My friend, who will go unnamed, is a planner and a do-er. I knew when she and her husband decided to build a few years back that every detail would be thought of.  They fought to keep the home as small as possible and focused on high quality construction which was environmentally friendly.  One of their mandates was that while this would not be a LEED certified home, they would make Green decisions throughout the process.  Specifically, they wanted to avoid adding potential toxins into their new home (studies show that indoor air is 3X more polluted than outdoor air). This is not a modern house by design, but the decisions that went into the construction reflect modern concerns about the environment.

The front porch.

One of the many well thought out details: shutters that open the kitchen wall to the stairwell and family room. I love her open shelving in the kitchen.

Floors:

First of all, my friend was the first person I knew who insisted that her subflooring contain no toxins or formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, as they will add toxic gases to the house for years to come. Hmmm, I’m immediately thinking about all the toxins to which I have exposed my three small children through the years.  Crap.  Why didn’t I know about this? An easy way around this problem is to simply have your builder use traditional exterior plywood for the subflooring/underlayment, thus skipping particle board all together.

She used Homasote 440 SoundBarrier fiberboard for the upstairs flooring underlayment. This is yet to be widely used and most conventional homes use OSB (oriented strand board) or particle board which, again, outgases formaldehyde.  You can now purchase formaldehyde-free OSB, but Homasote still has the plus of being a 100% recycled product. www.homasote.com/

A great back entry which doubles as a mudroom with Linoleum being the green choice for flooring.

wood floored hallway from breakfast room to back craft room covered in linoleum flooring.

My friend has a this great mudroom/back hall entry area. The flooring choice her was Good True Linoleum – as in the real deal, not the plastic floor.  Her linoleum was was purchased through Nashville Carpet Center and she chose Forbo brand’s Marmoleum, which they had installed in two ways: 1) large tiles for an offset/diagonal checkerboard effect in the back entry hall and 2) as solid “sheet” linoleum in the lighter of the two checkerboard colors for the adjacent rooms which include a cleverly hidden craft room that logs many hours of use. www.thisoldhouse.com

The floors in this house are breathtaking. This picture is in the well trafficked kitchen.

The wood floors steal the show. They have such warmth and depth that it actually makes the house seem older because you simply don’t find floors like this in newer homes.  Her floors are repurposed pine harvested from old barns and buildings here in TN and then milled into quarter sawn planks 6 inches wide by 6 feet long by Mr. Leo Burg of Fairview 615-533-2793 who is also the installer.

Another picture of the floors In the wide downstairs hallway

Lawrence Verchota owner of Verchota Floors, Inc. finished her floors using a Tung Oil Finish. Because Tung Oil was used, the floors never have to be sanded when they are refinished.  She has found the floors in the past three years to be “super durable, no worries, even in the kitchen with water spills, etc.”  www.verchota.com

Info about the benefits of a “natural” Tung Oil finish www.sutherlandwelles.com/

Natural Fiber rug in the family room that opens onto a screened in porch

Rugs woven from natural fibers are used throughout the house including the wool wall-to-wall carpet in the upstairs bedrooms.  My friend felt strongly about using wool carpet in her children’s rooms, because it is naturally stain resistant and water repellent as well as non-toxic.  Synthetic carpets and the bonded urethane foam pads under them are two of the most toxic components in new homes.  The carpet pads used are Karastep Casual Cushion that is made from recycled rubber.  Remember to consider your choice of carpet padding as what good is the more expensive wool carpet if you’re just putting it over something that is outgasing toxins?

The living/music room has lots of builtin cabnetry that all needed painting.

Paint:

Not only are the colors through the house calming and beautiful, they are also non-toxic.  The chosen paint was Sherwin William’s Harmony (low-odor, NO-VOC).  No-Voc paints are now a common option with Benjamin Moore and Porter Paints also carrying similar lines.  To see why you should consider a no VOC paint on your next painting project, see this link: www.eartheasy.com/

Other things of note:

• outdoor lights are on timers with CFL’s
• whole-house chlorine filter to take the chlorine our of the bath/shower water.
• cedar shake roof, because folks might need to replace the asphalt shingles on their own roofs at some point. Cedar shakes cost more but have a 30 year life, much longer than asphalt shingles, so if it’s your “forever house,” it’s worth the investment. Also it’s a renewable resource, from sustainable forestry practices.

The house is gorgeous. The Shaker roof was the perfect choice.

I love the two roofing choices: notice the metal roof on the garage.

Additional Resources:

• Builder: Ramsey-Daughtery. www.ramseydaugherty.com
• Heather Hilner of Nashville and the office of Ken Tate, Monroe, LA provided architectural design assistance.
• Cabinetry was designed by Robbie Barnhart of Nashville Custom Woodwork, Inc. and bathroom tile layouts were designed by Renaissance Tile & Bath.
• Buildinggreen.com and greenbuildingadvisor.com are good resources.

Ever since we moved into this house in 2005, I have wanted to paint every wall and change out every light fixture.  Before we moved in, most walls were painted and the most egregious of the lighting was replaced.  I have been on a quest ever since to change out a few more of the light fixtures.  My dining room chandelier was NOT my priority must-go fixture.  I actually didn’t mind it, I just didn’t think it was me.  I wanted my dining room to better reflect us, and thus I started with the chandelier.  I put together a budget and started searching for THE LOOK.  My back up plan was to just paint the darn thing white.

After searching high and low, these were my top three chandeliers I found:

Oly Studio $3000- but my decorator said she could get it for me for quite a bit less bringing it into the realm of possibility

At $4200 and hefty shipping fees added, I loved this one best, but could not afford it.

