Velvet & Linen

patina farm update: un-lacquered brass plumbing fixtures, and the view from the pond...

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and Passover!

Although we didn't work this weekend, we did sneak in a visit to Patina Farm...

The plumbing fixtures are starting to be installed. In our Master Bathroom, the Waterworks Etoile Faucets were installed....

 

The pewter tub from The Bathworks was put into place as well.

 

Once the brass fixtures start to age, they will look lovely with the tub.

 

Nick's Waterworks Henry shower fixtures are now in place.

 

Leila chose the Waterworks Etoile Low Profile Wall Mount Faucet wit Cross Handles.

 

I selected a Kohler utility sink paired with a Barber Wilsons Faucet for the Laundry Room.

 

A vintage spout that we found during our trip to Belgium is being used in Steve's Art Studio/Office Bathroom (a.k.a. "The Library").  The spout will be controled by foot pedals. This will come in handy when Steve's hands are covered with paint!

 

The Danze Stainless Steel Parma Faucet adds a little "industrial" vibe to the chicken coop kitchen. I can't wait to see all of the shelves and cabinetry in this room!

 

 

Meanwhile in the kitchen,  the Lacanche is finally in place...

 

and the center island is being fabricated!

 

The carpenters are also working on the wood doors in the Mud Room...

 

and the scaffolding shelves in Steve's office. 

 

After walking around the house, Steve and I spent some time sitting on the dock by the pond.

 

As we walk around the pond, the Guest House Barn can be seen through the trees...

The magnificent Oak trees are always in the foreground of the house. The tree determined the design of the house.

 

The 300 year old Oak tree towers above the house, providing shade to the entire back courtyard. Isn't she magnificent? 

And then back to the pond... I have a feeling this will become one of Steve's favorite places to paint.

 I hope you enjoyed this update. As always, please feel free to ask questions in the comment section of this post. 

I am heading to Round Top, Texas tomorrow to do some shopping at the Marburger Antique Show. If you happen to see me, please say "Hello"!

I'll be posting pictures on Instagram while I'm there :)

 

xo

Brooke

 

 

 

 

 

 

lighting options in the bathroom...

Most designers have certain pet peeves. One of mine is recessed lighting... those unattractive round lights that often make ceilings look like Swiss cheese. Like our previous house in Santa Monica, our new house will be illuminated with sconces, chandeliers, and lamps. No recessed lighting allowed.

When selecting lights for our sink area in our Master Bathroom at Patina Farm, we were looking at several of our favorite lighting options...

Wall sconces are probably the most popular option. We often use sconces because they light your face from both sides and look lovely on either side of a mirror.  Here are a few of my favorite bathroom sconce images that are very convincing...

image source

 

This bathroom, designed by Suzanne Kasler is a wonderful example of how wall sconces create a beautifully balanced vignette when placed on either side of a vanity mirror.

design by Suzanne Kasler via Architectural Digest

 

image via elle decor

 

image source

 

Another less obvious option... a table lamp.

 

image source

 

We placed a table lamp on the sink base in our Powder Room.

image by Lisa Romerein

 

Lately we've been selecting pendant lights in our bathrooms. Because the glow from pendant lights comes from above rather than the sides, several Velvet and Linen readers expressed concern. Wouldn't this type of lighting be less flattering, creating ugly shadows from above? Unattractive shadows at my age? No thanks!

image source

 

Although this is true of recessed lighting (which is why they are banned in our houses), it isn't the case with pendants. Recessed lightbulbs only light straight down, but pendant lights provide all around illumination, similar to a chandelier.

The complimentary glow provided by the  pendant lights above our sinks in our Oxnard Master Bathroom was so convincing...

image by Lisa Romerein

 

we decided to use these Schoolhouse Electric pendants in our children's bathroom.

 

We have finally made our lighting decision for our Patina Farm Master Bathroom sink area. Because our bathroom will feel like a greenhouse, I wanted all of the pieces to be a little rustic...not too formal. I found some vintage pendant lights with twisted rope cords and simple milk glass shades. They look similar to this School House Electric version, except my pendants are finished in unlacquered brass. 

image source

 

We bought a French draper's table at Charme d'Antan to use as our sink base. It looks very similar to this one...

photography by Christopher Drake 

 

One pendant will hang over each of our Kohler vessel sinks.

image source

 

Because we don't want to hide the beauty of our Waterworks Etoile goose neck faucets...

 

 

only a small lip of the sink will be exposed, similar to this image that I shared before.

 

Well, another couple of decisions made! They are pouring the house slab on Monday, and then the framing begins. Yay!

Happy week!

