” height=”199″ />We all have that one ugly piece of furniture that we refuse to part with because it was grandma’s. It holds so much sentimental value but it goes with nothing that we own. We are embarressed to display it so we keep it in the attic, closet or covered by a blanket.

If it really means so much to us, why not make it part of our decor. Why not pull it out and say, “Sorry Grandma, but it’s time to put my twist on this piece you loved. ” Give homage to grandma by taking that sentimental piece and showcasing it in a room instead of covering it up.

My friends, Jessica and her husband, Tim, are two of my favorite neighbors as well. They are treasure hunters like myself. They love the idea of taking other people’s discarded furniture and

putting their personal stamp on it. I have been over to Tim and Jessica’s home several times. They are a young couple just starting out. One night Jessica showed me a white faux-pleather sewing stool that was her grandmother’s. She told me how she has been wanting to recover it and make it look more modern but wanted to be respectful of the sentimental value it holds in representing her grandma.

Well today was the day that we paid homage to grandma by putting a twist on granny’s dated sewing stool. Jessica will no longer have to apologize for displaying a sentimental eyesore. Instead, she will have created a positive conversation piece that still holds all of grandma’s memories, but allows her to display it with pride and talk about it with even more fondness.

Jessica and Tim use this sewing stool as a chair for their computer that sits ontop of an inherited antique table. They are

very eclectic in their furniture decor. I called Jessica this morning and said that I had some remanent pieces of cowhide and suede that I found in a closet and thought it would be great for updating her grandma’s sewing stool. After a little more snooping I found some metal brads for trimming the sewing stool.

Jessica tossed her grandma’s sewing stool in the car and was over within the hour. We had it all torn apart and put back together within 3 hours. Jessica and I were suprised with how well it turned out and it basically cost her nothing. It was done out of scrap material cluttering my closet.

Both Jessica and I loved the results. We covered the lid of the the sewing stool with cowhide and the lower box section with suede. When disassembling the sewing stool we were careful to keep the interior intact so that we were able to reuse it in the finished product. Jessica decided that the legs of the sewing stool should be painted white to bring out the white in the cowhide.

My my partner, Michael, and I decided to have Tim and Jessica over for dinner and games that evening so Jessica could have the big reveal to Tim of the finished sewing stool. Tim was amazed and loved it just as much as we did.

Tim and Jessica removed all embarressment from showing off grandma’s piece and put their own twist on creating a one of a kind piece of furniture that displays proper homage to their grandma.

” height=”300″ />Today started at about 10:30 AM. Our objectives were to build two temporary walls, put in a header, and remove the remaining 2×4′s holding up the ceiling.

To my suprise everything went smoothly. The temporary walls went up quickly. David and Joel worked on building the header. They did a great job following my directions. David’s approach is

techincal while Joel’s is visual. So I have to explain the process to David and then show Joel. Overall they were quick studies and they had the header built and ready for installation within twenty minutes.

It was messy work removing the remaining 2×4′s holding up the ceiling, but the real nastiness came while trying to even out the walls to prepare them for building the new supports. When dealing with an old home nothing is ever level or square. We were able to reuse much of the old lumber when rebuilding the supports for the header.

The only real issue arose when we went to place the header on top of the new 2×4 supports we had built. The ceiling had sagged just over an inch in the center through the years. We used a floor jack to hoist up the sagged area and get the header in place. It was a good experience and for our first header installation I think we did an incredible job.

The true excitement came when we took down the temporary walls and were able to have an unobstructed view from the dining room to the kitchen. The light this allows in both rooms will definitely add to David and Joel’s already delightful dispositions.

David’s next step is to have the gas line moved so he can resituate the stove to its new location. Thus far David has spent about $60 in materials. He will spend about $60 more to have the gas lines moved.

David recieved two quotes for electrical needs in the kitchen. One for around $2,500, and the other was an hourly rate at $25/hour. David was smart and had one electrician quote just to have the main electrical box enlarged to accomodate the kitchen remodel. That quote came in at about $900.

David decided to piecemeal the overall electrical job. He will start by having the main electrical box enlarged. Then he will pay to have electrical done by the hour. That way David can work on selected sections of the kitchen at a time. He can do

the ceiling lights, then move to the electrical needs of his island and just keep moving from area to area as he has the money.

David and Joel suprised us with a wonderful meal at the end of the day. As we sat down to eat it was obvious that we were well on our way to achieving the kitchen of David and Joel’s dreams.

” height=”300″ />Phase One of Hell’s Kitchen renovation went so smoothly. We experienced only one minor casualty when Joel, David’s partner, slightly cut his hand while chiseling away at the plaster to expose the chimney. I was so pleased with how excited everyone was to begin the project.