By Neirmann Weeks, I love this chandelier. Isn't it gorgeous?

My favorite was that second one listed.  I loved it because it is made from old wine barrels and I knew my husband would love it.  We honeymooned in the Wine Country and this one just seemed more us than simply me.  If it were just me, I would have picked that first one listed by Oly Studio.  So, this #2 chandelier had me convinced that it needed to come live in our house.  It was listed for $4200 and that was too high for my budget.  Dang.

Then, Restoration Hardware picked up this same line of lighting and was selling the smaller one-tiered version of this #2 chandelier for $2695.  Part of me was elated that my eye for good taste had just been validated because, hey, Restoration Hardware agreed.  But, I also was saddened that if I could afford my chandelier, these chandeliers might become prolific with their new catalog and mall store presence.  However, it was just available via catalog/online.  How many people are going to order a $2695 (before tax and shipping) item without ever being able to see it up close?  So, I crossed off that hurdle to then decided that I needed to move on as I didn’t have the 5K (after shipping that’s what it would be) to spend on it.

From Restoration Hardware

I love picture #3, by Neirmann Weeks, but it, too, was hovering in that 4-5K price range.  Also, one of my best friends has that chandelier, so I thought it in poor taste to even consider copying her exact chandelier, even though she insisted she would be tickled pink for us to have the same chandelier.  I think she was lying.  So, chandelier #1 it was.

Picture of that Serena Bowl Chandelier by OLY STUDIO found in designer Brooke Giannetti's home in California. Click this picture to see her blog Velvet and Linen.

About to put the quest to rest and order the Oly chandelier, I decided to wait until after I picked up my girls from Camp Greystone.  On the way back, I wanted to make a quick stop in Waynesville, NC and check out this ONE store to see if they had anything.  We love the Pheasant Hill Cafe and Gallery as it is an ice cream/coffee/furniture store all wrapped up into one.

So, with all three children in tow, and a captains chair and dog left behind in Nashville in hopes that just perhaps I would find something, I stumbled upon this:

on close out sale for $1100! NC sales tax is just 4.5% and no shipping!

I furiously texted Rachel Halvorson, my decorator.  Is it too big?  Can it fit in my dining room with 10 foot ceilings?  Should I buy it?  I next called my husband “Can I please buy it?”  He doubted my deal I insisted I was getting – $3100 off!  But he said “Sure” and all that was left was ensuring that the Chandelier, plus two camp trunks, 3 children and myself fit into the Honda Odessey.

It didn’t fit.  It couldn’t fit into the space allowed by the sliding door.  This Chandelier is 58″ tall! But I was determined and the owner was more than happy to assist the crazy lady with the thousand dollar purchase whose three kids were chowing down on ice cream also purchased in his store.

We took EVERYTHING out of the car:  2 camp trunks, all car seats and all the extra luggage were placed on the pavement.  The back seat was lowered and we got the chandelier into the missing Captains chair spot by pushing it forward from the back.  Because my oldest was tall and old enough to sit on the front with me, she was moved to the front, my middle was was now in the third row back with part of the chandelier next to her.  My son had very little room with the bulk of the chandelier wedged next to him.  We reloaded the trunks in the back and closed the doors and drove away.  It took 35 minutes to load it in and we needed to get home!

Here is what my dining room looked like last year when our house was on the market:

Luckily, we decided to stay in Nashville.  We took our house off the market and here it was it looks like today with my new chandelier:

We added host/hostess chairs, recovered the seat cushions and replaced the chandelier. I'd like to cover the walls with a sandy/tan grass cloth as well. But, now, I think the room has the feel that I wanted and I'm thrilled.

I adore succulents.  I’m becoming obsessed actually. While considered a bit like a cactus, with the little water they need, succulents don’t look out of place in a Southern home. We have a concrete pot in the North Carolina mountains filled with succulents.  They’ve been there for decades and no one does anything to them. They stay outside year round and they continue to flourish year after year.  This no fuss attitude makes them dear to my heart.  Happily, succulents look equally at home with both traditional and modern decor.  I think they are like a piece of coral in their ability to look at place where ever you put it.  Here are some of our favorite ways to add the succulent look to your everyday life:

Did it take your breath away like it did mine? AshBlue in Nashville can order it for you, through company Be Sweet. Lg size (7x12x28) is $590 and the smaller square size (7x12x12) is $270

www.ashblue.com

With these candles, you could skip flowers at your next dinner party. Available through Tuvalu, $6 each

www.tuvaluhome.com

I love the mixed metal color and visual impact. ETSY $140

Getchen Walker ETSY site for ring, and other fabulous items,  click here.

Available at simplysucculents, this 22" turtle is just $75. A living piece of art.

www.simplysucculents.com

And check out this centerpiece that Krislyn design did for a wedding.  If you click this Krislyn link, you’ll see more of their stunning arrangements.

This picture caused me to start a file - "Weddings." My daughters are just 8 and 11...but it's never to early when you see something like this arrangement.

Available from ETSY, this living wreath is just $69.50

etsy link for wreath, click here.

• I’m wondering if Nest Nashville might have any succulent decor on sale during their annual 20-75% off everything sale.  It’s going on through Feb. 3rd and is a completely fabulous shop.  Stop by Taco Mamacitas, next door, and you’ll be glad you made your way to the Edgehill Village shops….
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• And, if you are visiting from Ms. Cheap’s blog, mentioning StyleBlueprint in the Tennessean, our consignment is this Friday and you can click here for more details!