Friday Flowers

Inside our out, orchids always look absolutely beautiful!

{Photos via A Life’s Design}

Friday Flowers: Bright and Beautiful Geraniums

Virtual House tour: Austin, Texas

 

We’re taking a little trip to Austin next month and if I’m going to know what neighborhoods are the best to ooh and ahh through I had to check out the local real estate listings.  Since this is just for fun, there’s no budget. I repeat, fun!

This house is very Santa Barbara meets Bobby McAlpine.  See the listing here.

Hip and traditional.  Love the contrast between the white walls and the dark floor and accessories.

 

The Living Room is impressive, yet so inviting.

 

The more I look at this house, the more I recognize it from someplace… anyone else having the same déjà vu?

The Dining Room is cozy and simple with beautiful views.

 

This picture is where I really am having déjà vu.  I remember reading about how of course this study has a plethora of deer heads because it’s in Texas… Anyway, a handsome study it is (even with the heads).

Another view of the study showing it’s supersized window.

If Diane Keaton’s character Erica from Something’s Gotta Give were to have a Texan bedroom, this might be it!

A view of the back of the house and pool at dusk.

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.The next house is very quaint and unpretentious. See the listing here.

Trendy accents make this house pop.

I love the grey kitchen with the colorful artwork and rug.

 

Hate the mirrored wall, love the blue velvet on the bench.  Really, who mirrors a full wall anymore?!? 

 

This bathroom totally makes up for the mirrored wall.  Love the built ins with glass doors and the sconces.  I would have brought the built-ins to the ceiling level, but that’s just me being picky.

 

Another great bathroom. The built ins, pedestal sinks and and pink wall are totally unexpected from a normal bathroom.  Interesting detail  how the ceiling is arched over the sink area.

 

Cozy workspace in a trendy dark greige color.

 

The light limestone and gravel ground in the courtyard cover are a very pretty backdrop to the landscaping.

 

Pretty and natural landscaping approach.

This listing included the floorplan.  Love when you can see pictures and the layout.

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Are we still in Austin?!?  Certainly not your everyday architecture, but this house is pretty darn interesting and unexpected.  You probably got that from this first picture! See the listing here.

 

Dark woods and white plaster walls are definitely a popular look in central Texas, and they really do look fabulous!

 

A close up of the fireplace.  It’s nice to see a cleaner plaster fireplace instead of the expected carved limestone.

 

The Dining Room shows signs of eclecticness in it’s furnishings and Venetian chandelier.

 

 

This kitchen floor totally caught me off guard!  The cork floor in istelf is out of the ordinary, but this bold graphic pattern it absolutely a shocker!  Again, maybe not my first choice, but on the plus side I’m sure it’s very comfortable to stand on when cooking.

 

Close up of the hood.

 

The breakfast room definitely has the vintage vibe going on with it’s retro chairs and light fixture.

 

 

If this were my library, I’d never leave!  Between the fabulously tall shelves stocked with books and the beautiful wall color, I’d be in here all the time!  I think this must be in the turret.

 

In contrast to the dark library, the bonus room is light, bright and airy.

 

   

You know you’re in Austin when there are guitars in the bedroom.  Another furniture piece in watery blue velvet… it’s really pretty isn’t it! 

 

Another bedroom with a funky flokati rug and green velvet chairs. 

 

The pool feels like its in the treetops…. enveloped by greenery!

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The last home to catch my eye was this one.  A little modern.  A little artsy.  See the listing here.

 

So many things to love about this kitchen… framed artwork, open industrial shelving, a brassy and beuatufiul trombone (love musical instrument accessories theme we’re seeing here!, and the rustic pottery juxtaposed against crips contemporary finishes….

The most intriguing part of this house is the backyard entertaining pavilion…. And as a sidenote, its definitely clear that mounted deer heads are not a novelty in this town!

