Root cellars are just fantastic. They were essentially the first refrigerators built. They can keep your fruit and vegetables good all year round by keeping your food 40 degrees lower than the summer temperature outside and in winter the root cellar will keep the food just above freezing.
Making a root cellar is really easy and I would highly recommend any one that wants to be more self sufficient build one. They are great and work really well. They do not take up much space so even if you have a small garden having one is still within reach. Check out this article below to see how to build your own earth bag root cellar.
Cute wooden LED floor lamp, the wood was salvaged from old axles for construction sites that have been lightly sanded and finished with transparent water-based paint for interiors.
Reclaimed Wood Led Floor Lamp 1 - Floor Lamps - iD LightsReclaimed Wood Led Floor Lamp 2 - Floor Lamps - iD LightsReclaimed Wood Led Floor Lamp 3 - Floor Lamps - iD LightsReclaimed Wood Led Floor Lamp 4 - Floor Lamps - iD Lights
Led lights are a Philips product according to EEC assembled by the parent mod. LightStrips 70165/87 as shown in the last image.
During the wedding and anniversary season we have several styles and sizes of chests available for immediate shipping. We also have gift cards available for last minute shoppers. Please call us with any questions, or for further clarification at 1-888-959-8899.
We also offer custom laser engraving, which can add photographic imagery as well as text to the wood. The image to the right shows a photo engraved in maple with a natural finish, which is inlaid on oak with a blackened finish. This image also shows text that is laser engraved in the oak.
If you'd like to commission an artist to paint your chest before adding the finish, we can help you with that as well.
Call 1-888-959-8899 to get assistance with personalizing your chest.
(Please note: These are just estimates. To provide accurate interior measurements we would need to discuss the details of the specific chest you're interested in with the craftsman. There are simply too many variables with all of the styles, sizes and options we have available.) We can also customize the size of the chest.
What kind of custom work do you do?
We can accommodate most custom requests that do not change the overall character of the design, or compromise its strength and integrity.
Custom sized chests are priced based on the cost of materials, there is no custom design fee. We can create a chest up to 80" in length in hardwood, or up to 50" in length in 100% solid cedar.
We can also make simple modifications to the design: removing the legs from a chest, replacing the handles with metal hardware, etc.
"After picking up our shaker cedar chest ... my wife and I eagerly moved the chest to our bedroom, and we quickly unwrapped it. All I could say was 'Wow!' My wife was a little more eloquent. Her comment was something to the effect of 'This makes that other cedar chest look like a cardboard coffin!' As I noted in a previous email, we had previously purchased (and returned) two cedar chests from (Company Name Removed) that were seriously lacking in quality.
No such problem here. I would say that the chest is exactly as pictured on your web site. But that wouldn't be quite accurate. It is MUCH more beautiful than could ever be depicted in a photograph. The wood actually seems to glow. We are also very impressed with the construction. Not only is the chest constructed from solid wood throughout, the boards utilized seem to be thicker than I've typically seen in 'solid wood' furniture sold through retail chains."
I recently received a lovely note from a reader, named Jennifer who’s from Houston, TX and struggling with how to furnish a sunroom. And, since it’s the middle of winter and freezing in Houston, lol, what better time to discuss rooms that are meant to capture the sun’s rays to fool us into thinking it’s uhhh, summer, not winter, I guess.
Jennifer is in italics
Laurel kibitzing is bold teal.
Dear Laurel,
I am a big fan and never miss a post.
In addition, I’m also a design addict and consume every resource I can find. It’s truly an obsession. I especially love your blog because
I see you as the Alton Brown of interior design – you show us the science behind the magic.
Thank you! I’m a fan!
I’m writing to suggest you create a blog post on sunrooms;
Specifically How to Furnish a Sunroom
I can’t be the only one struggling with one, and I’m struggling greatly.
Fortunately, I’m killing it with the rest of the house – I’ve wrapped my dining room in a magical Susan Harter mural; painted my limestone-cabachon-floored north-facing den a lovely dark shade, grass-clothed my bedroom, and I’ve even managed to find a spot for some very cool Phillip Jeffries rivets.
