John Adams: Federal Style

Is anyone watching the HBO series John Adams and loving the historic interiors as much as me? Though the focus of the series is the early survival of our new Republic and its second president, the plot for me are the room colors, wallpapered halls, and swagged window treatments with multi-colored fringe. Wasn't it George Washington, in the seventh episode, dining with Mr. Adams in a beautiful dining room with a minimalists backdrop, or was it Thomas Jefferson?...All I noticed was the soothing blueish white of the walls, the crisp linen table cloth, silver utensils and the gracefulness of the Chippendale dining chairs. The look was stunning... I had to pause the scene and study the decor. I was also stunned by the wood horizontal blinds and swag valances. I had no idea horizontal blinds dated that far back. It appears window treatments have just come forward from the 18th century. We're still using the same technology...pulleys for blinds and shades.
What we are viewing is the emergence of what we now term Federal style. It's roots are firm in British design but there are also strong French influences. Federal style exudes strong symmetry with the internal floor plan as well as window placement in the exterior. Federal style is more refined and curvilinear than its predecessor Georgian Colonial style. It includes decorative swags, garlands, urns and introduces more detail to furnishings and fixtures. Some additional features are: Tooth-like dentil moldings, oval shaped rooms, Palladian windows (Italian), and recessed interior wall arches.

John Adams home in Quincy,Mass

Asian Style

When asked about ideas for a bedroom with Asian Style elements I think of natural materials in furnishings and flooring. Bamboo, Teak, Rosewood and Mindy Wood are woods used in various parts of Asia from China, Indonesia and Japan. In terms of time periods one can draw from a 19th century British Colonial look to a traditional Asian inspired theme. Color, especially reds and oranges are also important as well as earth and water elements....It's up to you...what I want to visually communicate is an idea to inspire you to try some of these touches in creating a bedroom that's your sanctuary!

Washington Post Blog Watch

Blog Watch

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Our picks to click this week: Cottage Living magazine has three new blogs:

Petal Pusher ( http://www.petalpusher.typepad.com/petal_pusher), outdoor guidance from the magazine's gardening expert;Front Burner ( http://www.frontburner.typepad.com/front_burner), dedicated to kitchens and cooking; and our favorite, Dear Cottage Living
( http://www.dearcottage.typepad.com/dear_cottage_living), which concen- trates on curb appeal. Readers send in exterior shots of their home, and the Cottage Living crew offers tips to make the outside as inviting as the inside by using paint, architectural elements and landscaping. Images to illustrate their advice are included.

Terri Sapienza

Color vs. Pattern

I love color and lots of it! I love pattern equally as well. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. Lots of color and pattern in the same room, especially a small space, must be used skillfully. There must be a common denominator that link the two. In other words there must be harmony. If this is a skill you haven't mastered in decorating your home or that special place you set aside for yourself I suggest you study your creation and find something that pulls it all together. It could be a singular color in both the pattern and the textured fabric that help create a bond. It could also be a repeated pattern within various colors of the fabrics....whatever it is don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new....That's the way to develop any skill...even in decorating.

Image: Red River Interiors

Image: Red River Interiors
Image: Traditional Home
Image: Australian Vogue Living

Gone Gardening

It"s been a busy week and I've managed to get a post out every day! I'm taking the weekend off and will return Tuesday........hope to have completed some upgrades to the site by then... Fay

Hydrangea - "Together"

Image: Washington Post

Washington Post Blog Watch

"Barry Dixon's Look", and how to get it, is a great feature on one of my favorite interior designers... Check it out in the Home & Garden section of the Washington Post.
(click: art & living)

(Copyright, Edward Addeo, From "Farrow & Ball: The Art Of Color")

I look forward to the Washington Post "Blog Watch" every Thursday.

Congratulations to fellow design blog winners!!

Blog Watch

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Our picks to click this week:

Making It Lovely ( http://www.makingitlovely.com/) certainly does with a guest room redo that transforms a dark, oddly shaped space into a colorful, cozy and light-filled haven. Before-and-after pictures included.
Decor8 ( http://www.decor8.blogspot.com/) teams up with Turquoise ( http://www.turquoise-la.blogspot.com/) for some e-consulting on a Florida reader's cramped office space. The bloggers offer advice on paint, flooring, lighting, windows and furniture (specific links provided). One of our favorite suggestions: the blue resin accent lamp from Target.

Terri Sapienza

A Room of Her own

"A woman must have money and a room of one's own..." Virginia Woolf.

I was blogging over the weekend with a few ladies, I supposed PVE Design started it all. She has quite a few post on desk vignettes and after reading some of the comments I remembered an old Oprah show.
Chris Casson Madden was promoting her new book," A Room of Her Own". I, like her, and Virginia Woolf believe a woman needs to carve out a space to write and nurture her soul.
These rooms are the ideal. We don't all have the luxury of consuming an entire room of the house but until then... start with a space. Make it lovely. Make it comfortable. Make it a sanctuary...but, most of all make it your own.

image: Australia Vogue Living

Every woman can romance her soul in these surroundings. These rooms say you have permission to.... love you!


You needn't stay at home to romance your soul. In this peaceful Vietnam hideaway you're pampered, waited on....spoiled. How divine!

A garden room nestled amongst your favorite trees and plantings is a perfect hideaway. One can be enveloped in the foliage and the confines of a light filled space.

image: Southern Living If you're not ready to drift into the woods... claim the screened porch for yourself. Design and decorate it with a tropical feel then have the ladies over for lunch.

image: Southern Living