Renovations Archives - French Country Cottage

Cottage Private Courtyard Plans Mood Board

Courtney — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 22:49:25 +0000

We have been working on several updates out in the cottage recently- from the kitchen to the bathroom to the living room- the cottage is a bit overdue for some much needed improvements.

While we are updating things- we aren’t changing or removing the original character. The old 1940 quirks and charm that our house have- do provide quite a few challenges when it comes to things like modern day appliances and plumbing -but they also provide so much charm and detail that we love. So far, we have been focused on getting the bathroom and kitchen done- one of my sons and his girlfriend might be living in the cottage for a bit while in the midst of a move- so we want to make sure everything is updated and ready before they would move in- in the next 6 weeks or so.

The bathroom… well, one step forward two steps back out there. We ran into a plumbing issue installing the ‘new’ sink and being a contractors daughter- I face-timed my dad and he basically stared at it and poked all kinds of holes in what we were trying to accomplish- and then told us the way he would do it. SO, back to the drawing board on that one. Of course, if everything was usual- he would be jumping in and helping in person and we would be laughing at the crazy ideas that we think might work if we just move this wall here or that pipe there.

I will give you an update on the sink hopefully next week ( I say hopefully because I thought I would have one this week) so for now- let’s talk landscaping and a private courtyard.

Private Courtyard

My mom and step dad came to visit one time and walked through the cottage to the backyard and were shocked. They could not believe that there was a whole other space behind the cottage that they didn’t realize was there. They live in a subdivision and just assumed that the fence was the property line- but it was just in between where we have tools, garbage cans and the shed with the bikes and winter storage.

So, that area behind the cottage has been slated to become a private courtyard oasis for the cottage. For guests staying there or for if we rent it to a caretaker or have family stay with us while we are traveling.

The Goal

The dream private courtyard would be full of old growth charm, storybook buildings and a cozy spot for enjoying dinner and evenings al fresco. Since we are working with a lot of natural foliage and trees in this area- and we don’t want to thin that too much since we do have a proper line border probably 100 feet away- we will be incorporating a lot of that natural growth and look in the design. Much of the same feeling over in the greenhouse garden area.

When putting together a mood board for any space- I always start with ‘goals’ and then work towards those goals. The goals here are:

Ambiance

We want this space to feel like a getaway. With twinkle lights, a fire pit and fountain to create a soft background music. ‘Magic’ being the keyword here.

Charm

English cottage. Old world garden. French Country. All of those settings that have an abundance of charm when you see them- that is the goal. From plantings to veggie gardens to an old potting shed and pea gravel paths.

Function

Of course, even though magic and charm are the top of my must lists when I work on any project- it also has to function the way it needs to. This courtyard is big enough for several areas- and we will be adding several in. Most important are the dining and seating areas so that whoever stays here can entertain if they want to or simply enjoy retreating out to their private yard as they would like.

The Mood Boards

I created a couple basic mood boards based off photos I found on Pinterest recently and these should help give you an idea of what I have in mind. Now keep in mind- much of this is only ‘mood’ inspiration – not the actual design. There are elements of each photo or setting that speak to me- and some of these apply to the cutting garden we are putting in as well- more on that mood board coming soon.

Secret garden feeling- lots of plants and lush greenery with pea gravel areas and simple vintage style furniture.

Pea gravel pathways and patio area, shingle covered greenhouse/potting shed and the fencing for the garden, wood benches, table with vine covered pergola, soft blue door color and all.those.twinkle.lights.

I love the tall greenery and garden walls in this board. This is an area of the yard that has a lot of pines and cedar trees along with some wild lilac and a huge towering old oak tree. In spring and summer when the lilac is leafed it out it is a beautiful overhead cover- in winter- more ‘piney’ and woodland feeling than anything else. So while I would love to play up some English cottage garden style- I think I will need to balance that with California wine country style which brings in those pines and woodsy areas next to the lush vines and oaks.

Find the inspiration photos at Pinterest.

What we are working on first

First will be to tackle the rest of the pea gravel. Bringing in pea gravel is a job. I am hoping I can get those big boys to come help unload and spread it all over the courtyard area- and then we will tackle the plantings, garden beds and creating the cozy.

What do you think of the cottage courtyard patio plans? If you were renting this little house from us- what would you like to have included in your private yard?

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A charming vintage inspired barn

Courtney — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 23:30:00 +0000

Remember that big project I have been mentioning?

The one that took 7 gallons of paint, lots of up and down on the ladder & gave me a great workout? The one that has details in abundance and charm beyond…

and that is also the one that is giving me a HUGE amount of inspired energy right now?

I am SO excited to share the first look with you today.

It has little corbels. A peaked roof and dormer.

