DWR & House Beautiful

I fell in love with the home of Design Within Reach CEO John Edelman's Connecticut home in this months House Beautiful. It is the perfect mix of modern with traditional elements. A timeless masterpiece.

The white antler chandelier makes a fun statement when paired with traditional dark hardwood floors and grass cloth covered walls. And those black doors take a traditional french door to fabulous. This room would lose it's edge with traditional white french doors.

The living room is perfection. The windows and mouldings are too die for and then the furniture and color palette is classic perfection. I can't even discuss the fireplace as it's a piece of art. And I love that they threw a traditional sunburst above the fireplace - so unexpected in a modern room.

A great gallery wall in the living room gives the stairway importance and personality. It's one of the reasons this house is so appealing and warm. You can tell that the owners only add what they love and each item tells the story of the owners lives.

The dining room is amazing with the Satellite chandelier, Saarinen oval table that seats ten and the amazing leather Saarinen chairs. The traditional moulding in this room grounds the space and keeps it from being too modern or cold. You can tell that stories will be told, and bottles of wine will be poured around this table for hours. The perfect tell tale sign of a dining room. I'd love to spend hours in this room with friends and family.

Hello pool and amazing yard. Really??

And then you have to throw in the outdoor kitchen, casual dining table and 16 foot marble bar. It was inspired by the Amanyara resort in the Turks and Caicos. This space makes me crazy jealous. I can only imagine the entertaining and family gathering that's done in this space. Perfection.

Kudos to John and Bonnie Edelman for creating a beautiful but casual classic modern home.

Check out the April issue of House Beautiful to see the rest of the house.

Dreaming

I'm dreaming of a little "Father of the Bride" inspired house today. I'm such a sucker for traditional architecture and white houses. Anything that reminds me of the idealized American home and I start tearing up. Really. I've probably watched "Father of the Bride" over 50 times just to get a glimpse of any details that I've missed during the previous 49 viewings. It was my first love before "Somethings Got to Give" and Nancy Meyers came along.

While these images aren't all from the same house they seem meant to be.

A beautiful, not too grand entrance, but with incredible details. Those pots had me at hello.

Then from the back you see how grand this house and guest house really is. But comfortable and family friendly too. Can't you just see the kids playing tag? Or in my case, playing Lacrosse in the backyard and breaking all those incredible windows. And what I wouldn't give to have the guest house as my office. Far enough away to work without being interrupted and no commute. Heaven.

Then a little cozy spot to take an early evening break with family and friends. Sigh.

All images via my pinterest.

A little pick me up

It felt like Spring in Seattle today. It was exactly what the doctor ordered since we still have a couple more months (really until July 4th) of the winter dull-drums. But nothing feels more like Spring than beautiful pink and white flowers.

I hope it's beautiful where you are. If not, fill your house with some pink and white flowers to make it feel like Spring. It's the best pick me up.

All work, no play

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but it's been all work and no time for play or blogging for that matter.

Wish I was working at this beautiful little space. I've always loved this pale blue zebra fabric. And I especially love it paired with the pale gray walls, parson desk and Chinese Chippendale chair. A little nook of serenity in a crazy, fast paced world.

I'll be back soon. Hang in there with me.

The gathering spot

I stumbled upon this image from pinterest today and was captivated. Love that this kitchen is all windows and no uppers with the most incredible windows. But, I really love the long gathering table instead of the traditional island. After being in a cabin for a week with 14 people (7 adults and 7 kids) who all like to cook and eat incredible meals - kitchen layout is very important. The sink isn't right next to the stove or fridge allowing for many cooks to work together without bumping into each other. There was more bumping this last week than one could imagine. I love that this kitchen breaks with the convention of a close work triangle and the island while at the same time creating a feeling of coziness.

My large family and I could be very happy in this kitchen.

Happy Monday.

Favorite casual entryways

It's raining today in Seattle and I was reminded of the importance of a great entryway. Not only for the water and dirt you track in (and those pesky kids shoes and backpacks) but also for setting the tone of your house. Entryways are probably the most used room in the house and the most overlooked. And remember, they are the first impression of your house.

Here are some of my favorite casual entryways.

This is one of my all time favorites. The mitered striped rugs, gold light fixtures, grass cloth walls and mouldings. Heaven for me. Not to mention the adorable dog.

I love the attention to detail in this entryway and the use of the space. The benches flanking a mirror on one side, and the dresser (to dump/hide your stuff) and zebra chair on the other. Don't get me stared on the mouldings and lighting. Lovely.

I love everything about this entry. It feels so welcoming and really tells a story about the people who live there. I'd like an invitation to dinner at this house.

This is also one of my favorites. A little more polished and sophisticated but still very casual. And that orange door.

A great classic craftsman style entry, but with casual ship lap and antlers.

This entry exudes warmth with the pine pieces, sunburst and oriental rug. The ceiling detail really adds to the causal feel.

Those beams and doors. Gorgeous. Love the white sofa as the contrast to the case goods and floor.

