The Open House – before, during and meanwhile…

Getting ready for the Open House:

Here are some photos of the activities during the last few days before our Open House as well as photos of the Open House itself.

If you missed the event, please feel free to drop by and see the transformation of our iconic Richard Sharp Smith home from its neglected state to its original splendor!

We have embodied our motto “Life is too short not to be comfortable” in our own working environment.  Do stop by and enjoy it during  business hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. till 5:30 p.m.

Big smiles as all is ready!

Sharon Tompkins is having fun restoring the finish on the handrail.

Wayne hangs the sign with our NEW LOGO!

Jeanne Meeker cleans up the garden.

Creating the collage in one of the powder rooms.

Kathryn selects postcards for the collage while Bill Brooks waits to assist with their installation.

Installing the crystal chandelier from Stuf Antiques in the living room.

Jeanne Meeker - our personal floral designer with her car loaded.

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OPEN HOUSE – The Big Days Have Arrived!

Photos of the  Open House

OK - Ready - Set - Flowers are in place...

Homemade cookies and lemonade are set.

Linda and Kathryn show Josiane and Stan Dalton around.

Linda hugs a special client - Mrs. Bradley.

Sharon Tompkins talks about the famous back splash with Bob and Kim Wiggins.

The famous back splash!

Kathryn with Sandy Sellers and her mother Barbara Bryant, who grew up in our house!

 

The renaissance of Ambiance continues: save the date!

We did it! Ambiance has moved!

If you are reading this blog, you are a special part of our Ambiance family. You are invited to drop by anytime. Remember, we did this for you and because of you – our great clients and associates.

Be sure to save the date for our official OPEN HOUSE

August 6th & 7th, 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. and August 8th, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Please note our new address: 189 East Chestnut Street Asheville, NC 28801

Phone, fax & email remain the same: 828-253-9403 (p), 828-258-2328 (f), email: info@ambianceasheville.com

Here are some moments in our journey
from downtown to our new home on East Chestnut Street:

Wow, what a backsplash!

Sharon Tompkins at work with her mosaic art. By the way, I love that faucet from Hansgrohe!

The installation of the kitchen begins

Kathryn meets with a cabinet finish expert to get the color on the new cabinets just perfect

Cabinet maker Carl Gieschenschlag’s (of Wildwood Studio) attention to detail is unsurpassed

Kathryn draws with her tape measure: Caine and our electrician, Eric, curve the trac for Annie’s room.

The trac installed. Thank you to Christi Butts of Lux Lighting and David Terry for their ideas and help.

“Okay Caine, mark the spot for the floor outlet.” Watch out when Kathryn has that tape measure in hand!

Moving day: May 6, 2009

Jerry and Sam carry the old piano table into Sarah’s room

Erika Flynn, Joyce Miles, and Molly McDonald unpack and clean all the fabric books

Linda and Laura take a break from packing:

Wayne and the staff of Ambiance packed boxes at the Broadway Street location for nearly three weeks:

Photographer, Matt Rose, and Kathryn spend time at Mountain Air to photograph Toni and Tom Oreck’s beautiful home that is featured in the current issue of Carolina Home & Garden Magazine. Let us know if you need a copy…

Kathryn helps move clients into their new home at Lake Toxaway:

The week after moving Ambiance, our clients Tommy and Pam Funk enjoy having Kathryn help them move into their new home.

Jerry leads the lift… oh, those Bausman pieces can be so heavy! Chris Perryman comes to the rescue!

A large armoire, purchased by the Funks in Texas, had to be dismanteled and reconstructed in the Master Bedroom.

Here are a couple of before & after photos of the East Chestnut exterior:

BEFORE: The painting of 189 East Chestnut begins!

AFTER: The house after months of hard work!

REMINDER: Save the date!

OPEN HOUSE

August 6th & 7th, 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. and August 8th, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

Update

Our Renovation Continues...

Paperhanger, Bill Brooks measures Linda's Powder Room for Wallpaper

Reuben, the finish carpenter, uses the front porch for his shop. We are adding wooden ceilings and walls to one powder room. The kitchen will also have a "v" groove ceiling. The kitchen pantry will have bead board walls.

