Mercy.
Now and then I stumble upon some rooms that make me drool. Right on my keyboard. I gaze at them. Study them. Covet them. Hate Love the people who live in them.
Then I ponder whether or not there is a take away idea or two from the photo that I could recreate. With no money.
I think about the feel of the room and what made it stand out to me as special. Then I picture my own house and ponder what is missing.
I adore this room — the red toile, the stripey sofa, the coral outdoor drapes, the funky hanging candle chandelier, the rug…so much to love. I miss my red toile (which is hiding under a blanket right now). Maybe I need to bring it back.
Happy red striped chairs. I am forever a fan of stripes. Red stripes are so youthful and fun.
Ahhh. More red.
GASP!
When I saw this photo I stopped dead in my tracks. I think I would love having a little pool house like that. Wouldn’t you?
But I don’t have a pool. Or palm trees. Do you? If so, I’m a wee bit jealous right now.
images: Traditional Home
love every single one of these photos…the striped chairs and blue plates in that kitchen are absolutely striking!
The kitchen is the one that kills me…SO simple….I love everything about it!
.-= Sarah@Clover Lane´s last blog ..Little Things =-.
Just found your blog ….. love your finds! The lines of the chairs in the kitchen are awesome.
Clean lines and beautiful touches of color struck me about these photos. Oh, and the floors in the first one. I see why you loved these.
And as for that pool house….awesome!!!!
Becky K.
.-= Becky K.´s last blog ..Refreshing! =-.
Beautiful photos! Each of the interiors is un-cluttered and clean – which give the rooms a very comfortable feel. (If I just spend an hour “picking up” and cleaning this morning, I can get a lot closer to those photos without spending a dime!) Have a great day!
.-= Trish @TheOldPostRoad´s last blog ..My Paint Brushes are Happy =-.
all the rooms are gorgeous…. but i have to say the very first one caught my eye, cuz i just love love love me some Toile!!
oh, and you don’t have a back yard like the last photo? i do (in my dreams) hahaha
love your site
.-= tina ´s last blog ..Happy Easter =-.
What a beautiful porch and pool house – I’m loving the outdoor spaces despite the 100+ heat index we’re having these days. Yikes!
.-= Imperfect´s last blog ..I Love Him More Today… =-.
Gasp is right!!
I love that pool house… drool worthy
We’re having HOT here too, however, that aqua just lowered my temperature several degrees. Aqua and red…who would have thought. Love all of it. franki
Ooooooooh, good ones!
.-= Katie´s last blog ..Silver Service =-.
the blue/turquoise/aqua color is my current to die for color. LUHHUUVE the pool house.
lauren@mylifeandmyloves
.-= lauren´s last blog ..banging around =-.
I love little pops of red too! and aqua ohh the color that calls me most theses days. So pretty.
.-= cathy´s last blog ..How to Make More Conscious Choices – A Simple Guide for the Super Busy =-.
ahhh… I’m feeling that cool pool right now, if only!
.-= Sandy´s last blog ..playing dress up with a boy? =-.
All beautiful pictures. I love the red and the aqua. The pool house does look beautiful. We have a pool but way too hot around here to sleep outside and the mosquitoes would eat you alive. But lovely to look at!
.-= Anita´s last blog ..A Series of Unfortunate Boating Events =-.
Those are gorgeous rooms! My favorite colors right now are turquoise and red. Those colors to me are both fun and vintage. I want to know where you can have open pool-side room without getting eaten alive by bugs! The mosquitoes around here would carry you away!
.-= Astrid´s last blog ..Garden Update:: June 12 =-.
I think if I could add one thing to my home it would be the function shown in the first image, an indoor/outdoor living space! Beautiful…
.-= Janell Beals´s last blog ..How To Cover Lampshades With Fabric & Trim =-.
You have great taste! I love these rooms too! The colors…reds and blues. So fun!
.-= Ashley´s last blog ..A Friendly Game of Axe Throwing =-.
