MY MOST IMPORTANT DESIGN RESOURCE
Hello and thanks for stopping by. Today I’m going to share with you a BIG SECRET. In truth I really hesitate to do so because I’m going to give you my most important design resource. You see, I’m afraid that once I do the cat will be out of the bag and everyone will flock there to scoop up all of the goodies that I rely on to furnish and accessorize the cabins I renovate. However, I really want this Lake Arrowhead business to succeed and I’m all about helping to promote the businesses on our mountain, so here goes…
My most important design resource is the ultra charming, chock full of terrific stuff, the wonderful antiques and collectables store by the name of Bella’s Antiques.
Last week my BFF Lisa was visiting from Northern California. She is a very talented Interior Designer with a great eye so I asked her to come stay with us while her husband was on a business trip to Germany. The timing of her visit was perfect since I’m just beginning to design my latest fixer-upper, The House on Cottage Grove, and I wanted to bounce my ideas off of her.
Lisa fell in love with Bella’s too. As a designer she wishes she had such a great resource in her area to draw from. Bella’s is simply overflowing, quite literally with everything you can imagine. Not only is there the main shop, located in an old cabin, but there is also what owner Michelle calls “The Tree House” and “The She Shack”. Even though it was cold and snowing, Michelle took me out to The She Shack to see her latest finds.
Fog was setting in and it was beginning to snow but that didn’t stop us from our quest to find the perfect treasures for The House On Cottage Grove.
The property is littered with amazing items.
Some things are covered to protect them from the elements, while others are left to collect snow and further their patina.
Now let me take you inside the main shop where you have to look very hard to avoid missing something wonderful.
There are beautiful oil paintings on every wall, many in intricately carved old frames.
I purchased this one, an old oil painting with a beautiful lake scene that looks like it’s from Switzerland.
Bella’s has lighting of every kind, from chandeliers to floor & table lamps, to beautiful old wall sconces.
I picked up some great light fixtures for the cabin along with some beautiful old paintings and a couple of mirrors. This vintage federal eagle mirror is something I have been wanting for a long time. That’s coming home with me!
I also picked up this amazing mirror which will find a new place of importance in The House On Cottage Grove…
as will these lovely old tole-painted trays.
But you know what the best part about my most important design resource, Bella’s Antiques is? It’s the very reasonable prices. I can fill up my car with treasures without spending a Queen’s ransom and feel really, really good about the things I buy. And the lucky person that will buy The House on Cottage Grove will benefit too!
You can find Bella’s Antiques at 935 Kuffel Canyon Road, Sky Forest, CA. Sky Forest is one of our charming villages in the Lake Arrowhead area of the San Bernardino mountains in Southern California. You can call the owner Michelle here: 909-485-1136. If you visit I hope you’ll mention that I sent you! And save some goodies for me!
PS – Thanks goes to Lisa for grabbing my iPhone and taking many of these photos.
So there you have it: MY MOST IMPORTANT DESIGN RESOURCE
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
