Design - Maine House

We had lunch with friends yesterday in a charming old house built in the 1800s.

Restored to a modern character, while still respecting the home's history,

my friend's home is simple and elegant.

It reflects her style, understated and lovely.

I knew I was in for a treat at the entry hall.
Gorgeous simplicity.

Looking from the entry into the living room.

.....and back the other way.

Hhmmm.... I am feeling a bit covetous.

 Lobster floats in the best colors....and the stands are fabulous.

I love elevating simple things to to the art that they truly are.

Perfect, cozy sitting room.

Love the mirror.

 White porcelain fruits and vegetables - love.

 Fine, sculptural white vases.

Delightful dining room with great art - so wish I had gotten a closer view for you.

The old marble top on this sideboard is fabulous with a wonderful aged  patina.

 Love the red floor and Thomas Moser bar stools.

Thomas Moser bench under the window.
Splendid simplicity, again.

Wonderful dimensional art by Maine artist Barbara Sullivan.

Of course, I had a fit over this fixture.

It has traveled from New Orleans to Dallas to Rockport, Maine.

Here it is again!

Kids play and movie room - I could hang here!

Ooohhhh, the gardens. We had lunch at that table you see on the patio.

All of the window screens push out from the window like the ones you see here. The weather was so mild and perfect that the doors and windows were all just wide open for the day.

 

 I love the architectural lines of the house - the three tiers of the roof line.

Our lunch salad was made from lettuce picked from the gardens.

 Beautifully restored barn/out building.

Maybe the most charming fort ever!!

Portrait of a boy.

Happy 4th of July!!

Dallas Talent! Renovating an Old Cottage

My blogging friend, Rebecca, over at Gardens, Houses,People posted (August 16, 2009) about this cottage a few weeks ago. I got so excited when I read it. I love seeing older houses in Dallas remodeled and renovated, rather than being torn down for yet another "MacMansion" to be squeezed onto a small lot on already crowded (charming, but crowded) streets. This trend was happening when we lived in Dallas 15 years ago and seems to have continued, much to my dismay.

Rebecca introduced her readers to the young design duo of Sarah and Miles Durham. Their story is quite interesting - go here to read more.

I snatched these photos from Rebecca, (with her permission), but didn't want to copy the whole post, so to see more of this great house, visit her blog.

Just LOOK at this old kitchen! Now look at the next shot at the magic this talented team did on it!!

What a good looking kitchen - fresh, crisp contemporary design. Rebecca has some more great photos of this newly re-done house. Click on over to see them, now!

Our Hill Country Home

There we go! Finally, I got one photo loaded correctly! I inherited my daughter's computer and have been sifting through high school party shots trying to organize my pictures and separate them from hers!

This is the front of our home. It was designed by local architect Randy Stehling and built in 2001 by Dartez Brothers Construction of Fredericksburg, Texas. It was designed to look like the old German homes built in and around the hill country. The Germans would build a main house and then as their needs changed or their families grew, they would add on to the original structure.