UPDATE: A TV Show and and an update on #projectcheekwood

Babies, design projects, a store, and just life in general are all trump cards when it comes to blogging, but I'm dying to document this whole renovation on more than just instagram so am going to try my best on the old bloggity blog. Let's pick up where we left off last time with a little intermission called Hunting Vintage. 

Back in January, Gray and I filmed with Pietown Productions and HGTV for a new pilot series called Hunting Vintage - Think House Hunters with a vintage twist. We have always loved historic homes, especially since selling our first home (featured in HGTV magazine here) and have had our eyes on that part of town over our last four moves in the last three years. Yes... FOUR moves over the last THREE years... while I was pregnant. I think Gray should give me some kind of medal.... or a great vacation for letting me actually go through all of this craziness that I insisted on. :) 

Anyway, Pietown Productions contacted us and were interested in learning more about our project and after a few Skype conversations and emails we were set to film the show. Gray and I were nervous but the whole process was so much fun. I think 95% of that has to with the amazing crew we had. It's like going on a blind date at first but by the end of the first day it felt like we had been friends forever. The show aired two weeks ago and the response to it has been so positive. I'm not sure if we will film any more shows yet documenting the progress but as soon as I can, I'll put the episode link up and my next post will give more details about the show.

Ok, so just to catch up from the very first post.... 

If you follow along on instagram, you may have seen a few posts of my newest project, a 1928 home that hasn't been touched (except for maybe a few updates in the 1960s) that Gray and I just purchased. Gray was at the house meeting the utility companies to set everything up in our names when he came across this coffee mug that was left behind. He sent me picture of this mug with a few choice words. Demo hasn't started yet and we are already getting warning signs. Yikes!

The goods news is that our general contractors are a dream. It's a husband/wife team. That's right... a female general contractor that is a wife and a momma. She knows what I'm saying when I'm not saying it. She understands preschool pick-up times and why I really think it's important to have a mom drop zone with a charging station. I have a few other construction teams that I work with and love here in Wilmington, but Stephannie is a good friend and between running a design business, opening a store, being a momma, and renovating a house, I know I can just say "just do what you think is best" on those little decisions and she will make the best decision. I have to focus on my clients and answer those little questions on their behalf and I'm glad that I have the Pioneer Group to do that for me too. 

Speaking of little questions.... this is the existing kitchen.  It is ugly. No way around it. My mom and grandparents were in town last week and I walked them through the house. My poor Memaw and Mom just kept telling everyone..."just don't touch anything... Lindsey it's going to be gorgeous when you are done but please don't walk those youngin's through this house!" The house isn't a crack house for goodness sakes, just a few water bugs here and there!

 I promise this is the worst of the house... the rest of it has beautiful details and great bones.... the floors (except the kitchen) are even in great shape and we just have to refinish them. The kitchen looks like a different house, but it's still the house. Y'all just send good vibes over. The architect and my positive attitude hopefully will get us a long ways because that's where that coffee cup was found and Grayson Cheek isn't quite so confident today!

The reason we are so in love with the house is the back yard. It has this massive oak tree that just feels like home. The yard is big and it needs a lot of work and it has a pool that makes me so terrified but I know that with the right work and the right design, it will all amazing. The backyard is more overwhelming to me than the house because it has two sheds, a basketball court, a green house, a pool, and an exisitng garden. Right now, it looks more like a swamp and an overgrown jungle. This is more of a long term project, more because of budget than anything, but I'm actually most excited about this than anything else. I've started an entire Pinterest board for our landscape designer and luckily, he is totally stoked about the whole thing. 