A pair of double doors with windows.

Two little windows on the front.

Charming board and batten siding and a faded silver metal roof…

Obsessed is probably not a strong enough word.

And it isn’t even done yet. haha.

But I think this project is ready enough for a spotlight debut – and as we finish other things, I will take you along on the rest of the project.

So what exactly is my latest obsession?

We built a barn folks.

It is modeled after a grand barn in the midwest-

so it is kind of more like a mini-barn.

And I am literally OBSESSED with it.

This barn has a bit of a secret… it is actually a prefab kit.

Meaning – it arrives with walls built already-the windows and doors in place in the walls and all the hardware right down to the screws and nails that you will need to put it together.

You supply the build site and manpower.

Here is my son Cullan working away on leveling the walls

(and pardon the messy job site)

This barn is called the Star Barn and it is from our partner Little Cottage Company –
which you might remember is the same company that builds the greenhouse we have.

The greenhouse appeared in my book and I was thrilled that the company was so happy with how it turned out and to find out that they build kits for many things in addition to the greenhouse-

Barns, Sheds, Playhouses that literally look out of a fairytale- and more.

All with that same attention to detail and character that the greenhouse has- and all with the ease of building by being a pre-fab kit.

But before I get into sharing more about the barn-
the best part about this company is who they are.
Little Cottage Company is a family owned company in Ohio and Dan started his business with designing and building playhouses.
I loved hearing his story about how he was inspired to create a kit for a playhouse that was easy to put together – that parents would be able to build themselves –
and give their kids a wonderful place to dream and create memories.
It felt very kindred to me- and in my book, I actually talked about the playhouse my dad built for me when I was a little girl and how much I feel it played a part in my love of decorating and all things home.

And in the interest of not taking up half of your day with the 5 dozen photos I have taken already-
I am going to break the barn posts up into several so that you don’t have to grab an entire pot of coffee to read through it all at one time.

The Beginning

The prefab pieces went up fairly quickly after we got the floor and foundation done.
But to get to that point- involved a twist of it’s own- literally.

You might remember the fall my husband had on our location photo shoot-
when he jumped out of the back of his truck while loading up all that furniture I had brought along with us and he landed wrong and literally rolled into the instagram story I was doing that morning.
He was fine – thankfully- it could have been really bad- but he was moving a bit slowly after that so, manpower was in short supply for a bit

(ahem- it was basically just me)
which meant the project was on hold.

But when it got back to getting started-

my husband and son Cullan literally got all the walls up and ready for the roof area
to be put on in just about a day.

The best part about prefab buildings is that they literally can be assembled like a dollhouse kit –
just one piece after the other and before you know it- you have something
that is starting to look like a little house.
Which if you are impatient like I am- will make you very happy seeing so much happen so quickly.

The building comes with the tongue and groove siding already attached to the panels -they are complete walls inside and out.
We did customize a couple things- and I will delve further into those in the next post- but

one of those things was to add battens to the siding to create a board and batten look- which is in keeping with California wine country style.

We also put a metal roof on the barn instead of shingles.

I struggled a little bit with that… for about 5 minutes. haha.

Shingles are far easier to install- the metal roof is more complicated- in most cases requiring a roofing contractor to install so a bit more of an expense.

Again, I love the California wine country barn look which is crisp white with a metal roof-
and I felt this barn was perfect for that.

(Side note- This door is centered on the building- you just can’t fully see the other side that matches because it is hidden behind a huge grove of wild blackberries and old growth cedar trees that sit just below the barn- and I am standing about 10 feet below the building up on a hill.)

We also decided to paint the inside of the building –

(that is all sawdust, bits and fallen leaves and extras from before the roof was installed on the floor)

And also we added a few extra small 2×6 boards at the top as cross beams in the peak to create an authentic ‘open beam’ ceiling look (below)

And we are on a slope so we had to do quite a bit of foundation work before the build- which left us with a lot of foundation showing. So we added a small deck outside the double doors to create a landing area and a step up. We also added stairs to the front door-
note: the building does not require a full foundation- because of our rolling hill location and code – we needed to add one.

For the deck and stairs- I wanted weathered to keep with the vintage feeling – so we simply gathered up leftover project wood from the extras pile to create.

Of course- I had to add a few string lights covering the path and a chandelier …
because… it just wouldn’t be French Country Cottage without a bit of sparkle.

As I mentioned- we are not done yet.
We are still working on the roof to get that done and to finish quite a few tidbits and things –

and then it will be on to working on that area outside the barn that currently is covered in straw to keep the dust down. We have a large old stump to remove and blackberries galore before we can finish the barn yard area.

