Jack and Jill Bedroom Palette

There are only two bedrooms that share a bath at Villa Cantina. One has a queen bed and the other the only full size. I decided to use the same fabrics and colorways in those two rooms for simplicity and continuity. 

Oyster stick Mirror from Wisteria.  You can find it here www.wisteria.com

                                                                  
                                                                Duvet & Shams will be Historians by Kravet


                                                   Bed skirt & Shams Jonathan Khaki Linen from Chandler Collection

                     

Great Vintage Egg Prints from A Tess Mendel of A  Hint of History,http://shop.ebay.com/ahintofhistory/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

beautifully framed by my favorite framer Artistic Hangups of Salinas   www.artistichangups.com

             

Chest from Dovetail Furniture

                 Carpets will be wall to wall Sea grass .  If any of you read Joni Webb’s blog Cote de Texas.  She chose it as one of her top ten design elements http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2009/07/cote-de-texas-top-ten-design-elements-3.html.  If you haven’t read her blog you should.  She has one of the most informative researched design blogs out there.  Apparently it is as comman as a cowboy hat in Houston, but here on the Central Coast of CA they are not so sure. I have encountered similar problems like House and Garden Style of New York http://houseandgardenstyle.blogspot.com/2009/11/seagrass-headaches.html.  However the bedrooms of Villa Cantina are going to be sea grass!
  

I am going to use these lampshades from Shades of Light

with these old balusters from Capitol Salvage as bases if I can convince the “boys” to turn them into lamps

On these little night stands from Dovetail Furniture

What do you think? Any suggestions?

Master Bedroom Palette

Usually when I begin a project I like to start with an inspiration piece, a beautiful antique, a work of art, or even an interesting object. I have been admiring this console table from Dovetail Furniture since the project began but it was too large to use behind the sofa. It just fit in front of the massive window in the master suite.

Since the budget at Villa Cantina is a main concern my inspiration for the master suite is a fabric that I found on Ebay. I think it is lovely and it was a bargain! It is Homeopath by P Kaufmann

                    



Series prints particularly old ones make a nice statement without breaking the bank. I purchased these from my friend Tess at Hint of History.

You can buy similar ones from Tess here: http://stores.ebay.com/A-Hint-of-History-Antique-Prints



I am waiting for the arrival of this beautiful chest from Dovetail Furniture

I found this headboard at West Elm on sale. It is no longer on the website but you might still be able to find it in one of the stores. I think the wood needs a whitewash to tone it down and then it will be perfect.

I was thinking of using these great lamps from Ballard Designs

Look how beautiful they look here

http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2010/03/webb-design-albans-house.html I love that Joni used some of the owners own pieces, some really wonderful things and an economical find from Ballard. A really good designer can combine fine things with simple ones for a great result.



I also love these big old urns from Pottery Barn (my Villa Cantina staple), I found them on sale for much less at the Palo Alto store. Those of you who know me realize that I have a hard time with purchased lamps. I prefer using found objects. Too often the shade isn't right a pet peeve of mine.

I am also loving these new chairs from Pottery Barn. I think they would look great flanking the fireplace. I love the shade of the wicker and the size as space is at a premium.

These tables are on order from Halo Styles (thanks Joni for the tip)

That just about wraps it up except for a few decicions....Mirrors I love... from Wisteria

You can purchase them all here:  http://www.wisteria.com/


More mirrors from Dovetail

Or what about these from Restoration Hardware

You can purchase them here:
http://www.restorationhardware.com/

Which would you choose?

For my weekend project I am tackling those darn cabinets...wish me luck!

Kitchen Progress & Tasty Eats

The wineries on the Westside (Paso/Templeton) have the winning combination of great wine and remarkable scenery. Until recently the only option was to drive all the way back to Paso or Templeton for lunch or worse yet drink too much wine and starve. Fast forward to the opening of Farmstand 46.





