Happy + Thankful

Below {at bottom} is the first and only professional photo I've shared of a kitchen I designed and personally oversaw with Pickwick House {my business} as the established renovation company.  I saw this project thru a complete whole home renovation that took the better part of a year.  For those of you who know and follow my work, you know that this was also 'my baby' along with the 'babies' {kids}.

I could recount in my sleep every decision, 3 hour meeting, measurement, source, appliance selection, vendor, color, finish, style, glider weight, lighting source, redo, complication, regret I had {and still had up until as of last week} over the work put into this as well as the rest of the house.  I have a design binder for the number of countless options and sketches I drew up for what was to be our family's 'forever' home.  It was a house I lived in with my five children for close to five months until as of recent.  

The 'forever' part didn't happen there, but I am counting my blessings here on the blog anyway.   Especially my children and that I didn't sell our long time Rountree home.   That is a truly happy thing.

I can tell you I am now doing really well...and YET, God is not done with me yet.   

I'm so excited for where my work will take me next and am happy to report that the following ad is taking on!  Thank you, Thank you!

I will leave you with what mom instilled in us.  She lived and breathed most all of these values {and plenty more} in her tightly run household of nine kids {my siblings who are a continual source of creative and entrepreneurial inspiration}.  I currently have this phrase written on our home's wall and hope that my kids will see these words as a call to daily action.  Everything except the 'LOUD part'.    Yelling is for house fires, in my opinion.

{Disclaimer for the rights to this image below:  Photos I share of my design work are copyrighted to Sharon Taylor Designs/Pickwick House. LLC.  The photography is by Heather Cherie Photography a and ownership was granted for printing and advertising purposes in spring of 2013}

I still have a special announcement to come for small business Saturday and Pickwick House.  Check in soon.

Happy Thanksgiving Prepping and Nesting in your kitchens!

xx

sharon

MOVING HAS BEGUN!

MOVING has begun!  Last week we shuffled a bunch of files from my studio office to the home office, so at the moment, all of my necessities are in three different locations.  {Luckily within a two mile radius and luckily the weather is cooperating charmingly swell-like.}  

I could go on and on about all the things in limbo on the home front at the moment, but will keep it simple and just say...moving can get very ugly.  Currently, AT&T is giving us a run for our money and we still have no wireless connection after calling all of our techie friends and countless hours on the phone with technical support.  I would love to hire someone to specifically make the ever-dreaded and lengthy, elevator-ish-musical calls to AT&T! 

All this to say, I will not be posting as regularly, but will give you something to tide you over with some really awesome guest posts on occasion from designer friends of mine.    The first one will post tomorrow!

Stay tuned and Happy Spring, my friends!  {Picture above is from a photo shoot last year with some of my favorite things:  baby in stripes + teak + chunky crystal rocks + midcentury cubist chairs + zebra print + elephant ears}  I cannot wait to share our new home with you.

Thanks again, for stopping in.   We sure do love and appreciate all your support!!

xxxx

sharon

RUE Daily Launch Feature

Around a year ago, Twin Town Studios photographed my workspace here at the shop.  Well, I am excited to announce that it was a part of the exciting new launch of RUE Daily, which happened yesterday. HOORAY!!!
 
You can see my 'Workspace Style' Feature here:-)  Find out what I think everyone must have is!  It's my favorite.

Hope you're having a wonderful week so far!!

xx
sharon

Building Character

Even homes with good bones benefit from extra attention to architectural detail from floor to ceiling.  Our new house could use some more attention to these types of details.  For instance, our current crown molding is wimpy, but we will eventually get to that over time.  

Starting this week, just before the finishers swoop in to the coop next week to paint and prep for the floor refinishing, we decided very last minute to splurge on custom made wainscoting panels to be added all through the front foyer/hallway, up the stairs, and in the dining room.  Eeek.  SO excited!  Being a designer, I feel like this added embellishment will add immense flair, sophistication, and a lil' bit of french panache:)  

source via pinterest

This image above is very similar to the look we're going with.  Ebony stained floors, Benjamin Moore 'white dove' walls, high gloss super white trim, ballisters, and newel post.

How grand are these crown molding details above?  Not sure about the floors or the creme colored stair runners, but the architectural details...to die!

Happy Hump Day!

