valentine's day "Quick....I Need a Tablecloth!"

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 What does one do when one needs a tablecloth and has a particular thing in mind.... no time and no funds? One idea.....make it oneself!

I have a different table in the Dining Room this year than last....the old one was a rectangle, and now it is round. This new (old) table may not be permanent since I think it is too small, but it is doing for now. I had a table cloth in mind....one with bold dark grey stripes. But I certainly did not have time to find it or have one made for the Holidays!

What to do in a pinch? Take out a trusty paint drop cloth....they are huge and very inexpensive....

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 Buy some paint and a 9" roller from Home Depot. The 9" size was just about the right size for my stripes.....

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 Spread out the drop cloth on top of another drop cloth....don't forget! The paint does seep through....

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 If you would like things to be perfect, use painter's tape for making the lines straight. I chose to go a more casual route that ended up being a bit modern looking and "imperfect"...much less stressful! 

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 And in one afternoon....I had the effect I was going for....I draped the table and tucked the extra edges underneath....

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 Then the real fun of setting the table began! I have a pair of hand blown glass candelabras from Mexico...I used one for the center. I added gold chargers and my vintage Tiffany gold edged plates....I kind of liked the simplicity and was thinking to just stop here....but I kept on going.

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 I added some Chinese green glazed plates and my new La Rochere Jacques Coeur wine and water glasses, white hotel napkins and silver....

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 I made a boxwood "ball" using boxwood from the yard to put on the candelabra and some little mercury glass votive holders held more boxwood....

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A few brass horns and pine cones from my Holiday stash....

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Some votive candles, and Mother of Pearl salt dishes.....

All done!



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Dinner at 8:00!

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I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday!

Here's to a Joyful and Prosperous New Year!

valentine's day Holiday Decor at the Denham House

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 The Holidays are about sharing and being with Family and Friends, right? So I wanted to share a little of what's been going on at our house. In between moving Mom in, working, and spending time with my daughter who is home for the Holidays from her first year at college, we have been decking the halls just a little bit.

Last year I made some stockings for the mantle using white burlap, trimming them with a little left over green linen I had from a local Showhouse I had worked on years ago. I added wooden letters to each stocking for each family member's initials. I made them with carved wood letters that I found at Michael's, which I painted black, then added gilding on top of that. I rubbed through the gilt so some of the black paint showed through. Cost for each stocking, about $6. 

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My Mom brought some very fun things with her when she moved it! She had the vintage wire basket (I think it looks like a crown!) and we filled it with crystal bunches of grapes, decanter stoppers, and huge crystal chandelier drops. She also has been collecting crystal balls and spheres for some time, which we scattered across the mantle. I put up a Flea Market painting I found and a copper float that has faded to a beautiful grey-green atop a white ironstone footed bowl. Glass hhurricane lanterns and small glass votive holders, Cedar and Fir garland complete the mantle. Family memories, new and old make it special to all of us.

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Our tree is not very "designer-y". There are so many beautiful takes on designer trees out there, my mind is boggled every year with all of the creativity out there! But our tree remains pretty much the same from year to year. Our kids love to put up ornaments we have collected over the years, many of which I had when I was growing up, some of which my Mom has had since her early marriage since the 50's! All of them hold Christmas stories for us....even the gold paper stars that have been on our tree ever since I was little. It may not be the chic-est...but it is perfection to us!

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I hope you all have wonderful memories of Christmas past and joyful plans for Christmas present!

* Happy Weekend! *

valentine's day Project Peek

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 I have been finishing up some projects recently and thought I would give you a peek!

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This home is in the Prairie style in an historical neighborhood of Sacramento. The owners had moved here from Georgia and had brought all of their Federal style furniture with them, as well as an extensive art collection. We decided that the furniture was not a good fit for the home and began fresh. Art is a horse of a different color however. If it is good, it always works.  

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 The house had been painted in colors more befitting a Victorian palette....lots of bold trim colors that contrasted with the wall colors. The first thing I did was to calm the wall colors so the art would be highlighted. I used a soft putty color for the trim and a warm ivory for the walls.

We wanted furnishings that paid tribute to the Prairie style aesthetic with a bit more modern edge. I designed a table for the Entry in a blackened iron with a grey limestone top. In the Living Room I found beautiful lamps from Aesthetic that were modeled after the block forms used by Frank Lloyd Wright at the Millard house in Pasadena, California. I also had leather armchairs made similar to Wright's armchairs from the Imperial Hotel. A mocha sisal area rug from Merida Meridian added texture and unified the space. (BTW...if you click on Merida's website...you can see some amazing photos of the Elle Decor Showhouse....Merida was a sponsor ya know!)

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So......a little peek! Hope you enjoy.

I am very lucky to have wonderful clients. They make a project like this a pleasure. A big thanks to them both.

And I have to credit Peter Medilek for his beautiful photos! Thanks Peter!

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P.S...........Do not forget to enter my

HOLIDAY GIVE AWAY!

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Click on over HERE for a chance to win this beautiful baby alpaca throw from Bodmer:

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valentine's day Happy Thanksgiving!

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Living Room of a recent project in an Historic Prairie Style Home in Sacramento

A little peek at a recent project I just had photographed by the very talented Peter Medilek. My client had a tree full of beautiful persimmons we were able to take advantage of for the shot.

A huge THANKS to my very patient clients....we were there all day long for the shoot...and a big thanks  to Peter for the wonderful photo! I can hardly wait to see the rest!

