Seaside Sublime

Dining area by Stephen Sills - Photo courtesy of Architectural Digest

I think I have a serious case of spring fever. Ever since it started warming up here, I cannot stop dreaming of the beach.

Study by Westbrook Interiors

So, what better way to channel that yearning than to imagine my very own beach house? (I love how the study above exudes a sort of Charleston/Isle of Palms kind of beachy vibe.)

Foyer by Nathan Turner

Let's see, it would need to be light and bright, but still elegant. (I'm not much of one for themes.)

Living area by Tom Scheerer

It would certainly need lots of space for lounging. (It is a vacation home after all!)


Seating area by Lauren Gold and Sasha Adler of Nate Berkus Associates

If you can't tell, I am quite fond of pale pinks and blues in a beach house. To me, it keeps the color palette cool and soft, but has an element of the unexpected.

Outdoor dining area by Kemble Interiors

It would also need a gorgeously lush outdoor area...

Kitchen by Bonesteel Trout Hall

... And a bright and airy kitchen. (I just love the color of the cabinetry!)

Bedroom by Domino founding editor Deborah Needleman

Of course, you would also want your guests to have a comfortable place to stay.

Vignette by Bunny Williams

But, most importantly, you must have a beautiful bedroom retreat for yourself!


Bedroom by Sara Gilbane Interiors

Here's to a wonderful week ahead, you guys! (And, hopefully, a beach getaway too!)

The Real Living Room: Part II

Kitchen by fellow Alabamians Richard Norris and Mark Leslie

Again, the holidays have swallowed up a good deal of my time, but isn't that time well spent? I really do love the holiday season: the music, the decorations, the presents under the tree (mine are wrapped in a multitude of festive papers). To me, it is so much about time with family and celebrating what you have in your life and, in that way, I have a lot to celebrate.

But, enough about the holidays, let's get back to the pretty! The photos above and below are from a Montgomery, Alabama home featured in House Beautiful. Norris and Leslie did all the architectural and design work on the place, but did have a little help from Norris' employers, McAlpine Tankersley Architecture.

What a wonderful room! Norris and Leslie said that the kitchen was originally a dining room and so, in honor of its origins, they dedicated each piece in the new kitchen to a piece of furniture found in a traditional dining room (i.e., the sink is like a buffet, the island is like a dining table, etc). Quite creative! I love all the Gothic touches found throughout the home. (Check out those bat prints!)

I love, love, love Tom Scheerer. His interiors are so bright and interesting; eclectic at its best. He has used the same tile (shown above and below) in several of his projects and I just love the color and texture it brings to the spaces.



Kitchen by Kathryn Ireland

To me, Kathryn Ireland is the queen of colorful interiors, and this kitchen is no exception. It is part of a 1920s Spanish-style home that was my dream home for a while (when I thought a move to sunny Arizona was in the cards). I love the color of the cabinets in this room. I think, if this were my home, I would only do the green on the bottom cabinets and white on the top, but it is lovely either way. Note how the window opens out to the patio by the pool as well. What a fabulous touch!


Kitchen in home of John Dransfield and Geoffrey Ross

Our last kitchen of the day is from a home I think I have posted excerpts from time and time again. And with good reason! It is gorgeous! The talented duo used a deep paint shade (Chelsea Gray by Ben Moore) and antique rugs and furnishings to create this supremely elegant kitchen.


One thing I find truly amazing about this kitchen is that Dransfield and Ross didn't gut the whole thing and start from scratch: the floors and countertop are laminate and the cabinets are original. I love that they created such sophisticated style without feeling the need to tear everything down first.

I hope these interiors give you some inspiration for you and your own kitchen-design challenges!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

The Real Living Room: Part I

Design by Peter Dunham

I will go ahead and admit it: I am no chef. Not even close. I make coffee and that's about it. But, since my move to a home with a kitchen that is less than six feet wide and counterspace at a premium, I have come to appreciate this room quite a bit more.

Design by Phoebe Howard

Many kitchens (especially those exceeding 42 square feet) are truly the heart of a home, where the family congregates and meals, stories, and laughs are shared. In that way, they seem to be the truest living rooms of all.



Design by Krista Ewart

I think what I appreciate so much in these featured kitchens is that they look like actual rooms. It seems so often that the style of the kitchen is disjointed from the rest of the home. It is understandably hard to create that synergy between the kitchen's modern appliances and materials and other living spaces' more traditional (or, sometimes, antique) furnishings.

However, I believe these designers have created rooms that carry the feeling, colors, and style from the rest of the home into the kitchen just beautifully. (Isn't that little pink fridge above so fun? It is a line called Smeg, carried by Sears. Even cooler is the fact that for every pink fridge sold, Smeg will donate $100 to the American-Italian Cancer Foundation.)

Kitchen by Phoebe Howard

Design by Katie Ridder

I think the use of color and accessories, like rugs, aides in creating warmth and carries the style of the home into the kitchen. I love the rug in the kitchen by Peter Dunham at the top, the cabinets in the kitchen by Mrs. Howard (they look like beautiful French doors), and the chairs used by Miss Ridder above. All of these items bring texture to the space that typical cabinets and countertops alone could not.

Design by Hal Williamson

Even limited space is not an issue for these talented designers. The narrow kitchen above becomes an exotic and sunny sitting area due to large windows and the whimsical banana-leaf wallpaper (a Beverly Hills Hotel signature), while the one below is made cozy with warm colors and interesting details, like the round window, vintage pendant fixtures, and checkerboard floor.

Design by Cathy Kincaid

I think this is a perfect room to end with today. It is elegant, comfortable, and efficiently functional. Great design all around!

Have a great day!