Sunday Morning Warm and Colorful "Ponderings"

 

It is cold and very windy at the beach today. The sun is warm but the wind on the beach makes for sand in your eyes and a fast exit. Island Life in the winter months are my favorite. Quiet, simple and chilly. More treasures seem to wash up on the beach..or maybe  just less treasure hunters out there at this time of year. Right?

To back track a bit from last August, I will share in pictures, what I have been doing all that time. One of my favorite projects, was Sundew Cottage. This cottage is available as a rental. Please contact Tybee Cottages  for more info. The Jane Coslick custom colors worked out great on this wonderful magical place. Sea Buiscuit and Tybee turquoise and Melon made a bright and cheery statement. The Cottage was featured on the  Cottage tour in December and the homeowner order the most wonderful garland to hang for the tour.

Jane Coslick Cottage colors.
(if you want to know more about my custom cottage colors.. email me at janecoslick@gmail.com)

                                             the colors in a beautiful handmade garland

TODAY...
I am going to share a bench story  (not a beach story)…the life of a designer is not always perfect..but it is never dull.  I expose clients to new ideas, colors, patterns and furniture. Everyone has a "comfort zone" and keeping them from staying to far in that zone is the hard part.  I remind them, "It is not life or death..it is about what makes you happy when you walk thru your door at the end of the day.

                                   Many lives of a BLUE BENCH……………….

mother nature  gives us treasure every day.

The Blue Bench …..  I purchased it for its uniqueness . I added it to a  hall way of a clients house. It was not really functional ( narrow seat) but it added a great punch of color to an otherwise dull  space.  the client wanted to stay totally neutral however, so we took the bench out of her house (My assistant Anna and I were secretly hopping she would not like it so we could have it for our own use.) We used it for My Jane Coslick  Holiday Cottage Tour in December on one of the porches in a wonderful old Tybee Raised Cottage. A true family beach house full of laughter, wet bathing suits, and sandy toes. All the porches are over 12 feet wide and  they surround the side of the amazing and well loved cottage.

  NEXT STOP….

bright blue

After styling the house for the tour, the bench once again had no special deserving spot due to a major renovation that was beginning soon at the cottage.  The floors at "99 Steps to the beach" cottage had blue floors so that was not the place for the wonderful bench. (I did not have the heart to repaint it )..so the "pondering" began. I was working on converting a client's twin bed room into a queen  bed room. A great painting by Blanche Nettles Powers was the center focus of the room as was a funky hand painted chandelier. In my search for a queen headboard, I happened to stop by  my storage unit looking for a treasure   to use in the room and there sat the funky little bench…Long story short…. It became my headboard of choice!!!

after

It wasn't the perfect width but  in the over all look of the room.. it had all the interesting elements that I had in mind. PS We took the bottom  part of the bench and put it in game room for the overflow of guest watching a pool tournament .

 Happy Colors.Happy Sunday!!

Happy 4th On The 5th …..from Sundew Cottage

When I complete a cottage renovation I am sad and I am glad.  Hundreds and hundred of hours have gone into the project by the contractor, carpenters, painters,plumbers ,electrician,  landscapers, the pools installer, the home owner and little 'ole me. 

I eat, sleep, dream and spend countless hours pondering every inch of space and what is the best way to use it for the client and the cottage.

Every client is different.  Every project is different.The client's personal taste and their long range goal for their cottage are always different . I can see the big picture from the first meeting and so seeing it come into reality ….No words can express the joy and satisfaction !!!  

Sundew Cottage is a mix of the clients favorite things and her favorite art and the  addittion of great fabrics, colors, furniture and bed linens.  The Cottage is "the sum of all parts". My client loves to cook and she has stocked the kitchen  to perfection…( My only domestic quality is ...I live in a house)
 She has had a wonderful time doing this  and that makes me so happy.

Sundew Cottage

We have not finished the picket fence, the arbor. the window box, the shutters and  the outdoor shower. We are still tweaking the wonderful porch  and the rest of the landscaping and picket fence will  be up soon

I used my colors of sea biscuit  Tybee turquoise and melon  because of the outdoor pillow my client fell in love with and purchased from Frontgate.

the great porch dining area

the pillows and  some of the vintage wicker

7'x30 feet..  

Happy Colors!!!!

more Frontgate chairs and wonder piece of art/furniture that was a gift to my client ..REAL Sea glass…..

the table top

porch time….Tybee Style 

inside the living room

the tiny space is working out fine

everything seem much larger because the ceiling is so nice and high. I painted the bracing white  and added the great BarnLight radial wave sconces in the kitchen space

what once was the washer/dryer is now a linen closet with a funky orange( Tybee tan)  screen door.

I guess you can tell by now that fabric is a unifying factor in the open floor plan .

