French Sheet Slipcovers: Part 2

Ok...on to the details

Over the years, having completed tons upholstery projects 

(which I love to do, in case you hadn't guessed)

I have found the best way to communicate how I want the finished project to look is to give the upholsterer visuals.  

In the case of the couch, in addition to explaining it, I gave them this: 

What I was looking for is a very relaxed slipcover 

with nice details but not too frilly

There are three monograms so I wanted to be sure the seamstress fully understood the placement.  

If they cut up the sheets prematurely with out knowing where the monograms were meant to go

"ouch"

the whole batch of sheets is wasted 

I also washed the sheets twice to be sure they had fully shrunk.  

Linen can shrink big time...so always prewash!

If you are unsure how you want your sofa skirting to look 

here is link to Houzz...there is about 43,000 photos to browse through

And here is a yardage chart to pin or print out if you need
some help knowing how much fabric a project takes

 The best thing about slipcovers is this

My dirty little country girl Millie, likes to rub and ich her back side all down the side of this white couch so you can about imagine the big brown stripe of dirt that appears after a week or so

I wash them and then dry them just  until a bit damp, 

before I pop them back on the couch

Here you can see the embroidered monogram and the cut work along the top of the back

 Every exposed seam got a 1 inch French or flanged welting
This is unusually large but I wanted this to look very hand sewn and loose

 The corners are softly gathered and puddle just a bit.
 I always have my skirting lined so it hangs better.
Now I suppose you could iron these but I really like them this way

 The corners get a little pinched treatment

 Here are the flanged seams along the back which I really love

 One of the monogrammed sheets had a seam and the other did not
 but its all part of the vintage quality of the fabric

you can get so creative with pillows and throws

So there you have it!

Don't forget to stop and see Wendy's lovely fabric 

A bientôt !

Beautiful Food Photography: Donna Hay Cookbooks

Cookbooks can be inspiring in many ways...

of course they inspire us to be a better cook

but there are those cookbooks that inspire us to eat a bit more healthy 

and to take more time and care in the preparation of a great meal

I have found food photography can inspire me to take more care 

in how I use my camera too

A food photography 

feast for the eyes are the cook books

 by Donna Hay

Donna is the Australian equivalent of Martha Stewart

 Her books are full of wonderful simple recipes 

and impeccably styled photo's

She has a cookbook out called Seasons

which has wonderful recipe's sorted by the 4 seasons of the year

If you see it take a peek

Here's to the start of a delicious week!

all photos from Donna Hay Cookbooks

The Kitchen Considered, Chapter 3: Going Grey

 The kitchen is moving right along...in fact it is finished!!!!
but I haven't had much time to share the details
so here we go:

Once the cabinets are installed, the majority of the
construction issues and design decisions

 have been worked out

 One of the hardest decisions I needed to make on this project is what color to paint the cabinets...do I stick with the tried and true white
or try something different?

after all it's only paint right?!

We mocked up about 6 different color ideas 

ranging from a dusty chalky white
to a really dark grey

I looked at colors from Benjamin Moore,
Restoration Hardware, Martha Stewart,
Dunn Edwards and Farrow and Ball... etc etc

who knew there are so many beautiful greys to choose from

It was interesting how the Restoration Hardware greys
almost looked purple
 next to some of the other paint companies we looked at

 In the end I chose this really nice true medium grey
 from Farrow and Ball

 called Lamp Room Grey

My 2nd choice was another Farrow and Ball color
Pavilion Grey

The walls will be painted Benjamin Moore
White Dove

There will be two types of stone used,

 Soapstone which is almost black once it's oiled 

and Carrera marble

The slabs of Carrera used for this project
are more grey, than white, which was what I was looking for

 I think the grey cabinets will be very interesting

 with the stone choices

The color on the right is Farrow and Ball
Cornforth White
which looks amazing with Carrera marble too

I will definitely use this color for another project

 Once the cabinets were installed,
 I realized that there was an opportunity to add another
large cabinet for additional pantry storage and cook books...

so we re-worked the large cabinet to the right

 I think sometimes people are hesitant to change things as the work progresses but in the end always insist on what you really want, even if it causes a delay,
because doing

 a kitchen is a huge important  project....
and you might really regret not having that little extra "thing"
you really wanted
in the end

We have really taken time with planning electrical options as well,
because I will have lamps on the floating shelves
and in the servers for ambient light....

can you guess which lamps?

 Soapstone is quarried at 3 centimeters
which is thicker than granite and marble but it is  very soft
 and can crack along the lighter grey variations in the slabs

 Often fabricators will add mesh or metal
to the back for more stability

Soapstone typically gets a simple eased edge
but can be fabricated with different ogee edges
if you like that look

 On the opposite end of the kitchen, where the table will be,
 I designed two servers and a storage bench,
which will have cushions and pillows

 The servers are topped with Carrera and have ample storage above and below for linens, party platters, candles and all of the other spill over items
that any kitchen usually has

The marble got a fancier edge detail too

I designed a center island on wheels
which will have a Carrera top as well

 Here we are with the stone installed
and the Lamproom grey color
going on the cabinets

 The big stainless farm sink is really great and
definitely
 a contemporary statement,
 but this is a modern country kitchen

I know what your thinking right now...

"why did she do stainless and not a big
Shaw's porcelain sink?"

Because it's been done over and over and over again!

I did price out doing the sink in soap stone
but there are always
 issues with drainage and leaking
 so I picked the stainless


And I love the idea of metal with this black stone

 There will be pendants above the sink
with the rest of the ceiling lighting being
semi flush with prismatic shades

a total of 11 fixtures

 A large slab of Carrera will go
behind the stove between the shelves
and the range hood is brushed stainless like the sink

When I took these photos we were on about week 5 or 6
and let me tell you
I have about had enough of microwaved casseroles for a life time...not to mention washing my dishes in the garage was starting to become sort of "normal",
how scary is that?



Hope you liked the tour!



I will share some more kitchen details on upcoming posts


happy remodeling

 kelley