My amazing family...

Seriously, my family is so amazing!!! I shared a couple of years ago with all of you a link to my nephew, Andrew, signing a version of Hallelujah. Well, he recently participated in a benefit concert in my hometown of Springfield, Missouri. He was the opening act for the one and only Sheryl Crow. Here is a clip from that concert with his version of Landslide...

 

His talent and passion inspire me and I hope this leaves you with a smile on your face!!

Secondly, mark down May 23 at 8pm Eastern time and tune into HGTV. Why you ask? A new show called Fixer Upper is going to be on and it happens to star my beautiful cousin Joanna and her family! It will follow them along with the renovation of their farm house, their home renovation and building company, along with all of the cuteness of their children.

 So yeah...my family is simply amazing and I am so proud of all of them and I can't wait to see what is in store for them! Mel xo

Joy and Revelry

Have you heard the news? A new shopping site is up and about! It is Joy and Revelry and set up by bloggers and designers... so you know it is going to be good!

My SF love, Courtney, has his own shop up on the site and since he is generous as hell he is giving all of you a 10% off code for his store. He really is amazing, talented, kind, and seriously funny. Click HERE to see all of the goodies that he has selected. At checkout, enter Courtney10 to receive the discount. Here are a few of my favorite items from his store...

Loooving those pillows, thinking I need to pick some up for myself!!! Congratulations Courtney and all of the other talented bloggers on Joy & Revelry, very excited to see this site take off. Mel xo

Watermark {Spyglass} Update

Finishing is now completed at our spec home in Watermark and the painters are going in full steam ahead! Here are a few pics to share from the past couple of weeks...

Can we talk about these post?! Love them so much I am using them again in the Hillhurst {16th St} home we have coming up, but of course I'll mix it up a bit.

The fireplace wall is completed including the built-ins on each side that will coordinate with the kitchen cabinetry. Now we just sit back and wait for the stunning solid slab travertine to be installed...and the lacquer to go on the built-in.

Last week the tile setters got all of the showers finished off, and this master shower with the mini herringbone carrara is AH-mazing in person. It sparkles, and anyone that knows me knows I am a girl that loves sparkle.

 

I met with our hardwood contractor yesterday to get the stain nailed down for the flooring in the home. I wanted to to match as close to possible to the cabinetry color so everything flowed seamlessly...and yes, it is going to be dark and stand out from the off white walls and creamy cabinetry. Can't wait to see it it come together, the large sample on the right is what I decided on

Oh, and X will mark the spot in this home, here is the island detail, before and after the stain is applied. Our finishers killed it with this island, now lets hope the custom glass front doors come out as beautiful!

Finally, I want to say thank you for all of your kind words and praise on our SAM Award win this year. We really do love what we do, we have a true passion for it, and we live, eat, and breath it. Being rewarded by our peers just makes those nights when I wake up at 2am having a panic attack over a light I selected or paint color picked so worth it. So thanks again and if you want to follow along more than join me on Instagram, there are daily treats posted there and it is way easier than sitting down and doing a blog post. ;) Mel xo

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Levers or Knobs?

I'm a lever girl personally, but I am in love with the crystal knob below from Emtek and I am thinking that it will be making an appearance in our Hillhurst {16th St} home. It works with the soft pallet and traditional elements that I have planed for this space.

Levers...

Knobs...

Tell me, if you were to pick one, which would you go with? Mel xo

A big win for 2012!

This past weekend was the 2012 CHBA Sam Awards and we won again this year, WHOOP WHOOP! We were nominated in the Best New Home $1.5 - 3million price range and that is the pretty shiny trophy that we were honored with! 

 Which home won?? OURS! Very excited about that and it makes all of the stress that I put myself through during the construction worth it. 

Last year we won Best New Home $850 - 999K for Wexford II which you can see that recap here. I truly believe that those sleepless nights, long days, and emotions that I go through with each and every home is worth it. But honestly, without our amazing suppliers and ridiculously talented craftsman we would be not be standing out and being honored in this way. So to all of those hands that work on our homes THANK YOU!!! Mel xo

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Watermark {1} Kitchen

This.is.my.favorite. What more can I say? The clients were a dream to work with, they were open to anything, and pretty much let me make every decision...doesn't get much better than that!

{kitchen}

The kitchen layout was a large U shape with a kids office tucked in behind the range area on the left and the pantry to the right of the range. You can see the kids office peeking through the opening in a few of the images below.

The counters are marble, a Calacutta Gold that I had leathered (more texture than honed). I get a lot of questions about marble since I have it in my own and use it in majority of our homes. I'm going to be doing up a blog post on this for you soon, promises. 

The image on the right is a portion of the homework room. There are actually 3 desk areas in this space, each with a cork board and Visual Comfort light above each work space. I love the fact that it is off the kitchen so mom can keep an eye on the boys while she is doing her thing in the kitchen.

This backsplash, love it. It was pure heaven. A combination of Thassos marble and mother of pearl, serious eye candy above the 48" range. 

The table below was custom made and it attached to the island, it easily sits 6 and it turned out better than expected. The Visual Comfort pendants above the table add a bit more bling to the space and define the eating area. 

