Archive for the ‘Paint’ Category
Thursday, April 18th, 2013
Jasper and Weenie loll about the front yard at Adamsleigh, the site of the 2013 Junior League of Greensboro showhouse. The 14-acre estate was built by High Point textile magnate "Hamp" Adams and boasts amazing details and stunning architecture. Jasper and Weenie approve.
Gang:
Morning!
John and I have been down in the High Point, North Carolina area for the past week preparing our room for the Junior League of Greensboro showhouse. We have designed the breakfast nook in the amazing, circa-1930 Adamsleigh estate, and we have been hanging curtains, steaming, scrubbing, and propping.
John and I are thrilled to be working with our dear pals at Thibaut, and we employed their fabulous fabrics, wallpapers, and upholstery in the room. Plus, we added loads of vintage case goods and “props” to add a layer of dimensionality to our room and take it from looking like a showroom.The showhouse opens tomorrow night with a Gatsby-themed gala, and we are so excited to show off our wares.
Here are a few photos from our room in progress.
See you at High Point Market!
Here's the exterior of the breakfast nook... The fabulous leaded-glass windows let in loads of light and make the breakfast nook airy and delicious.
The breakfast nook at Adamsleigh “before”… I can’t wait for you to see the “after” shots.
Here's the fabulous jute rug that we picked up at a World Market in Florida and drove up to the showhouse. There's a World Market just down the street from the showhouse, but it did not have the rug that we needed. Happily, we were in Florida, so it was easy for us to swing by the WM outpost near Orlando. John and I just love World Market!
Our workroom in Iowa crafts a stunning valance in Thibaut fabrics...
So what does our room look like now? Come to the Junior League of Greensboro showhouse, and pay us a visit. The showhouse opens this Saturday... See you there!
Tags: Adamsleigh, High Point Market, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Junior League of Greensboro, Madcap Cottage, Thibaut
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Carpets, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, Flooring, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Paint, Renovations, Road Trip, Tastemaker, upholstery, Wallpaper, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
The Madcap Cottage gents love nothing more than a fabulous wall full of mixed-media art. Here, the incredible staircase leading from the lobby at the Hotel Lincoln in Chicago. Do try this at home!
Gang:
I hope your week is going along swimmingly! John and I are up to our eyeballs and loving it… So much fun! John is on the mend from his surgery, so he is up and about and the Madcap Cottage team is full-steam ahead…
During our presentation at the Miromar Design Center near Naples, Florida a few weeks back, we announced to the audience that they should email us and tell us about a room in their home where they best used color and pattern. John and I would review the entries for the most creative use of color and pattern and general all-around fun, and the winner would receive a Madcap Cottage pillow and a one-hour consultation with us over the phone.
Well, we had many entries, but we have selected a winner…
Drumroll, please.
Miss Sue Ann Till of balmy Bonita Springs, Florida has won the golden ticket. John and I loved Sue Ann’s eagerness to take a dull wall and transform it with art. Talk about a terrific mix of high-low!
To quote Miss Sue Ann Till:
“I attended your presentation, and I was so inspired by your design! We purchased a 2,400SF home in Bonita Springs 3 years ago, and I have 50% decorated from consignment and goodwill etc. I have this blank wall (gasp! I know), so I came right home and began planning. I am an amateur artist, and I had three art pieces unframed in a closet. I went to consignment and found some frames and a few things and this is what I came up with! It makes me want to keep going. I think I need to fill in with a few more things but this is the beginning of something happy. I also switched out some pillows with color and more. Thank you again for your inspiration.”
Well, Sue Ann, we love nothing more than a blank wall that transforms from a caterpillar into a glorious butterfly.
Here’s Miss Sue Ann’s handiwork… Voila!, Miss Till’s work just after we inspired her at our presentation and, again, after we encouraged to keep pushing the envelope.
Let’s talk, Sue Ann, you are Miss Madcap Cottage Miromar Design Center 2013!
