I'm still thinking about the patterned floors in Mary Douglas Drysdale's living room at the Richmond Symphony Designer House. Here's some close-up pics of the floor that Tom Hickey and his staff at Rising Tide Inc created based on Mary's design. Beautiful work.
Love this floor too! Hope you're having a good weekend. I'm off to San Francisco later in the week.
My recent post on designer Capella Kincheloe generated alot of interest in the beautiful artwork featured in the living room. I always think it's a great compliment to both the interior designer and the artist when people are drawn to the overall beauty of the room as well as the contribution the art makes to that beauty. Well, the talented artist behind that piece and many more is Tina Steele Lindsey. Tina works mainly in abstraction and figurative work using traditional methods. I could spend countless hours just gazing at these pieces, lost in thought and enjoyment, and am very happy to be able to share more of her work in this post. Image above titled Anissa 
Zoe
Discovery
Snow on Cedar
Nocturne
Just visited Art by Karena's blog and noticed she is giving away this beautiful original 18 x 18 seaside painting. You have until Easter Sunday April 4th at 12 midnight EST to enter. Go here for more info and for a chance to win. Hope you're having a great weekend.
This is the kind of email that for me, as a blogger, is so exciting to receive. In response to my recent post on windowless dining rooms, I was contacted by a reader about the landscape scenes painted in her historic Woodstock, VA home built in 1796. Winnie, the homeowner, commissioned artist Virginia Jacobs McLaughlin of Frederick, MD to paint a Shenandoah Valley inspired landscape wrap-around mural in her dining room. Absolutely stunning!!
Now in her 80's, this talented artist has been painting for the last 50 years and her work is featured at the Mount Vernon Inn, Brafferton Inn, Grand Army of the Republic Building in Gettysburg, Defense Acquisitions University and numerous other public buildings and private homes. This includes the 1750 Julia Etchison-Hannah house in Frederick, MD, of which an author noted the following about the dining room mural; "To say that Virginia McLaughlin's mural ably captures Frederick County during the Civil Was is to damn with faint praise. The mural is quite magnificent, providing a sweeping panorama of the great landmarks, moments, and key players." (complete article, go here. author unknown)
In an article by Greg Caruth of DUA Press he notes, "Her painting style is full of personality and incorporates the styles of Moses Eaton and Rufus Porter, and includes hints of the famous French scenic wallpapers by Zuber et Cie...She paints boldy and directly on the wall with little or no preliminary drawing. She consults photos and drawings from many sources, but as she explains, the finished wall is sketched in her mind before she starts painting." (full article here)
Winnie mentioned that it was Virginia who strongly urged her that a Chinoiserie landscape scene would be the best choice for the front parlor. Yes, absolutely the best choice! Love this.
An interesting note about Winnie's home is that the original plat was laid out by a young surveyor named George Washington. If you would like to see even more close-up photos of Virginia's work in this home, which is now for sale, go HERE 
Moldings? No, paint. I'm so glad I re-read Winnie's email as Virginia not only painted this sky scene with the two monkeys peering over the left corner but she also painted all the faux moldings. Virginia does not have an email or website, but if you're interested in contacting her, send me an email and I will forward her number. I think having Virginia's painting in your home would be something to treasure. mynottinghill ( at ) gmail (dot) com.
Yesterday was a dreamy day, full of beautiful design, incredible food and interesting people. Honestly, I felt like I should pinch myself. Do you remember the post on the 175 yr old renovated church in Upperville, VA that is home to Matthews House and Garden? Well, yesterday two friends and I had a chance to visit, tour the store and design studio, and enjoy lunch and conversation with three very creative people! Thank you Wanda, Sharon and Kevin! Wanda Crossley, the proprietor, was kind enough to let me take photos of her design studio/cottage located next to the church. Check out the reflection in this mirror and you'll get a sense of the light, ethereal feel of the space.
