DIY: build your own coffee table in under an hour

During the barn's open house, the coffee table received so much attention. Before I go on to show another room, I thought I'd share how my mother whipped up this table during the day prior to the party. She built her coffee table in such a short time because she had all of her supplies at hand. It might take a little longer if you have to hunt down a crate and have your glass custom cut, but the satisfaction of making something on your own will remain. As always, we love the juxtaposition of old and new. Industrial casters seem to lend themselves to crates very naturally. We've been very inspired by Baileys. They do wonders with crates.

materials:
-vintage wooden crate
-4 over-sized casters
-scrap wood
-glass cut to your specifications


Our crate was sturdy, but the wood was too thin for inserting large casters.
To give it some heft, my mother attached two one inch slats across the width of the crate. Next, she drilled four holes for the casters, which slipped right in. She topped it off with a thick piece of vintage glass that had belonged to my friend's grandmother. That's it! You can also purchase a custom cut piece of glass from your local glass shop. Casters can be found at most home builder stores. We also love the selection at the Tractor Supply Company.


I'd love to hear what you've created with something old and something new.

barn tour part one

Welcome! You've all waited for this tour so patiently...thank you. I will start with an overview, a few rooms at a time, and continue sharing pictures throughout the summer as we change corners around or just to zoom in on something interesting.

The above photo is the view upon entering the front door. This room, at 300 sq. feet, is an open floor plan mudroom/kitchen/dining room/living room. Every inch had to be well-thought out. A large concrete slab inserted into the floor entry serves as a transition from the outside to the inside. The counter doubles as a dining spot and desk...it holds a laptop perfectly. It's paired with mismatched, vintage industrial stools. Another stool holds an ipod sound system.

The wooden sign collage was discovered underneath the barn when it was crane-lifted and moved to its new foundation. After much research on the builder of the barn, Chas Clapp, we discovered that he had a cousin in Ithaca who was a sign painter. This cousin must have given him scrap wood for various projects. The pieced together advertisements from the late 1800's is truly a "found object", an unintentional work of art. Placing it in such a prominent spot seems to honor this gentle and romantic man who built such a solid and lovely structure 120 years ago. On the original walls were various images that we saved and collaged together in a frame. We put them along side the letter Chas left as a time capsule for my mother to find. These were displayed on the dining counter for the day. I don't think he could have asked for a better person to rescue his barn. My mother appreciates every detail he left behind and they blend seamlessly with her own collections. Kindred spirits from different centuries. Ironically, we found out that Chas Clapp was born in 1844, exactly 100 years before my mother.


I could easily dwell on the romance and history of it all, but back to the tour! If you stayed in the front entrance and looked to the right you'd see the kitchen.
Points of interest: 2 1/2 inch thick concrete counter top, vintage farm sink, galvanized steel backing to open cabinets, small and efficient dishwasher drawer, salvaged radiator tucked under butcher block, Marmoleum floor, pendant light attached to galvanized pipe.


Still unpacking...
Custom cabinet above stove hood...has become a wonderful shadow box for rotating display.

Screen door pantry off kitchen

To the left is the living room, with natural day lighting streaming in through a southern window and French doors.

The arm chair is a 1940's metal bouncer. The fan is an original mid-century Vornado, that blows like a jet engine. I've never enjoyed a fan so much. The couch is a repurposed vintage porch glider, spray painted white. Do you remember it from our first pictures of the barn when it was green? A moment of sheer frustration over how to make it more comfortable and inviting, turned to inspiration when we put an IKEA Flokati rug on top. We love it!



The coffee table is a post in itself. With a little help, my mother built it the day before the open house. I'm going to post a tutorial with details soon.

Next up: bathroom, downstairs bedroom, and deck. Please feel free to ask questions, and we'll answer them to the best of our ability. All barn posts are a joint effort with my mother. I'm so very lucky to have found a creative partner in my mom, and I don't take it for granted for a single moment!

open house

The barn open house was a huge success and so much fun! It was a scorcher, but we served traditional summer refreshments: ice-cold lemonade, watermelon, and baked goods served on an over-sized antique ironing board.


My mom and I, taking a breather on the front porch, hosted over 50 people throughout the afternoon, including good friends and all those that contributed to the barn renovation. This doesn't include all of the people that stopped to take photos of the wildflower meadow with the barn back drop. In fact, while getting ready for the guests to arrive, a wedding coordinator spontaneously walked up the driveway and asked if we'd mind if they had their wedding photo shoot in front of the meadow later in the day...which meant right in the middle of the the open house. Of course, we welcomed them all.

I couldn't resist taking a few pictures myself!


The 94 year old woodworker, who made my mother's art supply cabinet, came by with a barn-warming gift.

The architect, Bob Jefferies and his wife Ann, drove seven hours from Boston to surprise us with his first visit to the barn.
The meadow has been attracting so much more than just bees and butterflies...we never know who will pull into the driveway, and we're making new friends all the time.

What an incredible day! So glad we could share it with you too.


