Reuse, Repurpose ... Unexpected Objects as Art

When gathering information for this post I realized a theme was developing. My husband and I have collected antiques since we were in college.  In my own home I don’t have a single lamp that began its' life as a  lamp. I have a few nice paintings from my friend Pat Huber http://pathuberfineart.com/collections/9145.  You can read the post I did on her art here http://villacantinas.blogspot.com/2010/04/kitchen-completion-and-beautiful-art.html .  More often our “art” began it’s life as something else. If I find something that intrigues me it might end up a lamp, wall art, or something even different.   Steve and I were repurposing things before we new it was in vogue to do so.   Steve purchased old Pennsylvania barns for their beams and has used them in several homes he has built or remodeled over the years. I intend to do a post on that in the future.
In one of my older posts  I posted a picture of this fabulous grape gathering bucket that I had been coveting  from Barreveld.  I knew I wanted to use it somewhere I just wasn’t sure where.

 I also posted a picture of this area which was calling for a fabulous work of art.


Since the budget didn’t allow for a fab work of art I filled it with a mixture of gathered local sticks  and faux flora.  Now it is one of my favorite details.


The great oars in the picture above have made their way around Villa Cantina as well.  They look great wherever I put them!




I found these old french porch balusters at one of my favorite haunts  Center Street Antiques in Soquel.  I knew  when I found them they would make fabulous lamps.  Look what Colin created over the weekend.  Drum shades are from ballarddesigns.com. 








This area was desperately calling for something interesting.   This isn’t the most attractive stair rail.  I hope to give it a better finish at some point.  I think something old always adds character to an area that can be cold and unwelcoming.




On the wall a great pair of Oars that I found on Ebay here and  a fabulous pair of canoe paddles from Crawford Antiques in Soquel.

On the wall an old barn vent from a Pennsylvania barn that Steve purchased the beams for a home he did several years ago.



The end result is much friendlier and welcoming don't you think?



Reemember the cowhide rug that I bought from Shine Rugs.  Here it is in all it’s glory…love it!



I also bought these great shutters from Capitol Salvage on Ebay.  I am thinking headboards for these fellas!



As I was about to post today I came across one of my favorite blogs Acanthus and Acorn.  She did another fabulous post about a new book Monica Rich Kosann has written titled “Living With What You Love"
You can read her fabulous post here http://acanthusandacorn.blogspot.com/2010/06/living-with-what-you-love. 








If you would like to buy Monica’s book you can click on my favorite design books or go to Amazon or your favorite bookstore and purchase.  I am ordering mine today.
 
Technorati Tags: Living with What you Love,Capitol Salvage,Acanthus and Acorn,Crawford's antiques,Center Street Antiques,Ballard Designs

Halter Ranch and Uncorked Wine Tours

We had a chance this past weekend to try a few new wineries that we had not yet visited. This beautiful Victorian Farmhouse had long intrigued us. We were absolutely taken with the property and pleasantly surprised with their wines. 
Halter Ranch is a relatively new winery with a rich history. Located on Adelaida Road, near Vineyard Drive, the property dates to the 1880s, when it was part of a 3,000-acre ranch owned by Paso Robles pioneer Edwin Smith. The  Victorian farmhouse Smith built in 1885 remains a Westside Paso Robles landmark. In 2000, Swiss-born businessman Hansjorg Wyss fell in love with the property .Their vineyards  are planted with 15 different grape varieties - 60% Bordeaux and 40% Rhone.  It is one of the area’s few SIP (Sustainability in Practice) certified wineries.  We particularly enjoyed the 2008 Rose which by the way was named by Sunset Magazine as one of the top three favorites on the Central Coast.

