The Summerville Cottage

 Yesterday, as I was wandering around the house snapping photos for insurance purposes, I realized
that, although I spend hours combing through interior design photos on other blogs, I seldom post photos of my own houses. There are several reasons for this:  I never feel as if a room is completed,
because I'm a professional photographer, I should take the time to set up lights and make an effort to arrange flowers, etc. and usually our houses are under construction and we are living in chaos!

With that said, these photos - are just ones that I snapped without too much effort involved.    So here it is - our little
cottage in the enclave of Summerville,  along the Savannah River in Georgalina.  This post features the living room.  I'll do separate posts for the rest of the house.
                                                                                                                                                               My style is rather eclectic - things I've collected over the years.  I'll list the sources, if
anyone is interested!

Top Photo:  Art by:  John Hulse, Steve Northup, Yvoy and a SC artist that I can't recall the name
of.  I have it written down somewhere.  Just can't locate it at the moment.

 Linen Churchill Sofa - Rooms and Gardens - Santa Barbara.  Pillows - William Sonoma Home (top) and a custom pillow in Richard Allen fabric.  Throw - Kelly Wearstler for SFERRA. Antique French
Garden table from Precious Cargo - Summerland, CA.  Lamps from Elegant Earth - Urn -bo-tan-ik  - Summerland, CA

Antique Chinese jars from Jack-a-lope - Santa Fe, NM.  Ottoman - designed and built by me, covered in Restoration Hardware Belgian Linen.  The wing chair is covered in RH Belgian Linen as well.  Photograph on the wall: Julie Graber

 These are the before photos.  Due to a leak in the roof, the ceiling caved in.
We bumped out the fireplace to support the rafters above and refaced the fireplace with a
simple traditional mantle to match the rest of the woodwork in the house.  This little cottage
is nearly 100 years old and needs constant care!  I built a long rad cover to enclose the
non-functioning radiator.  I also built the sofa table to match.                                                                We replaced the ceiling fixture with a vintage chandelier and painted the
walls BM Edgecomb Gray and the trim BM White Dove.

 As you can see - the roof needed some serious repair work!   (Still needs more!)

 Vintage McGuire chairs give extra seating and add texture.  Circa Lighting lamp, antique Navaho Rug,
Sabina and Mesquite wood table from Mexico.  Pillow - African textile.  Cashmere throw - Banana Republic.  Art - Top Photo: Ryannan Bryer de Hickman.  The bottom piece is a framed
Buck & Hickman antique saw.

Photos By: Ryannan Bryer de Hickman

ADAC

I've lost count of how many times I have flown in and out of Atlanta or drove through without stopping.  Always in a rush and never having time to explore.  So finally,  I was able to spend a couple of days there shopping the wonderful antique stores, furniture galleries and most exciting.......ADAC!

The Atlanta Decorative Arts Center is a visual treat for those of us obsessed with Interior Design and is open to all design enthusiasts.  You just have to stop and register at the front desk.  I happened to be there with our daughter who is an Interior Designer so that made the experience even better and I felt comfortable brandishing my camera and taking a million photos.  You can browse the showrooms to your hearts content.

 If you happen to see something that you can't live without.......and you don't have your own designer -they will refer you to an on-site designer.... who can assist you with your purchase.

 ADAC has some great showrooms but my favorites were Ainsworh-Noah and Dennis & Leen.   I could have stayed in those showrooms all day!

 Adored this linen bed cover..............................

 and, well, everthing................................................

 After the furniture galleries, we went on to the fabric showrooms...............love, love, love textiles..

Photography By: Ryannan Bryer de Hickman/Sotto Il Monte Blog

Beach Houses - Folly Beach

As the outer bands of Hurricane Irene begin to knock at my door, I'm starting to rethink my obsession to find that oh so perfect beach house. Living at the beach comes with the reality of being washed out to sea if Mother Nature so decides.

Even so...................If one as beautiful as this one came along.........I could be tempted..................
Charleston Interior Designer Amelia Handegan's summer house at Folly Beach was featured in the July 2011 issue of Architectural Digest. I love the way she

combined a collection of textiles from around the world to bring in a global feel.
Sometime beach houses can seem a little "theme like". This one hits all the right notes.



