One Room Challenge: We may live in a fixer-upper, but we are NOT Chip and Joanna

Bubbles, celebratory sips, and spa-like surroundings are far from my reality at the Week 4 mark of the Calling it Home “One Room Challenge.” True, my 3rd floor master bath design plan does not even include a soaking tub this glorious (that will be in the renovation of our current 2nd floor bath someday) and even if it did, my enjoyment of the space would not resemble the type of pampering that is pictured above, although one can dream, right?

The illustration featured in the photo is the front of a small metal container that I used to store bath items, like loofahs and such, back when my husband and I built a new bath in our last home (we moved to our current fixer-upper in 2003). Back then it was SO much easier to accomplish our projects!

Remembering our master bath project from around 1996

We built a brand new full size bath (with a large soaking tub) after completely raising the roof of our New England Cape-style home, along with building two brand new bedrooms on either side. We did all of this while I was pregnant with our first (who is graduating high school this year). And there was no Pinterest or Houzz to help out either. HGTV was barely a network and there were not a lot of programs to follow (plus no DVR!) All we had were shelter magazines to go by or design/build books for research (remember those?) If we were looking for a new trend or idea, we had to wait a month for a new magazine to come out. Can you imagine?

Granted my husband is a contractor, and his friends are contractors. They all worked together to get our remodel done, and they had the real experience and knowledge to do so. And truth be told we had a lot more energy back then. And perhaps a bit more motivation? But even so ... how does so much time go by for us today, with all that we know between the two of us, yet with so little at-home progress to show?

A local Habitat for Humanity build that my husband
John and I participated in together back in 2012 –

he helped out with power tools, my job was marketing.

Well for starters, I do not like to do the physical work. I have met lots of women who enjoy tiling or building walls or getting drills or wet-saws as gifts. I totally admire and respect them, but unfortunately I am not one of them. I barely enjoy painting anymore (hence my unfinished home office). I am more of an idea person. But since my husband is a builder, we cannot hire another builder, just like I would never hire someone to do what I can do. Currently he is too busy to finish my project. So our master bath sits unfinished.

Sink, faucet and glass counter top installed by my husband – on time –
for the Old York Annual Decorator Show House, summer 2013

My husband has helped me out with many of my time sensitive design projects over the years. And when it comes down to it, he always delivers. But what started out as a time-to-get-this-done-for-us type of project – that seemed quite possible four weeks ago – is now looking to be not very probable with current obligations. Of course I am super disappointed, but really, it is just a bathroom. Finishing renovations is not an emergency situation. I have lived this long without it, what is another month or so? I will have to just shift design gears.

My still challenging One Room Challenge, fall 2015

Fortunately, I did have a back up plan from the beginning. My home office that I did not complete for the fall “One Room Challenge” will just have to move up on my priority list. My only concern is that last weekend while clearing branches and brush in our rustic backyard to make room for a new garden, I got a touch of poison something, so I am not feeling 100%. I suppose I can still do some shopping and styling, but there is still some heavy lifting and clearing of clutter – and painting – to accomplish, which really does not appeal to me feeling the way I do. But I will move forward, gingerly, but towards my goal of sharing some type of “after” photos for all of you ORC visitors! Please come back next week to see how it goes.

Now if only I could enlist some help ...

A photo op with Kevin O’Connor from This Old House

North Shore Design Show Preview Party, May 2012

Or perhaps ...

Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV Fixer Upper
photo credit: Larsen + Talbert via HGTV

Check out the progress shared by the ORC sponsored bloggers here and the many guest participants here. More ORC design trends reported by House Beautiful here. 

Preview Party Pics: North Shore Design Show

A corner of my vignette “A Modern Family Mudroom” being featured

through May 20th at the Wenham Museum’s North Shore Design Show

Getting to the opening night of a design show is quite a journey. Given just under one week to completely set up our 8 ft. x 8 ft. spaces at the Wenham Museum – which often includes building a wall or two (thank you, Howell Custom Building Group), painting, wallpapering, supervising deliveries, installing light fixtures, prop styling and last minute design decisions – by the time the Gala Preview Party rolls around, the designers and museum staff are all ready to celebrate!

With North Shore Design Show Honorary Chair Stacy Kunstel 

Last Friday evening the 13 designed spaces were unveiled to a full house, hosted by New England Home editor/ designer/ blogger Stacy Kunstel. It was such a pleasure to have Stacy at the show! She is always so gracious, and has a great eye for design. We all appreciated her support of and visit to the charming gem that the Wenham Museum is to all of us on the North Shore.  

