Sunday, December 8, 2013

A Snowy Update From The Barn House!


 A snowy weekend left us spending most of our time tending to frozen pipes and well pumps, but what an appropriate scene for a December weekend!   Enjoy the wintery shots below along with a few updates.






I did manage to snap some photos of the bedroom our son is staying in.  He is living at the property while working at a local winery.


The snow outside the window left quite a glare in the photo above, but what a beautiful view!








I have such a fondness for one of a kind treasures I find while scouring shops and fairs. This little water color painting was done on a piece of regular copy paper taped to cardboard.... I love that!


We have half of the kitchen cabinets re-faced in the barn wood and will likely not finish the rest until after the holidays :(,  but here's a sneak peak anyway-  






The patina and character of this ash wood is just lovely. I cannot wait to finish this kitchen!

I'll be using black leather pulls like these on the cabinets. I thought it would add a nice modern touch to the distressed wood and compliment the stainless steels appliances.


We look forward to sharing our progress after the holiday season.

Thank you all for following along and best wishes for a wonderful holiday season!

All the best,

Monday, November 4, 2013

Antique Shopping for the Barnhouse

Hello!!
It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to update on our progress, but as you can see the barnhouse exterior is nearing completion. Charming in its new coat of red and white don't you think?


We are also close to finishing the interior and within the next several weeks I'll be sharing photos of the completed and furnished rooms!  As busy as as we have been making the long distance trek each weekend to work on this little place, I have managed to pop by my favorite antique shops for a few new interior pieces.

Some of the antique pieces are from a shop I recently discovered that has a history of acquiring pieces from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Russia. Here are a few of my favorites-



 I bought this hungarian spice rack from the shop owners personal collection. I must have a few more of these, they are lovely when displayed together. They are now on my wishlist! (that was a hint Tom)!

This beautiful rust colored armoire came home with me.  This piece is from the Czech Republic and dates back to the 1890's.  We plan to use it in our family room.





I love this enormous hungarian chest of drawers.  This dark oak is beautiful against our white bedroom walls.



This darling pine table is also hungarian- I didn't buy it at the time and I'm secretly hoping no one else has! I've come up with the perfect place for it if it's still available.


This teak chair is a bit quirky, and will be perfect in a bedroom.



I thought this old Russian cupboard would look great painted black- I didn't buy for the barnhouse, but wish I had a place for it somewhere.


and more beautiful pine from the Czech Republic






At another one of my favorite shops I found this pair of bentwood chairs- perfect for a small dining table.


and these art books were an absolute find!   I am thrilled with these:)   I plan to have several of the reprints framed for the barnhouse.






I look forward to sharing interior photos with you soon!  Thank you for following along!



Fall colors in the local vineyards



Saturday, September 7, 2013

Progress at the Barnhouse

We are four months into this renovation and  we are making noticeable progress inside and out. I took this photo with my zoom lens from the street looking up into the hill where the barn house is perched.   So many huge oak trees!!
 



 The kitchen is finally taking shape.  Tom tiled the counter tops and back splash with a light tumbled stone


and barn wood was used to frame the counters



The kitchen cabinets here are inexpensive bases that will be covered in barn wood .  The existing cabinet doors and drawers you see here will be taken off and Tom will make and replace with barn wood fronts.




The barn wood strips we will use are from larger pieces of wood Tom will cut to fit the cabinets.  The piece on the left is in its raw state, the pieces next to it have been sanded to a nice natural finish.  I'm liking the natural wood so much, its making me rethink my choice of stain for the hardwood floor.  I may stay with the natural finish of the white oak instead of the gray stain I have chosen.   I'll need to wait and see how it all looks together. 


The range and hood were installed and we are working to complete the hardwood floor so the built in refrigerator can be installed.  It will replace the tiny little fridge and microwave shown here:)



Our son has been a huge help and has been laying most of the hardwood floor so Tom can focus on other projects.




Like this one.....our barn wood staircase! We didn't want the traditional staircase and came up with this design that suited a more modern country vibe without looking too bulky. Tom did a great job on this.  We also plan to leave the wood in its natural state and will seal it with a matte finish


Most of the barn wood we are using is ash wood and when sanded it leaves such a beautiful natural finish.

All the barn wood used in this house is from American Barn and Wood.  A really lovely couple own and operate this business and it appears their business of reclaiming these old barns is really thriving!



The walls in the kitchen and family room will be covered in plank paneling.
I have a few planks I painted and placed on top of this old redwood mantel so you get the idea.


I found the old mantel at a local antique mall I frequent.  I was told it was over one hundred years old and at the time it was covered in baby blue textured paint Yikes!   A few coats of white chalk paint though and a bit of sanding and it's perfect.




and how cute is this little bird house?  I could not resist this. It looks a bit like the barn house! 




 Harvest time is now upon us and the wineries are all a buzz in grape picking and crushing. I love how the vineyards are changing colors.  Such a beautiful little valley we have found:)!!




 My next post will include photos of some of the beautiful hungarian antique pieces I purchased from a local antique shop. It's a little gem of a place:)! 

Cheers everyone!

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Country Garden & Landscapes At The Local County Fair

While working on our country place last weekend, we decided to take some time out and attend the county fair. This county is still so new to us so it's nice to be able to attend any community events while we are in town.

What wonderful displays in the landscape and garden areas!  I would love something like this little shed to house our well pump and other unsitely equipment on the property....and where can I find this post and lamp?  It would be perfect for the barn house.




The old wheel barrow is perfect alongside the patina of the barn wood.








Clever use of barn wood here, this one resembles a little country bridge.  I like this lamp post too!





Great little planters like these were placed throughout the grounds. We'll be making some of these for the barn house as well. 



This beautiful pavillion was made from old logs and this teepee is formed with long pieces of tree bark. So unique and creative.



We couldn't believe the size of this old steam saw on display. It was used in saw mills in the early 1900's. We missed the saw in action cutting some of the huge logs shown below.





Naturally in this agricultural community there were vintage tractors on display. Our John Deere isn't this cute, shiny or clean! 


Such fun..... now back at the barn house......

We're making  progress on the interior. The kitchen was gutted last weekend by our son and his friends who have been frequent visitors to our little compound :)  Nice demo work guys!     Tom will replace drywall, texture walls and ceilings and install new lighting before we reassemble the entire space.


Joe, Katy and our son Dan

Dan, left and Joe waiting to check out the rodeo at the fair

 It's getting close to harvest time in our little valley....this photo was taken at our neighbors vineyard. I can't wait to experience the harvest season here.  These are Zinfindel vines, beautiful to look at and very sweet tasting:).

 

The little country road on our property dead ends at his vineyard.  Absolutely breathtaking!



I've managed to squeeze in some shopping at a few antique stores and am adding to my inventory of items for the barn house.  I will share soon in another post.  Thanks for following along :).
Cheers for now!!
 


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