And, Sue Ann, spread out over the wall… Don’t just cluster everything in that one tight space. Expand, and fill that entire blank wall and make it fabulous!
Here was Miss Sue Ann Till's first stab at taking a dull wall and making it dramatic after attending our presentation at the Miromar Design Center. We are thrilled, Sue Ann, that we helped inspire you!
John and I emailed with Miss Sue Ann Till, and she was open to adding more art to her wall. Bravo, Sue Ann! You are our Showcase Showdown winner!
Tags: Hanging artwork, Hotel Lincoln, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Miromar Design Center, Sue Ann Till
Posted in Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, Mirror, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Portraits, Renovations, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
Better Homes and Gardens magazine asked the Madcap Cottage gents to come up with a color palette to inspire their readers, and here's what we selected... Ethnic elan! Bold, bright hues. Comfortable furnishings. And loads of patterns. Click on the image, above, to read the entire story.
Gang:
I hope your week is going swimmingly…
Hello?! Has anyone tackled their lampshade re-do yet?
John and I are currently in London and savoring ever drib and drab. London is so damn inspirational! We leave for Moscow on Friday morning, so get ready for lots of updates from the steppes.
On another note, Better Homes and Gardens magazine asked us–along with several other wonderful designers such as Elaine Griffin and Lauren McGrath–to come up with fun color palettes to inspire their readers. Of course, John and I did not do anything that was remotely beige. Instead, we turned to Morocco as our driving force and culled gorgeous wallpapers and fabrics from the likes of Thibaut and furnishings from C.R. Laine.
Take a look, and let us know what you think of our selects.
Tags: Better Homes and Gardens magazine, Color palette, DIY, Ethnic, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Morocco, Pink
Posted in Before and After, Color, Decoupage, Demystifying Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, Interior Design, Morocco, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Painted Furniture, Tips for Design Small Spaces | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
Here's a selection of the Madcap Cottage wares that went "live" on One Kings Lane today. Shop our sublime sundries...
Gang:
I hope that everyone is having a fabulous week…
Have you bookmarked our two online boutiques?
One Kings Lane
https://www.onekingslane.com/shop/madcapcottage
AND
1st Dibs
http://madcapcottage.1stdibs.com
We have gleefully giddy new items going up daily and weekly, so look us over…
Bring some Madcap Cottage home, and right this very second.
On another note, I wanted to show you how to take a white wall and oomph it up with wallpaper. Here’s a “before” and “after” of our guest bedroom in Brooklyn. Why not “wow” a dull space with a deliciously patterned paper.
And, no, that was not a suggestion.
Here's our guest bedroom at Chester Court with a wallpapered ceiling but before we decided that the space needed extra "punch" courtesy of wallpaper on the walls.
Here's the very same guest room with the formerly white walls done up in Thibaut's Baron wallpaper from their Residence collection. Click on the image, above, to see the paper on the Thibaut website.
Tags: 1st Dibs, DIY, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, One Kings Lane, Thibaut, Wallpaper
Posted in 1st Dibs, Antiques, Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Framing, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, News Flash, One Kings Lane, Paint, Pets, Tastemaker, Uncategorized, Wallpaper, Weekend warrior, Welting | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
Here's an article in Chicago's Daily Herald in which I am quoted talking about my passion for all things gold and bronze. Click on the image, above, to read the whole story from divine writer Elaine Markoutsas.
Gang:
Happy New Year! Here’s to an amazing 2013…
What are your resolutions? I want to get into shape, spend more time at Madcap Cottage in upstate New York, throw more dinner parties, drink less, workout more, and get a product line going with Home Shopping Network.
Stay tuned!
As we move into the year ahead, I wanted to share my passion for all things gold…
Bow down, bronze goddess! Here are a few favorite golden “moments.”
Here's a custom striped silk and suzani pillow from the Madcap Cottage gents currently for sale on One Kings Lane right now. Click on the image, above, to look over this brassy confection.
The glittering and inexpensive Francois Table from the folks at Z Gallerie. A terrific deal at $249.