This indoor/outdoor potting sink was the inspiration piece behind my design. Manufactured by Stone Forest, it is by far my favorite item from the Designer Bath showroom. It looks like soapstone, but is actually honed black granite. The terrarium was designed by my across-the-board-talented friend Laura Thomson and the tiled chalkboard was a project I collaborated on with a favorite North Shore resource, Tile by Design.

Beth Gujral and Laura Thomson relaxing amidst furnishings

from Circle Furniture and lighting by Lucia Lighting.

There is a lot more to see in my space – you know how I love details –  but I don’t want to give it all away just yet! For now, I will leave you with some snapshots from the Gala, but am saving others taken that evening for a later post.

This Thursday night there will be an on open house at the Museum hosted by Landry and Arcari (who provided the gorgeous carpet in my space) with a presentation by Wilson Kelsey design. They will change their current Belgian-style vignette (see a peek of it here) to a modern looking space right in front of our eyes! Check out this link for more details.

Maybe I will see you there?? 

With Susan Howell from Howell Custom Building Group and

friend Chris Joy. Susan is on the Board and Leadership Team

of the Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity Builders Blitz.

With Kevin O’Connor, host of This Old House

During the evening, I did get the chance to chat with Kevin O’Connor, host of This Old House, who happens to call the North Shore home. We discussed the upcoming Habitat for Humanity Home Builders Blitz which is taking place across the country in June. I had told Kevin that Steve Thomas, former host of This Old House and current spokesperson for Habitat International, would be visiting the Merrimack Valley Habitat build site in Lawrence on June 9th. Kevin shared some positive stories from his own experiences helping out on Habitat for Humanity projects. I am really excited to be a small part of telling the story of this wonderful organization that pulls together so many professional builders and generous volunteers to help provide affordable housing for those in need (see current issue of New England Finery Magazine : )  I tried to get a photo of my husband (who is also in the building trades) alongside Kevin, but John was being camera-shy. I did manage to get one picture of him in my space though ...

If you make it to the show, be sure to check out the amazing chandelier from Lucia Lighting that is hanging above my vignette. John installed it for me from the cathedral ceiling (and made it look easy!) That is what the show is all about, though, presenting decorating and design ideas that visitors can imagine in their own homes while connecting them with the design professionals who can help achieve “the look.”

The North Shore Design Show is the major fundraiser of the year for the Wenham Museum. All proceeds support the Museum’s continued efforts to provide educational exhibitions and enrichment programs for children and families as they have been doing for over 90 years. I am truly honored to participate once again in this year’s event! More vignette photos and designer introductions to come ...

For show hours plus visitor information, click here.  

Connecting with creatives ...

About once a month, the Boston Design Center hosts lecture series featuring celebrity designers. And yes they are celebrities to us! This past Tuesday, Alexa Hampton presented a retrospective of interior design scenes from her childhood homes to her current residence. This was one of my favorite presentations that I have seen at the BDC for awhile.


{Photo from Mark Hampton, LLC website}

Alexa is intelligent, humorous, warm and so down to earth. She is the kind of person who can easily connect with others and make them feel at ease even though she lives a really big life and has worked on amazing projects, beginning her career as a young teen at the side of her talented architect/designer father, Mark Hampton. In 1998 Alexa took over her father’s interior design firm after his passing. She has made quite a name for herself and has proven that while her talent may be inherited, it can also stand on its own. She has designed interiors all over the globe and her portfolio includes product lines for a number of quality design manufacturers, making her signature style
available to the rest of us.


Alexa Hampton for Hickory Chair



Alexa Hampton for Kravet

Alexa Hampton for Circa Lighting

{Photo from Mark Hampton LLC website}

Side note: Alexa said she prefers wall-to-wall
carpet in bedrooms (she also designs for Stark).
Good to know! Our new master bedroom carpet is
scheduled to be installed within the next 2 weeks!

The Language of Interior Design
by Alexa Hampton


After showcasing dozens of opulent interiors and classic design treatments, with funny side stories of design snafus and their graceful resolutions, Alexa was available to sign her book titled Alexa Hampton, The Language of Interior Design. I regret to say that I did not purchase a copy, but I will put it on my holiday wish list! Alexa offers just as much useful information as she offers pretty pictures and I am sure I would enjoy reading her take on design. Even more I would love to talk with her about her life as a designer and young mom. She shared some entertaining stories that I could definitely relate to! Along with being an incredible designer, Alexa was named one of the top twelve “Fun Fearless Females” by Cosmopolitan magazine and the title suits her : )


Here are some interesting degrees of
separation from Tuesday’s event ...

