“Le Library” Week Two. Not much progress, or at least it’s a very, slow moving process, but, the carpenter brought a friend today to help speed him along! Still needed are the two bookshelves flanking the window and the window seat. And all the trim, then the shelves. So…..maybe four more weeks? My friend James, who works for Ben and who helped me clean out the office, told me his carpenter crew would have had this finished in days. C’est la vie. Remind me to sweep under those shelves before the base trim is applied.
So, gray it is! Gray walls and shelves and ceiling. Here are the samples of fabrics I’m deciding on:
This is one choice – a light gray/lavender taffeta with a silk check from Robert Allen – Callidora (I love this check – I used it in Elisabeth’s room in blue for her curtains.)
OR:
This slightly more mauve-lavender with cotton checks from Pindler.
The taffetas both come from Highland Court/Duralee “Conners Collection” and they are gorgeous. I tested taffetas from several different companies and this is by far the best one. It’s very heavy and it is more matte than the others. It’s not cheap, but it is still less than those from pricier houses. If I had to pay retail prices – it would be too much, but the wholesale price is just right.
When I showed Ben the area where I wanted to add the portieres, he went nuts. “Drapes??? Here??? What???? Are you serious? Why?” Thank God I didn’t use the word “portieres” – he would have really passed out. After he calmed down a bit – he was just showing off for Elisabeth’s boyfriend’s benefit - I went into my usual “are you really questioning me about decorating? Really? You really want to go there?”
Don’t tell Ben, but the truth is, I don’t think I am going to be able to do the portieres between the alcove leading to the bathroom after all, because the shelves butt up right at the doorway’s molding. I may still do them on the closet door though. Or the taffeta might just be used for the window shade. By the way, Ben hated the idea of French doors instead of regular doors too. Just saying. And the chandelier. He got a big laugh out of that. As if I asked him for his opinion!!! Lesson #1 in decorating - leave the husband out of it.
So, that’s this week’s update on the library. Gray paint, as in Fifty Shades of Grey. OK, OK OK !!!
I’m sure you’ve realized that the REAL topic today is the book series Fifty Shades of Grey. This week Vicki who writes the gorgeous blog French Essence, wrote about the book and I was stunned by how many people commented on it. I glanced at the names to see if her commenters are the same as mine and since I didn’t recognize any of the names, I thought I would ask sweet Vicki if she would mind if I stole her topic. I figured if that many people wanted to talk about the book on a French blog, maybe you might want to voice your own opinion of it here, too!! So, here it goes – get that coffee and settle in:
THE TRUE STORY OF FIFTY SHADES OF GREY :
The book series that has taken the world by storm is a publishing phenomenon. The three books that make up the series have been on best seller lists all around the world – including both the United States and England. More than 40 million copies have been sold as of this month. Think about that – 40 million – ! It is now Amazon’s fastest selling paperback of ALL times – even topping the Harry Potter books. Everyone is talking about it – though mostly in hushed tones. No one really wants to admit that they are reading the steamy, erotic novel with its undertones of bondage and domination, but obviously millions and millions are, especially on their e-readers where no one can see the book’s distinctive cover.
The three different book covers of the Fifty Shades of Grey series.
Now, I have a confession to make. I actually read this book – a few years ago, almost three years, to be exact. How is that possible you might ask – it was just published last summer? Well, here is the story of Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight and how they are connected. Because believe it or not, Twilight and Fifty are inextricably connected.
As you probably know, I am a HUGE Twilight fan – a Twihard, a Twimom, or a Twi-idiot- take your pick. I first got hooked on the Twilight world after watching my daughter’s DVD of the first movie based on the Twilight book series. At that time, there had only been 1 movie released – 4 more movies were to come later. After I watched the movie, I got addicted to anything and everything about teenage vampires in love - chaste love - but love nonetheless. Within a week of watching that first movie, I read all four books by Stephenie Meyer: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Though the series was written for the teen/young adult age group, the books transcended these limits and appealed to fans of all ages.
The poster from the first Twilight movie starring Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan and Rob Pattinson as Edward Cullen.
After I had devoured all four books – then what? Well besides rewatching the Twilight DVD a billion times – what do you do when you are addicted to a book after you finish reading it? While searching the internet for more Twilight trivia, I discovered something called Fan Fiction or fanfic for short. What in the world is fanfic, I wondered? I was then guided into the world of www.fanfiction.net and now, three years later, I still haven’t come up for air.
