River House Diary

Today was a big day at River House. In early March we ordered many window treatments for the house. Then the Coronavirus arrived and the workroom shutdown for a couple of months. But our window treatments were finally installed today! We'll look first at the ones in the Den. It was the only room where we selected both Roman shades and drapes. Den window treatments; personal collection The Den window faces the road and for privacy we added Bahama shutters to the outside. The Roman shades Norbar Fabrics Joplin Snow 14 . I do not know what trim was used on the shades. It was a substitute as our original selection was no longer available. The drapes are a Kravet Basics fabric -- KRA-35273-1613 . I am such a sucker for an embroidered fabric. These window treatments are a departure from what Zuniga Fabrics specified, but they are beautiful, too! Den window treatments close up; personal collection

The den is nearly finished ... for now. It still needs window treatments, determining if the lamp on the commode between the chairs is in its permanent home and better styling of the bar cart. But the room is functional and comfortable -- my two most important reasons for spending so much time thinking about how to decorate. (The lower right photo is the most accurate for color.) Den from three camera angles; personal collection The built-in cabinets are filled with things we've collected in our travels and our favorite books. I know it will be a work in progress as we bring more things home from trips. We use this room in the evenings after dinner when we watch TV. I also find Pete napping in his recliner most afternoons! Built-in bookshelves include travel treasures and books; personal collection

My original plan for the Den was to frame Pete’s Dad’s important World War II medals and hang the three of them on the wall above the bar chart. Pete had another idea. And because of all the red and brown leather books on the shelves, it sort of works. It’s not coastal, but I don’t think every room has to be, especially if it doesn’t have a water view. This oversized glicee copy of Audubon’s Scarlet Ibis painting now hangs over the bar cart. I bought it several years ago to hang over the sofa in the den of our home in Oakton. Who knew It became one of Pete’s favorites? I found out when I tried putting it in the donate pile of art because the colors weren’t right. Scarlet Ibis glicee reproduction; personal collection And since we’ve introduced a little red and brown into the room, one of my favorites pieces — a Picasso sketch of a woman reading, probably done in his teens when he still created realist drawings and paintings. Picasso sketch; personal collection

The Serena & Lily South Seas Bar Cart I bought when we lived in Virginia now lives in the Den. I temporarily styled it yesterday. Since we spend our after dinner hours in the Den, it's no surprise this is the most completely decorated room in the house. And that's not saying much. We still need window treatments, art on the walls and a lamp for the table between our recliners. Bar cart in the Den; personal collection

I posted before about styling the bookcases in the den. I had all my leather books organized in a way I liked but I still needed to layer in decorative items and more books. That took some time. As we watched TV in the evenings, I would get an idea. Then, try it the next day. It took several iterations to get just right. Our interior designers will hate it because it’s not color coordinated with the room. They suggested buying books by the foot in certain colors. But I love books too much not to have my favorites on display. Styled bookcases in the Den; person collection

I have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to style the bookcases in the Den. Pete has organized all the DVDs in the drawers below, but the shelves are my territory. I once read somewhere that built-ins were not helpful when selling a house because many people didn't know what to do with them. I am not one of those people. When I style bookcases, there will be a lot of books. First step, add books; personal collection Yesterday, I accomplished the first step of styling bookcases -- add books. Today, I will begin layering in decorative items. I will also plead with Pete to better organize his electrical cords. I so hate those things! I parted company with Zuniga when styling these shelves. They wanted me to buy old books by the foot in specific colors. I could care less about the color of a book; do I love it and will I reread it? That's my only criteria for keeping a book and displaying it.

