CasaSugar

Do You Have any Furniture With Chicken Wire?

CasaSugar — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:30:12 -0700

Traditionally, farmhouse kitchens often featured furniture with panel doors covered with chicken wire or screening. Pie safes and cabinets with chicken wire were usually used to store cooking dishes and food items. I love the country look of this cabinet and wouldn't mind adding it to my own home.

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Coveted Crib: Country Comfort in the City

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:00:26 -0800

While this sprawling, comfy home seems like a mellow country abode, it's actually located in South London. That doesn't mean that it's without rural amenities such as chicken coop and garden, though. While the exterior is certainly fun and funky, the interior continues the country vibe with a lived-in arts and crafts style and fun vintage furniture finds. Take the complete tour when you check out the slideshow.
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Coveted Crib: An Aspen Cabin Goes For the Old

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:00:51 -0800

When Aspen, CO, residents Cynthia and Frank Goldsmith decided their dream home should look like a 110-year-old Colorado homestead, they went to work, hiring an architect to recreate that iconic look. At the same time, the couple traveled to flea markets, antique stores, and salvage yards to find turn-of-the-century hardware, lighting, beams, doorknobs, and even hinges! The only items in this home that are new are the appliances, plumbing, and windows. Take a tour of this home, which was featured in Country Living, to step back in time. Source

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Coveted Crib: Country Living's 2008 Home of the Year

CasaSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:00:25 -0700

Contributing editor Danny Seo isn't the only thing about Country Living magazine that I'm enamored with. Check out the slideshow to see a coveted and classic home from Country Living's senior decorating editor Robin Mayer. I'm in love. Source

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Home Library: Japanese Country Style

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:15:08 -0800

When Yoshihiro Takishita was only a student, he discovered that a 250-year-old farmhouse - known as a minka - was going to be destroyed because it was in the path of a reservoir that was being constructed. Takishita was so taken with the building that he arranged to have it moved to Kamakura. Just as Takashita's thoughtful passion preserved that home, his book, Japanese Country Style preserves the beauty, dignity, and thoughtful design of 16 homes he also rescued from demolition.

A friend of mine who's a carpenter and timberframer first introduced me to Japanese country homes several years ago, and I have been a huge fan of this building style ever since. Many of the concepts and details Takishita highlights in Japanese Country Style are the same things that made me fall so hard for this style, including common-sense approaches to household tasks, storage needs, and environment. In his book, Takishita also shows how he has renovated the homes, and how these renovations have been adapted to modern living. The huge number of photographs (over 200!), artful illustrations, and use of Japanese wooden furniture, antiques, and other elements make this book a joy to read and explore, and many of the ideas can be adapted to anyone's home - I know I've incorporated several in mine. For all of you architectural and design enthusiasts out there, you can buy this lovely book here.

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Open House: Country Style Décor

CasaSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:30:46 -0800

If you watch Samantha Who?, you may have noticed that Regina Newly, Samantha's mother, is all about the country style décor. Blue gingham? Check! (Har har.) Handmade quilt? Check! Roosters? Check! Check! Check! I've never been one for décor themes, regardless of the inspiration behind it. And, I am a little turned off by homes with a country style that are not actually in the country. I think if you live on a farm, or in a rural area at least, it's acceptable. I can't say I'll be getting the look of Mrs. Newly's home in my own, unless maybe we're talking about a set of farmyard place mats. Samantha's pad, on the other hand, I'd willingly move right into. Enough about me, I want to know what you all think of this countryside style. Do you like it? Do you have any pastoral accessories in your home? Do you like theme decorating in general? Tell me by commenting below!
Photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

Home Library: Downtown Chic

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:47 -0700

No academic course will teach you how to give a derelict house a gut renovation and turn it into a fantastically unique, high-style home. That skill comes with experience and serious design savvy, something which Robert and Cortney Novogratz accidentally learned they had.

