Fireplace mantles and the mantle clock

28 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by Karen B. in Accessories; details, Collections & Accessories, House and Home

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{A SILVER MANTLE CLOCK marked Fabergé with Imperial warrant,Moscow, 1896-1908}

This time of year I’m especially mindful of our mantle, in part because we spend more time indoors due to cooler weather and because most evenings we have a fire in the grate. Our fireplace is wood burning and I enjoy it. Mr. B. says I’ve mastered setting a good fire. It’s the simple rule of 3 logs positioned just so, and some wadded up newspaper under the grate. It seems to never fail.

Please note, this is a “keepin’ it real” photo. Mr. B tried to move out of the picture (note the legs on the right) and I failed to move the log carrier and newspaper before snapping the camera.

But I digress, the subject of this post is the mantle clock. It seems to be less popular than in the day where most homes with fireplaces had a good clock, usually centered on the mantle. My mantle clock was a gift from a group of friends and purchased in Prescott, Arizona. My grandmother lived in Prescott during her retirement years and in town there are a few blocks of antique stores. I love the clock, in part because it always reminds me of those visits with my grandma.

Here we were this past Christmas, dressed for the holiday, the mantle clock is always there.

In this stately, more formal room [below], you’d expect a slightly larger mantle clock. I imagine the small clock is some kind of wonderful antique, and up close is beautifully detailed.

This might be an example of a noteworthy, but small, clock to place in a position of prominence on the mantle. Don’t you love the detailing on this clock?

{Farcot Figural Cockerel Alarm Mantle Clock}

An outstanding room designed by the talented Albert Hadley. I love this room. I imagine the clock was chosen for its size so that the portrait would be the focus.

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Mirrors are popular and often found where the mantle clock used to be. I do love the clean lines of this display.

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I have always loved the gentleman’s English library and the mantle clock seems fitting in this setting.

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Surprise! This is actually a shelf, made to look like its a mantle over a fireplace. It think it’s a great idea.

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Another lovely mantle with a pleasing mixture of items, including the clock arranged off-center. Very pretty.

This room and mantle is a little formal for my taste, but beautiful nonetheless. Leave it to Marie Antoinette to have an opulent room such as this!

{Marie Antoinette Fontainbleau}

This is a favorite, not just because of the live greens, dressed for Christmas, but I love the clock and the old mirror it sits in front of. The wall sconces are simple and the black framed clock stands out.

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Not to stray off topic again, but seriously, the reason you can barely see this mantle clock is because clearly, they are featuring this fabulous under mantle and side pillars. I would love to have this piece…and probably the rest of the house that goes with it. 🙂

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Do you have a fireplace mantle in your home? If so, do you have a clock adorning it?

I love hearing from you, I hope you are having a great week so far. ♥ Karen

Wallpaper revival

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by Karen B. in Accessories; details, House and Home

≈ 28 Comments

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wallpaper

There are some that would argue wall coverings never went out of favor with designers, and others that insist it’s been out for some time and is now making a grand re-entrance on the design scene.

Wherever you are on the topic, there are some stunning examples of wall paper available today. Our home is currently paperless, but some of these beauties have me pondering a room that would benefit from a new look.

One of the newer ideas (to me) are maps that are custom made into wallpaper. Wallpapered is a company out of England that creates panels custom fit to the wall you are wanting to paper. They can do historic/antique, world or street maps. I particularly love this example as it’s a historic map of London [my favorite city in the world].

Another innovative wallpaper idea that I found is the Phillip Jeffries Enchanted Woods paper. This is not a very vivid image of the ‘Bestowed Birch’ pattern that made me stop and look, and I was unable find an image of a room papered in this, but I believe the texture is that of an actual tree. I could see this as an effective addition of texture in a room. To some it might be more of a lodge look, but I don’t think it has to be.

This bold black and white paper is really pretty. (I’ve seen this in quite a few rooms online, but I couldn’t find the name of the manufacturer, if you know drop me a line). I believe, in this image, they’ve installed it in the foyer and up the stairs. With the white in the room it really livens up the area. This paper could work in a contemporary setting as well as a more traditional one.

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Here it is in blue and white, don’t you love it on this landing?

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Carol Glasser used this beautiful wallpaper in the foyer of her home in Montecito. It’s such a pretty color, especially paired with the demi lune and accessories. The mirror is stunning.

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Bathrooms are my favorite place for wallpaper. It can really make a statement no matter the size of the bathroom.

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Same goes for bedrooms, don’t you love the matching custom linens with the wallpaper? Such an inviting room.

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Want a library, but there isn’t enough room for bookshelves? Try this…

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Joni, of Cote de Texas fame recently did a wonderful post on a lighting designer in Amsterdam, Holland. His showroom is a show stopper with the unique lamps he designs and this beautiful red wallpaper.

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Read more about design trends for 2015 HERE.

So what are your thoughts on wallpaper. Do you have rooms that are wallpapered that you love? If you did without wallpaper for a time, are you ready to make the commitment again?

