Old Houses by the Gulf of Mexico

The first three weeks of January we took a trip through the deep, deep south, including the north Gulf Coast of Florida.  If you ever yearn for a simpler, quieter way of life...one without stoplights, sirens, buses, or even regular sidewalks, this forgotten coast is a treasure. Since I grew up here, it is in my DNA to love old southern homes with deep porches and darkened interiors. The crunch of walking on oyster shell pathways and the sound of the waves lapping the shore is with me always. Come with me and take a peek at these coastal lovelies. 

Miss Margaret's house is a stunning Queen Anne style dating from
1890 and sits high on a bluff above the Gulf...I used to visit this
house when I was a little girl

Chris is checking out the spectacular wraparound porch.. note how foggy the
day was... the roofline is in the fog line!

the radiused painted porch with Victorian trim

looking the other way on the porch

the blue tiled fireplace and black cypress paneling of the living room

the gorgeous black cypress and heart pine staircase to the second floor

the pretty fireplace in the dining room

the outdoor shower... on the back porch... is provided with privacy by the trellising

one of the wonderful upstairs bedrooms with fireplace.. here the paneling
has been painted a cheery yellow

the upstairs hallway with arched doorway and mint green painted walls

another view from the porch... I couldn't get enough of the porch!

and that is the screened porch to the rear, outside the kitchen... lovely!

the nearest neighbor's house is rather lovely as well...

and the smaller Craftsman cottages are adorable...

the palm trees in the front of another Craftsman cottage

the 300 yard pier next to Miss Margaret's house over the marshland... the pavilion is
in the water...

a little further inland the pathway leads through incredible southern gardens

this amazing southern Oak tree draped with moss is a stunning work of nature

this 1870's home is now a small museum showing winter retreats favored by the Yankees who came down
to Florida to escape the snow and ice...

Chinoiserie decor was popular with the wintering over owners of
this lovely home... and the color was the homeowners custom blend of
turquoise... gorgeous even after all these years!

wintering over means lots of leisure time for reading....

Chinese imports adorn the bookshelves in the library

striking color combination in the great room 

another view of the great room with the beautiful carpet and turquoise and black

this coral is also a custom blend and covers the
outside of the home...

this is one of the vistas created in the immense gardens... my younger brother
got married here many years ago...

a striking combination of mondo grass border and a succulent in the middle of the fountain... I love this look

the front of another winter home near the Gulf Coast

a view of the trellised swimming pool built many years ago...

wrought iron, shutters, lace curtains and the fiddle leaf fig tree on the front porch

the small service cottages for the winter home with the majestic moss covered oaks

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Sunday Stroll..

Maybe it's because I grew up with four brothers... but I am a sucker for old, vintage-y automobiles. So when Chris and I were out walking Nicky Sunday I fell for this 1934 van.. every thing about it.. the Art Deco shape, Hercule Poirot era, that shape, the gorgeous turquoise color, and that patina! Right there, parked outside of the little breakfast cafe we frequent on weekends..

Don't you love these old vehicles?

and then... this is a design blog after all... we came across THIS incredible
turquoise lamp in the antique shop.. a commissioned work by Tiffany, it was made
to go with the Rookwood pottery base, circa 1900... if it looks good in my iPhone
photo, it was stunning in person... as were the desk accessories..
lamp:  $35,000...  a little more than our Sunday stroll budget
permitted!

more examples of gorgeous turquoise American pottery from
1900 - 1930's

Rookwood Pottery Factory, Cincinatti, 1907

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These Colors *Will* Banish the Gloom

And gloomy it has been!

I have been very busily occupied away from my blog (withdrawal!), so today's post is a little cadeaux from my favorite Marie Claire Maison! It is such a lovely little series of pictures of color and how/why it was used. The homes are all over: Corsica, Paris, Sicily.

These rooms will inspire you! Don't forget, the easiest way to create a new look in a tired room is to change the colors...paint walls, add art you forgot you had hidden away, make some new pillows in fabulous colors, reupholster some pieces...it's as simple as that!

{Now if I could just convince my new client to go with those turquoise walls freshened with all that white...}

Electric blue turquoise walls are tempered with lots of white paint and upholstery in the Paris salon of Laurence Leclerc of Caravane (one of my favorite sources for wonderful fabrics). The "witches eyes" mirrors on one wall reflect the light and color of the room, while the gossamer lampshades create a fairy-like atmosphere. The only other color (besides the rusted metal on the wall), a sharp citron, is introduced in pillows from a Tunisian fabric.

Multicolored lanterns imbue this amazing living room with a fantasy-like ambience. The large living space is divided into several smaller functional areas using furniture placement, painted chairs, and gorgeous multicolored velvets and silks for upholstery on the sofas and pillows. This is the fantasy home of Etienne and Clorinde Mery, inspired by the colors of Colonial Cuba and South America.

Near Jaipur, designers Liza Bruce and Nicholas Alvis Vega pay homage to the colors of India. In the very pink living room, traditional Indian motifs are exaggerated and used as wall paintings in white to great effect. The mercury glass chandelier in purples and pinks looks like a large cluster of grapes!

This Corsican mansion has been painted in the soft colors of the area: pinks, yellows and ochres. In this dining room the walls have been glazed with transparent colors to create a pink that blends with the original pinks of the ceiling.

In the south of Sicily, the austerity of the building and the small windows are offset by intense, strong colors of orange and lemon yellow on the walls, while the furniture is a riot of colors mixed on each piece and creating a cheerful, imaginative space.

all photos courtesy of Marie Claire Maison

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