Fanfiction is this: Imagine you are reading Gone With The Wind and you come to the end and wonder, hmm, did Rhett ever come to his senses and return to Scarlett? If you wanted to, you could write a new ending for GWTW where Rhett DOES come back for Scarlett. Or you could write a new ending where Rhett comes back and marries India, Scarlett’s sister, or you could rewrite the book where Rhett turns gay and marries Ashley! Or you could write an entirely new book and have Scarlett marry Ashley and there isn’t even a Rhett. You could write anything you want about GWTH – and this would be called fanfiction.
Simply put, fanfiction is where authors and non-authors rewrite books (and movies) and then publish them for free on the internet fanfiction.net website. Believe it or not, there are millions of fanfiction stories about different books. The most popular books for fanfic rewrites are the Harry Potter series, Twilight and Lord of the Rings. Hundreds of thousands of people have sat down and written alternative endings or retold stories about their favorite books – and this is called fanfiction.
And so, after I had finished all the REAL Twilight books, I started reading Twilight fanfiction. Some of the stories would be about teenager vampires, but many were about Edward & Bella as humans, older, married or divorced – not vampires at all but just regular people. There are over 200,000 Twilight fanfics stories. Some might be just one chapter long but others might be over 80 chapters – there are no rules in fanfic. Some are horribly written. In fact, many of those 200,000 ARE horribly written. But, some are good – very, very well written. There are other websites that sprang up that write reviews of the innumerable fanfics – so that it’s easier to wade through the 200,000 stories and find the good ones. And, as you are reading these well written fanfic stories, you think, “WOW, this is good enough to be published as its own book – if only the names were not Edward & Bella.” In reality, some fanfiction HAS been published, after the author first changed the names and the title.
One very popular Twilight fanfiction book was called “Master of the Universe.” It was a steamy, erotic story about Edward, a billionaire who had kinky sexual tastes. He was a dominant (something I had never even HEARD of before!) who liked to exhibit his control over women. One day Edward, the impossibly gorgeous billionaire, meets a young, clumsy college student, a virgin, named Bella. They fall in love. But Bella doesn’t share his kinky side. Sound familiar?
Most popular fanfiction stories get their own covers – produced by its fans. This was a cover of Master of the Universe – starring the real actors who played Edward and Bella in Twilight.
Fanfiction is strange in that the authors mostly post their story as it is being written, one chapter at time. So, while reading Master of the Universe, I would have to wait each week for a new chapter. It’s torture when the author writes a cliffhanger chapter and then leaves for a three week vacation! But, that’s fanfiction. The author of Master of the Universe was anonymous, her name as we knew it was Snowqueen’s Icedragon. Her fans all just called her Icy for short. Icy became a very, very popular author on the Twilight Fanfic scene. In fact, I would say out of all the 100,000s of authors, she was in the top ten. EVERYONE loved her story Master of the Universe. Everyone. The comment reviews of her story reached over 40,000. Usually a fanfiction author considers over 1,000 comments as wildly successful. Forty thousand comments was, and still is, unheard of. It just shows how very popular Icy’s story was.
When Icy finally finished writing Master of the Universe, we all screamed for a sequel. And she gave us that. We also all screamed – “Icy, you should publish this as a book!'’ All she had to do was change the names Edward and Bella and change the town of Forks where they lived – so it would not be identified as a Twilight story. Easy.
I guess you know where this all leads, right? Icy, now known as E.L. James, DID publish her book in 2011, under a small house that specializes in publishing reworked fanfiction. The rest is history. Once Master of the Universe was changed to Fifty Shades of Grey, and Edward Culen became Christian Grey, and Bella Swan became Anastasia Steele, it was reviewed on Goodreads, an internet site for book reviews. From there, a Long Island book club chose to read Fifty Shades of Grey and they went crazy for it. They told all their friends about the book – and the wildfire started. For a time, Fifty was known as the Long Island Book Club book – “mommy porn” for the SUV set. In fact, E.L. James came to talk with these women at a high priced luncheon. Overwhelmed by their adoration, the shy author broke down and cried.
At book signings across the country, the Fifty Shades crowds have been huge.
