Category Archives: Design

Sliding Barn Doors Inside

barn doors with crossesBarn door in the home of Oughten bag co. founder
Aren’t interior barn doors fantastic? Like pocket doors, they are space savers as there is no need for floor space for them to swing out into the room. But they are so much more attractive with their rugged proportions. Pocket doors are all about saving space and disappearing but rarely do they move smoothly and tend to wobble along as they slide. It’s difficult to imagine any other architectural structure which came in from the cold and gained popularity as an interior accoutrement. Historically, most barns had at least one pair of large hinged doors that opened onto the main drive.… Continue reading...

The Best Paint Colors for Bedrooms and Bathrooms

blue green stairwell hallway
Not surprising that Benjamin Moore chose Breath of Fresh Air (806) as its color of the year in 2014. Close to a sky blue on a sunny day, the color is an up lifting light blue, pale but not quite pastel, calm and reassuring. It’s one of the best paint colors for bedrooms and bathrooms. One can’t help but feel a sense of relaxation settle in around it. Painting with blue and green works well because both are soothing and refreshing colors. Blue is associated with trust while green, with its tie to nature, relates to the essence of life. Together they remind us of cool water and the elements.… Continue reading...

Fireplaces and Color

black fireplace wallAerin Lauder's Aspen Fireplace
My new home has a fireplace. I’ve wanted one forever. I’ve given a lot of thought as to what makes a stand-out fireplace. In terms of intricate, carved, period fireplace surrounds, they can be wood, marble or plaster, for instance. They grace homes of every imaginable style. The mantle is a prized location to add an ever changing array of bibelot to match your season or your mood. But three styles really inspire me in a fireplace. First- modern, almost austere in their simplicity and clean lines, I like low fireplaces on plaster walls which have no surrounds or mantles. Using the ancient Moroccan technique called tadelakt creates a surface with subtle texture and color and a slight sheen from the beeswax used in the tadelakt.… Continue reading...

Colorful Barn Exteriors

Red BransIconic Red Barns
Living in the country it’s impossible to ignore the variety of colorful barn exteriors around. But I’m often zipping by at speeds way too fast to stop and take a photo. Who doesn’t love the iconic red barn with its endless variations of that red hue. The origin story for that comes from many angles. It’s hard to know which is the true cause. In the Great Plains and Mid West Scandinavian immigrants with a history of painting “Falun Red” buildings back in Sweden brought this tradition with them. In the earlier days of US history it was discovered that iron oxide mixed with Linseed oil created a sealant for the barn exterior that helped preserved it.… Continue reading...