Some projects are small, some projects are large. Some projects are fast, some projects take years.

As you will recall from previous posts (here and here), I have had the fortunate opportunity to participate in the Endicott Hotel renovation for the last year or so. At long last, our chapter has closed on this project and the happy tenants have moved in.

The images below capture the large unit (blues/green), the smaller unit (reds/orange), and the common areas we furnished/staged.

No, I’m not referring to the oh-so rare earthquake that hit Maine and neighboring New England states last night (though it was an experience I won’t soon forget). Today was the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Endicott Hotel! To refresh your memory, this is a reno/ refurbish project transforming a historical property into a unique apartment building for downtown Concord, NH. (You can also check out when I last spoke of it here.)

While plenty of pictures were taken, I sadly did not have the foresight to snag my own to share. Shoot. I will be sure to keep you posted on further developments!

Source

Earlier this spring I became involved with a project in downtown Concord. The Endicott Hotel, located on the corner of Main and Pleasant Street Extension, will soon be renovated/ refurbished to full retail apartments through CATCH Neighborhood Housing. Along with three other graduates from NH Institute of Art, we selected the materials, finishes, and lighting as well as offered other details to the design of this renovation.

After several months of hurdle jumping (of which I was fortunately spared), I am very excited to say that things are moving forward. In fact! not only are we nearly ready to go to bid, but the 1st floor retail space is now giving credit to those involved. Even more exciting, the snazzy illustration shown was created by yours truly.

To give you an idea of the history behind this building, here is a picture I found of the Endicott Hotel circa 1930.

Here it is 2012…

And here we are! (Please ignore the silly photographer and her pink phone…)

Just in case you wanted to see it a bit clearer…

I’ll be sure to keep you posted as things progress!

KAZA, local design shop and entreprenuer extraordinare, was recently chosen NH Hampshire Magazine’s “Editor’s Pick for Shabby Chic Revival!” But wait - there’s more! Home Accents Today (a national publication) also named KAZA as one of the 50 Retailers for 2010! (I am so proud, I am busting!)

Located at 202 South Main Street in Concord, KAZA is an absolute gem. Stop by or visit www.kazadesigns.com to see for yourself what all the buzz is about. You’ll be a raving fan too!

KAZA: Recycle. Trade Fair. Live Funky.

Success! The faux brick wall in the office of Main Street Concord looks sensational! Sincere thanks to Sherry Burnett (Burnett Designs) for her creative talent and hard work.

It’s official: the project for Main Street Concord, Inc. is underway! Sherry Burnett and I have been working to create a faux brick wall in each room of the Main Street office. Below are a few images of our progress so far.

First room - Tape, tape, and more tape…

Sherry working her magic on the first room.

As you can see, I was a little loopy by the second room

The response so far has been fantastic. More images are on their way - stay tuned!

During the month of October I was a very busy bee developing a design proposal for the office of Main Street Concord, Inc. This non-profit group, responsible for maintaining a healthy downtown community, had extended an invitation to local designers to offer a solution for their own office in need of a fresh start.

To make a long story short, a well established design firm and myself each presented our suggestions for this project. After careful consideration by numerous committees, the vote overwhelmingly fell in my favor! What a wonderfully exciting opportunity :)

One feature of my design is to have the exterior walls painted to resemble a brick facade (quite fitting for Main Street Concord, huh?) I am delighted to say that Sherry Burnett of Burnett Designs will be facilitating this element of my design. She is a remarkable artist, to say the least. Sherry is available through her website www.sherryburnett.net.

Stay tuned for updates on the project’s progress - Cheers!

The winner of Project Laundry List’s window display in downtown Concord is… Concord Camera!

Sincere thanks to the owner and staff of Concord Camera for their gracious cooperation.

Hold on to your delicates and your dryer sheets — today I’m going to talk about laundry. Did you know that 80% of households in America have a dryer whereas countries like Italy average only 3%? Air drying clothes can save money, reduce energy consumption, and even kill germs and bacteria thanks to the sun’s UV rays.

Project Laundry List is an event taking place in downtown Concord to promote the green advantages of using a clothesline. Creative displays have been hung at the Capital building and 13 businesses. In collaboration with Cyndi Rogers of Mariposa Designs, we worked on the design, construction, and installation of 5 displays: Bagel Works, Caffenio, Concord Camera, Gibson’s Bookstore, and Gondwana. Stay tuned to find out which window is the winner!

Bagel Works: Window on the left - your average plastic grocery bag… On the right - ANYTHING but ordinary bags woven from the plastic ones! Created by Crafty Kathy, these hardcore alternatives are available for purchase at KAZA.

Caffenio: Funky garland made of coffee filters and coffee mugs. A “tea” shirt is also shown hanging in the center.

Concord Camera: Jumbo clothespins hold slides, fantastic black and white photos (of clotheslines of course), and rolls of negatives to drying racks. Slides were also attached to a string of mini paper lanterns.

Gibson’s Bookstore: Folding the pages of a book goes against everything I was ever taught. I hate to even dog-ear a page to save my place! The end result, however, can be beautiful : )

Gondwana: Students from Rundlett Middle School gave us a hand with clothes cut from paper bags. Pictures and flags are also hung to represent the countries Gondwana practices Fair Trade with.

As a side note, holy window glare Batman!

Project Laundry List’s founder Alex Lee has been traveling to promote similar events in cities across America. For more information, visit www.laundrylist.org.

What a find! Located at 57 North Main Street (lower level) in Concord, many of you have probably passed this store countless times. Peggy Anne carries a fantastic selection of colorful textiles you simply can’t find elsewhere. The geometric and modern floral patterns top the list of my favorites, but the batiks and vintage designs are great too.

Whether you are looking for materials to sew a sensational quilt or spruce up a space with new pillows, be sure to stop by Peggy Anne’s shop for unbelievable fabrics.