Month: September 2020

Texture and Color Fill an Eclectic Pittsburgh Row House

Fantastic design comes in several types. However one recurring constant is that great design happens in the hands of more creative people. How else could something like a dilapidated and abandoned Pittsburgh row home be shockingly converted into an arty and eclectic home that perfectly embodies the couple who inhabits it?

This was the situation for Alissa Martin, the owner of a local clothing and shoe company, along with her husband, a psychologist. The creative couple spent a year working with mossArchitects and Botero Development in the first stages to personalize their run-down, two-bedroom space to seamlessly wed Martin’s modern-edged Moroccan design together with her husband’s penchant for studying and collecting. In the end, color and texture dominate by way of exposed brick and ceiling beams, a vibrant wall mural and casual-cool patterned wallpaper and bedding.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Alissa Martin and her husband, pug Milo and Alaskan Malamute–mix Lakota
Location: Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh
Size: 2,600 square feet; two bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

Jason Snyder

Martin, right, along with her husband sit on the front steps of the newly remodeled house, which is just one of five in a once-dilapidated construction.

Martin is originally from the D.C. metro region but has called Pittsburgh home for the last 11 years. College friends from Penn State initially lured her to Pittsburgh, along with the design, character and affordability enticed her to stay and receptive Pavement, a clothing and shoe shop.

Jason Snyder

Jason Snyder

Martin requested that the reclaimed hardwood floors — rescued out of a Polish dance hall that has been torn down to make space for the Tower in PNC Plaza (charged as the greenest skyscraper on earth) — maybe not be “refinished in any way so as to preserve the aged patina and one of a kind color variants,” she says.

Jason Snyder

Years of jealousy meant the kitchen needed to be completely gutted. Exposed original ceiling beams, simple white subway tiles, open shelving and Ikea cabinets painted blue now underline the couple’s eclectic aesthetic. They spent additional time choosing the finishes in the kitchen as well as from the bathroom, because they felt these are much permanent investment.

Kitchen cabinet hardware: Anthropologie; cupboard paint: Sea Glass, Martha Stewart Living (Glidden); faucet: Ikea; shelves: Wade Caruso Woodworking

Jason Snyder

Reclaimed wood chandelier: Roxanne’s Dried Flowers

Jason Snyder

Background: Grand Game for Anthropologie

Jason Snyder

Underneath Lakota, the couple’s Alaskan Malamute mix, is a wooden console displaying travel mementos. The couple spend the majority of their time on this first floor entertaining friends and hanging out with their beloved dogs.

Jason Snyder

Milo, a 13-year-old pug, introduces unimpressed in the front of the living area’s reclaimed wood bookcases, made by Wade Caruso Woodworking.

Jason Snyder

This sitting room, which will be a work in progress, is home to the couple’s vintage record player, acquired in the set of the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Jason Snyder

The bedroom attic is on the next floor, where initial pine flooring was patched, sanded and sealed with polyurethane.

Jason Snyder

The bathroom includes imported Moroccan hand-printed ceramic flooring tiles by U.K. textile designer Dominic Crinson.

Jason Snyder

Reclaimed wood frames the door to the bedroom.

Jason Snyder

Skylights lend a modern touch to the original exposed beam ceiling.

Bedding, drapes, carpeting: Anthropologie; chandelier: Pottery Barn; upholstered Chair: Hot Haute Hot

Jason Snyder

Pictured here is the few shared office nook.

Desk: Flatiron, Restoration Hardware; folding seats: Terai, Anthropologie

Jason Snyder

The second floor includes a guest bedroom dressed in bold bursts of color.

Bedding: Anthropologie; wall paint: Sea Anemone, Martha Stewart Living (Glidden)

Jason Snyder

The second-floor bathroom is outfitted in white subway tile, while sexy Moroccan-inspired ceramic tiles out of Dominic Crinson line the floor.

Show us your remodeled attic

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Methods of Keeping Flowers

Flower preservation lets you enjoy spring and summer blooms at any moment. Dried flowers can stay beautiful for many years when preserved properly. Use them to liven up flower arrangements, decorate crafts and cards, or show as framed artwork. Experiment with various methods and blossom types to find those that work best for you personally.

Pressing

Pressed flower preservation functions best with flat blooms, like pansies (Viola spp.) . To press a blossom, sandwich it between 2 sheets of absorbent blotting paper. Put the blotting paper between 2 sheets of paper towels; subsequently place the whole package under a heavy weight, like under a stack of books along with a brick, for five to seven days. The weight presses the moisture from the flowers and into the newspaper. When the flowers are completely dry, you can show them. Pressing preserves most of the shade in the flowers, though it does flatten some blooms. Flower presses are also available that offer the pressure to remove the moisture.

Air Drying

Air drying permits you to preserve both blooms and stems. It works best for complete flowers, like hydrangeas, or for blooms that make clusters of blooms, like yarrow (Achillea millefolium). Strip foliage from the stems, since it usually won’t dry well, then tie a bundle of five or six stems together. Dry large flowers separately rather than in bunches. Hang the stems upside down in a dark, well-ventilated and dry location for one to two weeks, or until the stems and flowers are completely dry and fragile. Light bleaches the colour from the flowers during drying, while any moisture in the atmosphere can cause the blooms to rot.

Desiccants

You can dry almost any flower variety in a desiccant. Desiccant choices include silica gel crystals, equal parts borax and mud, or equal parts borax and cornmeal. Fill containers using a 1-inch layer of the desiccant mixture, and arrange the flowers on top. Insert more desiccant into the container before the blooms are buried. Most flowers require about a week to dry within a desiccant, even though some flowers may take more. You may check dryness by pouring off some of the desiccant to inspect the petals. When the blooms are papery and fragile, carefully pour off the desiccant and show the blooms.

Storage and Screen

Proper storage extends the life of preserved flowers. Store the blooms in a sealed container to keep out moisture and in a dark location so the blooms don’t fade. When you’re ready to show the flowers, you can spray them lightly with a preservative from a florist or using a clear spray paints. Screen vases of dried flowers or framed pressed flowers in a location away from direct sunlight. Avoid humid locations, like bathrooms, because the moisture will ruin the flowers.

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