shiny new white curtain rods in this lovely teenager’s bedroom suite were just too stark against all the gorgeous, muted colors in the scheme.  before:

 

so, after priming with stix (a water-borne bonding primer, perfect for a situation like this) i base-coated them with benjamin moore’s linen white, #912, and then brushed on some acrylic glazing medium mixed with a little dollop each of modern masters’ warm silver and platinum.

the glaze gives just a hint of color and definition, and leaves behind a pearly/metallic sheen…

 

…so pretty against the chocolate silk curtains.

when painting finials and rods, the biggest challenge is getting primer, paint and glaze smoothly onto all the surfaces without the pieces rolling around and getting mucked up.  if you’re doing your own, here are a couple of tricks: first, using a good sturdy cardboard box flipped upside-down, make X’s a workable distance apart with an exacto knife, or some other sharp blade.  punch the metal screw-ends on the finials right through each X.  (this same method works well for drawer pulls and cabinet knobs, too.  after removing them from your piece, re-insert their screws, and push them through the box.)

for curtain rods, secure long wood screws, or nails, in each hole.  (be very careful to use screws that are the same width as the ones on the finials or narrower, so that you don’t “strip” the holes.)  then, scoot your sawhorses (or chairs, or step-ladders, or whatever you can devise) together at just the right distance apart for propping.  you’ll be able to roll the curtain rods in place and cover all the sides.

for the rings, using strong twine, tie each one a short distance apart through its metal eyelet (where the curtian hooks go through), and run a “clothesline” across your work space.  (sorry that i don’t have a good snapshot of this.)

one other little secret: when re-hanging the curtains – after everything is really good and dry, 7 to 10 days at least – run your finger across a little paste wax , and apply it to the inside top of each curtain ring as you go, and to the inside curve on the brackets, where the rods are held in place.  this helps keep the paint and glaze on the rods and rings from sticking and catching due to the weight of the curtains.

as long as chef wally joe is manning the saute pan, that is.  set to open in just a few days (pending staff training, menu tweaks, and a liquor license) acre will be a most welcome addition to the memphis restaurant lineup.  though mrs. jones’s involvement was limited to the ladies’ & men’s rooms, there was no way to miss the tantalizing smells coming from the kitchen this week as things got revved up.  they aren’t kidding around about the emphasis on local cuisine…chef joe and his staff even have an herb garden planted right outside the kitchen door. 

here are the bathrooms, before:

gwen driscoll designed the chic and cozy interiors, and i did my best to execute her vision for the bathrooms.  first, she specified a particular geometric pattern for the men’s, suggesting a trellis or lattice-work:

(relying heavily here, of course, on the unfailing assistance of my laser level.)

then, in the ladies’: walls scattered with loose, wild gardenias and a pale pink ceiling covered in little gold…well…visitors.

some process notes: working with a palette of gwen’s custom colors, i used mylar to make the stencils for each of the elements, and then brushed in the little details.  (i cut a second set of stencils from lighter-weight – but less durable – mylar sheets for the men’s room ceiling…gravity being an obvious issue.) (which worked swimmingly until getting too close to the halogen lights.  for those of you wondering: mylar melts.  relatively quickly.)

and glaze in a deeper shade of brown was stippled on to the ladies’ walls first, to give the flowers a softer ground on which to bloom.

you enter acre through a glossy sunflower-yellow front door, and wind through a series of small dining rooms and a beautiful bar in a fab mix of materials: reclaimed barn planks, silver gilding, ebonized wood, white leather, iron, industrial metal piping, slabs of the most gorgeous marble, and shimmery dirty-copper-penny tile…it all feels like a very tony treehouse.  in back, tucked behind high stone walls and enormous boxwoods, is a beautiful, quiet patio where they’ll be serving cocktails and a bar menu.  it will be one of the lovliest spots i can think of to have a meal.

 

i can’t march on without first thanking my clients and designers who have been so patient and flexible through the many scheduling upheavals as this project unfolded, and ann nordeen parker and amy moore from gwen’s studio for their support and direction throughout.  and enormous thanks to dear friends (sally, margaret, cheryl, sarah, catherine) who checked in with coffees, turkey sandwiches, diet cokes, homemade gazpacho, and all manner of support.  catherine was even game enough to take brush in hand and lend her talents!  i am so very grateful to you all.