04 Monday Jun 2012
Posted in In House
Tags
antiques, Barn sale, country living, farm table, high back bench, NC, primitive, southern living, virginia beach, Wilmington
Farm style dining!
These high back benches look great with a farm table, in an entry way, on your front porch, in a mud room……
Make sure to check out our facebook page and see all the new items from this weekend’s barn sale and auction! There are so many new items photos will be added daily.
30 Wednesday May 2012
Posted in News
Tags
antiques, coastal, Coat of Armor, family crest, first dibs, French, living etc, one kings lane, Shield, Southern, Virginia, virginia beach
I truly fell in love with this piece when I saw it! I thought it was beautiful the way it was and I left it in the studio for a few weeks hoping someone would take it home. Throughout that short period of time I imagined it painted and knew exactly what I wanted to do.
Almost instantly after the work began people started taking notice. It could also be that it was right in front of the studio and everyone could now see it with the bay door open. (planned of course!) Anyway, I decided to put French chartreuse on the inside and built a couple of removable shelves. It sold before it made it into the shoppe to someone that loved it as much as me. It’s great when that happens! That;s actually the whole premise of the studio.
Make sure you check out the ‘Before and After” album on our facebook page and see the before and the inside!
26 Saturday May 2012
Posted in About the Owner, In House, News
Tags
antiques, architectural, Coastal living, Norfolk, religious, Richmond, shopping, virginia beach, Washington DC
One of the dozens of treasures from this weeks hunt!
I should be sleeping and here I am blogging about the crazy wonderful week I’ve had. I’m yawning so hard that my eyes are watering…. and still… here I am blogging! LOL
Anyway… the week started off like any other and by Tuesday afternoon my store went from decently stocked to 1/3 gone! I was so excited and felt so blessed and then I panicked! I immediately called in backup and planned a Wednesday of shopping in between Gabby’s softball tournament and some much needed family time. I was feeling pretty good about the truck full of accessories and a little nervous about the 1 piece of furniture I had found. (I posted a photo of the days lute on fb btw) I was even more nervous when I called to check in with my girls to find out the entire white room had been emptied along with many other pieces! YES! How awesome! OMGosh…. what am I going to do?
Thursday…. Important meetings all day. I had a small window of 2 hours and knew I needed to find some furniture. I quickly remembered some old “go to” spots and hit the jackpot filling the truck with several occasional tables and an amazing French chair… along with some frames! Yaaaaa Got back to the meeting just in time…. finished up around 4:30ish… called the shoppe to check in….. ANOTHER GREAT BUSY DAY! OMGosh!
Friday…. back at it super early and then back to spend some time in the studio with my girls in order to get some custom orders finished! ANOTHER SUPER BUSY DAY! THANK YOU GOD! OH… AND GOD, I NEED SOME MORE FURNITURE PLEASE. AMEN!
Saturday….. started at 7:30 am and ended 12 hours later! Super fun with one of my sidekick besties who’s nickname is now “Scout” because she knows how crazy busy I am and she’s been using her amazing eye to scout out great things for me in her spare time between her 4 kids, wonderful hubby and volunteering all over the place! (By the way…. if you’re the kinda chick who likes to keep it moving and thinks a “done” to-do-list is boring and lame…. and you are constantly adding things to the list as you check others off… make sure to keep the same kind of company and friends)
Saturdays list of amazing finds that I can not wait to photograph and post!!!!!!…………… The amazing antique barn cupola pictured above, ornate Thomasville scrolly table, large antique split reed basket, small painted server (which I have a waiting list for these), several lamps, large oval gold mirror, tons of really old blue canning jars with zinc lids, a mahogany chest of drawers, Asian sofa table, oak frames and mirrors, mahogany oriental hall table, 2 Gothic dining arm chairs, Oak marble topped wash stand, carved walnut footed chest that is huge, antique toy schooner, Chippendale childs chair, a sick disco ball… YES.. I SAID DISCO BALL! One of the very first ever made with an ornate covered motor… that still works!, 2 upholstered chairs, another super long Asian hall table, a Victorian settee, A FRENCH DESK THAT IS CASTLE WORTHY, hand carved French bed bench that is signed and newly reupholstered, a huge banquet table that will be my new desk in my office and some more smalls that Iv’e forgotten…. OMGOSH…. AND 2 AMAZING RELIGIOUS DIORAMAS!!!!!!! sigh…… good night and see ya soon! xo
ps…. Thank you troops present and past. Have a safe and happy Memorial Weekend!
21 Monday May 2012
Posted in In House
Tags
antique dresser, British flag, DC, European, furniture, linen, Richmond, shopping, UK, Union Jack, Virginia Beach VA
Mixing it up a little more!
I have been dying to paint the British flag on a dresser. I’m not usually so caught up in trends that I have to copy …. and of course, I hate copy cats. So after trying to find a new approach to this dilemma, I came up with this!
I have to tell you one of my biggest inspirations for doing this NOW was the business card from Foundry in DC. Check this place out! It’s killer!
New stuff on our facebook page! Check it out and thank you for all the feedback and sweet comments.
14 Monday May 2012
Tags
antiques, chandeliers, clearance sale, cottage, furniture, interior designer, North Carolina, primitives, Richmond, virginia beach
I need to make room for all the new pieces!
It’s been a very busy Spring… and we’ve moved a lot of inventory as usual! BUT… for those of you who know me or keep up with Chartreuse on fb….. you know I can’t have things sitting around for long…
SO WE’RE HAVING A HUGE SALE!!!!!!!!! I have furniture that is in storage and in several different places down the coast that I have to make room for…. Tune in to our facebook page and see the savings later this evening. I’m re-arranging and marking stuff down! I will title the album “May Sale”. BTW…. this dining set will be part of the sale!
12 Saturday May 2012
Posted in In House, Vintage Finds
Tags
antiques, baby scale, coastal, country, fish basket, glass bottles, Living, metal, old doors, rattan hanging light, Restoration Hardware, shopping, virginia beach, weather vane horse
Here’s today’s loot….
Today started out early as usual. One of my dearest friends had suggested this nice neighborhood community yard sale…. We meet…. we go…. we get disappointed….. It’s amazing how someone can live in a million dollar house and have crap! LOL! I’m serious….. If you can’t afford to have nice things in the house of your dreams (or the house that will impress people)…. and you’re filling it with particle board furniture and ugly silk flower arrangements…. I mean really. Really?
So…. we get off the beaten path and decide to take a spontaneous road trip. No food, no map, no worries. Full tank of gas…..beautiful day….. empty truck and 2 eager women with cash in their pockets! Perfect ingredients for an early Mother’s Day present to ourselves.
Look at the loot we found when we broke away from the herd and went off on an adventure…….. I love days like this! We met some amazing people, we laughed, we hunted and we conquered!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!
04 Friday May 2012
Tags
antique ceiling tile, cottage, creamy chic, French, magnet board, metal tile, Richmond, roses, shabby, virginia beach
Fabulous re-purposing with antique ceiling tiles!
22 Sunday Apr 2012
Posted in About the Owner
Tags
antiques, artist, Civil War, designer, industrial, junk, shopping, travel, treasure hunting, virginia beach
Check out the other photos from April's trip on fb!
Don’t be afraid of scavenging through what appears to be “junk”! I found an amazing Civil War surgical case in this pile! It’s beautifully detailed and a rare find. I’m always intrigued by what I discover in the most unexpected places. Remember… it’s the “thrill of the hunt”! Enjoy and don’t be scared of a little dirt!
You can see a few more photos in the “April Trip” album on our facebook page!
21 Saturday Apr 2012
Posted in About the Owner, News
So…. I get back from my 8 day trip today (that was supposed to be a 4 day trip)! My truck is packed and I’m looking forward to being back home. I’ve worked 12 and 14 hour days and I’m exhausted! It was all worth it though. I managed to do a little (a lot) of shopping on the way down to Wilmington and on the way back to VaBeach….
I get to Chartreuse to unload the lute and my tools that I used to “work”…. I’m greeted with a clean and tidy shoppe. I see that my girls have been hard at work taking care of things while I was gone. I can’t tell you how much that means to me… having a great, supportive team.
I decided to call one of my “girls” and check in. We’re going over the week and discussing business when she tells me that a few customers (not clients) stated that “I (me) have gone way up on my prices and they didn’t like it”! SO HERE IT GOES………
First of all, I DO NOT APOLOGIZE FOR MY PRICES! Second of all, my prices increased when I quit selling pieces of painted furniture off my front porch and started doing custom work in people’s homes and when I opened up a BUSINESS!
SERIOUSLY………. this rakes my nerves! To those of you who don’t own a business and want everything for nothing…. Let me break it down for you…..
1. It cost money to go out and find pieces. 2. Then you have to pay money to buy the piece. 3. Then you have to either bring it back or have it delivered or rent a larger vehicle. 4. Then you have to work on it with the tools, paint, etc. that cost money…. in the building that you pay rent on!
I know I shouldn’t take the time to even acknowledge these people who are clearly not the happy, returning clients who don’t complain and think my prices are reasonable. Or the people from across the country who have me ship items to them. And I’m sure these complainers haven’t been to shoppes within a 100 mile radius, like Richmond and DC, whose prices are 3 times mine. That’s why those people are traveling to my shoppe to buy and sometimes even resale!
Oh…. and I forgot to mention… the person they complained to…. they have to be paid too! OK, I feel better now that this is off my chest!
On a lighter note……….. can’t wait to share all of the new finds from my trip and share photos of the Wilmington project… (which is costing money…. lol)
18 Wednesday Apr 2012
Tags
antiques, chateau, European, French, London, Norfolk, Richmond, unusual finds, violin, Virginia Beach VA, Washington DC
For the taking!
On the road again! Loving it of course….. but working my hiney off!
I’m in Wilmington, NC again this week working like crazy on the new location. I’m exhausted, yet exhilarated! The days have been long and productive! On the way down I decided to turn a 5 hour trip into a 9 hour excursion by taking the back roads and not hitting interstate until necessary. Didn’t find many new pieces on the way down but managed to meet some really nice people and see some of the beautiful South I’d not witnessed before.
My second day produced several primitives (that I still haven’t picked up yet)……..and this…. once in a lifetime find above! UUUUUmazing!
Check out our facebook page to see the other European finds I’ll be bringing back later this week!