This large window anchors one end of the cottage and looks out onto the pea gravel entry to the store. I think the contrast in scales between the urn and the bureau is perfection - pushing it to the limit and creating a dramatic focal point in this window.
To the right is the sitting area, with shelves from Staples built-in for a custom look. The floors have a pale, white washed finish and have a very interesting back story. Wanda had them made from all the old wood church pews that didn't sell - planing down the wood and creating floor boards!
A view from the sitting area toward the entry door that is located past the dining table. I believe this is Mr. Timothy (you can see his brother in the distance), who, by the way, are so well matched to the decor. The coffee table is antiqued mirror. I love the button detailing on the skirt of this sofa.
When you enter the studio you immediately notice this beautiful cabinet to your left and this incredible Moira clock ahead of you to the right.
You can see the full picture of the clock reflected in the mirror in the first picture. So beautiful with its aging painted face.
Double chandeliers hang from the peaked ceiling. All the ceiling and walls have been white washed as well, creating a seamless envelope with the pale flooring.
The studio is filled with beautiful arwork. I was really so enamored with everything that I didn't take enough photos, including missing an opportunity to take a picture of an oversized 18th century painting!
Here are some close-ups of the shelves, full of personal items that make this space so special.
A vignette of white located atop a stainless steel cabinet. Below, a beautiful light filled corner with an antique, oval mirror.
Here's the outside from earlier in the year when they were in the midst of landscaping. The window in the front is the one with the urn.
My next post will be all about the store and the incredible things you'll find at Matthews House & Garden. I was thrilled to purchase this piece - an original design from Kevin Chadwick. Kevin is a former DC based illustrator who has now ventured into fabric and furniture design and has launched a series of plates and trays featuring horses. Looking forward to the next post and sharing more from our wonderful visit!
There is a wonderful resource on the web that I came across via Style at Home's November 2009 issue - Vintage Printable. There's a great variety of printable, downloadable, antique illustrations. The curator of this site notes that the images are "collected from digital image libraries all over the web. Most are hi-res, and all royalty free (either pre-1922 or works on behalf of the US Government." The variety is impressive; while many have a vintage feel, a number are contemporary in their aesthetic, like this colorful fish. 
I love this British Sea Weeds seal! I need to find a place for this in my house.
This last one could be printed on high quality paper and used as background matting for another print. For enlargements and printing on a variety of surfaces, check out Wizard Prints, the company that Lauren of Pure Style at Home used.
Blogging has been so much fun and I appreciate all the comments and reader emails. As you know, I'm a huge fan of the very talented Fiona Richards of Cartolina Cards and would love to share a complete set of her recent notebooks - 9 in all! - with a lucky reader of this blog. Just leave a comment by Saturday morning, 9 am e.s.t. If you don't have a google account and can't leave a comment - feel free to email me at mynottinghill (at) gmail.com with Cartolina in your subject header.
These notebooks are also available online at Greet Q - and at $4 a piece they make the perfect treat for yourself or someone else.
Also, Fiona has the most lovely blog full of visual treats and interesting things that are really unique - check it out at Cafe Cartolina.
Here is one of my favorite notebooks spread out on Michael S. Smith's book without its cover.I love the colors contrasted here! I carry this notebook around with me and make notes and drawings in it too.
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Tomorrow I'm headed off to the Philadelphia Flower Show with a friend. I've never been and am quite excited - especially since Spring here in D.C. seems to be on temporary hold. Here' s the view out my family room window. I was bad - never brought the umbrella in for the winter! The snow is covering our pool cover - can't wait till that is gone and we can get out there and enjoy the backyard..jpg)
My kids, however, had a great time building this the other day!.jpg)
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I was really taken in with the results of this simple but very effective solution. Before local DC artist Greg Gill deftly faux painted these switch plates, they were a distraction from the diamond tiled backsplash. Now they blend in beautifully! Below are some additional examples of his work..jpg)
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