Wednesday, August 15, 2012

A Sneak Peak at our Guest Studio Renovation



We're making great progress inside our cozy little guest studio so I thought I would give you a sneak peak of a few of the highlights


Even Coachie is excited to sneak a peak!






When we visited Vintage Timberworks to buy wood for our garage door makeover, we also
picked out some barnwood for a few other projects. 

Tom loves working with wood, so when I decided to go with a french country design in the guest studio, he wanted to add a few extra special touches. 


This is one....

He made a closet door from the timbers.  The barnwood timbers are oak and after a light sanding with my orbital sander (the only power tool I know how to use!) the beauty of the oak really came through. 


I applied a light coat of wax after sanding to help restore lustre and shine. I love the richness of the oak grain.


Another special touch....

Gray board ceiling timbers and limestone plaster walls





And some beautiful French Brocante!



We are taking a few days off from renovating, but this project is really coming along!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

The Beautiful Patina of 80 year old Grape Stake Fencing


A cottage or European farmhouse look would not be complete without some type of rustic fencing.
When thinking about fencing for our home, we loved the thought of using old recycled grape stakes to add instant patina and charm.


We loved the looks below....





















The bench built into this fence was quite clever!



 
Most grape stakes today are made of cedar and will gray over time as in many of the photos above, but we really loved the slightly darker patina of the old redwood grape stake for our home. Redwood grape stakes are no longer made but are often recycled and resold.  

Tom went searching and found a raisin farmer that was changing out his 80 year old grape stakes for a more popular metal stake to use in his vineyards. 

 

Two truck and trailer loads later.....we had stacks of them! 



We love the color and texture. Many of the old stakes are in 4 or 5 foot lengths only, so in areas where we wanted a taller fence or gate, Tom had to get a little creative with his design.



 He cut, stacked and nailed them together to create taller fencing.....





and a few gates.




The design is so unique!







The patina of the garden elements add just the right pop of color against brown/gray of the grape stakes.  Both copper elements are original to our home and used to grace the prior owners garden gates in our back garden.




Our courtyard fencing was made using the 4 foot lengths.










We also used the stakes to create an arbor at the front entry.  Our wisteria vines have lots of nooks and crannies to grow around.




We are very happy with the look.  A combination of sustainable and beautiful!









 By the way, we have made great progress in our guest studio renovation and are almost ready to reveal, so stay tuned!

Take care,


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