Finishes and More Mudding for this Mexican War Streets Townhouse!

The house is starting to feel more like a house than a construction site. Well sort of anyway.  Walls are being smoothed out.  Tile is down. The wood floorand entry tile on the main floor has been laid.

In keeping with my concept of a light, bright ,warm space, I decided on a white washed oak floor.  There are purposeful imperfections- a shabby chic floor for sure. I didn't want the floor to look shiny new next to the well worn staircase. I know the white floor is gutsy design decision in this historic district. It will be laid next to the staircase which will be stained as dark as possible. I love that contrast!

The lovely entrance floor above,  a beautiful marble from Italy,  is a Walker Zanger tile. I purchased the tile at Tile and Designs in Shadyside. Their selection of tile is exquisite.

Most of the trim and casings in the house were removed after the many renovations that occurred over its life. There is a bit left. The pic below shows the original casing that is in the process of being stripped and sanded.

I found new casing and rosettes at Allegheny Millworks in Pittsburgh. It isn't exact match, but I felt it was close enough.  I can just hang outand check out all their beautiful woodwork at Allegheny Millworks. I love that place.

I found this beautiful cherry trim for the first floor. It's chunky and gorgeous.

The master bath tiling is complete. It is all in carrera marble.

Exterior work is going on as well. The new siding is going up on the back of the house! I decided to use Hardie Plank siding. It's a great alternative to wood. I chose the Hardie color of cobblestone for the siding with white trim. Here is a pic from before. Notice the very dangerous balcony. The house inspector refused to step on it.

The balcony is now a Juliette balcony and all siding and windows are new.

Well that's about it for now. Thanks for looking.

See you...

Christina

Quiet Design Touches to a Baby's Room

Quiet lavender was the request from a really nice client for her second daughter's nursery.  She had most of the furniture from her first daughter, but she wanted to make the new baby's nursery special. We focused on the longevity of the decor. She knows how quickly her daughter grows up, so pieces were chosen carefully. We  anchored the space with a really soft carpet and playful wallpaper for over the bead board.

The wallpaper was from Stark and the carpet came from the Sanford Hall showroom in NYC.

  

   

The side table will eventually go next to a bed when her daughter grows out of the crib. But for now we needed crib bedding. We chose a sweet set by Annette Tatem.

The lamp is one of a pair that will eventually be placed on the dresser(that  is currently used as a changer). It is a simple vintage crystal  lamp that we had trimmed in the most beautiful lilac linen.

We chose this delightful turn of the century print of girls playing that we framed. It is just so sweet.

A friend purchased a clock from Cici Crib for the room.

My client tells me that people notice the ceiling fixture first, when they enter the room. I hope it brings sweet dreams to the little one....

The window treatments were made from the most beautiful linen from Rogers & Goffigon in Greenwich, CT.

The ties are just perfect.

We also made an embroidered letter pillow from the linen.

Another whimsical picture is waiting to be hung in the room. We would like to put it over the changer, but curious little hands will cause us to move it to a temporary location.

See you..

Christina

A Consoling Surprise

Today I met with a client at her home to work on her two boys' bedrooms.  I sometimes ask to see the rest of the house to get an idea about my client's tastes.   We went into a space that is specifically designed  for hanging out with friends. Kind of a den..  Kind of not.  There was a huge collage of Bruce Springsteen in concert  on the wall. Made by Lynn Goldsmith,  andpurchased   at an art gallery in Chelsea, it is the center of attention in the room.  I recognized the photo immediately. It is actually comprised of many tiny photos put together.

A close up of  the collage...

A moment of sadness came over me and my client at the same time. Clarence Clemons died last week. The E Street band will never be the same.  A little piece of our life had changed.  It was nice to commiserate with another fan of the band.

See you...

Christina

Nursery design in my mind

There are times  a designer misses the concept of what a client is looking for. This is a fine example. I thought the customer would be as excited as I was about this concept. Great clients. Wrong concept.  It mixes touches of blues and oranges with a neutral cappuccino  color. The carpet in this NYC apartment is a Stark neutral. It will remain. The customer is pretty firmly traditional, but would like a more modern nursery. The carpet looks like this..

I wanted to use a grasscloth wallcovering  that had  a delicate orange  trellis.

After I chose it, I saw it was used in the Kips Bay showhouse, in a very large room. As you can see the pattern is not overwhelming.

I designed this long changer finished in white lacquer. It had closed storage on the right  side, drawers in the center and a hamper on the left side. Each piece would come apart and be completely painted. This would allow for future flexibility.  Later on, one could use the hamper and dresser in different parts of the room, for example.

On top of the changer we would affix this standard tray.