I always enjoy your comments. xo, Karen

Let’s get organized for 2015

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by Karen B. in House and Home, Storage/Closets/Pantry

≈ 33 Comments

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Organizing

I confess, I’m pretty organized nearly year round. I’m one of those people that really can’t relax unless there’s order in my surroundings. I know this kind of obsession has been referred to using a wide array of adjectives, some less complimentary than others. 🙂

That said, even I find certain parts of my home can be found in various stages of disarray different times of the year. That’s what new years are for, to clean up, clear out clutter, and get back on track.

Sometime last year I followed a link that has me thinking differently about what I keep and what I giveaway, donate, or dump. I’m going to give you the name (and link) to this site, but you have to promise you won’t immediately dismiss it by the name alone. (there was a time I would have!)

The Minimalists is a site that is co-authored to by a pair of young men that for various reasons (you can read their story) found themselves pairing down. Here are two of the passages that most influenced me and have made my clean/organize tasks much more effective…

What people don’t understand, however, is that minimalism is not about deprivation. Rather, minimalists—anyone who’s deliberately seeking a life with less stuff—find more value in the stuff they do own. They do this by jettisoning the superfluous, keeping only the possessions that serve a purpose or bring joy. Everything else goes by the wayside.

There is no Minimalist Rulebook. We’re all different. The things that add value to one man’s life may not add value to yours. So hold on to that hair straightener, those colorful socks, that collection of angel statuettes—but only if they are appropriate for your life. Only if they serve a purpose or bring you joy. – The Minimalists

I promise I’m not trying to convert anyone, I’m only sharing what has started making sense to me, in part because after 32 years in the same smallish home we’re bursting at the seams. I have 7 boxes of collectible sports cards, two snowboards and a surfboard that belong to son #1 (now living in Austin, where there is no ocean and the nearest mountain is a lengthy drive). Fortunately, son #2 lives a short 15 minutes away and he (sorry, Sarah) has taken his treasures to their house. I’ve discovered that a lot of what I lovingly collected over the years is no longer needed/wanted.

The book, Organizing For Dummies has a cheat sheet of the tried and true methods for a good new year organization/clean out session. Here are the basic five easy steps:

1. Determine the goal for the room or closet.

Maybe it’s as simple as cleaning out a bookcase or adding a tray to an existing coffee table where items can be corralled.

Or maybe its as simple as adding hooks to a shelf to handle the extra mugs in the cupboard (the ones you love, remember?).

2. Identify the limitations of the room or closet. Like this clever idea from Martha Stewart. If you don’t have enough space for essentials, there are stores (Container Store, and others) that have efficient tools for making your space handle the extras.

Not to mention Martha’s clever ideas for keeping up with the ‘should do more than once a year’ tasks.

3. Sort the items in the room or closet into the well known categories of STAY, MOVE, SHARE or GO.

4. Determine what items (storage systems, bins or boxes) will help you to keep the space organized. I love the look of these PB baskets and could see them helping with the ever-present storage issue in our home.

{Pottery Barn – Daytrip Lidded Baskets}

5. Reassemble the room or closet/drawer.

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Do you go through some kind of cleaning/organizing this time of year? Do you have any tips for the process? I’d love to hear from you.

Happy Wednesday, have a productive rest of the week and a relaxing weekend.

{Garden, Home and Party} My report card for 2014

07 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by Karen B. in Annual WP Report Card, Misc

≈ 27 Comments

Hi Friends! I’ve been very energized by the onset of the new year. I believe that may be pretty much universal, right? Are you still enjoying the surge of excitement that accompanies the onset of a brand new 365 days? Days you can do with what you will.

I use WordPress to host my blog site, and for those who have read my posts for some time, you may remember that my eldest son set the site up for me. We’ve tweaked it a few times but basically, I’ve been very happy with the simple way it functions for me (read: User often technology challenged). Wordpress sends out a report card of sorts each year, or at least they have for the past 3 years. The report gives you the stats for your site with details such as 1) Posting Patterns. I post only once a week most weeks and I usually send out that post on Wednesday, so no news there. 2) Attractions. This is where they tell you your top 5 posts. It turns out my best day this year, as far as views go, was my 500th post. {Thanks for dropping by that day!}. 3) How did they (visitors) find you? Pinterest was the single most referring site. A mixed blessing. Does anyone besides me marvel at the number of hours that can evaporate when visiting that online wonder?

I hope to continue to practice both my writing and photography. Who am I kidding, my photography is awful. But what we practice has to improve, right? Onward and upward in 2015. I’m really looking forward to the year, and to time spent with you, my friends.

If you’re interested, here are the posts that received the most views in 2014:

{Cozy and other adjectives that describe home}

{Adieu Pierre Deux}

{Cottage Living ~ Moody Cottages}

{Front Yards – alternatives to lawn}

and last but not least…

{Rooms that enjoy a Neutral Palate}

I’ll be back next week with some tips on organizing and weeding out. I’ve mentioned here, more than once, I’m really simplifying my house. I want only what I use and love around me. I no longer need to hold on to random items…more on my perspective next week.