Crazy Daze of Summer

Chaos still reigns at my house, this first week of summer being perhaps the busiest since it all began. I am working crazy long hours at a job that is ending. Ironic, no? College Girl is still here and has extended her stay by as many weeks as it takes for her future roommates to find them all a decent place to live. We've had a house guest. I've been on two job interviews. Met with a client to consult on her kitchen/family room remodel. Had lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in ages. And there's still one more day to go! And one too many cats in my house. I'm pretty sure he's on my dining room table as I type this. He'll head up the coast when College Girl goes. Her I'll miss; him, not so much. If it weren't for my husband keeping us fed and the kitchen clean, things would be much, much worse.

So it was with great delight and a long sigh of relief that I happened upon these photos of a beach house that took me away for a much-needed imagination vacation..... My faux-cation begins with a stretch and a yawn as I wake in this quietly serene bedroom. A bit of vintage makes me feel right at home.

I toddle out through the dining room in my jammies and bare feet—the better to fully enjoy that cool blue floor—

and into the kitchen to pour myself a giant cup of whatever the staff has prepared for me today. Vanilla latte and carrot spice muffins? It must be Thursday.
I take my breakfast into the sun-filled living room. Love that glossy ceiling and the way it bounces the morning light all around. Makes reading my requisite trashy novels so much easier.
My plans for the day include alternating walks on the beach with naps on this lovely private patio. While I have no intentions to play chess—a vacation is for resting my brain, not hurting it— I'll be quite happy to simply contemplate this unique "board". The quiet colors and lush greenery have such a calming effect on me that zzzzzzzzzzz

Sorry, I dozed off! Excuse me while I duck into the bath to splash some cool water on my tanned, relaxed face. I'll only be a few minutes and then we can stroll into town for drinks and dinner. Thanks so much for driving out to join me!

When we return to the cottage and it's time to tuck in for the night, I'm sure you'll enjoy the cozy guest room. Don't you love those twin headboards? I myself am inspired to bring this idea to College Girl's room re-do. After she leaves of course. No bad cats allowed on those beautiful beds.

As much as I love my home full of color and pattern, a house full of white and quiet looks like heaven to me right now. Unfortunately, this is not a beach rental but the Fire Island getaway of one Alex Bates, creative director at West Elm. As seen in the June issue of Country Living magazine. And in my dream vacation dreams.

How the Navy Introduced Me to Designer Lee Ann Thornton

While researching my last post, looking for images of Navy chairs, I discovered this kitchen nook designed by Greenwich Connecticut-based designer Lee Ann Thornton.

I also discovered that I love her aesthetic and affinity for mixing patterns, textures and styles. Check out the disparate pairings in this small corner alone: distressed table surrounded by mid-century chairs and a vintage-inspired bench dressed with a tailored, contrast piping cushion topped by crisp pillows in contemporary patterns and colors. Add one gorgeous pendant light, a modern botanical and the warm textures of a woven blind and wood flooring and yes, please, I'll move in right now.


And—what luck!—look at the kitchen that comes with the nook. The perfect mix of vintage and contemporary (pressed ceiling + modern stools), cool and warm (fresh green walls + deep brown floors), clean lines and textural details (crisp white cabinets and expanses of marble + woven blinds and baskets). And is that a mud room I spy through the door? If there is also a walk-in pantry somewhere nearby (there has to be, right?), then this is most definitely my idea of kitchen heaven.

More of the same heavenly mix in this seating area. Can you find all of the elements I've already mentioned in this single shot? They're all there.

In fact, it seems that every one of Lee Ann Thornton's designs incorporates the same elements even when the look is decidedly different. Here, a living room in soft blues, neutrals and bits of the sea and chinoiserie.

Another living space in periwinkle and white with hits of chocolate, a tropical touch of seagrass and bamboo, and an unexpected zebra or three.

And here, the boldest, brightest pattern-mixing-est room of them all: a casual family space in summery, sea-worthy blues and whites.

To see a bit more (honestly, I've stolen—um, borrowed—more of her images than I probably should have), visit Thornton Designs here. There is also a lovely interview with the designer here. I am so impressed with and inspired by the designs of Lee Ann Thornton... and so happy that the Navy sent me her way.

Daisy Fresh

The daisy, birth flower for the month of April, has long been celebrated in art and poetry for its simple beauty. Poets like Chaucer, Phoebe Cary and James Montgomery used the flower to symbolically express devotion. Hairpins decorated with daisies have been found in ancient ruins dating back 4,000 years. A European native, the daisy is widely naturalized in North and South America. While its most recognizable form—white petals and a golden yellow center with grassy-green stem and leaves—belongs to the family "Bellis perennis", its common name comes from the term "day's eye," a reference to the fact that daisy blooms are only open during the day and close up at night.

There is a myth that tells of the daisy's creation when a nymph transformed herself into a charming but unassuming wildflower to escape unwanted attention. Through the centuries, daisies came to be associated with innocence, childlike joy and playfulness. No other flower captures the essence of spring’s happy-go-lucky, forever-young attitude like the daisy. Daisies have long been associated with love. The "she loves me, she loves me not" method of pulling petals from a flower was first used with the daisy to tell love's fortune. Daisies are customarily given in bouquets to new mothers as a way to celebrate the birth of their baby. Did you, as a child, make "daisy chains" to wear on your wrists and in your hair?

