Sometimes we get in things that are very unique and have to be pre-planned for a home….meaning, you have to be prepared to use it before you start building! We got in a trailer full of stone and terracotta from Chicago and New York City. I can’t even tell you how gorgeous it is! There are some unbelievable pieces!! It’s been sitting out at the gym on pallets waiting to be unpacked and sorted and photographed!

Slowly but surely, it’s been unpacked and sorted. We brought some pieces up to the garden lot and have started the photography process. We posted several pictures yesterday to our Facebook page. The prices vary depending on size and how detailed the work is. I’ve been searching the web for photos of buildings with similar work. I found lots of Brownstones in NYC and Boston. We could just move into one of those OR figure out how to use this beautiful architecture in our own homes here in the South. I think the obvious choice is to use it as a surround for a front door. It would also be fabulous on a veranda or a pool house. Why not just pick a few pieces and create a piece of art with it? I think that is probably the easiest way for most of us to use it. Are you building a house? Come to the store and we can help you design something to make your house a unique place like no other!

As always, to see more of our selection, check out our website or facebook page!

About a week after that article ran, we received a call from a young lady that read the article after it was picked up in the Mobile Press Register. She continued to tell us that her husband was the Great grandson of Charles Linn Gay, a prominent Montgomery businessman. He had the home built in 1899. She wanted something from the house. Something to remember her husband’s history. We asked her to write something for us that would depict what her feelings were when she saw the article and what made her contact us. Her letter is the following:

I found out about the Gay House in Montgomery through an article in the Mobile Press-Register.  I didn’t even know it existed until my husband, Charles, called me and told me to look for the article.  The house was built by his great-grandfather, Charles Linn Gay, in the 1800’s.  There was a picture of the house in the paper with the article.  It was in obvious disrepair, but it was easy to see that it was once a stunning home.

The article discussed the process that would be taking place in order to salvage as many items as possible from the home.  As soon as I read that Southern Accents would be selling the items, I called the manager, Kolby, and told him who I was.  He was fantastic.  He sent pictures that they had taken of the home to me, and I was able to share those with Charles and his mother and brothers. My mother-in-law told us about visiting the home in the 70’s and how beautiful it was.  It was neat to learn about the history of both the home and Charles’ family.  If it weren’t for the article in the newspaper and my subsequent phone call to Kolby, we probably would never have had the opportunity to discuss the family’s past because we would never have thought to ask!   

I wanted to make sure that we were able to get a piece of the house for our home in Mobile.   We live in a small, midtown house and don’t have a lot of room for extras, so Kolby helped me decide that a small window would be a great showpiece.  We plan to hang it on one of the walls in our house.

Neither Charles nor I have been to the Gay home in Montgomery or have even laid eyes on it in person.  So why do we want a piece of this home?  That’s easy – because it’s part of my husband’s history.  Most of the Gay family has passed on, but this house and the things in it represent his great-grandfather and all of the family that came after him.  This window will help us to remember those who came before us, those who helped make my husband who he is today, and share our history with those who come after us.  When you think about it, a window really makes perfect sense.  In it, we can look back at the past and look forward to the future.

You will not believe it when you see the pictures I took. There is 15,000 square feet of wood, doors, bathtubs, saws, and buckling gym floors! “OH MY WORD!!”, is exactly what I said when I went in! It’s fantastic! I could spend hours out there! I need a tour guide, though. I need someone to tell me what kind of wood each and every piece is. I also want to know where it came from…..it all has a story! There are hand hewn beams, skins from beams, 20ft. long beams! There is pine, maple, oak, cedar, cypress, hickory…some are harder to come by than others. Of course, this makes them even more special!

I have had red barn wood on my mind for a couple of years to make frames. Guess what?? We got in some from a barn in Germantown, Ohio. I couldn’t WAIT to see it! I went out there this week and took some pictures. We’ve already sold some for an interior wall. How cool is that? I hope she sends us pictures when she’s finished with it! I would love to do that in my little boy’s room. So fun.

Next time you are in Cullman, come by Southern Accents and get someone to take you to the gym. You might be building a house from the ground up and need flooring or something cool on your walls or ceiling. You might be adding on to an older home and need to match up your floors. Or maybe you just want to make something cool from wood from the 1800′s. Whatever your reason, we have over 20,000 square feet of lumber….all of it salvaged from another life. Just ask, we usually know the story behind all of it!

Don’t forget if you want to see more samples of the wood at the gym, you can look on our website or our facebook page! We try to keep both of those updated! Call the store if you want to make an appointment to “browse” through the gym!

SOUTHERN ACCENTS ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUES

308 Second Ave. SE – Cullman, Alabama 35055
Showroom Assistance: 877-737-0554

Hours: Mon – Fri 9 to 5, Sat 10 to 4 cst

E-Mail info@sa1969.com

How much fun are these? We are always finding colorful doors! These are fun for different projects. We have been making chalkboards out of them. I love having something to write all of our “goings on” all in one place! You can hang it horizontally or stand it against the wall vertically.  I am about to work on 2 panels for someone that are a little smaller, but will hang together for a chalkboard.

