Just a taste of the Curious Sofa Christmas Open House held this past weekend. I worked a couple of days with Deb and the rest of the fabulous team to help transform the store into a magical Holiday vision.  Working from a master design list that Deb had organized beforehand, the store was split into defined sections based on color and themes.  Completely converting 3500+ sq ft of retail space over a 48 hour period to what you see above took hard work and plenty of creative aptitude.  One of my jobs was to work on the “white room” or the “snowbird room” (main photo, left center and lower left) with Jess one of Deb’s staff. Not vanilla (upper left photo) but true honest white mixed with birds. We dressed the iron bed in white linens with plump pillows. Flanking the sides of the bed, we placed two urns filled with white poinsettia's for a soft contrast. Cheese cloth draped the chandeliers above the bed to resemble ice sickles. Deb painted the faux tree and Jess added the ceramic doves to the branches.  From the ceiling we hung a collage of wire bird cages above the glass top desk.   On the wall was an incredible grey mirror that I really wanted to purchase for the mantle in my farmhouse but it was too big!

For more photos of the Curious Sofa Holiday metamorphosis check out Deb’s blog.  Or better yet, go see for yourself:)

Today I am going to help Deb and her staff prepare for the fabulous Christmas Open House at Curious Sofa.  If you happen to be in Kansas City this weekend, come take a look.

Finally after two weeks of unseasonably cool temperatures and rainy days, the sun is actually shinning! We are a little behind on the exterior renovations due to the weather but maybe this week we can catch up. It is so nice to be able to actually prop open the doors and enjoy the beautiful fall sunlight that streams through the farmhouse doors and windows. One of the many things that I fell in love with when we first found the farmhouse was how light and open it is. 

Action Jackson and his mate (help me pick out a name for her) are usually not far from the door and the bucket of cracked corn we keep on hand to feed them. I am amazed at how much feed those two can eat!

I hope you are enjoying some beautiful sunlight in your life today:)

A couple of weeks back, I had a design idea in my head of what type of vanity I wanted for the new master bathroom. I searched the local home improvement places and even online but found nothing.  I went to a local cabinet shop and explained my design of wanting a vanity for the farmhouse that looked like a piece of furniture. Simple lines with a shelf on the bottom that would hold a couple of baskets. I also wanted some carsiding (beadboard) at the back of the bottom shelves and on the sides.  The cabinet maker knew just what I wanted (amazing) and came up with this final sketch:

Since the plumbing comes up from the floor, we decided to put three draws in the center to hide the pipes.   The top will be a plain white marble to echo ironstone.  I am going with venetian bronze faucets for the vanity and shower. The vanity will be painted white so I thought these would give just enough vintage contrast that I was looking for:

In a couple of weeks, I hope to show you the finished vanity!

Thought I would leave you with a photo of our resident farmhouse goose “Action Jackson”. 

Even with all the renovation dust, I thought I would share a few more details of the farmhouse. Because of the construction mess on the floors, these photos are ceiling shots. One of these days (hopefully soon) I will finally be able to show you some actual room photos.  But until then….

Instead of just one, how about identical styled chandeliers hung a few feet away in the laundry room. Bamboo shades for extra light were added to the windows.

Vintage metal “toilettes” sign for you guessed it, one of the bathroom doors.

Mirror in the living room between the built in bookcases.

Living room chandelier in front of the stone fireplace.

*I loved all of your “cellar stories” and found that I am not alone in my dislike of snakes!