Rebuilding.

October 10, 2017October 10, 20173 Comments

On the way home from the airport after landing in Los Angeles, our driver said to us at the end of a particular conversation, “Don’t worry, the reality and stress will soon set in”. Although said jokingly, he wasn’t far off base. It’s hard coming home to see news coverage about the devastating wildfires occurring in my state. There are fires burning in both Northern and Southern California with deadly, devastating results. “California is on fire”, is some something I made mention of yesterday to a colleague. While we are not in the path of any of the current fires, I came home to find layers of ash covering our property spread by the heavy Santa Ana winds. I had also being alerted by our city to stay indoors due to poor air quality. Having a home destroyed in a matter of minutes is a frightening thought but is the reality for so many living it in the moment. There are many who will deal with the aftermath of the destruction. Some will be rebuilding lives after the loss of life of friends and family; others will deal with construction efforts of rebuilding physical structures. This all reminded me of a post I did last year about a Santa Barbara home that was rebuilt after a fire. The owner took some extra precautions to design a new home with safety in mind. The results are lovely and in case you missed that post, you can check it out HERE.

When we rebuild a house, we are rebuilding a home. When we recover from disaster, we are rebuilding lives and livelihoods. –Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Economist

If you want to help with disaster relief aid, contact Red Cross.

A Cozy Colonial in New Hampshire

September 17, 2017September 17, 20171 Comment

Fall is just a few short days away and I will be embracing the new season with open arms. I found a beautiful home filled with autumn hues and a splash of unexpected color. Even the front porch is already decorated with a seasonal wreath and pumpkins to welcome the new season. Hello, Fall! Don’t let simple exterior fool you. This isn’t your grandma’s colonial. The home is tastefully decorated and feels modern even though the home dates back to 1825. It looks like the perfect place to cozy up in during fall and winter. This 2,200 square foot New Hampshire colonial home with barn has access to a waterfall and not one, but two swimming “ponds” on six acres of land. I wish there were pictures of the property but if the surrounding landscape is as carefully tended to as the interiors then I bet it’s an idyllic setting.

Designer Bennett Leifer

April 9, 2017April 9, 20172 Comments

You’d never know with his boyish looks that designer Bennett Leifer has studied under some of the best names in the architecture and design world, including Robert A. Stern Architects. designer bennett leifer

His training has done him well. Since establishing his own firm in New York in 2013, Bennett Leifer has since made a name for himself in the design world with his work published in numerous magazines, including the current issue of Elle Decor. While there is a timeless quality about much of his work he does allow for throwing a few modern pieces into the mix. I particularly love the sophisticated, casual style of this Connecticut country house featured in his online portfolio. The light colors and neutral decor of this home are a breath of fresh air this time of year. BENNETT LEIFER country home entry via reviving charm BENNETT LEIFER country home via reviving charm 3 BENNETT LEIFER via reviving charm

A SNEAK PEEK: REVIVING CHARM REDECORATES

March 13, 2017March 11, 20172 Comments

We had a house guest stay with us recently for several weeks. The furniture in the guest bedroom was rearranged to better suit their needs as a temporary resident. With our house guest now gone, I have begun to rearrange this small bedroom. I had been tinkering with the idea of redecorating this room so this posed the perfect opportunity. Timing is everything, isn’t it?

I will be repurposing a lot of what we already have. I will be maintaining all of the existing furniture (although two pieces will get a makeover with a fresh coat of chalk paint). I purchased new fabric for 4 pillows I will be making for the bed and already have fabric for 3 other accent pillows I still need to make. I am thrilled that existing art that has been stored away will soon be displayed. The room will be simple in design. Not a lot of color, not a lot of fuss. A few details have yet to be worked out but the re-do is officially underway.

guest-room-details

Do you want to learn a little bit about all the pretty little things in this picture?

