout the rest of the home and also parallels the design of the front door with these big windows. “Designing the interiors was definitely a collaboration,” says the homeowner. “I chose all of the lighting and new furniture in the house but needed help with fabric, upholstery and just pulling it all together. Frances helped in the early stages and worked on the downstairs spaces. Then, toward the end, Emily now based in Houston, helped me finish the project.”

I love the way the homeowner accessorized the home, combining different architectural and textural elements but sticking to one color palette. This contemporary, abstract art by New Orleans artist Paula Landrem is perfect for adding a hint of the unexpected. Notice here the beautiful wide plank walnut floors that Bob Taylor of Sun Belt Floors found for the homeowners and installed throughout. A wax gives the wood that warm, rich glow.

For entertaining, the homeowner wanted the ability to close off the kitchen when needed. Even though she couldn’t find old doors to fit the space, these new ones we painted to impart texture, interest and an age-old look. To create a cohesive flow with the rest of the home, the homeowner chose materials that echo those seen in other rooms – the farm table from Uptowner Antiques in New Orleans and reclaimed ceiling beams complement the darkness of the wood flooring in the other spaces while the limestone floors from Paris Ceramics recall the limestone mantle in the formal living room and the chandelier from Niermann Weeks evokes a similar look to the iron windows and doors.

Great job to the homeowners and design team! This being the third home we did for these homeowners was a fun one!! Thanks so much for showing us inside your home.  Next week we will feature a wonderful Rice Military Townhouse makeover on a budget that's for sale.  It is wonderful with lots of ideas!!!  Have a great week and see you next Monday!!  xo  Leslie

A Day With Delores!!

We recently went to California to visit my husband's family for his parents' wedding anniversary. We first flew into San Francisco and met my brother and sister-in-law, Heather. I was really in for a treat, spending several days of our trip out shopping for the house and enjoying California style!!! Heather had wonderful surprises in store, introducing me to her fabulous friends, Maureen and Delores. Delores writes the blog, Vignette Design, that always showcases amazing tablescapes! It's always fun getting to meet the people behind design blogs - I loved getting to learn all her clever tricks for creating fun designs for entertaining.

That's me in the middle with Delores, Maureen on the left and Heather on the right, enjoying our lunch. Can you imagine how hard it's been going on beach vacations with beautiful Heather for the past 25 years!?  Well, she is as sweet as she is beautiful and is like a true sister to me.  

After lunch, we couldn't resist the temptation to take a peek of upcoming trends at the Pottery Barn flagship store next door to the restaurant. I love these vintage hotelware pieces - or copies of them - that were all reasonably priced.  They reminded me of some pieces I had purchased years ago from the Houston Club, a historic club in Houston that closed down. I bought monogrammed table cloths, old bowls and creamers, and silver-plated serving pieces! Delores, ahead of the curve, already has a wonderful collection of her own, saying that they're perfect for mixing and matching. Delores is known for her thoughtful layering of various elements, a trend that's certainly all the rage these days.

I thought these would be so cute for a holiday dinner.  Going shopping with Delores was wonderful because she noticed many things I wouldn't have. For instance, she pointed out that framed photographs are now being displayed straight on rather than at an angle like all of mine are!

After our shopping excursion, Delores invited us back to her beautiful home, built in 1906.

Delores, who is passionate about landscape design too, had these wonderful purple Princess Plants all around her home. She thinks they should grow in Houston so I'm going to give it a try. The way the petals had fallen to the ground, it looked like she had pulled out the purple carpet for us!!!

Here's Delores with her adorable dog, Dexter, in the sun-filled breakfast area. SO CUTE!! I love the large windows that pour tons of great natural light into the home!

Even when not setup for a party, Delores' dining room is nicely accessorized! Her style is traditional but with an English cottage appeal. "I try to honor the original style of the house," says Delores. " I always thought that a lived-in, layered look was appropriate for a home this old."

Her dish collection is wonderful!  Since she loves to entertain, she searches for unique dinnerware that will make each party one of a kind. Delores scours antique malls, ebay, estate sales, even garage sales to find her vintage pieces.

Concentrating primarily on dinner plates, Delores typically doesn't collect entire sets. But she has accumulated over 20 different patterns! Just like her home, it's all about layering the different pieces together!

Besides setting the most beautiful tables around, she's created this welcoming outdoor space. With the lovely San Francisco weather, it was so fun sitting outside and taking it all in!!! San Francisco dwellers love to use succulents as accessories like the one in this fun pot.

  Delores' green thumb is definitely evident in this lush oasis. She plants things that don't need a lot of maintenance. Roses, lavender, Mexican sage, boxwood, azaleas, hydrangeas and Japanese maples are some of her favorites.

This country chic gingham chair is where Delores writes about tablescapes, landscaping and all the wonderful things she discovers! She shoots all of her own amazing photos featured on Vignette Design, saying that the Tamron lens on her camera makes all the difference in the world. I just got one and will let you know how it works!!

I've included some of my favorite tablescapes that Delores has set for various parties. I find them so enchanting! And her blog's filled with many more!! This one is a fisherman's luncheon - notice the fish theme carried out in the plates, on the basket and in the decorative accessories.

A Tuscan-inspired table featuring a wonderful warm palette and some rustic, age-old pieces.

A Provencal tablescape accented with lavender and a country floral look.

I love the beautiful farm fresh ingredients and natural fabrics used for this "Summer's Bounty Table."

An autumn tablescape that's just perfect for Thanksgiving!

This is such a fun, eclectic mix of paisley, tartan and leopard elements - again it's all about layering!

What a great ideas!! Stenciling guests names on upholstery welting and the way she presented the forks for this book club tablescape!!!

And of course Delores brought out the wine and cheese! Thanks, Delores, for sharing you and your home! You were such a wonderful hostess! Don't forget to check out Delores' blog, Vignette Design - I feel that it's a real treat, especially for those of you who love to entertain! 

Thanks to all that I met at Roundtop at the Marburger Farm Antique Show!!  So fun meeting people from all over the country and receiving such a warm reception to Segreto: Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors!!   I did some heavy shopping myself and my two rooms I am redecorating hopefully will be finished soon for their unveiling!! I also will do a blog on some wonderful vendors and my favorite picks from the fair!! Look for my article in Antique Shops and Designers magazine on how refinishing furniture. It's a great magazine if you don't get it!!  Next week we have a real treat-- A beautiful New Orleans influenced home!!

Have a great week and keep praying for rain for us Texans!!