What is in a Signature?

I placed my hand on the brick and let my finger trace the name. It was simply Jane with no last name written in a scrolly cursive. This name had to be signed when the brick was wet as there would be no way to scratch a perfect signature into dry brick with a chisel. With eyes closed, I imagined hot Florida nights on this vast sprawling porch. Jane and her friends probably sat in the swing waiting for the wind of Tampa bay to move through the massive columns that support the house built in 1910 and give then a cooling respite. I pressed my fingers deeper into the lines a cursive as if tactile pressure would yield some information from the past. Who was Jane and what stories could this house tell of she and the others who inhabited and cared for this place. I should have been impressed by the size of the mansion and the mere fact that I could walk up and sit on this historic porch, but the only thing I wanted to know was more about this signature from the past.

I placed my hand on the brick and let my finger trace the name. It was simply Jane with no last name written in a scrolly cursive. This name had to be signed when the brick was wet as there would be no way to scratch a perfect signature into dry brick with a chisel. With eyes closed, I imagined hot Florida nights on this vast sprawling porch. Jane and her friends probably sat in the swing waiting for the wind of Tampa bay to move through the massive columns that support the house built in 1910 and give then a cooling respite. I pressed my fingers deeper into the lines a cursive as if tactile pressure would yield some information from the past. Who was Jane and what stories could this house tell of she and the others who inhabited and cared for this place. I should have been impressed by the size of the mansion and the mere fact that I could walk up and sit on this historic porch, but the only thing I wanted to know was more about this signature from the past.

Webster’s dictionary defines a signature as a sign, stamp or mark impressed. In life, we place our signature on something and it denotes ownership but how do we do that in the world of decorating? Read on to see how one couple wrote their signature on more than just the deed of their new Florida home nestled in the heart of The Villages.
•    Painting
This almost never happens! The house was already painted a fabulous color! The walls were painted a color that looks like a golden tan, is very neutral and worked with everything. We always paint first as building block because the “eye moves toward mass” and the most massive thing in a house is the surrounding wall space. If the walls are left white the room will feel too stark and disjointed. A soft warmer wall color will compliment everything in the space and provide a feeling of cohesion.

•    Furniture
The living room in this house is quite big and will hold lots of furniture. We decided that the homeowner needed lots of seating, so we bought two couches. Two couches placed in an L shape create a sectional feeling in the space but with more function since you can have a second side table. The sofas are a golden tan color so they are neutral.  Of course, a recliner for the man of the house finishes off the space. Tip: If you want a recliner you should have one; just be sure that it works into the space and it will blend not detract from your design.
•    Other furniture
We chose to dump the coffee table for a royal blue, deep tufted ottoman. This is a wonderful piece of furniture because it serves as a place to put your feet up, no matter what couch you sit on and it serves as extra seating when needed. The key to a great double purpose ottoman is to buy a good one, if people are going to sit on it, it cannot be cheap.
•    Mirrors
The best thing you can do to make a space look large and bright is use mirrors. We hung one Grand Palaise mirror on the wall opposing the windows. This mirror looks like a palladium window. It brightened the space and made it look considerably bigger with all the light.

•    Windows
The homeowner opted for shutters! Shutters are the best, because they come with their own molding. They finish off a window with molding and create a great sense of brightness to the space.
•    The Rug
The rug is huge statement in the space because it is white with a zebra band. The homeowners are adventurous!
•    The Finish
The art over the sofa is an oil painting that looks like Van Gogh’s Starry Night. We loved that it is very different and that it has lots of deep blues to make it pop!
•    The  Master Bedroom
The Master bedroom is visible in this model from the living room, so we had to have it looking great as well. The four poster bed has gauzy netting for the feeling of the islands with green and orange pillows for punch. We chose a crème coverlet and bright pillows because the coverlet was washable.  For pet owners being able to wash the bedding is important, thick comforters and beds in a bag don’t always work.
So, I probably will know nothing more of Jane and her life but in my mind, she enjoyed nights of juleps, sunsets, and an occasional stolen moment. The air was always perfumed with jasmine and life was good on this southern porch, somewhere on Tampa Bay.

