happy living Design

architectural salvage i.e. glamorous trash picking

My dad is the world's best trash picker.  Besides my Hot Wheels tricycle, my first three bikes came from the trash.  If I need to find something for a project at home, like window sashes or old shutters he will get them for me.  He must have perfect 180 degree periferal vision when he drives. 

Luckily we don't always have to have a professional trash picker in the family or wait for a neighbor to discard that perfect cast iron sink.  Architectural salvage is a huge business and the selection of items available gets better all the time.  Unfortunately people have begun to recognize the value in the old and that old door or toilet is not always as cheap as it used to be but you can still find great pieces at reasonable prices.

Of course there is always ebay and craigslist.  I find that they both require more time to sort through all the junk.  It boggles my mind the stuff people will list on there for sale and if you try to do too detailed of a search you risk filtering out something good.  Also, I enjoy being able to look at something in person before I buy whenever I can.  That is why architectural salvage yards and shops are great.

Don't you just love that sink?!  Only $450 from Restore. (pic from Restore)

Here's a list of salvage shops and what they specialize in (where available):

Provenance Architectural Salvage: Architectural Salvage from some of Philly's most historic landmarks.  Philadelphia

Second Chance Inc: "We rescue the wood, metal, marble, plaster, stone and other architectural elements that make the building special. We give these pieces new lives, in new homes, in new ways, with new uses." Baltimore, Philadelphia and DC

Portland Salvage: has four floors of architectural pieces, reusable building materials, tools, fixtures, collectibles and antique period materials.  Portlant, ME

Old House Parts Company: Our focus is on 18'th, 19'th and early 20'th century restoration and home improvement Architectural Salvage and Architectural Antiques like french doors, antique windows, antique doors and other architectural salvage for exterior and interior design.  Kennebunk, ME

Nor'East Architectural Salvage Antiques: We stock an extensive inventory of architectural salvage and antique building materials from 1700-1940.  South Hampton, NH

Architectural Antiques: Mantles, bars, doors, antique beds, mirrors, paneled rooms, ironwork, stained glass, lighting.  Philadelphia

Ohmega Salvage: At Ohmega Salvage we are committed to preserving the architectural heritage of the Bay Area. To this end, we buy and sell usual and unusual building materials.  Berkeley, CA

Architectural Salvage, Inc.: Doors,hardware, plumbing fixtures, mantels, lighting and more. Denver, CO

Architectural Antiques (the Original):  High quality stuff! and they take the extra step to help you integrate your item into your space. 

Salvage One: Everything from Andirons to Wrought Iron.  Chicago

Architectural Accents: All the usual including fired tile, columns and garden items.  Atlanta

The Demolition Depot:  This is a personal favorite.  I am on their site all the time.  A unique source of vintage plumbing fixtures, doors, windows, shutters, railings, gates, grills, mantels, stone and terracotta pieces, religious objects and so much more. NYC

Frank's Demolition Salvage: architectural antiques and building materials such as granite, marble steps, cast iron radiators, ashlar (stone), brownstone, bluestone, keystones, distressed bricks, field stones.  Woodlyn, PA

Olde Good Things: locations in Manhattan (2 actually), Los Angeles and Scranton, PA

ReStore: A Philly favorite, they have plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, hardware, mantels, doors stairwell parts, iron fencing, cast iron ornaments, marble, stone, slate and tile.  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent!  Philadelphia

Sylvan Brandt: a specialist in resawn and antique flooring, they also carry beams, doors and other architectural elements.  Lititz, PA (PA Dutch Country!)

This is by no means an exhaustive list.  These are just some of my favorites, some local and others not, places I have actually been to, or know a little about.  If you have a favorite salvage shop near you please comment about it!

reduce : reuse : recycle : reinvent

happy trash picking!

the weekend

: manual labor (we finally got the rest of the bamboo floor put down) - see the before pic here.

: alfresco meals (in between Indy & Nascar)

: coffee drinking and magazine reading (and a few small gardening projects)

: and taking time to remember why we observe Memorial Day

Art Star Craft Bazaar

This has become my favorite Philly event.  I can't wait!

 

 

Saturday, May 31st from 11 to 7

Sunday, June 1st from 11 to 5

@ Penn's Landing Great Plaza

 

Go to Art Star Craft Bazaar website for more info.

 

Illustration by Julie West

so not related to happy living but fun anyway

We have had some excitement in West Chester the past couple of days.  Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson have been in town filming Marley & Me.  I didn't get to see them.  Some of us have to work.  But I did get to enjoy the grid-lock while they had multiple streest closed off.

We have another celebrity (M. Night Shyamalan) who has taken up residence in the area, well, one town over, and recently finished making his latest movie. My cousin (who is designing the new HLD logo) designed some scenery pieces for the movie. The Happening comes out on Friday, June 13th.