Subtle.........but you still know that you are at the beach......................



Irene's knock is getting a bit louder and the ocean is not looking quite as calm as the photo below, so I'd better sign off and batten down the hatches.
Cheers!

Ry

Photos: Architectural Digest

Taking it back in time - The Bathroom Renovation

For the last few weeks I've been consumed with bathroom renovations. I'm taking two bathrooms that were very outdated - even further back in time. These photos from Cote Sud are my inspiration. I'm doing all the finish work, plumbing, etc., which leaves little time for blogging or anything else for that matter.
Because we had already gutted the bathrooms and replaced walls etc., I thought I could whip out this reno in just a few weeks. Slipped my mind that I'm no longer 25! Everything is taking much longer and I'm exhausted at the end of the day. I'm not sure I will ever be able to get all the Sheetrock and plaster dust out of my hair.
This is the first project on one of our houses that I'm totally responsible for. Jim just doesn't have the time to deal with it and I've always wanted to do this. I've made plenty of mistakes hanging the drywall and taping it. American Clay Plaster will be the finish coat. It allows for a not so perfect finish on the drywall - which is the look I'm going for anyway.

I fell in love with this Botticelli Carrara Marble sink for the Master bathroom. That will have to wait.......................................
As will the polished nickel Bistro faucets from Restoration Hardware.......................
For the main bath - I'm going with this sink...........................
Snow Canyon Porcelina plaster on the walls, plaster floors, Farrow & Ball French Gray on the woodwork, stone counter tops and backsplash and Venetian Bronze fixtures.

Meanwhile - We make do with a half bath (of sorts) and an outdoor shower.



Good thing the house is in a moderate climate!

MODERN MEXICAN

A few of you sent emails after my October post on Santa Fe, requesting that I do a post on the house that we had there. Well we had a few. Le Husband (below) is a Designer-Builder and built custom homes in Santa Fe for over 20 years. Most of the houses that he designed and built were in the traditional style of Pueblo, Territorial or Northern New Mexican. The first house that we built together was Pueblo Style. Both being big fans of Modern Mexican Architects, Ricardo Legorreta and Luis Barragan, we decided to build our last two houses there in the Modern Mexican style.
Double adobe walls and radiant heat in the concrete floors throughout. These houses were very comfortable in winter or summer. Hand troweled plaster tinted with pigments from Italy gave a beautiful finish to the walls. I really didn't want to hang anything on them.

This house was built in the Hacienda style. All of the rooms opened up into a central enclosed courtyard. We dined outside most of the time.
The entry worked well as a mini gallery. Jim is somewhat of a purist and would have like to have kept both of these houses minimally furnished. I, on the other hand, much to his dismay, kept bringing in more stuff! But still, compared to our house now, this seems austere.


This next house was our last house in Santa Fe. The kids had all left home so we built a small house with a detached guest house. We had intended to add on at a future date, but ended up selling the house as it was and moving to California.
Tired of the traditional brown that is everywhere in Santa Fe - we went with bolder colors on the exterior. This house sat on twelve acres next to a tree lined arroyo off Tano Road.
The property had a small old adobe one room house on it when we bought it. I turned it into a little art studio.
Never had a chance to really establish a garden there - just a few California Poppies and some Siberian Iris.
As you can see - this house was similar to the previous one. Very clean lines.A great kitchen to cook in - Thermador Range, Sub Zero fridge and two islands.
If you click on the photo to enlarge - you can see a stream of water coming out of the ceiling to fill the tub in the bathroom. I loved the idea of it and it solved the problem of where to put the spigot - but was really not very practical - as water splashed everywhere!
Concrete sinks in the bathroom............................
The adobe ruin had one wall of exposed adobes, which I left as they were and white plaster on the other walls and interior. I color washed the plaster with Italian pigment and painted the door blue.
I also added these doors from Mexico on one side.................
Jim acquired this painting in Zihuantanejo, Mexico - she moves with us from house to house...........
As do the terra cotta planters I bought at an estate sale............................

Photography by: Ryannan Bryer de Hickman

Sotto Il Monte Vineyards