Friday, May 1, 2009

Family Friendly - Seriously?

Family Friendly - Seriously......

Yes, this is the house of a family with two young boys. I can relate since I have my own two growing boys. Every surface of my house gets heavy use. And I mean every surface if I'm not constantly monitoring them. For example, the rug in my kitchen is used as a wrestling ring as I try to make dinner. I've had heads (or baseball bats - not really sure) punch through my plain drywall. Hence, one of the reasons for the wainscoting. While I may need to do touch-ups at least I won't have to repair holes.

I think neutral houses are the most family friendly. As long as you use material that can either be washed, bleached or hold up to heavy use like leather, vinyl (there's some fabulous vinyl now) mohair, washed linen, sisal or seagrass.

Nothing in this house, designed by Bellacasa Designs, is too precious that it can't be lived in. The patina on the furniture, floors, and woodwork lends itself to sticky hands and growing boys. Also because everything is neutral it can be moved from room to room as the family's needs change. Less is more in my book.

Incredible Great Room. Love the modern leather chairs and the botanicals above the fireplace.


The side of the great room closest to the kitchen. Love that the room isn't filled with furniture just for the sake of filling the space.

Living Room. Great antique pieces mixed with durable new Oly chairs.

Dining Room. All the elements can stand up to the heavy use of kids or guests. The wood paneling adds the right amount of texture and color. The chandelier is natural yet whimsical - the perfect balance to the french chairs.

Master bedroom. Simple and serene. No sign of boys here!

Classic antique armchair in the master bath. The tub is incredible.

On another note... Here's the update on the projects I've been working on this past week:

Well, the wainscoting was primed for the dinner party. I was a walking zombie the entire day leading up to the event. The next day, my husband decided that he was going to add wainscoting to the hall bathroom and the dining room. Needless to say, he's still sawing away outside. So, I don't have pictures yet, but I promise I will post before, during and afters this coming week. Now we just have to paint everything! My hands are still killing me from the priming - I can't wait.

I'll also post the before, during and after pictures of my dining table. Now, I just need to re-do my dining room chairs since they don't work with the table. It never ends.

Hope you're having a great day!

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