VanEch Studio Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting

Super excited to announce we celebrated the grand opening of VanEch Studio in Occoquan, Va on November 9th with a ribbon cutting and reception.  I'm grateful to be a part of this quaint historic town and it's truly a blessing to come in each day to a view of the river.  Much appreciation goes to everyone who made the opening and after party a success and a big thank you to all who came out in support.

Time Out

Used to send misbehaved toddlers too, this time out chair or "pouting" chair was brought in the shop by a customer for painting.  The Shaker simplicity of this piece is wonderful.  I think she will be pleased with the results.

TRENDING 2014

Step aside Emerald,  Pantone recently revealed Radiant Orchid as the 2014 color of the year. In the company's annual announcement, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, described the hue as “an enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones" that "inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health." Pantone predicts the color will be popular in fashion, beauty, and interior design in 2014, calling the hue a “modern and surprisingly versatile shade” that can be worn by both men and women.


In decorating, I would pair the color with other bright shades like turquoise, teal and light yellows, as well as neutrals like gray, beige and taupe.

Georgetown Renovation

Not uncommon in Georgetown, the kitchen in this very early 1900 three-level townhouse resided in the basement. Throughout the years, updates were made to the  appliances and flooring but when the owners decided they wanted to completely gut and remodel the space and bring it up to code, this little old house went kicking and screaming.  It was no easy task with many hiccups along the way, but thanks to a competent building and construction engineer, and my open minded and patient clients, the project came to completion with stunning results.

The Before

 

 We Removed the Corner Window

An Overview of the New Layout

 

Getting Down to the Bones and Digging Trenches

 

Signs of  New Life

 

The After

The Bump Out Window Brings in More Light

Getting the Washer & Dryer off the Floor Space and into the

Storage Area Under the Stairs was a Key

I would like to thank

Don Manthey Construction

Lorrie Addison Stuart Kitchens

Dmitry Smoylin, Fairfax Restorations

Lafayette Anderson, Anderson Electric

Chris Dvorak Drafting

Tim Cobb, Revelation Services

George Brown, Photographer, Rights Assist

 

Goodbye to the Bowl - Circular Shower Drains Nomore

Traditional shower floors are like a bowl - the center is deeper than the edges thus allowing for good water drainage.

Today, we can say goodbye to the bowl and hello to sleek linear shower drains.

A linear drain is installed at the edge or wall of the shower and virtually disappears from view. In the past, homeowners and designers have been constrained by center drains when selecting tile and other accouterments for a shower. No longer are mosaic tiles the best choice (due to the ease of installing with a circular drain in the center of the shower floor) for a new shower because the linear drain can be tucked along the floor's edge so your floor tile/materials choices are now almost limitless.

A tile-top linear drain is one of the hottest looks now - that is if you even notice it! This is a sleek and contemporary way to disguise the function of the drain with serious style!

If you're ready to make a change in your bathroom, please ask Niki for some help so that you too can say Goodbye to the Bowl!

Vintage Finds on Cape Cod

On a recent trip visiting my friend on Cape Cod, we did our usual antique buying road trip to Brewster and Chatham where I picked up an old Kirsch Beverage wood bottle crate.  It had wonderful wide compartments and I thought it could serve multi purposes.   Over the weekend I pulled it out and created this great wine service caddy.    The handles make it a versatile piece to move inside to out.  

And have you ever seen an old cobbler's caddy?  Nothing too special on its own, but check out how it was re-purposed into a beautiful arrangement.

A Mirror Transformed

I am a certifiable mirror junkie.  On my main floor I have 4 large ones.  I particularly love the one I placed in the kitchen that reflects through the window to the beautiful garden outdoors, two views for the price of one.  So when a friend said she was taking her large oval mirror to the Salvation Army, I graciously took it off her hands.  Yes, it was circa 1980s but in truth it was the wide ogee edge and the oval shape that drew me to it.  I started out by giving the painted surface a light sand, just to give it some tooth so that my next coat would adhere. Looking to give this piece a rustic aged feel, I worked the first coat with a black metal iron paint which when dried looks much like wrought iron.  But to bring out dimension and further age the piece, I applied a solution that chemically altered the iron to a coppery rust patina. Check out the results.

ho hum green frame

a coat of metal iron paint

The altered rust finish

A 1980s Bathroom Rennovation

When I got a call to help an Alexandria homeowner rennovate their masterbath the first thing we did was establish the design direction -she loved blue, he wanted modern, and we agreed to keep the existing white cabinets.  The modern was achieved through the tile selections and layout and discipline with clean line elements.  The blues were brought in but we kept to selections in the blue gray tones for a more sophisticated look.  They were thrilled with the final results.  Check out the before and afters.

Before

Checkerboard, needed to go

Laminate counters and drop-in sinks, needed to go

The bridge, needed to go

Small white wall tile and fiberglass floor, needed to go

After

New quartz counter tops with undermount sinks

no more bridge

12" x 24" tiles give visual expansion

with accent mosaics for design interest

Modern tile design

Creating niches adds interest and does 

away with corner shelves

Love the harlequin floor

Modern and square shower fixtures

Always take tile to the ceiling

Shower curb faced with quartz

Square fixtures and sink

Re-Purposed Furniture by VanEch Studio

Original table in beat-up condition

Never judge a piece of furniture at first glance! I found this table at a second hand store and it was in bad condition on the top - lots of water damage and scratches.  But I loved the classic design so I decided to re-purpose it. I created two narrow wall tables from this one old piece.

For those who want to attempt this DIY project, the steps below are what I did. For those who would rather have me do the dirty work, please call me 703-598-1036 and I will help you find and create a treasure from trash!

Remove the center extension and gate legs and separate the ends

• Determine desired depth of table and mark lines with a straight edge on either end of table

With a Saws All, saw through table using a straight edge to keep a clean, straight line

• Fill  gouges with wood fill and sand out scratches

I applied two coats of Annie Sloan Old Ochre Chalk Paint

• Gently distress paint finish

• Apply and buff one coat of clear wax

Anchored to wall with "L" brackets