I so love the pool house. I wanted to put a big bed in ours, but Hubs thought that was stupid…how great to sleep by the pool!
No pool, but I do plant palm trees each year on my deck. I am in Pa. so they are only good in the summer but I enjoy them every day. I LOOOOOVED that first picture and the pool house is adorable, I would love to sleep out there! Thanks for sharing these! XO, Pinky
Perfection. This has all the elements that I love.
Red
Toile
Blue and white plates…I love plates hung as artwork
pool…and a bonus pool house to covet
I have no pool, but I can dream, thanks for the dreamy thoughts!
I’m new to your blog, happy discovery. Like you, I try to see what’s possible for me and our home when I look at photos. I see touches of black here that I like in a room (I just repainted all our counter stools black from honey oak, now the fun part–finding fabric that I love for the stools–stripes, love that look); turquoise and red/coral (love that combo, love turquoise!); lots of white to freshen up a room (like hanging out sheets in the wind); and atmosphere.
That pool house may be the single best guest room I have ever seen ANYWHERE! Definitely a “GASP!” :)
.-= Rebekah´s last blog .."Scary Richard Potter" =-.
I understand your feelings ~ these are all beautiful rooms, Melissa! I’d love them for myself! I’m also a fan of stripes and like to incorporate it in a room, especially if I have other patterns going on. Love the same things you mentioned in the first picture ~ the toile, the striped sofa, the outdoor drapes. . .
.-= Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions´s last blog ..What Do You See? =-.
I adore the first picture also, but I could never do outdoor fabric in rainy western Washington. Outdoor curtains would be completely trashed. If the rain didn’t ruin them, the dogs most certainly would.
(Forgive if this is a double…techy glitch!)
I do not have a wee little pool house like that (nor a pool) but would love one!
I DO, however, have the dark floors in the red-stripey-chair photo. Very, very bad idea.
Looks good for the ten minutes after I mop, and that is all.
I cannot keep up with how much mopping that floor really needs.
Why is there a blanket over your red toile chair? That picture (of your chair) at the top of your website is what first prompted me to explore your site—being a huge fan of red toile myself!
I loved all of these exact images from my most recent Traditional Home magazine—I had marked these images with sticky notes. Great minds think alike!
Oh. My. Goodness. THAT LAST PHOTO! Dreams are made of that!
Oh my gosh I love it. Gorgeous. All of those photos. They totally inspire me right now for my own home. Time to get decorating!
.-= Tiffany´s last blog ..When We Were Young =-.
Oh those red striped chairs would make me happy. Stripes are just a good touch to any room, don’t ya think? But the striped chairs… intriguing.
.-= Amy Bayliss´s last blog ..Welcome to my “Stuck in the 80s” Kitchen =-.
I love your thoughts of recreating these rooms….with no money :)
I could go for that.
Lates blog: Loft it up
Arlene
I just treated myself to the Traditional Home mag that the living above is on the cover of. *sigh*. So delicious! I’ve been drooling over the pages. Love the clean, fresh look of rooms like this!
oh wow…i could live happily ever after in that pool house. indeed.
.-= monica´s last blog ..Theology Lessons from a Disney Pop Star =-.
Oh Lordy, the white living room with pops of red…just perfect.
.-= Katie´s last blog ..better late than never =-.
Oh man that pool house…how Divine! I have a little garage right next to a pool…maybe I will need to do so talking to the man to see if he will give up his space…. =)
Thanks for sharing.
.-= teresa´s last blog ..Mission update- =-.
I am new to your blog. I recently added red in my bedroom along with a warm blue/green. I love it and has opened a whole new can of ideas for me.
Thank-you for your ideas!
.-= Cheryl Elsbree Interior Design´s last blog ..Remodeling the Kitchen and Bath with a Green Mindset =-.