After the enthusiastic word of mouth push, the small publishing house that E.L. James (Icy) chose to publish Fifty couldn’t handle the demand. They quickly sold the book to Random House which this year sold the 40 million copies PLUS. The movie rights were also purchased. The same team that brought us “Social Network” about Facebook will soon bring us Fifty Shades of Grey on the big screen. It has been said that E.L. James’ first paycheck from all this is over $50 million. WOW.
This is the woman who wrote the sexy novel everyone is reading? Really?
Icy, or E.L. James, or Erika Leonard which is her REAL name, is a middle aged, overweight, very shy person. (sounds like me!) She and her husband are both English and both work in Television in Britain. Erika wrote her fanfic Master of the Universe anonymously while going to and fro work on the subway. No one knew who she really was. No one knew she had two teenaged boys. But once she published the first book – still anonymously under E.L. James, Erika Leonard was forced to come out of hiding. And she did, reluctantly. Now she appears on TV and in person, giving talks and interviews about her book – she doesn’t like it, but she has to do the press tour. She never thought anyone would find about the erotic novel she wrote in secret, but now the world knows her name and face. She is mortified at the thought that her two boys might read it. Never, she says! And does Erika acknowledge her Twilight connections?
Christian’s line to Ana when she makes him angry!
Of course Erika acknowledges the Twilight connection. She has to – too many of us know that Fifty Shades of Grey started out as Twilight fanfic for her to ever deny it. But what does the author of Twilight, Stephenie Meyer say? Not much really. Meyer is a very devout Mormon, she would NEVER read anything so racy as Fifty Shades of Grey. Nor will she ever. And, she chose not to challenge her copyright to the story. You see, while Meyer has allowed fanfiction to be written about her Twilight books, some authors don’t. For example, there is no Anne Rice fanfiction – she doesn’t allow it. If she did, trust me, there would be 1,000s of fanfics of her famous books. Icy was lucky that Stephenie Meyer gave her OK – otherwise no one would have read this all time best seller.
Icy says that women fantasize about meeting a handsome billionaire. Do you?
In fact the comparison of the rags to riches stories of Icy and Stephenie Meyer are remarkably similar. Both are first time authors with no prior writing experience who both wrote best sellers their first time out. Selling millions of copies of your first book is something that is so rare, it is almost unheard of. Both women are from modest backgrounds who have made staggering amounts of money. Both have had or will have films made of their first novel. And the search for the actor to play Christian Grey will equal the world wide search for Edward Cullen, the role that eventually went to heartthrob and basically unknown Rob Pattinson. When Pattinson was announced as the pick for the role, fans went crazy. “He is too ugly to play the most beautiful vampire in the world! His face looks like a foot! NO!!!!” It wasn't until the Twilight movie came out that Rob was accepted by the fans. The search for Christian Grey will probably be even more controversial. Icy has said she wants unknowns to play Grey and Ana. Fans aren't so sure about that!
The four actors most often named by fans to play Christian Grey: Ryan Gosling, Ian Somerhalder, Michael Fassbender, Simon Baker. Of the four, Ian gets the most press. He is handsome, but I would love for them to pick an unknown for both Christian and Ana!
The economic effects of the Fifty phenomenon are striking. Barnes and Nobles reported this month that the reason for their unexpected gain this period is the “strong sales of the Fifty Shades of Grey series.” Then, there is a noted increase in pregnant woman that is being attributed to the book. Women are calling their expected babies – a Fifty Shades baby, due to their spiced-up marriages. Icy recently signed a licensing agreement for a range of products to be sold – stockings, garters, pjs and hoodies. Also, she collaborated on the Fifty Shades of Grey: The Classical Album
- Christian Grey is of course a noted pianist and aficionado of classical music. One love making scene is set to the music of the obscure work by Tallis: Spem in Alium The internet download of that heretofore rarely listened to piece of music climbed to #1 on the ITunes Classical music charts! Finally, adult stores also report large gains in sales due to the book’s steamy content.
Is the book good? I loved it. I’ll admit it. But the reviews have been mixed. Most literary critiques have slammed the book as poorly written. I must have bad taste. I thought it was highly entertaining, funny and sexy, and shocking too – all at the same time. It’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. There are a few passages (well, more than a few!) that will make you blush bright red, but mostly it’s a lot of give and take snappy verbal sparring between Ana and Christian. I have read both the original Fanfic version and the Fifty Shades of Grey version. Except for the differences in the names, and Ana’s eye color, the two are exactly alike – but for one thing – the price. Free copies of the Master of the Universe copy are available on the internet, if you know how to look for it. Email me if you want one – I’ll send it to you. Plus – the book only has three Christian POV (point of views) – the original fanfic had a few more, including their break up scene told in Edward’s voice.
