I'm Back!

I missed blogging! I have been involved in many projects, in many directions But, I have missed posting and reading your posts~ Additionally and thankfully, my Interior Design business has busy!

Making recycled jewelry has been a wonderful pastime.

I love making necklaces the most. 

Getting lost in putting together the parts of the pendant is wonderful pastime!

The Brayton Homestead is still a most magical place to live! 

Our sitting room, my favorite place for sipping tea...

                                   and gardening can always transport you to a happy place!
                                                    Hoping you have all been well!

She Shed Dreams

 I so intended to create my She Shed this Summer. I envision a bright space created using recycled materials. I have been collecting antique doors and windows for the exterior for my oasis.

Creating a place fit for a queen for the day! Fresh fruit, croissants and freshly squeezed juice served on an old vintage silver tray  sounds divine.  

Mostly creams and white accented with wood tones (worn and aged, of course) will give the inside a vintage hideaway retreat. Will keep collecting antique furniture and architectural pieces and shoot for next year!

thanks for visiting!

Happy Birthday Krumpet!

Dear Krumpet turned 9 years old! What a sweet soul he is! A great companion and good listener!

Thanks for visting!

www.braytonhomesteadinteriors.com

New studio display~ recycled vintage!

 Many new recycled necklaces, (well vintage and recycled parts) in my studio! Do you like my new display? It was easy to create and portable for shows! Keep a lookout for a giveaway for one of my pieces! www.braytoncottage.com

Remembering

"Remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the freedoms we share in this great nation"; a lovely quote from Susan Freeman. The Doyle family had a lovely day and hoping you did too! #BraytonHomesteadInteriors #braytonhomestead220

Published in Country Sampler magazine 1 year ago!

I cannot believe it has been a year since my home, the Brayton Homestead, was published in Country Sampler Magazine! Boy does time fly. It seems like yesterday that Fifi O'Neil, the fantastic stylist and author of Prairie Style was here!

The house, built in 1796, has most of the original woodwork. These pictures are of one of the rooms, the bedroom, that was featured. The kitchen and sitting room were also in the magazine. Yes, I love pink, chenille and pillows!

Another wall in the bedroom has the original fireplace with  my favorite wood work in the house. Painting detailed woodwork in an off white shows off all the curves. I love mixing shades of pink and maroons with brown to keep the colors grounded. My favorite vintage leopard hats adorn the mantle along with an angel watercolor I painted. Symmetry on the mantle works here in a room that is off- centered with a door and a chaise lounge.

Thanks for coming to the Homestead. Hoping you enjoyed  pictures from Country Sampler Magazine!

Karen

thanks for visiting friends!

linking with:

My Uncommon Slice of Suberbia

Cozy Little House

Chartreuse , Tapestry & Recycled Wood

Thank you for visiting Brayton Homestead. Our homestead was built in 1796 and it a wonderful home to live in. Rich textures and materials create a a warm and inviting feeling. Hope you enjoy the tour of our front entrance. 

The front door entry,circa 1796, boasts original wide pine floor boards, antiques, tapestry and lots of the color chartreuse.  I found this Victorian rocker with it's tapestry upholstery at an antique auction. The background color of the tapestry inspired all the hall's collectibles. The pillows are made from old carpets. Mixing patterned textiles is one of my decorating signatures in my design business. 

Upon entering the hallway there are doors on either side to enter formal parlors. Straight ahead is a stairway that leads up to the second floor bedrooms. Two old white chippy corbels sit at the edge of the stairs. They break up all the wood tones while adding color and texture. I love adding recycled architectural salvage to any space.

    

More chartreuse! More tapestry! I had the corner cabinet made from old floor boards from another part of the house that were too damaged to repair. That is very unusual at the Homestead, we save and restore everything, but these boards were too damaged and weak. We recycled them to have a new life as a piece of furniture.

Vaseline glass pieces, Kewpie dolls, a bird's nest and photographs all mingle together, inspired by one color! 

