construction progress week 7

this week the framers made some great progress. it is so much fun to SEE changes being made everyday. here is what happened during week 7:

monday:

 the end walls are erected. this was fun to see after two weeks of only being able to see the main floor walls!


tuesday:

 even though it is hard to see from this picture, the framers are constructing the front wall, as well as the north (far left) wall. they are laying flat on the second floor.

wednesday:

 they also spent the day working on cutting the rafters and sheeting the front wall.

thursday morning:

 whooo-hooo! this was so exciting to see! the ridge beams are installed (the thick beams that you can see going along the top of the roof), and the north wall and front wall are erected. it was amazing how fast this all happened.

thursday afternoon:

 friday:

some of the rafters are installed, and it is really starting to look like a real house!

stay tuned!

before + after: a clients stool

a client of mine just sent me an update picture of some stools she transformed.

before:

after:

this is a very simple diy project! if you have a chair, stool or ottoman with a simple top, you can easily change the look of it with a small amount of fabric and a staple gun.

this client opted for my full room design service. i completed her design plan earlier this year, and she has been slowly working on the room since then. 

you can see some before + afters of the room here, and see a peek of the plan i created for her here.

another update since the first set of progress pictures is the blue leopard print window treatments. going with a colored animal print was a bit of a stretch for my client, but we are both in love with the way they look in the room!

i have worked with this client twice (both pinterest board + phone consultations) since i created the full room design for her family room! to me there is nothing better than repeat clients!

interested in working together to create a more beautiful and functional space in your home?
let's work together! you can read more about my services here.
email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com for any additional information.

construction progress: week 6

even though the framers have been at another job for the last while, there has still been a lot happening around our new house in the last week:

tons of gravel was brought into the basement and garage, and then raked and compacted...which grady did, with a little help from my husband! sorry for the cruddy picture---it was SO dusty down there, and it was DARK too!

the plumbing in the basement was set. we won't finish the basement for a while, but we needed to decide where a future bathroom will be. 

after the gravel was compacted, we laid plastic on the entire floor of the basement. the whole family was down in the dark basement, spreading these huge plastic sheets over every inch of the floor! it was actually pretty fun, but the kids were REALLY tired. actually, i was pretty tired too....so tried i forgot to get a picture!

the concrete truck pumped concrete into the basement for the floor slab, as well as the garage. it was shoveled, leveled and smoothed.

 the garage slab was sawcut to control cracking.

 the utilities were brought to the house, which required some digging.

sewer.

water.

electrical.

telecom/cable.

 

good thing my little man was there to help! 

we have been holding our breath waiting for it to snow again, and so far, we have been lucky to have great weather. the framers are finally back, and there are going to be some pretty amazing changes on the exterior of the house in the next week! 

stay tuned.

my easy christmas decor

since we will be moving in the next few months, i wanted to keep my christmas decor on the simple side this year. (less stuff to have to cram back into a tub in a few weeks!) i have at least 6 tubs of christmas decorations, but this year, i only opened three. i let the kids decorate the tree (almost) all by themselves! this is a HUGE step for me...i am usually hovering over them,making sure that the decorations are evenly spaced, and them augmenting the "kid" decoration with some pretty ones. not this year. it was actually very liberating! i let the kids decorate the tree, and then i put some simple holiday touches in the living room. 

here are a few instagram images that i took last night:

my new addition this year is my gold dwell studios antelope, that i bought a few weeks ago at the foundary, but you can also buy here.


i draped the crystal and nut garland over the antlers again this year. (you can see how i made it here)
i threw a simple cedar garland around the mantel, and then tucked a few other pieces here are there, mixed with some gold balls in various sizes, shades and sheens.


our tree this year is all about the kids...they did a great job decorating it this year, even without the hovering!

affordable find: faux bois mirror

oly studio faux bois mirror
$2160


wisteria's white faux bois mirror
$349

i have been waiting for someone to come out with an affordable faux bois mirror for-ever!
thank you wisteria!
happy monday!

client update: wallpapered powder room

last week, i drove to see the house of a client. i brought along my nice camera to take some pictures, and when i got the camera out, i realized that the card was missing! grrr! so, you are going to have to deal with my iPhone pictures until i can hire a pro to take some "real" images. (and who knows how long that will be!)

the last time i saw this project, the wallpaper had not been installed yet, and the light fixture still had plastic on it.  i was so exited to see it all finished.

 i know some people worry about mixing trim, but as you can see here, the textures work
together beautifully. the halls have a horizontal board and batten banding treatment, painted slightly darker than the wall above, and the bathroom has standard board and batten trim with an alternating offset on the top 12".

