Cattle-Man Cave

One of the reasons AsterHouse Design doesn't work within only one specific style is because of projects like this one...we recently finished an executive office for a bonafide cattleman.  This gentleman asked us to take a look at the large empty shell and create a vision for a very rich, warm, masculine space that is part office, part gallery and frequent entertaining area.

A blank slate...

And now...the work zone...

The lounge area...

(the wallcovering in this area is authentic cowhide)

The entertaining zone...slate, copper, wood grain tile in a chevron pattern, rich dark walnut cabintry...

One of two gallery areas...

Light colored wool carpeting underfoot and the ceiling painted in a warm tan balance the deep, dark tones of the wallcoverings and stained millwork.

Our client had two of these bronze longhorn pieces commissioned for this office and we felt they were the perfect scale for this wall of shelving behind his desk.

The wallcovering we selected is a rich "raw silk" look that adds dimension and texture to the walls...the details in this space fit the client perfectly...

This project was truly unique...and we love that!!  It is what keeps this job so fresh for us...and allows us to work in aesthetics that may be out of our norm...and that is always refreshing!!

(Side note...by the end of this project, Amanda and I had both incorporated cow hides in our own homes!!  Watch for future blogs on this AHD trend!!)

Wait for it....

When you have awesome clients....

....fabulous materials...(what's not to love about 36" x 24" slate wall covering, granite, rich wood cabinetry...I mean seriously???)

....wonderful installers....

Just wait til you see it finished!!!!!!!

Let's go shopping....

Let’s just pretend, for kicks, that we lived in Centennial, Colorado…or maybe West Chester, Ohio…or suppose we moved down to Sunrise, Florida…if any of these were the case, then you would not be about to enjoy this blog post!!  But we do not live in Bloomington, Minnesota or Bolingbrook, Illinois…and so, we have to rely on friends!!  Friends who are true friends will go the extra mile, they will drive to the store they have never even been to, they will be overwhelmed by the massive hugeness of the task of finding the precious needed treasures on your list…and they will conquer…all because you do not live in Frisco, Texas…

Amanda and I love to high/low…this means mixing higher quality, and thus higher priced, items with off-the-shelf bargains from Target, IKEA…you name it!  Even our most discriminating clients appreciate that we can hunt down a bargain…even the largest budget hits a ceiling somewhere!!  And so it was with our own offices….and since we were not willing to sacrifice form for a functioning space….we brought in the cavalry!!

They scoured the aisles, filled up a cart, searched through the names no one outside of Norway...or is is Sweden can pronounce...a "KLIPPAN" what???  "EKENÄS" who??

Our loyal friend (and her lovely daughter) took on IKEA for us because we were desperate for some great pieces (read: cheap price but good quality…modern look but not modern price…fun and a little funky, but not expensive…is there a theme here???) for our recent office reno!!  (See the almost finished product here) 

Thanks again ladies!!  We appreciate it from the bottom of our "HOVÅS"...oops...getting a little carried away...

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Take a look!!

One of the reasons we love this "job" is found in the endless projects we are asked to take on...the variety is fabulous!! Late in the summer we were contacted to assist the great folks at Varney's with their upcoming location in the newest hotel in Manhattan! They are thrilled to operate the gift shop and we were thrilled to help them with the finishes!!

This project was a huge collaberation between the designer of the hotel and the hundreds of people that work together to make a hotel come to life...we had no idea...and we learned so much!!

Talk about starting from scratch!! This was our first look at the space...

So...the goal was to take the great history of our local college bookstore and showcase it in this new hotel...In order to connect the old with the new, we borrowed a motif found in the original store and installed it in the exterior in interior windows of the space...like so...

As we got deeper into this project, we discovered that a few of the finishes had been selected and there were a few yet to be decided. So, we found the perfect wallcovering to brought together the browns of the wallcovering in the hallway outside of the shop and the gray of the flooring in the space...

Once we chose the last of the finishes, the ladies from Varney's brought in the merchandise fixtures and filled the store with purple!!

(Colors: Sherwin Williams Pavestone and Grizzle Gray, Wallcovering, Sherwin Williams City by Living Style in Tarnished Gold)

Favorite Things #1

Being organized is something I strive for as a busy wife, mother, and small business owner. But, organizing my gift wrap items was not high on the to-do list! Until, I saw this neat idea.

Before I had wrapping paper and tissue under the bed, ribbon in a closet, and cards in a drawer. I dreaded having to pull together a gift because I had to spend time (something I seem to be short on) looking for all the items I needed.

I purchased this nifty pantry organizer at http://www.chefscatalog.com/ . The shelves are adjustable so you can make it work for all your gift decorating needs.

Not only do I have ALL my gift items together in one central location, but I can actually see what I have. Before I was digging around or had to remove ten spools of ribbon to get to the one I needed. Now, as I'm racing out the door I can quickly throw together the cutest little gift with ease!