You never know where your decorating inspiration may come from, here it was a tapestry rocker. I added an old footstool near and a tapestry throw for more texture and pattern.  I love the bohemian, yet Victorian look a mix of textiles create.

Inspiration is everywhere! Explore and enjoy

and

Thank you for visiting the Brayton Homestead!

Karen

Linking with :

How Sweet the Sound

My Uncommon slice of Superbia

Cozy Little House

Coastal Charm

Skates, my favorite winter door accent

We are anticipating over a foot of snow here in Massachusetts. We expect that at least once a season in New England, but that does not mean we welcome it. It is charming to look out the homestead windows.But someone has to shovel it!  In this post I am sharing some older pics where I decorated the homestead with ice skates. My go- to winter icon in decorating my doors is vintage skates. My front door here boasts black skates with a plaid scarf , silver balls and silver stars. The silver reflects nicely with a spot light directed on it. 

I painted these skates picturing a snowman on a blustery day for my friend for Christmas a few years ago.A bit of fur and glitter sparkle placed in front of the fireplace. 

I am not a gifted skater but plan to try it again this winter. I should probably stick with watching the skating competitions, but am going to try.

Here, I simply added big red pompoms to the white skates. They remind me of  the red fur pompoms I had on my skates as a girl. A little fake snow was attached with a glue gun and accented with red check ribbon bow. A great bonus for decorating with ice skates is that you can keep them up all season long.

Stay warm and

thank you for visiting the homestead.

Karen

Linking with these great blogs:

Savvy Southern Style,

Elizabeth & Co.,

Dwellings the Heart of the Home,

My Uncommon slice of Suberbia, 

Coastal Charm

BLOG DECORATING CHALLENGE

I was asked to take a BLOG CHALLENGE with the great online store, CHAIRISH. The challenge was to create an inspiration board around one of their vintage furniture pieces. To my delight there were many painted/ distressed beauties that I love ! Their vintage painted furniture perfectly reflects my decorating style at my own home, the Brayton Homestead, as well as being a furnishing accent I incorporate into many of my client's home at Brayton Homestead Interiors.

There were so many fantastic painted cupboards to choose from.  As I had recently presented my recycled jean skirts in a fashion show at the East Bay Chamber of Commerce in Warren R.I., I was drawn toward furniture with a faded denim patina!

  Doesn't this cabinet remind you of your favorite blue jeans?

 Here I am at the end of the fashion show wearing one of my plaid skirts with a lace insert and gold tone buttons purchased from my trip to Williamsburg . I walked with a handsome and sweet male model wearing my designs. I made the ascot  and cuffs he is wearing and accessorized a vintage jacket with an authentic tricorn hat and reproduction haversack. In the pixture in the top right corner on the inspiration board, a young female model struts her style in another of my one of a kind jean skirt designs with a vintage blue stripe fabric bottom with trim. 


Pictures left to right.
row 1:  1. mirror from Chairish, 2. my pic from Williamsburg, 3. flag chest from Chairish, 4. model in Brayton Cottage show,
Bottom row 2 : 1.cabinet  from Chairish, 2. Elle Decor and shirt Google.  

Not to mention my farmhouse, the Brayton Homestead, circa 1796, has many painted furnishings. It is full with red, white and blue tones, especially checks. .(This picture was of my kitchen in Country Sampler magazine this year.)

Small patina pieces are easy to be found (some  in my online shop) but it is harder to find larger pieces. My dream family room (below)  would contain many perfectly worn furnishings.  Vintage furniture adds a warmth to any space. Here, blues, gold and lots of comfort!

Crazy for this carpet too, also from Chairish; bold in color but still soft in tone and pattern. Both the chair and carpet are now on my wish list.

Red always make me smile, I hope that is the feeling when big red gates welcome visitors 

to my homestead ;they never fail to get noticed. 

So, what inspires your decorating ? 

Family, home, patina, color and texture inspire me. 

Distressed pieces take the worry out of a ding or scratch ruining your furniture. They make it more loved and comfortable -like your favorite pair of go-to  jeans! Entertain and welcome  your family and friends into your homestead, and enjoy!