Stay tuned...next post up: Barn Tour!

nesting

My daughter found a perfect little bird's nest yesterday. It seemed a fitting photo. We've been working so hard to feather that nest of a barn for today's open house...I stayed up late last night with my mom...still so much to do...a work in progress! I woke up early to finish baking brownies and citrus shortbread. Now I'm off to the pick arm-loads of flowers to fill up every vase we can find. I'm thinking of all of you dear readers, my new sweet friends, as we open the doors...
The following is something my mother put together for today's guests at the barn. Every local, interested in finding out more, has been invited...including all of the people that keep slowing down to oggle at the poppies out front!

BARN 79 OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, July 12, 2008

“This barn was built by Chas Clapp in the winter of 1888 and it was a warm open winter no sleighing”. -handwritten letter from Chas Clapp found wrapped in butcher paper and tied with a string behind the walls of the stall.

To tinker with a house is to commune with the people who have lived in it before and to leave messages for those who will live in it later. Every house is a living museum of habitation and a monument to all the lives and aspirations that have flickered within it. The goal is not to extinguish those flickering lives, nor create a historical stage set where modern appliances are seen as unscripted intruders. Have the honesty and confidence to leave your mark and personality.”-Stewart Brand

Chas Clapp was one of two sons of a local minister. He served in the Civil War and returned home to become a machinist. He had a workshop on the second floor of the barn with a workbench and a wood burning stove to keep warm in winter. His workbench will be moved to my art studio, the former hayloft.

Various artifacts were found in the eaves and behind the walls of the barn during deconstruction including the above handwritten note, several early movie posters, signage and simple mechanical devices possibly used for removing snow from the roof, positioning a light over his workbench and hauling firewood in the winter. C.S. Clapp,

Chas’s only son, constructed a small stall in the barn in 1898 for several animals, located where my kitchen stands today. The original trough has been salvaged and is being used as a raised bed kitchen garden. As far I can tell, there was no house on the property. Chas probably lived in town and took care of several animals housed in the stall below his workshop.

Leave at least one element untouched. It is like a calling card from the past.

Throughout the conversion/renovation process, design and construction decisions were determined by budget, function, style, sustainability and a strong desire to honor the past. Elements that were untouched were the configuration of the windows on the north exterior side, the original scalloped tin roof (to be recoated in traditional silver), and the wooden floors which were patched where necessary, lightly sanded and preserved with Tung oil. The floor beams and braces on the ceiling of the main floor were kept intact as well. All the interior doors were salvaged from the barn including the sliding stall barn door that has been relocated to the downstairs bedroom,

Vernacular buildings have a timelessness and universal appeal precisely because they grew out of a solid connection with nature and their environment. They were built using materials that were on hand. But there is a danger that we venerate these kinds of buildings at the expense of growth. Our emotional attachment to mellow, time worn materials should not blind us to the possibilities of marrying old and new in a dazzling alliance.

From the beginning, I was committed to this “dazzling alliance” of blending old and new. It has been an exciting challenge to juxtapose and contrast the best of modern technology with the character and soul of the past. I have been fortunate to work with Robb Johnsrud, a LEED certified contractor who understood my vision and was able to use his knowledge and expertise to build such a wonderful, inventive structure for living, working and creating! Our guiding motto was to reuse/repurpose/recycle and make the barn as “green” and sustainable as I could afford. The following is a list of the design and construction ideas we used.

REUSE/REPURPOSE/RECYCLE

• Stall and barn wood used for stair siding, pantry and utility corridor doors
• Original floors: patched rotted floor in stall/new kitchen
• Left floor beam ceilings exposed
• Existing original tin roof and exterior front facing (left barn doors and front window placement)
• Original lumber for porch and deck beams
• Vintage heating grate as light transom in bedroom and bathroom
• Sliding barn stall door for bedroom
• Crouse Hinds light sconce
• Corrugated metal for stairwell and entry porch awning
• Trough as raised bed kitchen garden
• Hog wire allows natural daylighting at end of stairwell
• Galvanized pipe banisters (interior and exterior)
• Magnetized 20 guaged sheet metal backed open kitchen cabinets
• Stonco Roughlite Series industrial entry lights
• Porcelain sinks in kitchen and bathroom
• Hardware, doorknobs, drawer pulls, brackets
• Hot water radiators
• Interior doors
• Vintage gasoline station shop lights

GREEN & SUSTAINABLE

• Efficient heating system: Baxi European boiler and on-demand hot water combo
• Insulated basement “crouch” space
• Energy Star appliances: Frigidaire stainless steel refrigerator, Peerless Premier American made pro series stove, stove hood, Fisher Paykel dishwasher drawer, Frigidaire washer/dryer, The Modern Fan Company stainless steel fan, Toto low flush toilet
• Soy based insulation
• Low voc paint/Benjamin Moore Aura series-custom formula “Sudi White”
• Farbo Marmoleum linoleum: linseed oil/jute
• Concrete counter
• Concrete entry pad functions as a mini-mudroom
• Tung oil on original floors
• Re-sited barn 35’ away from woods for more natural day lighting and greater southern exposure
• Installed 15 new thermal pane windows
• French doors with glass
• Natural tree shading in summer

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

A Pattern Language: Towns Buildings, Construction by Christopher Alexander

How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built by Stewart Brand

Restoration Home by Mark and Sally Bailey

Country and Modern by Dinah Hall

Decorating Junk Market Style by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer

Thank you to everyone who helped me rescue this beautiful old structure and make it my own, especially my daughter Maya, whose design sense and decision-making skills never cease to amaze me!

yes!