We heard nothing but rave reviews. This past weekend we took a slight detour from our weekly trip to Home Depot and sampled it ourselves. It has been compared to "Oakville Grocery" or the "Jimtown Store". Farmstand 46 has created their own version and taken it up a notch. They serve amazing sandwiches,soups and salads everyday. Lauren sampled "The Goat" and I "The Cruiser",two of the best sandwiches we have ever eaten. Check out their mouth watering menu here: http://www.farmstand46.com/

photo courtesy of food gps

They serve wood fired pizzas and whatever is fresh and local on the barbecue on weekends. On weekdays locals, or visitors who have had a lazy day of wine tasting, can drop off a pot and pick it up later filled with whatever delicious entree they prepared for that evening.

photo courtesy of food gps

If that isn't enough to entice you,the Four Vines Tasting Room adjoins it. Check out their website here: http://www.fourvines.com/About_4V.html

you can order your lunch, and taste a little more wine while you are waiting. How bad is that? For more information go to http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/02/03/1014408/farmstand-46-in-templeton-is-as.html, or http://www.foodgps.com/farmstand-46-templeton/ for recent articles that sum it up much better than I.


On to the progress portion of this post....

This fabulous clock is now hanging on the wall above the bar. You can buy it here

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/Wall-Decor/Wall-Clocks/Indoor-Clocks/Birch%20Train%20Clock%2031%22/p/8397?code=FROG07&CAWELAID=242772492

Love it with these stools that are now flanking the bar from Wisteria



The tumbled marble backsplash is finished and looks lovely behind the range.

Notice the orange/brown cabinetry peeking out along the sides. This weekend my project is to transform them to this:

If it works I will post pictures next week. If not back to the drawing board..

It is an improvement, is it not?

Progress and Diversion

In my last post I promised to highlight some of the finishes and details that we would have to live with and those that we could afford to change. Even though we have been working like dogs, I am not sure there is anything really camera ready as of yet. I would really rather be here.....




(photo courtesy of Terry Hoage vineyards website)

http://terryhoagevineyards.com/
photo courtesy Terry Hoage Vineyards

...sampling one of the fabulous Rhone Varietals they have to offer

“Terry Hoage Vineyards is a small family owned and operated vineyard and boutique winery focusing exclusively on Rhone varietals. Located in the western hills of Paso Robles, our special climate, terroir, fastidious, sustainable farming practices and low yields produce exceptional fruit that is forward and focused. Terry and Jennifer's winemaking approach is to produce minimally processed wines. The 2100 case production includes estate red and white Rhone style wines. Varietals planted on our estate include Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Counoise, Cinsault, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc and Roussanne”.


photo courtesy Terry Hoage Vineyards

If you google Terry Hoage you will find that he’s an NFF College Hall of Fame inductee and was a standout Georgia defensive back. He went on to become a 13 year veteran of the NFL. All of this is interesting fodder since the names of the wines he and his wife Jennifer produce reflect his football background. That tidbit aside the quality of the wines are amazing.

Here is a picture of my family Harvest Weekend in front of the winery (consequently a barn that was dismantled in Texas & reconstructed on site). For more information about Harvest Weekend go here: http://www.pasowine.com/events/harvest.php

Now that we are all dreaming of great wine...back to the progress at Villa Cantina...

When we purchased the home this is what the kitchen and dining area looked like

As I stated previously I am not loving the kitchen cabinetry. They are what they are for now however. Since they have sort of an industrial feel to them I thought these fabulous cooper draftsman stools from Wisteria might give it a more current industrial/chic look


You can find these at:
http://www.wisteria.com/Coopers-SmallDraftsman

The light fixture was another bone of contention. I was hoping for a nice French/European looking lantern but most were out of my price range for this project. Pottery Barn had these great table top lanterns http://www.potterybarn.com/products/parkhill-lantern/?pkey=clanterns

I consulted my electrician/contractor/artisan husband and son team to see if we could turn the large one into a light fixture for above the dining room table. They gave me “the look” but I knew they could do it. I salvaged some old parts from a hanging light fixture from another job and they worked their magic and created this:

The dining area previously had a square table & chairs which repeated the ceiling and floor pattern but made the dining area appear smaller than it actually is. I purchased the rectangular table and chairs from Dovetail Furniture( http://dovetailfurnitureonline.com/) and I think the space is looking more “spacious”!



Hopefully in my next post I will add a picture of the completed concrete counter top that was to mirror limestone (that’s another story). In the meantime here is my latest source of inspiration from one of my favorite bloggers, Brook Giannetti of Velvet and Linen (http://brookegiannetti.typepad.com/). We have these overly manufactured looking cabinets flanking the fireplace. Brooke recently posted this picture of her cabinets flanking her fireplace in her recently updated family room. Is this lovely or what? I wonder if I could paint the backs of these awful cabinets and come up with something that would mimic her fabulous cabinets?