Thank you CHAIRISH  for presenting me with this blog challenge

and

Thank you for visiting the homestead

Karen

   

A Beautiful & Exciting 2014!

WHAT A FANTASTIC YEAR!!

2014 brought great family time, national recognition of my interior design work, 

my clothing in a fashion show and a class reunion 

Of course I must start out with the most important things, the ones I love. 

Here, my handsome and loving son Doyle with our yorkie, Krumpet. 

This year also brought a significant other to my life, more love! 

The recycled clothing, mostly skirts that I design , make and sell on on my online store, BRAYTON COTTAGE,  were part of a fashion show with 2 other designers. I presented the show with a revolutionary era  look inspired from my recent trips to Williamsburg; also the theme for Christmas decorating this year.

                                                               Yes, a wonderful year!
                                                Thank you for visiting the Homestead,
                                                                          Karen

Williamsburg inspiration at Brayton Homestead

Christmas at the Brayton Homestead is inspired by my recent trips to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. It started with a gold tone metal ornament holder in the shape of a tree that I purchased years ago.Although  a bit dated it seemed perfect for my house this year.It has been an incredibly exciting year; topping off the events is Fifi O'Neil coming to style my house then the homestead featured in Country Sampler magazine.

The snowman ornaments that I made  accompany a mix of tartan bows red apple ornaments and green icicle ornaments.

More Williamsburg inspiration on my kitchen fireplace mantle;.simple greens flow up and around my watercolors of fruits and vegetables. I collect interesting artificial fruits whenever I find it. A vintage French etching of a rooster centers the mantle arrangement.   

A peak of my paper mache snowman on my counter. Been been making them for years and love putting them out each year. Love that I can leave them out all winter, especially with our Massachusetts weather!

The idea of putting a candle in a wrought iron holder was something I saw while shopping in Williamsburg. Theirs was a lovely red lantern, but I improvised and really like it was. 

Merry Christmas from all at the Brayton Homestead. 

to you and yours.

Thank you for visiting the Homestead,

Karen

Happy Labor Day

Have a wonderful Labor Day. 
This is my friend's front porch with flags and flowers! Annuals and perennials all mix beautifully. 
Here are more of my  favorite finds and photos of the week.

My companion at all times, Krumpet. 

One can never be down with him around. Look at that face! 

The painted checkerboard floor  I painted that was featured in 

Country Sampler article about my homestead.

See the left column top pic that was published.  

and this graphic from Graphics Fairy for labels that I am crazy about!

Cool enough evenings to light my outdoor fireplace, oh so fun, next time marshmallows! 
I have had it for years and it still works and makes the side stone patio look inviting.. 

New changes coming to my Brayton Cottage shop, here in rough form. Stay tuned to my new collection of skirts " BRAYTON HOMESTEAD COLLECTION"

Busy at work on my computer, using the Mona Lisa mouse pad made my friend  made me :she sells them on Etsy. 

Thank you for visiting the Homestead,

Karen

Country Living Fair finds adorn my Guest Bathroom

I have posted pictures of my guest bathroom before but I wanted to share two items that I purchased at the Country Living Fair and added to the room. This small bathroom was originally the bourning room when the house, the Brayton Homestead, was built in 1796. 

The fair was so fantastic!  I have not stopped thinking about all the lovely antiques, jewelry and crafts I bought and all the incredible things I did not. A black lidded mason jar soap dispenser completed a long search for just the right vessel for my favorite ginger hand soap and there it was at the fair.   

Behind the doors on the right are a washer and dryer with shelves above; so easy to get laundry done. Another shutter door hides a shower. The bathroom project came out better than I expected and offers so many uses. 

Has been a few months since the CL Fair and getting things placed. The black and white hide was the other new addition to the room from the fair.

Louver shutters are repeated on the windows, top and bottom. They offer many configurations for season and light changes. I like to use shutters  on client work for that same reason. Will share more finds from the Country Living Fair. Enjoy and thanks for visiting!

Karen

Thank you for visiting the Homestead,

Karen