Historic Series: The Potter Williams House

12 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Historic Places

Tags

19th century, clapboard house, design, four bay plan, historic, history, huntington, huntington new york, long island, nathaniel potter, new york, potter williams, settlement architecture, wall street

Located at 165 Wall Street, the Potter-Williams house shows true history. The home was built in 1827 by Nathaniel Potter and is one of the few buildings in Huntington that incorporate the four-bay plan. The home is an excellent example of settlement architecture of the early 19th century.

The clapboard house sits on the side of a steep hill quite close to the street. It has a central chimney, three-pane frieze windows and a gable roof. The home also has a number of six over six double hung windows and an elevated porch which was replaced for a more decorative structure in 1870 with a lattice base, posts and a balustrade.

Both entrances as well as the windows have a simple wood trim and a rear one story addition was constructed midcentury. The property has one contributing building to the right of the home. The clapboard springhouse is brick-lined with a gable roof. It was built midcentury as well.

Nathaniel Potter was a successful silversmith and had a shop on Mill Lane since 1787. In 1824 he partnered with George Wood Platt to manufacture thimbles in New York City but still lived in Huntington. During the 1830s he became a judge and state assemblyman. After his death in 1841, the house was given to his mother’s family, the Williams’, and remained their estate until the 20th century. You can find the house across from the Huntington Fire Departmentsurrounded by wooded areas.

The cream-colored home lives on, spreading memories of the families who lived there and telling the story of Mr. Potter himself. A creative, skillful man who played his part in the evolution of Huntington.

Mae Chevrette

09 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Featured Artists

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

animals, art, birds, blue, design, flowers, Inspiration, Mae Chevrette, mixed media, ocean, painting, photography, pink, sea, sky, sunshine

I read about Mae Chevrette in Oprah Magazine and I have to say what an incredible artist she is. Only 25 years old, her travels have brought her tons of inspiration and with her painting and mixed media skills she creates works of art that are unique and beautiful. She went from working as a research technician to being a successful artist in no time. Starting with her Etsy shop she slowly put more time into her art and finally quitted her day job.

I have always been a fan of mixed media art. I’ve created a lot of my own throughout the years so I can truly appreciate the creativity that goes into this medium. I love how Mae uses objects she finds on her travels and makes them come alive in her paintings. Although there are many elements to her work, she brings them all together as if she’s mending a collection of thoughts. Streaming personal memories while inspiring others. What else could you ask for?

Here are a few of her pieces that I adore. You can view her work on her website as well as purchase it at her Etsy shop. Check out her Etsy interview in 2011 and keep tabs by reading her blog.

Guest Post: Four Ways to Integrate Mid Century Furniture into Your Modern Apartment

05 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Guest Posts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

design, diy design, furniture, home, interior design, mid century, modern design, window treatments

This guest post is brought to you by Aubrey Boone, design enthusiast. Enjoy!

Home decorating means updating a living space and refreshing dated décor. Whether those updates focus on carpet or window treatments, adding new design elements to your home or apartment can increase value while creating a space of tranquility.

Novel interior design projects now aim to integrate mid-century vintage furniture into your modern apartment. The majority of these vintage DIY projects can be completed in a short amount of time for little to no money. The main thing needed is an imagination of how things were way back when. Here are four ways to do just that.

Collectibles
Finding nick-knacks and collectibles adds the rich history of the past into a modern theme. Consider showcasing a series of decorative porcelain vases made in the characteristic style of the 1960s, or other works from esteemed artist Yevgeny Vuchetich.

Add a small mahogany and bronze table found in apartments dating back to the 60s. The clean lines and small stature will fit easily into your modern apartment.

Lighting
Mid-century styles focused on minimalism, so creating a lighting solution is not only simple, but cost effective. Create a swing bar lamp with a few pieces of steel tubing, a flat bar, scrap wood, cloth covered wire and electrical fittings. With a few bends and welds, the lamp will perfectly adorn any corner or reading nook.

An easy solution to lighting is simply to design a lamp shade, or to add a new set of blinds. Don’t underestimate the effect a great set of window treatments can have on a room. For the lamp shade, consider a large cylindrical shade with solid colors such as off-white or light pastels.

Seating Solutions
According to R. Wesley Hurd of the McKenzie Study Center, an institute of Gutenberg College, the color pallet used during the mid-centuries focused on primary colors. Locate a distressed chair at a flea market or a local antique store and dash primary colors, while adding sharp lines and contrasting colors to create a mid-century look. With a few sprays of paint, outdoor seating is turned from modern to vintage as well. In addition, nothing says mid-century quite like the hard plastic/metallic chairs from an old lunch room.

