As L. Francis Herresmhoff used to say:  “to most people, particularly the ladies, there are two types of wood.  One is stained red and called mahogany, and the other is not stained red, and is not called mahogany.”  This quote makes me laugh for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that L. Francis, was often spot on the money.

Big impact.

The reason I got to thinking about old L. has its roots in my perpetual state of unrest.  I feel like I’ve been in No. 4 for longer than all my other properties – of course that isn’t true, but it feels like a life sentence in inertia.  If you can bear with the drama for one more moment, I hope you will understand that I don’t like to be caged and the capital gains regulations have me hemmed in!  Alas, a few more months and I will be able to put it on the market, and I’ll be back to ranting about some other thing like a plumber not showing up, or the property of a lifetime not presenting itself to me.  The first will most certainly happen, the second is likely never too.

“Woodn’t this counter work for you?”

The thing of it is, with the Manse complete, I’m feeling a little lost for a design project.  I am working on the yard, and don’t get me wrong, there are many rewards associated with working outdoors, and designing a landscape plan, but it’s not the same as an interior.  So, enter stage left – Francis.  That guy put the bright work in mahogany.  He could make it shine like nobodies business, and it made me think – who needs stone, or granite or quartz, marble for a kitchen counter top?  I know he wouldn’t have approved of plastic laminate, after all he did refer to fiberglass hulls as “frozen snot”, so there you go – why not mahogany?

Mirrors are magic.  Making small spaces feel expansive.

I saw a picture of a wet bar – that’s a rich person’s equivalent of a 500SF room for shoes.  This one was just a little bit of thing though, and that appealed to me.  It was about the size of small closet, it’s back mirrored to make it look larger and a little mysterious.  It’s cabinets done in a high gloss royal blue, and its counter….a beautiful red stained wood…wood that looked suspiciously like, well you know.  It was varnished until the light reflected off of it like a diamond on the hand of an heiress.  Brilliant.

Creativity has no bounds.  Check out those doors.

Since most of my kitchens are about the size of a closet, I thought to myself, why not?  Shouldn’t I have all the glamour of a wet bar in my next little apartment.  Don’t answer – I’m doing it.

The mirrors have it.  Reflections of….