flower for friday

the local dahlias are coming into flower market! i couldnt resist these dark beauties, and paired with some rich purple tulips . happy friday 

tine k home

i feel like ive fallen down a perfectly cozy little rabbit hole when looking at the catalogue photos from tine k home . beautifully rustic and simply elegant. im loving the moody grey/blue color palette. it seems chic on the one hand, while eliciting all the casualness of summer.

blueberries are arriving at the farmers market and im dreaming of my moms amazing morning muffins. perfect for a breakfast outside in big wicker chairs with a cup of tea - hopefully before anyone else is awake. 

blue note: before & after

im feeling pretty lucky to finally a landlord that is open to paint colors and other home projects! this weekend i tackled the door out to the patio - it is also the entrance we will use when entertaining and its viewable from both the patio and the living room when we have just the screen door open -

it was in pretty bad condition and probably hadnt been painted in a few years (like 8) also, no one had bothered to paint around the door hardware so it was also covered in layers of grimy off whiteish paint. 

first order of business was to get to the screws which were under said layers - a few goes of citristrip (*this stuff is miraculous and you can find it at lowes) and i could just about get to the screws to get the hardware off. after that was done i put the door knob and plate in a bath of stripper and just let it do its thing.

next i washed and lightly sanded the door to prep it for new paint & taped off the windows. its a bit of work but its worth it in the end. a few coats of benjamen moores exterior low luster finish in "blue note" & voila - new door! 

 oh! and i was thrilled to find nice old brass under all that paint, doesnt the doorknob look great - i sometimes feel badly about polishing old metal, like silver and copper, because the patina is so wonderful after so long but i never feel that way with brass - the older it is the more gorgeous and muted the color and texture - so a bit of brasso and a serious arm work out and the hardware was glistening. 

what do you think? now im wondering if i should paint the screen door too? and im thinking those steps need a new coat of white

new england summer garden

i always seem to find myself ridiculously nostalgic for new england at this time of year. silly probably but i just cant escape romanticizing the summers there - the gardens of robert couturier's connecticut home transport me right into the middle of a quintessential new england summers day. 

i can almost feel the humidity and the sun at the back of my neck. 

legs to stand on

a while back i came upon a beautifully aged and weather worn piece of wood. it was just hanging out in a lady's yard and i asked what she was going to do with it~ after a bit of conversation it was in the bed of my car speeding towards home. its similar to the one above & after doing a bit of research it appears that this piece was part of a ship, in fact it was the hatch door, knowing this has made me love the piece even more. its just perfect for 6 people! 

sadly its been hanging out in my garage for a few months, it wouldn't really fit in the old studio apartment but now there is plenty of space and im gearing up to sand and finish it - 

the biggest part of the project is the legs. the top isnt as dark as the one in the photo, its much more of a pretty beachy grey. when it first came into my possession i though instantly of the table above from mike murphy's home and got an amazing (and very inexpensive) set of hairpin legs from ebay! they are sturdy and extremely good weight bearers....but now of course after having some time to think im wondering if something closer to the base of this table from room&board would be better 

- class it up a little. this chrome base definitely has more glamor and is a bit more lady like.... im on the fence - what do you think? or do you have other suggestions?