After the last couple of weeks I have had at work I have never been so excited for Memorial Day weekend (here in the States) and having one extra day off.

My to-do list:

• Tomorrow we are installing the rest of our flooring upstairs.  I am hoping that we can get it all done in one (long) day.
• We finally cleared and cleaned off our screened-in porch that we were using for winter firewood and coal storage.  Last night we purchased a very inexpensive ($15.99) 6' x 8' indoor/outdoor rug at Home Depot.  It doesn't look all that different from the other sisal rug I was looking at for $119.  My goal for this weekend is to bring some furniture out onto the porch and actually start using it.  I think the weather here in Philly will be good for that.
• Some light gardening, mostly container gardening.  I have two planters in the back finished and have two in the front that need to be filled.
• Some relaxation! and no thinking about work!

Enjoy!

pure jane cumberbatch

I think Jane Cumberbatch's Pure Style Living was the first shelter-home-decorating-style-living book that I ever purchased.  Prior to that is was ALL architecture for me.  I love her philosophy of living, stylish yet simple.  Her "DNA of Pure Style" is "Romantic, inexpensive, natural, simple spaces, fuctional, easy feasts, homemade, thrifty, timeless, cool, country, family, going green, modern..."  All words and feelings I want reflected in my home.  Here are some of my favorite images from the book.  BTW, all the images are by Pia Tryde.

Enjoy!

noshii and the new website

There is just something about her work...it makes my heart skip a beat.  And she has a gorgeous new website.  I love, love, love the stitching graphic around the images!

London born, Dallas based designer, illustrator and visual artist, Nosheen Iqbal : website : blog : shop

a 10-minute project over the weekend

Everyone has those annoying cabinets over the refrigerator.  Mine was getting to me.  It was empty.  And there was a bunch of junk on top of the refrigerator in front of the annoying cabinet.  So I cleared off the refrigerator, took the doors off of the cabinet and put my cook books up there.  The only things that went back on the refrigerator are two glass canister and our snack basket.  The books are organized by color of course. ;)

Tell me your uses for the your cabinet over the refrigerator!

And IMHO, everyone should have a copy of this cookbook in their kitchen.

putting fires out : a swanky fire extinguisher

I have a confession to make.  Many times when I am using our range I leave the oven or the stove top on after I am finished cooking.  Tonight I left the broiler on.  Luckily I had to put my piece of salmon back in the broiler because it wasn't quite finished.  The second time I took it out I remembered to shut the broiler off.

Thankfully we have never had a fire, not even a grease fire.  I am beginning to think my luck might run out and we had better get a small fire extinguisher to keep in the kitchen.

HomeHero sells pretty cool looking fire extinguishers that I wouldn't mind putting in my kitchen prominently.

They also sell a 2 in 1 Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm.

Sexy.  I know it's not so fun to think about these things but isn't it better to be prepared?  You can purchase both of these products at Home Depot.  Be safe.  And remember to turn off your ovens. :)

Design on a Dime presented by Real Simple

Today and tomorrow, Real Simple– along with co-chairs Maggie Gyllenhaal, designer James Huniford and Real Simple’s managing editor Kristin van Ogtrop -- are hosting the fourth-annual Design on a Dime charity event to benefit Housing Works, the nation's largest community-based AIDS-service organization.

The kick-off party was yesterday (sorry I didn't get this up sooner) and today and tomorrow's events are free and open to the public.  It is being held at the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th Street, NYC.

During the event, thirty top-tier designers—including Sills Huniford, Thom Filicia, Charlotte Moss and Jamie Drake—will create breathtaking, one-of-a-kind room vignettes. People will be able to purchase the items in the vignettes at 60-80% off the retail price and all proceeds from the sale will benefit Housing Works.

Founded in 1990, Housing Works provides housing, medical care, job training and other lifesaving services to homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.

Shopping for a cause.  I like that.

quilts and miniature quilts

Ever since I was in architecture school I have been mildly obsessed with quilts.  My family is not a quilting family.  We are great sewers, seamstresses and pattern makers, but unfortunately I don't know a single quilt was ever made on either side.  My whole thesis project in my last year of school was based on the idea of the quilt as the journal of the family and how the house also became a record of the family.  I made these paper quilts early on.  It combined my obsession with quilts and paper into one activity.  I was lucky to marry INTO a quilt-making family and we have two quilts handmade by the boy's granny and aunt.  But enough about me.

I was at the Traditional Home Show this year and came across Kate Adams' miniature quilts.  Oh my.  They are gorgeous.  And really mini!  The designs and detail are amazing.  You should check them out.  She has a great gallery of larger and small quilts, patriotic designs, samplers and Amish patterns.  These below are either 9 inches by 9 inches or 7 inches by 9 inches.  Enjoy!