 the sink console looks expensive, but it is actually very affordable. i put this same console in the powder room of my last house.
the mirror was under $80!

 the light fixture is also a budget find.

its hard to tell from these pictures, but the ceiling is actually the same blue as in the wallpaper.

room information:
wallpaper:
fioretti by cole + son

ceiling color:
benjamin moore winter lake (2129-50)

trim color:
benjamin moore swiss coffee (oc-45)

light fixture:
overtsock

mirror:
lowes

sink:
american standard

faucet:
delta

construction progress week 5

we just officially finished week 5 of construction, and a lot has been done so far! the entire main floor is framed and the second floor is not far behind.

here is what has happened in the last 2 weeks:



the entire second floor was decked and a few exterior walls have been framed and one has been erected...he's a little lonely right now, but hopefully by the end of the week, he will have
some friends.


the rest of the  walls were added to the main floor...this is a view looking into the master bathroom from the master bedroom.


from the kitchen, looking into the dining and living rooms.


we can now see all of the rooms and their sizes. this is a view from the front door.


headers over doors were framed. cased openings were set.


gravel was dumped and shoveled into the garage and basement, in preparation for the concrete slabs to be poured later this week.


unfortunately, our framers had another job they had to do, so they stopped working early last week and will not be back until the end of this week. i can't wait until the stairs to the basement are framed! this monstrous hole is about to give my husband and i a heart attack!

mexican souvenir

ahhhh.
i took a little break from blog land for a while, didn't it? sometimes it is really great to just unplug and detach from cyberland. at least it is for me.

i hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! i started "teasing" my family a few weeks ago about the possibility of going to IHOP for thanksgiving dinner.
or chuck-o-rama.
or anyplace that was going to do all the cooking and cleaning for me.
only i wasn't really teasing...more like testing.
unfortunately, they would have none of it. you would have thought that i had suggested that we kick a bunch of puppies! gheez. the backlash was so furious that i knew i HAD to cook. and indeed i did. it was a nice, relaxed day with just our little family. and in the end, i am glad we didn't go to chuck-o-rama or IHOP.

anyway, onto a few other things that i have been thinking about and am grateful for....travels and souvenirs!
when i went to mexico, i brought my kids back some little trinkets, and of course, i bought
something for myself as well:

they called this a coaster, (it is about 6" square)
but i can't imagine putting a drink on something so intricate and delicate.
i plan on framing it and hanging in somewhere in my new house.
the embroidery is the most beautiful shade of mustard yellow, and i love the handsome little deer.

picking up little goodies while traveling is a great way to add personality to your home. i recently bought nate berkus's latest book, the things that matter, and in it, he talks about all of the items he has collected over the years, and how each one of them has such meaning to him, and evokes a memory. he states that THINGS DO matter:

"our homes tell our stories; they reflect the places we've been land the people we've loved along the way--and there can be no more beautiful design for living that that."

even if your travels only take you down the road, to a nearby town, or to a foreign country, always be on the lookout for something that tells the story of who you are and where you have been!

(i highly recommend this book! i absolutely loved every page. i have a pretty decent collection of design books, but this is definitely one of my all-time favorites. i loved hearing how his design aesthetic was honed and polished...good stuff. the forward is very personal...nate talks about growing up, his time spent in paris when we was just out of high school, and his tragic loss during and survival of the tsunami in cambodia.)

and just for laughs, i thought i would give you a look at another not-so-chic souvenir
that i have from mexico:

yes.
that is a real donkey.

before + after: the power of an hour--welcoming foyer

i am excited to share another pinterest board + phone call success story!

here is the before:

this client needed suggestions on how to warm up her existing foyer.

the hardwood floors, and crisp moldings are a great start, but the room definitely needed a few

items to make it feel inviting and welcoming.

here are some of the things we talked about during our consultation:
*adding a rug...something with some texture, pattern or color.
*having a simple, skirted table with trim on the bottom made to hide some storage and add softness.
*adding a lamp for some softer lighting
*putting a bench in the space
*accessorizing the table, and installing a mirror above

after:

the rug really adds a lot here! this is a great example of how some subtle colors in a bold pattern
can create interest and a little drama, but still fee sophisticated and neutral.
the pop of blue in the lamp references the rug, and adds just the right dose of color.

the small details like the trim on the bottom of the tailored table skirt, and the texture of the

top of the bench add dimension and interest to the space. 

(my client liked her foyer so much, she hired me again to work on her master bedroom!)

have a space that needs help? interested in working together? 

contact me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com to set up a consultation!

(the fee for my pinterest board + phone consultations will be going up slightly feburary 1, so let me know if you want to set one up before then.)