Our Ethan Allen Aiden Recliners arrived today. They are upholstered in Borini Straw and the lumbar pillows are from Loloi Rugs and no longer available on Hayneedle. The rug is also made by Loloi. Loloi Rugs decorative throw pillow; courtesy Hayneedle.com You can see the South Seas Bar Cart from Serena & Lily in the background. It used to live in our dining room in Virginia. New recliners for the Den; personal collection

Zuniga Interiors specified window treatments from The Shade Store throughout River House because we could purchase good quality shades and drapes online. However, Pete and I were worried about measuring accurately and hanging everything like a pro. So we asked our builder's interior designer about a workroom in the area we could use to fabricate our window treatments. She pointed us in the direction of McQueen's Interiors . Zuniga Interiors fabric selections for the Den; personal collection The solid ivory fabric on the far left was recommended for the drapes and the beige and ivory floral next to it for relaxed Roman shades. I am such a sucker for embroidered fabric that when I spotted one in my favorite Kravet fabric book, I was a goner. Beth at McQueens had already suggested using a solid for the shade so we could apply some pretty trim to the bottom edge. That meant we could use the embroidered fabric for drapes. I can't wait to see them on the windows! Rom...

Tuesday we drove to the Ethan Allen store in Wilmington and ordered two recliners for Pete’s man cave, also known as the den. We’ve invested hours and several gallons of gas driving hither and yon for months in order to make sure Pete had the recliner he could live with comfort-wise and one I could tolerate the style. I believe we’ve done it with the Aiden recliner. Aiden recliner; courtesy of Ethan Allen Zuniga Interiors specified the Borini fabric in Straw, which is a small herringbone pattern. Borini Straw fabric; courtesy of Ethan Allen

The paint color for the Den built-ins exceeded our expectations. Simply goregous. Den built-in cabinets; personal collection

Pete and I have both been uncomfortable with the thought of ordering our window treatments online as we would be responsible for measuring and installing. We asked our builder's interior designer if she had recommendations for a workroom we could use, and she directed us to McQueen's Interiors in Morehead City. We are working with Beth Cantrell. She must have loved us. We walk in off the street extremely windblown, carrying a 3-ring binder and two plastic bags filled with carpet and tile samples and fabric. But after selecting treatments for 21 windows, crafting a cushion for our closet bench and reupholstering a bench and a chair, I think she really loves us now! The woven shades Zuniga selected for the kitchen were now longer available, but this looks like a great replacement -- just perfect. Window treatments selected for four kitchen windows; personal collection A bonus for us -- the sideboard Zuniga Interiors specified for the eat-in area of the kitchen is on sale...

We have several “specialty” doors throughout River House. There are glass pocket doors between the foyer and the den and pocket doors in the guest bath and between the master closet and laundry room.  The pantry door and the one between our closet and bathroom are bi-directional swing doors. The pantry door will also have glass in the top panel. We decided to do that because so much natural light comes through the pantry window. We got our first look at the glass pocket doors to the den yesterday. (The protective coating on the glass will eventually be removed.) It was an unseasonably cold day and the trim carpenters had all the doors closed and were running a space heater. Glass pocket doors between foyer and den; personal collection

The built-in cabinets in the Den are progressing nicely so of course it was time to buy a rug for the room. Plus, I needed to take advantage of the Cyber Monday sales. This is the Ella Rose rug from Magnolia Home in light blue and dark blue. It will go in the Den, or what I call "Pete's BIG TV room." Magnolia Home’s Ella Rose rug in Light Blue/Dark Blue; courtesy of Bed Bath & Beyond Several weeks ago I made a list of things we absolutely needed to buy in order to live in our bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and den at River House. Getting those critical rooms furnished would allow me to take my time decorating the rest of the house. The rug for the Den was on the list, but a mirror for the foyer was definitely not. However, Wayfair was having a sale and I do love free shipping! I promise to exercise better impulse control during my next online shopping spree. One Allium Way Walnut Wood Wall Mirror ; courtesy of Wayfair

Last week we met with the cabinetmaker to discuss the design of the Den built-ins, and totally redesigned them on the fly adding another section for a total of six instead of five. The design was the cabinetmaker’s idea once he knew the primary purpose for the built-ins was threefold: 1) house a big TV, 2) store DVDs and 3) books. Pete should still have room for a 65-inch TV. He is a happy camper. Beginnings of the Den built-in cabinets; personal collection