We are also planning to add a plank floor over the plywood floor and finish the walls inside a bit more, add barn lights and create a dutch door out of the front door.
As well- we will be adding some boards to the doors as well to create that charming ‘x’ that barn doors have. I will share each of those projects and how -to steps as we do them.

We also have one more big project to tackle- we need to add the incredible cupola that came with the barn. It is HUGE and that is a several person job and with the metal roof- so will be looking to hire to make sure it is installed correctly and safely.

Of course, you know me- I already styled it and photographed several things in here over the weekend that you will be seeing very soon.

Pop on over and take a peek at the charming buildings at Little Cottage Company and find the barn, shed, playhouse or greenhouse and even chicken coops and Poly patio furniture that is perfect for you.

We are so in love with how this building is turning out- and I am excited to delve into more details and share more soon!

As well, if you have any questions- leave them in the comments or drop me an email and I will try to answer or find the answer for you.

Happy Wednesday all.

*We partnered with Little Cottage Co to help build this barn but all opinions and love of it are our own.

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The little kitchen that could

Courtney — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 16:34:00 +0000

Did you ever read that book- ‘The Little Engine That Could’?

It was one of my favorite books when I was growing up.

It was about a little train engine that dreamed of doing big things that those big fabulous trains did. But it was just a little engine- and it had a chug chug chug instead of a fast smooth zoom.

But that didn’t stop that little engine from dreaming. And one day, he did something that none of the other big fancy trains were able to do.

Our house is kind of like that I think.

It was a little house that was overlooked by many and that we were actually told to bulldoze and start new when we bought- because the property was where the worth was- not the house.

But you see, I saw that little engine.

I saw the shiny things it could do one day.

And I remember when my husband and I talked about if we could really tackle those broken windows, water damaged walls and 60 years of weathering away…

while raising 3 babies while he worked out of town half the week.

We wondered, we paused, we thought again…

and asked would we really be able to fix up that forlorn forgotten house

and turn it into a home?

And I would think of that little engine that could and I would say

‘I think we can.’

Partly youthful energy, a dash of daydreaming and yes, a sprinkle of not really knowing how much work a project like this house would be….

we jumped in.

And years later…the kitchen is one of those rooms where I now say

‘I thought we could’

If our kitchen could talk- it might talk about how it started out with an idea and a dream.

A dream that included marble counters, wood plank floors and vintage chandeliers lighting up the room.

So that was where we started.

Truth be told- this kitchen evolved and changed and changed again over many years.

And it has taken us many years to get to where we are with it. It wasn’t a big budget, snap your fingers and it was done project. It was a blood, sweat, tears and a lot of saving and DIY work to get it done. And some projects were more about making do- than the first choice.

And one of those projects that wasn’t really what I envisioned was the range hood.

You see, I had a big fancy freight train type range hood in mind. And it came along with a big fancy lead time of about 4 months. So- in trying to get this kitchen photograph ready for that little side project called a ‘Book’ – we had to go to plan B and find something we could use to give the kitchen that custom look we wanted- on something more like a 2 week time line.

Enter this wood range hood.

Tall and stately. Curvy and beautiful. With little details to add that extra charm.

Fully customizable – and on a dime at that.

This range hood ships to you ready to be cut to size and ready to finish and put up.

We took about 12″ off the top of it to get it to fit our ceiling height and I chose to paint it with a coat of pretty white enamel type paint.

And voila.

Even though it isn’t the original design – I do love how it turned out and honestly when tackling renovations in a kitchen- something as simple as changing one element like a range hood or taking the doors off the cupboards can make a huge difference for little budget.

We will likely be moving this hood out to the cottage kitchen when we tackle that kitchen update-

and will order the custom one we originally envisioned for the space.

But for now- enjoying it and the simple charm it brings.

Piece by piece this kitchen has become the kitchen that could.

The one that started looking a little less than lovely and that over the years started to look much like that dreamy vision.

For those who asked:

Find this hood here – you do need to purchase your own insert

*not sponsored*

Happy kitchen renovating!

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French Cottage Bathroom – Favorites in 2017

Courtney — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 17:56:00 +0000

The hustle and bustle and busy of the holiday season is winding down a bit.

Though those twinkling trees are twinkling away and the garland is on the fireplace.

Christmas stays up a bit longer at our house every year. It just feels like the season flies by so quickly that I want to enjoy the house filled with Christmas magic a bit more.

And this year it feels like it flew by faster than ever and I have been running at a sprinters pace just to keep up. So this week, it is a bit about relaxing and rejuvenating.

I am excited about 2018 and feeling energized about the possibilities that it holds.

And I will be doing a post about resolutions and goals very soon- but this week, it is about sleeping in and taking a minute to just slow down a bit for a few days and enjoy the holidays- and that means recaps on the blog.