After renovating their first home in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood 10 years ago, which then was a neglected, not-so-fashionable area, they realized they had a knack for building and decorating, together. Since then, they've renovated and designed numerous buildings in and around NYC, including an entire block in SoHo and a house in the country, and founded their own design powerhouse, Sixx Design. As a memoir of sorts chronicling seven of the couple's projects, the Novogratz clan - did I mention they have seven children? - published Downtown Chic: Designing Your Dream Home, From Wreck to Ravishing. Hear my thoughts on the volume when you read more.

The first seven chapters of the book each cover a house the Novogratz couple have renovated, including lots of before and after shots. The duo offer advice learned from each experience, such as how to handle contractors, tips for buying a wreck, how to make your house renter-friendly, and how to mix high- and low-cost furnishings.

While the book jacket says each project proves "time and again you can bring charm to any four walls - and do so affordably," it actually just left me with a sense of envy, and with the reminder that the word "affordable" is all relative. The pair do have a knack for flea marketing and using vintage artifacts and architectural treasures in a unique way, but having the time to do so is a luxury in itself.

The book is full of tips like taming bold colors with neutral furnishings and mixing modern pieces with regional furnishings that in theory are helpful and affordable. But in reality it's the Cappellini coffee table, the luxuriously upholstered bed frame, and the couple's extensive collection of artwork that make me want to "get the Downtown Chic look."

This book is definitely a treat to read. It offers a sneak peek into one family's wonderful life as well as lots of inspiration, but in all likelihood, it won't solve the everyman's design woes. But then again, I guess you can hire Sixx to do that for you.

Roundup: Neutral Sofas

CasaSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:00:17 -0700

I adore this sofa, which is featured in The Invention of Lying. It has great, clean lines and a modern shape, but still looks cozy, and the neutral linen color makes it easy to decorate around. Neutral sofas are a great building block for a number of styles, from classic country to bohemian chic. Just add accents and textiles around the neutral sofa to bring your personality into the space.

See some of my favorite neutral sofas when you read more.

Summer Style: Sam's Wine Country Shack

CasaSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:00:06 -0700

While I wanted to love Bottle Shock, the film about California's vineyards featuring the blind Paris wine tasting of 1976, I had mixed feelings about the movie. However, I had nothing but love for the decidedly rustic digs that Sam (Rachel Taylor) inhabited on the Chateau Montelena vineyard.

While I can't imagine anyone actually living this exposed to the elements (at the very least some mosquito netting would've helped), I do love the overall effect of the building.

For some of my favorite decorating ideas from Sam's wine country shack, read more.

I loved the use of antique furniture in Sam's digs, especially the rocking chair and the iron bed frame. The al fresco wine tasting, shown below, also inspired me to eat out of doors on every sunny evening this Summer. The lack of rugs or busy textiles emphasizes the austere, uncomplicated look of this old, dilapidated building, putting the emphasis on the outdoors. In your own home, cut back on heavy Winter rugs and blankets, and take a cue from Sam by covering your bed with a white or light-colored blanket or duvet cover.

Try also moving some indoor furniture out of doors for an impromptu dinner or gathering. There's something absolutely magical about seeing a table normally reserved for the dining room out on a lawn or a porch.
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Do You Have Café Curtains?

CasaSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:00:51 -0700

A café curtain is a style of curtain that only covers the bottom half of the window. It basically offers a bit of privacy while still allowing you to enjoy your view. I normally find them too country and kitschy for my tastes, but this chic and simple white linen one is making me reconsider. Do you have one?

Photo by Simon Brown

Petrie Sofa - $1,499.00	TrueModern - Luna Sofa by Edgar Blazona - $1,499.00
Carmel Sofa - $1,999.00	Bennet Sofa - $2,550.00
TrueModern - Lift Sofa by Edgar Blazona - $1,399.00	De La Espada box sofa compact-oak - $6,445.00
Olivia Sofette - $1,149.00	Greenwich Sofa - $1,399.00
Vintage Vogue Sofa -Body Only - $899.00	Hovas Sofa - $699.00
Presidio Settee - $1,950.00	Chatelet Sofa - $2,950.00