The simple home: white, cream and natural

I love this relaxed bedroom. Couldn't you just sink right in?

   

   

Love this striped upholstery!

  

   

    

 

I  wanted to show some of my favorite photos from an old book called The Simple Home, by Julia Bird, with photography by Pia Tryde.  The interiors show a classic, white and cream color scheme with lots of natural elements, like wood, rattan, linen and layered textures with flowers or branches placed around the rooms.  The look is definitely timeless- would you believe the book is from 1995? The lesson here is if you don't want your home to look outdated, you could stick to a color palette like this and it would work for a long time. Whether you choose antique, classic or modern/contemporary furniture, I think the principle is the same in that whites and naturals never look out of style! (photos by Pia Tryde)

A restored Belgian farmhouse

An artistic director and a graphic designer (with 4 children) restored this former farmhouse in Brussells to its current charming state. I'm always attracted to black & white tile floors and tall bookcases! And I love that pearlescent tile shown partially on the wall in the kitchen/dining area- an unusual touch. A few modern elements are mixed in with traditional ones, and it's quite different from typical Belgian-style interiors. (photos from Claudio Tajoli/ Francesca Berte; from Hachette Home Oct. 2009)

Allessandro Twombly's home in Italy

A few snippets from the 1800's farmhouse home of Allessandro Twombly (Cy Twombly's son), north of Rome. I think the simple, antique furnishings leave room for the eye to appreciate the art and the space. They renovated the rooms and decorated it simply with berber rugs, carvings from their travels and Empire furniture passed down from family. The neutral wood colors are a fitting background for the bright red and orange Cy Twombly paintings, don't you think? I think the small photos don't do the home justice- it is just beautiful, really.

His wife, Soledad, mentions she prefers to have more space and therefore hasn't crowded it with furniture. I think that's interesting; I have an empty wall that probably could use furniture but for now, I'm just keeping it empty because I like the luxury of a few spare square feet of space! This probably comes from living in small-ish city apartments. (from Elle Decor 2009, phographed by Miguel Flores-Vianna)

An Italian interior: Villa Tigliano, near Florence

While away in Italy the past couple of weeks, I found a new magazine that I am crazy about, called Il Meglio di Ville Giardini. The houses and gardens featured (not to mention the photography) are just gorgeous. I'll be posting a few of my favorites inside the 2009 collector's issue I brought home. First up: this 13th century Italian residence, called Villa Tigliano, is located not far from Florence. I can hardly imagine living in a structure so ancient and I do wonder how they have kept it up over the years. I do love the authenticity of an interior that isn't made to look old, but just is.
Characteristic of Italian style, (especially in the countryside)
simple, sparsely-placed furnishings allow the old-world interior to be the main player. (photos by Adriano Brusaferri)

Vintage children's room

I almost resisted titling this post "vintage children's rooms" because the interpretation of that word vintage is so wide these days! I find that rooms described as vintage style range anywhere from the "rose explosion" look to faux shabby to loaded with ikea and ultra-modern-looking toys.
When I describe vintage, I mean a room decorated with things that are old, likely used and hopefully have some kind of meaning to you or your children. This is the kind of nursery that I love for a child. I think these are some pretty examples. As with decor for any room, making it personal is what makes it really "yours" and you can't do that by buying up a bunch of stuff in a day- it takes time! (photos in order from the top: Jeu de Paume Children's Rooms London; next two photos from Children's Rooms by Judith Wilson; Swedish site Alvhelm via Desire to Inspire; emmas designblogg ; Flea Market Style by Emily Chalmers; Country Living online; astropunks.com; apartment therapy; Country Living online



Isn't this room cute? I found it on this flickr set. This creative mom, Annalea, made the mobile over the cot from an old calendar. I love the mix of colorful pillows on the blue daybed.

p.s. I'm looking for a web/blog designer to help me give my blog a "facelift". If you know of anyone who has a keen design asthetic, could you let me know? Thanks!

French Vogue Helena Christiansen's gorgeous boheme loft

French Vogue featured an article on Helena Christiansen's loft in New York. To me the photographs are like one big inspiration board! Love the bohemian, collected feel to her furniture and sentimental objects. This is definitely one of my favorite interiors I've seen lately.

Click on the photos for a more detailed, larger view. (photographs by Carole Sabas for The Selby)