The Old Barn on the property

Below is a rendering (courtesy of Halter Ranch website) of the new winemaking facility and tasting room. There is a newly constructed covered bridge that will connect the new structure with the original property. I love that it is in keeping with the character and ambiance of the  property. You can read more about it here:  http://www.halterranch.com/Our-Story/winery_project


We found their wines to be affordable and quite good. If you are interested in purchasing any of their wines go here: http://www.halterranch.com/shop
While visiting Halter Ranch we had the pleasure of running into the charming, cute and bubbly owner of Uncorked Wine Tours.
We have not yet taken any escorted local wine tours but I can tell you if we do we will definately contact Katie.  She will help you choose the wineries you would like to visit or if you have your own itinerary even better! She will even bring along a gourmet lunch.  She has a beautiful van that seats six.  Check out Katie’s website and give her a call if you are interested http://www.uncorkedwinetours.net/

And the Winner Is…..

Thank you everyone for participating in my little giveaway. Your input is greatly appreciated.  It was pretty much a draw as far as what you all are most interested in.  So, I will continue to hopefully provide a mix of design tips and information about the area.  At any rate the luck winner is Deb!  Please let email me at chattersley@razzolink.com and tell me which of the pasolivo items you would prefer! Please choose from the meyer lemon olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, evoo hand soap or lotion. I will mail it out to you as soon as I hear from you! 

 

 

 

Bedroom Before

 

Bedroom After

Due to my limited photographic skills I had to photograph with the shades closed.  Unfortunately you can’t appreciate the amazing view as in the above before picture.  Bed was moved to the other wall (where the overhead lighting is).  Fabric on duvet & shams roses by Osborne and Little (now discontinued).  Pillows and dust skirt from the Chandler Collection.  Headboard and driftwood mirror are from West Elm. Antique bird nest prints are from Tess at A hint of History http://stores.ebay.com/A-Hint-of-History .  Nightstands are from Dovetail Furnture.  Accent pillow from Wisteria Antiques http://wisteriaantiques.net/.  Lamps Cindy Hattersley Design.  Shades throughout are Hunter Douglas Provenance woven wood blinds in cracked wheat from Beautivue.com. 

 

 

I apologize for my lack of posts lately.  I have been extremely busy.  In my next post I will explore some new  paso wineries (to us) and more places of interest in the Paso area.

Technorati Tags: paso wineries,west elm,hint of history,osborne and little,chandler collection

Technorati Tags: wisteria antiques,cindy hattersley design,dovetail furniture,pasolivo

Drawing for the Giveaway & Bedroom Progress

As mentioned in previous posts one of the elements that makes Villa Cantina so special is the view.  Eric Mossman  situated Villa Cantina on the property to maximize the impact of the  surrounding landscape. As I stated previously, that completely influenced the color palate for this project.  I felt the interiors should reflect the surroundings rather than compete with it.

 

 It is hard to appreciate in pictures.  In fact it is very difficult to photograph many of the bedrooms for this reason.  Here is a shot of one of the Jack and Jill Bedrooms before. 

Here is what it looks like now.  I wish the pictures were better but you literally have to be up at 4:30 when the rooster crows to get better pictures

 

 

 

 

Egg Prints are from Tess at A Hint of History http://www.hintofhistory.com/ .  They are framed in Aaron Brothers frames.  They are beautifully matted by Artistic Hang-ups in Salinas.

More prints from Tess at Hint of History.  Mirror is from Wisteria http://www.wisteria.com/.  Chest is from Dovetail Furniture

Did I tell you how much I LOVE the Sea grass Carpet?

 

 

Joni Webb who writes the wonderful blog Cote de Texas did a fabulous post on the merits of sea grass a while back.  If you haven’t already read it go here: http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2009/07/cote-de-texas-top-ten-design-elements-3.html.  There might be one or two of you out there that haven’t!  If you have children or pets and you are nervous about using it, Lauren from Pure Style home also wrote a  post about it here http://purestylehome.blogspot.com/2009/09/natural-rugs-seagrass-sisal-jute.html.  We installed Sea grass in four of the five bedrooms and we absolutely love it.  I purchased mine here http://stores.ebay.com/Natural-Home-Rugs  by the roll on EBay.

The last of the furniture is arriving this week so I will be posting more pics soon.

** If you haven’t left a comment for the giveaway please do.  All you have to do is tell me what you would like to hear more about on this blog (refer to the previous post).  Next post I will announce the winner!