Taking notes?
Since the outrageous success of Fifty Shades, a few other of the best written Twilight fanfics have been published. One is Gabriel’s Inferno. And I highly recommend it. Its nothing like Fifty Shades though, so don’t read it looking for bondage and whips and chains. It’s just a good and very mysterious love story between a college professor and one of his students – with heavy Dante connections. Dante and fanfiction???? Yes. Another famous fanfic that is now in publication is called Sempre. And again, I can highly recommend it. This time, the book is about human slavery in the United States and the Mafia. But really, it’s a sweet love story between two young people. See a trend here? All sweet love stories. No wonder I love Twilight fan fiction so much!
Click to order Gabriel’s Inferno KINDLE on the left and in paperback on the right
Click to order Sempre on KINDLE on the left, or the paperback book on the right.
In closing – nothing is original, everything is derivative, especially literature. Many people, especially literary critics decry the fanfic genre. In reality, there is fanfiction that flows through much of the written word. For instance West Side Story is basically a fanfiction retelling of the story of Romeo & Juliet, which itself was taken from an Italian poem. And think of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice which has been rewritten as both the movies Clueless, and Bridget Jones’ Diary. Many Disney movies are retellings of more famous stories - The Jungle Book is simply Rudyard Kipling’s Robin Hood. And Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is a fanfic of T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Even the bible has been rewritten by fans: Ben Hur, The Last Temptation of Christ, Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell – all works based on the bible, rewritten for popular consumption. So for anyone who judges the validity of Fanfic remember, not much out there is new under the sun. Everyone is inspired by someone, just as Icy was inspired by Twilight. (I have a list of 100s of the most obvious examples of fanfics through the ages – email me and I’ll send the list to you.)
And as Vicky of French Essence asked me – is there now Fifty Shades fanfic? Yes, there is! On www.fanfiction.net, there are now over 200 fanfics written about Fifty Shades. Oh, the irony. Fanfiction written about fanfiction! There are over 200,000 fanfics written about Twilight, over 600,000 rewritten stores about Harry Potter AND there are over 700 retellings of the book Gone With the Wind - I looked it up!
These cards are just so funny!
Finally, what is the appeal of Fifty Shades of Grey? Why are so many people reading it? Icy puts it simply, women fantasize about a handsome, rich man sweeping them off their feet and taking total care of them. With all the responsibilities women have today – work, home, motherhood – the fantasy of having a man control one aspect of their lives is appealing. Of course, here, that aspect takes place in the bedroom!! Icy claims to have no experience in the type of kinky lifestyle she writes about, and most people who read the book agree. It’s all new territory to them. But many also say the book has helped their marriage by putting the spark back into it. Maybe that is the appeal? Basically, it’s just a love story, highly erotic, but a love story nonetheless. It’s also a book about compromise, changing for your partner and evolving.
So, now I ask you – did you read Fifty Shades of Grey? Did you like it? Did you realize that this best seller was really Twilight fanfiction? Did you know of that connection? Is the book too racy for you? Is it too explicit or did you enjoy that part of the story? Did the book put a little spice back into your marriage as many readers have claimed? Or, did you find it just a piece of trash and throw it in the garbage, unfinished? Or, have you refused to read it on grounds that it has too much sex in it?
I am really curious to see what you think of this book! It was the talk of the summer. Whenever someone mentioned they were reading a book on their Kindle, it was always Fifty Shades! Be honest now! You can sign in anonymously if you want. I already confessed I enjoyed it, but I suspect many will say they didn’t like it at all. Should be interesting.
P.S. If you are interested in reading Twilight Fanfic – email me, I’ll send you a list of my favorites.
P.S.S. And if you are one of the only people left who doesn’t have the books – you can order them here:
Here is the series of all three books bundled together. The KINDLE is on the left, the paperback is on the right. You can order them separately if you like, on Amazon.
And, now, in the words of the famous Decorno, DISCUSS!!!!
Laters, baby!
NOTE: The giveaway is now planned for after Labor Day. Sorry for the delay. But I want everyone back in town to be able to enter it!
HOW MANY SHADES OF GRAY? FIFTY? THE TRUE STORY ABOUT THE BOOK.