Like your top 10 favorite posts, your favorite renovation project, most viewed posts and more.

And today- it is all about the bathroom.

The bathroom renovation was your favorite renovation post in 2017. And one of my favorite renovation projects that I have shared. The custom vanity we made is the stuff that vintage and detail loving things are made of. And can we talk about those gold faucets and that big old mirror?

It was definitely a fun project to design and see come together.

Find all the details in this post here

And the details on where to find all the elements to get the look here.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are enjoying some quiet time with family this week.

See you soon for your top 12 favorites,

your favorite BIG project and much more- including

some exciting changes coming to my blog.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

The post French Cottage Bathroom – Favorites in 2017 appeared first on French Country Cottage.

Laundry Room BEFORE

Courtney — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 18:00:00 +0000

I have shared the oh so lovely ‘before’ photos of our house with you many times before.

But this is a space I am going to share a peek of today…

that I have never photographed and shared.

With good reason.

I mean the ‘before’ of our house was not for the faint of heart.
When we toured it the first time- my husband almost walked away.
With good reason.
It was a literal disaster.

Remember the Dining Room Before?
It was fabulous.

NOT.

Or the Kitchen Before?
Not exactly charming.

Oy vey.

Or even that weird bathroom Before that was well…

No.

Did I mention the ceilings were open to the attic in areas?

As in, open.to.the.attic.
That there was no sink or plumbing in one bathroom

and that the lights in each room were merely bulbs handing by a wire?

Or what about the vandalism
the broken windows and lovely furniture & junk left behind everywhere?

Oh and don’t want to forget the infestation of yellow jackets.
Oh yeah.

There was that time that my dad got stung right in between the eyes when working on wiring.
GOOD TIMES.

Basically… did I mention that this cottage was a GEM when we bought it?

A BIG ONE.
It was just a diamond… that was disguised as coal.

And that included the laundry room.

Well, to be fair, it is a laundry closet.

It was a different closet at one point
that was retrofitted to hold a washer and dryer.

There were shelves and old paneling and that was it.

All those laundry rooms that you see-

the ones with the sinks, and pretty little windows overlooking the yard

where you can fold laundry and daydream?

Yeah, this was not one of them.

No window.

and no cupboards
no sink
nada.

But… a washer and dryer?
Yes.

Honestly, my favorite part of this laundry room-

the doors.

Those amazingly aggravating never stayed on their tracks

and never stayed closed bifold doors.

But -they were favorites because when they were closed-

they hid the oh so lovely

catchall/storage/laundry/ nope I haven’t folded yet/ renovation supply/ extra cans of paint that I might need next Tuesday/ 2 months supply of laundry detergent/and toilet paper

I simply have nowhere else to put that right now

closet.

We tinkered with the shelves, painted, added baskets for storage-

one for tools, one for extras, one for detergents, etc. to make do until we tackled this spot.

And it was looking a little bit better and less aggravating when doing laundry.

But honestly,

it was ugly even then.

And so we would close those they never really worked bifold doors

and ignore it since we had walls to patch,

ceilings to close,

plumbing to add, wiring to replace in the whole house,

kitchens and bathrooms to renovate

not to mention a family to raise

and

everything else in between.

Because the laundry room functioned just fine…

It just wasn’t pretty.

Until now.

I can hardly believe that this itty bitty laundry closet is the same itty bitty closet.

That was renovated on an tiny budget in about 2 days.

And the REVEAL is up! Find it HERE

Happy Monday everyone.

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One Change for Elegant Old World Cottage Charm in the Kitchen

Courtney — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 20:45:00 +0000

Last week,

something amazing happened in the kitchen.

And it wasn’t a new recipe.

It was something like putting on new makeup, new clothes and that sassy tie up pair of heels

whole new you amazing.

Have you ever noticed how sometimes just one thing can make all the difference?

Like those sassy tie up shoes.

You can wear heels with that little black dress…

or you can wear HEELS.

Heels that make you feel amazing and that turn heads

and have people talking.

And I say

Let them talk.

This recent pop of pretty in the kitchen…

well, it is kind of like

those heels and is definitely a game changer over here.

It gave the kitchen a whole new look.

And can you believe that it was just one little change?

One.

But first, let’s talk about our kitchen Cinderella story

and how that amazing Fairy Godmother waltzed in and waved her magic wand

and the kitchen went from this:

to this…

Just.

Like.

That.

Yeah, right.

Let’s get real.

A magic wand in renovating a kitchen?

It looks more like a hammer, reciprocating saw, a lot of paintbrushes, caulk,

possibly a bit of colorful language

and

a lot of blood, sweat and tears.

Most renovation projects are that way.