Wishing you all a

 VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

valentine's day Thank You Sacramento Magazine!

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Breakfast Room

Things have bee a beehive of activity around here lately! I have barely had time to turn around. So I must apologize for not keeping up this week with the blog posting. It is something I enjoy so much, but duties (very wonderful duties!) have been a calling.

But I wanted to show you all a project I had worked on a bit ago that was just published in Sacramento Magazine this November. My client, Alberta, and I clicked on sight. A more wonderful client I couldn't ask for.

I must preface by saying my scanner is a bit clumsy, so things a a bit fuzzy. I am expecting images from the oh-so talented photographer, Keith Sutter, next week.

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Very Fuzzy...Main Kitchen

But I couldn't wait! So they are from the magazine.

 For the full article by the delightful  and very kind Joan Waters, click HERE.

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Farmhouse Sink and Rustic French Ivory Cabinets

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Le Cornue Fe Range

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Cook Book Nook - Shelves are arched like the Hallway Doorway

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Jose Esteves Chandelier from Interieurs

 Have a wonderful weekend!

valentine's day Befores.....And Other News!

Whenever you see the beautiful pictures in the magazines, finished and perfectly accessorized, it is hard to imagine that the project starts out in this condition. I have been busy at work on a few projects that are at this stage of the game.

The first photo is a house that has been gutted top to bottom and I am in the process of working with the nicest couple to put it all back together. I am very excited about it because there is a definite budget involved, and we are coming up with some great ideas on how to meet the budget. I am headed over today for the final walk though before drywall. It will really begin to take shape after drywall in complete! I can hardly wait....and neither can my clients. They want to move in by November....we should make it in time I think!

The next project involves a Kitchen:

An eating nook area:

A Powder Room and Laundry Area:

This project is still in the demo stage, but rough plumbing and wiring are commencing as we speak. The family that lives here is anxiously awaiting the return of normal life since they are living here without a kitchen. Remodels like this are planned with great care ahead of time so that down time for the family is as short as possible.

When working with older homes, there is always the inevitable structural issue that is unknown until demolition. In this case, a chimney flue that we had thought was in a position that would accommodate 24" deep cabinet threw us a curve ball, literally. We knew the chimney was there, and had poked a hole through the wall to check it's position. However....it did not go straight up and down, but slanted over about 9-10" by the time it hit the ceiling:

Since it still houses a duct for the heating upstairs, we decided not to demolish the flue. Consequently, the adjacent door is now being pushed over about 6". A little unexpected glitch, but resolved.

These two projects are both at a stage where progress is happening very quickly. I am so excited to see the deigns completed! And I will keep you posted on progress and the completed projects as things unfold.

In other news,

I have a project that I have been working on that will be on a East Sacramento Home Remodeling Tour this Sunday. If you are in the area, stop on in! For ticket information and times, hop on over HERE!

And....

I have another kitchen remodel project that will be featured in an upcoming issue of Sacramento Magazine. I spent my labor day happily staging the kitchen for the photo shoot.

So, my friends, I will keep you updated on all of the madness as things progress!

valentine's day A Little Nook Look

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Hi Everyone!

I am sorry I have been a little busy lately! It took alot of time the last couple of weeks to get ready for the Curtis Park Home Tour. I took alot of pictures, and I have seen some wonderful pictures taken by the very talented Rudy Calpo which I want to show to you all. I will be posting about the home tour by the end of the week, so I hope you come back and check it out!

It was a perfect day....bright blue skies and temps in the high 70's. It had rained a day before, so the air was crisp and everything was washed clean. There were so many friends to see and everyone involved with the tour, the organizers, the docents, and all of the members of the Model A car club were just wonderful.

The photo above is just a little nook in my house between the main floor and the basement. It is a space often overlooked....but it is a pretty little space. I hope you enjoy!

valentine's day Fixing the Bugs

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There were a few bugs in the system on my website that I believe have been cured. Don't worry....all of the good bugs are still here like this one ( by the lovely Patricia of PVE Design):

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If you have been trying to email me through the Katie Denham Interiors website or trying to send a client information form, they have not been coming through. My apologies! We think we have found the problem and I hope to hear from you!

Thank you!

valentine's day Go For Launch!

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Some of you know this. For those who don't, I have been in the process over the last few months of developing my own design studio after having been the Senior Designer at another firm for the last 10 years. This process is so exciting, I cannot express it! I have been wanting to broaden my horizons for quite awhile now. And I have to say blogging has been a huge part of the process. It has opened up a whole new world of possibilities: networking, friendships, camaraderie, sharing inspiration. It has been such a wonderful way to connect with people all over the world.

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I want to say THANK YOU for all of you that have been such a support along the way, and to all who read katiedid. I appreciate you all very much and look forward every day to your comments and thoughts.

So.....I am excited to say, with the help of a very understanding and wonderful website designer, Katherine of BKB Design Group, I have finally launched the

Katie Denham Interiors website!

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It will be an ongoing work in progress as I am able to add new and better photos of the Katie Denham Interiors Studio work and more.

A very exciting aspect of the site is the e-decorating service I am offering called "kd space" . It is an Internet design consulting service I will be providing for anyone who needs a bit of design consulting to pull things together, but who may be out of the Northern California area or who is a great do-it-yourself-er.

I will be writing more about the site in future, but I wanted to let you all know that the website is up and running! I hope you have a chance to check it out.

Thank you all again!

Katie Denham, Principal of Katie Denham Interiors