Designers Melissa Gulley and Alexa Hampton


I finally met interior designer Melissa Gulley at this event. Melissa writes a blog titled Design Track Mind. When I was at the North Shore Design Show this May, the space next to mine was designed by Nanette Chandler who happens to be a good friend of Melissa. I had been following Melissa’s blog for some time and Nanette confirmed that Melissa was as nice as she was talented. After meeting her in person, I agree!




Recently Melissa was recruited by non-other than
This Old House to be the interior designer for a local renovation project in Auburndale, Massachusetts. This new series will air this Saturday (check your local listings). Kevin O’Connor was actually the honorary chair of the North Shore Design Show: Favorite Spaces and I had a chance to meet him last May. By coincidence, Alexa Hampton has also been a senior design consultant for This Old House and was the first woman who was a regular on the show.
Small world getting smaller!

Also enjoying the event was one of my favorite online design friends, Julieann Covino of Jace Interiors and the design blog Create Girl. When you work mostly on your own or one-on-one with clients, it is nice to connect with others in the design field at these types of professional gatherings (even when the meeting is a tweet-up online ... still valuable!) Whenever I see Julieann we have these great conversations about social media and how it has enhanced our creative careers. I wish our paths crossed more often because
I always enjoy running into her. She is extremely
smart, super energetic, and very positive.




We talked about her upcoming series of design seminars which she will be kicking off this Sunday with a presentation on how to make choices when decorating a nursery. If you are in the area and have a “baby bump” that you are designing for, I would highly recommend registering for what I am sure
will be a fun and informative discussion.
Click here for event details.

{Photo from ABCDdesign blog}


{Photo from Dunes & Duchess website}

Also at the BDC on Tuesday was the talented stylist, writer, and editor Stacy Kunstel of New England Home Magazine. I haven’t had a chance to feature the beautiful new collection of candelabras
from her Dunes and Duchess product
line yet, so today is the day!

One was recently featured in the Shippan Showhouse in Connecticut and another was just raffled off to a lucky attendee at a Living with What You Love event at The New Traditionalists showroom in NYC hosted by a couple of designer/bloggers who I met at the taping of the Nate Berkus Show: Jonathan Legate and Amy Dragoo. Can you just imagine how beautiful this piece would look on a Thanksgiving or holiday table?!
Click here for retail locations.








Final shout out for the week ...

This Saturday at New England Fine Living my friend (and in-real-life next door neighbor) Jenny Scala, will be hosting a Style PIC trunk show from 10am to 2pm. She will have all kinds of fashion accessories, bags and on-trend wardrobe choices that she has selected from her designer sources. She will be offering some special discounts on in-store merchandise and will be taking custom orders as well. Jenny’s items always go fast, so come early and don’t miss out on this one-day event!



There will also be red tag sale items
throughout New England Fine Living
including one-of-a-kind pieces from
Antiques Displayed at incredible prices!


Have a great weekend, get out there, and connect!

This Old House on the North Shore

Kevin O’Connor, host of PBS’s This Old House, graces the cover of North Shore Magazine this month and will speak tonight as Honorary Chair of the North Shore Design Show. He will be highlighting 30 Years of This Old House and will share what is on deck for next season. For tickets, contact the Wenham Museum. I will be there for the wine and cheese reception, and will have pad and pen in hand, hoping he can answer some of “My Old House” questions!

There is nothing more satisfying than putting that last decorative detail in place for a designed space. Last Friday, after hanging this window treatment (with the help of the tallest guy I could find -- thank you, John Margolis of ICA!) in my room at the North Shore Design Show, I was finally able to step back and admire the end result. Then I took about a hundred pictures, headed home to get ready for the
Preview Party and discovered this ...

My kitchen and first floor bath were gone and my husband was responsible! Don’t worry, he is a licensed contractor and we had been planning this renovation for a long time. I did not think it would coincide with my participation in the design show, but at least we are on our way to a new and functional space! I bid a fond farewell to this vintage Harvest Gold General Electric Double Wall Oven ...