The Kitchen ceiling has been newly painted

George, the other finish carpenter, begins installation of bead board in the pantry

What’s this? The chimneys were never lined. Many years of use resulted in major deterioration.

(View into the attic) The chimney had to be totally dismantled and removed from the attic. Stainless steel liners will be installed so a few of the six fireplaces can be used. Stay tuned! (Masonry work by: Chuck Kinney at Kinney Masonry. www.kinneymasonry.com)

Another surprise: What are those strange pieces of metal? How will they be removed and what will we do to make the banister studier?

The old heart pine floors are being sanded by Fred Maher.

What is this? Reuben and George have pulled the old furnace out of the basement. It was on its was to be recycled, but Kathryn intervened. Now, these will be art for the gardens around the house.

Speaking of the gardens... David Terry-Lighting Designer (Design Inc.), Terri Long (Terri Long Landscape Design) and Kathryn meet on a rainy morning.

On a rainy morning, Caine prefers to make his point from the porch.

Details, details. Thinking ahead about how the draperies will be installed

The installation of a new roof is almost complete!

Wow! This is an exciting moment. The antique corner lavatory in one of the Powder Rooms is now installed. We have hot and cold running water!

Meanwhile, back at home it is business as usual!

Derek Groves on his first day at work with Ambiance Interiors helps with the photo shoot at the Loftin's home in Biltmore Forest.

Judith Angel and Kathryn work together at the Wiggins' residence as part of the two day photo shoot.

 

Progress Report: Early April

The application of the Cedar Shakes is almost complete on the East end of the house.

And on the south elevation the installation is complete. They will be painted the same color as the house.

Caine McDonald, contractor of Dry Ridge Builders and Kathryn meet to create a flow chart for the next two months.

The popcorn ceiling comes OFF!

Meanwhile, another visit to the project at Lake Toxaway

is showing that progress is being made.

Countertops of granite have been installed in the Master Bath by Mountain Marble and Granite.

Check out that great distressed finish by Plain and Fancy from Wildwood Studios in Asheville.

The Powder Room chandelier is set off by the beadboard ceiling painted by Lyna Farkas.

Open the reclaimed door to the wine cellar......

..to see the chandelier from Laura Lee Designs. (lauraleedesigns.com) James McGinnis the contractor is really impressed with the light bulbs that came with the chandelier as well as its perfect scale for the room.

Some potentially "lost" space turned into charming bookcases.

The kitchen, custom built by Wildwood Studios, is almost finished. Don't worry: the crown moulding will be painted green too by Lyna Farkas.

Exterior lighting from Hammerton (hammerton.com) is perfect for a home in the mountains. Once again, the fixtures have been selected to fit the scale and the mood of the home. With Kathryns help, this is no accident!

Tommy and James McGinnis have a conversation about the expected finish date. Stay tuned for the exciting installation process!

 

Progress Report: Early March

At 189 East Chesnut Street: Work continues…

Cedar shakes (a natural/green product with a long life expectancy) replace the 1950s shingles

There are many aspects of the restoration and design of the house to consider.

Linda and Kathryn have to narrow down the candidates for fabric to be included in the interior design.

Technical considerations are important too. Kathryn meets with and and Doris of TSA to confirm telephone locations and discuss wiring options.

It's really a construction site! The blue wire is for our sound system being designed and installed by Audio, Inc. (www.audioinc.net)

Don't forget the gardens outside! Terri Long, landscape designer (www.terrilongdesign.com) shows Kathryn and Linda her plan and ideas. Yes, there will be lilacs, peonies, and hydrangeas!

The exterior color is really important! Billie Williams, the painter we chose to paint all of the exterior and interior, and Linda consult.

Kathryn meets with Hank Strauss to design the farmhouse sink that Mountain Marble and Granite will build out of limestone for the fabulous kitchen at 189 East Chestnut!

Next, Kathryn meets with Stephen at BIRD Hardware (www.birddecorativehardware.com) to select the kitchen faucet and the toilets. Check out www.hansgrohe-usa.com to see the "Montreaux" kitchen faucet.

