Custom Cabinetry for Hopewell Carriage House

As they say, there is always something to do when you own a house.  Since the master bathroom upstairs is from the 1890 part of the house, I decided to have custom vanity made for the bath.  Let's face it, the house slopes and with all the funky measurements I think this will actually be easier and more lovely.   So here is what the maple pieces look like now..Maple is a hardwood and because this piece with be painted in the shop the grain will not complete for attention. I have a professional architectural draft of what it will look like and I have confidence doing it this way.  It needs to be assembled and then Princeton Design Guild will finish it on their site.  This is the best way to have it done and we will see that in the final piece. Quality is always what is most important to me.  I just don't care about "more" so I hope someday someone else will appreciate the same thing!

Autumn Camillia Long Island Pink

I wanted to share the Camillia that is having its first bloom session since I planted it this spring.  It is fun to have something like this blooming now.  This plant is just getting started now with many buds to open and this shrub is begging to be espaliered. Long Island Pink Camillia is lovely for this Nantucket Grey Garden shed.  They love some shade and indirect light and just when you think Jack Frost has nipped everything here is a surprise in the garden.

Marble Slab for Bathroom in the Hopewell Carriage House

I thought I would share with you what the marble slab that will go upstairs looks like.  This piece was a remnant. I had it honed because I prefer that appearance and it will be more forgiving with etching down the road. People are a little scared of marble. I don't know why.  Perhaps a little more care that something else but if you love it, you will want to take care of it! This is another piece of Calacatta Gold Extra.
The cabinet will be deeper and top will be a 27 and half inch width.  Ceilings are too low for anything other than an undermount sink.  It is kind of nice to do these projects piece by piece.  Nothing is a rush job and it allows me to be my precise self!  It is in Princeton Design Guilds hands now to complete custom cabinetry.  This furniture piece will be off the ground but it will have a back splash also of the marble which is three inches.

The British Faucets are coming to the Carriage House

I am woman all about the details,  so of course when it came to pick the next set of faucets for downstairs and up,  I went for the best quality. It will make all the difference in enjoyment and quite frankly, durability.

Here is a dismal picture of the sinks to be replaced....Check out the rust... This sink would be sweet to reglaze but not possible because the enamel is gone.  The truth is I need the storage underneath so I am going to do a custom cabinet with a sweet piece of Calacutta marble. It  is from an old lot of marble which means that the Calacutta is very white instead of grey and very deep veining.  The new sink and  the polished nickel British faucet has arrived. I chose another Perrins and Rowe faucet from the Georgian era.
  Princeton Design Guild has measured for the cabinet and drawn a beautiful design that will fit the house and give some storage in a furniture style piece. I need to hide these pipes also.  They are just foul. In this bathroom there is a bear claw tub which is orginal to the house I am sure, which of course will stay.  So I plod on to keep what is good, respect the house within its time period and return quality to added fixtures.

 This sink reminds me of something you might use at a rest stop. Marble top will be fabricated and another custom cabinet will be here. The marble top for upstairs was a remnant so I got a nice deal on it.
I wish I could scan the drawings from Princeton Design Guild to show you what it will look like.  The custom part will be nice for this house because let's face it, everything slopes.
I am simply waiting for their templates so that marble can be cut and then waiting for cabinets to be installed.  Easy process.  I can't wait to show you! I don't think I will ever end up in a house all done. This has been too fun.

Half Bath Redo with some Marble in Hopewell Carriage House

I am trying to figure out what to do in the half bath in the Carriage House.  The sink that is here now looks like something that you might see in a rest stop with no soap....So do I want to do a console sink, custom vanity or an antique washstand?!? I like pedestals a lot but I really feel I would like a little storage and it is the only thing you will look at while on the pot... So antique or have something built?

The cat did drag this in........It is rather plain but nice and white! I could customize a swank little vanity with Princeton Design Guild.

  

I found a like minded woman out there.  We love English country, white and traditional in the bath!
More I think about it, the ceiling is really low in this section of the house. Perhaps I should do a undermount sink and use this piece of marble so I have as much counterspace as I can muster up.  Of course,  pick out some English faucets.  So some mod swank with some elegant classic fixtures.

Gourds in New Jersey Farm Country

It's that time of year when all the window boxes get changed or are supplemented with some gourds.  I love them because no critters eat them and they come in all of the seasons changing colors.  Since it has been so dry here in the East Coast we will welcome seeing these.. I am concerned, as we all are about our trees in the forest holding on with this drought.   The rich colors of last autumn will not visit us this year.