They don’t just have a Fairy Godmother with a magic wand that comes along one day

and says ‘Bippity Boppity Boo’ and hands you a brand new look on a silver platter.

That would be pretty awesome if it happened that way-

but this change was kind of like a Fairy Godmother change…

It was that pair of amazing heels that had people talking.

The ones that stopped that

handsome Prince in his tracks and had him talking marriage after 5 minutes.

But these shoes weren’t made of glass…

Any ideas what changed yet?

Okay…

let’s talk about that farmhouse style island.

Did you know that when we first bought the house that there was no island in

the kitchen?

It was just a galley style, walk through kitchen.

Originally where the range is – the hallway was- and you would walk smack dab through the kitchen to go to the back of the house.

That all changed when we closed it off and created a new hallway through a large extra room.

And it gave us the opportunity to bring in an island because

one of the things old galley style kitchens can lack

is counter space.

Though we have 25′ long of counter space on one side- that was it.

The other side was the refrigerator and doorways.

It wasn’t ideal.

But adding an island was a charming fix

and this farmhouse style island was near perfect.

It was rectangular in shape and not too wide and the only thing I didn’t instantly love about it-

was the faux butcher block top. Regular butcher block would have been much better because

though it is wood- this wasn’t as forgiving as butcher block with stains

and and it didn’t get that great old character that butcher block has.

Those dings and stains?

Well, they just looked like dings and stains rather than patina.

And we have sanded it down several times to get it looking pretty again

and reconditioned with a food safe rub and enjoyed it

but it always felt like it needed a little something different…

a darker color or finish maybe? Or maybe something else.

And when we changed the kitchen counters to a gorgeous marble slab recently

I knew exactly what that island needed…

A delicious chunky marble top.

Oh I cannot tell you how much I love this marble.

Seriously.

It is the same marble we used on the countertops- a gorgeous

Vermont Imperial Danby honed from Arizona Tile

This type of marble has long veining that I absolutely love- and it is crisp and white

with subtle brown and black veins that create a delightful pattern that does not overwhelm.

Did I mention that I love it?

Love it. Love it. Love it.

I knew that the marble would be amazing on the island…

but I have to admit that I was surprised at just how much that one thing changed the feeling.

It was almost like the day the first chandelier went up in the kitchen years ago.

Just that one change and the kitchen was instantly a different room.

It was that cottage kitchen – with all the old wonky cupboards, charm and character…

but it was instantly filled with this amazing feeling

of serene old world elegance and beauty.

It is a Cinderella story all over again.

And since marble is such a warm and patina rich stone that

takes something simple and makes it exquisite

it truly is an absolute perfect fit.

I am in love.

Between this gorgeous new island and refinished floors

prepare for kitchen photo overload coming your way.

And for those of you who are interested in changing your counters or island tops to marble or any other stone or tile-

I highly recommend Arizona Tile.

Between hand holding and steering me in the right direction stone and finish wise

to the amazing amount of choices in slabs and tiles

to the best prices around-

you cannot go wrong.

And stay tuned because I will have more details on putting this piece in the kitchen

(it was super super simple)

How we got it ready and all about sealing it to make sure it stays pretty.

I will also have another update on how our marble counters are holding up.

So if you have any questions-

send them to me and I will try to answer them.

[email protected]

And for more info about our marble counters-

you can find Q & A about Marble Counters here

Happy Monday everyone.

Disclosure:

I have worked with Arizona Tile on various projects in our home

but all opinions and my crazy love of marble and Arizona Tile are my own.

sharing at wow

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The Secret That Makes This Beautiful Marble Mosaic Tile the Best

Courtney — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 08:49:00 +0000

If I told you that I had fallen in love with a floor tile- you might think I was a little crazy.
But this marble mosaic? Well, it had me at hello.

Mosaic tiles are just absolutely gorgeous in my book.

Each piece fits just so into the other and then the next

and all together- an amazing detailed, pattern is formed.
And with so many color and style options- I can’t get enough of them.

But I have a confession…

My love affair with mosaic tile has been one sided before.

They haven’t always loved me back.

I will confess that I have struggled putting in those pretty mosaic patterns before.

It is very detailed work and aside from matching patterns – the grout lines can be a bear.

Let’s just say

I recently declared yet again that I am not a ’tile mason’ after another round of frustration

Well, at least I didn’t think I was…

and then this amazing marble mosaic showed up.

First, can we pause and talk about that gorgeous pattern?
I am in love with it.

With the latest bathroom renovation we have been working on

one of the things we were doing involved taking out an older tub

and replacing it with a claw foot.

And since there was no flooring underneath that old built in tub-
that meant new floors.

I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to say out with the old- and in with the new.

And I started pinning and planning the look and while I dreamed and drooled over the pretty marble mosaics…

I paused as I remembered those mosaic tile issues from the past.