 

We knew it was going to be a tough renovation budget wise.  The words "moving target" are talked about a lot and to a designer, those words are no fun. We knew going into this it we would disagree, we would have have some hard conversations, but acknowledging that upfront, I can say it's not been too hard on our marriage. Y'all budgets and renovations are no joke. With a new construction, you can go over budget by adding more square footage, great finishes/tile/lighting/etc. Renovating a 100 year old home, we've had to spend money on things I will never actually see like new footers. The words "load bearing walls" are like a curse word to me now. Everytime I hear that curse word, I just have to strike off another gorgeous light fixture or millwork detail I had plans for and put that on the "phase 2" list... but I'm OK with that. I don't expect to have my dream house at 33. I'm beyond thrilled that Gray and I are able to have such a great house that we can work on long term. It won't have all the furniture and all the wallpaper and all the artwork that I'd love for it to have, but that's what makes it exciting to me. We will be moving into a home that has 100 years of history, renovated by a team that we love dearly,  and year by year we will add the layers and our own history to make it ours. 

Quick tour of the main areas

existing dining room will be our living room

existing living room/music room will be master bedroom

existing office will be master bathroom (adding square footage here)

existing entry walls will be opened up

Patience has been on our side through this renovation as we've run into some major hiccups due to boring things like steel beams, rotting wood, and crumbling footers. Tens of thousands of dollars that none of us will actually ever see have been spent (bye bye herringbone floors and steel windows) but at the end of the day, we are still happy to own this house. 

Renovating a home that's almost a century old is like running a marathon hung over. Almost every day I feel like we've had bad news but we just keep our chins up and make necessary adjustments and at the end of the day, we know that this home will be a great place for our family. Adam, who is the husband part of The Pioneer Group, lovingly said that maybe it was all of our  fault. All the problems that we've run into have been because this old dame of a house  heard us talking about making her more modern and she reared up and gave us a hard time.  Hopefully now that we are just giving her updated bones and a new foundation she will be happy with her face lift and a little nicer to us now.

Renovating has been such an eye opening experience and something that I've really enjoyed. I'm blessed to work with great clients that have beautiful homes, but there is something about bringing a crumbling old home back to life, the imperfection and ugliness of it all is so rewarding. I went out of town last weekend with the kids while Gray worked on the house and my one request was that the refrigerator in the back yard with the rotten pickle jars be gone when we got back. Baby steps....

Grove Park Inn and Market

The idea of relaxing and going to market don't typically go together but this year, Gray had a conference at the Grove Park Inn about the same time that market started. Instead of not seeing each other for a solid week we decided to make full trip of it, sans kids, and spend a little uninterrupted time together. After all, things are going to get a little more exciting around here (that's what I tell myself when I start getting overwhelmed and so far so good!)

We started the trip by stopping in High Point so that I could go to the vintage and antique market. Most of the other showrooms were still setting up and not quite open but being there early I was able to score beautiful things for the store. 

I am constantly on the search for vintage oushak rugs and found beautiful rugs including one for a project I'm working on right now (not pictured). There were piles of over dyed rugs but these were tucked back in a corner folded up and to be quite honest, it was lucky Gray was there with me because he was happy to unfold them all for me. After about half an hour of going through these rugs, there were about a dozen other people around as Gray would flip each rug out. Luckily I got first dibs and scored these for the new store!

Buying for a store is so much harder than pulling things for clients and I can tell just by looking at the store right now what I'm really drawn to and it's unique tables because I have about 6 in my  little store. The last thing I needed to buy was a table but this one caught my eye and I couldn't leave without it. How great would this be in a more modern house with light walls and a set of pretty lamps? Y'all it is so pretty. Somebody come and get it before I take it home!

Gray couldn't get over these vintage dough bowls for some reason so they are came home with us too for the store. I wasn't quite sure about them but you'll see a little further down that apparently he wasn't the only one that loved them (they were all over market!) and I found just the right thing for them!

After I emptied my wallet at the antique part of market, we hoped back in the car and headed to Asheville. Gray was honored this past weekend at a continuing education retreat and I was lucky enough to spend the weekend at the Grove Park Inn with him. We ate and while he was in class I worked a little by the huge fireplace, hiked, went to yoga class, and then on Saturday spent 8 hours at the spa. I didn't know what to do with myself!