I LOVE these rooms! I am really into the sea green and blues of the summer.. I am so jealous of anyone with a pool, so I will take that pool house any day! Great post :)
.-= Megan McGhee´s last blog ..Thanks for Simple Things.. =-.
I’ll take the pool, palm trees, pool house AND the sunshine please!!!
.-= Laurie´s last blog ..Tuesday Inspiration =-.
Absolutely love the red fabric on the chairs, and the curtains. Of course i will take the pool any day :)
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..You Capture WATER, Dancing with Daddy in the rain! =-.
Gorgeous and inspiring! Each photo is fabulous!! Love the color palettes!
.-= ALVN of WhisperWood Cottage & Junkologie´s last blog ..Flea Market Style: New Blog Kick Off Give-a-Way =-.
I would just like to spend the weekend in that pool house!
.-= Tracey´s last blog ..Goodwill Chair Makeover =-.
Oh YES! One pool house please.
.-= Laura Ingalls Gunn´s last blog ..Come Flea With Me =-.
Oh my! These are beautiful! I love looking past the focal point in an image to see the little details in the background. Such great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
I’ll take that adorable pool house!
Donna
.-= Donna´s last blog ..Playing with dishes again~ =-.
wow. I love that toile chair…and I would kill to have those floors.
Love those twins beds in the pool house! Adorable–I’d sleep out there every hot evening I could!
.-= desiree@lookiloos´s last blog ..Bathroom Remodels from Cottages, Tudors and Ranches =-.
No pool house? No problem. How ’bout a tent and a couple of cheap “palms” from the local greenhouse? Pitch your “pool house” under a shady tree, fill up a kiddie pool, and voila! Outside retreat!!
.-= Lynn from For Love or Funny´s last blog ..This is what happens when a man decorates a bathroom =-.
Yes, yes! I want every single one of these rooms. Now I just have to win the lottery.
The red, white and blue has always been my favorite combo, like in the first pic. Definitely my fav!
…i vote for you to bring back the toile too…hang on to everything that is uniquely you…and put it right out there for all the world to love…love the pictures…and of course the blog…
I am a sucker for a pool house next to crisp blue pool. If it comes with a cute pool boy it would be perfect.
.-= Condo Blues´s last blog ..My No Impact Day Experiment Sucked =-.
I loved every single one of those photos! They took my breath away. I am a lover of all things red too. I am in the process of making some red and white pillows for my back patio. However, I am working full time this summer, so the process is slooooow. Ugh.
Hope you are doing well!
Blessings,
Traci
.-= Traci Hutcherson´s last blog ..Wednesdays with Wanda =-.
i ripped that top image out the instant i found it and the sourced the red toile (because i want to freshen (replace) my red waverly country life toile drapes in my lr..they are just tired.but i have to have red toile…it goes with my black floral rug..so i thought “hey i will upgrade the red toile” that is pierre frey red toile…its $175 approx (I think if i am remember correctly) WHOLESALE but it is discontinued…
i love the second photo because of my longstanding obsession with bamboo blinds..just love em..great post!
.-= Holly´s last blog ..Girls’ weekend =-.
oh that is $175 PER yard!;;
.-= Holly´s last blog ..Girls’ weekend =-.
I am so with you on this one, I would spend half my life drooling over pictures of beautiful rooms if I could lol!! Especially adore those pink and red stripes, you have great taste! Thanks for sharing.
.-= Linda´s last blog ..Success!!! =-.
Love your posts and look forward to spending a bit of time perusing it every week. As a designer that’s new to the blog scene, I can only aspire to inspire the way you do. If you have time, please feel free to visit mine as well…www.ohmigoshblog.blogspot.com. I would be honored. Have a wonderful evening all!
So fresh and pretty! I didn’t used to like the aqua and red color combination but I’ve grown to appreciate it and may even incorporate it into my home. Probably around the time that it goes way out of fashion. lol.
.-= ninjagranny´s last blog ..The Happy Lamp and How to Wallpaper a Horse =-.