MY ALL TIME FAVORITE DESIGN BOOKS & A LIBRARY UPDATE:
Last week I wrote about cleaning out my office and turning it into a room full of bookshelves, now forever pretentiously known as “The Library.” Even Ben is going around calling it “The Library” with a fake English accent. The room is so small, such a nothing of a space, that I can’t imagine it ever looking like anything other than the too-small bedroom that it is. And, if it ever gets completed in this century, I’ll be thrilled. My carpenter is hard of hearing and slower than molasses and why I hired him, I will never know. But he has built all the bookcases for a client – including this one below – and I think he did a great job here – but this was ten years ago and several hearing aids before:
Client’s bookcase in bedroom – built by the same carpenter. I hope mine turn out this nice looking.
The Library story had a million comments, well 201 comments, which might as well be a million and there were so many great ideas, really great decorating ideas for the space. One in particular was fabulous (I’ll let you decide which one that was – but, think painted ceiling….) I have made a few décor decisions. I am going to go with light gray walls and probably a bit darker gray on the shelves. I probably will replace my door with a paned French door or a bifold one. I’m going to look for an old door for the closet, but I might just do portieres. I would drape the closet and the small alcove that leads to the chest and bathroom with silk taffeta in either mauve, light blue, or lavender silk taffeta:
Portieres to the bathroom area and closet.
Lavender taffeta
And one final decision has been made: I bought this small vintage chandelier on 1st Dibs for the room. I’ll have to replace the candle sleeves to ivory though. The chandelier is small – only 20x21 inches so hopefully it will be the perfect size. But, it has macaroni beads which I am so into these days. This is my only firm decision so far.
As for the comments on the library story, someone asked that I post my favorite design books. Over the past five years, I have talked a lot about the books that I love, but here is my list. I’m positive I am leaving a few out, it’s hard to remember all your favorites – but the following do spring to mind immediately.
If you want to order any of these books - there is an easy-to-use link to purchase them from Amazon, at the very end of the story. If you read the blog from email – you might need to switch over to the actual blog site if you want to order them: www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com
AND, if you DO read the blog directly from email – don’t! You miss out on so much if you do read it that way. When you get your email notice – just double click on it and it will take your directly to the blog site. Much better to read it that way!
FAVORITE DESIGN BOOKS:
All time favorite has to be Style by John Saladino. Reading this book should get you college credits. Saladino is an amazing designer and he possesses a brilliant mind. A must read for anyone studying interior design or architecture and a must have for any design library. The book is filled with photographs by Barbara and Rene Stoeltie of his former houses.
A former country estate of Saladino’s. Notice the Zuber screen at the back – it shows up at his new estate in Santa Barbara!
I am a huge fan of design books that are written about just one house. These books deal with what the house looked like before it was renovated and then, through pictures and words, they describe the journey to the finish. It’s always great when before & after photographs are included. Saladino’s monumental book on his estate near Santa Barbara, California is a lush and atmospheric chronicle of that house’s renovation. Another must have.
Saladino’s bedroom at his home. To the left is his desk. To the right is the bathroom.
The desk – in front of a Zuber covered screen - gorgeous! Here, the screen is shown put together instead as before when it was split into two.
And a view from the outside looking in – you can see the screen on the right. The house was for sale, I wonder who bought it? Lucky them.
This book is no longer published but you can find it for cheap on EBay. Again, it’s a story about one house – John Stefanidis’ country home in Dorset. I think I obsessed over this book for about a month. I had to figure out where all the outbuildings connected to form the U shaped house that Stefanidis created out of rubble. The gardens were incredible too. The house very much reminds me of the English country house that Princess Lee Radziwell once lived in. The estate was sold long ago and the interiors are somewhat dated. But if you love English country homes and putting together floorplans, this is a great one.
The living area – decorated in pink slipcovers and ticking.
All the flower and shrubs throughout the house came from Stefanidis’ prolific garden. Love his use of two colorways of blue and white ticking.
One of the most popular design books ever – Bunny Williams chronicles her farmhouse, from its first days until now. I’ve always thought that Bunny used Stefanidis’ book as an guide when writing her own. I’m sure you already own this book if you read this blog!
The incredible restored barn at Bunny’s country house taken from An Affair with a House.