BUT.
This tile.

This marble mosaic beautiful basket weave tile
is like the superman of tile.

It is a game changer- because, it has a secret.

The secret isn’t that it is not actually a mosaic-
it is a beautiful mosaic tile.

Each of those pieces right down to the skinny lines and chunky gray buttons

are individual pieces of marble all working with the others to create that beautiful basket weave pattern.

And you put it in the same way- by spreading mortar on the surface

and laying it down- and then you seal it.

But then you are done.

Yep, no grouting.

The lines on this mosaic are so tight and close together- that you do not need any grout at all.

And that means, no worries about spacing and no grout lines to clean.

The tiles are on a mesh backing and when you pick them up- they do not bend like other mosaics
I have worked with- and I think that is because they are ‘built’ so close together.

Here is a close up of a section of the tile before being installed.

See how small the lines in between each piece of marble are?

So when you lay them down- it is just like laying down a full tile.

When I started I could not believe how easy they went in

and how quickly the floor was wrapped up and finished.

Literally I pieced them together and wrapped a row of them up in about 15 minutes from one end of the floor to the next. A few hours later- and I was standing back and admiring

that gorgeous new floor-

and celebrating that there were NO grout lines.

Seriously.

We are talking a mosaic tile game changer.

I highly recommend it.

And a side note- if you do want to or need a little grout for any of the pieces-

you can grout this tile

but the best thing is that you don’t have to.

This marble mosaic pattern came from Arizona Tile– and you might remember that

the gorgeous marble slab for my kitchen counters came from Arizona Tile as well.

And when I was choosing the slab- I wanted polished.

Shiny, pretty, glossy polished marble.

And Steve at Arizona Tile gave me all the ins and outs of polished marble

and the reasons why I should choose a honed finish-

and saved me from making a huge mistake.

You can find this marble mosaic HERE and many other styles and patterns at Arizona Tile

and if you have any questions or need any help choosing the right tile for you- they really are super helpful and are happy to help point you in the right direction.

You will see much more of this floor in the bathroom reveal soon

and back to the kitchen…

stay tuned because there is another change coming there too.

Hope your Wednesday is off to a great start.

I have worked with Arizona Tile but this is not a sponsored post-

just sharing a big crush on a favorite tile from

a favorite tile company.

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The Great Blackberry & Marble Countertop Debacle

Courtney — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 22:44:00 +0000

A few months ago, a building project we were working on

brought both of my big boys home for a weekend of demo work
which to them = fun.

I was pretty darn happy to have all the bustle and busy in the house again
and on that lazy Saturday morning,

I decided to make those special pancakes full of protein powder and fruit

that they love for breakfast.

And that same lazy Saturday was also the day that

the great blackberry and marble counter debacle took place…

We had picked an abundance of blackberries during the season

and we had several bags of mixed fresh berries
that we used for shakes and baking stored in the freezer.

And so, while getting ready to cook those pancakes and eggs,

I grabbed one of the ready to go bags full of blackberries and blueberries out of the freezer

and set it on the counter while I mixed the batter.

I mixed and stirred and cooked and proceeded to make about a dozen pancakes

before taking a few minutes to sit down to talk with the boys

and enjoy a cup of coffee.

Then my daughter walked into the kitchen and noticed that the ziplock bag
that was next to the yet warm griddle that was waiting for round #2 of pancakes to be made…

had leaked.

As in…the ziplock bag full of berries had leaked and there was blackberry and blueberry juice

ALL. OVER. THE MARBLE. COUNTER.

My heart started to race and panic set in as I ran over and picked the leaky bag up

and wiped away the juice

with eyes half closed & keeping fingers crossed that the sealer
I had applied 6 months ago worked…

but there it was.

A large purple stain staring at me.

And my heart sank.

And then it sank some more

and I just knew that

I had ruined my beautiful marble counters.

After I stopped freaking out

I took a deep breath and did what any person in our tech savvy world does…

I googled ‘berry stain on marble counter’

and thankfully found a few things to try.

Oxyclean was one of them and since I am a huge fan of oxyclean-

I already had it in the laundry room.

I sprinkled a little bit on the stain and let it sit for about 1 minute

and then wiped away the powder and

the purple stain was gone.

I breathed a sigh of relief and my marble counters and I
well, we had a moment.

I ran my hand across them, and spoke sweet nothings to that pretty face
and promised to never bring leaky bags of frozen berries near them again.

So after over a year with these marble counters in the kitchen-
with various mishaps here and there-
how are they holding up?

And what have I learned since that first spot of marinara sauce
and buttered popcorn and now berry juice?
A lot actually.
Here are a few thoughts:

The Key

Remember that sealer I used when we first put the counters in?

