Blue Ceiling Beach Cottage

My friend and wonderful photographer, Jamie Salomon of Salomon Photography, recently sent me photos of this beautiful beach cottage in Maine. The home is the spectacular retreat of designer, Francine O'Donnell

The home has a traditional beach house decor with a bit of whimsy. I love the stools and the center island. What is most striking to me is the color palette. Take a look at this kitchen - taupe/beige cabinets and trim with creamy walls, but the most interesting is the soft blue ceiling. An area often overlooked - so let's have a closer look ceilings in this beach cottage.

Here is the kitchen from another angle. The ceiling color is much paler in this shot. This is a common occurrence when you use pale colors, in some lights the color actually washes out. With ceilings my preference is always to go on the paler side. I like to feel the color with out getting overwhelmed by it.

Here is a closer shot of the same space and you can see the blue ceiling more strongly. I love the whimsical signs - this particular sign adds such personality to the kitchen. Vintage style light fixtures and pale floors also add to the ambiance.

Moving to the family room we again see the use of blue on the ceilings. Notice how the color does not make the ceiling seem lower, but actually makes the ceiling almost disappear.

The same room from a different angle. You can see the patch of blue (like the sky) in the top left side of the photo. Again the SEA letters, life ring and assorted wood signs add a happy lightness to the room. I adore the beadboard walls. Also notice the slanted wall area - often times it is painted to match the ceiling - in this case it would have been a mistake. Keeping it white allows your eye to travel up and adds a feeling of openness to the space.

Here is the Family Room again from another angle. I love the slouchy softness of the big throw covering the chair. This a room where you can really kick back and relax.

The upstairs hallway continues with blue ceilings. Also notice the gray/blue painted floors. I love the doors - clearly they are original to the house.

A peek into the bath - which seems to have white ceilings but wonderful sea glass green walls. More of this beautiful home to come next time!!

I oughta make an ottoman...so I did!!

photo: Country Living Magazine

Last week, there were two crucial elements missing from my living/family room. A big, beautiful rug, and an ottoman. It seems there is a golden rule (not mine!!) that every living room needs ample seating (check!); fireplace/mantel (working or not...check!); television carefully concealed in an armoire (check!), sufficient lighting for reading (check!); ottoman or coffee table to display swank books designed to make the homeowner look highly intelligent or stylish, or both (I just stick with home decor mags, since I'm not really either!!!)...and a soft rug/carpet for man or beast to sit on when aforementioned seating is occupied...oh yeah, and to ground the room (widely-used decorating speak).

`Well, about three years ago, I decided I would build myself an ottoman (sidenote: this always means hubby will build said project). Every single episode of Trading Spaces seemed to include this project, so if flighty Hilde could do it, surely I could!! I purchased some legs, the fittings, and always meant to pick up just the right fabric. Fast forward to October 2007 and I was on the case!!! I was inspired to start the task after revisiting the local fabric shop in my small town that had recently reopened after...well, I don't know why it closed! No matter, a discreetly placed roll of fabric caught my eye and I had my Aha moment! The fabric seemed to be a good match/coordinating pattern to go with my sofa, so I quickly asked the storelady to cut me off enough to make a respectable sized ottoman. Then, since she had the scissors, I decided I would buy enough to give MY chair a new slipcover. I gave her the directions quickly, like I make every decision for my home, and 8 metres later and some trim, and I was in business.

LONG story short: I made it, it probably looks that way, but it's an ottoman all right and it has filling the living room must-have requirement quite nicely. Hubby (who figured we didn't need it/didn't want to take the time to make it, but did because he loves me...and I can nag oh so well...) seems to have his feet up on it each evening, and likes to spread his inky newspaper on it. All in all, it probably cost me $60 to make...which isn't that cheap for something that looks homemade, but I think I like it. The fabric is giving me pause, though. Not on the ottoman, but I'm a little worried that I was a bit rash when deciding to use it on my beloved chair. I think it is a bit heavy for the room, and I probably shouldn't have picked it for a large furniture piece. But hey, when you live in a small town with only one fabric store and the fabric selection remains the same for at least a year, a girl can't be faulted for jumping at some new blood!!!

As for the other missing piece of my living room picture, a rug, well... I'm working on it. Which really means I'm working on convincing hubby! Any large purchase is a slow process for him. He has to come to terms with the notion that you can't get a good rug in the right size for under $100!! I am slowly breaking him in that the rug will cost a fair bit more than that, and that is hard!! I am certain that, in time, he will come to accept this and that he will realize that we must accept that which we cannot change, and also that I will be there for him every step of the way. Just as I vowed to on our wedding day...

Well, here is my masterpiece...what do you think?? Oh, and I'll show you pictures of my chair when the slipcover is finished... and definitely not made by me!!!

Cheers!