Designer Rose Tarlow’s book is part biography, part textbook. A good portion is taken up with her own house in Los Angeles – which I love because the house is so unique. The remainder is a collection of photographs from her portfolio. The ideas and tips that Tarlow writes about are worth the price of the book. A must have for any serious interior design student.
Rose Tarlow’s paneled bedroom.
Architect and designer Bobby McAlpine’s book is thought provoking and stimulating. A quick wit, be sure you are alert and wide awake when reading – you don’t want to miss a detail. The book shows his former beautiful house in Birmingham and it also concentrates on a collection of projects from his portfolio. McAlpine reminds me of Saladino – those two should go head to head in a design discussion forum – I wonder who the winner would be. Beautiful photographs of some of his best work. Another must have for a serious design library.
One of my all time favorites is this short book by Charlotte Moss. Again, it’s all about one house – her former house in Aspen. The décor is beautiful – naturally - since it’s by Charlotte. A fun book, but not a necessity unless you want to study blue and green French design ala Colorado.
Charlotte in her former blue and green Aspen living room – I love this picture of her!!!
e
I love Rachel Ashwell’s casual, cozy, slipcover style. But this one book was a favorite for years and still is! Of course, it’s a book about one house – how Rachel rescued this run down Malibu wreck and turned it into a darling, small house. Why she ever sold it, I’ll never know! I love the books about one house – especially when they include the history of the house and before and after pictures. Kathryn Ireland’s book about the Libbey Ranch now owned by Reese Witherspoon should probably be on my top list too.
A before picture of the house and pool at Ashwell’s then Malibu home.
And after – I love that color of blue for a pool. If I ever had a pool, I would give them this picture and say – copy it. It looks like Blue Opaline!
An old book from Mary Emmerling, but, this is one that I still look at. Mary and Houstonian Carol Glasser decorate a house in Santa Fe. Yes. Love it. Carol’s influence is seen all over this wonderful house. If you love Glasser, this is a must book. The house, though decorated years ago, still looks current for today. The rest of the book is just OK, but the Santa Fe house makes the book.
The porch of the Santa Fe house – this house was also featured as a Veranda cover story where this picture came from!
Mary’s friendship with Carol Glasser led to her meeting other Houstonians whose houses started popping up in her books. This is probably my favorite book by Mary. The houses featured are pretty and like the title says romantic. If you like Carol Glasser’s style you’ll like this book.
Photographer and designer Peter Vitale wrote and photographed this beautiful book, heavy on crosses and santos. Naturally I loved it – it showcased Carol Glasser’s former house – redecorated. Anything with Glasser’s name on it, I will love. Can’t help it.
Carol Glasser’s former house – shown redecorated.
There are SO many new books that I love – every designer has put them out now, it’s hard to pick just a few favorites. But this particular one stands out for me. Heavy on pictures from her L.A. house and various projects around the United States for one of her favorite clients, this book remains one I look at over and over again.
The book features photographs of Rheinstein’s recently redecorated upstairs in her L.A. house. That fur! That chandelier!
Another brand new book that will be a favorite for years to come is Segreto – by sweet Leslie Sinclair. The book is HUGE – it probably should have been two or three volumes. And it’s filled with page after page of some of the prettiest houses in Houston. It’s definitely a Houston Look book – so if you love that décor, this should be in your library. And, if you are interested in the how-to of faux painting, this is a great one to have.
Segreto is filled with images like this kitchen by Kara Childress. Nobody does finishes like Leslie. She is the best in the business. Not available on Amazon – buy it HERE.
There have been a few books from Southern Accents over the years – and I have loved them all. But in picking one of those or this one from Veranda, I will go with Veranda’s since Southern Accents left us high and dry! In fact, I’m surprised someone hasn’t put out a book like this from Southern Accents. Such a waste. Well, never mind. The Veranda book is simply gorgeous. Amazingly, almost all the houses they chose to highlight are ones that have been personal favorites over the years, like the cover story house in Belgium. I hear there might be a second book in the works by Newsom – I hope so. Until then, this is “IT” for me.
One of the houses shown in Veranda’s book is the castle where Axel Vervoordt lives and work in Belgium.
