Archive for the ‘Renovations’ 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, December 19th, 2012
Gang:
Happy holidays!
As you might know, John and I have just unveiled a retail space at 1st Dibs @ NYDC, situated on the 10th floor of the New York Design Center on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. The floor is a treasure trove of 1st Dibs dealers, and there is something for every taste and sensibility. Best of all, the floor is open to the public AND is open on Saturdays.
If you are looking for glorious holiday gifts, the Madcap Cottage space at 1st Dibs @ NYDC offers loads of colorful and bespoke options.
Here are some shots of us pulling together the vest pocket-sized space.
Come pay us a visit!
Here's our tiny "booth" at 1st Dibs @ NYDC. We painted the white walls a creamy hue and then set about giving the walls horizontal stripes in jaunty colors to make the space really magical!
After taping the walls with painter's tape, John and I painted the space in Madcap Cottage signature pink-and-orange stripes. We plan to change the booth monthly to give it a very fresh and editorial quality.
Here's our booth with the painter's tape removed. The stripes look amazing, n'est-ce pas? Why not stripe a room in your own home--it's easy!
John installs a groovy rug from Urban Outfitters that perfectly matches our sensibility. The mirror on the wall is for sale and is truly a stunner.
Our Madcap Cottage goodies are in place. All that is missing is our logo upon the wall.
John installs our Madcap Cottage logo upon the walls of our booth at 1st Dibs @ NYDC, and we are open for business! The two vintage Venetian-style chairs are from Baker Furniture, and note all of the beautifully priced objects upon the whimsical side table.
Tags: 1st Dibs@NYDC, Baker Furniture, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, New York Design Center
Posted in 1st Dibs, Antiques, Before and After, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Lessons, DIY, Flooring, Hanging artwork, Interior Design, New York Design Center, New York Interior Designer, Painted Furniture, Renovations, Tastemaker, upholstery, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Friday, November 16th, 2012
One of the stars of our HGTV television shoot for the program "You Live in What?" was our brand-new Sofa.com Descartes two seat sofa in Cookie House linen-cotton. If you don't know British import Sofa.com, you should! Newly arrived in NYC, Sofa.com crafts the most gorgeous and bespoke sofas, chairs, and footstools in wonderful fabrics--and at a delicious price point.
Gang:
Happy weekend!
John and I were lucky enough to have HGTV film our home upstate last weekend for their fabulous show “You Live in What?.”
Madcap Cottage was once an 1840s-era schoolhouse, so the home perfectly fit the show’s concept. The day went swimmingly… Thanks to producer Toni Donaldson and her terrific team for making the shoot a lot of fun.
Apparently, Madcap Cottage will appear on HGTV in early 2013, so stay tuned!
Weenie snoozed during the entire HGTV shoot upon her custom Madcap Cottage dog bed while Jasper ran about and caused a bit of a ruckus. Did you know that John and I craft custom dog beds? Well, now you do!
Here's another view of our Sofa.com two-seat sofa that John and I adorned with custom Madcap Cottage pillows.
Tags: HGTV, Hobart, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, NY, Sofa.com, You Live in What?
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, Interior Design, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Paint a front door, Paint the ceiling, Painted Furniture, Renovations, Road Trip, Sustainable, Tastemaker, Television, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | 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 »
Thursday, September 27th, 2012
The main entrance to Cosentino's stunning glass-and-marble-wrapped corporate headquarters in the Almeria region of southern Spain. John and I were invited as guests of Silestone to visit their factory and talk about trends, and we have so enjoyed our sojourn.
Gang:
John and I were lucky enough to have been invited by the fabulous Spanish natural stone surfaces company Cosentino to pay a visit as their guests to their sprawling factory and corporate campus in the arid climes of southern Spain.
And this past week has been a fabulous mix of meet and greets, tours, exploration of top-secret new products, and boozy dinners. John and I have had so much fun with our hosts Lorenzo Marquez of Cosentino and Jim Brodsky of Sharp Communications, not to mention our fellow travelers Kim Lewis and her husband, Brandon, and Mark Williams and his partner, Steve.
We are simply crazy for the Cosentino product line–including Silestone–and you should be, too! Here’s a peek into our adventures. Ole!
John gives off a very matinee idol attitude as he sets out to explore the region's dramatic marble quarries. Note the massive blocks of marble stacked in the background.
Here's our fellow trend spotter Kim Lewis, the production designer of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, striking a fetching pose in the region's famous marble quarries.
John road-tests one of Cosentino's stunning free-standing bathtubs. We want one!
John and I are crazy for the Cosentino range of products. Here, Silestone sinks in a rainbow array of hues. We were especially smitten with the bubble gum pink model.