 If you have been following my blog for awhile you will know I am detail obsessed. In this shot you see the details that a lot either over look or take for granted. The paneling on the sides of the cabinets, the custom corbels that matches the profile on the oversized cornice, and the furniture base that wraps around the side of the cabinet. It's ALL in the details.

Hope you enjoyed this home, it was a lot of fun to create and one of my favorite projects to date. And on that note, Happy Easter weekend everyone!!! Mel xo

Watermark {1} Main Level

 Some more for you from our Watermark {1} home...

{great room}

So much goodness is on it's way to this space including reclaimed wood, leather, and linen...and bright pops of color! On it's own I think it still speaks volumes to the craftsmanship and overall feel of the home.

{office}

Dark and stormy, that is what I was calling this room...maybe because I was drinking one when the idea came to me?? Ha! We had all of the millwork, walls, cabinetry, and paneling in this room painted out the same dark color (BM Iron Mountain). Combined it with a vaulted ceilings, Visual Comfort light, and herringbone floors and BAM...one sexy office for him. We are adding in lots of chrome and leather to this space which will really make it a showpiece. 

{mud room}

Repeating the herringbone design we have throughout the home already we went for an oversized tile in a herringbone pattern for the mud room. My staple Hicks pendants for lighting, and custom built-in lockers with a little added curved detail along the side for some more jazz.

{foyer & dining room}

The staircase is the focal point when you walk in the front door, so it had to have substance, that is what the custom shaker style post and two toned stairs bring to this space. Off to the right of the foyer is the dining room, a light with some bling and a rich dark navy for the walls to work off of the existing dining room set the cleints had.

My favorite space, the kitchen, will be revealed soon, look for it at the end of the week!! Mel xo

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Watermark {1} Powder Room

 I do think this is one of my favorite powder rooms to date! A combination of a custom vanity with furniture style feel, beautiful honed Calacutta Gold top and splash, Cole & Son's wallpaper and my staple, Visual Comfort lighting.

I have wanted to use this hardware for some time and I knew it would be the perfect spot. Hamilton Sinkler has the most stunning items, seriously, my dream would be to use it throughout a home one day.

I went with an over sized backsplash and mimicked the cornice we used throughout the home for the profile on both ends.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, I have one busy week ahead before we head back to Hawaii for a little break! Mel xo

 

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Watermark {1} Upper Level

Again, no furnishings yet, that is all on it's way, but here are the bones of this beautiful home.

 {master bathroom}

We carried the hardwood from the master bedroom into this area. Won't it get ruined?! No, not if you take care of it. If there is water laying on the boards simply clean it up, it's not rocket science. We have hardwood in our master bathroom as well and we have not had any problems at all with it. You'll notice I did have them create a space in front of the shower so we could have a marble thresh hold, this helps eliminate the only area where you would run into possible issues.

The shower is done out of 3x6 Calacutta Gold tile, we used a pencil trim along the back wall to create a picture frame boarder and had the tile laid in a herringbone pattern. For the vanity tops & side splashes we used a leathered Calacutta Gold marble to tie it together, so pretty.

  

 {master bedroom}

To add a bit of color to the room we went with this beautiful and romantic Cole & Sons wallpaper. Very excited to see the new bedroom furnishings, custom drapery, and accents added to this space!

 {main bath}

A little pop of color, not too much, but just enough to add some character and funk to a simple bath. I am rather obsessed with the glass line from Vouge Bay tile, so many fun options & colors! And BTW, who knew, Walmart has the best selection of brightly colored towels?!

And you know me, I can't do any room with out Visual Comfort lighting! These wall sconces are a favorite of mine and a perfect combination with the pivot mirror from Restoration Hardware. 

{jack & jack bath}

Referring to this bath and the Jack & Jack since two boys will be sharing it. To make the vanity spaces off of the bedrooms consistent but unique we went with a blue accent tile in one and a lime green in the other, including a glass tile inlay in the mini brick floor in front of each sink.

Finally got to use the Visual Comfort Henry pendants, I have loved the shape since they came out and so glad that I could finally put them to good use!

{laundry room}

Every space in the home deserves to be beauitiful! Here we went with a mini high gloss hex floor and then a fun glass bullet backsplash that had a combination of muted blues & greens. Even I would love doing laundry here!!!

{bonus room}

The play area for the boys (all 4 of them) is located for all of the kiddos on the upper level. A custom built-in that will be filled with toys, fun, and color is joined by some fun book shelved flanking the window looking towards the front of the property.

More for you from the home next week, until then have a great weekend!! Mel xo

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Watermark {1} Basement

Here are a few snaps from the lower level development from our latest project. The clients & I selected all new furnishings that will be arriving in the next couple of months...re-shoot will happen then, but this will give you a great look at the 'bones' of the home.  

Absolutely love this Artistic Tile backsplash that I had our tile setter lay in a herringbone pattern. It gives a great contrast to the leathered black granite & adds just a touch of bling!

 So the clients like to entertain...and this is the perfect space. A large and amazing wet bar complete with a fully enclosed wine cellar to hold and display the loot.

Can't wait to get this space styled up and ready to have fun in!!! There will be a lot of sports memorabilia down here and hopefully a tasteful card table (hint hint client, nothing fugly please). A true man cave and the perfect spot for the family of 6 to hang out and enjoy movies on the over sized television. More to come soon on this amazing home!!! Mel xo

 

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