I packed so last minute for this weekend and just threw in what I thought I would need for market, a night or two out for dinner, but really didn't think about the days too much while I was at the Grove Park Inn. I went hiking every morning and afterwards had coffee on the back porch while I worked a little. Let me just tell you.... the more "mature" guest at the hotel were no joke. I took this photo because the guest check in was so beautiful, but really.... look at that dapper man. His hat had real feathers in it and those shoes were wing tipped with his monogram on the back. That was basically my motivation to go to yoga class.... to under dressed to stay on the veranda with my mac book and coffee!

Have any of you gone hiking solo before? This was just a few miles but it was so relaxing. With so much going on at home to think about,  I was able to just hike and relax and listen to everything going on around me. 

This sign was about half way through the hike. Thanks for the warning, right!?

The hike ends at an outdoor wind art gallery. It was so peaceful and beautiful and made me think that something like this would be so great when we move into our new house.

The view looking out of the main bar was so pretty! 

Gray and I don't get too much time one on one these days and it was nice to just sit and talk this weekend. 

Two of the three nights we went out to dinner around Asheville. If you aren't familiar with Asheville, it's known for it's food scene and there are so many great restaurants. My brother lives there and recommended a new spot called Curate. It's a tapas bar and when we called a few weeks ago to make a reservation, the only spot they had was at 10pm. We heard it was worth it so went and it didn't disappoint. The menu had about 100 different tapas on it so instead of spending an hour reading the menu, we just asked the waiter to pick out a few for us to try and they were all great.

On Saturday, Gray had classes all day and had booked a facial for me at the spa. My appointment wasn't until the afternoon but everyone told me to go for the day so after hiking that morning I went, I spent almost eight hours at the spa, I just lost track of time. It's that amazing. I didn't take a photo while I was there (no phones/cameras allowed!) but this is what one of the indoor mineral pools looks like. 

Saturday night we went to dinner at Gan Shan Station. Out of the all the meals we ate that weekend, it was by far my favorite. It reminds me a lot of the restaurant Xiao Bao Biscuit in Charleston. The atmosphere was just as great as the food and we sat at the bar so that we could see all the action in the kitchen. If you are ever in Asheville and love Asian food, check it out. 

By Sunday we were anxious to get back home but I needed to spend another day at market so we stopped by High Point on our way back home. The store is opening in a little over two weeks (hope you will come and visit!) and I have a few design clients that I needed to shop for.

This cabinet was so pretty. Wouldn't that be great in a bedroom?

Remember that dough bowl Gray talked me into? Saw them about fifty times on Sunday at market. 

This vintage truck was already taken when I saw it but it was in almost perfect condition and just the right size. 

Went to visit one of my favorite showrooms who had great artwork from Zoe Bios Creative. 

It was SUCH a good weekend but I was so happy to be home. We didn't get home until late Sunday night and I just wanted to snuggle up with Tilley-Gray and Maines. This week has been great prepping for the opening, working on a fun project on Figure 8 Island, and today I turn 33. Yikes! As I write this, my early bird little girl and (not so early bird husband) are making pancakes for me. Hope you all have a great day too! 

xx

In My Camera

Another perk of having a weekend at home is sitting down and cleaning out my camera roll. Here are a few favorites that never made out...

A heaping plate of french fries at Zuni Cafe. I ate the whole plate before the roast chicken came out and let me tell you.... this was the best dinner I've ever had. 

We don't get a lot of one on one time but a few days in San Francisco this summer were pretty perfect. 

Accessories to fill up a few bookshelves at a project in California. 

Hiking in Lake Tahoe 

This bedroom scheme didn't get chosen (the one they picked is a beauty though!) but I think this belongs somewhere. Can't stop thinking about these fabrics together!

Before we had to strap Maines in his high chair, he would just sit there patiently until I got him out. Then one day he discovered that he could shimmy his way out. Once he figured that out, meal time has gone down hill for all of us. He is WILD but he sure is sweet.  

Redemption Salad

Our first weekend at home after a string of weekends traveling has me in the organizing, cleaning, and cooking mode. I have been slack about cooking lately but certainly redeemed myself after making this salad. Yes, redemption after making a salad.... it's THAT good! 

