by Sarah Fallows | Oct 28, 2015 | November 2015, Retreat, Stuff
Kate Nisbet knew her front door needed a makeover when she first bought her Raleigh home in Midtown’s Lakemont neighborhood. But the home’s neutral exterior—white painted brick, black shutters and grey roof—gave her a blank canvas to give the entry a pop of color. The new aqua door is the perfect shade to offset any seasonal décor and adds whimsy to this mid-century rancher. The door itself features a herringbone pattern.
1. Black and Glass Storm Door: Capital City Lumber Company
2. Color Valspar: Holiday Dress
3. Copper Lantern: Habitat Restore (This copper fixture was rescued from a teardown, requiring a lot of elbow grease, but worth the effort. $35 ($450 new).
4. Door Hardware and knocker: Baldwin Brass from Lowe’s $119 knocker, $169 door hardware
5. Metal wall art: Market Imports at State Farmer’s Market
6. Aqua front porch planters with bee detail: Market Imports $35-$40
7. Flowers and plants: Atlantic Avenue Garden Center
8. Doormat: Smith & Hawken for Target $25
by Sarah Fallows | Oct 28, 2015 | November 2015, Retreat, Stuff
We Like Espresso
Deep browns make any room feel cozy, snug and secure…think cocoon. Go bold with your pillows, rugs and accessories.
“Tanner Brown looks almost black in low lighting, but it turns brown when paired with warm red tones but I like to pair it with White Tie by Farrow & Ball.”
— Tula Summerford, Design by Tula
“Mahogany is a rich, stately color, a great back drop for organic colors and textures.”
— Warren Fluharty, owner of Warren Fluharty Designs
“Silhouette is a rich, warm color that can add drama to any space. Use the color on interior doors or inside a coffered or tray ceiling for visual interest.”
— Vicky Serany, Southern Studio Interior Design
“Amy Howard’s Windsor One Step Paint is a rich brown resembling Nestle semi-sweet chocolate morsels – yum! This beautiful color goes well as the first coat beneath Venetian Brown Toscana Powder Paint for an amazing old-world finish.”
— Laurie Ledbetter, Affordable Chic
“Barb’s Brunette Do is a beautiful espresso color all on its own, as an accent color or as a dry brush color when antiquing. It has beautiful depth.”
— Angie Vestal, owner/creator of Southern Belle Decorative Paint
“Tobacco works as a great neutral. It has the depth and versatility to be paired with both warm and cool tones, such as bright citron or a cool sapphire blue.”
— M. Leigh Mosby, Legacy Custom Homes
by Sarah Fallows | Oct 28, 2015 | November 2015, Retreat, Stuff
If you can use a stapler, you can re-cover the cushions on an old kitchen or dining room chair. Okay, you really need a staple gun, but you’ll figure it out.
The toughest part is finding the right fabric—something sturdy and durable that adds depth and interest. We asked a few of Raleigh’s top fabric stores to pick their faves.
1. Midas Fabric and Blinds
P. Kauffman Fabric
Bird Fabric Graphite: $24.95/yd
“This fabric will add a simple pop of color to any room in your home.” — Pam Koch, store manager
2. Premier Fabrics
Premier Prints
Shen Bittersweet: $9.99/yd
“Shen Bittersweet will make any chair a statement piece.” — Leah Osborne, owner
3. Printers Alley
Hamilton Fabric
Lyrics Orange: $65.50/yd
“This gorgeous orange cut-velvet fabric will bring any chair back into the 21st century.” — Anne Herschler, vice president
4. Mill Outlet Village
Hamilton Fabric
Parquet in Silver Sage
$27.95/yard
“Parquet will add an elegant, traditional charm to any chair.” Bharti Tinani, Mill Outlet Village
by Sarah Fallows | Oct 28, 2015 | November 2015, Retreat, Stuff
Personalize your holiday table with place cards. Assigning seats lets you mix it up, encouraging your guests to meet new people. Or—quite the opposite—keeping some folks apart. (You know what we’re talking about!).
Options are endless, from classic and traditional to customized for your own party theme. Holiday rush getting to you? Get your kids involved in a few DIY options.
Kate: Chalkboard Stand, AC Moore, $1/each
Sawyer: Homemade
Amy: Vintage-inspired brass place card holders, Inspirations Home Décor and More, Set of 4: $29.95
Alexa: Porcelain face plate, Affordable Chic (Great for labeling too), Set of 4: $14
Sam: Beanbag pumpkins, Quintessentials, 4-inch plush pumpkin: $24, Leather pumpkin: $30
Hayden: Homemade
Jack: Tent Cards, Micheals, $6.49/30
by Sarah Fallows | Sep 24, 2015 | October 2015, Retreat, Stuff
Think you’ve spotted Hilary Farr or David Visentin around Raleigh? You’d be right. “Love It or List It’ is in Raleigh! Big Coat Productions has filmed 26 episodes of HGTV’s “Love It or List It” in the Triangle and is scheduled to wrap up at the end of this year. (Although no other city is on the schedule; could the team stay in Raleigh?)
Based in Nashville, Big Coat Productions filmed previous seasons in Canada. RM asked executive producer Maria Armstrong why the company decided to venture to the U.S.—and to the City of Oaks.
Q: Why did “Love it or List it” choose Raleigh as its first U.S. location?
HGTV US, the lead broadcaster for “Love It or List It,” was interested in sharing the great American lifestyle. So we ventured into the U.S. to expand the scope of the show for our viewers. We chose the Raleigh-Durham area because it really reflects the HGTV audience and is also a growing real-estate market, which was perfect to showcase clas- sic and contemporary homes that also reflect a range of incomes and architectural styles.
Q: Where are you located and for how long?
Our North Carolina office is based out of Durham, and we plan on filming until the end of 2015. At the moment, we’re quite content to be filming in Raleigh and are excited about the adventures on which the homes and homeowners around here will take us.
Q: Where are you going next? Will you keep your office here?
At the moment we’re not looking at other cities; we love the location and would like to hang out for a while and get a real feel for this unique East Coast lifestyle.
Q: What did you like or dislike about Raleigh?
Our cast and crew love the location, people and, of course, the great weather and Southern hospitality. Everyone has been friendly and welcoming, and the homeowners seem to genuinely enjoy the show’s process and staff. The homes themselves are different than what we’re used to, so they provide fun and unique challenges as well as great storylines. There really are no negatives to filming in Raleigh, and our only challenge so far is gaining the confidence of homeowners, contractors and suppliers since we’re relatively new to the area.
Q: What is “Love It or List It”?
A one-hour show on HGTV where Hilary Farr, a designer, and David Visentin, a real estate agent, compete to help unhappy homeowners make the decision on whether to renovate their existing home or sell it and buy something new. Both have a budget from the homeowners, and Farr sets out to recreate, while Visentin shows what’s on the market. The end of the show reveals a newly renovated space and the homeowners’ decision to love it or list it. Airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. https://www.hgtv.com/shows/love-it-or-list-it
“Love It or List It” airs Monday nights at 9 on HGTV; Raleigh episodes began airing September 21.
