Thursday, July 12, 2012

Cabin Master Bedroom on a Lake

GETTING BACK TO MY CABIN.....
When we last left our heroine.....
she (me)
 was regaling us with tales of renovation, expansion, and spending loads of money!!!!!

Now, through the magic of blog land....
I AM GOING TO CHANGE FROM THE THIRD PERSON TO THE FIRST PERSON!!!!!
(don't try this at home)

OK, enough being silly, 
it's just been one of those days,
I've been back down in my basement inhaling paint fumes.

This is a picture of my new master bedroom.....
Once you come down the new set of stairs ....
(glorified ladder)
and walked through the new study....
you entered the bedroom.
Both the study and the bedroom 
had large casement windows and French doors 
that opened onto the new lower deck.....
42 Highland Ave, Newbury, NH 03255
So the whole back side of the house,
 facing the lake, 
was a wall of glass
 affording a pretty nice view, if I do say so myself.....

I found an old hooked rug for the bedroom and had it 
cleaned and repaired.
If you are willing to spend the money, 
you can revive the life of a failing hooked rug by taking it to the right place.
In the Boston area there is a wonderful rug hospital called
I had a little (tiny) cottage on Cape Cod
 that I sold just before I added the second floor to my cabin.
I used some of the furniture from that house in my new space,
 reinventing and changing as needed.
This had been my bed in that little place and I tweaked it for this cabin.
The four posts had been connected by a canopy framework, 
but I decided 
 I liked the idea of a tall four poster better.
Problem was,
 what to do with the tops of the posts??????
I KNOW!!!!!
LET'S STICK BEARS ON THEM!!!!
So that's what I did.....
I designed wooden black stained finials,
 and then rubber cemented some of my bear collection
 to their flat tops. 
I then found sticks and small rocks around the property 
(they had to be just right)
to give the little bears something to hold!!!!!
It's hard to see.....
but the bears at the head of the bed are on their backs holding rocks with their four paws......

As I showed you, I used green star wallpaper in the study....
and you can see that here, I used a blue color way of the same stuff......

For the window treatments, 
I used a really long fringe for a valance effect.....
The curtain finials were stained glass 
(plastic
star Christmas tree light covers
 that I jammed on the ends of the small dowels I used for drapery rods.
They were always falling off
and I am so professional that I never bothered to properly attach them. 
I figured all that bending over was good exercise.....

The chair came from my neighbor 
who lived across the street from me in Watertown.
She saw it on the side of the road on trash day and dragged it home.
After sitting for a year in her garage,
 her husband gave her an ultimatum.....
So it ended up in my garage...,
for a year...
but then I had it redone!!!!!
This was before 
I knew how to reupholster,
 and that I could paint furniture, 
so I had to pay to have it done,
 and the free chair suddenly became 
one
VERY
expensive
CHAIR!!!!!
The fabric is one of my all time favorites from Cowtan & Tout....

Here's just a quick tip for you guys
in the throws of renovation
who are faced with trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.....,
I had a big honkin' I-beam running down the middle of this room.
So I had it clad to look like a wood beam.....
Just extend the two pieces of wood on the sides down 1/4" 
and it will look like a classy beam.....

I piled tons of pillows on the bed,
'cuz that's what one does!!!!!
and set a needlepoint bench at the foot,
'cuz that's what one does!!!!!
I love the way the needlepoint works with the hooked rug......
It almost looks like I know what I'm doing.

I think it's wonderful the number of folks that have written me telling me that they remember this story.
(that was back in 1993 you guys.....jesh!!!!)
Some of you even remember that it was published twice 
in Traditional Home,
 once for the top floor, and once for the bottom.....
This lower level won me a design award from Trad Ho, and it was really fun going to Manhattan to receive it.
I felt like I had won an academy award.
I was picked up at the airport in a limo.
So there I was...
riding in the back of a stretch limo...
feeling carsick!!!!!
I had to ask the driver to pull over and let me sit up front with him.
OY!!!!!
Latah Gatah
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17 comments:

scone said...

I remember that room! Where are the little bears now?

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Betsy, Your bedroom is so wonderfully full of pattern, color and texture. It reminds me of an English home. And I really love the way you write! I would be up in the front of the limo with you too!

Maggie Ann said...

Love what you've done. Your bedroom is so inviting.

Kathleen said...

Great room, the bears are a cute touch.
I have to ride in front too. I was always told I would out grow it, guess not!

Teresa said...

So glad you mentioned the cape cod cottage.. I just came across that article in Decorating.. By Trad. home... I look forward to hearing about that too..... I had a cabin in Colorado the same time you had this one and looked at it over and over... Loved it... Thanks, Teresa

Amy Davis said...

I remember this room, too. Loved the bears.

Pondside said...

I am enjoying this so much!

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Beautiful. The room is so charming. I love the whimsy, the patterns, the bears, the stars, etc...

laney said...

...love love love it ALL...more more more...blessings laney

Anne Boykin said...

You're a hoot! I enjoy reading of your adventures. Thanks for the great blog.

nancy said...

B-
I not only remember this story, I probably still have the original magazine.
Have always been a fan of your design work. Love your very expensive chair. Hope you still have it. N

for the love of a house said...

omg, I adored this cabin!! You would laugh at the number of hours I studied this magazine feature (and all of your other ones too!) I even have my very own bear collection (in a box;) that you probably caused! We had hopes of buying a cabin in Colorado for years- that never happen, but the bear collection did. How many houses have you owned in your life dear Betsy?!
happy weekend,
joan

Jaybird said...

I remember this cabin and loved it because we used to camp at Lake Sunapee when I was young!!(I think I still have the pages torn out of the magazine :^)
I like the bears too! My 20 year old nephew gave me a new one...it's a candleholder for an electric tea light....the bear is holding his rod and fish over the "fire" to cook him!! It's cute!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Betsy! Oh, I love how your bedroom looked! You're just the smartest one! Love the little bears on your posts. Again, you're the smartest one! The rug, the drapes, the chair, the bench - still the smartest one.
I'm so thrilled to know (kinda virtual knowing) such a most famous one! :)
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

vignette design said...

This is possibly my favorite bedroom ever. It had such a huge design influence on me. My love of paisley, my love of hooked rugs, four poster beds, the window treatments, alabaster lamps, etc.--I had some of these things already, but seeing them in a magazine...well, you became my design crush, circa 1993! I still have the article in my pre-Pinterest binder!
~Delores

Debra@CommonGround said...

oh yes, I DO remember this feature! Love all the wallpaper you used with your next post, and wow that painted chest with the roses. such a wonderful home, Betsy!

The Charm of Home said...

It's is beautiful! I love this house! Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
Sherry

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