How wonderful is the chandelier!!!! more beach glass...

a view from the top of the stairs.. 

more glorious beach glass…...

stairs to the master bedroom

 To be continued…….

My computer is moving to slow for some reason…the  dining area and bedrooms in my next post…

Happy July 5th

An Island Cottage Adventure

I have been fascinated my how different the cottages are and I know that is because all the clients are so unique.The tour was a great success everyone one had different favorites in rooms and  cottages .It was for a very good cause,the Humane society of Savannah , and I would love to hear from people what was their favorite..room.. cottage..pillow..decoration.......
Unfortunately I got sick and was out of the picture for part of the day.so not sure what the buzz was about.
I took a few photos ..of our island Christmas. .....lots of color beyond tradition red and green.(but we had red and green also)

at Blue bird Inn

Spooky on her island Christmas colors taking care of her mommy

Christmas tree cut of of old screen( a great recycle)

On of my favorite pieces of folk art at Blues Away cottage

the living room at Coast Awhile Cottage

Dr. Holiday cottage

Blues Away cottage

touches of turquoise and white and natural and starfish

reflections at southern tides

simple and natural at Southern tides

the double queen room that once was a porch at Southern Tides Cottage.
that wonderful old house is beginning to glow..

on loan from my friend Nancy Heriot  

My friend Suzanne Everette made several  arrangements for the cottage

  I just want to say..My friends mean the world to me .They always just appear as the events are near and like little elves they do their magic.. Thank You... Thank you ....thank you ....for everything you do and for being there for me always.

the most beautiful tree and ornaments at Blues Away Cottage.. (I will share more photos of Blues Away very soon)

A Few Cottage Bedroom on the tour....

a fun bedroom from Castle in the Sand cottage.
It was featured in Better homes and Gardens magazine and Color made Easy 

Here is Peckenpau on the dog bed in Paws and Paddles cottage( the perfect cottage for this fund raiser)

a bedroom with a Jane Coslick custom shutter headboard painted BEACH HOUSE BLUEwww.janecoslickcottagecollection.com

If you cant come on the Jane Coslick Cottage Holiday Tour for the Humane Society here are a few more bedrooms for you. If you are thinking of coming here are a few bedrooms to encourage you to come. In real life these rooms are happy,fun and fluffy.......
And speaking of fluffing....
We did decided to do something a bit different and challenging this year. I am taking a space that I did not design at the Blue Bird Inn (which the president of the Humane Society owns)  and with NO budget...my assistants and I are going to try and create Happy Colors and happy spaces ..in three days!!!!

What can we do? ....We will have before and after photos of this wonderful place. It has an amazing view of Horse pen Creek.( my wheels are turning)

Here are a few more bedrooms from some of the 10 historic cottages ...

Happy Colors!

a wonderful bright bunk room

this is actually a Murphy bed.. that disappears into the wall

old shutters new life...

Peck wanted me to remind you how important the work of the Humane Society is to the animals..He said  it saved his life!!!
Bow wow and meow...  We will have so much fun on Tybee Dec 7th
..www.tybeefun.com

The Power of Pillows

As a designer, I try to create fun and unique things that are interesting and cost effective. A throw pillow makes a great statement  and the money invested can be minimal...(over over the top expensive)

A pillow can change a room.

A pillow can be the point of focus

Pillows are very important on daybeds for support.
Pillows can change so much easier than paint, wallpaper and furniture.
I personally use pillows to keep the focus on the positive and away from the negative

I am busy working on the new cottages for the upcoming tour for the Humane Society December 7th.Information and tickets sales information are at  www.tybeefun.com. 

I am donating pillows to the Humane Society so they can buy toys and blankets for the animals this winter.

Some pillow covers will be on sale at one of the cottages.. The.Blue Bird Inn.

Sometime events happen in one's life that puts things in a different perspective.

I am doing some shedding.. so drop by the pillow party...There will be pillow covers  and cottage books for sale. 

. I always recommend down inserts for pillow because they make the pillow conform to you and not make you want to throw them out of your way....They do however have to be fluffed from time to time.

A FEW PILLOWS I HAVE KNOWN.........

the palm tree  euro shams are made from a shower curtain MY favorite pillows is in the center

day beds are like sofas..if you use enough pillows for support
(this is my happy place in Colorado)

a daybed can have lots of pillows( a basket near by for the pillows to rest in while it is being used as a bed)

a pillow made from a table cloth (Athropologie)

a mix of pillow textures for interest

this room with it's pillows is magic and you can sleep here if you want to www.tybeecottages.com

I use the tub at my office for storage of pillows recognize any of these?

pillows and paintings ..a great combination

.

a mix of colors and fabrics and great art!!!

a mix of colors on a white background




I look forward to seeing everyone on the tour. There are new and different cottage this year...