Rosemary and her family have resided in their delightful California home for the past 15 years. Her home beautifully reflects her own personal unique style, which Rosemary refers to as "French Country, with Shabby Flea Market mixed in".

 

Influenced bymagazines & decorating books, flea markets, as well as her artistic side, Rosemarys decorator look is acheived with her great eye for style. Quite the talented artist, Rosemary painted all of the faux finishes in her home. Very impressive when seen in person! She's not afraid to use rich colors on her walls & beautifully embraces them into her home decor.

 

Some of Rosemary's favorite places to go antiquing is the Santa Monica & Ventura Flea Market, as well as the Agoura Antique Mart & the antique shops in Downtown Ventura. She also loves shopping at local junk stores & yard sales and says "It's is a hit or miss thing". One of Rosemarys favorite things to collect is old antique Halloween items, and recently started collecting silver plate as well as flower frogs.

 

One of Rosemarys favorite decorating techniques is painting an item to look old. "First, do a base color then rub candle wax on the places where it would normally have worn away. Then paint a top color that is very easy to sand, and pay attention to those places where you placed the wax. This technique will acheive that chippy paint look." Rosemary also loves to use objects for things other than what they were meant for, like using a piece of molding or a header for a valance. Or a door or window for a unique table top, etc.

 

When visiting Rosemarys home for this feature, she truly inspired me to paint, create & decorate. Thank you for sharing your talents with us Rosemary! -JG

 

(Photographs and article by Jennifer Grey, owner of The Old Painted Cottage)