MOVING DAY!!!

Hi everybody,

Hope you're all well and having a fantastic week.

I have completed my blog "migration" to Wordpress and will no longer post on Blogger.

To continue following my blog please go to my new "happy place":

www.TownAndCountryShuffle.com

Hope to see you there soon...I just posted a new recipe for Balsamic Roasted Vegetables with Feta Cheese. Let me know what you think...

 best,
Emily

BURLAP CURTAINS ANYONE? ANOTHER DINING ROOM UPDATE

Hi everybody, I'm still with Blogger and will publish a few more posts before I move over to WorldPress. I'm hoping for a seamless transition, fingers crossed....

 

Today I want to do one more Dining Room Update...and this one is about curtains.

 

Curtains or I should say...the lack of curtains in a home is a missed decorating opportunity...imo

I think a room without window treatments is like a face without eyebrows...

 

On occasion, I have come across rooms that looked OK without window treatments, but for the most part, I think all rooms could benefit from some kind of decorative or

 utilitarian drapes or curtains or both

 

Our first floor lacks natural light, so I can't use any kind of shades or heavy drapes... I opted for open weave curtains...to let in as much light as possible...

 

My favorite in this category is burlap, which is a big trend right now, however the burlap

I found at JoAnne's fabric store is a bit too rustic for this project...

 

After a bit of research, I chose the Restoration Hardware "burlap" curtains...they have a more polished look and they come in a variety of lengths...and natural shades

 

So here is dining room window before:

 

and here it is after: 

 

 

The walls are still yellow, but after we paint the room a warm white, the natural shade of the curtains should "pop" a bit more...

 

Again here is the before and after:
 

What do you think?

Next, I will try to post a recipe...I've come across so many great recipes on Pinterest and I want to try them all...if only I had all the free time in the world, but I don't...

Have a great end of the week and see you soon...
Emily
 

RUSTIC DINING ROOM INSPIRATION...

 

Long before we bought our house, I saved an issue of Elle Décor which featured NY socialite Nina Griscom's gorgeous country house. 

Her dining room is country perfection...it's rustic, unpretentious and cozy...and the unexpected twig chandelier makes the room.

 

 

 

Here is some more rustic dining room inspiration:

 

I love the high ceilings here

 

It looks so inviting, doesn't it?

This one is may favorite...I'm not a ruffles kind of girl, but love the way these elements work together...

 



love the over sized chandelier, and what is going on with those chairs?

 

 



I would dress my chairs in white too if I didn't have twins running around with food all the time..

 

I dream of white floors like the one above...

Which one is your favorite? I think I'm leaning more towards a rustic Chalet Chic style for the dining room and living room area...and try to save the French Country vibe for the guest rooms..

 

Due to some technical difficulties I have been encountering while publishing through Blogger, I have made the decision to "migrate" to World Press in the near future...I will post about soon...

 

Have a great day everybody!

 

I'll be back with more room updates in a few days...

 

cheers!

Emily

DINING ROOM FURNITURE UPDATE...ANOTHER RUSTIC CABINET

 

Where there is one good rustic cabinet...there are many! Just 2 weeks  after finding the cabinet I put in the 2nd floor alcove (you can see it here), I went back to my favorite Home Goods store (in Kingston NY) looking for baskets...and I came across this!

  

 

Trust me when I say, I try to pace myself with large purchases, but this I could not pass up...

It was not as inexpensive as the last one...but it was not bad at $769 plus $120 for delivery...

This rustic cabinet is solid wood, very heavy and it has beautiful glass doors. The finish is very distressed with small patches of dark navy, brown and a tiny bit of green...

I like the fact that it is dark wood,  because it will layer well with the farm table I plan on buying which is on the light side...and I don't want any of the dining room furniture to match, just complement each other...

 For now I will use it as a sideboard in the dining room to store all the dinnerware, wine glasses and water pitchers etc...we don't use everyday...

Here is the before and after:

 

 

 

 

and side by side

 

 

The rug you see was moved over from the living room as it covers this area much better...I will try to find an over sized rug for the living room...right now I'm looking for a 15'x20'...

 

Now all I have left to do for this room is find the table, chairs...maybe a bench...and drapes...and we'll be done...It sounds so easy doesn't it?

 

Emily

 

 

GUEST BATHROOM UPDATE...HOW TO PAINT A TILE COUNTERTOP

 

The guest bathroom is in overall pretty good condition, we just have to do some cosmetic changes and the first one is - painting the tile counter.

 

It's hard to tell from this photo, but it is badly stained to the right of the sink...

also, the mirror is centered over the counter - not the sink - and the lights are centered over the mirror...the walls are a light mint green...

