pecky cypress

{this post was written before emory was born, was supposed to automatically post but apparently did not...oops!}

pecky cypress is a material i spent a lot of time spec-ing in my past life.  the firm i worked for loved that wood, and i developed a great love for it, too - not really knowing that much about it.

now, i just know every time i see it i am drawn to it.  and then i opened my newest coastal living and almost had a heart attack.

as if i needed another reason to obsess over the work of bobby mcalpine and susan ferrier {seriously, it just cant be fair to be that talented...}, they used this particularly favorite wood of mine in a gorgeous rosemary beach home.

i had to share.

kitchen cabinets made of pecky cypress...the muted gray is perfect.  the iridescent back splash dresses it up just enough, but does not compete or take anything away from the wood itself.  i love how the pecky wood is mixed with the darker wood floors - yet another example of how everything doesnt have to be "matchy-matchy" in a house.  mix finishes and styles and tones to achieve a more personal touch.  whenever finish/style/tone/color in a house matches exactly, or doesnt change from room to room, it equals builder home to me.  builder home=nightmare.  im just sayin'.

close ups

faucet looks to be one of my favorites, the bridge faucet with side spray by perrin and rowe, which i used here {which i realize i need to do an updated post on!!}, but with optional deck unions.  the sink is a custom poured concrete apron front. interesting.  love the way the windows come all the way down to the counter.

its just so....pecky.

the "pecky" part actually is a result of fungus attacking the cypress wood, leaving grooves and pockets behind.

source

its generally found at the bottom of swamps and rivers and other bodies of water.  when the wood is cut for use {paneling, cabinets, flooring, etc} it reveals these gorgeous lines and grooves as seen below:

picture via retrorenovation.com

the tricky part is that pecky cypress is rare, and sometimes its not even know if the particular log of cypress is even "pecky" until its cut into.  just like regular cypress, pecky cypress is incredibly durable with rot and insect resistance.  it is initially a golden color, but left untreated it ages to the perfect grayish tone as seen in most of the pictures in this post.

i just looooooove it.

other pics of the home: {my scanner is broken, so pictures of pictures will have to do for now!}

what a view {inside AND out!}. im not usually a fan of two story spaces - they usually seem cold and too open for me.  however this space is done so right.  i also love the look of the window's dark divided lites, and they are right in line with the aesthetics/architecture of the home, but i think in this case i would rather have an uninterrupted view of the ocean...

gorgeous upholstered headboard with nailhead trim detailing, neutral linens, and a beautiful detail of draperies continuing behind the bed - love the texture.  and im trying to figure out what the greenery is by the bed? magnolia leaves?  notice the clear lucite/glass lamp - smart detail allowing a relatively unobstructed view outside! 

another view of the bedroom.  i want to read a book on that daybed.  more linen roman shades, popular garden stool, magnolia leaves.  i love bringing the "green" indoors - just wish i was dedicated enough to it so as to avoid having week-old-dead leaves where fresh pretty alive ones should be :)

crazy tall lamps...look a lot like these on steroids.  love the beams and neutral palette - puts emphasis on the outdoors

another view of the living room.  pecky cypress paneling behind artwork - GORGEOUS.  lots more linen. linen always makes a space seem effortless to me - but then again it also makes me nervous to think about sitting down on it??? maybe its just me having two children...but in my children-are-grown world, linen is niiiiiice. :)

close up

and in case you are inspired and wanting to see more {we could all use a higher dose of pecky}, here are some other uses of the wood:

pecky cypress walls by beneki homes in atlanta.  love the unexpected punch of the orange.  and that light fixture is crazy! in a good crazy kind of way

pecky cypress ceiling, house beautiful

ceiling, house beautiful

untreated pecky cypress ceiling, house beautiful

what is there not to love about this picture??  the ceiling, the walls, the floors, the deep chocolate velvet covered sofa and the punch of baby blue.  of course it is also designed by mcalpine, booth, and ferrier, house beautiful

pecky cypress walls, designed by ty larkins via cote de texas

pecky cypress everything, tracery interiors

lower part of the stairs seen in previous picture.  just perfect! by tracery interiors

and now to thank you {i.e. the grandparents and family :) } for reading a post that is NOT about our new little lady, here is your just reward:

couldnt you just EAT her??? i mean seriously - those ROLLS - the lady even has them on her FOREARM.