Meanwhile, at the renovation project in North Asheville, the client Ellen Gaddy meets with Christi Butts of Lux Lighting (www.lux-lighting.com) and her electrician, Zack. Kathryn is consulting to make sure the mood and the scale are the best for the room.

Will Gaddy puzzles over the size of the space. How to light a room with such a vast cathedral ceiling is challenging. Another important consultant was David Terry website is: www.audioinc.net.

Meanwhile, Kathryn Long, ASID is honored at East Carolina University with a "legacy of Leadership" Award. Kathryn graduated from ECU in 1971 with a BFA in Interior Design.

What's this? Palm trees? Yes, Kathryn values continuing education. So, she traveled to Palm Springs, California to attend another "Business of Design" conference as part of the Best Practices Network she joined a few years ago.

Staying at the Hotel Zoso was a visual treat. www.hotelzoso.com

Having dinner with design friends both new and old is, let's face it, a fun way to learn. Alexandria Gibson of Gibson Design Management, one of the presenters at the conference at the Falls Steakhouse. www.thefallsrestaurants.com

 

Progress Report: late January through late February

Our new 189 East Chestnut Street location:

But meanwhile, back at the current location of Ambiance... the design studio's sample library is getting moved from its former location at 29 Broadway into 27 Broadway.

And there is a sale table with accessories and lamps that are now 60% off!

Linda, Wayne, and Laura are having the time of their lives.

Then, over at the East Chestnut Street house...

The porch floor needs a bit of repair.

Oops... looks like there were termites sometime in the past.

On a cold Friday in late January Linda and Kathryn meet to review all the fabric samples that they have been collecting to begin the visual direction of the interior.

Having to make this important decision makes us able to empathize with our clients.

But what a beautiful room with good morning sunshine to work in on a cold winter day!

Other details of the day include replacing the missing skirt boards under the windows.

Flooring in the entry has to be replaced. Wait 'til you see what Kathryn and Sharon Tompkins (decorative painter) are imagining for this floor!

There is also a new floor in Linda's powder room that she and Lyna Farkas are talking about.

STAY TUNED….

Other steps in preparing the old house for Ambiance.

The “popcorn” ceiling texture comes off!

The three semi-finalists for our main fabric. Stay tuned for THE DECISION!

Then time out to celebrate Mary and Wayne's 40th wedding anniversary with their charming, beautiful, and brilliant grand daughter, Anna Kathryn.

Back at East Chestnut Street location:

Exterior details obviously need some attention!

Stay tuned for more news of fabric and color selections!

 

Renovation of Our New Space!

Welcome!

Ambiance Interiors, after 32 years on Broadway, is moving to 189 East Chestnut Street! This blog is to keep you informed of our progress as we renovate this wonderful Richard Sharp Smith house in preparation for our move in April.

189 East Chestnut Street

Friday, January 16, 2009, the day of the long-awaited closing.

The Ambiance Staff toasts with our contractor, Caine McDonald of Dry Ridge Builders, seamstress Bianca Gabriel, real estate agent Amy Edwards, and decorative painters to "send off" the project.

Sharon Tompkins and Lyna Farkas, decorative painters, check to see how their talents will transform the house. This room has already been opened up by removing a temporary wall.

WEEK ONE: JANUARY 19

Removing the 1970s marble tiles reveals original brick.

George of Dry Ridge Builders is already taking down walls.

The door to one of the restrooms is being relocated.

The door to the future kitchen will become a French door.

What lurks under that white paint?

Wow! It's heart pine!

Rebuilding the foyer. Stay tuned...

During the first week of renovation, Kathryn Long, ASID continues to meet with clients.

It is such a cold day in Toxaway that there is ice on the lake.

Clients Pam and Tommy Funk meet with their contractor, James McGinnis.

The Great Room: Decorative painter Lyna Farkas is painting and distressing the walls and ceilings.

The Powder Room ceiling by Lyna Farkas, distressed and crackled.

The last fabric to be chosen is for curtains in the Great Room that will frame the view.

Then on a warm Friday:

The Bengal kitty must approve the samples too!

Watch for the transformation of this Great Room on Lynn Cove Road.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

The downtown buildings are being cleared and cleaned.