Ski House Decorating Ideas

My Family



My boys at race day at Cranmore

Good news came for our town yesterday when National Geographic named North Conway NH as one of the top 25 best ski towns in the WORLD! Wow. That will provide a nice boost for our winter tourism. In honor of our ski town, I am writing a post about ski house decor. In our area, we have lots of beautiful New England Farmhouses and Country Inns, but we also have an abundance of Ski House or lodge inspired homes. My home's design was definitely inspired by the contemporary ski lodge concept. High ceilings, many big windows, lofts and soaring fireplaces. Many homes have lots of wood in their interiors. Wooden ceilings, wainscoting, board lined walls, hardwood floors. It is common also to see big log homes nestled into the the side of a mountain. Many older ski homes have been passed down through generations of the same family. They are filled with decor of a forgotten era, each generation adding little treasures and collections. This well-worn lodge/cottage look has been attained by years of use.

Here are a few examples of modern lodge style interior design:

HGTV



Elle Decor






Elle Decor



Bedrooms often have bunk beds to accommodate large groups of skiers:

HGTV

HGTV

Skis and snowshoes are used as wall decor:

via Rustic Mountain Design

Pottery Barn

 Antler chandeliers are another unique decor choice (my husband wants one of these):



CDN Antler Chandeliers

CDN Antler Chandeliers

Vintage Ski posters often adorn the walls in the houses in my neck of the woods. These posters were made to advertise Ski Areas, but soon became popular as wall decoration. I have several in my home. These are from ALLPOSTERS.com

We also have our own local art! These prints are new (all made within the last few years) but were designed in the style of vintage ski posters. The artwork was created by Dianne Mello, local artist, and sold exclusively by a local business, Framed Art Superstore. These prints are colorful, whimsical and make great wall decor!

 

 
All of these great posters can be found online at the Framed Art Superstore Outlet!

And FINALLY, here is a picture of my Uncle Anthony Fortini  skiing in New Hampshire in the early 1940s. I have those skis and poles on my wall!

Hope you enjoyed this post on Ski House Decor. If you are thinking about a ski vacation, come visit our little town of North Conway, New Hampshire....named as one of the best 25 ski towns in the world by National Geographic Magazine!

Color Inspiration~ Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage!

           clockwise from top: Silver Sage,
Sea Green,  Blue sage

Today's color inspiration post feature's Restoration Hardware's Silver Sage. I adore RH paints. They have a very small selection, but they are all soft, velvety and beautiful! Silver Sage is one of their most popular colors. It is a subtle gray-green-blue than looks different depending on the light. After looking at rooms painted with this beautiful, neutral color, I placed an order for a sample. When I get it I will paint a board and show you how it looks it my living room. Many people color-match it using a different company's paints. If  I decide to use this color, I will have it matched using Benjamin Moore. We don't have a Restoration Hardware within 100 miles of where I live up here in Northern New England, and it is too expensive to have gallons shipped. Soooo here we go, have a look at these rooms painted Silver Sage. What do you think?

via Apartment Therapy



via House of Turquoise



Unskinny Boppy

             

1950s Vintage Fabric

I have really been on a fabric kick lately. First, I love fabric as art. I also love how it can transform the feel of a room. Since I have so many reupholstery/drapery projects waiting patiently to be started, I am hyper-focused on looking at fabric. Today I started thinking about how much I love the bold, bright patterned fabric coming back into fashion in home decor. I recently wrote about it in my Bold, Colorful Drapes post. Then it just came to me...my grandmother's drapes! THAT'S why I love this look! I loved my grandmother's living room. I had forgotten all about it until now. So I went to my Old Picture file and searched for a picture. The picture above was taken around 1955. My Grandfather built this ranch style house in 1952. My Grandparents living room was full of the latest fashion trends of the1950s. The rug was a beautifully patterned gray & cranberry color, the sofa was also cranberry. The room was decorated in gray, cranberry and green, which seems to have been a popular combination. Note the lovely plastic coating not only the sofa, but the lamps. (The first thing my mother did when she inherited the furniture was to rip all that plastic off! My Grandmother would have been horrified.) But it's the drapes that I am really interested in. I wish I could find a better picture but from what I can see it looks like a tropical pattern.
     I went on a search to find similar fabric and I came up with some great vintage prints! The fabric my grandparent's drapes were made of is called Barkcloth. According to Wikipedia, Barkcloth is a soft, thick, slightly textured fabric, so named because it has a rough surface like that of tree bark. It is usually made of densely woven cotton fibers. Historically, the fabric has been used in home furnishings, such as curtains, drapery, upholstery, and slipcovers. It is often associated with 1940s-through-1960s home fashions, particularly in tropical, abstract, atomic and boomerang prints.

 

 

I found all of these beautiful fabrics at Full Swing Textiles

Should I paint my fireplace?



Completely Coastal



Interiorsstonefireplace.com



I hate my fireplace. From the design to the color, its just plain ugly. It is 26 feet tall and juts out like a boats' bow into my living room. My husband suggested embracing its 'boatness' and putting a figurehead on the front! Hmm, no. It also has a big black pole in the middle, I suppose it is holding up all the bricks, so I know I am stuck with it. So, what is there to do? I am seeking your opinion. I know that I want mantels, one on each side. I also would love to redo the surface with river rocks or  faux stone, but we just cannot afford it right now. The question I am struggling with: Should I paint my fireplace??? Its a scary thing. I have heard for years that you should never paint a fireplace because the paint is so hard to remove. I have been looking around for pictures of painted fireplaces, and I still have not made a decision. So, if this was your ugly fireplace, what would YOU do?

Here are some before and after pictures. This was done by Kristi of Addicted 2 Decorating. I love how this fireplace looks. Its amazing what paint can do!

 

Here's a before and after from Better Homes and Garden

 



I am linking today's post up with Betsy Speert's Link Party. She is answering decorating questions this week, so go visit her!

Whimsical Dog Prints for your walls!



Studioten25.com



In my travels through Blogland I have seen a lot of art work on walls that feature dogs. I saw one that had a big dog on it and writing in the background. I liked it and looked for it on several online poster sites, but have not been able to find it. Do you know where it is? It looked like the posters in this picture to the right. Anyway, I have been noticing more whimsical dog prints on walls lately, and thought it would be fun to see what's available. I own 2 dachshunds and of course love all things dachshund! The 'Dachshund Wine' print above is on my dining room wall! Here's some fun Dog prints I found at AllPosters.com and CafePress.com