 

I'll deal with all of that later, but for now - I have to start painting...

 

 

 

So I decided to paint the tiles just like I did on one of my old projects in Rancho Santa Fe in California...you can see it here

 

First I washed the entire surface very well with soap and water and let it dry for 24 hours. I did not sand the counter because the tiles are very porous to begin with (hence the stains)...so I just started by applying  one coat of this tile primer from Home Depot:

 

And then 2 coats of this durable exterior paint in off white:

 

 

and here are the results:

 

 

 

 

 

Also, I changed the light fixture glass shades to a soft yellow, which will be the accent color in the guest bedroom and bath...

 

Again, here is the before and after side by side...

 

 

What do you think? Was it worth the effort?

 

Next, I'll post a dining room update...stay tuned

 

Emily

 

RUSTIC CHALET INSPIRATION

In my endless quest for rustic inspiration, I came across a 17 century Tyrolean Chalet...

This historic house was completely dismantled and rebuilt just 500 meters
away from it's original location...

 

 The current owners spared no expense in renovating the interior, using top of the line materials from luxury purveyors like Loro Piana, Dornbracht, Gaggenau, Holland & Sherry etc ...

 

 this is such a striking photo. Neutral tones with a good dose of white and black...

 

 

the bedroom looks so peaceful...love how they kept only one wooden wall...

 

my kids would love these cozy bunk beds or "punk beds" as they call them

(they can't pronounce bunk yet)

old and new together - reclaimed wood cabinets and stainless steel counters and appliances...

 

the owner is a passionate wine collector apparently and this is his "domain"...

...he installed a fingerprint-only access system...

 

I find the bath a bit cold and too modern for this house...

but I like the white tub and the wood panels together...

 

a HOT sauna after a day of skiing - yes please!

 

 

the façade was not altered in order to preserve the original Tyrolean details...I love the contrast of the traditional exterior and contemporary interior...

 

What do you think?

Would you like to live or vacation in this home? I could easily do both.

 

See you soon with another room update and a market search...

 

Emily

 

 

 

photos: Nicolas Tosi // styling: Emmanuelle Javelle // Elle Décor

LOW CARB ROASTED CAULIFLOWER & BROCCOLI

 

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli

1 head of cauliflower

1 small onion

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup of frozen peas

1/2 cup Pecorino cheese

salt and pepper

 

Prep:

                    *preheat oven to 375 F

                    **chop broccoli, cauliflower and onion into small pieces

                    ***pour the olive oil in a 1" deep baking sheet

                    ****add the broccoli, cauliflower and onion and toss to coat in oil

                    *****add cheese, salt & pepper, toss again and spread in a single layer

 

Cook:

*bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top starts to get brown mixing half way through

**after turning off the oven, fold in the frozen peas and leave in the oven for another 5 minutes with the oven door half way open 

 

 

This is a favorite dish at our house.

 It's a quick and easy light dish on it's own or as a side with grilled fish or chicken.

 

I hope you enjoy it!

Emily

IN THE MARKET FOR RUSTIC CABINETS...

Our house doesn't have a lot of closets and therefore, all the "indispensable junk" we've been purging from the City apartment has not really found a home in the country.

 

Now of course I look at every piece of furniture I buy, as potential storage space. The second floor lacks a linen closet  (as does the first)...

 so I decided to buy a cabinet to store all the linens for the 3 bedrooms on this level.

 

Here is the corner I'm referring to...

before

 

after

 

 "Many whiles ago" as our little girl would say, during a trip to Cozumel, I fell in love with the heavy rustic Mexican furniture we had in the El Presidente Suite...

 

At the time, this kind of furniture was impractical for my Manhattan apartment

(the size of a thimble), and also it did not exist in the US market.

Now however, it seems to be in every store,

 and I found mine at the local HomeGoods in Kingston NY.

 

 

 

 It is quite massive at about 200lbs and 6 feet long and it has a light distressed gray wash but no seal...so I will have to give it a coat of wax before I use it.

 Also, at $395 it was a steal, and I like the fact that HomeGoods in Kingston has solved the delivery issue by partnering with a very reasonable transportation company.
I LOVE retailers who think beyond their point of purchase.

Here is the before and after side by side

 

Check back...I will be adding a lot more to this corner....this is just the first piece

 

Here are some other options I was considering:

 

 

 

 

1. Ebay  2. Amazon  3. Etsy

4. Cedar-stuff.com 5. KathyKuo.com

 

I'm pretty happy with my choice. Which one would you choose?

 

I'll be back in a few days with a new recipe...

 

Emily