Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Kitchen Knobs and Pulls--Christopher Peacock Style

Finally, I'm posting about the knobs and pulls Steve picked out for our kitchen.  We just love Christopher Peacock Kitchens and have tried to copy elements of his style in our new kitchen.

In some places we think we've done a pretty good job and not so much in others.

Steve ordered the pulls and knobs online and they took WEEKS to get here.  It was quite interesting opening the drawers and cabinets without knobs.
 
 
The pict  is the "china hutch."  We keep our everyday dishes (not china mind) here. The silverware is in the top drawer and some assorted bowls and serving pieces are in the lower drawers. It's great having a nice wide drawer for the silverware.  I can find things.



Articles and blogs I've read compare kitchen hardware (pulls, knobs and hinges) to jewerly.  Good hardware adds the finish and style, like jewerly can give the style to a great outfit.
I just love how the shiny chrome looks on the dark stained island.  It really adds the bling without going overboard.
This shot of the dishwasher pull shows the clean, simple detail. No patterns, no designs except for a small area around the knob.


We're finishing the kitchen slowly but surely.
Maybe pretty soon I'll be able to blog about how we put glass in the cabinet doors.

Later,
Patti

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Ansley Park Tour of Homes---A walk through time

One thing I was really looking forward to when we moved intown was being close to all the intown home and garden tours and festivals.
We've tried to take advantage--there's so much to do we can't keep up.

Last weekend was the Ansley Park Tour of Homes featuring homes designed by Neel Reid at the turn of the last century. (1909)


There were two apartment buildings on the tour.

One South Prado was the home of Margaret Mitchell after she published GWTW.  It was the Della Manta apartments back then. She lived here in unit 3 at the time of the accident that lead to her death.  The story goes that she requested that the original Gone With the Wind manuscript be burned after she died.  It was burned here in the basement boiler of this building.  The apartment where she lived was featured on the tour.

Photography wasn't allowed so I'm using some pictures from a listing we had here last year.

The front entrance was moved from Piedmont to South Prado when the building was converted from apartments to condos in 2005.
I guess this new entry is easier to get to, not on a busy street, and closer to parking.


Here's the living room in our listing.  This unit is roomier that the unit on the tour. 


One thing that struck me about Neel Reid's design was his use of big windows and lots of them.
All the homes were bright and airy--except in cases of "modern improvement".

This room is often used as a sunroom.  I think the bookcases were added--not original to the design.
Notice the transoms above the windows.  This unit is on the third floor and overlooks a wonderful old oak tree.
The view is to die for.


One of the homes on the tour is for sale.
Let me know if you're interested.
It's only $2.5 million.
262 The Prado


This was the only tudor style home on the tour.
The inside is anything but stuffy old tudor.  I loved the contrast between the traditional style of the house and the collection of ultra modern art.  I didn't care for all the pieces, but I appreciate the style.

This door is original. The entry was moved from the front to the side of the house to give a larger foyer.  They turned the old entry into a powder room--it was that small.  The guide said Reid had designed the entry to be a small tunnel like space that then opened into this larger grander hall.  It was intended to give people a feeling of anticipation and surprise.
I get it, but I think I like this change. 


The living room still has the original mouldings, fireplace and wood floors.  The mouldings were very similar in all the homes.
Clean lined, symetrical and classic.


This hallway leads along the side of the house from the foyer, past the living room to a sunroom.
Again, look at all the windows and the natural light. 
The open flow of the rooms surprised me.



Photography wasn't allowed so I don't have more pictures.
The other homes were more the classic Colonial-Federal Revival Style.
Go to the Ansley Park Tour website for more information.

This coming weekend is jam-packed with fall festivals and football.
I'll have to prioritize.

Patti