I listed it yesterday on Craigslist ...

and sold it for $50.00 by lunch time. It still works like a charm (we relied on it without fail for at least five Thanksgiving dinners!) but it was time to go. Now the fun begins, like redesigning the space (come back next week to view our new layout) and choosing materials and finishes. Anything will be an improvement from this kitchen that dates back to around 1970, but considering the fact that I have waited so long for this renovation (when we moved in we hoped it would last for 5 years, it has been 6) there are definitely some items on my list that I do not want to go without. I will share more about that list next week. Here is one item that might fit in nicely with the design plan for our Colonial farm house kitchen ...

Franke Farm House Series Kitchen Sink


Now it is off to the museum to meet some of my design friends who are coming in for a visit to my space (which will be exactly as I left it
... so refreshing!)

More later,
xo yvonne

North Shore Design Show Preview ...

My husband John and I at the Preview Party
share a celebratory drink in my “room.”

What a fabulous weekend we had at the Wenham Museum’s North Shore Design Show: Favorite Spaces! Today the museum is closed (which will give me a moment to catch up with life in general!) so I am posting some preview pictures for you to enjoy before they re-open for the week on Tuesday.

The show runs through Saturday, May 22nd and there are some great events scheduled: Behind the Scenes of This Old House on Wednesday evening with host and design show chair Kevin O’Connor, Private Tour plus Meet the Designers Breakfast on Friday morning from 9am to 11am, Designing a Fragrant Garden with author/illustrator/designer Kim Smith on Saturday the 22nd, and How to design a Well-Dressed Kitchen with Kathy Marshall of Marshall Whitman Design, also on Saturday.
Click here for ticket information.

Of course, I do not want to spoil your visit to the museum by giving too much away visually, so I will show you just a glimpse of what you will see in the 16 creatively decorated spaces at the show, along with sharing some great photos of our weekend guests!



Beautiful flowers by Lindsay Pollard
Arrangements of Hamilton
line the walkway and fill the museum.

Just some of the amazing behind the scenes crew who made the design show possible, including Honorary Show Chair Kevin O’Connor and his wife Kathleen. Special thanks goes to Lindsay Diehl, Executive Director; Christine Zampell, President; and Willa Worsfold, Council Co-chair. Not pictured: Lisa Bonneville, Consulting Designer.

Mary Donovan of First Oriental Rugs
(who matches my room perfectly!)

Stylish members of the Museum Council mingled with designers and other well-dressed visitors during Friday night’s jam-packed Preview Party ...

Participating designer/stylist Martha Sutyak
(on the right) with her friend, Irena.



Staged for a party: colorful and creative
details fill Martha’s fun-loving space.

Irena’s purse was pretty cool as well!

A corner of the elegant vignette by designer
Elizabeth Brosnan Hourihan of Carpenter & MacNeille
plus a close-up of her equally dazzling purse ...

Fashion designer Harper Della-Piana of Seams Couture with her mother, artist and gallery owner Elissa Della-Piana of Gallery Della-Piana. Here is a peek at the beautifully organic space that Elissa designed for the show ...




More vignettes from this year’s
North Shore Design Show talents:

Rich details fill the combined space of designers Gracyn Whitman and Kathy Marshall
of Marshall Whitman Design.

A jewel of a room inspired by the sea ...
Siemasko + Verbridge

A pair of vignettes from the warm and inviting space
designed by traditionally chic Honey Collins.

A charming powder room by Niles-Scott Interiors.

The table is set for a ladies’ luncheon by designer
Nanette Chandler of Interior Style, Brookline.

Unique pieces presented by Landry & Arcari

A stunning take on contemporary design
by Wilson Kelsey Design, Inc.

An engaging North Shore story is told in this vignette
designed by Patricia Finn of Finn-Martens Design.

A magical time of year is recreated in this room designed by Timeless Interiors of Prides Crossing.

An outdoor oasis designed by John Margolis, President of the Institute of Classical Architecture
& Classical America.

A traditional hunt tea designed with the equestrian in mind by Blue Peacock Home.

In vogue ... a reflective space designed by
Camille Garro Interiors.

I hope to see you at the show!

A special thank you goes to Paula Bakies of
Acorn Interiors for your professional assistance in creating the window treatments and upholstery for my space (I will post more photos of the entire room
after the show ; )

And thank you to the adorable Angela ...
my first visitor on Saturday morning (I could
not have cast a more perfect model!)

Stay tuned for some great design tips that I will post later this week from Sunday’s presentation by consulting designer Lisa Bonneville, shown here with Wenham Museum Executive Director Lindsay Diehl and yours truly ... xo yvonne