Chapter 2
This is the darkest hour when renovating a house. You’ve signed off on having any disposable income for the next thirty years and been given the keys to your dream home that is suddenly, woefully less than perfect…On television Chip gleefully bashes in a few walls, finds one problem with a no more than $3000 solution and from then on it is smooth sailing to Joanna’s staged finale.
In reality, demo is a really big, dirty job that uncovers issue after issue. The list is endless in an older home and no matter how prepared you think you are there is always something else to contend with. The good news is under the carpet upstairs we found the original wood floors largely intact. And it looks like we can save the windows.
Then we found what I call shiplap and Keith calls 1 x 6’s on the ceiling in the dining room that I would like to not only keep but extend to the kitchen–seeing as the plan is to combine the two rooms.
When doing a project like this it is really important to get the correct permits from the town. Right now we are working with a non-structural demo permit, which basically means we (by we I mean Keith of course) are removing decades-old sheetrock to see what is there–or not there–in terms of plumbing, heat, and electric. (Spoiler alert–in our case–not much.)
The next step is to have an architect, in this case, our friend and neighbor, Matt Cronin, draw up plans for the structural changes we are making–another step you rarely see on television but essential in real life. We are opening up the foyer, and the dining room to the kitchen (sadly the end to the little hobbit hallway but so much more functional for modern living).
The good news is I get to plan and replan kitchen layouts and ponder all kinds of design elements. Granite or marble? Upper cabinets or open shelves? Tile floors or continue with the wood that is in the dining room? Below is my preliminary sketch. The kitchen is 19′ wide and just 10′ deep. 
I’ll enlarge the existing windows so I can peer over my neighbor’s hedge to see the Navesink River and remove the ones looking right into my other neighbor’s kitchen windows. I’d like to put all the appliances on one wall–but that is so subject to change after I visit a number of local kitchen cabinet builders over the next week or so. Once my basic plan is finalized I’ll add a custom island for storage and seating that will come from the factory in Hungary that builds a lot of our furniture and if there is room, a hutch.
Meanwhile, I’ve upped my cooking game. It’s the least I can do for the guy filling the dumpster. Nothing tastes better after a hard day’s work than a plate of pasta with tomato sauce and I think adding lamb takes it to another level. Fortunately, Keith agrees.
Lamb Ragu
Sprinkle with salt and pepper then sear 8 shoulder blade lamb chops in hot olive oil in a large sauce pot. Then chop up one 1/4 inch thick slice of pancetta and toss that in the pot. Add an onion coarsely chopped, a couple of cloves of garlic, a pinch of oregano, 1/2 can of tomato paste and two cans of whole tomatoes that you squish into bits. Let simmer until meat falls off the bone (about 90 minutes).
Take the meat off the bones, chop and return to the sauce. I like to serve this with fettuccine but any pasta works. Top with grated parmesan, add a tossed salad and a nice bottle of plonk and enjoy.
RESOURCES
Architect: Matt Cronin http://croninarch.com/
I was sold. 
Forget that the rest of the house was a disaster: the basement indescribable, the filthy kitchen last updated in 1957, and the spartan one and a half baths not long after that. All I could think was how cool this room looks. To be honest Keith was, and is underwhelmed, but in the end, after a bit of hard bargaining and some unhappy inspection results we were able to purchase the property for substantially less than the asking price.
First stop was in Surrey where we met up with Keith’s Auntie Pat. No proper English home is without a garden and Pat always has one of the best. Love her hanging basket and bold use of color, so warm and welcoming.
Next stop was arguably one of the most famous gardens in the United Kingdom: Sissinghurst, in nearby Kent. Originally owned by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson and now the National Trust, it is a must stop for garden lovers and English lit majors the world over. Vita was a Bloomsbury Group original, lover of Virginia Woolf, and gardener extraordinaire.
There was not a corner left untended–or unplanted and every turn brought another awesome vignette.
I probably took two hundred more photos; everywhere I looked there was a better shot. But, eventually cocktail hour approached and we were meeting a cousin at a fabulous 
And time for a pint.
Next we headed to Bognor Regis, a classic and classy seaside resort made famous by King George the V, and our home for the next few days while we enjoyed our niece Chantal’s wedding festivities.
Between the seaside and the architecture Bognor Regis is a great place to stay so if you go to that part of the English coast give Brighton, the better known city just to the east, a miss–overcrowded and over-rated in my opinion–and stay in beautiful Bognor. 
The wedding was a civil ceremony in the town hall in nearby Chichester. Here we are with Keith’s brother and his partner. (I decided against the fascinator; tempting as it was I felt it best to leave that look to the natives). The reception was a double decker bus ride away at the groom’s parents nursery and garden center just outside of town.
Sadly all good things must pass, even weddings with six surfboard salutes; it was time for us to get to work. First stop, 
For probably around $10,000. (if the auction estimates were to be believed) you could furnish a living room–and dining room! Granted they were not period antiques, but who cares? Everything in the salesroom, whether antique or merely vintage, was well made, decorative and well worth the cost. We would have and probably should have and may well do in the future.
The other designer setting up the exhibition was 
Check this out.
And this:
There was just a mad assortment of things old and new and what a great treat to see how these two design Ninjas put this with that and altogether came up with a whole room you just wanted to take home. Kudos to Christie’s for coming up with the idea to show objects in situ.
The latest from 
Then we spent a long time at Trowbridge Galleries, the leading purveyors of art photography in England, and a vendor we are considering for the store.
Next stop was the London 
They were madly putting the finishing touches on many of the showrooms in preparation for the London Design Week. Loved the color of these sofas; clearly you can’t go wrong with pumpkin this fall. 
It was a great way to wind up our trip and a fabulous opportunity to see the latest in home decor from a whole slew of world-class designers and renowned retailers. But eventually all good things must end; it was time for us to go home.
So I googled meat pies until I figured out how to do it. Here’s the Nelson Family version.
Not bad for a first try–easy as pie! Keith was happy to have a taste of home and now you can too.
August promises so much: warm water temperatures, delightful breezes, bright skies, and the tastiest fresh food from the farmer’s market and the local lobster and fish co-op. It’s the best time for family visits because the kids, and adults too, can be outside all day running around like lunatics and swimming like fishes–then sleeping like logs at night.
Our sofa is from Best Slipcover, the first upholstery company we carried. I love the concept of a slipcover,especially when pets and children are involved. Luckily I had a second slipcover made before we parted ways and the sofa got schlepped up to Maine. When all our young guests departed we tried on the new look and I am happy to report it was an instant success. I’m so over the ruffles (what was I thinking?) and love the waterfall skirt and weltless seams. It looks less cottagey which is not necessarily a bad thing. (Note to self, buy a steamer.)
Lobster works anytime anywhere. 
But the best dinner I had all month was from the August 
The end.
Then there is the Atlantic Highlands petite chateau where the owners have reclaimed their second story from their young son. And are in the process of transforming it from a playground into a sophisticated master bedroom suite and home office for the work at home most days professional mom. 
This is the before. You are not going to believe the after but because this is a work in progress we all have to wait for the wallpaper to arrive…
While we are not designers, after thirty years of shifting furniture around we’ve developed pretty good eyes and are usually happy to weigh in if asked. At the store we marry the new with the old, casual with chic, and farmhouse with modern every single day so we are well aware of the challenges you face. It is all about showing the things you love to their best advantage whether you are just starting out, or easing into retirement.
There are so many things to love about this house but my favorite might be the Dutch door. I have wanted a Dutch door my entire life and Bernadette’s is absolutely the most perfect shade of blue.
It turns out to be 