Tags: Almeria, Cosentino, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Kim Lewis, Madcap Cottage, Mark Williams, Silestone, Spain
Posted in Bathroom Design, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Flooring, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Paint, Renovations, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Sunday, September 23rd, 2012
John and I spotted these delicious pistachio-green shutters in the charming Provencal town of Eygalieres. See what some colorful shutters--and a painted front door--can do to the facade of your home...
Gang:
John and I are gamboling about Provence, France… Don’t you just love that word “gamboling?” We certainly do. Provence is so lovely, and the folks are so much nicer than those jaded Parisians with whom I am up to here…
But more on the Parisian poubelle in another blog.
As John and I have skipped from Avignon to Gordes, Menerbes, and Les Baux, we have taken in so many wonderful architectural details that have inspired us.
Take Provencal shutters, for instance.
Does you home boast shutters? And, if so, are they black or white? Why not take them up a few notches with a glorious color like Christian Dior gray, periwinkle, or Fortnum & Mason green like they do in a mountain town like Lacoste?
Your overhauled shutters will take the exterior of your home from so-so to simply stunning…
I am not always a fan of pale blue when used in an exterior scheme, but these pale blue shutters perfectly accentuate the stone facade of this home in the town of Menerbes in the heart of Provence.
A jaunty yellow shutter strikes a dramatic contrast behind lush ivy in the charming, vest pocket-sized village of Venasque.
Here's an extreme version of a colorful facade that John and I spotted in the famous, ochre-hued village of Roussillon. I love the pairing of the burnt-orange facade and the deep red shutters. Wow-ee!
Tags: France, Gordes, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Lacoste, Madcap Cottage, Menerbes, Painted shutters, Provence, Roussillon
Posted in Antiques, Color, Curb appeal, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, Paint, Paint a front door, Renovations, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Sunday, July 29th, 2012
To celebrate the Queen's jubilee and the Olympics, John and I transformed our hall into a shrine that celebrates all things British. Hail, Britannia! We plan to take the space Indian in the fall, so stay tuned. Switch out your artwork frequently... Why not, n'est-ce pas?
Gang:
I hope you are having a very spiffy weekend. We are about to hop in the car and head up to Boston and Maine for a week: I cannot wait for a little New England sojourn. Think lots of fried clams, antiques shopping, and Yankee-styled cocktails. And I am thrilled to re-visit favorite spots such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and the fabulous Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
John and I were up early this morning and started re-hanging artwork (Our neighbors are out of town, so it’s OK!). We love to change up our displays of prints, photographs, and lithographs to keep our walls constantly evolving, and, yes, you should try this at home. We use small picture hanging nails so that our walls don’t get too dinged up, and we map out our plan on a piece of paper before we break out the hammer.
Here’s a lovely piece that Art.com recently did on me and John and how we hang artwork (click on the image, below). Give it a read, and maybe pick up some fun suggestions along the way. And if you do decide to re-hang some of your artwork, send us photos of your handiwork.
Have a fabulous week ahead!
Click on the image, above, to read Art.com's feature on the Madcap Cottage boys and how we hang artwork.
Tags: Art.com, Artwork, DIY, Frames, Hallway, Hanging artwork, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage
Posted in Before and After, Carpets, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Hanging artwork, india, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Renovations, Road Trip, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Wallpaper | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
The lovely and talented Nashville style setter Madison Murray Carlos featured our Brooklyn home on her fabulous blog, Cozy Majestic. Wow, what a glamorous treat. Click on the image, above, to see Madison's whole posting. So fun!
Gang:
My “Dining Chair Dilemma” post sparked lots of feedback, and the consensus seems to be that I did the right thing by buying the plastic sleeve covers for the chairs. Ghetto fabulous, n’est-ce pas?
Moving on… Today, the lovely Madison Murray Carlos showcased our Brooklyn row house on her divine blog, Cozy Majestic, and John and I are over the moon. Madison has such lovely things to say about the Madcap Cottage gents.
Let’s see:
“If I could have anyone swoop into our little bungalow on the hill here in Nashville and put their magic touch on everything, it would be them.”
“Some commonly used phrases on their blog, Demystifying Design, include “Egads!,” “How droll!,”"Ooh la la!,” and “Bang bang, babycakes.” Does it get any better than that, y’all?”
I am just crazy for Madison. I think need a stiff cocktail right this very second to toast this fabulous post. Let’s bust out the Popov and pour 12 fingers. But no ice, it takes up too much room that the vodka could be occupying, n’est-ce pas?
Thank you, Madison! Bottoms up…
Tags: Color, Cozy Majestic, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Madison Murray Carlos, Nashville, Wallpaper
Posted in Antiques, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Entertaining, Fabrics, Flooring, Furniture Recovering, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Paint the floor, Painted Furniture, Pets, Renovations, Tastemaker, upholstery, Wallpaper, Welting | 1 Comment »
The breakfast nook at Adamsleigh “before”… I can’t wait for you to see the “after” shots.