“You know when your Dad was a little boy, he was mad at his daddy and he took an entire shoes box full of marbles and shot them into the grove.” I heard the voice of my grandmother say as if it was yesterday. I reached into the drawer of the antique side board and pulled out the marble that had settled at the back of the drawer having been moved by the sudden jolt from opening. There beside it lay a piece of brick that I retrieved when the house where my father was raised had finally been torn down by the developers. We knew of this and visited the land to scatter the ashes of my uncle and have a ceremony in his honor… so many years ago. Even as I write the memories of the little cracker house surrounded by orange trees flood into my mind and I feel as if I am there. I am standing on the front porch that my father painted grey, the year we stayed two weeks with Grandma. I remember, playing outside all day and running through the orange groves. We picked whatever we wanted, ate it, and picked some more. It seemed our hands were always sticky with from the sweet juice but the oranges, some tangelos and some navel were always good and always ripe for the picking. We would scour the ground looking for the marbles that my father shot into the grove as a child and I remember that trip the same year the porch was painted; I found one! The marble was a large cat’s eye and I had found it wedged between two roots of one of the trees. I sat on the porch with my sisters admiring the marble, talking about finding more tomorrow, and wondering if we should try a kumquat off the kumquat tree in Grandmas front yard. It seemed that the wind always blew rustling the palms that flanked the house on each side. The air was always perfumed with the tang of orange and orange blossom, and as my family members went in and out of the house the squeaky spring of the screen doors opening and closing could be heard at the front and back of the house with regularity. Maybe this is where I was taken with the sound of wind in the palm tree fronds, I used to lay on the porch and swing and sleep as the sun peeked through the palm fronds and warmed my face but always the sound of palm fronds moving relaxed me and still does today. I think that palm trees are a great symbol for all that we love in Florida and I personally would not want to wake up in a state that does not have them.  So then, Palm trees, sun and citrus are the only things that make me feel like I am home. Let’s see how one couple wanted a Florida feeling with a coastal vibe and achieved that balance, somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Paint

Yes! It all started with paint! This home was previously owned and in need of a fresh paint job. We chose interactive crème for the main part of the house including her kitchen. Interactive crème is best described as a peachy, golden neutral with tan undertones. This color allows lots of light into the space because the peach and gold tones keep it vibrant. Remember, the walls are the largest amount of square footage and you should start by warming them up. This little trick will help you spend less wasted money on things that you don’t need. When you put color on the walls there is less urgency to grab bunches of knick knacks and cheap art in order to “get color” into a house.

• New Hardwood Floor

The homeowners chose bamboo and I love it! The bamboo is a medium, golden color and looked great with the existing tile in the house. However, in this particular model the living room and dining room are open to each other and divided by a big line that separates the tile from the carpet. We had the bamboo laid against the tile with no thresholds. There is a flat transition from tile to bamboo and the floor is seamless since you cannot feel where one floor ends and the other begins. This can only be done when engineered hardwood meets tile and cannot be done with laminate.

• Area Rug

This area rug is amazing! It is two large pieces of coral and it makes a huge visual impression. This rug is light tan and the coral is deep brown and it perfectly complements the other colors in the space.

• Sofa and Chair

The sofa and chair are a very light tan with touches of crème in the woven fabric. The crème light sofas against the light walls look amazing and ready for a huge deposit of blue!

• Art

We hung two large pictures above the sofa of palm trees. They are titled Palm Hammock and are palm trees depicted in hues of blue, peachy tans, and greens. They make a focal statement and look amazing! You can do palm trees and have a coastal feeling and use blue!

• Pillows

To further reinforce the blue as our accent color, we added blue pillows to the sofa, which made it really pop!

• Lamps

The lamps are white with a palm frond across them and a shiny silver base for a modern twist. That is as themed as I get! The white helped keep it light and airy.

• Shutters

The entire house including the slider was purchased with the shutters and we love them. If you ever wondered about shutters covering sliding glass doors, yes they can! The white of the shutter keeps everything light in the space.

So, I looked down to see two real cats eyes staring at me and their expression seemed to say, “What is in your hand?” I could almost see the cartoon bubble form above her head with one thought, snack? I rolled the marble with all its memories across the floor and Olive ran after it to paw and swipe at it. Maybe if I close my eyes and dream she will run off into the grove and find another memory for me.

P.S. –Attention, club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today or call Ruth your full service decorator in the heart of The Villages of Florida – 352-804-2056