Kale, Brussels Sprouts, and Bacon Salad 

adapted from Sugar and Grace

For dressing:

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs dijon mustard

1 tsp shallot, finely minced

1 small clove garlic, finely minced

1/8 tsp kosher salt

Pinch black pepper

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

For salad:

2-3 c thinly sliced kale (approx 1/2 a bunch)

1 lb brussels sprouts, finely shredded using a mandolin or sharp knife

3-4 slices bacon, baked and chopped

1/4 c roasted almonds, chopped

1/2 c Pecorino cheese, finely grated

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the bacon in a frying pan until it's nice and crispy. While it's frying, chop brussels sprouts. Once the bacon is done, pour out grease and add chopped brussels sprouts, stirring continuously until they are slightly browned (5 - 8 minutes.) Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix. Add in olive oil, whisking  until combined.Mix sliced kale and shaved roasted brussels sprouts in a large bowl. Throw in bacon, almonds, and cheese. Pour dressing over the top and toss salad until all ingredients are distributed throughout.

Hope y'all had a fantastic weekend! I have a FULL week ahead including a visit from one of my most favorite people on the planet who is coming tomorrow to help me set up Gathered. This week is also the kick off of two of my favorite things.... my birthday and High Point market! 

xx

Welcome to Gathered

I am so so thrilled to introduce you all to Gathered, my new design studio and store here in Wilmington. It has been a labor of love for the last six months and I can't wait to finally open the doors in a few weeks and invite everyone to come in! If you don't live in town, you can still follow the store on Instagram @gatheredbylindseycheek where I will be posting new arrivals almost daily.

 Original artwork, favorite home accessories, custom headboards, bedding,  throw blankets, vintage rugs, lighting, linens, and fabric and wallpaper by the yard will be a few things that we have at Gathered.  I also want to hear what you all would love to see so don't be shy in telling me! Here are a few things that have come in so far! 

I'm also carrying a few of Tilley-Gray and Maine's favorite things and will of course have snacks and plenty of things to keep your little ones happy if you bring them in too!  While a part of me is totally freaked out on the inside that this is actually happening and praying that you all love it, the majority of me is just so excited to open the doors and welcome everyone in because I love it so much. We are still nailing all the details down, but please mark your calendars for Thursday, November 5th for an opening party! I hope to see you there!

xx

Shiplap Walls

I'm working on a few new constructions right now and one client is in between doing or not doing shiplap walls in the main living areas. DO!!!! I say, but of course not everyone is just going to go off my word, so I pulled together a few inspiration shots to show them.  It's not something that they had originally planned for, but the architecture of the home they are building is going to pair perfect with this detail. 

Shiplap was used for barns and outbuildings originally, but it's made a comeback, especially in coastal homes. A lot of times, you will see shiplap used in either very rustic or very coastal style homes but more and more builders and home owners are using it. My favorite example is this kitchen  that has a Kelly green island and brass hardware. It isn't a typical shiplap match, but I love the mix of all of these together. 

This little nook is a great space to make a big impact with shiplap. Love the reclaimed wood beam too!

If I had an unlimited budget, I might just shiplap my entire house.

I saw this kitchen last night on Pinterest and just about fell on the floor. Good lord that's pretty. This kitchen doesn't have shiplap (that's brick instead) but this would be a great spot for shiplap. Just look at those pretty details. 

Typically shiplap is either a stained wood or painted white, but I love this painted finish in this bathroom. It's a little softer and makes for such a serene bathroom. 

Shiplap on the walls and ceiling of this bathroom. Look at that tub!

The shiplap and black doors and windows make this typical laundry room so beautiful. People spend so much time in their laundry room and it's always the first thing cut from a budget. Make it pretty in the details so laundry can be (somewhat) enjoyable!

Do any of you have shiplap in your homes? Jenny from Little Green Notebook has a detailed tutorial if you are up for a DIY!