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To celebrate May is National Preservation Month, the Lombard J. Pozzi Center for Historic Preservation Education at the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society is offering a series of six workshops for homeowners of historic houses. I’m leading one of them: “Designing New Elements into Your Historic House” on May 16 at 6pm at 48 Court Street in Bristol, RI. To sign up and to learn more, follow this link.
Hope you can join me!
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
It was great fun to chat with Patrick McCombe of Fine Homebuilding about becoming an architect, the role of architects, and more. Here, too, is the link from the Fine Homebuilding podcast website.
Thanks for your interest, Patrick!
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
The Design Me a House podcast that I co-host with Dawn Oliveira of Oliveira Textiles was featured in the “East Bay Life” section of our local newspapers. Yay! Find out more about the podcast at the Design Me a House website, follow Design Me a House on Instagram; listen wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts!
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
Take a look at a recently installed custom bathroom vanity designed by KHS. (Yes, in addition to architectural services, KHS offers interior- and furniture-design services.) This new vanity replaces a tiny vanity in the master bath of this antique home. The homeowner requested additional counter surface and cabinet storage in a design that would complement the traditional interior, which also includes a claw-foot tub. The resulting KHS custom design is meant to be elegant and furniture-like to suit this stately residence. The countertop is Carrara marble; the mirror, faucet, and sconces are from Pottery Barn; knobs are from Adler’s Design Center and Hardware.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re interested in getting the “KHS look” for your home, too.
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
C2 Paint “Magnet” color on the fireplace surround in the KHS Harvard Shaker House renovation/addition
If you’re a frequent House Enthusiast reader, then you’ve heard me sing the praises of C2 Paint before. Their “Magnet” color is one of my favorites. Depending where and how you use it, it can be deep and striking, liquid and soft, or stony and subtle. On the fireplace surround above at the KHS Harvard Shaker House renovation/addition, it tends toward the deep and striking, boldly contrasting the putty grey (C2 “Pavement”) floor.
“Magnet” on the floor of the KHS Shaker House renovation/addition
Elsewhere, in the same KHS project, C2 “Magnet” makes an appearance as a floor paint. Here, it comes across as more liquid and soft, especially where it juxtaposes the C2 “Sheer” cabinetry and trim. Using a limited palette of colors — sometimes in different applications — can help rooms of a smaller home flow one into the other to create an overall more spacious effect (as I mention in The New Small House and The New Cottage).
At our own cottage, C2 “Magnet” on the screen door and Dutch door (which I had modified from an existing stored door) takes on yet another tone. It has more of a stony subtle flavor in an exterior application. I wrote about this Dutch door in an earlier House Enthusiast post.
As with any paint color you’re considering, you’ll want to look at a sample of it in different qualities of light and in different orientations (vertical or horizontal) to get an idea of how it will look in relation to the other surfaces where you plan to feature it. Fortunately, C2 offers poster-board-size samples to help you make a decision.
Now, go forth with color confidence. You’ll be glad you did.
by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast
