My Favorite Things: Limestone

Hi Everyone!  Hope you had a great weekend.  

Today's post is about one of my favorite materials:  Limestone.  My love affair with it continues.  You may have noticed that theme when I have posted in the past about exteriors but today I bring you a few other examples, inside and out.  Enjoy!

What a stunning room divider!

Ah...courtyards!

Isn't it lovely??

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A Lovely Day

This looks like the perfect spot to relax today...isn't this gorgeous in a comfy, cozy yet stylish kind of way?  

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Wishing you a lovely day today!

Grand

I saw the photo of this beautiful home today and I had to share it...can you imagine the gorgeous parties here with a full staff to take care of all the cooking and cleaning?

That house has all those gorgeous terraces for a reason!  That candle-lit walkway leads you from your yacht, that is moored here...

This is how I'd imagine it would look inside...

With elegant meals like this...

And a "casual" space that looks like this...

Not bad, eh?  

Thanks for dreaming with me today.  :)

Favorite Things: Campaign Tables

Today is election day, so a post on campaign tables seemed to be in order.  :)  Here are a few beautiful examples and rooms that show off their great lines...

What do you think of them?  And where would you use one?

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Cozy (And Stylish) Family Rooms

I don't know about all of you, but our Sunday will be a very lazy one:  cozying up inside, maybe watching a movie and just enjoying each other's company after a very busy week!  It's times like this that I am so happy that I enjoy design, so I can create a space for our family that we can re-charge in.  

Of course, as with most people who love design, my own home's rooms are never "done" so I am always looking for new inspirations.  And...I don't want to sacrifice style just to make it kid friendly and make room for the TV!  I am constantly on the lookout for rooms that strike that perfect balance of livability and beauty.  Here are a few of my favorites:

I love all of the light in this room and those gorgeous ottomans!

This room looks a bit formal for a family room to watch TV, but it would be a great place to curl up and read a book!

Such a beautiful mix of pillows in this room...


I'm a huge fan of half walls like this one - great storage below, display space above and yet light still flows throughout.  Lovely!  
(the room beyond ain't bad either ;))

What is most important to you in a family space?
Hope you have a wonderful Sunday, however you choose to enjoy it!

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Cozy, Rustic Spaces

Fall definitely brings on - at least for us design lovers - the craving for nesting in cozy, rustic spaces, doesn't it?  I have posted about it last Fall here and here also, but here are a few of my latest faves:

Notice how the base of this room has many neutrals and soft blues - the spice colors blend beautifully with them!

 

I hope you enjoy a rustic, cozy Fall day today!

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Little Changes

Happy October!  It never ceases to amaze me how little changes around the house can really brighten my mood and set the tone for the new season.  We  had guests from Hamburg last week and that motivated me to finally add some Fall touches around the house.  I have been adding a lot of orange and forest green and it's been quite fun.  Here are a few snip-its of a few of the changes:

I couldn't resist this pumpkin, along with these gorgeous cabbages and apricot pansies, to bring some Fall color to the front doorstep.   Later this month, we'll be adding jack o'lanterns carved by the kids, but that's a whole other look...if you know what I mean.  ;)

I may get motivated in the next week or two to add some wreaths to our double doors to complete the look.

I don't think this photo really does the room justice (blame the photographer) but I added several pillows in spice colors and re-used the apothecary jars with all kinds of rustic, Fall-inspired fillers.  I love how the view into the back of our house stays so lush and green all year round!

OK this isn't really for Fall, but I did just add it to the living room, sitting on top of the petrified wood stool.  :)  This is a collection of coins and bills from (almost) all of the countries my husband and I have traveled to, separately and together.  It's quite the conversation starter with guests and some of the coins - especially those from Asia - are quite beautiful and artistic!

Isn't this cabbage gorgeous?  I replaced something else with these in several of these pots along the railing of my deck and I love how that purple pops!

(Please ignore how badly our deck needs to be re-done.  That is on the "list" for next Summer, but we may throw all that out the window and go here instead!  :))

I just bought this trellis towel recently, and then added the orange Chinese Lanterns in a small bowl in the half bath. I love how the green pops against the dark color I painted the walls (details can be found here).

I don't know if these changes were exciting to you, but they certainly are for little old me.  :)  What do you like to add to bring Fall into your home?

Cozy Up By The Fire

Hi Everyone!

I hope you're all doing well.  I haven't been posting as much lately - the start of school and getting everything underway has really distracted me!  But, the dust is settling and I hope to be blogging more often going forward.  Now on to today's post!

As the weather turns cooler here in Seattle I am looking forward to experiencing our first fire in our new home.  (yes, I still call it our new home even though we've been in the house for six months now.  :))   

I think I'm a bit over-excited about this event but all of you can probably understand!  :)  Along those lines, here are a few of my favorite fireplaces.  I hope you can find some inspiration that you love!

Formations 

Thomas Callaway

This is what's in front of my fireplace now.  
It's an old section of fences that I bought an antiques market in Munich.
I love the rustic touch that it adds to the room.

Formations 

 

Such interesting lines on this fireplace! 

I guess you can tell that I lean toward an oversized stone fireplace mantel.

What's your favorite style?

Sources, unless otherwise noted, can be found here.