Quick Updates & Giveaway!!

A quick update about what's been happening at Willow Decor!!

Thanks so much to lovely ladies over at Material Girls for featuring my home renovation on their wonderful new post: Design Bloggers Homes Unveiled - Part II - Make sure you check out all the other fabulous renovations!! And check out Part I, here, to see even more inspiring spaces from both bloggers you know and some new blog discoveries!! The response to the GIVEAWAY of the gorgeous Antique Vellum Book has been overwhelming! If you haven't yet entered please go visit Kym Fraser at 3 Fine Grains and then come back here and comment what item makes your heart sing. Click here to visit 3 Fine Grains and here read more about the GIVEAWAY and to leave your comments!!
Have a Great Day!!

Antique Vellum Books & Our Most Exciting GIVEAWAY Ever!!!

Antique Vellum Books have been used as gorgeous accents in extraordinary rooms for years. Vellum is a fine parchment made from the skin of a lamb, pig or calf. Primarily it was used in the 15th and 16th century to bind books. The skins were stretched over boarding in a way very similar to leather. The luminosity, texture and beauty of Antique Vellum has made it a favorite of designers.

(Architectural Digest via Cote de Texas)

Of course Vellum books have always been popular with the wonderful Furniture and Interior Designer Rose Tarlow of Melrose House. Here in a photo from Architectural Digest in 1991 you can see her love of these precious books.
(Architectural Digest via Cote de Texas)
Here is another angle of the same room. Notice the bookcase filled with Vellum books.

(Architectural Digest via Cote de Texas)

A shot of Tarlow's bedroom, notice the stacks of vellum books. Read a wonderful post about Rose Tarlow and her design aesthetic by Joni Webb of Cote de Texas here.

(Cote de Texas)

Above is a beautiful room from Antique Dealer and Design enthusiast Kay O'Toole. Notice the stacks of antique vellum books on her table. Cote de Texas once again did a wonderful post about O'Toole and her home read more about here.

So imagine my delight when Kym Fraser of 3 Fine Grains contacted me about her new venture into the world of Antique Vellum Books. Apparently, several months before a famous actor had contacted her. He was impressed with her love and knowledge of antiques coupled with her wonderful designer background.

An avid antique collector and design enthusiast himself, he had become the largest collector of Antique Vellum books in the United States. He had designed an exquisite room in his Malibu beach house and filled it with over 800 books. But, unfortunately he was moving and would she be interested in connecting the right designers and antique lovers with these wonderful books for him? It was important to him, that the new owners appreciate the beauty of these rare treasures.

Kym Fraser currently has over 600 of these gorgeous books. They range in age from 1572 - (yes, that is not a typo -books from the 1500's) to the late 1800's. Most books are in written in Italian, French, and Latin, and even some in Hebrew.

The books are varied and all are vellum. Some have ribbed bindings and some flat. Some are embossed in gold and some also have colored leather. Some have marbleized covers and hand painted pages. They are a varied and beautiful collection.

Most books are singular but Kym also has many sets including the most expensive in the Collection - a rare set of encyclopedias from the 1600's. This set of 9 is $13,500.

Of course, they range in price from $150 up - and interestingly the price is not determined by size, but by a variety of markers; including condition, content, outside embellishments, etc.

The photos show just a small sampling of the Vellum Collection.

Perhaps the most intriguing book to me is the one above. Stamped with the date of 1572, this book includes everything that is important to a collector. The book is a collection of the most celebrated passages of Euripides poetry. It has a gorgeous hand tooled cover, and beautiful writing on the ribbed bindings .

Add to that the incredible hand forged metal latches, patina and outstanding condition. This is a very rare book and retails for $5,500.

Here is another book with latches. This beauty is part of Kym's personal collection. She says it reminds her of her beautiful German Grain sacks. Notice the hand painted page edges in blue -Lovely!

Now here is the exciting part!! Kym has offered this wonderful Antique Vellum book to a Willow Decor reader. This book is from 1626 in Venice, Italy. Can you even imagine the Villa it resided in so many years ago??

Written in Italian, the book becomes even more valuable, because of its wonderful condition and the the exquisite flourish on the binding. This antique book retails for over $600.

Here is how to enter to win this antique treasure. Visit Kym Fraser's store, 3 Fine Grains, let me know what other items besides, these wonderful vellum books, that make your heart sing. Leave a comment back here at Willow Decor. For a second chance to win, be subscriber or follower of Willow Decor (you can sign up on the right column).

Next Sunday I will announce the winner! Best of luck!! And a huge thank you to Kym Fraser of 3 Fine Grains for such a generous giveaway. Click here to go check out 3 Fine Grains and then come back and leave your comments. Good Luck!!

(all photos property of 3 Fine Grains unless noted and not to be copied with out permission)

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)