Missouri River Scene Headboard

Custom King Sized Headboard 

for a huge bedroom.  I wanted to make a statement and do something in scale with the huge bedroom for our new guest house project, so I had my carpenter attach an 80" tall by 80" tall section of MDF board centered on the "bed wall" and trim three sides with oversized (6" wide) chair rail from the local lumber supply company and then I started painting...

Because there had to be a seam in the MDF since it only comes in 4'x8' pieces, I had the carpenter make a center seam where it would be disguised by the horizon line of the sky and river.   

To economize, I used some left over beige latex house paint for the base coat of paint on the board before applying the more expensive Liquitex acrylic paints to tint the house paint to the colors I wanted.  

This is a detail of the water's edge that is next to your head on a pillow.  It kind of makes you feel like you're resting while overlooking the whole scene.

I love the contrast of creamy white linens with the painting. Then I found the dark plum lamp shades that brings out the similar colors in my 'moody sky'. 

Everyone comments about how much they love this bedroom with the grand scale of the painting/ headboard.  I love that it only cost about $200 in materials and one day to install the wood and a few hours to paint it.

Historic Frenchtown House

 My old house kitchen...

 

"...yes these are the original brick walls"



 Tackling such a small room involved some creative thinking and a little unorthodox space planning.... The all SubZero refrigerator is in the kitchen with chalk board paneled front while the SubZero freezer drawers are in the back hall laundry alcove along with the under counter stainless steel washer and dryer and a second oven with steam!



Refrigeration drawers are
convenient for beverages.





Original heart pine flooring and new cleft slate countertops





Of course, all of the brick did pose some challenges...like getting electricity to the hood, tv, microwave and undercabinet lighting above the countertops without destroying the brick.  We used beadboard several places - built columns out of it at the sides of the arange that also provides receptacle space.  And then there's the new wainscotting to hide wiring and wall switches.



I use salvaged square nails tapped into the mortar joints to hang anything on walls that are brick; more out of reverence for the old house than necessity.

 

The kitchen was fashioned around an antique section of slate countertop with routed in drainboard and wall faucet riser that I found in an antique shop. To make it functional, I fit it with a huge undermounted stainless steel sink.                                   Although this kitchen is half the size of the one in my previous house, I haven't scaled back entertaining at all and it functions beautifully.  Just goes to show, it's not a kitchen's size that matters.   Unlike most of the large kitchens I usually do for my clients, I guess my little old house caught someone else's eyes and heart and to my surprize... and it was featured in Better Homes & Gardens'  Kitchen & Bath Makeovers this winter. 

  Chris Berry, design director brooksBerry