eggmountain

Tub!

Here is the new tub for the garage, which is actually a galvanized trough we salvaged from Ethiel's grandfather's farm.  We went back and forth about whether or not we should actually use it, but the dimensions were too perfect - it had to happen.  Now I'm more excited than I should be about bathing in a vintage farm implement.

So, we'll use leftover slate tiles from the main house to cover the floor, and the wall surrounding the shower and tub will be skim-coated with concrete.  We've selected an inexpensive white ceramic vessel sink for the lavatory, which will sit on a salvaged piece of black granite.  This weekend we scored an old mirror that will fit perfectly above the sink, and at 48"H it will help to visually enlarge the tiny little niche that surrounds the lavatory.

Now we just need to acquire a door, preferably vintage with textured glass, that we'll use to separate the bathroom and bedroom.  If I knew I could schlep a door from Athens to Knoxville on my own, I'd start my shopping here at the local Habitat Thrift Store.  However, I can already picture that scene in my head and it's not pretty.

I'll just be patient.

Maybe.

 

Style File 05

After spending a portion of the weekend discussing the electrical plan for the garage, I'm super excited about the process once again.  I've been so torn about so many things, many of which I'll discuss here later, but for the moment I'll just leave you with these beautiful images from Remodelista, one of my very favorite sources for online inspiration.

I'm loving that garage door and concrete floor, both of which will soon make an appearance in our own little garage conversion.  Actually, the concrete floor was poured last week but in my excitement I forgot to take pictures.  I'll post them soon, I promise.  By the time I make it back to Knoxville, the plumbing will be complete and perhaps even the electrical!  It's all happening so fast at this point. 

 

And how gorgeous is this door against the board and batten siding?  Ever since our trip to Maine, I've been spying this blue color everywhere and coveting it.  And see that cute galvanized outbuilding in the background.  Perfect. 

 As the work on the garage comes to a close, we only have a few key decisions left - like the design for the kitchen island.  Being that it will be our main task area in the garage, it's going to have to serve multiple purposes.  I love this concept, but think we'll need a closed unit to disguise the copious amounts of stuff we're going to need to hide.

Any ideas?

 

I'm working in Athens this week and LOVING it.  For the next couple of weeks, actually, I get to bask in the beauty of this tiny enclave and partake of all of the things I've been missing.  I've been here less than 24 hours, and all ready I've reacquainted myself with the Daily Co-op, The Grit, 90.5, Athens Blueprint, and my friend Summer's tiny little futon.  With luck I'll soon make it to the world's greatest dive bar, the one and only Manhattan Cafe.

Hello little town.  I've missed you.

Old Bones

Two weeks ago my parents were here, and the day after they departed we flew to Maine!  I use the exclamation point because that's how I feel when I think about our time there - not because of my parent's departure.  Thanks to the generosity of dear family friends, we were invited to stay at Rockcrest - their family house at the shore.  Rockcrest was built in the 1920s and still remains with the original family.  While it's strictly a vacation home now, old family photographs line the walls, antiques fill the rooms, and drawers and cupboards are still filled with linens, family papers, and a motley assortment of miscellany.  I had an excuse to open up every closet in the house while I searched for an iron, and along the way I found a number of little treasures waiting to be rediscovered.  Old hairpins, historic storage boxes, and numerous quilts have been left to keep the old home company. 

As much as I adore anything with patina, the combination of the creaky house with these old things means it can get a little creepy at night.  Walking down the hall in the dark is a little spooky with all of those eyes on the walls watching.  And something about the bathroom under the stairs sent shivers up my spine - it didn't help that the lock in that room is tricky and each time left me stuck in there a few seconds longer than I wanted to be.  I won't mention the suicide that occurred in the detached garage many years ago - or maybe I just did.

