Architectural Elements - Corbels

I love the idea of architectural elements lying around in interiors and in the garden.  Rome is full of them with ancient Rome present in daily life.  You might be walking down the street and come across a dirt space and a huge Roman head or column just there – gorgeous and shocking.

 

architectural elements in interiors

I once drove over the boarder to Mexico from California with girlfriends to go shopping and what did I come back with but a huge concrete ball.  I kept it for years lying around my various apartments.  I wish I still had it now here in Italy.  If you put a piece architecture in your space it makes the space look interesting instantly.  Corbels, columns, architraves, pieces of stairs, a newel or chunk of a banister, capitals, arches, leave them on a beautiful floor or lean them up against a wall, put a bowl of floating flowers and candles and there you have a scene of tranquility and antiquity.

 

the writing desk is from the 1700's Italian (certo!)

If these Corbels were for me I would have painted them a great color like sapphire blue or ruby red.  In San Francisco I had a pair that were attached as a true architectural support under a square archway and I painted them a chalky rich pink. Man did they look great! In this situation I must do what the client wants alas.

There were previously messed up in an electrical fire blacken with smoke, but no real damage done.  They are made out of terra cotta.

Corbels before shot

I painted them taupe in acrylic and then dry brushed over them in oil color (raw umber).

The project took a few days for drying time, but the actually working time was minimal.  It was fun because it was such a quick transformation.

Corbels as book supports

I am wishing a Happy Sunday to all my lovely readers around the world.

Kind regards,

Natalie

I'm linking with these fun parties:

Between Naps on the Porch 

Cozy Little House

French Country Cottage

Savvy Southern Style
Ivy and Elephants

Shabby Chic Italian Library

Now that it is the new year doesn’t it make you want to clear everything out and start fresh?  Here is a job I did recently that is a good example of new beginnings.

Sometimes it is hard to paint over the dark wood especially in a library setting.

Here is the before shot.

First I painted the ceiling an antique rose.  I believe that painting the ceiling a color is way hip, especially here in Italy where the ceilings are often so high that it makes the space seem empty and cold.  Color above right away makes the space glow with warmth.

Then I painted the walls a creamy white that had a tiny hint of pink in it.  You can’t really see the pink on the wall, but I could see it in the paint bucket and once the walls dried it gave the effect that the ceiling was reflecting pink onto the walls.  Which it was, but I helped it along.

This room really shows the changing light of the day.  Under gray skies it has a splendid effect of tones of white and off white.  Then with the sun out a blush comes over the space.

the doors are almost an oyster off white
(not green tinted) it's the light

here I left the wood of the desk natural

I did the Shabby Chic effect on the bookshelves, this way the shelves looked more aged in this antique room.

the glass is definitely half full

I painted the bookshelves the same color as the walls only in acrylic paint with a satin finish.  I didn’t prime them since I wanted the wood to come through easily.  Here there is 4 coats of off-white, one to two coats of polyurethane. 

Then I sanded just the edges of the bookshelves, painted on some brown wax, waited a half an hour and rubbed it off with a piece of wool (an old sweater).  I left the wood of the desks as it was, touching it up some with Mordente (wood stain) and the white shelves ethereally rise above.

 

painting on the brown wax for Shabby Chic effect

I love this apricot color tile floor

Shabby Chic bookshelf

Shabby Chic distressing detail

This client was going relocate the hat collection and put the books back in, plus some colorful art on the walls.

Isn’t this Italian Library just reeking of a fresh start with hope permeating the air? I love the view of the secret garden ensconced inside our crazy city.

With affection,

Natalie

I'm linking with:
Miss Mustard Seed

Between Naps on the Porch

French Country Cottage

Creativity Living Blog

Houseboats - Alternative Life

Hello everyone, Happy New Year! 

As promised I am going to show you some wonderful Houseboats outside San Francisco, California.  In a little hillside town called Sausalito.

I get all silly headed when I think about living an alternative life.  I think my fantasy has to do with something about beating the system.  What system, you may ask?  Well that is still unclear (I said silly headed), maybe the world of pressure and conservatism, the rat race, paying ridiculously high energy bills (as we do here in Italy).  Becoming trapped by a mortgage.