I changed out some fabulous containers for a client last week. I will post some pictures.  Think kale, mums, gourds, and I left some decorative grass that has died but looks like haystacks! Pumpkins love the heat though and that they have had! Nothing like the sugar pumpkins.

I can't wait to show you all of the beautiful squashes that grow right here in New Jersey that we can eat and double as decorations. The Yankee in me loves to be frugal, so why not skip the Halloween store for decorations and just pay tribute to what grows seasonally.  Decorate and then eat! They should last outside for two to three months still looking lovely for Thanksgiving.

Princeton Design Guild Helps with Marble Sill

We are continuing to tweak at the carriage house kitchen.  Today Kevin Wilkes and I played with where the marble sill should come out as the final dressing of the two sink windows. I plan to harbor some ferns on the sill and won't they be pleased.
I have made a little blunder with the polished nickel. I am so  used to cleaning with Bar Keepers Friend for everything. I love it.  Well,  not for the nickel,  so I called Rohl and got costumer service immediately.  Wow! and a live person!  I was given advice on how to polish properly.

I am very happy with the marble. Now that it is in,  it truly brightens this north side kitchen.  Just what it needed.  The marble fabricator used just about everything from the slab so he was kind enough to leave me with three square pieces for fun.  I think I will go back to treating this kitchen with fresh farm flowers on Wednesdays from the Hopewell Farmers Market by the train station.

It is still hot,  yet the season is pushing towards autumn.  Soon enough my own window boxes will be changed to reflect that nod.

Soon enough I will be sharing with you the sink project upstairs.. Rusted out sink from roughly the thirties.  I need to make that more practical with a vanity and a divine piece of stone.  Never forget about searching your stoneyards for remnants. Why go to Lowe's or Home Depot for one pre done when it is just as easy to pick out a remnant of stone and personalize your space?!?  I already have something in mind.

Bottom line - Have a vision, stick to quality, and do the numbers so that you will enjoy what is ultimately a sound investment.   Thank you for sharing in my joy and may I see you in my garden or yours!

Calacatta Gold Extra Marble in the Hopewell Carriage House

Another exciting day in the kitchen!  The marble backsplash was installed with an emphasis on following the veining from the countertop through to the splash.  In most places it was able to be done.
My marble fabricator sealed this honed marble and it looked easy as pie. This will be my responsibility in six months.

 Princeton Design Guild coordinated with my fabricator on the windowsill today and that will be done next week.  I was pretty clear that I wanted a divine sill for my plants and they will not be disappointed with what is coming! I don't know if you can tell from the pictures but the windows are wood and must have been replaced prior to me.  They are  classic quality so the sill will compliment it well when finished.  OK, so the marble is a splurge. I will be more joyful in this kitchen with its exposed beams and sloping floors because of it! And I am sure one day someone else like me,  that loves a charming home will love to take her over. In the long meantime,  I am so pleased that it is me.

Calacatta Gold Extra Marble in the Hopewell Carriage House

Wow! What a day!   Marble has been installed on the countertops. The backsplash will not be done until tomorrow.  It is much better to do this as a two day install.  You will get a much tighter fit and marble is much harder to work with than granite so a lot a praying occured on my end anyway.  So don't let anyone talk you into doing it in one day,  if you are in fact commited to this fine material on the counter and backsplash.  It  really helps brighten up the space and let's face it, it is just YUMMY to look at so might as well go for it! Thank the Lord I don't care about jewelry..  This rocks this space.

Tomorrow the honed marble will be sealed.  Super forgiving when it is honed and much more farm to table feel.  I love it! Wait until you see what I am going to do with the windowsill, notice trim is gone so wait and see!! Princeton Design Guild has been gems to work with on such a project.  They care about detail as much as I do.  Also PDG has come up with a very creative way to utilize the small space beside  the fridge.  Another cabinet with a corkboard.  I love the idea!

We all know how long I have been coveting this faucet and sink.  It really goes back to a carriage house I rented in Princeton.  It has been over fifteen years since then and worth the wait.  I cannot stress enough how a house should not deter you if there are things to do.  I was grateful to make my own decisions.  Late October will be a year and a half in this house and I will be winding down on the projects.  I think I might miss the decisions.

