No Dumb Waiters Here !!!

Sir Charlie Chaplin in a dumbwaiter.

Dumbwaiters, an incredible help and you can still get them installed in home today.

I have played in them as a child, like Charlie Chaplin in the 1st picture.

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson is said to have invented the dumbwaiter. There are 2 forms of a dumbwaiter, one is a table with tiers. The other is the very small elevator type built into a homes wall that has a vertical shaft, the dumbwaiter is raised and lowered ( manually) by ropes and pulleys.

After 1920, motors were added.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

http://www.monticello.org/gallery/innovations/index.html ( Monticello Site )

This is a wine dumbwaiter that was used to transport his wine from the cellar to the dining room at Thomas Jefferson's 'Monticello'.

http://www.monticello.org/gallery/innovations/dumbwaiter.html

"When he had any persons dining with him, with whom he wished to enjoy a free and unrestricted flow of conversation, the number of persons at table never exceed four, and by each individual was placed a dumb-waiter, containing everything necessary for the progress of the dinner from beginning to end, so as to make the attendance of servants entirely unnecessary, believing as he did, that much of the domestic and even public discord was produced by the mutilated and misconstructed repetition of free conversation at dinner tables, by these mute but not inattentive listeners. "

More dumbwaiters.

This is a picture from ' The Octagon House'. ( see arrow)
I don't understand why with all these 'Mc Mansions' that have been built do not have dumbwaiters. They are certainly available.

Especially in homes with a long walk to the laundry room . If your laundry room is off your kitchen. this would be great, you could use it for food, laundry .........anything.

Heck, you could just ride in it . Just think of the possibilities !!!

Would you like your very own dumbwaiter ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbwaiter_(elevator)
http://my.execpc.com/~drer/octagon.htm
http://www.verticalvalet.com/

http://www.abbeyaccess.com/index.php?n=15&id=28
http://www.offthebeatenstage.com/AtmosphereActors.htm
Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....dumbwaiters, dumbwaiters,dumbwaiters

Crazy For Shells

I only feel comfortable with a small dose of ' SHELL DECOR ', but as my mother would say;

" It takes a lot of different horses to make a horse race .''

This house is in Austin Texas. I would expect to find it in El Cid, just over the bridge
from Palm Beach, where there are absolutely charming homes.

This picture drew me right in...........and suddenly I wanted to post.

(remember, I have been feeling stale)

The shutters are gorgeous, and the new or old finish is FABOO !!

In the garden behind the house there's a grotto with a koi-filled pond as its base.

This is the fantastic fountain. The owner collected all these shells herself.

This mantle would be the envy of any Palm Beach - er.

I think this room is wonderful, although...........I would have used a much lighter hand while applying the shells on the mantle wall.

But again, I repeat my mothers words; " It takes a lot of horses to make a horse race ."

This actually could be a picture of a Via off of Worth Avenue , in Palm Beach, Florida.

Detail of a shell-covered chest of drawers.

I could see this chest as in a cabana bath, maybe for towels etc. Or maybe small night stands in a guest house ( by the pool ). As I have mentioned before, the Shell Chic look is very hot in Palm Beach. And for Palm Beach , this look will remain a timeless classic.

" Next to the grotto ( koi pond )is a boudoir dans le jardin, a tester bed frame also embellished with shells. Many Austin homes feature outdoor sleeping areas, with beds outfitted in comfortable mattresses, colorful throws, and stacks of pillows—throwbacks to the days before air-conditioning replaced open windows. " I love this idea.

And I certainly could use this in Boca Raton , Florida. For many months of the year, we have nearly perfect weather in the winter months.

My posts on Koi:

http://reneefinberg.blogspot.com/2008/10/meaning-of-koi.html

http://reneefinberg.blogspot.com/2008/10/inspired-by-koi.html

http://reneefinberg.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-koi-personality.html

Article from:

http://www.traditionalhome.com/gardens_outdoorliving/beautifulgardens/shell_garden_1.html

Design:Landscape designer: Berthold Haas Design, 618 Lavaca St., Suite 11, Austin, TX 78701; 512/236-9645, bertholdhaasdesign.com. Shell art: Emily Haas, Shells on Twelfth, 512/740-1668, shellsontwelfth.com.

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....

The Life Of Two Rileys

As I mentioned in my last post, I am feeling a bit jammed up.

Not just creatively, but emotionally as well.

I feel as though there is something in the wind....
and I am not sure if that wind will be a good one,
or a bad one when it finally blows through.

Enough about me ........let's get back to you.
I looked everywhere, and finally found this little gem of an idea/inspiration photo for you.
Is this not the best ??? This certainly looks and feels to me , like 'The Life Of Riley' for these two.

If you had banquette seating in your kitchen, and a beloved dog, would you want this in your house ?

I have done this for a client, it is not that costly if you have a Carpenter that you work closely with.
BTW - the seat cushion fabric is what I have on my kitchen chairs.

? The Life Of Riley :http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041590/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Life_of_Riley
Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....

Feeling Stale

I really can't think of anything...............

I have no idea of what I want to talk about, or show you.
So , I am going off to contemplate.

Have a nice weekend

xxx 's


Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....