Pickwick House is a full service design/build company in the heart of the Midwest!  {Springfield, Missouri's Rountree Neighborhood}.  We handle all aspects of residential renovations from small to large projects and are available for design, and/or stylizing from East to West Coast.  Call or email us today.  We may be on location, but we'll get back to you in no time.

 417-459-8988 *sharontaylordesigns@yahoo.com

Beautiful Messes

As a designer, there is nothing more addictive than renovating a whole home. The entire process of envisioning, ripping out walls, peeling back the awful layers, seeing beyond the muck, reconfiguring, building, and then polishing it all off HAS to be the most exhilarating thing I can think of for designers.

We're not quite there with this one yet and I'm sure it will require even more buckets full of patience, but we're beginning to imagine ourselves in the new home in a whole new neighborhood.  {Imagine the floors in a high gloss ebony stain.}  The patience required for this is well worth it though.

We've had a silly little anonymous complaint about the house and its 'operations' this week, but we figured that person would've rather had a personal tour along with a hot toddy instead.  So, come on in and see what we do you-little-you-who. We renovate, make beautiful messes, plan, do a tiny bit of scratching our heads, design, and build.  And we do it thoughtfully.  And renovations takes TIME.

Btw, Will {pictured below} is the best tour guide ever.  He really is.  I mean it when I say come by.  Except make sure he keeps working while you walk and talk.  Ha.

xx
sharon

Pickwick House is a full service design/build company in the heart of Springfield, Missouri's Rountree Neighborhood.  We handle all aspects of residential renovations from small to large projects and are available for design from East to West Coast.  Call or email us today.  We may be on location, but we'll get back to you in no time.

 417-459-8988 *sharontaylordesigns@yahoo.com

House Update

Well, it's the end of a productive week on the home 'front'.  Still a mess on the inside of the house, but I feel like it's time for a celebration because we finished the exterior front door!  Haha!  For those who live in the hood,  they will tell you that we've had a camping tent pitched outside for a while now.  We tell people that we live in the tent, not the house, which is sort of a running joke for those who like to tease us that we've been working more on the outside than the inside.  

I have been combing through my 2000 pictures on my iphone to try to find the original picture of the entrance to try to share it with you here, but I came up empty handed.  So, try to visualize that this paneled door was hiding behind a horribly flimsy, hunter green metal storm door {with a sliding screen attachment}.  Yes, very 80's and very ugly!  It was the first thing Will ripped off.  We wanted to  'let the inside door' SHINE, so to speak.  I just love the old paneled door, and original brass hardware and door knocker were worth keeping as well.   The outdoor lights that were on the house were a very small and bad 80's version of brass too.  Those are gone and we replaced every outdoor light with Robert Allen fixtures that were discontinued from Lowes.  Because they were discontinued, there were less than a handful of matching fixtures left at Lowes.  Not good, hence many trips to surrounding towns, {including into Arkansas} to pick up one and two here and there until we finally had enough to cover all the exterior lights.   

This door was a complete son of gun to strip.  I think I bought like 5 things of all natural stripper.  Bless Will's heart!

Stripped finally!

House painted in Benjamin Moore's "Dragonbreath"

Layers and Layers of thick lead paint.

Door Completed yesterday!  Benjamin Moore's "Fields of Gold" in oil-base high gloss

Once the door was done yesterday, I drove the kids over to see it because I couldnt stop thinking about it.  Funny thing is, Sylvia checked the mail slot first thing, and pulled out our first 'real mail'....A Christmas card from our family in Boise, Idaho.  That it made this day so special!

We had a fancy sign made to promote the business.

Sweet old mail slot.  And it's at just the right height for Sylvie's reach.

This is our current kitchen state.  As you can see, no Christmas tree or any decorations to this point this year but I'm not complaining.  Just so excited and grateful!

So, what do you think and what are you up to for the holidays?  I hope you have a wonderful and happy weekend with lots of holiday merriment!

Thanks for stopping in!

xx

sharon

Recognize, Visualize, and Prioritize Stocking Stuffers!

Pickwick House is offering exciting stocking stuffer gift certificates for design services including 'refreshing after the holidays'.  For example, organizing and stylizing your home office or work place for the new year, and/or accessorizing any area in your home, or perhaps, helping you plan a private 'winter time' party! 

Let me and my team help you recognize, visualize, and prioritize to get your place in tip-top shape for 2013! 

Please call today to order your stocking stuffer gift certificate! 417-459-8988


xx
sharon