 

What a cool place to hang out!  I love the branch-y chandelier and the crisp white upholstery.  Definitely outdoor chic!

If anyone has any suggestions for Austin, I’d love to hear about them! 

Friday Flowers: My roses!

I have wanted to pull out the straggly weed-like lantana that ran the perimeter of our backyard since we moved into our house several years ago.  Everyone has the reaction of “Oh lantana, why do you hate it, I LOVE it!”  Our lantana was not pretty nor sweet- it was beastlike. It overtook everything and looked like a dead weed most of the time.  A few weekends ago we finally removed every last trace of the stuff, including it’s monstrous roots (this was very old lantana!).  In it’s place,  we planted the rose bushes I’d been envisioning for several years.  I am so happy to finally have my own cutting garden!

 

I planted a mixture of white, pink and mango-ish peach roses (Secret’s Out, Queen Elizabeth, Falling in Love and Valencia to be exact).  

We happened to have two loner rose bushes in our front yard, a bright pink and a mauvey purple (I think this is the Barbra Streisand rose) that had some blossoms too.  These colors aren’t my favorites but they smell divine.

Happy weekend!

Suzanis on the bed

 

Now that spring has officially arrived it’s time for some freshening and color!  We’ve seen suzanis everywhere lately, but one place where I haven't tired of seeing them is on the bed.  It’s the perfect replacement for the heavy comforters of winter.

Richard Shapiro’s bedroom featured in Architectural Digest.  The all white bed and contemporary lamps show how the suzani can be used in am masculine way.

Michael S. Smith’s handsome take on the suzani bedcover.

 

Kathryn M. Ireland’s design featured in World of Interiors shows the suzani in a softer, breezier setting. 

 

 

Another bedroom by Kathryn from her book Creating a Home, but this time the suzani is out in full force.  This is an antique from Uzbekistan that she made into a bed cover.  I love how much interest and color it brings to the room.

 

For the suzani shy, perhaps just a small dose of it in a pillow is enough.  This bed from Country Living uses a throw pillow from Wisteria.

Garden Sheds

This weekend’s house keeping task is to clean out our shed.  It’s not something we’re looking forward to, but these pictures are inspiring me to transform it from a garage-overflow-space to something more useable, enjoyable, and dare I say, charming.

 

 

Is that an adorable townhouse or a delightful shop? Oh no, it’s just the ol’ garden shed…. uh-huh…. garden shed of my dreams!

 

 

Charming and lush

 

Love the vines growing up onto the shed and the gravel pathway leading to it.

 

 

 

Another architectural masterpiece of a shed.

 

Party shed.

 

Love the idea of incorporating it into the landscape décor.

 

The next few pictures really stretch the word “shed”…

Cuter than many homes!

How adventurous to have your guest bedroom be in a shed, and be as chic as this!

 

Banish me to this shed now please!

 

An old caravan turned shed is just too fun!

 

Now… check out this wonderful transformation by designer Michael Devine where he takes an ordinary (but a very cute ordinary) wood shed and transforms it into a gorgeous and sophisticated retreat…

Before.

 

After.  Really, are these the same spaces?!? The open shelving with beautiful accessories, the sophisticated wall to wall curtains, the lush plantings…. gorgeous!

As if it couldn’t get any better than it already was, the floor is painting in this chic pattern, there's a daybed for mid-afternoon lounging , and a fanciful chandelier.  I’m inspired, no doubt about it!

 

Designer Lauren Liess of Pure Style Home turned her Lowes shed into this adorable playhouse for her little boys.  Inspiration and elbow grease sure can create a magical place….

 

We may never turn our shed into a garden room like some of these gorgeous spaces, but we definitely can incorporate some of BHG’s practical (and cute) gardening ideas into it….

Potting bench where everything is clean, organized, and inviting!

 

Seed calendar displayed on ribbons… those little packets can get lost so easily and this keeps them organized and in plain sight.

 

Gardening-on-the-go basket.