Belgian Dream House

I adore the Belgian style and when I stumbled upon this home from Arcobaleno I knew I had to share it with you. Take a long look at the photo above. the antique doors open to the most stunning of rooms.

The fireplace is truly a work of art!

Here is a closer look. The shape is beautiful but also notice the fireback in the fireplace and the wide wood floors. They looked pickled or bleached. So pretty.

Above is a close up of the Swedish corner cabinet. But take a closer look at the plaster treatment on the walls – Decorating well is a layering process– starting with these incredible walls, adding the lovely antiques and accessories create a warmth and unparalleled patina.

Here is the view looking from the family room into the kitchen. Notice the stacks of books on the bench and the house model. Again little details that add to the beauty of this home. Also take a closer look at the kitchen. You can see the interesting cabinets which go directly to the ceiling. Also notice the stacks of bowls under the center island.

A close up of the cabinet drawers above the stove. Notice how the enamel plaques are aged.

Dishes and bowls are stacked on shelving- these mirror the bowls under the center island. I love the rusty scrolled brackets.

A view from the center island looking towards the eating area. The long wall of built in cabinetry is to die for. The crystal chandelier is perfect choice. With the large window I am sure it sparkles all day long.

A closer view of the dining area and chandelier. A stunning room. To see more gorgeous interiors and antiques visit Arcobaleno HERE

Wishing all the Mother’s a very relaxing and special Mother’s Day!

(all content property of Willow Décor and not to be copied with out permission)

Another Secret Shopping Spot - DOMUS

This week kicks off the Brimfield Fair; the famous antique show in Massachusetts. I am always excited to head west of Boston, but recently its not because the Brimfield Fair, but because of a secret shopping spot I found along the way.

The store is called DOMUS and is open year round. It is filled with wonderful treasures. Gorgeous antiques, unusual reproductions, fabulous accessories. It is one of my most secret spots for finding wonderful unique items for the homes of my clients (and myself!).

DOMUS formerly known as HOME, located in historic Sturbridge, MA is the brainchild of the famous Alex Pifer of the hugely successful SERAPH store. If you are a fan of the primitive, colonial decorating style you will know that Alex is icon. Over the years she has been featured numerous times in Country Living, Primitive Homes and several other magazines. Her eye and attention to detail has made the most discerning collector come back to the SERAPH again and again. But, Alex is a multi-dimensional and multi-talented designer and buyer. She has ventured into the world of Swedish, French and Belgian decor. And, as you can guess like everything else she does, her new venture is outstanding. Let's have look:

On the property right next to the SERAPH, Alex and her charming husband had a spectacular Post and Beam shop built to house the gorgeous DOMUS inventory. Here a pair of gorgeous armchairs are covered in grainsack slipcovers. Notice the garden table and statuary and how wonderfully it goes together.

Here is a beautiful reproduction chaise covered in linen. The finish on this piece is incredible.

The displays in the store are worth seeing. Alex and her staff, including the talented, Laura, do a fantastic job of putting things together. You can guess how much I fell in love with this vignette.

DOMUS has an incredible selection of antique mercury glass, grainsack covered furniture and Swedish antiques.

But if you like a more refined look, you can find it here as well. Another fabulous vignette; and it has a completely different feel. With such an incredible collection to choose from its easy to find spectacular items for myself and my clients. The store is very large. Here is a more contemporary look. I just adore the linen sofa.

DOMUS is not limited to living room and dining room decor. Above is a beautiful French bedroom set. Notice the lighting as well, Alex has chosen a wonderful mix of lighting options for the most discerning customers.

On my most recent visit I was enamored with this dining room table and chairs. Notice the urns and the birdhouse.

It is a common theme at DOMUS to mix garden items with more formal indoor items.

This mirror stopped me in my tracks. Isn't it stunning? You will rarely see the same thing twice here.

Alex prides herself in obtaining the unique. So if you want to find something extraordinary that no one else has, this is the place. So of course you are thinking that wonderful unique items like this are just too expensive and out of reach - I almost don't want you to know...the prices are very reasonable! So my secret is out - I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

DOMUS is a 45 minute drive from downtown Boston. To see more of their ever changing inventory click their Facebook page here. To get directions click here. And when you head out there, do tell Alex and Laura hello from Gina at Willow Decor. I know you will be glad you made the trip. (Out of state customers can call the store directly as they ship anywhere in the US!)

PS. Sturbridge is wonderful town to visit - plan to stay for lunch at one of the many little cafes and inns.

My Breakfast Room and Family Room Reveal

When I bought my house I knew we would need to enlarge the kitchen and family room area. The previous owners were empty nesters and although the layout worked for them, it was not appropriate for our growing family.

This before picture was taken during our home inspection. At this point the previous owners had removed much of their family room furniture - all that remained was their small kitchen table and some odd chairs. You can see that the wall of windows was about 3 feet beyond the solid wall. A larger table would have ended up looming into the Family room space. So, when we were ready to renovate we pushed back the wall and added an additional nine feet to create a dedicated breakfast room. Here is the breakfast room after!

