Pantone's 2014 Color of the Year

In my prediction the color of the year is never going to be brown, blue or even gray for that matter.  The color selections Pantone makes each year tend to be bold eye catching colors.  They are the new hot colors for a reason.  Mostly because they are picked to make a statement.  Radiant Orchid is similar in boldness to the previous years selections of tangerine tango and emerald green.  Taupe is not eye catching enough to set the design world on fire.   As a supplier of high end building products we are always trying to stay up with what's next in the industry.  I feel the new radiant orchid color will push our products toward a complementary brown or gray.  Local interior designer Trudy Mercy Brown commented in the Post and Courier, "I think it will be one of those colors people will see more as an accent color.  In the fall, the color could be paired with browns, taupes and warm grays."    The Wall Street Journal wrote, "one might walk past a beige bathroom without a thought, but a radiant orchid rug will turn your head."  I am not going to go out and buy a radiant orchid couch or paint it on all the walls in my living room, but I am going to add a throw pillow or cover a chair with a splash of color to add freshness.

A Rainbow of Colors

The pool addition at this marsh front home took color to a whole new level.  The homeowner selected over Rainbow Sandstone product to use around the pool and terrace area.  

The pool was surrounded with a raised seat wall with columns on either side. The stone on the veneer walls was our Broken Face Fieldstone Natural Thin Veneer. They used the rainbow sandstone to cap the walls.  

Beautiful pots were used as accent colors in the space. 

One of my favorite selections on the project was the seamless coping material with the rockfaced edge.  Using a rockfaced edge on the inside of the pool can sometimes being an intimidating decision but the look is completely transformed.  This pool would look very different with a bullnosed coping. 

The Rainbow Sandstone has a very exciting wood grain feel to it. 

The owners also incorporated the Sandstone treads on the staircase to match the pool coping.   One of the interesting decisions I noticed on the project was adding a burgandy clay brick to the stone veneer to tie together the paving material with the veneer stone. 

Here you can see a full view of the marsh and seat wall surrounding the pool area.  What a peaceful and relaxing space.  

The installers on the project was Pleasant Landscapes. They worked very diligently to custom fabricate  these Rainbow Sandstone pier caps at of raw stone slabs. 

Next to the pool is a comfy seating area with outdoor fireplace.  Come fall this is where you would find me if it were my home.  

The homeowners added a beautiful couch and Charleston bed swing in the fireplace area.  

To tie everything together the same veneer stone was used on the rear of the outdoor fireplace.  

New Bistro opens on Johns Island

There's is a new restaurant on Johns's Island that is a must stop for local foodies.  Sweeney's Restaurant is an upscale American bistro style restaurant.  Owners Jim and Dawn Sweeney wanted to create a neighborhood dining establishment with a warm inviting feel.  They worked along side architect David Thompson to incorporate warm tones in their wood, flooring and stone selections.  The first thing you will notice when you walk in the door is the large VIP booth to gather with friends after a long day at work.  You will also notice the large bar at the end of the space with the detailed stone work by local stone mason Sam Puffer.  The outdoor patio is an added bonus that will be a wonderful place to sit and enjoy a cocktail this fall.  General Contractor Paul Koenig brought the natural stone used on the inside columns of the restaurant and incorporated it into a wonderful outdoor seating area.  I encourage you to stop by and grab lunch or enjoy a beautiful evening out on John's Island.  My personal recommendation would be to try the crab salad it is amazing.  sweeneysrestaurantsc.com

Not an Ordinary building

The building is hard to miss as you drive down Cannon Street in downtown Charleston and dead end into King Street.  The building at 544 King Street used to be an old bank building.  This building has been empty for several years vacated by the Bank of America.  Built in 1927 this building was built primarily of brick and Indiana Limestone.

