Not so typical traditional...

Earlier this spring, I did some painted ceilings for a client, and promised more photos when the whole house was finished.  Today, I did my final touches, delivered my new favorite piece of cobbled furniture, and collected my final hug of the project.  I also snapped a few photos... 

This bench (settee?) was inspired by one that came across my facebook page several months ago.  It's made of two dining chairs, 2/3 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood, three fabrics, two trims, a billion staples, and limitless patience.  Well, maybe more like four hundred and thirty-seven staples, and nearly limitless patience.  Nothing went wrong on this project, but when working with salvage, nothing is ever perfectly symmetrical, square, or even.  If I had a place to put one, I'd still build another in a heartbeat!

The homeowner, Jodi, helped me do this mosaic fireplace about a year and a half ago.  It was the only thing in the house that survived a fire last autumn.  I had to replace the mirror that surrounds the insert (which they changed), and re-grout it. Lucky for me, when I got to the final polishing phase, Jodi jumped in to help again.  Mama said whining would get me nowhere, but I find it's still pretty effective for getting someone else to clean up my messes.  Thanks, Jodi!

Here's a shot from before, which shows the sparkle a little more.





"B R e A T H e"



Here's that ceiling medallion from a few months back, with the light, wallpaper and furniture in place.  I can't imagine this room without it.



Scumble glazed walls, a sky ceiling, and a trompe l'oeil plaster border over the archway were my contributions to this charming butler's pantry.

Full view of the butler's pantry paint.

...and a close-up.

This room, I had nothing to do with decorating, but it is so striking, I thought you might like to see it.  On projects throughout the house, Jodi had assistance from Patti Schulte of Casabella Interior Design of Huntersville, North Carolina, and local designer, Chris Rowe Wallraf ( chriswallraf.com ).  A lot of Jodi's lighting and accessories came from Rosie Posie, a shop in Prior Lake, MN ( rosieposie.net ).

Ahhh, completion.  As much fun as these projects are to do, it's satisfying to see them finished.  Jodi is already compiling a list of details for me to do once they get all settled back in, so I'm sure you'll be seeing many more photos of her beautiful home on here.  Now, you may be reading this with your morning coffee, but I'm typing it at 11:20 p.m., which is about three hours past my bedtime, and that last photo has me craving my own fluffy pillow, so I'll wish you a good night, and a great Memorial Day weekend!

More photos of my work can be seen at theartofthehome.com, and comments can be left below, or emailed to dawnmariedelara@gmail.com.