Here's the incredible Biomorphic Console from Baker's Tony Duquette Collection. The table is amazing, but wildly expensive... Use this if only for inspiration.
Tags: Baker Furniture, Bronze, Elaine Markoutsas, gold, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, One Kings Lane, Tony Duquette, Z Gallerie
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design book, Design Guru, DIY, Furniture Recovering, Interior Design, One Kings Lane, Paint, Painted Furniture, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 25th, 2012
Gang:
Merry Christmas!
John and I are happily ensconced in Des Moines, Iowa, and it’s a wonderfully snowy holiday…
As you start to think about your 2013 resolutions, why not consider giving some oomph to your kitchen. The fabulous folks at Kohler asked me and John to visit our local big box store to offer up some cheap and chic ideas to take your kitchen from tired to tip, top terrific.
Refresh, refresh, refresh!
Click on the image, below, to read about our kitchen transformation…
Enjoy!
Click on the image, above, to read about our adventures in kitchen design at our local Lowe's in Oneonta, New York.
Tags: DIY, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Kitchen renovation, Lowes, Madcap Cottage, Refresh
Posted in Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, DIY, Entertaining, Flooring, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Tips for Design Small Spaces | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
Pantone might have declared 2013 to be the year of emerald green, but John and I will be pushing eau de Nil. To appreciate the eau de Nil hue in all its splendor, pay a visit to London's fabulous Fortnum & Mason department store. Here, F&M decked out for the holiday season. F&M even has eau de Nil-colored beehives upon its roof. Genius!
Gang:
As you know, John and I are simply crazy about employing shades of green in our design work. There’s nothing more soothing than splashes of green in a home.
Pantone has just announced that emerald green is the color of 2013. And while the Madcap Cottage gents do love emerald green, we are committed to another shade of green for the year ahead, eau de Nil.
Eau de Nil? Doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps. Water of the Nile. Think a pale yellow-green color… John and I are simply mad for eau de Nil and plan to use it extensively, including painting our front door this kick-ass color.
Here are a few images of eau de Nil-ish creations to inspire you to employ this marvelous hue in your own home.
The absolutely gorgeous Golden Step dining room at the stunning Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, Massachusetts. This room is one of my top ten favorites.
The delicious Un Jardin sur le Nil fragrance from Hermes. Bliss. John and I always spritz ourselves with this scent when we pass a duty-free shop in the airport.
An eau de Nil-ish notebook from the color-crazy crew at Smythson of Bond Street. Such fun!
Jasper Conran's Chinoiserie Green 9" dinner plate from Wedgwood. Perfection!
Cooking Apple Green from British paint company Farrow & Ball is pure heaven.
Tags: Beauport, Eau de Nil, Farrow & Ball, Fortnum & Mason, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Sleeper-McCann House
Posted in Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Lessons, DIY, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Tastemaker, Weekend warrior | 1 Comment »
Thursday, December 6th, 2012
Here's John outside London's wonderful and tucked-away Geffrye, Museum of the Home. The museum sits within a magical building that was once an 18th-century almshouse.
Gang:
John and I are lucky enough to visit London several times each year, and we are always hitting off-the-beaten paths spots such as far-flung museums and great houses. Think Syon Park, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and the Leighton House Museum…
Our latest discovery is the amazing Geffrye, Museum of the Home, tucked-away in London’s increasingly hip Shoreditch neighborhood. Housed within a stunning 18th-century almshouse, the museum boasts a series of period rooms that date from 1600 until today. Plus, there is a lovely herb garden. And the museum is free.
John and I lapped up the Christmas-decorated spaces, including the living room from 1935, the parlour from 1790, and the hall circa-1630.
Next time you are in London, be sure to add The Geffrye to your must-visit list, it’s truly a treat! And after your tour, walk over to the nearby Spitalfields Traders Market for the flea market and wonderful restaurants…
A British living room from 1965...
