Courtyard Love...

I find courtyards absolutely enchanting.  I first fell in love with them while living in San Francisco, where many old city blocks have apartments that surround a courtyard in the middle.  It's such a great design for letting lots of light into a space and providing a bit of quiet greenspace.  Here are a few inspiring courtyard images:

This looks like a lovely little London courtyard to me...

{Marco Meneguzzi}

This screams Santa Barbara home design, and I love it.

This house and courtyard are massive but I'd just take the terraced part

until the grass...oh, and the inside too!

Um, the pool is a nice touch.

This looks like a feasible courtyard design for Oregon's rainy weather!

I love how this whole house wraps itself around the outdoor living spaces.

What do you think of courtyards?

An Al Fresco Sunday and a Thank You!

I just love this shot of what looks to me like the perfectly simple outdoor space:

{Brown Designs, Inc.}

 I think I could use this terrace quite nicely for dining al fresco every meal, but especially on Sundays when things go a bit slower:

• Start the day with extended family enjoying fresh squeezed orange juice, artisan bread, home made preserves and a warm summer breeze.
• Have a great salad and some iced tea for lunch with some great girlfriends (you know who you are) and lots of laughs.
• Have a romantic grilled dinner by candle light with my husband as the sun sets, to close the weekend on a good note.
• (Not to mention the potential for a great cocktail party to enjoy the view...)

Perfection, right?

On a different topic, but something that made my Sunday great:

I was so surprised to discover this afternoon that Maureen from Eclectic Revisited had written about me on her blog today! I was very touched that she thought to write about my blog and had so many nice things to say! If you aren't already enjoying Maureen's blog, head on over there to check it out. She not only posts great design ideas but also offers some very thought-provoking commentary. It's one of my daily reads!

I wish you all a wonderful Sunday (if it's not already over in your part of the world!)
and a great start to the week. 
Especially you Maureen - thanks again!!!  :)

Tisch Part III

This is the last in my series of posts about tables (at least for now!)...you can find more here and here.  Instead of tablescapes, today I am serving up an eclectic medley of tables and settings:  from Belgian to Beach, Sophisticated to Simple.