“Your Order Has Shipped!”

Don’t you just love those four little words? Me too!! Especially when they represent triumph over indecision and procrastination. You see, after weeks of deliberations I’ve finally made up my mind and ordered new hardware for our living room French doors!! Big day! I’m so excited because as minor & insignificant as the choice of door knobs and hinges may seem (although I know many of you are just as design-obsessed as I am, if not more, and know the importance of the right hardware & finish in setting the mood in a space 🙂 ) figuring this out and making a decision is huge for me. It means I’m one step closer to figuring out our living room puzzle which is inextricably linked to our library/family room puzzle as the rooms are connected and most of the times open to each other. I’ve made other decisions in the meantime, decisions that are being scheduled right now, and hopefully executed within the next couple of weeks, more about that later, but this detail has been driving me batty and am so glad to have it behind me. I can’t believe it took me two months to decide!! “Should I get these cast iron ones?”

“… or the antique brass?” – a question I have asked myself, and my patient family members (thank you!) far too many times!

All of you decorators reading, have you noticed how much harder it is to decorate for yourself than for a client/friend? I’ve been thinking about this for some time now, and I’m not sure I got the right answer as to why this happens. For me, I think it’s about being reined in and guided by my clients’ aesthetic (and often times a spouse, parent and/or child- depending on who else might be involved in a clients’ decision-making process). Having objectivity and a fresh pair of eyes brings my ideas into a clearer focus.

When it came to our little cottage, I had all these different – and often contradicting – scenarios going through my mind. A fresh color palette with clear whites, blues and greens and a touch of black in colonial style cast iron details vs warm, cozy, dark and colorful… I love both and what’s worse, I want both!!! :(((  With no one to put a stop to my daydreaming (except, of course, le budget and the availability of our trusted contractor) I’ve been wondering for too long, torn between two very distinct looks for our house. I love the crisp white and black contrast that is a hallmark of colonial simplicity but I also adored the jewel tone & warmth of antique brass hardware. I didn’t want to rush into ordering before I was 100% sure what I wanted but now I know and it’s freeing hahah. (It wasn’t easy! 🙂 )

In the end, I chose cast iron over antiqued brass and I did it for several reasons. First, the living room sconces are and will remain black with a matte, roughed-up textural finish and because the room is fairly small I don’t think introducing a different finish would work.

I do love mixing different metals in a space but not in such a small one. Having a bronze finish on the sconces and brass on the door hardware would have been a distraction, especially since I have plans to do a wall treatment that will be detailed as well.

{View of the fireplace from our library. The cast iron-like drawer pulls from Home Depot were excellent placeholders for door knobs while I made up my mind 🙂 }

Second, I’m aiming for a cozy, rustic simplicity with pretty fabrics and pattern thrown in and I felt that the antique brass, as gorgeous as it was, was a tad too elegant for this little cottage. Last, the price. Antique brass was double the price of cast iron, and the brass hinges I had found were nowhere near as pretty and delicate as the cast iron ones. And because the hinges will be visible all the way from the front door when the French doors are open, I wanted something extra special yet simple. Does that even make sense? 🙂 

{The French doors as seen from the living room – image taken during the construction phase. You can see the hinges clearly! }

Anyway, yesterday I got a “Your order has shipped” heads-up email which means these pretty cast iron babies are on their way to me, and I couldn’t be happier!

Thanks for making it to the end of this potentially boring hardware post. I’m off for the day but wanted to show you the latest addition to our family – Chewy… He’ll make the few weeks before our woodchuck wakes from her slumber easier. Celebrate the sweeties in your life, hold them a little closer and a little tighter today. Happy Valentine’s Day!