 

xo

Brooke

If you would like help creating the home of your dreams, email me about our design services. You can also purchase many items found here on Velvet and Linen as well as "to the trade" furnishings through Giannetti Home. Email Kelly about the details.

To Subscribe to Velvet & Linen via email click here.

To follow Velvet & Linen on Facebook click here.

To follow me on Pinterest click here 

Please visit the Patina Style Barnes and Noble page or Amazon page  to order our book.

 

a few new additions to our oxnard bathroom and some questions answered...

I want to thank everyone who left a kind comment on my post about our children's bathroom in our Channel Islands Harbor home here in Oxnard! 

Here are some new images of the completed bathroom and a few answers to your questions...

We replaced the dated melamine cabinetry in the hallway with skirted storage below and open plaster shelves above. 

 

Several of you asked about the plumbing under the sink. You can see a bit of the pipe in this image. 

 

We used the Kraus P-Trap in Satin Nickel.

Several of you were wondering where the shower drain is located... We put it in the corner, so it is hidden by the shower curb. This picture also shows the location of the electrical plug under the table top. It's the perfect location to plug in the blow dryer. 

 

A few of you asked for a close up of how the glass is placed in the curb. I didn't want to see any metal edge, so the glass installer cut a channel into the curb.

 

Here are a couple of new additions to the bathroom... the skirt below the open shelves (similar to the storage in the hallway), the vintage bench for the soap and loofa...

 

and the vintage towel hooks.

 

I purchased the towel hooks and bench from Marina Geest (owner of Over the Ocean)  at Remnants of the Past. They were originally from a little rustic beach bungalow in Norway. 

 The bathroom is now ready for the kids when they come home from camp next week. It will never look this clean again!

To see my design process in pictures, please visit my Peninsula Bathroom Pinterest Board. 

In between our client meetings and designs, we are also starting construction on Patina Farm... Footings are being excavated.

 

This is my bedroom!

The guest house will be shaded by this 300 year old Oak tree (and we'll need the shade! Ojai can get a bit toasty).

 

Believe it or not, this will  become gardens and a pond.

 

I hope you have a wonderful week!

xo

Brooke

If you would like help creating the home of your dreams, email me about our design services. You can also purchase many items found here on Velvet and Linen as well as "to the trade" furnishings through Giannetti Home. Email Kelly about the details.

To Subscribe to Velvet & Linen via email click here.

To follow Velvet & Linen on Facebook click here.

To follow me on Pinterest click here 

Please visit the Patina Style Barnes and Noble page or Amazon page  to order our book.

 

oxnard bathroom renovation part 2...

When we sold our house in Santa Monica a few months ago, we decided that we would live in our house in Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard while we built our house in Ojai. The only problem with our C.I. house was the kids' bathroom. Not only was the bathroom unattractive...

the layout made the room feel cramped, and the plumbing was so bad that every time we turned on the water in the kitchen we would scald anyone taking a shower in the bathroom.

We realized that a renovation was a must. As I explained in my previous post, our design was inspired by the modern country bathroom of our friend Kelley at the Polished Pebble. 

  

 

Just in time for us to move into our C.I. house on Monday, the kids' bathroom is (nearly) complete...

 

All of the walls in the room, including the shower, are covered in waterproof pool plaster. 

Our friend Judy at Exquisite Surfaces was able to find us a gorgeous limestone floor in two days (don't ask why we had such a short time frame... ah construction!). 

 

The Kraus sinks and plumbing fixtures added a clean modern touch to the bathroom. 

 

I found this vintage wood caddy at Remnants of the Past.  

 

Towels are stored on plaster shelves.

 

The antique pine table I purchased from Bonny Neiman is now a sink base. We sealed it with a flat sealer to prevent water damage.

 

 All of the lighting fixtures are from School House Electric. 

 

We used a vintage boat painting as a medicine cabinet. 

 

The painting sits flush against the wall. The storage is carved inside the wall.

 

Another vintage boat painting hangs above the commode.

 

We still need to install the robe hooks above the shower seat...

 

and the toilet paper holder and the linen skirt below the storage shelves this week, but the bathroom is ready for kids and guest!

We will be moving on Monday, so this is sure to be a busy week, but I promise to keep you posted!

xo xo

Brooke

If you would like help creating the home of your dreams, email me about our design services. You can also purchase many items found here on Velvet and Linen as well as "to the trade" furnishings through Giannetti Home. Email Kelly about the details.

To Subscribe to Velvet & Linen via email click here.

To follow Velvet & Linen on Facebook click here.

To follow me on Pinterest click here 

Please visit the Patina Style Barnes and Noble page or Amazon page  to order our book.