In the daylight however, it's a totally different story.  As the sunlight spills through the windows and pools on the floor, the peace and contentment provided by the house would make me a millionaire if I could bottle and sell it.  I know each of us - me, Ethiel, Sarah, Hayes and my in-laws, Ben and Susan - felt instantly renewed when we arrived.  When I travel I seek to be inspired and normally find myself itching to get out and see what the region has to offer, but at Rockcrest, the inspiration found me. 

I love everything about this old house (minus that scary powder room under the stairs) - the history, the architecture, the grounds.  Our time there is always too short and our visits too few.  One of my many goals in life is to build a perfectly appointed small house - not too small, but definitely not too large, and Rockcrest will undoubtedly dictate the design theme.  The mixture of cedar shakes and stone walls against the backdrop of greenery makes my heart swoon.  The color palette is pretty dreamy, too. 

 

On the left is the garage with an old swing in the foreground, and on the right a downspout proceeds down the curved wall, clad in cedar shake

The front porch and old house numbers

 

Another view of the curved front porch

  

Two different views from the side entrance - I adore that tapered column and the shadow lines cast by the shakes

  

The front porch again, where we spent most of our time reading and enjoying each other's company

 

A little peek into the bathroom that wasn't creepy and the diamond sash just inside the front door - Sarah made it a habit to fill various vessels around the house with flowers from the grounds.

I can't wait to return.  In the meantime, I hope to prescribe some of the tenements found at Rockcrest to the garage renovation.  Mostly what I've taken away from Rockcrest is that fine design is rarely flashy and is instead achieved by quality materials that reflect the regional landscape - in this case cedar, stone, and slate.  And a view of the ocean from the bedroom window only adds to the appeal.

 

Living with spirit

This is day two of Summer Camp eggmountain, and I'm still in flip flops.  I note this because it's a huge accomplishment considering my aversion to toes, especially my own little stubby specimens.  I also find it disconcerting to have something foreign trying to keep my big toes from the others - it's as though the big guys are being punished for a crime they didn't commit.  But here I am, lounging in flip-flops and contemplating how long I'm going to attempt to be productive before I jump in the pool.

Work on the garage has picked back up after a brief recess, which is encouraging because our time here in Sequoyah Hills is coming to a close.  Ethiel's grandfather, Conway, moved his family here in the 1960s; three generations have now called this place home.  Since his passing last summer, the estate has slowly been dismantled and divided, and soon the "For Sale" sign will be staked in the front yard. 

Four years ago, Conway built the pool house, our current residence, behind the main house and adjacent to the pool.  Then he was strong, active, and energetic - this pool house was a "just in case."  If he ever became too frail to care for himself, help would be steps away in the main house.  It was impossible to imagine then that within three short years he would be gone.  He was kind, generous, and always good for a laugh.  Everyone knew him, and everyone called him Conway, even his grandchildren.   

When Eth and I would visit from Athens, Conway would always ask if we would consider settling in Knoxville.  At that point in my life I could have never imagined leaving Athens.  But, here we are, living in his pool house and still benefiting from his generosity.

I like to think that Conway is pleased to know we took him up on his offer.   

Silver Linings

So the last three weeks have been a little intense, but in that good way where you just don't know if you can stand to eat, drink, and be merry one minute longer!  There were several moments during the last few weeks when I thought I would surely die from leisure.  It's just not natural to have so little stress and such freedom from obligations.  My parents visited us here in Knoxville, which was wonderful, especially considering that my father always insists on driving.  For an entire week I had my own personal chauffeur.  I scouted out a couple of local design shops with my mom, and I finally acquired my very own copy of domino's Guide to Decorating.

You can tell it's mine because I've drooled on all the pages.  It's like licking a piece of chocolate when you don't want to share.  Although you're welcome to look at my book, just know that my genetic code is laced between each of the pages.

I really appreciate your wonderful comments and support through this tricky transitional stage.  I know I'm not the only one dealing with new moves and difficult job hunts, but sometimes it's hard not to take it personally.  I've decided to treat this time as the luxury it is - my own personal summer camp.  In the very near future there will be swimming, painting, and arts and crafts, and lots of time spent in flip-flops.