Last weekend's trip to New York City was so full of inspiration. Great designs were everywhere. Luckily, my mother and I know how to have a great time without spending a lot of money. We each bought one special item to bring home. I've been fascinated by the Japanese Pattern books I've been seeing around Blogland, but sometimes I need to hold something in my hands before I take out my wallet. Purl gave me just this opportunity. I had tried to visit several times on previous Manhattan trips, but it never seemed to work. It was either closed, or I couldn't squeeze it in. But now I was determined... Purl's blog, Purlbee, is on my blogroll and we are mutual Flikr contacts...my bedroom is adorned with one of their tutorials...needless to say, I was determined.
This tiny little fabric shop was well worth the wait. The women who worked there were so sweet and helpful and the fabric was absolutely delicious! After caressing every bolt I could reach, I spotted the most beautiful Japanese design book- nani IRO. It's filled with gorgeous simplicity and bursting with mother/daughter inspiration. Home it came! Here's a glimpse...






I have to admit, this photo shoot, is about the only time I've sat down all week...thanks for giving me a good reason to breathe and have a glass of lemonade!

Here's my mother's NYC purchase...another piece of great design! This is the best folding step stool I've ever used. We're not big on plastic, but this is so light-weight and functional...I think it looks quite smart, too.


This is it snapping shut. It's ultra slim profile slips between the fridge and cabinets with room to spare! You can buy it on-line here.

bit of brooklyn

As promised, a little window shopping in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. My mother was born in Brooklyn and lived there for her first couple of years. This was her first time back in memory and my first time...ever! Only a 15 minute subway ride from the city, and you enter a laid back community of art-loving/ bike-riding folks who are very proud of their little neck of the woods...and rightly so. Go to UNSCENE BROOKLYN or Design*Sponge's guide for ideas before you plan a trip. My mother and I have both spent most of our lives in San Francisco, and found the main strip of Williamsburg, lined with independent retailers and great spots to get a bite, quite reminiscent of our city by the bay. Here's a little mosaic of some of the interesting places we stopped in. We went into about half a dozen more places, but we tried to be respectful that snapping photos isn't always welcome.


From top to bottom and left to right
1. Future Perfect- steel table and chairs
2. Hell's Kitchen Flea ( I know, not Brooklyn...but I had to put them in) - vintage German dishes
3. Future Perfect- balloon table/stool
4. A&G Merch- paper-mache birds and stump
5. A&G Merch- wooden toadstools, stumps and vases
6. A&G Merch- butterfly head and bird printed wall
7. The Golden Calf- Matryshoka dishes
8. The Golden Calf- crochet pendent lights
9. Sweet William- beautiful display shelves hand made from birch plywood and real birch branches
Out of all the places we visited, Sweet William was my personal favorite. The owner was lovely and open. Her choices of children's items was impeccable, from linen baby slippers to bird cages and houses by Tamar. Seeing some of Tamar Mogendorff's work in person was sooo exciting and definitely a weekend highlight. My mother's favorite...or perhaps, just the place she made her only purchase of the weekend: A&G Merch. We both LOVE her new folding step stool...it might be worthy of its own future post.

Even more inspiring than the design stores, was the art residents have pasted, painted, or sprayed onto walls...everywhere! The street art was prolific and fascinating and here's what we snapped to bring back to you (don't forget to click for enlargement):

Don't worry, maya*made is still loving country life, but I need a city fix every once in a while!

coming home

We're starting to settle back in. I'm such a homebody, and even though I LOVED our trip to New York City, I'm so happy to be back. The children also had a great weekend, but are loving being home in the country. Thrilled to have her dress-up selection at her finger tips, my daughter donned a crown and princess dress (garage sale special). Her celebratory mood captured how I've been feeling, perfectly! My son was ecstatic to discover that our wild black raspberries ( out here we call 'em black caps) had ripened over the weekend. July means picking black caps in pajamas for breakfast!
We have so many in our woods, but this year they have a new spot...our old chicken coop. We haven't had chickens for over four years, but we never took down the fencing around their yard (I secretly have hoped for more). The first couple of years it filled with weeds and we ignored it. Last year a few brambles sneaked in. This year, it's a wall-to-wall black cap explosion! We're calling it the "berry coop". I feel like their take-over is a bit of a berry coup! I couldn't resist that one!


We'll be spending a lot of time at the barn this week. We're preparing for the big open-house on Saturday. You'll all finally get the tour, then. There has been so much unpacking and changing things around this way and that. Wish us luck as we scramble to get it in order for this first public opening. The meadow was also a joy to come home to. The red and pink poppies are out in profusion!




Be back next time with a couple peeks into some great Brooklyn shops and wonderful street art/murals.