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Getting The Goods:
Window boxes, Michael's; www.michaels.com. Plants, Ahner's Florist and Greenhouse, 11697 Manchester Rd., Kirkwood, MO 63122; (314) 822-2180; www.ahners.com.
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Text By Mary Forsell •
Styling By Kathy Curotto •
Photography by Gordon Beall
Shedding New Light On A Prefab Building
Mary was about to demolish the too small, falling-apart old pool house on her
property and start the long rebuilding process, when a “Sheds for Sale” sign on
the road caught her eye. She investigated further, and found some suitable
readymade structures that could be delivered right to the house. Of course, Mary
being Mary, she couldn’t leave the “stock” shed alone. So she called carpenter
friend Andy Wiltse to help her customize the 12-foot square space, and in two days
– voilá! You can achieve similarly successful results with your own prefab by
following her advice.
Tips
ONE: Emphasize the entry. Gone are the original plastic doors, replaced with
handmade screen doors (you could also use architectural salvage). Andy
substituted a railing for the porch latticework.
TWO: Add a little window
dressing. Custom shutters flank the front window, each with cherry cutouts
made with a jigsaw. The sweet wooden window boxes came from the crafts store.
It’s also possible to transform a plastic window box by gluing or wiring on a
wooden front.
THREE: Revamp the roof. Andy used leftover cedar shingles from
Mary’s house.Not only is this economical, but it makes the poolhouse blend
in. Because only one side of the roof shows, that’s all he covered. No need to
go overboard here.
FOUR: Rework the walls. Sheet paneling from the local
home improvement store made the interior seem like a real house.
FIVE:
Choose your hues. Pick a building that’s primed and ready
to paint,
giving you license to custom-color.
SIX: Accessorize like mad. Mary
added a lantern, but you could put a weathervane or cupola on the roof or
add a trellis to the wall.
 Stumble It!
archive »
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No-Sew” Tablecloth
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Hanging Beaded Votive Lanterns
It’s amazing what a little creativity and imagination can do with even the most ordinary objects. For example, these fanciful hanging lanterns were made from dog food cans, wire and some inexpensive glass beads. (The beaded bracelet napkin rings described below, which can double as party favors, are constructed the same way).| read more » |
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Perfecting Your Poolside Paradise
Here are some great pointers for perfecting your poolside paradise and bringing all the comforts of indoors, outdoors.| read more » |
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