The Outdoors
The outside serves as the window into the soul of a home. For under $100 worth of materials, individuals can construct an outdoor bench inspired by the great George Nelson, a modern design aficionado. The project does require a bit of woodworking, but the end result is a piece similar to Nelson’s vintage futuristic designs.

Mid-century furniture focused on clean lines, vibrant and primary colors, with a minimalistic approach. Recreating a vintage space requires attention to the details of the past, without losing the continuity of the present. With a bit of time and money, your apartment can be the mid-century modern living space you’ve dreamed about.

Home Sweet Home: Dining Room Redesign

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, The Home

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cabinet, country, crates, design, dining room, entertaining, furniture, home, interior design, makeover, modern, rustic, table, wood

I’ve been waiting to post another room in our home and since the dining room is finally done, I had to share. At first, this space was just a room you needed to walk through to get to other rooms in the house. Although it had tons of character, there was nothing really special about it yet. But now that it is all put together I have to say it is one of my favorite rooms in the house!

So here is what the dining room looked like before. The worst part was the rug. Not only was it ugly but it was everywhere in the house. I give credit my husband Dan for pulling up every single one himself. It was tough job for sure. Other than that, we knew the chandelier had to go too. The risers in the corner had to stay so I just figured we would cover them somehow.

The elements of the space we loved were its character and style. The decorative ceiling and rosette around the chandelier were definitely a plus. We both actually love the toile wallpaper so that was a keeper. I knew once I did my magic, this room would look spectacular. Although we didn’t have a big budget, I did my best to find items I loved at great prices and in some cases waited till they were on sale or found them somewhere else for less. Smart shopping is always key.

After the rugs came up there was an astounding difference. Then all I had to do was paint the woodwork and scrub the wallpaper. Not so bad. Then go searching for the perfect items to fill it up. So after about 4 months or so, it finally came together and we couldn’t be happier. I was going for country modern with a rustic touch. I wanted it to be perfect for formal entertaining but comfortable enough so it wasn’t stuffy. With a combination of dark brown, cream and blue, the dining room was transformed into an updated space that has vintage appeal.

The cabinet piece I purchased at Ikea for a great price. You can’t go wrong at $135 for a cabinet. It’s a new item they just started selling and I am very happy with it. I am also happy I waited instead of dishing out more money for something that would be double the price!

The table, oh how I love my dining room table. With buttercream and dark brown cherry wood, it brings that country modern feel I was going for to a new level. I had bookmarked it before we even moved in the house and waited till we had the funds to buy it. It’s a good thing I did because I got it $100 cheaper than the sale price. At $815 with shipping, this was one of the best buys we made. For a 7 piece dining room set, that is really good. Thanks Overstock.com!

The Home Sweet Home picture was a quick thing I made to fill in a vintage frame we had. I think it fits nicely for now. Not bad for 5 minutes of my time. The vase I already had, it used to be my mother’s, and the dried cotton was something we had used in our wedding so I figured I would continue to use it somewhere in the house. It found a perfect home in my mother’s blue vase.

The blue plaid curtains were a great find as well. I knew I wanted plaid because it goes so well with toile so the challenge was to find a pair that worked in the space and were selling for a good price. I found this pair on Overstock.com as well for only $28!

The chandelier brings so much style to the room. I first saw on it on a popular website but after some searching I found it on a random lighting website for a lower price. I wound up paying like $80 or so for it which is awesome. You would never know! I plan to buy small shades for the lights too. I found a nice wicker pair at Pottery Barn I just might have to get. I think they would look so cute.

The framed photograph is one I took while Dan and I visited Maine two years ago. We already had this piece and I pretty much knew it was going in the dining room. The pitcher and bowl were great finds at a local antique shop I couldn’t resist buying. Especially, since the set was only $15.

The cabinet was the second piece of furniture we bought for the room. I found it at Country Door.com for $250 and simply adore it. What a great piece. I switched out the knobs for vintage glass ones the previous owners left behind. They added so much charm and character, as if they were meant to be. I am glad they were left behind and it makes me happy to have a little piece of history remaining in the space.

Love this chair. We found it a few years ago at a garage sale for a few bucks. This is the second in our collection.

I decided to stack the crates we had in front of the risers to hide them, which worked out really well. Not only can we showcase our collections but now this corner adds that rustic element I wanted in the space. The vintage birdcage is what we used for our wedding to hold all the card from guests. It’s nice to have it showcased in our home.

The cotton braided rug is a mixture of gray, blue and brown that go well with the color of the hardwood floors. I think it helps the buttercream stand out as well. I found it on Overstock.com for $112 with a special code. I love it.

All in all, this space proves you can have a beautiful room and not spend thousands to put it together. With a little creativity, some DIY knowledge and research, you can find items you love without going broke. For under $1500, I was able to design a dining room I absolutely love and it makes me even more happy to say I did it all on a budget.