Hi Friends!! I have done the homes of so many wonderful people but recently were were asked to finish the interiors for a bit different client and I just had to share!

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Stables have been around since our love and need for the horse! Horses historically have gotten us where we wanted to go, transported our wares, hauled timber for building and plowed our fields. So, I was excited when asked to design the finishes for stables that would house 6 of our loyal friends. Searching the internet for barn and stable inspirations, I found this lovely stall from known L.A. designer Kelly Harmon’s website. She doesn’t just renovate homes for horses though, her work is amazing so be sure to visit her site. I was side tracked for 20 minutes there!

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I just got lost in the web looking at such beautiful stables.  In this post I’ll share a few with you and then show you the transformation of my little project.  This is a recent photo of Peover Hall, in Cheshire England. The stables were gifted to Thomas Mainwaring from his mother in 1654. WOW! The cobblestones, carved beams and plaster ceilings are truly a work of art!!

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I found a post on 44 Barns that will take your breath away on Horse Nation. This one is part of the Royal Stable at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1789 the number of horses reached a peak with 270 horses stabled there. Today, there are about 20 horses in the Royal Stables.

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This beautiful stable photo, taken at the stables of Chateau Chaumont de la Guiche in Burgundy, is part of the portfolio of stable and countryside photography that made William Curtis Rolf known. Look at the original plaster walls and the groin details.  I bet this was the inspiration of many architects of today. The stables were designed by the noted French architect, Francois Blondel in the 17^th century!

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This could be an exclusive row of Boutique shops. If it weren’t for the horse peaking is head out of the stalls you wouldn’t know that is the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria. Wikipedia says that it is the center for Classical Dressage. “Classical dressage evolved from cavalry movements and training for the battlefield, and has since developed into the competitive dressage seen today. Classical riding is the art of riding in harmony with, rather than against, the horse. Correct classical riding only occurs when the rider has a good seat and a correct and well-balanced body position, moves with the horse’s motion, and applies and times the aids correctly.”

If in the area you can view public performance with top riders and horses! http://www.spanishridingschoollive.com/

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Ravello is an Equestrian Estate located in Grand Prix Village South  in Wellington Florida.  Carpeted with antique Chicago brick, this little home has 22 stalls.

If you want to see the rest of the estate I found a UTube video.  This color inspiration above is the closet to what we ended up doing on the barn we refinished.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tfEfwA0uzo

The place was enchanting right from the start!  Sometimes I never know where my appointments will take me but right when I drove up to this one I knew it would be special.

Pulling up to the home you can see it is just beautiful!  Hard to believe this is just an hour outside of Houston! The homeowners were beyond nice!  So down to earth, they have created a wonderful home, full of children, chickens, donkeys and of course horses!!!

I spied a momma duck with her little babies on the edge of the lake driving in.

I got out of my car to get better photographs and with each step I took these ducklings swam, stopping when I did, swimming when I moved.  It was so cute!

You can see they are serious horse lovers.  The brown ground shown, beautifully landscaped, is carved out for jumping practice.

There is one of the horses I’ll be designing for!  And look a donkey too!

Well here is my new project!  This will be a first for me!

On the outside each stable has a door that opens where the horse can peak their head out and get a bit of fresh air.  For my more mature readers– does this remind you of Mr. Ed? It was a favorite TV show on mine when I was little. I watched all the re-runs.

I think this is the first time I have been in a barn complete with horse stables!  Where I grew up in Georgia we lived in the country at one time and the place had a barn.  We just used it for storage and equipment.  The previous owners had left so many treasures there–a juke box, old plows and antique furniture.  We had so much fun just exploring! The homeowner and I looked at so many stables and interiors to see what direction she liked before we put together a plan.

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She liked the contrast of this photo from Cooper Home and Stable, but wanted to add gray maintain a lighter feel.

You can see the project has begun.  The ceiling has a white glaze on it allowing the grain of the wood to show though, creating a light, bright feel to the barn.  The posts and the banding on the stalls were to be stained a dark walnut.  The middle planking and the upper part of the stalls are glazed a gray tone.

On the interior of the stalls it was decided to paint in a solid color and apply an acrylic marine varnish so the walls could be sprayed down with water to clean. A darker band color was painted to divide the spaces.

You can see here how it is taking shape! It was so hot when the guys were working they had to bring three changes of clothes. Houston summers are hot!

We had a deadline to get the stall side done first so the horses could go in!  The back part was completed with our furry friends as our audience!

Here is Joker-first to be in his new home!  You can see the two toned striping in this pic!

Cadillac seemed to like his new home as well!!!

As we were finishing the inside the outside was being landscaped as well.   I am so glad she chose this color scheme which melds well with her white painted brick plantation style home. The barn is a beautiful complement to their property!

I hope you enjoyed our project as much as We did!  Bea is certainly a satisfied customer!!  I hope you all have a wonderful week! Till next time!

Last Week to Vote!

Thank you all for those who have supported Segreto Secrets-our little coffee or wine time–voted and asked their friends to vote.  This is the last week before the count and this time we are up   against 80 blogs across the globe in the running for Best Design Inspiration Blog !  If you haven’t gotten to vote yet, I would be so appreciative if you could!  Thanks so much!  Fingers crossed all!!

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If you are interested in hosting an event or carrying the book  please don’t hesitate to reach out! Email Karly@segretofinishes.com for all inquiries! We love to visit new cities!!!