Phase one consisted of removing the plaster and lathe from the wall separating the kitchen and the dining room. I estimated about 2 hours for this portion. From start to finish, it took just under 3 hours. Removing the plaster from the chimney took an extra 45 minutes.

We started by properly preparing the room for demolition. I had the homeowners cut a clean line into the plaster around the wall being removed. This prevents the plaster from falling off the other walls as the sledge hammer pounds away unwanted plaster. We removed all the door trim and baseboards from both sides of the wall, laid a drop cloth over the hardwood floors to preserve them and placed plastic over the stove and the dining room furniture. Within 30 minutes we were ready to start demolition.

I handed the sledgehammer, the tool of destruction, over to David for the first few blows. Everybody present got to take their turn at bringing part of the wall down. It was a great fun. Dirty, but fun!!

Tracy, of M Interior Designs, wanted a hands-on experience of removing a wall and to increase her skill set in renovationing older homes. Her design experience has been primarily with new builds. When a wall in a 99 year old home

comes down, one never knows what could be lurking behind its facade. She was anxious to be a part of the whole experience. She rolled up her sleeves and got just as dirty as the rest of us boys.

I am very proud of David and Joel for taking a risk and removing the wall. Everyone present felt that it was the right thing to do. It opened the space between the two rooms and really brightend up both rooms. Now the light shines through from the back of the house to the front.

David was very pleased with the condition and color variation of the bricks in the chimney and plans to keep them exposed. He will have to do some cleaning and more detailed chiseling to prepare the brick for it’s final presentation.

We had not even gotten the broom and dustpan put away after cleaning up before David asked, “So, Craig, what’s the next step of this process?” I was hoping that the removal of the wall would keep him motivated

and driven to see change on a weekly basis in these two spaces.

I told him that the next step will be to put the support beam, or “header,” in so that we could remove the two by fours of the old wall. To which he replied, “When can we do that?” I love his enthusiasm. So we set up for next Sunday to put in the header to support the ceiling and allow us to keep that openness safely.

I look forward to next Sunday and the 4 to 5 hours it will take to build a temporary support wall, rip out the old two by fours, construct the header and get it in place.

David, you are on your way to executing a well designed space using my Smart Design Philosophy. See you next Sunday.

eight=”300″ />In a previous blog entitled Lifeless to Lively: A Cottage Retreat I spoke of a couple who toiled all Spring and Summer to landscape their front yard and paint the exterior of their home. In the end, the fruits of their labor resulted in a savings that funded a two-car garage and a completely landscaped backyard. This cottage-style oasis was created out of their hard labor and desire to manifest a tranquil spot to enjoy at the end of their day.

This couple never stopped. They sacrificed Spring and Summer and spent their Fall building a garage and landscaping the backyard. They approached me to come up with a design concept that continued the cottage-like theme we had created for the home and the front yard. The initial consultation revealed that they wanted a backyard with significant impact that it could draw people in and encourage them to stay.

I stood looking out their back door into a dismal 80×40 foot lot that was fenced. It was a complete blank slate, ripe for my design talents. I started with the garage. They wanted a 24×24 foot space to accomodate their cars and a work shop. They knew the garage would have to be placed in the back of the lot for accessing the alleyway. Everything I did from that point forward was to create this desireable backdrop that would lure people into the space.

I decided that the garage would mimic the style of the house. We’d add shaker shingles in the roof line peaks with cute white window boxes bulging with flowers. People would not assume it was a garage at first glance. They would think it was a quaint cottage guesthouse. To make it appear more like a a guesthouse I put a set of three windows facing into the backyard. The windows are centered on the 8×10 cement patio below them. It helps that the home owners had already purchased their windows from a salvage store. They purchased three smaller windows for $15 each and found a large arched window at a steal of a deal price of $60. The larger arched

window retails for approximately $650. I was so proud that they had become avid followers of my Smart Design philosophy.

The homeowners and I consulted on further ways to save money. We determined that with their skill set that they could easily roof the garage themselves and with my design guidence that they could side and paint the exterior of the garage. They had been collecting items for the garage all Summer long. A family member replaced a set of exterior lights and gave them the old lamps for free. They had also found two circular air vents for the garage at a second-hand store for $15 each, normally retailing for about $50 each. They even found two black exterior lampposts in clearance for $25 each. Just by thrifty purchasing over the summer they were already saving over $500. They would save another $500 by roofing and an additional $2,000 by siding and painting the garage themselves. Total savings on the garage was $3,500 before they even broke ground.