The bank is one of the best small surviving works by Simons and Lapham Arhitects, downtown Charleston's most prolific firm in the 1920's and 30's.  What makes this building far from ordinary is its recent transformation to a new restaurant in the upper king area of downtown.  The Ordinary is the new restaurants name and it is a finalist in the James Beard Foundations "best new restaurant" category.

The buildings open air format has returned in the renovation with a large bar spanning the entire right side of the interior. Quoted in the Post and Courier, architect David Thompson and contractor Mark Regalbuto, "their challenge was to keep the building's sense of history while converting the former bank into an upscale seafood hall and oyster bar with top-notch kitchen."

Banks were built in the 1930's to symbolize strength and security.  Similar to monuments we still view as relevant today the legacy of a bank building has been changed by the electronic banking era forever.  In many major cities these buildings that were once icons of great institutions are now re-purposed liabilities to most city governments.  It is great to see history preserved in such an preservative way and makes us believe that a limestone building built in the 1930 in Charleston will stand tall for generations to come.  

Fire and Water Display

The Fall 2013 Charleston Home and Design Show was held at Johnson Hagood Stadium.  Now in its ninth year the event showcased thousands of the newest and finest custom home products by many recognized and respected local companies.  Landscape designer Patty Craven put together the layout for the 2013 Outdoor Living Experience.  Patty described the space as, "an experiential trip into a big huge garden."  One of the main features of this years garden was a joint effort of HLG Grower's Christian Teague and Steve Smith of William Smith Fireplaces.  Fire and Water Display The two companies collaborated using Fieldstone Center's products to create an outdoor fire and water display.  Imagine the possibilities of having a fireplace and water feature in your own backyard.  Click on the video for a closer look at the display.

Earthcore ISO'ven

The all new ISO’ven Wood Burning Pizza Oven from Earthcore is manufactured with the same high quality proprietary pumice mixture as our renown Isokern Fireplace & Chimney product lines.  This award winning product (BuilderNews December 2011) has captured the imagination of Backyard Chefs all over the USA with its versatility and simple design.

The ISO’ven quick fires to 700 degrees and can be used to cook personal pizzas, boneless chicken, vegetables, steak, bread and more - you are only limited by your imagination.  I have added pictures of the ISO'ven we installed at our shop.  We were able to install this product in one day.  Take a look at the step by step pictures.  Also you can look at more design ideas here.
 

 

Preparing the base.

 

The first piece of the oven goes up.

Making sure we are square and level.

There is insulation in the oven to keep the heat in.

The sides are ready to go on.

View from the front

Side view

The chimney in the front is optional.  It will work without the chimney

Chimney is mortared in place.

Adding block around the oven to match the outdoor kitchen.

Finished Product.

Reclaimed Sandstone

Our authentic collection of barn stone features what was once regarded as some the world's finest sandstone. Quarried back in the mid-1800's to early-1900's, this sandstone maintains a density that far exceeds stone quarried today, which made it the preferred building material of the past century. We offer this authentic foundation stone by the bulk pallet in a random mix of shapes, sizes and colors or as a sawn 4" veneer for interior installation.

 

 

Ocean Course View taken for Granite!

The outside fireplace is much smaller but the view of the Ocean Course Golf course from this porch is absolutely extraordinary.  

Take a look at the bluestone used on the porches.  The colors selected for this project are magnificent.  The owner went to extremes to select the perfect granite material to use on the hearth on mantel on this fireplace.  

This is a great shot of the before on the interior fireplace.

Here is a close up of the interior fireplace and the arched surround over the opening.  The material is set out from the rest of the stone to create a unique look.  

Gilchrist Masonry installed the stone on the fireplace.  Imagine taking a pile stones shown in the picture below and creating this fireplace.  It takes a master craftsmen to do this feat. 

The stone selected was a granite stone we call Adirondack Granite.  It is a medium to coarse grained granite with a diverse blend of rustic earth tones.  

This stonework on this job is fantastic. 

Take a look at the finished product with the granite hearth installed and the mantel.  

Here is a professional shot of the completed job.