We had a cold snap in coastal North Carolina with temperatures in the 30s. Our little short-term rental doesn't have much in the way of extra blankets and throws to snuggle in while watching TV. So we decided to purchase the throws Zuniga Interiors recommended for our Den. The throws are sold by Pottery Barn and I figured we have them delivered to my brother's house. Not so fast ... the Chunky Handknit Throws  were not available for shipping and could only be picked up at a Pottery Barn store. The nearest store is over 80 miles away in Wilmington. It's a good thing we're retired and have the time to take a day trip! Chunky Handknit Throw; courtesy of Pottery Barn

What is it about a man and his recliner? After we demolished the swamp witch, fieldstone waterfall and goldfish pond in the basement of our first house, we went furniture shopping at La-Z-Boy. Our sales lady was old enough to be Pete’s grandmother and came up to his belt buckle, but she flirted with him shamelessly. She knew her sale depended on finding the right recliner for Pete. And she did. And it was a monstrosity. Any piece of furniture named the Grand Canyon is going to be bad. When we moved into our Oakton house, it took about four years to talk Pete into even looking at different recliners. He finally conceded and we got a less ugly one. He doesn’t like it as well and occasionally complains that his “footies” hang over the foot rest -- something his "girlfriend" at La-Z-Boy told him was the sign of a bad recliner fit. I’m not buying it, though. He falls asleep in it just as fast as he did sitting in his first recliner. How quickly he nods off in that chair has beco...

And just like that I'm over "dark and moody" and back to coastal. That's what I love about good interior designers; they keep you on track.  The walls will be painted Magnolia Home Pearly Cotton (MAG041), the built-in cabinets will be Sherwin Williams Aquitaine (SW9057), and the door and window casing will be Magnolia Home True White (MAG008) Den design concept; courtesy of Zuniga Interiors The Den is 11'6" deep by 14'0" wide with 1'6" deep built-in cabinets along one wall. It has double pocket doors with glass panels that adjoin the foyer. Den furniture placement; courtesy of Zuniga Interiors Ethan Allen's Borini and Marcus distressed plaid fabric; personal collection For those who like details: Ethan Allen Graham Recliner in Borini Straw Ethan Allen Bentley Chair in Borini Straw Ethan Allen Bentley Ottoman in Marcus Seaglass distressed plaid Century Funiture Matilda Bay round commode (no longer available) Ba...

When I said I wanted a dark and moody Den, Zuniga Interiors took me at my word and suggested Sherwin Williams 9059 Silken Peacock. Sherwin Williams 9059 Silken Peacock; courtesy of SherwinWilliams.com I wasn't prepared to go that dark! What a whimp. I chose 9057 Aquitaine instead. Sherwin Williams 9057 Aquitaine; courtesy of SherwinWilliams.com

We chose Ellerbeck 1-Light Wall Sconce in Natural Brass from Kichler Lighting to be installed on the built-in cabinets in the Den. Unfortunately, these lights didn't come in a satin nickel so I need to find another manufacturer for the Great Room sconces. Ellerbeck 1-Light Wall Sconce in Natural Brass; courtesy of Kichler Lighting

A lot of interior designers don't like ceiling fans, but they are necessary in the south. They are particularly useful in guest bedrooms, which can get stuffy when the door is closed impeding air flow. Also, when women reach a certain age, they experience hot flashes. Those nasty things are real...and awful. So our house will have eight ceilings fans -- six inside and two in the screen porch. These are the interior ceiling fans. Trevor II LED 60" Fan in Brushed Stainless Steel  for the Great Room; courtesy Kichler Lighting Starkk LED 52" Fan in Natural Brass for the Den; courtesy Kichler Lighting We will use the Starkk 52" fan in white in Bedroom 3 and in polished nickel with walnut blades in Bedroom 2. Carlson 52" LED Fan in Antique Pewter but with light cherry blades for Bonus Room; courtesy Kichler Lighting Fanimation Studio Collection Victoria Harbor 52" Ceiling Fan with dark walnut blades for the Master Bedroom; courtesy Lowe...