So, there you have it. There are really so many books I love that I didn’t name. I adore all the books by Charles Faudree and there was a day when I would go crazy when a new Betty Phillips book came out. I love all the Beta-Plus books and collect them – they are like precious gems in my library and are one of the reasons why I wanted to build the shelves in the first place. Of the many newer books, I feel awful for not including them because I adore them – like Alessandra Branca, Phoebe Howard, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jeffrey Bilhuber, Kathryn Ireland, and on and on! I love all of Diane Dorrans Saeks books – especially Santa Barbara Living. For years my bible was Colefax and Fowler’s The Best in Interior Decoration and Interior Inspirations. I could pull my hair out right now! I have a million titles floating around my mind that I should have named and instead I put down two Mary Emmerling’s??????? I mean, really!!!
Well yes, like I said, at the time Emmerling was the only person who was showing Houston houses, along with other houses decorated in that cozy, warm, slipcovered and seagrass kind of look.
Even if I named it above – what would be the ONE book you would save if there was a fire? Hmmm. I would say Style by Saladino. Or maybe Villa. No, probably Veranda. Or Segreto – that would keep me busy for months.
COMING UP NEXT: A repeat of a fabulous giveaway! The last time I ran this giveaway – I think everyone entered to win it. So, your chance to win again is coming next!!
![[image58.png]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fpNY4obFzfc/TfwWnNn3O6I/AAAAAAABGQQ/FOzO1kiKN4U/s1600/image58.png)
![[image59.png]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Ak-Eq4D0P6M/TfwWomzGKYI/AAAAAAABGQY/fLUSRZl17pg/s1600/image59.png)
![[image%255B13%255D.png]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6cK1k0dbVb1r05M5EucH2QiNZafaBKagek0RMKcpQto3NM-5Cp2LsfSincupPH_jupjgILLFac4K4rp221-5B2swiKpymQNSwpE7KD1q4CFmgSdccurjWBhYMIETx7g3I52wEKcwAEV_/s1600/image%25255B13%25255D.png)
![[image%255B6%255D.png]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnfUvjnMEgqkRpukgWJ9pApMsfJu8YzM4tdOCoy3t5DYwxqQ-LnE9l8iiG9YqTuemmP5Z2oAnh6AfMJYmveU47vFeAXKM5C5DCx36zPcB-i7vfzUEVyOnNtnBj1yEIa6hDMMOFLHe5GlOy/s1600/image%25255B6%25255D.png)
READERS KITCHEN SERIES
It’s been awhile since I’ve had a Readers Kitchen Series, so I reached into the files to pull a few out.
Before I show these, just a few comments about the Readers Kitchen & House Series:
If you have already submitted pictures – I will most likely get to yours at some point soon. AND, I am still looking for new kitchen and house pictures. My back stock is dwindling down. I would love to keep the Readers Kitchen and House Series going – but I do need pictures to do so. If you plan on submitting your kitchen or house I ask two things only:
1) Submit the LARGE size pictures only. Please do not send those teeny phone pictures or the smallest ones from your camera. The bigger, the better!!!! The best way to email me the large files is by downloading http://zoomfoot.com/ This way you can email as many large files as you want at one time. Now, if you don’t want to send the pictures via Zoomfoot, you can always send a few large pictures 3 or 4 at a time via email. Either way, I don’t care – just as long as you send the LARGE pictures!!! No one wants to look at small pictures when they call see all the details in a bigger image.
2) Take the pictures during the day! I never realized what an issue this was until today! Quite a few submissions were taken at night and it is just not the best way to show off your kitchen or house. Also, turn on the lights. I know that in magazines the lights are usually off, but those photographers have lit the room up already! So – lights on and daytime pictures!!!
READER’S KITCHEN #1
The first kitchen is located in Scottsdale Arizona – a first for us! The husband and wife are both in real estate and the wife also does interior design. Their house is located in an equestrian neighborhood – where horses are ridden on the streets – on their way to the nearby stables. The couple renovated this house planning to sell it – but instead they fell in the love with the area and are going to stay put for awhile. I thought the exterior was interesting – first, the xeriscaping, all gravel and a few evergreen bushes, along with cactus and eucalyptus trees. So different than what you would see in the north! And, the architecture is interesting – the flat ranch that looks remarkably contemporary.
BEFORE: not so bad actually!
And again – the before picture. In the corner was a fireplace which the couple had wanted to salvage, but it obstructed the beautiful views outside the windows, so it was removed. And they also thought they would save the tile, but instead went with a light travertine.