I love loft spaces, organic gardens, solar panels, making your own things, tiny cottages/sheds, big old rambling houses that need love.   I go crazy for color and I love white and gray and brown too.  I like the idea of living off the grid and then I also want to be able to go to a café and have a good cappuccino, often.

many of the houseboats have names like boats
  this one the ANSWER is pretty great

Houseboats and Mt. Tamalpias

Sausalito, Ca Houseboat

this one is quite huge, because they are all bigger than they look

When I went to Design School in Brooklyn I really wanted to move into one of the architectural masterpieces that were burnt out in that ghetto which was then my neighborhood, Clinton Hill.  I really wanted to be a squatter, but not a homeless type, more of a well-designed squatter.  I was also very scared of the rats I knew would be living in abundance there. I’m not tough.  During that time and even now I know in my heart that I would like to own a pink cashmere coat.  Do you see my dilemma?

this houseboat the roof is a deck garden

I understand that to some our life here in Umbria Italy living in this huge Gothic Palazzo is already a bit alternative.  To me having two feet thick stone walls is still weird.  Interesting that for me girls it probably normal.

this guy is even further off the grid, she has to row out

Do any of you out there know of blogs that seem to be about an alternative life?  I love and follow the blog Soule Mama www.soulemama.com.  Soule Mama is homesteading in Maine and knits and has a garden and makes honey.  She understands the simple life.  I also like the Tiny House Blog http://tinyhouseblog.com.   I am so impressed with these people who can live big while living small.

 

this houseboat has copper panels that have a gorgeous patina

it's a long pretty walk down the dock

this lavender paint job is fantastic,
the color is blinding in it's perfection and hue

My mother lives in a houseboat.  I left my mother's house out of this post to respect her privacy.  I will say that her space has lots of windows and skylights, it is quite modern and airy.  The front door enters into one big room that is the dinning room, kitchen and living room, then the bedrooms are downstairs at water level. 

I love this tiny houseboat full of color

What is your alternative life fantasy or are you already living it?  Interesting that alternative is just a perspective.

Un bacio di Umbria,

Natalie

Paint Studio- Design Studio

I’m pretty excited because I actually cleaned and organized my Studio.

Now I call my friends and even my daughter’s friends (when they come over, I’m not stalking them on the phone yet…) and I say want to see what my paint studio?   Of course everyone says yes, not only out of courtesy, but out of sheer joy and curiosity!

So wanna see my studio?

I'll start with the before shot.

Here it is cleaned up.

I feel very inspired to make this next year kick!

Lucia my 14 year old says,  “Hey 2014 equals 7”.

2 + 0 PLUSone +4 = Sette Design 7.

zero is a start 2 is a pair seven is heaven
or a place to keep paint brushes and paints

Do you dashing ones out there have a good space to work or play or create something that makes your heart go thump? 

do you think this sign functions?

Isn’t it funny about us in world of design, how our hearts go thump just to see a pretty space.

My studio cleaned up and organized and filled with candles and pink roses and white tables gets my heart thumping and leaping.

And here we are on the eve of the eve of the new year.

 

buon anno from sette design

Wishing you some cheer swirling in and out of your studio.

Cheers,

Natalie

I'm linking with:

Between Naps on the Porch

French Country Cottage

Romantic Home

Nancherrow
Mod Vintage Life

Flowers for the Festivities

I can’t  believe it is December already.  I am very excited.  I love December, it is my birthday month and I have a bunch of cool friends born in December also.  Plus I'm still on the California Coast so that to me equals happiness.

December means festivities.

My sister is a natural born entertainer.  It comes naturally to her and she has a worker bee attitude and knows how to prepare for the party so when the party happens there is less work to be done and she can enjoy herself.  It’s that the best kind of party.

 

She is also talented at displaying flowers as you can see.

Plus she brought some Pamelos which the girls and I had never seen before, they taste yummy too.  They are kind of like a sweet grapefruit.


Candles and flowers and fruit and of course food and wine, family and friends and the holidays shine bright.

With affection,

Natalie 
I am linking with:
French Country Cottage 
Romantic Home 
Between Naps on the Porch