The leopard stair runner (love) and oriental rug, mixed with the collected art, tall armoire and blue and white ginger jars make this space visually interesting and welcoming at the same time. Styled differently, this entry could have made it into my more formal entry category. But as it is, it's eclectic casual.

Industrial french. So beautiful and ethereal.

The mix of the brick floor, ship lap, built-ins, antique bench dutch door, and iron railing makes this entry the ultimate in casual. Perfect for a climate that gets a lot of rain and snow. This entry reminds me of my mom - I think she'd love it.

This is my dream entry for a second house in the mountains. I love the large slate floor combined with the traditional french doors, built in bench and traditional mouldings. Then to give the room a little more texture and make it more casual, the use of the bead board on the ceiling. The finishing touch is the oil rubbed bronze hardware. This is how you use slate correctly in my mind.

So those are some of my favorite casual entryways. I hope you enjoyed them.

All images are from my pinterest.

Project Update - Lake Sammamish House

Over the past two years I've had the pleasure of working on an amazing coastal inspired Lake Sammamish waterfront home. While we are still working on furnishing the interiors, a few of the rooms of the house were published this month in 425 Magazine so I thought I'd share it with you.

Entry. We are still looking for the perfect piece of furniture for this room. We used shiplap through out the entire house to give the house some character and make the spaces feel more comfortable as the ceilings are extremely high.

In the kitchen we did a custom metal hood, a combination of mirrored and glass front cabinets and a dark grey island to designate it as the focal point of the room. The bar stools in this room will be the statement piece when they are done as they are vintage french louis bar stools with cowhide seats. They take my breath away and I can't wait as they change the feel of the entire room.

Ceiling and crown moulding detail

View of the dining room and family room from the kitchen. We are looking for vintage french chairs for the dining table.

The family room. Since this picture was taken there is a larger seagrass rug, a larger custom zebra ottoman (this one is actually mine that they homeowner was using until theirs arrived), a metal and wood custom console and some fabulous white lamps. The room feels warm and cozy now as it is their main gathering spot.

There are so many fabulous rooms in this house that I'll post more pictures as they are finished.

Barn Delight

Joni at Cote de Texas always finds amazing houses to blog about. Her latest post, Lynnstone in Mississippi, is no exception. The main house is a whopping 27,000 square feet and is truly amazing. But I especially loved the barn and guest quarters. No details were left to chance and the space is so welcoming and comfortable.

The exterior and a close-up of the walk way into the stables.

Those are some lucky horses. The stonework, beam detailing and lighting directly ties into the exterior.

The guest house above the stables is a great blend of the rustic and elegant. I think I could be happy here.

Gorgeous Space. Thanks Joni!

Architect - Kevin Harris

Interior Design - Annelee Primos

Swoon

As I was watching the BCS Championship game tonight with my boys, I found myself flipping through this months issue of Veranda (the score was 15-0 so you have to give me a break). Tonight a Windsor Smith great room stopped me in my tracks. The grass cloth walls, black windows, mirror, and the white Moroccan coffee table. BUT, that camel back sofa had me swooning. The turquoise antique textile is so fun and vibrant yet so soothing at the same time. And on a camel back sofa no less. The sofa that's usually associated with an old stale room or your grandparents house. The print and color draws me in and makes me want to retire to this room on any given night. Even to watch a football game.

Then I remembered seeing the sofa and coffee table in a previous room of her house that was featured in House Beautiful. The infamous pink room in fact where they were secondary elements to the pink walls and yellow chairs. It was not my favorite as there were too many elements for my eye to absorb.

Just goes to show you that even with the same elements two rooms can be so drastically different- even from the same designer. But, it also confirms my belief that great furniture can be versatile and can move from room to room depending on your needs and your vision for the time. If you love it, you will have it forever and it's worth the investment. So go pick up that camel back sofa you've seen at the neighborhood antique store and reinvent it with a fun vibrant fabric (or if you are less daring a timeless white denim) a la Windsor Smith.

Barbara Westbrook's Office

I've always dreamed of having my office space in a cottage. Barbara Westbrook's office in Atlanta makes me wish there were more spaces like this in Seattle. It represents her aesthetic

and would make going to work a dream.

The exterior is so charming yet polished.

And the entry so welcoming.

The lovely communal workspace for the four employees. All white and seagrass are the perfect background to soothe the designers daily visual overdose.

The work area with all the memos and samples. This is my idea of heaven. Throw in a baguette and some wine and I'd never want to leave.

Barbara at her workspace. I love that she's still in the middle of the action but that she has her own worktable. I like stuff and I like action - this would be the perfect setup for me. Check out the antique French window that separates the main workspace with the conference room. Gorgeous.

The conference room with the amazing window into the workspace. It's such a relaxing setting for a client meeting.

The office kitchen and powder room. Simple and classic. I bet no ones allowed to cook fish in this microwave (if you've worked in a corporate office you know what I'm talking about)

I hope they love working there as much as I would. Thanks Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles for featuring the space.