8.31.2009

Patios & Outdoor Rooms

I'd love to be here...
Amazing rental (above): The Black Pearl. Meditation space (below) via Sunset.
Outdoor living room (I envy this outdoor fireplace!) via This Old House.
Cottage style via The Assistant.
Chic urban garden via Door Sixteen.
Secret garden conversation area via Sunset.
Swanky outdoor lounge via Rearranged Design.
Charming Courtyard via Travel Blog.
Cozy Tropical Spot, perfect for fruity drinks with friends via Rearranged Design.
I love everything about this outdoor room (and the modern house adjoining it). Source forgotten - sorry!
Rustic Sliding doors via Southern Living.
Can a modern space be described as both tranquil and fun? Source forgotten - sorry!
How was everyone's weekend? Mine was super-busy (lots of hanging out with Mr. Cheese's family), and I got a major haircut that's short and has a gazillion layers and I can fix it a million ways and I absolutely love it.

8.28.2009

Move to the Shore?

As summer winds down, I find myself longing for the beach more and more. I'm torn between my love for the rolling lush green mountainous area in which I live and the slow-paced life of small coastal towns. I offen take "virtual vacations" to try and appease myself temporarily, but there is no substitute for the smell of the salt air and the sand between my toes, the warm glow on my skin despite wearing sunscreen, the sound of the waves lapping at the shore, watching the birds bathing and fishing at low tide, catching a glimpse of the dolphins at play in the channel, the sunsets...
Is there anyone else out there dreaming of living in a new place?

P.S. Pic taken by my dad on Seahorse Key, with real film. As per usual when on any southern coast or island, I have some bad hair going on. I suppose this is something to think about when considering a move to the coast (I'll add it to the "cons" list). Please note that although it looks like I weed my pants, I just got my shorts wet while wading.

P.P.S. Reminder: The 10% off sale in my vintage shop ends Sunday.

P.P.P.S. Have a great weekend!

8.26.2009

The Butterfly Roof

How about some butterfly roof houses to brighten your day? Let's start with the dreamy "Madras Oasis" in Palm Springs, California. Palm Springs has the best collection of butterfly roofed architecture (or at least the most posh) in the world. Get this: you can rent this place!!! The cost is $835-1195 per night, but it sleeps six. See more of this dreamy destination and many more at Vacation Villas California.


Little brown brick butterfly in Issaquah, Washington, via Jeff Youngstrom.
Canberra House via flickr (user forgotten, sorry!). I love this little house and its gardens.
I think the next two are in Palm Springs. Via Retro Renovation.

Location unknown, via the now defunct eastsiderealestatebuzz.com.
On the Brazilian rainforest coast, via Home Design Find.
"The architects at TYIN Tegnestue – a non-profit group of student architects – designed these unusual wood prefab houses, Soe Ker Tie Hias, which translates to “Butterfly Houses,” in Noh Bo, Tak, Thailand...Roof design enables effective natural ventilation while collecting rainwater for re-use. These compact wood houses are clad in locally harvested bamboo, and the material is woven using a traditional method on the front and rear facades that appears commonly in other homes and crafts done in the area. The homes are prefabricated and assembled on site, adding to their sustainable appeal. The houses are raised off the ground, set on four foundations cast in old tires, eliminating the problem of excessive moisture and resulting rot..." via Trendir.

Butterfly nestled in the woods, via Sucasa Magazine.
The stunningly beautiful, sustainably built RainShine House in Decatur, Georgia. Via Decor Dir




We almost bought this modest but very cool butterfly-roofed house last year. These are a rare find in my city. The 1950's neighborhood was planned to look like a suburban Florida neighborhood. All of the homes were of modern design with about 1100-1300 square feet, many were painted pastel colors, they had vaulted ceilings, decorative concrete block walls, and each lot was planted with several specimen pines. The neighborhood had seen better days, but it wasn't an unsafe area.




During our home inspection we found major electrical problems and the seller wouldn't reduce price to offset the cost of replacing all of the wiring, so we ended up letting this diamond-in-the-rough go. It all worked out for the best that we didn't purchase the house. About six months ago, right across the street from the butterfly house, a man beat one of his family members to death in the driveway. Tragic. I still hope that the neighborhood turns around one day and that renovators save these hidden gems.

8.24.2009

Etsy says I love you

Photographs above and below from bomobob.
String art from ArtZodiac. One word: awesome.
"You are all I need" from Roll & Tumble Press
The sweetest vintage embroidery from Happy Day Vintage.
"You and Me" letterpress blocks from Hello Victory.
Love letters from petitbrocante

Perhaps my feel-good love post was inspired by the weather, which has been sublime for the past couple of days. The air has cooled a bit and the humidity dropped, giving us a teaser of those late September mornings and evenings. I'm so excited that we started painting our kitchen/dining room this weekend, the beginning of our efforts to "de-brown" our house (more on that in a later post). However, I am a little disappointed that I'll be missing the beautiful weather because I'm stuck inside painting. I have no patience this time of year because I'm so ready for the warm day/cool night combo when swimming is still a possibility, but evenings are sweater weather. Oh, and I'm ready for boots. Bring on fall...

8.23.2009

Bridger Design and Construction

Because our pal Kristin Bridger at KB Design Stage Inspiration rarely shows us pics of the beautiful homes constructed by Bridger Construction Services, I wanted to share a few here. Many of you already know KB, and if you're anything like me, you get a strong longing for a road trip to Colorado when you visit her blog (keep those pictures coming KB!). Bridger homes are sited so beautifully in the western mountain landscape, and careful window placement captures the stunning vistas. The use of weathered wood combined with stone, stucco, and metal gives the homes great character and brings such warmth to the modern design. And the icing on the cake: Bridger uses green building practices.







Thanks KB for letting me show off your beautiful homes! For more, check out Bridger Construction Services.