Sweet Home California

Last week, Dave and I jumped on a plane and flew to my hometown in Southern California.  I haven't been home since Brooke's Baby Shower, which was about a year and a half ago (how does time pass by so quickly??!!).  We stayed at my grandparents' house, a place I've been visiting since I was a little girl.  It brought back such happy memories-- my sister and I used to spend long weekends there as children.  My grandparents took us on picnics, taught us how to ice skate, and planned many other weekend adventures.  Everything revolved around us, and now, as an adult, I'm so grateful for the time we shared.  We didn't watch television at their house, so we ended up playing long (and very competitive!) card games into the evenings.  Some of the best memories with my grandparents involve sitting around the kitchen table, eating ice cream, and playing cards. 

 

My entire family flew into town to celebrate my Grandpa's life.  My sister, her husband, and 3 month old baby(!!!) flew in from Florida; my parents flew in from Indianapolis.  We came in from Philadelphia.  Grandpa passed away recently at the age of 92, and was in fantastic shape up until the end.  It was important to him that we hold a small, private service-- nothing fancy.  So, that's what we did.  The "party", as we called it, wasn't sad.  But instead, it was happy.  My cousins and I shared memories of him (a crazy character if you ever knew one) and looked at old photos.  We ate take-out food off of the good china, used Grandma's best silver, and we drank wine.  Here are a few snapshots of the happy trip...  

 

 

boarding the plane in Philadelphia /

Hello, California!  The view from our seat as we descended.

Grandma has a green thumb, check out her ten foot hedges! /

her Meyer lemon tree produces lemons year round

 

going through old photos for the party, I found this precious shot of my dad and uncle at Echo Park, late 1950s / As a child, Grandma was given a different tea cup and saucer every year for her birthday.  This stunning collection is a result of that.  Wow!

 

 

On east coast time, Dave and I made a 6am trip to the Home Depot (Dave planned on doing some repair work at Grandma's house).  My goodness!!  Who knew they sold flowers like this at the Home Depot?!  Certainly not in Pennsylvania.

 

 

I purchased buckets full of white roses and white hydrangeas to decorate Grandma's house

The dining room centerpiece I created with 36 white roses and Grandma's vintage crystal compote.  With a block of floral foam, this arrangement couldn't have been easier.

picture boards for Grandpa

 

 

Meeting my nephew, Mickey, for the very first time-- magic!  He's incredibly perfect and I think I cried for an hour.  He's so happy and beautiful!

I couldn't keep my hands off of him.  And, he smells so good.  I love being Aunt Kelly.

 

here he is with Uncle Dave.

 

 

and here, with his GREAT Grandmas.  :)

 

 

 

While in California, I also managed to spend some quality time with my best friend, Brooke.  That girl had me laughing so hard, I cried.  Is there anything better in the world than a belly laugh with good girlfriends?  Nothing better.  I'm so grateful for my people.  :)

Now that I'm back, I have a few posts lined up for the week.  An update on our cobblestone driveway  is in order.  Also, I made a trip to New York City last week to visit two of my best friends.  I'll share some photos of that adventure as well.  Happy Monday!

 

 

xoxo,

Kelly

 

 

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Letter Rip! (NEW Brass Letter Openers)

Yesterday, we added a few new letter openers to the store.  Check them out!

 

 

The only civilized way to open snail mail is with a chic letter opener, of course!  And this group does not disappoint.  Each is made of solid unlacquered brass and they're only $16.00 each. 

Available HERE.

 

 

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Current Inspiration

Lately, I've been really inspired by fancy, formal spaces with an unexpected twist (a la Miles Redd).  Hello deep color, rich fabrics, and fancy rooms that still feel a little quirky.  Lavish and over the top, bring it on.  I love you so...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're into spaces like this, you should check out the tumblr page The Foo Dog Ate My Homework.  Clever name and ENDLESS inspiration.

 

 

 

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Driveway Update: Cobblestone Apron (Progress)

Last Friday, Dave & I took the day off and got to work laying our cobblestone driveway.  The fact that we are delusional enough to do this project ourselves just shows you how crazy we actually are (and let me tell you, we're nuts).  This D.I.Y. ain't for the faint of heart.  It's really hard work.  We've prepped for this project over the last eight weeks-- excavating, laying down gravel, and building our retaining walls.  We've also spent a great deal of time sorting these reclaimed cobblestones by size.  Why sort them by size?  Well, every single jumbo block is a different size (they were salvaged from an old Philadelphia street).  The irregular sizes will give the finished look even more vintage charm, and we like that.  But, if you want the rows to line up and create a smooth installation, you need to sort them.  We had groups of block measuring 6" wide, 6.5" wide, 7" wide, 7.5" wide, and so on...  The length doesn't matter.  Just as long as we could control the width of each row, we were happy. 