Gold trinket box: Did you know that Goodwill operates a store called Deja Blue Boutique? Yeah, I didn’t either. I went to Las Vegas with a couple of friends a while back. One of my friends took us to Deja Blue, which happens to be where Goodwill sells their higher end items. The box still had its original red velvet lining which I happily swapped out with black linen to suit the space better.
Sunburst Brooch & Lady Bust: These are vintage and were purchased from a Hollywood costume designer a few years ago. I think the black linen provides a great backdrop to show them off.
Octagonal glass trinket box: This is already existing in the room. It is one of my favorite pieces because it displays various seashells and rocks that Mr. B and I have collected over the years from various beaches we’ve visited while on vacation.
Mirrored tray: This is another accessory that is already in the room but it has a tendency of moving around.
Books: I rummaged through a box of books we still have packed away and found a few that match the room perfectly.
Ivory & chrome tray: This was a Homegoods purchase several years ago and is already being used in the room. I love using trays to corral items together and create a harmonious grouping of things.
Wicker basket: The wicker basket was purchased by Mr. B at least 30 years ago at a yard sale. He has a good eye! It currently exists in the room and serves as a table in front of the daybed.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek. I still have a lot to do so I better get to work now…

DAVID HEYMAN AND ROSE UNIACKE IN LONDON

February 20, 2017February 24, 20184 Comments

David Heyman and Rose Uniacke are the ultimate power couple. David is the producer behind the Harry Potter series and Rose Uniacke is the daughter of a well know antique dealer in France who, in her own right, has become a much-in-demand British designer. The couple’s home, which is shared with one of their children, is featured in the March 2017 issue of Vogue. It combines raw and refined qualities and has an elegant simplicity to it. According to Uniacke, the design of their home can be summed up as “monastery meets Venetian palazzo.”

Here is Rose Uniacke with the family dog, Errol. That dog must live a very charmed life! Don’t worry, Errol isn’t camera shy. You’ll catch a glimpse of his sweet face later in this post.

It looks like the kitchen has undergone some renovation. The picture above is the family’s kitchen from 2013 via the New York Times. It’s also the version currently on Uniacke’s website known as the Pimlico House. However, the kitchen shown below, with its reclaimed wood, is the one featured in the March 2017 issue of Vogue Magazine. Personally, I like the 2013 version much better with the island in place and the selection of materials used. In fact, I kept having to double check my sources thinking that I had mixed up the pictures and dates. Nope.

A basement apartment was converted to accommodate an indoor pool. If you look closely, you can notice the subtle change to this space that includes the addition of travertine to line the base of the walls. The photo above is from 2013 while the photo below is from the 2017 issue of Vogue. Here is Errol again!

You can read more about the home in the March 2017 issue of Vogue Magazine and HERE in the 2013 New York Times/T Magazine article.

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: JOHN DE BASTIANI

February 15, 2017February 24, 20186 Comments

With all the color floating around the internet and social media sites on Valentine’s Day, I think I’ve had my fair share of red and pink for the moment. To combat my overdose of color, I thought today would be great for posting a beautiful space featuring a combination of soothing neutrals. I’ve had these images of the beautifully designed Beverly Hills pied-a-terre by interior designer John De Bastiani saved for a while and couldn’t image a better day to share them with you. I’ve said it before…that the lack of color doesn’t need to equate to boring design. Apparently, it’s a sentiment that I share with John as he has been quoted as saying that “Beige is classic. It’s sophisticated, it’s soothing. It isn’t trendy, and neither am I. People might call it the safe choice, but I say, What’s wrong with being safe?” You can read the rest of the interview here.

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Interior Designer John De Bastiani

Images via House Beautiful.

COLOR STORY: THE BEAUTY OF BROWN

January 30, 2017February 17, 20182 Comments

I am starting this post with a confession: I started a website in 2007 (it’s no longer active, by the way) and one of my favorite posts was what I now like to call “Color Stories”. It’s a feature highlighting a variety of things, such as fashion and design, with a particular color being the unifying element. It was something not wildly done back then when blogging first started so it was a feature that my readers truly enjoyed. It’s a popular post format these days but frankly, Color Story posts were and are still some of those that I enjoy working on the most. It’s what I like to consider a virtual inspiration board. And I love, love, love a good inspiration board (some call them “mood boards”). I’ve posted a few Color Story features on Reviving Charm but realize that I haven’t done one in a while. Let’s take a look at the color brown…

By the way, in case you are curious about how I came up with the color brown to focus on today then here is the back story. I recently put on an outfit that was head to toe black. (If you are curious…I wore black riding boots, black skinny jeans, a black sweater with a floppy turtleneck and a black peacoat. An oversized black Ferragamo tote bag adorned my arm). While putting together my outfit, I came across a pair of brown leather shoes I forgot I had. At that moment I realized that my wardrobe really lacks shades of brown. I might need to fix that. But the color stuck in my head and this is how today’s post came to be. Take it for what it’s worth…that’s just how my mind works…

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Tag: decorating with neutrals