We recessed the ceiling and added beadboard and crown moulding to match the treatment we added in the kitchen.

I vacillated for months over the light fixture, but finally decided on the Niermann Weeks Italian Chandelier with an antiqued silvered finish. (Actually I vacillated over spending the money or not spending the money - I always knew it was just perfect) In the end, it was my husband's sage advice that made me order it - "You will look at this everyday, all day, for years - buy what you love!" I am so glad I listened to him (He says its one of the only times!)

Here you can see that we added three windows on each side to keep the original feeling.

I found a wonderful Belgian wrought iron table with old wood top that fit the space perfectly. Wisteria had a bench that was just the right size and I topped it with a grainsack! The linen curtains were a steal, only $20. a panel, a close-out from Country Curtains; all they needed was a little doctoring.

You might remember that at this time I also took out the over head cabinets between the Family Room and Kitchen area and removed four lower cabinets to create more of a center island.

Here you can see how much better the space feels. Removing the upper cabinets also allowed you to see the recessed ceiling area in the kitchen. We spiffed that up a bit by adding the beadboard and crown moulding details.
Here is the Family Room before. This is directly across from the center island. The size is deceiving as the back wall is over 13 feet wide.
Here is the Family Room after. We added the window on the right to match the rest of the back. It was a great addition as it brings in so much light to what used to be a shadowy area. The mantel above the couch I found in the trash on the side of a road many years ago. It has an original workman's label from 1881. What a find!! I just love the feeling it brings to the space. Lamps are from Aidan Gray and the mirror is from Wisteria - It came in gold so I silver leafed it one afternoon.
Here is the before looking from the Kitchen area out toward the Family Room area. Notice the wonderful ceiling detail that was hidden from view before we removed the upper bank of cabinets.
And here is another photo of the after. Notice the addition of the crown moulding. The chairs are my old yellow club chairs, slipcovered in the same close-out linen from Country Curtains- a steal at $6 yard. I think they are bit oversized, but until I find what I am looking for they were an inexpensive fix. Here is the TV cabinet - notice the size of the TV that fit in it.

We added a gas fireplace, mantel and surrounded the area with crown moulding. We also placed a much larger TV above. Winter is long here so the fireplace makes the space so much more cozy.

This is the full view of the new space if you are standing in front of the fireplace.

From this...

To this...

(click to enlarge)

A final thought - I have received some email recently about rooms done by decorators that are considered "high-end" and not accessible to the average person. I just want to share with you that not all things that look expensive actually are expensive. Beauty does not have a price tag. Do not be afraid to mix $20 curtains and mantels you find in the trash with expensive chandeliers, or reproductions from mail order catalogs with real antiques. Trust what you love and it will all come together. It's not about the price, it's about surrounding yourself with things you enjoy.

We really enjoy our new space - I hope you do too!!

To see more of my house click here.

(all photos Willow Decor please do not copy without permission)

Belgian Factory Restored

Some of my favorite magazines are from France and Belgium. I recently saw this wonderful Brussels home that was originally a mirror factory and wanted to share it with you.

The owner, an artist, has lovingly restored and refurbished the factory over the course of several years. The dining room above features a naturally worn farm table and a collection of antique cream chairs with a wonderful patina. The cupboard is made from several old pieces of wood and houses only part of the owners extensive glass collection. The large entry is painted a beautiful buttery cream while the ceilings and upper mouldings are painted a contrasting white. The doors and built in mirrors add to the already light filled space. An antique woodworker's table is a beautiful place to display the owners collection of vintage hats. The light fixture is from IKEA. The kitchen is so wonderfully rustic. Old library shelving is painted white and used to display the huge collection of dishes and serving pieces. An antique library ladder is used to retrieve those items too high to reach. Notice the thickness of the shelves; thicker shelves were created to handle the weight of the different types of crockery. I love the interesting contrast of the industrial style faucet. The owners extensive glass collection is housed in an antique museum case that was painted a soft white to match the walls and highlight the glass. A collection of old unmatched chairs were also painted in soft pastels which unify them. The soft colors and leaning antique mirror add to airiness of the room. Interestingly the light fixture, which matches the entry fixture is also from IKEA.

The library, which doubles as the owners studio is washed in gray paint. The library shelving was also painted and holds the owners extensive collection of books. A vintage stepladder makes the high shelves accessible. I love the wide pine floors, softened from years of use left natural and waxed. The light in this room is just fabulous.

One of several bedrooms -I included this room because I adore the wall moulding.

Here is the adjacent bath. I like the mix of pieces in this space. The antique painted table looks so interesting with the reproduction tub.
This is the trompe-l'oeil bedroom. A closer look reveals a wall of canvas painted by the owner to look like pillows and headboard. A vintage industrial metal stool serves as night stand.
Finally another bath - I just adore the way the owner painted/washed the wall in a soft green. An antique cupboard holds extra towels and sundries for guests.

For more information about this wonderful factory turned home in Brussels click here.

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(all photos marieclairemaison)