The one that I applied 3 coats of?

Simply put-
that sealer worked.

The stain didn’t penetrate the marble and stain it- it was merely on the surface and the oxyclean pulled it right off the surface.

So- the sealer did exactly what it was supposed to do.

And I have found the same with other stains that were not noticed right away-

such as that marinara sauce or red wine or even a drip of coffee –

there has been no problem at all wiping any of them up.

What about oils?

Yes, oils do seem to reach the stone- but the look of oil on marble adds patina in my mind.

Where the bulk of cooking is done- you can be certain that many a drip of olive oil
has seasoned the counters.

And that was something that I knew was likely and that I was totally okay with.

It isn’t something that would be noticed (as in rings or anything else)
and take away from them just by looking at them-

but if you are considering marble- it is something to think about if that bothers you.

Etching

Yes, there is etching on the countertops from various things.
Again- part of the patina.
IF you look for it-and scrunch down to eye level- you will notice it.
If you don’t – you will not.
Though I love shiny- honed is the way to go folks.

Yay or Nay?

So would I put marble counters in a kitchen again?

Absolutely 10,000% yes. yes. yes.

And if we build at some point- marble will be on the list and in the kitchen

and the bathroom and heck- where else can I get away with putting it?

I love marble and the look and patina of it is unlike anything else-

so if you love that look- go for it.

And if you take a few precautions and make sure to seal-

you can relax without stressing about your

Italian husband and marinara sauce and red wine…

or late night popcorn parties…

or…ahem…

berries in ziplock bags that someone forgot about

for a few minutes too long

and just enjoy them.

Find the original post about marble counter Q &A HERE

including the best place to shop for slabs

And the

kitchen renovation reveal HERE

Hope your Tuesday is off to a great start

And in full disclosure: Not a marble expert or a stain removal expert.
I found the oxyclean fix on google- and it worked for me but use at your own judgement.

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Details~ The perfect pedestal sink

Courtney — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 22:46:00 +0000

You might say I am obsessed with details.

Details are what makes something that much more important

or noticeable in a room and

they don’t have to be crazy elaborate, overly ornate or a traffic stopping color or size-

they just need to be thoughtfully chosen.

Details are something that I think should never be overlooked.

Whether it is a painting that is the right size, style and colors for a wall or something

as important as the kitchen cabinet finish.

And choosing the right ones… well….

if you have ever tried to choose an important detail for a room-

then you know that whirlwind of indecision

and the second guessing and that little voice on your shoulder that says ‘Not that one’

while the other one says ‘Yes this is the one!’

and you are left with questioning everything.

And before you know it- you are sucked into that whirlwind of indecision.

When I was choosing the details for the bathroom renovation…

like the sink. Sconces. Fixtures. etc.

I definitely spent a bit of time, argued with myself and yes, changed my mind at least 3 times

before deciding on the perfect pedestal sink.

I know what you are thinking…

it is just a sink.

My husband feels the same way.

It has a faucet. You wash your hands, etc. It IS just a sink.

But I am nit picky about details like that

so nothing is ever that easy with me.

Countless hours perusing magazines,

sorting through Pinterest

and maybe even staring at the same sinks all lined up in a row in a plumbing store.

I stare and think.

And process.

And visualize.

And I knew when I saw this one
that this was the sink that fit the design perfectly.

The Bancroft sink from Kohler caught my eye immediately.

I LOVED it.

It is classic.

Elegant.

So simple in style and design- but so beautiful in the simplicity.

And it reminded me so much of the antique pedestal sinks

that you would find in an older home.

When it arrived and I set it up for the first time

I sighed and smiled.

I knew it was THE perfect sink for this bathroom.

My favorite details?

Definitely the simple, smooth, rounded design

and gorgeous shiny finish.

It has ample space for soaps and the size is not too large or too small.

I might even feel a little zip in my heart when walking by and glancing in the door.

All those delicious details mingling together in the bathroom?

I will admit it… I am in love.

Happy Wednesday everyone

To see more of the bathroom renovation-

you can find that here

Sources

Kohler Bancroft Sink

Delta Cassidy Faucet

shower head

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French Cottage Bathroom Renovation- Reveal

Courtney — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 18:19:00 +0000

Do you remember the story of Cinderella?

She was a girl who was once just like a maid doing all the not so pretty work

like scrubbing floors & washing dishes and mending clothes.

And like every girl

she wanted to go to the Grand Ball- but when the time came

she wasn’t ready.

Until her Fairy Godmother showed up and waved her magic wand

and made a little old pumpkin into a coach.

Then her torn and tattered dress became a beautiful gown.

And on her feet

she had the most gorgeous glass slippers of all.