 

So far, we've finished about eleven feet of our cobblestone apron.  Three days of work, and eleven feet of cobblestone.  It's slow going, but the finished product is BEAUTIFUL and we're so proud of ourselves.  Here's what we've done over the last week...

 

 

Friday, August 24th -

 

 

 sorted cobblestones, ready to go.

Spirits are high and we're ready to begin work.  I've promised to be a good assistant and let Dave run the show (can't have two bosses on this project... and I tend to be very bossy.  So, on this project, Dave is the manager and I am the helper).  We're hoping for a productive day.  :)

the first row is complete.

We decided to run one decorative row of vertical blocks, then the rest of the driveway would be done in a running bond pattern.

 

progress

 

more progress

 

Dave, following the string lines and making everything level.

end of the day-- six feet of the driveway, done.

 

 

 

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Sunday, August 26th -

 

No photos of this work day.  We worked a half day and installed three more rows. 

 

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Wednesday, August 29th -

 

Dave installed about fifteen feet of our raised edge. 

This simple trimming has turned into our favorite detail.

 

 

 

I busted out a new pair of Tuff Chix...

 

And, we continued to lay ten more rows of cobblestone...

 

 

 

at the end of the day, we were left with this!

We've completed 11 feet of the cobblestone apron.  Only about 19 more feet to go.

close up of the cobblestone block and the retaining wall (made of Pennsylvania fieldstone), just after we hosed everything down.

 

 

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We'll be making more progress over the next week.  I think we have about 2-3 days of hard work ahead of us, and then the apron will be complete.  God, I look forward to that.

 

 

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Weekend Installations & Project Sneak Peeks

Saturday was a very exciting day.  If you follow me on Instagram (@kellyrobson), you'll know that the day was filled with back-to-back client installations.  I posted pictures throughout the day as we hung custom drapery panels and roman shades in two clients' homes.  I'm lucky to work with a team of exceptional craftsmen, and it was really fun to see these projects come to fruition.  Here are a few sneak peeks from Instagram...

 

 

polished nickel rod & rings-- so pretty.

 

 

eight custom panels made from 100% linen, trimmed in grosgrain ribbon... waiting to go up.

 

our new double width, inverted pleat drapery panels

 

 

 

our new drapery installer (my clients 3 year old son), he approves of the new drapery.

how cute is this one??

 

quick shot of the room with the new panels.

 

 

 

 

We hung a custom roman shade in the powder room...

 

 

 

 

new faucet & mirror

 

 

 

marble floors & pedestal sink

 

 

 

By 3 o'clock, we were all finished with house #1...  now, onto house #2!

 

 

sneak peek of my clients lovely dining room, just off the kitchen. 

 

 

 new relaxed roman shade over the kitchen sink, installed.

(amazing hydrangeas outside her window)

 

 

and, a second shade over a smaller window went up.

 

 

 

 

The rest of the weekend was spent working on our new cobblestone driveway. 

Progress photos coming soon.  :)

 

 

Happy Monday!

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UPDATE:

Thanks for asking-- the credenza is actually from our shop. Link HERE.  /  The faucet is from Restoration Hardware... the handles read "HOT" & "COLD" respectively. :)

 

 

 

 

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Carriage House Update: Hipped Dormers

A couple of weeks ago, Dave and I met with our builders.  We finalized some basic things, paid our down payment (gulp), and discussed the building schedule (we're planning on mid-September).  Then, we made a huge impulsive choice to change the front elevation of the new carriage house.  And, I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT IT.  We decided to kill the original gable dormers, and replace them with hipped dormers and double windows.  Here's what we're getting...

 

image from our builders portfolio

 

 

We made the decision on impulse and left the office feeling good.  Then, for the next 72 hours, my mind raced.  Are we making the right decision?  Will the hipped dormers complement our house?  Gabled dormers are a classic, but will we love the hipped-style dormers just as much?  The answers are YES YES and YES.  The more I thought about it, the more I was sure we made the right choice.  The hipped dormers give us more headroom.  The double windows give us more light in the second floor.  And, the style is perfect for our 1890s Four Square house.  I'm pumped about these hipped dormers, you guys.  :)

Here is an updated front elevation of our new carriage house.  I added the lanterns because giant lanterns make everything look better.

You like it right?

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Weekend!

 

 

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