Oh,  and if you think I don't remember where I started with this kitchen, I do!!

I love work working with clients whether inside the house as a realtor or my other hat as a garden designer and helping them see a vision.  In these hard times,  a vision is just what is needed.   If you can pick up a property at a reasonable trade and put a little sweat into it,  the satisfaction is just wonderful and one can come out ahead down the road.  I know I will.  Thanks for following my journey.

Princeton Design Guild Helps with Marble Install

Mr. Wilkes came to oversee the marble fabricator this morning.   I just love  how he works with Charlie to make sure there will be no mistakes and all will be seemless.  Kevin is wonderful at working with me as I am much more traditional than his aesthetic. No worries... Templating took place and marble will be installed this week.  Here  Charlie and I are working together on the slab placement today.

 Here's a look at what is coming.  Calacutta Gold Extra simply means stronger veining and more select.  I will need to seal it two times a year.  Doing it more is not good for the marble.  It is honed so it will be more forgiving to spills and I prefer that to anything polished personally.  After going through this process I don't think I would want to buy a home that is all done.  I am truly loving picking out what I like.   I would feel way too guilty ripping stuff out if it was in fine condition just because I do not like it.  But with leaking and true grudgy tile, it was easy. No lost sleep.   All I did was gut counters from  the seventies..I have actually taken the house back in classic time.   So happy about this!

Princeton Design Guild Kitchen Cabinets Go In

Princeton Design Guild's head cabinet maker is making progress.   Shaw sink in, Perrins Rowe polished nickel faucet set, and cabinets in.  This part of the house is so old there is a 2 inch difference because the floor slopes!!

I can already tell that they bumped up the height of the countertops.  Thank the Lord because I am 5'9" and I needed that bit of luxe.  Monday I meet with my marble man.  Template and then I will go and decide exactly which part of marble I want on the countertop and which on the backsplash from the slab.

Perhaps marble is trendy now but the French and Italians have loved it for hundreds of years so I am going with that.  My last home was an Arts and Craft Bungalow.  Not right for a Shaw sink. I have coveted them for years...Nice to add one to this nest and it works.  Knobs are in polished nickel as well,  and very plain. I have started moving much loved items back to my open shelves.  

Miele dishwasher is happy to be next to such a stately and useful sink which is  a 30 inch. Burleigh ware is pleased to be back on the shelf.

I love the hot and cold knobs from England!

Princeton Design Guild Cabinet Maker will grace the Carriage House

I am so excited to share what is happening in the carriage house!  Princeton Design Guild is a very expert group to work with on a project.   I met with Kevin Wilkes who owns Princeton Design Guild and he walked me through the seemless process of restoring this kitchen to its roots.  First he listened to me and then drew me up a design for the kitchen.  He brought out his head cabinet maker, Richard who has been making furniture for over 40 years.  He is friendly and professional and sketched out something while Kevin and he were talking so I could follow their line of thinking.
We are going to re-center the  new English Shaw farm sink in front of the two kitchen windows and add a space for cooking trays along side of this sink.  It will be practical which is what a working 1890 carriage house would have been.  This will give me four more inches on the other cabinet that will have pull out drawers for pots!  Kevin even had his draftman do a sketch for the countertop even before the installer is doing his own.  No room for any mistakes is how I see it!  He also threw out the idea of raising the height of the countertop which is super because I am taller that average... so superb idea! Though my project is not a big one for this firm,  they have made me feel as important as if it is!
The truth is the honed Italian marble will need some care but it will impart a quality of life that will bring me such joy!  Granite and corian would have been more practical and yet it would not have been the kitchen I want to return to.  The open shelves will retain the airy feeling in this space and marble on the wall will allow me to look at it too!  Carrera marble is too safe for me and too grey.. Calacutta Gold Extra is white with grey green veining and a subtle touch of gold.
I can't wait to show you Kevin's latest project of his own.  I posted earlier pictures and we are almost ready to return for more progress so stay tuned. Though Wilkes firm works on very forward thinking design I knew that his firm would be a good fit for me.  First priority is quality with PDG,  as is mine. I don't care about BIG in anything. I care mostly about handmade quality and artisan skilled in everything.

What a pleasure to work with them.  What fun it has been in just over a year to transform the carriage house with garden, patio, and landscaping.. It is fun to add some value to the inside  with timeless and elegant design for those that love a smaller sized nest because to me,  quality endures..