As we've been renovating our townhouse (which is coming along painfully slow, for those of you wondering), we've become more and more intrigued with how others are creating their spaces and making their house a "home sweet home". We've been collecting inspiration as we go, writing down ideas, and saving images in heaps.
With that in mind, we thought we'd share a few house tours here on the blog that are inspiring us along the way in a new column we're calling "Home Sweet Home". Houses made cosy and that inspire. If you feel your home would inspire us and our readers and would like it featured here, just give us a shout at poppytalkblog[at]yahoo[dot]ca with "Home Sweet Home in the subject line, and we'll be honoured to take a look.
Home Sweet Home No. 1
Our first "Home Sweet Home Tour" is a 150 year old house on the Hudson River in upstate New York and the home of stylist and designer, Raina Kattelson, her architect husband, Robert Butscher and their two daughters. Raina first shared her home on D's this past January, and contacted me this past week, when we were tweeting for submissions. Raina and her husband basically rebuilt the house (which had been gutted and abandoned for 15 years) trying to keep the overall look with it's age and style, whilst adding modern touches doing most of the work themselves. Their furniture is a mix of classic modern, travel finds, flea market pieces (Raina is a flea market junky, and is constantly bringing home pieces that need to be stripped, fixed and painted) and a few Ikea pieces. Robert loves lots of saturated color while Raina likes lots of white with hits of color, (her favourites being chartreuse, turquoise and orange); this is their happy compromise. What we see here is a comfortable laid back vibe mixed with fun collections that keep the space interesting, cosy and welcoming. The outdoor garden continues with this theme creating a space for entertaining and relaxing. Thank you Raina and Robert for sharing. Photo credits: John Gruen.
The Garden pics-
The outdoor fireplace was left from a building that had burned down which they use all the time. When it's not in use Raina rolls an old laundry tub filled with plants in front. The chairs are vintage butterfly chairs. The dining chairs are Ikea. The bed is an antique French iron bed where Raina tells us they spend a lot of time reading. To enter the garden from the street you walk through a garden gate and trellis that Robert designed and built. The garden is beautifully overgrown that from the street the only glimpse you get of it is through the gate.
Living Room
Her collection of art in the room includes pieces by Lewis Hine, (over the lounge), Tanya Marcuse, (the large tree over the couch) and photographs by her father, fine art photographer, Sy Kattelson. The rug they brought back from Marrakesh and the black & white basket on the floor by the sofa is from a recent trip to Istanbul. Raina found the chaise lounge (in the corner) at a town yard sale. She loved the raw quality of it so she left it unupholstered, stripped the frame and made a wool felt cushion and added a few marimekko throw pillows to complete it.
Dining Room-
Being a stylist, Raina collects pottery (old and new) that she uses daily and for her styling gigs. The table they picked up at Ikea which Raina sanded down and then whitewashed. The Emeco chairs at the dining table initially had vinyl seats. Raina had them replaced with industrial felt pads. The vintage photo of New York is by her father, Sy Kattelson. The wall color is Benjamin Moore 2027 Grape Green with the aquavelvet finish. The dining table light is from Ikea.
Kitchen Table
They created a sunny breakfast nook on a raised platform in the kitchen that was left over from the original house. Raina loves the graphic quality of old signs and has collections of them throughout the house. The letters she glued nails on the back with epoxy, pre-made the holes in the wall and gently pushed the letters onto the wall. The green Thonet chairs are the first Raina ever owned and have been painted various colors in the past and now look stunning with the Saarinen table. The chalkboard oilcloth on the table is from Bell'occhio.
Office
Raina tells us her office is so filled with books, magazines and craft projects and props it is sometimes hard to tell it's the only white room in the entire house. She has many collections from vintage knitting needles, trays, old cameras, bottles, etc. that she uses eventually at some point for her work as a stylist. The chair was one of two she found at the Brooklyn Flea and reupholstered. The print is by Anthony Burrill. The lamp is from Ikea.
Kids Room
Raina's youngest daughter is a future style junkie-in-the-making and requested the Panton chair (below) for her 8th birthday. She also asked that her dresser be painted silver. The mauve chalkboard paint is Hudson Paint. Raina, who loves Toord Boontje's work and owns several of his lights, painted a Toord motif on the floor (above).
Thank you Raina and family for sharing your beautiful home with us!
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