Chevron Accent Wall

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I've been wanting to try out a Chevron accent wall since I hung the black and white Chevron drapes in my bedroom, but to be perfectly honest, the thought of all that measuring and taping just made me tired.

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The Crow

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When I was younger I was running with a friend and she referred to me as a "Crow." 

I had never noticed it myself, but she quickly picked up on my penchant for seeking out shiny objects (even apparently while on the go).
Like the crow, I wasn't one to feather my nest with these items,
but they definitely caught my eye and drew me in for a closer look.

Today still, I am always looking around for objects with forms and textures that I can re-purpose to use in my home. 

A few months back I started keeping an eye on the shoreline for a sturdy and straight piece of driftwood to replace my stock handrails in my back staircase. I was lucky enough to pick up one small length after the last hurricane, but finding a 12' piece proved to be a greater challenge.

Good things come to those who wait and finally last week on that same jogging route I spotted this...

* Please excuse the pile of scrap lumber from another project

Like any good scavenger, I made a quick mental note of the mile marker and ran straight home to get my car. (I would have attempted running home with it, asking my friends to line up to carry it Viking style, but my running group is too new and I didn't want to frighten anyone off on one of our first days out)

With a few simple tools: skill saw, palm sander and using the existing brackets since they were already securely in the wall studs... I am now the proud owner of not one, but three driftwood handrails.

I love the weathered gray, the sturdiness of the hardened wood and the local character it lends an otherwise utilitarian back hall stairway.

 Before and After...

I'm hoping to pick up a great piece for this large wall at the Brimfield Antique Fair in May! What am I going to do with these circa 1976 baby photos of me and my sister?

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Welcome!

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As a child, I watched my father build houses and developed a passion not only for architecture, but for wood. I loved the smell of sawdust and the way he could take a pile of sticks, a few simple tools, and some drawings and quickly turn them into a real home. It seemed so easy and natural, and I wanted to do it, too. My parents teamed up to build homes, and Mom and I would sit at the kitchen table scouring design books and rearranging walls while we dreamed. For a child, having the opportunity to offer an opinion in an adult world not only sparked an interest in home design, but taught me that I too had a say and could contribute to creating my own environment.

Ten years ago, I had the good fortune to move from Boston to Newport, RI.
My husband and I bought a small cape house with a front porch perfect for rockers, a great yard and fantastic neighbors. With very little money, a lot of paint and an abundance of youthful energy, we turned that house into our first home.

Four years and one baby later, we purchased our current home, or what we affectionately refer to as "The Plantation." It has taken almost seven years of trial and error, a lot of hard work, and some creative accounting to take this house from "homeless shelter" to "home", but here is the end result. 

This is what we bought...

And where we are today... (even the skies brightened up when we finished!)

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