But, I CANNOT, for the life of me, figure out this damned sunroom!
It’s an adorable, albeit totally superfluous, self-indulgent space which looks out onto the yard. You see it upon entering from the front door and living room. So I’d love for it to shine.
But how? What does one do with a tiny room (12’X17′) that serves little purpose and consists mostly of windows? What does one do with a room that essentially gets TOO MUCH light?
My first thought was to sunroom it up and lattice any surface that wasn’t window, but I’m not so sure it’s an interesting enough place for something so bold (8′ ceilings and too little wall space for cool lattice-work). Plus, that just seems crazy.
My current plan is more subdued.
Good!
It consists of white walls (my house is White Doved to the hilt) and persimmon silk curtains (Brunschwig & Fils peach rust) – a la Tory Burch in the Hamptons (I love that post you did about how to get the look for less) – but, I’m not sure. It’s already got white floors, and all that white gets so bright in that little box that I don’t think even a beautiful B&F silk can make it homey. Bleh!
Honestly, the problems abound.
Most color competes with the garden, but white is too stark. Wicker seating seems so cliché.
It definitely can be.
However, upholstery is so heavy.
It doesn’t have to be.
And, a little sofa with its back to the window seems to defeat the whole purpose of the space (looking out said window), but it’s too small a space for much else. It’s indoors, but it’s outdoors.
The juxtaposition is killing me. And don’t get me started on how it’s too cold in the winter
Hold on, just a snot-freezing minute sister! Did you say that you’re too cold down in it-never-gets-cold-enough-to-snow-Houston? ;]
and too hot in the summer. I realize that’s a problem we can’t solve. Oh, and the room is currently my daughter’s playroom and contains the most egregious giant blue Barbie house.
Well, before you know it, you’ll be waiting up until 2:00 AM wondering why she’s not back home from her date yet.
For the record, the sunrooms abound in my neighborhood.
What, it’s not sunny enough in Houston? ;]
These are old houses and nearly every one of ’em has a little sunroom attached to the side with several walls of windows, a fireplace, and just enough space for a little seating area. They’re these great little bonus rooms but they don’t feel like such a bonus once it comes time to figure out how to actually use them.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
Thank you Jennifer. I had no idea that sunrooms proliferated in Houston. We have those little sunrooms here too. I’ve talked about them numerous times.
I do know that sunrooms, in general, are popular in northern climates. In fact, in Wisconsin, they are frequently called “Florida Rooms.” haha. Wishful thinking. However, with enough heat AND artificially added humidity, I imagine that the room can feel quite refreshingly warm and rejuvenating.
Before we get into how to furnish a sunroom, I’d like to take you back in time to look at the origins of the sunroom.
The sunroom is actually a 20th century invention. But, the idea evolved from European designs which began in the renaissance period.
The well-heeled wanting to grow citrus in the winter time created the first sunrooms, only they called them conservatories or orangeries. We sometimes call them solariums.
What’s the difference? Is it like vase and vazzzzz?
Well, sometimes. ;]
But, as I see it, a sunroom needs to have mostly windows on at least two sides and usually three sides of a room or part of a room. Also, they almost always look out onto a garden and/or pool.
A conservatory is more traditional; a solarium, more contemporary, but both have a ceiling largely made of glass to let in as much sunlight in as possible.
An orangery is very much like a conservatory, but has a little less glass and is more architectural. But sometimes the differences are so subtle that it’s not worth talking about. I imagine that some use the terms interchangeably.
As usual, Laurel spent way too much time looking at the part that interests her the most. haha.
And what is that Laurel?
Well, it’s the architecture. The outside. I adore classical architecture, you know!
I mean, when you have something that’s as incredible as this, who gives a freak what the furniture looks like? Just stick some bean bags in there and bask in the sun.
Oh, Laurel, you can’t really mean that!
Well, all I can say is that I hope this place is set back far off the road, because I know that I would be driving right off of it, if I passed this beauty!
