NEW EVENT SPACE PROGRESS

Happy Sunday Home & Garden Lovers! It's been a bit, but I wanted to get you up to speed and share the New Event Space Progress - and so much more!

I've had to make three of the most impactful decisions regarding construction of the new event space.

First: Olive Tree Selection

One of the most important decisions that will decide the overall visual success of this new space is the selection of the vintage olive trees. My landscape designer was sending me text messages of trees as he was getting them direct from the grower. I would give them a yay or nay and then it was on to the next batch. My favorite tree was #E. It turns out my landscape designer and I have very different ideas of what we like. I like the fat trunks, he, not so much. He placed the order so it will be interesting to see what shows up. Delivery was supposed to happen on Monday, however, due to illness, the first load won't arrive until the 23rd. It's truly killing me. I've been so excited to bring vintage trees to the property for so long!

Hard Scape: Pavers

My vision was to make this space coordinate with both the house and the black fluted metal garage, both in color and material, thus the black and white checkerboard on the stage, and the black fluted marble columns. Again, I don't think it's too far outside of reality to say my landscape designer hated, hated the idea. I wasn't going to budge on the checkerboard. I sourced the product and it will arrive soon. As far as the columns, I love them and the impact they would have, and they check my personal need for something dramatic and unexpected. Do they keep future brides in a small box for potential wedding themes and color choices? Maybe, what do you think? If you were getting married and having your wedding here, would you like or dislike these material choices? The columns are on hold until further notice.

Moongates: Color selection

I had the idea to install a few of these moon gates along the long entrance path to the space. They'll be lit and present an opportunity for anyone using the space to go wild with decorations. My landscape designer loved the idea. Where we differ is on the color they should be. His choice is for something colorful and vibrant; mine is for something subtle. My thought process is that I want it to work within the natural landscape, but I'm also worried that a bright color such as orange, teal or yellow would be jarring and a negative for a bride's color choices. He feels a subtle color will just get lost. What do you think? In the end, I've ordered five of them. I'll leave the color choice as surprise for another day.

The three selections above may give you the impression that my designer and I do not agree on "a lot". I would say "some". He's an award winning designer so I really respect and appreciate his vision, and I think he's doing an excellent job. I've worked with him multiple times in the past and it's a lot of fun. I also actually like working with someone with different opinions. I think healthy friction will actually result in a better result in the end, as long as I get checkerboard, ha ha.

I believe all of the base rock is in place at this point. This circle, or round-a-bout as I've been calling it in stories, is the intersection of multiple paths. This is near the beginning of the pathway to the new space. It will have a special piece of art or something else in the center, which I haven't found yet. If you've been around here for a while, you know I like to name things, i.e., Mrs. Colonial, Haven Hotel, the Overlook, etc. I'm happy to report we've selected a name for this space too. I'm keeping it a surprise until the end, but in the meantime, I'm looking for something to go in the center that makes sense with the name.

The olive trees will have very large root balls when they arrive, so these giant cutouts have been made around the space getting ready for planting.

These elements/eyesores are going to be a challenge to hide. We're going to have to get very creative with plant material and something else. I like the idea of decorative metal panels, but I'm not sure if that's the path we're going to take.

Overall, I think this space is going to be even better than I thought it was going to be. I'm so excited to see it come together over the next few weeks.

Let's switch gears.

Lakehouse Media Room: Makeover

If you have been following the progress in IG stories, you have seen me do this.

This furniture piece is a high-end media cabinet from HR. Usually I wouldn't paint over a piece like this, but in this instance, the original color completely clashed with the existing wood clad ceiling and structural beams. Truth is, I've hated the visual chaos between the two since the beginning, but I've just been accepting it. Once I started bringing all the blue into the room, I simply couldn't live with it anymore, and I didn't want to have to spend money on a new furniture piece. I also wanted to make it appear as part of a built-in in between two book bookshelves. So, I did the next best thing. I gave it a glorious coat of the wall color.

This is a small sneak peek of how it turned out. I love it so much, and I think I was successful in achieving an almost built-in look. As I stated in a previous My Northern Home E-Magazine article, "Liquid Magic, The Power of Paint"!

This is where I hit a temporary roadblock. This beautiful wall mural WOULD NOT stick to the wall. I used the same paste I've used for numerous other murals, and I even gave the wall a fresh new coat of primer. In the end, it didn't work. I decided the universe was sending me a message to do something even better. I instantly knew what I needed to do. Unfortunately, that required me to build something. Once home, I bought all the material, but it's been so hot in Santa Rosa I haven't been able to get outside long enough to put it together. I'm hoping to have it done and the room completed this coming week. I can't wait to share the final reveal. If you're curious about what solution I've come up with, follow me in stories this week on IG @mrs.colonial.

Speaking of blue, a hot summer ahead, and longing for new looks in old rooms, I'm including our newest shopping guide, Shop w/Us.

I want absolutely everything in this guide. If you'd like to find out more and get links to shop, read the post HERE. You'll also get links to two additional items I think you may like. Also, if you ever want me to source items for you or put together a shopping guide around a certain theme, just send your ideas to me. I'd love to do it!

Speaking of links and shopping . . .

Here is out latest Curated Room Ensemble for a primary or guest bedroom. I absolutely love this space. If I had an extra room, I would be bringing this ensemble to life. If you'd like to learn more about this space, use this LINK. Not only will you get price point, links to purchase product, and paint selections, you'll also get bathroom inspiration to complete a whole bedroom suite.

One more thing before I go . . .

This past week I started circulating this flyer and my desire to start a Ladies Home & Garden Club. I'm happy to report spaces are filling. If you're local and you'd like to join us, or simply want to learn more, email me at sandysheldon@comcast.net . I'd really love to share an obsession with everything Homes & Gardens with you on a more personal and social level.

Ok, I've kept you long enough. I hope you enjoyed the new event space progress. Thank you for being here, I really appreciate your interest. Now go out and enjoy this truly beautiful Sunday!

With love and special home vibes from,

Sandy, and Mrs. Colonial too!