I remember the first time we saw the interior of the school. I had prepared myself mentally from the MLS photos to not expect too much by way of original detail. I knew we would have the staircase Newell posts and that was about it. 

Cry face. 😭 

It is completely up to us to bring character back in (as with most of our houses) and we are absolutely up to the task!

I think, in general, people think that their space “can’t look like that” or “isn’t as glamorous as this” etc, but I say this ALL THE TIME…

A room is just 4 walls, a ceiling and a floor. It can be anything you want it to be. 

Of course you might not have the same height ceilings or windows etc, but for the most part, you can evoke nearly any style. I really believe that. I want that feeling to change people’s minds about their houses and feel like they have courage to live beautifully regardless of what their home is now. 

Also, I am a cheapskate, you need to know this. So I will go to great lengths to make things look expensive without them actually being expensive. 

Ok! Now that we’ve established all of that…I want to share a little round of inspiration for the school!!

I came across an article in Milk decoration and then another in Martha Stewart a couple of years ago about the home of Martha’s editor Pilar Guzmán’s family home. (I still have the Martha issue btw :) 

I was absolutely inspired by their Brooklyn townhome and how they made it modern without sacrificing original character. It is soooo inline with what Andy and I are trying to do and share with the world. 

It doesn’t feel like living in a museum yet it seems so sophisticated! Their 2 boys obviously feel totally comfortable living there and that’s exactly what we want at the school!

Yes, we will have some priceless antiques that I would make me really sad if they were ever broken, but I want the kids to live surrounded by beautiful things from the past. I want them to develop a sense of culture and art. I promise I won’t make them into little snobs, but I hope they can appreciate the love the skill that goes into actually making something. 

Maybe they’ll become little artist themselves. Or builders. I’d be happy with either ;)

That. Staircase. 

Ours is wood, too…..sooo…..it’s going to look JUST like this, right!? 

Excuse me, I’ll just be over here saving for 9 pairs of adorable hunter boots for the whole family. 

I LOVE this bench. We actually found one in Los Angeles when we were working on the Glendora house. I bought it in a little consignment clothing store on the spot and had absolutely NO IDEA how I was going to get it home.

It’s still in LA by the way, but it’s ours and that’s what matters :)

This kitchen reminds me so much of the “butler’s kitchen” at Biltmore (our main inspiration) and I looove it. We’ve been on the hunt for antique display cabinets like these for a few months and I think we may have found some….stay tuned!!

Thanks for reading!!! We are almost done with construction-y stuff at the school and ready for the real fun to begin!

Love you!

Candis

Sources: Milk Decoration | Photos by Andrea Chu