The crib is very clean, but  still maintains it's traditional roots. It would be entirely in white.

The glider is the classic glider that I have in the shop slip covered in a linen. The bedding would have dashes of blue and orange. Pic of the side of bumper is below.

Fabrics would be a thin orange stripe piping and ties  with white matelasse  and Annette Tatem soleil orange fabric that is separated by a large ric rac lace.

I wanted to use a 7' round rug that would achor the room.If the baby was a girl it would be this one.

A boy...

Possible artwork.  Vintage educational posters...

Although the client decided not to go in this direction. The ideas will remain in the Cici Crib library....

See you...

Christina

Crazy headboards for a Girl's Bedroom

I am currently working on a pretty traditional bedroom for a little girl in NYC.  We will be doing a nicely tufted headboard  with a soft arch.  The fabric will be neutral so as to allow for future flexibility as the little client grows into her own style.  So I started daydreaming about funky headboards...

We will stick to the traditional. It was just a thought.

See you...

Christina

Colorful Atlanta

Bright clear colors were everywhere in Atlanta. It was all about fun.  I love these ball chairs. Great for a playroom. Comfortable for even an adult to sit in. I saw the same chair on the 5th floor in  Barneys in the city the other day. Oh, except it was in black, of coarse...

Love this chartreuse wall with the white animal heads...

How nice for  a girl's Bohemian bedroom...

Polka dot happy...

I couldn't resist  purchasing these large metal flowers made by a surfer guy from California. They are cut from recycled metal and spray painted.

Pink and orange is a combo I am working on with a few clients..

Midcentury reproductions for the midcentury spirited child.

These cool boy and girl lamps have shades made of mylar..

This lamp is over 5 feet tall and is perfect for a glamor girl...

It was my first time in Atlanta. I brought home some great products for the design end of the shop.

See you...

Christina

Room For Children by Susanna Salk

Life is so hectic, I forget what I did an hour ago. Yesterday seems like last week.  Last week seems like a year ago. Gee, I think I am getting old.  It's Wednesday and I am leaving the shop early to gather up the boys for their fencing lessons in the city.  I walk in the house and the announcement is made by both boys-  It's a night of crushing homework. Fencing will have to be postponed until Friday night. I have a night at home that is unexpected! How nice. I see the package on the kitchen counter. I ordered something? It was Susanna Salk's new book Room For Children.Style connoisseur,  Susanna Salk , has put together a well edited book on children interiors.  I sat quietly in my sun room and read the book cover to cover. This book, published by Rizzoli, is so worth getting.

9QV3G5VZXVTT

She picked some really stylish interiors. She loves the juxtapositon of vintage and modern.  I love this  nursery designed by Kim Zimmerman.  I spy  Blabla's  little Lulu the flower sitting in the crib.

I love this apple green nursery, designed by Celerie Kemble. They used a Ducduc crib. Mixed with black and white vintage prints.

This space, so lovely and traditional, designed by  Charlotte Moss.

A little glamor for a little girl, designed by Alex Papachristidis.

An organized, clean space for a little boy, designed by Katie Ridder.

What an inspiring book.

See you.

Christina

Silhouettes

I took a long weekend away from Cici Crib to visit with my family in Pittsburgh. My parents moved to Pittsburgh  after I graduated from college. My sister followed  after burning out of the New York fashion scene a few years ago.  They live in the Shadyside section of Pittsburgh, a  beautiful neighborhood bordering Carnegie Mellon University.  Because the city is so rich in history, the best antiques and vintage items  that have passed through Cici Crib come from Pittsburgh  auction houses.  My mother and sister are avid collectors of just about everything. They were excited about these 19th century children silhouettes the moment they saw them at the auction preview last month. I loved them. There is a lot of discussion amongst the three of us.   I set a budget and actually won all of them. The children are cut from paper, then enhanced by pencil.

ZBBVYXD7MYNG

The silhouette of the boy is just so sweet. I will keep him . The picture was small enough to fit into my luggage.  He sits in my livingroom now.

Silhouettes have always been popular. I have some from the 1920's that are in my powder room.

This is a fun one.  It's on an old cake tin.

Modern silhouettes have been reinvented  using different materials.  Some are cut from vintage wallpaper.  They are large. They are an easy way to decorate. Great for playrooms to nurseries. I love these by  Inke Heiland that are in the shop now.

Some silhouettes are cut out of  vinyl. Because the  vinyl is micro thin, the images  almost look painted onto the wall. They are a breeze to apply and most are removable. A great invention. Your child outgrows them and they can easily come off. There are so many brands  and the images seem to get more complex and interesting every year. Here are some that are in the shop.

Painted silhouettes can also make a great design statement in a room.

How cool!

See you.

Christina