The homeowners other major request was a firepit. They love to entertain and wanted to extend the use of their outdoor space through the year. A firepit would do just that. I decided to sink the five foot diameter firepit into the ground because I didn’t want it to obstruct from the cottage feel that the flower beds would create. The firepit had to blend harmoniously infront of the cement patio area and yet look like it was part of the flower beds.

To achieve this I planted an ornamental grass inside the three foot width of peat rock surrounding the firepit. The peat rock allowed a natural look for chairs to enjoy the fire, but more importantly it protects the surrounding flowers and grasses from the heat of the fire.

After the garage was built there was a large pile of dirt left over. I decided to raise part of the left flowerbed. We mounded the remaining dirt to create a soft hill. This allows easier viewing of the plants and adds textural terrain to a flat backyard. I diagramed flowerbeds along the entire fence that ebb and flow so the eye would not follow the linear property lines but instead draw you to the pseudo-guest house with inviting patio and firepit.

As for plantings, the couple purchased a tree, 100 tulip bulbs and some miscellaneous items at clearance prices, but the rest they obtained from neighbors and friends.

The finished results speak for themselves. This transformation is unbelievable. Now this couple can truly relax in a backyard and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

idth=”300″ height=”225″ />I always encourage clients to step outside their comfort zone. So when my good friend, Tina, approached me about doing a mosiac tile tabletop for the eat-in area of her kitchen, my initial reply was, “I don’t know. I have never done a mosaic tabletop.” Her table is huge. It seats 8 comfortablely. I thought the task would be beyond my skill level, but I decided to take my own advise and give it a try. What did I have to lose? She assured me that the marred table top was severe enough that it could not be refinished. This would be a creative way for her to keep the table and make it a showcase for her dining area.

I asked her if there was a certain motif to the mosaic that would suit her kitchen. She thought a grape theme would be great for the table. I took measurements of the tabletop and drew out a cluster of grapes with leaves and a vine. I assessesed what tiles I had that could be used to create the tabletop. I had salvaged a group of 3×3 tiles out of a bathroom from one of my remodels. Their intricate design would make a great Spanish or Tuscan pattern framing the grapes.

I purchased another large amount of tiles from a second-hand store for about $10. The remaining tiles were puchased new, but in clearance at a cost of about $120. I bought two tones of brown, green and blue to assure I could create shading in the leaves, vines and grapes. I was playing this all by ear. I had never done this before. I was starting to doubt myself, but I was committed to I carrying forward. Using my design sketch of the grapes, I took a black permanent marker and quickly drew a larger version of it on the table.

It felt against my nature to take a hammer to perfectly good tiles and brake them into pieces. I sorted my colors.

I began putting the pieces together like a puzzle. It took me about two weeks to complete the mosaic tile replication from my original sketch. Upon its completion, the table top looked incredible for my first piece being so large and intricate. I was feeling very proud of my work and then it hit me – this is how my client’s feel when they reach outside of themselves.

While the table looked fabulous, I failed to account for one vital aspect – its functionality. My friend said she was so excited to use it for the first time. When she got ready to set the table the plates rested dead center on a raised trim piece, causing the plates to teeter-totter. I am happy to say she was able to creatively remedy the situation. The table still serves her family of five. I have been to dinner several times at her place, and it looks fabulous in her eat-in kitchen space.

She appreciates the table and all the effort it took to bring it from a simple 8×11 inch sketch to a 4×7 foot table top. She lovingly embraces its flaws and knows it was done to the best of my ability. That is what learning is about. Appreciating the final project, embracing it’s flaws and walking away having learned not only a skill but how to improve the next

time you have the opportunity to do it again.

Bon appetit, Tina!! Thank you for pushing me outside my comfort zone.

e-Job-021-e1294759507470-281×300.jpg” alt=”" width=”281″ height=”300″ />I love showcasing quirky items when redesigning a space. While renovating a master bathroom I needed a medicine cabinet. As I was rumaging through an antique store I ran across a pair of salesman showcases. I was unfamiliar with what they were, but I was intrigued by their appearance. They looked like a set of black leather luggage with a glass window for a front.

Suddenly the brilliant idea came over me of showcasing a showcase in the master bathroom. I purchased one of the black leather showcases for

$75, and I took it home to begin its transform into a medicine cabinet.

I was determined

that this showcase was going to be as functional as it was unique. I cut wooden shelves out of remenant boards I had in my workshop and painted them black. I then pulled from storage glass containers for displaying within the black leather showcase. I measured their varying heights and placed my black shelves accordingly. I secured the shelves with black woodscrews.

This salesman showcase was now repurposed into an eye-catching, yet very functional, quirky medicine cabinet that was neatly organized by glass containers. What a great way to showcase an antique showcase.