Of course, it was just for one night in the story-

and at the stroke of midnight

her coach turned right back into a pumpkin

her dress to rags and she lost one of those slippers…

until her true love showed up with it.

But in this storybook fairytale about a bathroom…

we don’t have to wait for the glass slipper and for love to be found.

It is already here.

I cannot tell you how in love I am with this bathroom.

How many times I walk by and go into the bathroom-

and stand there and look around and just…

sigh.

How that marble subway tile, those wood plank walls

and all that vintage gold mingling with them makes my heart sing.

And I have absolutely no shame that a bathroom

can make me weak in the knees.

You know,

as I have worked on re-doing this and that in this house-

I have found much more than sawdust in my hair, bruised knuckles
and random things hidden inside walls

And there are many tales to tell coming up.

So this bathroom is a little bit vintage, a little bit cottage

a little bit French and a whole lot of charming.

I chose my favorite elements

like marble

white

vintage brassy golds

and classic style

and put them together.

The plan changed a few times along the way as the project dictated

and as my path crossed with various treasures.

Like this.
Do you remember that vintage mirror I found in San Diego?

I pretty much tossed aside the original mirror plan when I saw it.

I saw this mirror in my mind instantly above this very sink.

And with those. sconces.

Can we talk about how incredible they are?

Can you believe that they are brand new?

They are from Lowe’s.

Yes.

Pretty much everything in this bathroom changed-
but I am going to break down a few specifics

and will delve much further into each aspect separately.

The Walls

We used knotty pine boards on the walls and the ceiling.

First- since our entire house has knotty pine walls- it was a perfect period fit

and we even uncovered original wood planks when we took out all the old- so they were there back in the day

and second- I am not a fan of sheetrock. Plain and simple.

The plank boards are easy to install and have such a great look.

We also used a gorgeous marble subway tile wainscot.

Perfection in my book.

The Floor

Herringbone. Marble. Tile.
Need I say more?

The Shower

The old not so relaxing ‘spa tub’

became a fresh and classic glass enclosed shower.

We made the shower completely out of marble subway tile- floor to ceiling.

Seriously. I think I could live in a house with marble in every room.

I am mildly obsessed.

And I have already told my husband that when we build

we will be using a lot of marble.

We added a custom spot for shampoo & conditioner in the shower

with a herringbone tile cubby on one wall.

and by taking out the ‘spa tub’ shelf –

we were able to get some much needed

storage which this bathroom didn’t have before.

The Storage

The storage shelf area was a simple job

and you might recognize those slatted shelves

from our closet makeover.

Next to the shelf/laundry basket area- we added a huge vintage mirror.

And I have a confession.

The bathroom decor isn’t quite wrapped up yet.

You see, I have a couple pieces that are being added

but I was too excited to share already.

The Ceiling

Can you see something different with the ceiling?

Remember the skylight?

It is there-

but it is not a tunnel with a flat ceiling any longer.

We peaked the ceiling and followed the roof line

giving the bathroom a super nice height and the opportunity to board and beam it.

Not the easiest to get a photo of really- I think I need a wide angle lens

but will show in more detail in a separate post.

The Sink & Hardware

Another favorite?

This Bancroft pedestal sink from Kohler.

It is vintage in style and charm and absolutely fit the space perfectly.

From the simply smooth fluid lines to the ample soap space –

love it.

I chose my favorite new finish for the hardware

for the sink and shower

Champagne bronze from Delta Faucet.

The Lighting

Of course I already mentioned my love affair with the sconces.

Seriously these are amazing.

You might also see a vintagey chandy peeking out

because, a chandelier in every room

well, c’est moi.

I would by lying if I said this was an easy DIY renovation.

It was a lot of work.

And there was blood, sweat and even a couple tears involved- I won’t lie.

It pretty much was just like almost every other project we have taken on in this old cottage.

We had issues that cropped up that we were not anticipating

went through 3 boxes of Band Aids and did a lot of head scratching

and I might be keeping my massage therapist in business for a while

Just saying…

But to go from this?

to this…?

ahhh….gosh…

it was sooo worth it.

It makes me sigh to just to look at this bathroom

and I feel like a part of my style and the vision has truly come to life.

I will share a break down of each change and more about how we did it

in separate posts because this post is already too long.

So you will be seeing this Cinderella story

a lot more on here soon.

I have to give a big shout out to both of my big boys for coming home

and doing the back breaking work for the demo, my dil (almost) and daughter for helping when my fingers were sore to the bone and my ever patient husband for re-cutting each and every

little 1/16″ off tile.

and for smiling through the hiccups along the way.

You can see more of our home and this bathroom in my book

FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE & my newest book FRENCH COUNTRY COTTAGE INSPIRED GATHERINGS

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