A drawing room from 1870 with its ebullient patterns and flourishes.
The almshouse room circa-1780 that shows how a married couple would have lived at the Geffrye back in the day.
Tags: Dulwich Picture Gallery, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, London, Lord Leighton, Madcap Cottage, Shoreditch, Spitalfields, Syon Park, The Geffrye
Posted in Antiques, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Paint | No Comments »
Monday, October 29th, 2012
Here's the former garage at Madcap Cottage in upstate New York when John and I purchased the property. The garage was a mess and was totally shrouded with out-of-control greenery. Our goal was to take this forlorn folly and make it fabulous. Hopefully, you can pluck ideas from our plan of attack to employ in your own home.
Gang:
John and I are hunkered down in Brooklyn as Sandy terrorizes the East Coast… We have wine and I made tacos, and I am cleaning out my closet and am still wearing my pajamas at 1:30pm so it’s not all bad… John is listening to Christmas carols on Pandora for some reason. Curious, n’est-ce pas? Weenie and Jasper are snoozing.
As the day is totally drab and dull, I thought I would offer some color, a Technicolor-hued punch…
Here’s a photo tour of our former garage at Madcap Cottage in upstate New York that John and I transformed from a tumbledown structure into a rainbow-hued screened-in porch.
I hope you enjoy the journey…
Stay dry, and stay safe!
New roofing, screened doors, and a cupola that John and I purchased online take the exterior of the garage and make it gorgeous. The cupola is vinyl-clad, so it will never need painting. I am not a fan of vinyl siding, but here it makes total sense.
John and I had the interior patched and a new cement floor poured. And we carved-out screened windows that look onto our backyard. A pale blue ceiling helps open up the space.
John and I found some beat-up old garden furniture and had it powder coated a bright lemon yellow. The results are perfectly sunny and delicious! Find garden furniture at a yard sale, and have it powder coated to give it new life.
John and I came up with a fun fabric scheme that mixes lots of easy-to-care-for indoor/outdoor fabrics in big, bold hues.
Jasper eyes the work in progress. Almost complete!
And here's the finished product... John and I were lucky enough to have the screened-in porch appear in the magazine DIY. Jasper makes himself right at home in the finished screened-in porch, now renamed The Little House. Floor paint transformed a cement floor into something fabulous. John crafted the window treatments from Ikea using a stamp that he picked up at a flea market with fabric paint.
Note the inexpensive Chinese lanterns that dangle overhead, an inexpensive way to add "punch" and "pizzazz" to any space. The cupola adds further "architecture" to a roofline that was sorely lacking interest.
Tags: Color, DIY, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Little House, Madcap Cottage, renovation, Sandy, whimsy
Posted in Before and After, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, DIY, Fabrics, Flooring, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, Lighting, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Paint the floor, Painted Furniture, Pets, Powder coating, Renovations, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | 2 Comments »
Sunday, September 30th, 2012
London calling! John and I are crazy for this big, bold, and bodacious address that we spotted painted upon a terracotta-hued column near Sloane Square in the heart of London.
Gang:
As you know, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of making a statement with your front door.
Paint your door a bright color.
Add interesting plantings in pots.
Hang up a big brass door knocker…
Or take a page from our perambulations around London…
John and I are in the British capital again this week shopping for a client, and we love the painted door numbers that your favorite two-some has spotted all over town. Simple, chic, and MAJOR impact!
Why not order a stencil kit from Martha Stewart, and create a totally bespoke door number with a little paint and a paint brush.
Genius!
If you have a column or a planter in front of your home, why not paint a street number upon it? Or paint a big number directly upon your front door.
This number 47 was totally wow-ee! I love the use of a primary color and a background hue to really create an impact.
Tags: DIY, Gorgeous, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, London, Madcap Cottage, Sloane Square, Street numbers
Posted in Before and After, Color, Curb appeal, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Paint a front door, Renovations, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
The breakfast nook at Adamsleigh “before”… I can’t wait for you to see the “after” shots.