Technorati Tags: Sea Grass Carpet,A Hint of History,Wisteria,Cote de Texas,Pure Style Home,Dovetail furniture

Pasolivo, A Giveaway & Progress Photos

We finally got out last weekend to enjoy a little wine tasting.  We visited a few wineries that we hadn’t yet tried and one of our  favorites, Denner  http://www.dennervineyards.com/ All of their wines are superb but the Ditchdigger was especially nice.  Our next stop was  Jada.  Their tasting room has a beautiful view of the Templeton Gap area and overlooks the Vandekamp estate. Check out their website here http://www.jadavineyard.com/photos/.  You must read the folklore behind the wines. If you visit  watch out for the friendly canine greeter.  His social skills aren’t quite up to par!  Our next stop was Chateau Margene a quaint little tasting room located in the Limerock Orchard with a lovely deck and picnic area. Our last and favorite stop of the day was the  Pasolivo Olive Oil Company.

  Here is my family sampling some of their olive oils

 

 

They have a beautiful tasting room nestled amongst the Olive Trees and their olive oils are delightful.  We sampled and enjoyed them all but we all conquered that the Meyer Lemon was our personal favorite.  Food and Wine named their olive oils “one of californias’ best.  Check out the New York Times article as well http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/travel/23foraging.html 

For my giveaway one lucky winner drawn at random will receive their choice of one of the items below.  All you need to do to win is leave a comment at the end of this post about what you would like to see more of on this blog.  Would you like more information about the area (food, wine, things to see or do), or would you appreciate more decorating tips and ideas?  So post a comment below and you will be eligible to win! 

 

                                                    

Pasolivo Meyer Lemon Olive Oil                                                                                 Pasolivo Extra Virgin 500ml tin                                           

                                                                               

Pasolivo EVOO Liquid Hand Soap                                                                                Pasolivo EVOO hand & body lotion.

Please go to their website for more information on the above products . http://www.pasolivo.com/ They are also running a special of 15% off all of their olive oils right now.

All of the bedrooms are  missing a few finishing details but here is a before and after of one of the bedroom and accompanying baths.

Bedroom Before

 

 

 

           Black and White fabric by Kravet.  Pillow shams and duvet fabricated by Katie Baker Slipcovers

Accent Pillow made from an old french stair runner also sewn by Katie

Bath before

 

 

 

 

This bath was one of two baths that were completed when we purchased.  There wasn’t much to be done.  We changed out the faucets,  and added a round driftwood mirror from West Elm. I thought there were too many squares and rectangles in the room. The round driftwood added  another shape and some warmth and texture sorely needed with all the cold surfaces.

Look for more before and afters in my next post and don’t forget to leave a comment!

 

 

 

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Living Room Before & After

Here is a before shot of the living area of Villa Cantina

 

 

Here is the same view now

Rachel Sofas by Best Slipcover Company in Glynn Linen Hemp http://bestslipcovercompany.com/

Coffee table & Wicker Chairs by Dovetail http://dovetailfurnitureonline.com/ (my go to company for this job)

Driftwood Orb & Bowl by West Elm http://www.westelm.com/products/a793/?pkey=croom-wall-decor-new

 

 

Here is a before view looking from the living to the dining area

 

 

Here is the same view now

What you can’t see at the upper left is this darling cupboard (well it really was a nightstand that I decided to hang on the wall).  It replaces the

that replaces the Florio poster seen in the above picture.

 

 

Faux Bois fabric by Jane Shelton, animal print,ocelot by Cowtan & Tout, old bank bag pillow Cindy Hattersley Design.  All pillows fabricated by Katie Baker Slipcovers.

I apologize for the low light photos of the living area.  There is so much light streaming in it is impossible for an amateur like me to take photos after 6:00 a.m!  Almost every room is in some form of completion so I will be posting a lot of before and after photos.  What room would you like to see next?

Also in one of my next posts I will profile the company of my giveaway!  If you haven’t become a follower do so.  When I reach 50 followers I am going to have a great giveaway! I think you are going to love it!

 

Technorati Tags: dovetail furniture,cowtan & tout,jane shelton fabrics,west elm,katie baker slipcovers,best slipcover company