News

SEA CHANGE-American Tile Depot

News

SEA CHANGE

by Erdem Gorgun on Nov 16, 2019
Sallyann Cox used her creative talents to extend a small bungalow and make the most of the delightful coastal views. Idon’t want to live in a bungalow – I’m not ready for that!’ was interior decorator, stylist and maker Sallyann Cox’s reaction when her husband R ichard suggested it. It was back when the couple were regularly spending a few months at a time sailing around Greece and knew a lock-up-andleave home would fit the bill. The idea became a sad necessity, however, when Richard was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and had to use a wheelchair. ‘We’d looked at so many places, none of which were suitable,’ remembers Sallyann. Finally, and with no real enthusiasm, she went to see a small, two-bedroom bungalow almost untouched for nearly 50 years and had a change of heart. ‘During the viewing, I walked into the cluttered garage and noticed a tiny window on the side – one glimpse at the view and I realised there was so much untapped potential here,’ she recalls. The house itself had effectively been built facing away from ever-changing views across fields to the Salcombe-Kingsbridge estuary much beloved by the couple. ‘I knew that by doing some rejigging to the garage, I would be able to make a special place where Richard could enjoy sitting and watching the ebb and flow of the tides, and the boats down on the water – it would be a nourishing environment.’ In the end, Richard was not able to move in as his illness progressed quickly, but, after his death, Sallyann decided to continue with their plans. ‘It was very hard to be there without him and, for the first couple of years, I didn’t do much at all apart from replacing the bedroom window with French doors onto a little balcony; I had a constant need to get outside rather than be cooped up, so opening up the house as much as I could became a priority.’ Two years later, when she felt able, Sallyann began work on the rest of the house. The garage and carport were demolished and replaced with a sleek extension. ‘I knew I wanted an open-plan space where I could cook, eat and relax,’ she says. The original rooms were reorganised making an extra bedroom and guest bathroom, as well as a large, bright hall where Sallyann makes lighting and mirrors from items she salvages on nearby beaches. ‘I’ve always been drawn to the sea, whether living on it or near it and I’m always out collecting all manner of things!’ Her creative eye has also been used on the interiors. ‘I’ve designed and decorated shops and restaurants in the past, invariably in vivid colours with a Mediterranean influence, but in this house, I’ve been more restrained with lots of neutrals. I decided to think of it as a blank canvas that I could add to or remove from if I felt like a change.’ There are still pops of colour evident in the soft furnishings and the odd wild wallpaper and vintage find. ‘I used to have a lot more furniture and general “stuff” but we sold practically everything when we went off sailing. I had to start again which is surprisingly cathartic, if expensive!’ Renovating the house also proved to be a turning point. ‘It was completed in nine months and I barely had time to think about much else as there were so many decisions to be made but it was good to engage with something,’ she says. So has Sallyann been converted to bungalow life? ‘I actually feel really lucky to live here,’ she says. ‘The house makes for such easy living and with beautiful views, too – it’s an absolute privilege.
SUSTAINABLE WOOD, CUSTOM DESIGN-American Tile Depot

News

SUSTAINABLE WOOD, CUSTOM DESIGN

by Erdem Gorgun on Aug 01, 2019
David Stine is AN accomplished man. He was raised on a fourth generation, self-sufficient dairy. They grew their own crops, butchered their own meat and engineered their own furnishings. Stine then worked his approach through grad school at Chief Executive University. However, when active law for a bit, he determined it was time to head back to the farm. As Stine puts it, “There wasn't very AN epiphany moment on behalf of me. when graduating and a year of active, I simply complete that it wasn't on behalf of me, therefore I took off on my very own and formally started David Stine furnishings back in 1997.” over twenty years later, David Stine furnishings continues to be in Jersey County operating to handcraft superbly easy and property, custom furnishings out of Illinois' finest timber. Stine's company focuses only on “big flat surfaces” which means tables, desks, headboards, benches and a lot of. they are doing this to let the material itself be the focal purpose. Stine explains, “I strive to celebrate that material rather than twisting the piece of wood into any type of form. I realize it a lot of a lot of attention-grabbing and difficult to simply let the wood be what it desires to be.”His respect for the trees that they use does not finish there. In fact, the trees they weigh down ar all sourced from his family farm, and they take nice care of them. They ne'er weigh down live trees, solely harvest home what is either dead or invasive on the family's farmland. Stine continues, “We very simply let the trees grow. we do not worry regarding attempting to maximise our yields and to log each 10 years. it is a wholly property system wherever we tend to let the forest do what it desires and that we harvest what we'd like.”From there it's simply a matter of finding the right wood for the right shopper. Stine works with each residential customers and business purchasers to search out the piece that is right for their desires, whether or not it be a occasional table that ties the family space along or a conference table that makes a huge statement. It's one thing he takes pride in and that his purchasers notice. Stine goes on, “I feel that our customers very respond well to the actual fact that they get really personal service. What I do is different from a artefact. it is a piece of their home. it is the chance to actually participate that i believe keeps individuals returning.”For Stine, olympian his customers' expectations is implausibly gratifying, however if you raise what the foremost rewardful a part of the task is, he'll tell you that it's merely simply planning to do what he loves on a daily basis. Stine explains, “You know, I do relish meeting or particularly olympian my customers’ expectations and simply permitting individuals to notice that they will have a super custom piece of furnishings. however I suppose at the finish of the day, my favorite a part of my work is that the indisputable fact that i buy to be concerned in each facet of this work, from choosing and harvest home the trees to assembling and delivery. It very keeps Pine Tree State engaged, and that i ne'er get bored.” to examine a lot of of the wonderful items of furnishings that David Stine creates or to induce started on finding a piece of art of your own, visit his web site at StineWoodworking.com or on Instagram.