But, never fear; we’ll get to the furniture in a bit.
Let’s begin with the outside before we tackle how to furnish a sunroom, conservatory, orangerie, solarium; whatever you wish to call yours.
21 months ago, on a visit with my son Cale, I took the photos above and below at the Bronx Botanical Garden which features this beaux-arts architectural gem of a conservatory. The glass sculpture in front is from the Chihuly exhibit that was going on at that time.
Sweet, huh? It was April.
This is a photo I took during my trip to England in the fall of 2017. This conservatory designed by architect, Ben Pentreath houses an indoor swimming pool! Out of concerns for privacy, I’m not allowed to say any more than that.
Let’s take a look at some other beautiful sunrooms, conservatories, etc. And then, we’ll go inside to look at how to furnish a sunroom or conservatory.
If you missed one of my favorite posts (or wish to revisit) about the extraordinary Furlow Gatewood click here. There are lots of great ideas you can incorporate for a sunroom.
This is a stretch for the sunroom idea, but I do love this home!
Well, Laurel, you didn’t tell us HOW to furnish a sunroom.
Don’t mean to contradict, however, I believe that did, granted, not in words. You can do pretty much whatever you want!*
A sunroom or a conservatory is really just a room with a LOT OF BIG WINDOWS.
But, unless you have a cottage-y kind of home and want your sunroom to have a porchy feel, please don’t think that you HAVE to fill it with wicker, wicker and more wicker. You don’t. And you don’t have to paint the ceiling blue. But, of course, you can do that too.
I do see sunrooms as generally being more casual spaces. But, they are also an extension of the outdoors. So, it’s a good idea to take that into consideration too. That’s why the best colors usually mimic or at least compliment the colors outside.
I love slip-covered furniture and I do love rattan and wicker. But, I did a sunroom once with two leather chairs. I talked about it here.
*The only thing that you need to worry about is putting in furnishings and fabrics that won’t get wrecked by the sun.
Therefore, unless you already have the sunroom or conservatory, it’s important to consider what you will be using the space for.
As for other considerations like flooring? Well, again it depends. You can do anything that you would do in a kitchen. For some great kitchen floor ideas, please check out this post.
Oh, I always forget about my work, but if interested, there are some other sunrooms here that I have done.
I could easily live in an entire sunroom home. Well, just as long as I could have some shade from the sun. Oh, the irony; the bright sun gives me a giant headache!
For me, the nursery was something that I spent a great deal of time planning in my mind. I had saved ideas for years and once we found out we were pregnant, it was one of the things I was most excited to start. We knew we had definite ideas for a boy or girl nursery and since we are having a little boy, the nursery has been decorated in a way which we felt said "boy".
It's been hard for us to describe the nursery under a specific theme. We really felt that the nursery was a collection of things we loved, things that represented us, and things that we hoped the baby would enjoy now...or eventually :) We stuck to a neutral/calming colour palette and included rustic elements.
There are a lot of elements to the nursery that we created or made ourselves, which may be why it took us so long to put together. We love how the nursery has turned out. It may not be the typical nursery, but for us its perfect and we love it.
We chose to focus on texture as well. Metals, woods, soft fabrics were all used to add interest to the space.
Elements that we had collected over time, magazine and online inspiration, and truly our own personal style.
Decorating Style
Truly a blend of traditional mixed with contemporary elements. I love fresh, clean looks without a lot of clutter. Spaces that truly speak for themselves.
Project Details
We DIY'd as much as we could :)
Knobs on Dresser- Vintage/Handmade
Vintage Style Roadster- Indigo (gift)
Rocking Horse- Vintage (Second Hand)
Change Pad table topper: Handmade
Favorite Items
My favorite items in the room have to be the vintage letters spelling out the baby's initials above the crib and the shelves my husband made. They add a perfect rustic feel and I love that we made them ourselves.
Advice
DIY what you can, and don't be afraid to stick to a budget! You can find great things at second hand stores and online. Not only are these pieces original, they add so much originality to the space!
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