Happy birthday, April babies!

Inspired by a meadow filled with flowers on a blue-sky day, here is a daisy chain of ten fresh-as-a-daisy spaces just for you:

1.

2.

3.
4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

If I had a little blond dachshund, I would name her Daisy and buy her a soft blue settee. We would sit side by side. I would sip tea and read poetry aloud. She would nap quietly, dreaming of sunshine and endless green meadows.

See, the grass is full of stars,
Fallen in their brightness;
Hearts they have of shining gold,
Rays of shining whiteness.

Buttercups have honeyed hearts,
Bees they love the clover,
But I love the daisies' dance
All the meadow over.

FROM "DAISY TIME" BY MARJORIE PICKTHALL

Top photo by Baslee Troutman (isn't it gorgeous?). Other daisies via stock photo sources, photographers unknown. All interior photos via marthastewart.com. Daisy facts via teleflora.com, birthfloersguide.com and life123.com

Cure for the Winter Blues

On a day like today—cold and very, very wet—I find myself looking forward to my spring garden and wondering what is taking so long? The Dutch irises first broke ground way back in November. Their leaves have grown longer, their stems taller and more sturdy and, still, there is no sign of their brilliant blue blooms. Perhaps they need less rain and more sunshine. I know I do.


The iris is February's birth flower. But they're not going to make it in time to celebrate—not at my house anyway. When they do appear, I'll take note of their three upright petals symbolizing faith, valor and wisdom. I'll remark to someone, as I always do, how much they resemble the French fleur-de-lis which, in fact, was modeled on this flower. History tells many stories of how this came to be and how the symbol has endured. It is impossible to recount them all here. History also tells that symbolic use of this dignified and graceful flower dates even further back—to Ancient Greece—when Iris, the messenger of the gods and the personification of the rainbow acted as the link between heaven and earth. An interesting article about the iris of history and legend can be found here.

Gorgeous blue hues like that of the iris find their way into our homes with such regularity and to such great effect that House Beautiful magazine has devoted much of its March issue to blue rooms of present and past. You can see 53 of them on their website. Below, I've chosen to feature just one for this flower-of-the-month post: the kitchen in a Fire Island, NY summer home that stars a wall of glass subway tile in a color that designer Marshall Watson calls "periwinkle verging on cobalt". How lucky for these homeowners... to have such a lovely color on view all year 'round.

[kitchen photos by Julian Wass via housebeautiful.com]

Happy birthday to all you February babies out there including my mom, who reads my blog (thanks Mom!), and my dad who I'm quite certain doesn't even know what a blog is. :)

First photo by dks221 via webshots.com, second photo is my garden by me

Unexpected Warmth

No, I'm not complaining about the too warm weather again. But, for the record, it is finally beginning to cool enough here to believe that it really is fall. Rather, this post is about the unexpected warmth that can be found in a blue room. Most often, we think of blue interiors in terms of crispy cool blue and white beach houses, watery blue bathrooms, little boy's bedrooms and very traditional spaces along the lines of this


and this.


But use less vibrant though still cool blues and substitute creams for the bright whites above and right away you get a warmer look like this


and this, below. Still light and wide open like the best beach houses, but a bit warmer and a little cozier. Notice too the references to fall in the photo below: a gourd on a shelf, rustic basket on the table, and an arrangement or golden-hued flowers. Sometimes it's the smallest details that make the big difference.


Bring back the vibrant blues of the first two photos but balance them with warm woods, creams and tan on walls and fabrics and lots of layered accessories and textures and you can have your blues and cozy too. Warmer still.




Warmest of all, the following spaces feature ample doses of gold and orange on floors, walls and ceilings. Textural fabrics like wool, velvet and chenille are warm to both the eye and hand.




There are warm blues, of course, but more often it seems the temperature of the blue used in a room is less important than the colors used around it. Set off by bright whites, pastels or citrus shades, blue takes on the perceived coolness of swimming pools and oceans. In other spaces, the blues below might appear icy and cold, but here, because of the other elements in the rooms, the overall look warms up.

The room below, by the incomparable Phoebe Howard, may be my favorite blue room ever. Notice how prominent the blue wall is. A periwinkle shade that could read very cool if treated differently, becomes a beautiful counterpoint to all the browns and golds and dusky greens. Texture is also important here. Warmth is found in weathered woods, glinting gold on picture frames, carved and patinaed accessories, the fireplace mantel, the velvety fabrics.

The image at the top of this post is an entry vignette by designer Jeffrey Bilhuber. Everything about it says warmth and welcome.

Countless studies have confirmed that blue is America's favorite color. I imagine that's in some part because true blues are happy, energizing and very familiar. Blue is, after all, the color of the sky and water we see all around us every day. Familiar is also comfortable. And much comfort can be found in a warm, blue room.

DON'T FORGET: I'm hosting Mood Board Monday this time! Go to this post to see the inspiration items and get your mood board ready for the McLinky party on Monday, November 9th. Go to Room Remix, where PK started Mood Board Mondays, to see all the creative results of the last challenge. Please come play with us! No competition—just fun.