Staircases

Hey folks - I am particiapting the Rewind Wednesdays blog party over on Design Ties . Check out this post on Staircase Runners and then head back over to Design Ties to read other Rewind posts!

This has been one busy week - one sick daughter to get to Doctor appointments and the other one getting ready for a trip to Europe. In between that and work, I found some time to research staircases - specifically carpet treatments for same. One of our little dogs is getting up in years and having a hard time with stairs. There have been a few tumbles and now he just flatly refuses to go up or down. We have hardwood treads that have little grip for a small dog, so we are looking at our options to make it easier for him. I don't think the one on the right will do :)

While I was researching, I came across many gorgeous staircases that serve as inspiration:

Above from StairRunnerUSA.com - nice combination of pattern and solids to give the runner width.

From Design with Christine - I love the straight treatment on a curved stair - highlights the gradual widening curve at the base of the stairs.

Above, from archiseek.com - Clery's Department Store in Dublin Ireland. The combination of metal, marble wool and colour is gorgeous - by far my favourite!
What a funky solution - and the fact that the runner doesn't go to the top just adds to the charm. From Living Etc. magazine site.

This one intrigues me. It would be a simpler installation and you wouldn't have to use too many nails and you can still get the look of a bare staircase. From lizaphillipsdesign.com.

I love the combination of colours in this picture! From http://coastalthemehome.blogspot.com/2009/03/do-it-yourself-stair-runner.html

Wow - not sure how functional this would be - but it sure is FUN! From designboom.com

I love the way the pattern flows up the stairs - stunning. Nancy Boszhardt designed this stair runner and it appeared in House Beautiful June 2008.

How grand a statement this makes. The Westin Riverwalk grand staircase from http://www.darcyleck.com/staircase_architectural-photography.htm.

And lastly - I found a fellow blogger had done some research of her own -- check it out at:

http://maggymoon.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/stairs/

The dream dining room...

Came across this dining room picture in a post at SOUL PRETTY: Feels like Sunday... that is so close to the vision for my dining room it is eerie! My kitchen has so little storage space - well OK it has a fair amount - but no storage for the special pieces - my great-grandmother's china, my mothers silver and the great pieces I have been collecting in my many years of married life. Having no china cabinet or such storage, these special pieces have been packed in the basement for the last 4 years (part of the "stuff" mentioned in my previous post). Of course it's never as easy as just doing the dining room - there's also the removal of the wall between the kitchen and dining room, the installation of a patio door in the dining room, the new deck that you would step out to from the dining room, etc.. etc.. But, you have to start somewhere right????

Thanks Soul Pretty - for keeping the dream alive!

Spring Cleaning ...

How is it we collect "stuff" we will never use??? And it's tucked away all over the house - inside and out. With our last move 4 years ago, I vowed I wouldn't let that happen any more. We lived in our last home for 20 years, so you can imagine the "stuff" that was collected. Although we didn't have a whole lot of time to purge before the move, we did alot that first year in the new home. I guess we just made room for different "stuff".

You see, we now have a two car garage, which seems to be a staging area for "stuff" - coming and going. I've justified the staging area by using the excuse of my two adult children as potential destinations for the "stuff". But lets be realistic - that is perpetuating the behaviour - where did alot of our "stuff" come from - parents!

So, this weekend hubby and I have been purging. Boy it feels good ... the back of the SUV is full of bags and boxes of "stuff" to be carted off to the nearest goodwill store. There is still alot more to be purged, but this is a great start. Something about Spring that get the de-clutter mechanism going.

Happy Spring Cleaning!!

Ahhh Springtime!

I am absolutley loving this warm weather. I can see the irises and day lillies poking out of the ground and the buds on the magnolia are about to burst. Adding to that was a visit to the "Big Backyard and Cottage Show" this past weekend - with it's requisite bar-b-ques, spas, landscapes and sunrooms. The result is all thoughts of "decor" are focused on the exterior. Oh, there are still plenty of plans for interior, but with all this wonderful weather - I want to decorate and enjoy the outside!

So off I go to the local nursery, hardware and HomeSense stores for some outdoor shopping. Success at all three with plenty of goodies for the garden and it's resident birdies. What I was looking for were structural pieces to give interest to the garden. The foundation plantings, as well as many of the in-fill perennials are already there - the interest pieces are missing. So I picked up some pieces to fill out the garden -- a trellis for a new clematis that will be added - hey you can't have a trellis without a clematis ;); a couple of planters; a really cute welcome sign with baby birds tucked under their mother's wing. Now the planning - where do they go....

Of course, all this shopping and surfing has got the old wheels a spinning.... next...

Welcome

So, here it is Monday after Easter. I spent some time this long weekend - between gardening, laundry, shopping and Easter dinner - scouring blogs on design and decor. What I found was amazing - I absolutely loved the pictures I saw and the posts I read and I have been encouraged to start my own. What I will blog about ??? All things I love ... decorating, gardening, reading etc. Also, I would like to share my efforts in trying to get a part time decorating business going. Having worked in an office environment for 32 years (yikes when did that happen), and continuing to do so, stepping out on your own can be daunting. But hey, it is yet another adventure -- right? So here goes....