Going Dutch

This week I've been researching Dutch door hardware for a particular project.  I wanted to get the look and the functionality just right.  One of the dilemmas was where to put the hardware.  Most commonly the hardware is on the bottom panel, and I think this is the nicer look.  However this sometimes means that the knob is much lower than a standard door knob height.  Which way would you go;  better looking or easier to use?

 I love the look of the Dutch door where the top half of the door is glass.  This Dutch door softens the look of the formal entry foyer above.

  It also adds a human element, and some movement to a potentially static environment.

 I love these high gloss black doors. I also love the framed maps beyond!

 

 The top half of this door lines up with the sidelights for a pulled together look on this porch.  The whimsical color is also a nice, unexpected touch. 

 This door has an interesting pattern...Love the porch, the urns, and the riding boots!

 The Dutch door makes this formal 6 panel door unique.  Note the interesting hardware...it's in the center of the panel??

 This Dutch door looks right on this pretty country house...great color, love the old bluestone landing and path!  Old New England!

 High gloss blue with the vibrant yellow...so sophisticated. 

 This looks like an old Victorian updated with modern furnishings.  Love!

This is such an interesting door.  The upper panel looks like an art frame. That's all you need with a view like this.

 One of my favorite entry foyers.  Love the door, the hardware, the windows, the paneling...It all feels exactly right.

A unique and decorative door...especially pretty upper portion.  Beautiful lights, lovely porch.

This mudroom looks perfect with a Dutch door.

Jewelry for Your Home

 

 First of all I want to apologize for being MIA.  I have been so busy with work that I haven't been able to post in months.  My last post was at the beginning of the summer when I still had high hopes of taking an actual vacation and getting some relaxation time.  Well, that didn't happen and now it's autumn.  The kids are back at school and another year rolls on.  However my schedule now feels a little bit more manageable and hopefully I will be able to get back to posting regularly.  One of the things I've been busy with is selecting cabinet hardware for one of my projects.  Hardware is like jewelry for the home.  If you get it right, it enhances and completes the look of the architecture.  If you get it wrong...well enough said.

The knobs above and below are from Classic Brass.  I am completely smitten with the knob above.  I love the shape, and it feels as good as it looks. I want to use this for "her" master bath.  I love that Classic Brass has little drawings to go with the photos, so you can really see the proportions.

 

 

The knobs below are from Restoration Hardware.  I think these guys have fabulous designs.  And the photography of the items is so beautiful, that always helps sell a product.  I rwant to use the square knob for "his" master bath.  I love that it's masculine and elegant.

Which way to the beach?

School's out and summer vacation is upon us.  It's time to head to the beach for a week, or better yet, for the summer.  This delightful Marin County beach cottage was published in House Beautiful last year.  For me, this is the epitome of a beach house; clean and simple architecture, exposed framing..no insulation, no sheet rock, no air conditioning.  No one chooses to build this way any more...even for a beach cottage.  So there is something special, which harkens back to a simpler time, about this look.  I'm imagining, though probably erroneously, that this house has no cable, no TV, and no internet. Hopefully it has plenty of board games, decks of cards, and paperback books.  Maybe that's wishful thinking on my part.

Blackberry Winter

Last week we had a cold snap here in Connecticut.  Every year around this time, just when you think it should be summer once and for all, we get a very cool day or two.  And then I remember, of course it's cool, as my mother would say, it's Blackberry Winter.  This is actually a southern term referring to a cold snap when the blackberry bushes are in bloom.  In the south, this usually occurs in late May.  In Connecticut it is usually the first week in June.  Sure enough...when I looked around last week, the blackberries were indeed in bloom.  I found some great images of the deep purple black the reminds me of blackberries.