I have 2 doors that I have in my home “just because I love them”! One I bought for the color and the other for the texture. I’m not sure what it is about doors, but I can’t get enough of them!

Let us know if you are interested in a door of your own or maybe you need a chalkboard!

SOUTHERN ACCENTS ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUES
308 Second Ave. SE
Cullman, Alabama 35055
Showroom Assistance: 877-737-0554
Hours: Mon – Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Saturdays 10:00 am to 4:00 pm CST
E-Mail info@sa1969.com

I’ve had so much fun getting inspiration from all over the web for mantels. Since Southern Accents Architectural Antiques is having a fantastic sale this month on, you guessed it, mantels, I have been immersed in all that is mantel.

I wanted to do a little recap of all the links that I’ve found over the last few weeks. It’s been super cold here in the south. We are NOT used to this much cold nor are we used to this much snow people! It’s crazy here. SA was closed for 3 days last week! That’s crazy and messes up the sale when you can’t open the store for the sale, hellooooo!

So, here are all the fabulous decorating ideas I’ve found. If you have more, please add in the comments. I would love to check them out AND I’m sure everyone else would like to see, too! Oh wait, wait, wait….let’s do a linky party! I’ve always wanted to do one and this is a great place to start! I don’t have a button for you to post….let me see if I can figure out how to do that! edited: can’t figure it out! I need to call a couple of my expert blogger friends and get a lesson! Send your link in the contacts, if you want to share!!

ehow.com gives you great overall info on mantels and the different types.

flickr.com this is a gorgeous mantel. the whole room is very crisp and I’m loving antlers mounted! I just got some from a deer my son killed this season!

decorallure’s blog is a great place for inspiration on many things! She was redoing a mantel and added lots of cool pictures for inspiration!

One of my favorite uses of a mantel is as a headboard. I really want to do this. I found a tutorial at Apartment Therapy.

I found so many pictures for inspiration for the mantel headboard….check out these:

Apartment Therapy’s finished project

More inspiration from The Stories from A to Z! Beth is always doing linky parties. You will find some really cute inspiration from her blog!

The Old Painted Cottage shows you her before and after photos of her bedroom. Major transformation! It turned out gorgeous! One of my favorites! Her images are copyright protected and I didn’t want to share without her permission. I guess you will have to click on the link to check them out!

I hope you’ve enjoyed all the decorating ideas. We would love to help you with any projects you have planned.

SOUTHERN ACCENTS ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUES
308 Second Ave. SE
Cullman, Alabama 35055
Showroom Assistance: 877-737-0554
Hours: Mon – Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Saturdays 10:00 am to 4:00 pm CST
E-Mail info@sa1969.com

All mantels are 20-50% off! Come by or call the store for more information. We have over 100 mantels in the warehouse!

Check out SA1969.com for more mantels and prices.

Monday, December 20 – Thursday, December 23.

Discount applies to in stock showroom items only. Discount is not valid on custom work, special orders, or previously purchased merchandise.
Shop early for the very best selection!

Call 877-737-0554 for showroom assistance.

We will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Wishing you a blessed Christmas season!

SOUTHERN ACCENTS ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUES
308 Second Ave. SE Cullman, Alabama 35055
Showroom Assistance: 877-737-0554
Hours: Mon – Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Saturdays 10:00 am to 4:00 pm CST
E-Mail info@sa1969.com

Well, we are on the down stretch to Christmas! Only a few days left for shopping and then the festivities begin! We have had multiple photo shoots here at the store for Christmas cards. The very talented Audrey Land has been in a couple of times to take pictures of some beautiful families! Maybe you will get a card with a picture in the mail! I hope I do!

The wood shop has been busy, as well. They are working like santa’s elves to get some last minute gift ideas ready for those hard-to-buy people on your list. I know they are working on bead board frames from the Tuscaloosa County school that is being torn down. We are doing a huge project with the Alabama Alumni group for their scholarship fund….more on that later!

I have been using these little wood trees all over my house for decoration. On Tuesday, you can enter to win one of these trees on two different blogs! That’s right, there are two giveaways. Check in at Lucysinspired and 3qtguys for your chance to win!

They have so much character! Some are made from bead board, some from fluted trim pieces, then you have the ones made from the louvers from old shutters. I have one that has the fluted trim. I added nails to the tree to hang ornaments! These are in keeping with the vintage look. I have been collecting vintage glass ornaments and these cute little wood ornaments. They look like old toys. LOVE them!

You can also pick up ornaments made from bead board. How cute are these? They are the perfect hostess gift! Pick up one to tie to a bottle of wine or just wrap a couple together to take to Christmas parties this weekend!

Check out “The Garage” next time you are in the store. We have a section on the back of the store that will be our Garage Sale. You can find items that are marked down and items that we bought a big quantities of….so, they can be sold at a better price! You can drive around back and see “The Garage” from the street. On a pretty day, there will be cool items sitting on the sidewalk. Don’t forget to come inside. There’s always something fun to see!!