Green Door Interiors

Spring! It is truely a new beginning.

2012-02-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I am soooo glad to see more of the sun these days. The holiday decorations are put away and my house looks clean and uncluttered. As I always do this time of year, I ventured out into the garden to cut some branches to force inside. If you have never done this, grab your shears and go now!!

The standby forsythia is always the first one I cut. Look for long graceful branches and put them in a tall vase. Mine have not yet opened, but I can see some yellow peeking out. They are in the living room.

The first tree to bloom outside every year is the Flowering Plum, and already there were some blooms! I cut a lot of the low hanging branches to bring inside and they are already pink and pretty in the Dining Room.

My driveway is lined with Bradford Pear trees that have the most lovely white flowers and always herald in Easter. I cut a few of them too and wait for the buds to shed their sheaths to reveal the fragrant blossoms.

First Day of Spring is March 20. Can't wait.

The Design Show House is Open!

2011-09-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a flurry of activity to put the finishing touches on the master bedroom. Bringing in all the accessories and hanging the artwork is a consuming task. But these are the things that make a room comfortable. These touches are like jewelry on a dress, it is what brings a room to life with the personality and history of its' owner. I stopped at the gallery to pick up the two oil paintings that I had chosen for the room. With the big windows and other pictures to hang I was running out of wall space! It was hard to narrow the field to just two. The Carol Schwartz Gallery has a large and unusual selection of artwork, stop by and see for yourself. I also needed a few more pieces of Canton pottery to fill out the collection I displayed on a drop leaf Sheraton table from Meetinghouse Antiques. So, we made another stop to see Priscilla

The last choice to make is the most fun, fresh flowers! I wanted the have several small arrangements around the room to look simple and fresh like they were just picked from the garden. I chose English roses, of course, and delphinium. I also placed a hot pink Kalanchoe in a simple clay pot and had to, just had to, plant the large Canton vase with yellow orchids.

The house open from Wednesday through Sunday until October 16, 2011. Hours and information can be found on the Chestnut Hill Design Show House web site. Please come over, it benefits a great cause and I would love you to see my master bedroom!

CHCE Design Showcase

2011-09-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

The draperies are hung! They are beautiful, although I expected nothing less from Viktoriya and Henry . We did not have to make any adjustments, so we are on to choose the carpets.

I have been buying carpets for myself and my clients at Diane Bryman's in Chestnut Hill for over 10 years. They have an exotic selection of carpets from around the world, and their service is unparelled. I have put a sisal and jute area rug in the room and plan to highlight it with the carpets we choose today. I was lucky to have Edmond, the owner assist me. He pulled many finely woven carpets of wool and silk from Iran and Pakistan. They are made in the traditional Persian designs and the quality of workmanship and the bright colors are amazing. Rug weaving is rare art, and a hand woven carpet will last for at least a hundred years!

The Great Room Project

2011-09-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is the part of a design project where the room is ready, the furniture is ordered, the window treatments are being made, and we all wait!! Next week we will be installing the custom cabinet which will house all the audio visual equipment. It is a 3 day job which entails disconnecting all the gear the first day, installing the cabinet the second day, and then reconnecting it all up on the third day. The painters will be coming back for touch ups; then we are ready to move in just as soon as we can. I am anticipating the room to be completed by the end of September. Check back for pictures next week.

CHCE Design Showcase is Moving Fast!!

2011-09-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all have marked your calendars for a visit to the Showcase. There is a design style for everyone and it gives you the chance to meet the designers, and me, face to face!

I was at the drapery workroom this week with Viktoriya and Henry, the owners and creative force behind the Elegant Window Treatments Workroom. I was checking the finishing touches on the bedding and window treatments for the master bedroom. They will be perfect! If you have never seen a professional workroom I think you would be very impressed. Custom treatments are a product of one's vision for a room; then created from measurements, technique, and talent. In this picture you can see the crimson silk fabric in the background that will become the draperies and the demure chair next to it will be covered in a periwinkle velvet.

This week I also met with Denise from The Washington Square Gallery to make the final selections of the Antique Botanical Prints. I plan to hang a wonderful gallery in the room chosen from her amazing selection of hand colored flowers, figures and landscapes; all framed so beautifully. So many to choose from and so few walls!

It is always so late when I get to fill you in, but each new day holds another addition to the room. Tomorrow we are heading out to choose a few hand made carpets. Fun!

The Great Room Project

2011-09-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy month behind the scenes at this project. I promised to show you the accent wall we are painting in the kitchen; it is in the works. We are moving the return vent to the floor to create a gallery space for the homeowner's personal pictures. As you know, at parties everyone always gathers in the kitchen where the action is ! So this is a great space for a revolving gallery to showcase the family's activities.

I decicided to turn the corner with the color where we are cretaing an informal dining area. We chose the color Flower Pot by Benjamin Moore. It is a red wine color which runs through their granite tops, so it all blends nicely. I will show you when it's complete.

The last bit of 'construction' in this room was to update the baseboard heaters. This product is fabulous looking, while being extremely durable and efficient. It is the small details like this that take a redecorated room from 'looks nice' to WOW!

Last item for today . The entertainment cabinet is being built by Chuck Sherman of Sherman & Goswieler. They have a huge space where they will build anything from wood! This cabinet had to be very specific to house all the electronic componets, have proper air flow and accomodate the baseboard heater. Here is a picture of their shop and the cabinet in construction.

CHCE Design Showcase

2011-08-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

We have been chosen to design the Master Bedroom in this elegant home built by Henry Howard Houston with architect W.D. Hewitt, in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa.. All profits from this event will benefit the Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment; a worthy cause that I am proud to support.

The earliest part of the home where the Master bedroom is located, was built in the mid 1800's. Located on the second floor at the top of the staircase, the room has windows on 3 sides and is filled with light. The home is built of stone, so the window sills are deep; an asset when designing window treatments. We are hanging a chandelier in the middle of the room for some sparkle. Now the fun begins!

Here is the before picture taken by Carol Bates; the room was as challenging as it looks! Once I got started, we installed a simple crown molding to dress the room up a bit. The color we painted the walls is a gorgeous periwinkle blue that I pulled from the floral fabric. It is Blue Ice from Benjamin Moore.

In keeping with the decor of the era, I am incorporating a vintage chintz fabric and antique furniture for that Country Home lived in look. The furniture is from my friend Pricilla who owns Meeting House Antiques. She has a varied collection of fine and country furniture, along with a large collection of Canton ware.

Stop back for a peek of our progress at the drapery workroom. This is the part of the project where it gets exciting!!

Beginning The Great Room Project

2011-08-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This is going to be a interesting design project. My clients are a fun family who love to entertain, so we are updating their Great Room. Our contemporary design is bold with colors; red, tangerine and caramel.The first picture is of our beginning room. We updated and installed the audio visual components. I worked with a super company who has all the newest toys!

Next, we refinished the Brazilian Cherry floors. We brought the wood back to the original color by sanding and using a clear polyurethane finish coat. The wood has an amazing grain and each piece is unique. It is gorgeous!

Now we are on to the painting; I called upon Shane Smoyer. We have worked on many projects together and I know he and his crew are up to the task. It is a large area and there is a lot of dry wall repair from the audio visual installation.

We had to consider the color of the beautiful Maple cabinets in the adjoining kitchen, so we chose an interesting Sherwin Williams color called Netsuke. It has a slight greenish hue, but is very neutral without being boring. Check back soon to see the accent wall color!