Communication and Renovation

My first proper blog page since my introduction a few weeks ago.



Even though one of my greatest joys is to have a cup of tea and good conversations in person with a friend, little by little technology has found a way to sometimes dilute that connection. I remember the days of receiving a telegram and wondered how a message could be sent and so quickly delivered on a piece of paper.



The telegram was replaced years later by fax, a machine that I still do not understand. In recent years, I was introduced to a “blackberry,” a wonderful tool, especially for travel and international business. But for sure it has to be used with great caution, for the addiction it can cause and for the information it holds that might be read by uninvited readers.

As I mentioned in my introduction, the world of “blogs” is new to me, so the discovery of “comments” was a lovely surprise. And while it is not quite the personal touch of a cup of tea, I am certainly learning what a lovely vehicle it is to share thoughts with like-minded people.

My intentions are to update my blog weekly. I got delayed the last couple of weeks because even though both Shabby Chic and my kids are now set to go on their ways, I found myself so busy with my stores and preparation of kids going back to college. As my son moved into his first all-boy apartment with two other friends in New York, he did break the news to me that they had opted for a black sofa and coffee table. (However, I did get a call several hours later that he couldn’t believe the confusion, the lack of customer service, and how long it all took to shop, giving him a new understanding of what a pleasant experience it is to shop in Shabby Chic.)



Click here to see all Shabby Chic store locations

I have spent the last few weeks traveling my stores on the east coast, making sure my vision of wanting to create an aesthetic of magic is somehow achieved. It’s quite tricky to accomplish this, as all Shabby Chic stores are different shapes and sizes. And with so many one-of-a-kind vintage items, each store has to be individually directed in how to display each product. But the effort is well worth the end result. Meeting my employees and seeing their enthusiasm and effort is endlessly touching to me.



Other than kids and work, another project I am close to completing is a house I have been working on in Los Angeles.

I have been living in Los Angeles for close to 30 years, but the truth is, my dream has always been to live in a 200-year-old small stone farmhouse, surrounded by wildflowers and roses, in the countryside. It would also be near a small village with a church, would have a view of pretty rooftops, would have chickens and goats and small children, four seasons, especially the rain, the smell of gravy, and the sound of classical music. (Similar to Hill Top Farm, the home Beatrix Potter lived in that was so beautifully portrayed in the movie Miss Potter).



I have lived in a few different homes over the years for a few different reasons, always looking for my dream house (more details of this in my next book). A year ago, I stumbled on my “kind of nearly dream home.” Built in the early 20’s, it is confused as to whether it is Spanish or a house from the South (New Orleans). It has some lovely original details like a large brick fireplace, which is actually too big for the room and not Spanish or New Orleans in style, but more like it belonged on the Yorkshire Moors. (It could have been in a scene from the film, "Wuthering Heights," with Laurence Olivier).



The house has a quiet sense of pride about it. It is situated on a nice sized lot, with the potential to make a lovely back garden.

When I bought the house it had some renovations, but sadly most of them were wasted on me. It had a very slick kitchen and bathrooms, and lots of built-in cupboards. So I initially gutted the house. Bathrooms and kitchens are for me places that are areas that can set a tone for the home. I decided to restore these rooms to what felt more authentic to the house, which meant finding some authentic vintage elements.



Rosie’s Vintage Wallpaper and Hannah’s Treasures have been great sources for vintage wallpaper. However, it can be challenging to use as it’s not ready glued and it’s quite brittle. (I of course think the tears are charming.) It’s also hard to find quantities of any one design. So I either use to line cupboards, or if there is room, I usually install a wooden painted chair rail 36” up the wall and install the vintage paper above the chair rail. This halves the quantity needed. (Below the chair rail I install anaglypta wallpaper and paint a shiny off-white. Its also practical from a wear and tear standpoint).



Do be careful giving instructions of where you want each roll of paper installed. I told my wallpaper hanger where I wanted my favorite paper hung, but by miscommunication, it landed up in my daughters closet. A wasted spot for a paper I loved and couldn’t get anymore.



I was so upset until I reminded myself, “its just wallpaper!!!” I quickly hung up one of Shabby Chic’s top selling framed art pieces, which has become our new mantra, “keep calm and carry on” and all was good.



Click here to purchase "keep calm carry on" framed poster available at Shabby Chic online



I do enjoy opening a cupboard and finding lovely paper lining the walls. It has become our trademark at Shabby Chic to line the drawers of furniture with wallpaper. It gives a nice quality.



Click here to purchase Devon Dresser from Shabby Chic online

I have tried to find reproduction papers that I like, but I really can’t find any. They are either too sweet or the printing is flat and lacks character. In time I will do my own line of wallpaper.

With my kids being away and traveling frequently myself, my goal with this house is to find a balance of a home that has my usual values of beauty, comfort and function, but that feels just as good when it is full to capacity with people, or it is just myself. The inspiration to knock down walls to open up the kitchen to the family room, and open up the family room to the living room, came from times I have spent in lofts in NY. I don’t like to think of unused rooms in a house. (This often seems the case these days, with formal living rooms). So the idea of having one large communal room, to eat, talk, watch a movie etc was something I wanted to try and create.



I am really bad at imaging what a space will look like with walls moved around. A drawn plan is wasted on me. I have to walk the location and be shown with hand movements what is moving where. The main elements I returned to my nearly dream house were……

Vintage lighting:
I have been gathering from ebay and the flea markets for the past few months.



Vintage tiles:
I was initially excited about L’antiquario Tiles. The concept of reclaimed tiles was heavenly to me. In the end, I spent a lot of money and wasn’t able to use most the tiles. I wanted tiles for a small space but the color variations were too tremendous, well past the “beauty of imperfection”. Even though I saw samples before I purchased, it didn’t help with such variations.



I did buy some tiles that I was able to use in a small powder bathroom. They were from the subways in Belgium I think. Before I installed them I thought they were too funky. But actually once I got them on the wall and grouted they gave me the exact character I was looking for in the bathroom.



I think in the end my little powder bathroom came out very authentic looking.(I will go through my 2 other bathrooms in this house on future posts)

Vintage hardware:
Vintage bathroom hardware from Liz’s Hardware is perfect perfect perfect. It is worth every penny for all the effort they take care of to hand over working, authentic hardware.



For me, the biggest and most daunting task of this restoration house project was to build a garage. Not that I care to have one, but this was a permit thing. I never actually built anything before. I am better at working with what already exists. I decided to make the garage barn style, as it is one of my most favorite architectural styles…

Hence the beginning of my barn research, which lead me to my favorite find of the week:



Click here to go to "The Old Weathered Barn"

It is a moving short story/photo diary of aging Ohio barns, called The Old Weathered Barn, which illustrates the beauty in getting older. A subject that perhaps we can only appreciate with a few years behind us. To me these words demonstrate such a perfect perception of life and the value of each stage. With my understanding of the vulnerability of life, this website touched me greatly. Next blog I will share my barn journey and my appreciation of authentic paint and wood, which is touched upon in The Old Weathered Barn.