AFTER: The entire kitchen area was gutted – it’s hard to tell where the old kitchen even fit in here! I love the way the walls are painted a soft aqua mixed in with all the white. The backsplash is white subway tile – and notice that the area behind the range – the tile is slightly darker to emphasize that space. The paint is a custom color – the formula came from a friend nice enough to share.
The island was built on site. Notice the beadboard that is on the bottom half of the walls. I love beadboard and I think it warms up a space and makes it so welcoming!
Notice the island is also made of beadboard. And the top of it – is porcelain tile. A savings over white marble. Cute breakfast area with white slipped chairs.
Ideas to take from this kitchen:
1) Use a darker toned subway tile behind the range to highlight that area.
2) Beadboard is an inexpensive material that looks so great and really warms up a space.
3) Consider white porcelain tiles in place of pricey white marble.
KITCHEN #2:
This kitchen is also in Arizona – this time in Tempe. Again, it’s a total redo, but unfortunately there are no “before” pictures! What a beauty!!! The owner is an Ob-Gyn doctor with her own practice. She tells me that she redid the kitchen after studying the internet blogs, looking for inspiration. At the time of the reno, she was also pregnant with her first child!! So many pretty elements – the white marble, the dark countertops, the dark floors, and notice the transom look over the cabinets – those aren’t windows, but when lit – they do look like windows! What a great idea. AND, notice the ceiling treatment – wood was placed there to create interest and give it the look of a beamed ceiling, but it is actually almost completely flat.
The sink is in the island so that she has a view when washing up. She used beautiful polished nickel hardware and faucets. Here you can see the back countertops look like black granite. And she has a gorgeous, dramatic stove hood in stainless, which matches the appliances. The pendants look like Restoration Hardware. Those pendants are the best buy from RH right now. They are so great looking and are so reasonable (especially for RH!)
The homeowner also sent in this picture of her new bathroom – which flows with the look of the kitchen. Instead of wood floors, she used a ribbon pattern black and white marble tile. White marble on the counters and a gorgeous tub! Hardware is again polished nickel. Notice how instead of a blank wall, the mirror was extended to the area by the tub. Pretty molding!!
Ideas to take from this kitchen:
1. Dark hardwoods look so rich when mixed with white cabinetry and countertops.
2. Consider mixing white marble with black granite (usually matte finish) in the same kitchen. This creates interest instead of having an all white look.
3. Use paneling to create a faux beamed ceiling.
4. Use lighted glass cabinets in a dark kitchen to fool the eye into thinking there are transom windows where there aren’t any.
Kitchen #3
BEFORE: This shy owner was somewhat reluctant to share her house on the internet, but eventually decided to when she sent me pictures of her house. This kitchen was added onto the house in 1930!!! As you will see, it was a total renovation.
Wow!!! What a huge difference!!!! The owners kept the original four walls and were limited to where appliances could go, but it seems like they are all in a perfect place! They also wanted to retain the vintage feel of their older house, but have all the modcons. She wanted a old timey looking range, but they were too pricey. Instead, she searched and found this range Fratelli Onofri Royal Chiantishire with a vintage appeal.
They chose the lantern tile backsplash because it was different than subway. The owner says she wanted white marble countertops but everyone talked her out of it. I hear you! So many people get talked out of it!!! Instead she used Coast Green granite – and mixed it with walnut on the island. Again, the mix of the dark and light is so nice. And they chose a farm sink with a bridge faucet - again for that vintage look. The stove hood is painted white wood.
Notice how she also has that transom look over her cabinets. Not sure if hers are lighted though. Pretty glass pendants hang over the island. The owner does say that the wood requires oiling and lots of maintenance – probably more than the white marble would have. Maybe. I love her shaker style cabinets. Notice the dishwasher is hiding behind a cabinet door to make it disappear. I think these homeowner achieved their goal – creating a brand new kitchen with a vintage feel for an older home.
Ideas to Take from this Kitchen:
1. Use wood countertops for a vintage feel.
2. Glass panes in the cabinets look like transoms and add to that older look, as does shaker style cabinetry.
3. Nothing beats a farmhouse sink and bridge faucet when looking for a vintage styled kitchen!
A HUGE thank you to our three homeowners Рwho all used white kitchens but mixed in other d̩cor elements to create visual interest.
Remember – send in your kitchen and house pictures AND send in your Ask Miss Cote de Texas questions.
We have a great giveaway coming up next week. AND, I am working on a top secret contest that if it works out will be the biggest and most interesting of ALL giveaways!!
