Shutter Island

Our house is rather close to the street and our front windows are perfectly eye level.  You know me and minimalism plus my extreme loathing of heavy draperies, but we realized pretty early on that we would need to do something about the direct line of sight into our living room.

I mean, there are an alarming amount of dog walkers around here! Not to mention all the teenagers walking home from Dunkin Donuts on weekend mornings. And then the biggest privacy invasion of all on Halloween night when we actually heard someone say “oh look, they’re watching Paranormal Activity!”

So yeah, we needed some shutters. Shutters are the perfect solution for an old home and we absolutely love the thick white ones we chose for our three living room windows and one dining room. The downstairs already feels much cozier. There’s still plenty of light, we have softness with the one curtain panel on each side, and we still show off those beautiful rosettes that adorn our windows and doorways.

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I’ve always been a fan of the shutters on the old homes in Charlestown and all over New England. They somehow both nod to the past while looking modern with their clean lines. It’s the perfect choice for our old/new home.

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The Big Reveal… Built Ins!

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I hope when you read this you imagine confetti going off and load music pulsing and t-shirt guns firing “Custom Cabinetry Rocks!” t-shirts at you and a big spotlight pointed at our dining room with a large black sheet covering it…

ARE YOU READY FOR BUILT IIIIINNNNS?

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I can’t tell you how exciting it was to finally get to display all our books and collectibles that I’ve been scavenging for the last few years. Antiques, fun finds, beautiful books…

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Photos of Jared and me…

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The log slice that acted as our wedding guest book for friends and family to “log in”…

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We love our home and all the work we’ve done but somehow that gaping hole in the dining room really drove us nuts. Thanks (again!) to Dad for working so hard on these lovely lovely built ins. They add so much to the house and make us smile every day.

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Picking the Pretties

This is post from back in August but I feel it’s time for a refresher on styling now that we are just two steps away from filling those beautiful built ins!

 

There are tons of guides out there for styling bookcases and built-ins but one of my favorite blogs- the Glitter Guide- has assembled some of the key points.

1. Group books by color or hue. It’s simply more pleasing to the eye. If your books happen to be all over the rainbow, try this trick you’ll see in Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware catalogs- flip your books binding side in. It may be a little harder to find them but they sure do look purdy! And if that’s the case, you could group by subject and then you’ll just have to remove one stack to find the book you’re looking for. And besides, we’re talking about pretty shelves like for a dining or living room, not so much functional shelves for an office.

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2. Paint or cover the back of your bookshelves with a contrasting color or texture. For our built-ins, we will be painting them white but the back of the shelves will be painted the same deep navy blue that we’ll use in the half bath. The color is Newburyport Blue by Benjamin Moore.

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3. Choose a style, theme, or color scheme and stick with it. I love these blue tones or the combo of ivories and pale greens and blues.

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4. Create balance with books, large pottery pieces, and small accessories. Nothing is more boring than a packed shelf of books all in a row. Place your large items in first and compliment with smaller pieces. And just like everything in your house, don’t keep it unless you love it. Sherry over at Young House Love is famous for her collection of quirky ceramic animals. Check out their perfectly balanced built-ins and see of you can spot the rhino, bird, horse, squirrel, frog, and fish!

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Virtual Shopping | Pottery Barn Teen

Yes, I realize I don’t have teenagers and lord knows I’m no longer a teen but when my Pottery Barn Teen catalog arrived last week, I couldn’t help but drool over the most beautiful rooms and fabulous accessories… not necessarily just for teens! So let’s do some virtual shopping, shall we?

Disclaimer: Virtual shopping involves no actual money, exchange of goods or services, or legitimate currency of any kind. Enjoy!

This canopy bed is so so lovely. The gold tones add such a sophisticated element to room and you know me with my whites and creams! Fab!

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Nothing stuffy about this chaise lounge done in a casual denim. And who doesn’t love a collection of vintage mirrors?

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I just think this room looks oh so cozy with all the fleece blankets, shag rug, and over-sized plush chair.

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A leather Eames-inspired chair is always in style but this one is extra playful with it’s distressed baseball-glove look.

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I’m a sucker for minty-aqua but what caught my eye in this room was the great use of storage! Talk about a place for everything! Even the bed legs act as a bulletin board. Genius!

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And finally, my favorite room- hello rustic luxe! Exposed barn boards and distressed metal lanterns along side poofy beanbags and stylish surfboards. I could hang out here all day!

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Thoughts on the Sun Porch

Last weekend Jared and I attended my cousin and his wife’s housewarming. Alex and Sara have a beautiful home with a fantastic sun porch. It definitely got me thinking about our little crooked sun porch.

And it is crooked. The photo below is taken from the door frame as you exit the back of the house.

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To the left is a door leading to the backyard.

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And to the right is a pretty significant slope to the far wall.

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The windows aren’t in the best shape. The floor has parquet linoleum panels just sitting on a sub-floor. The color is hideous. I just kind of hate it. In a perfect world it would either not exist or be a clean, level space I can work with.

But alas, this is what we got. So- until we rebuild and/or demo it in a couple years time, let’s talk temporary solutions.

Solution #1 = Paint. A fresh coat of paint on the walls, ceiling, and floors should make a world of difference.

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Solution #2 = Curtains. I think if I can cheat a curtain rod level the entire length of the porch, it would balance the slant. These canvas and linen curtains below look so light and airy.

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Sun Porch 2And Solution #3 = Get rid of that eyesore of a pool out the window! As you may recall from this confession, I took a screwdriver to the pool liner back in April so all that needs to be done is a little dismantling before it’s off to the scrap yard. As for the rest of our yard, we have big plans. But for a sneak peak at those, you’ll have to tune in tomorrow.