Country Dream Home - Great Room Decor Inspiration

I am so unbelievably excited to start decorating my country home - it needs to hurry up and be built! 

Here are a few pictures of what the original Great Room of the home in South Carolina looks like:

This is the original living room side of the Great Room.  There's a lot of light and beautiful french doors that open up to a wrap-around porch. 

Here is the other side of the Great Room that is used as more of a formal dining room in the original house. Since I will have a large eat-in kitchen I will use this side of the room as more of a cocktail/lounge area.  And instead of having 2 doorways leading into the keeping room I will have large sliding barn doors in the middle of the wall as discussed in a previous post. 

This view shows the expanse of the Great Room.

Love the double fireplaces!  As you can see through the doorway, this homeowner uses the keeping room as another sitting room but my harvest table will be here instead since the keeping room is open and connected to the kitchen.  I will also have french doors opening onto the patio.

This is the entryway from the front door into the Great Room.  I can just picture a huge vase of fragrant garden flowers on the round table in the spring and summer and a giant Christmas tree placed here for the holidays!

The front door from the inside.

Okay, so now for the rooms that are inspiration for the way I want to decorate the Great Room once the house is built:

Inspiration for the "Living Room" side of the Great Room

This room looks familiar, right? You've seen it here in a previous post.  I'm obsessed with this room and I know that it belongs in my country home because it's been a few years since I've first seen this room and it's still my favourite.  This room is actually a studio suite - so instead of the daybed I will have a large, plush white couch.  I will paint around the windows and french doors black as well.  And I LOVE the black and white stripes!  This room is one part glam and three parts shabby chic parisian decor!

And now for the "Cocktail/Lounge" side of the Great Room - it will be one part shabby chic parisian and three parts glam so that the 2 sides will be coordinated. (Also try to picture the "original" room layout with the large sliding doors into the keeping room!)

Again, the above and below are images you've seen before here.  I first saw this room more than a few years ago and fell in love with it and I still love it.  I am so excited to be able to incorporate both of my favourite rooms into one large dreamy Great Room!!!

So glamourous!  I will incorporate black and white stripes and "earthy" elements into this side and a few "shiny" glam elements into the living room side so that it will be cohesive, yet still 2 distinctive rooms.

And one more inspiring image - I can't forget about incorporating storage areas since there won't be a basement!!

Isn't this a great idea?! And this staircase looks like it actually is from the original house, doesn't it?

What do you think?

Any suggestions on how I can combine these 2 beautiful rooms to make 1 even more beautiful room?

K.

Country Dream Home - Kitchen/Keeping Room Decor Inspiration



I've been scouring decor magazines and the internet for inspiration about how I'm going to decorate my home when that time comes.  I have to apologize, however, because when doing this it wasn't in my mind that I would actually post any of them - so unfortunately I don't know many of the sources for which I took these pictures from.

 

This is my kitchen inspiration.  I want a beautiful white, cozy kitchen.  I love that there are 2 islands - one for cooking and prepping and the other for communing around and having tea :)  I definitely want
subway tiling as well.  I would have less contemporary chairs around the island though and I am
thinking about having industrial light fixtures over the larger island and pots and pans over the smaller island.  I like the idea of mixing industrial, glam, and country together (the "glam" will be explained in
 the keeping room below).  There will be lots of storage built into the islands as well as the microwave
 (out of sight).  I definitely need a spot to store wine as well :)
I feel like it was fate that I came across this image because if you look out the window to the left (and
see the door to the left) it looks as if it could lead to the mudroom and family room I plan to have built
 on the back of the house!

This is the inspiration for my Keeping Room/Eat-in-Kitchen.  This image caught my eye because of the beautiful harvest table and french doors leading to the walk-out patio.  Exactly what I want - again I feel as if it were fate! I love the white chairs in contrast with the wooden table.  The only change I would want is a table that can seat 12 instead of 8 in order to accomodate large family dinners and dinner parties with friends.  I would also switch out the contempory light fixtures with a couple of glam chandeliers.  At the far end (where you see the chalkboard and family room) I will have a large wood-buring fireplace. I do like the idea of incorporating a chalkboard wall or area into the kitchen/keeping room though. To the right will be large sliding barn doors (or possibly indonesian) that will open onto the Great Room - see an example below :) 

Inspiration for the sliding doors that will separate the Keeping Room and the Great Room.

I love this decal's message.  It is the essence of what I want our family home to be encompass. If I don't dedicate a space in the kitchen/keeping room to chalkboard paint then I would love a decal like this. Maybe I could just write this out in chalk!

What do you think about my eat-in-kitchen inspiration?

Is there anyone who has done a kitchen remodel that could give me any tips? Any must-have's or elements you wish you had included?

K.

Country Dream Home

Life has been crazy lately and unfortunately I've really slacked off on postings. Sorry!

However, I'm extremely happy to say that there is something REALLY exciting in the works right now for me - a new country dream house!!!

Below are pictures of what it will look like on the outside.  Some changes are going to be made though - there will be a large family room built on the back and the wrap-around porch will be extended.  I'm also going to have a beautiful walk-out patio off of the kitchen/keeping room!

I've always dreamt of having a beautiful house with a big wrap-around porch!  With Christmas coming I can really envision it festively decorated! Yay!!!

Front View

Alternate Front View

My favourite view of the house!

Left Side View - entrance off of the Living Room/Great Room and the Study

Right Side View - I'm going to have an extension built on the far right side that will be the Family/Media Room.  Where you see the porch and to the left is the Kitchen/Keeping Room.  I'm going to have a mudroom off of the family/media room and that little porch will be removed and the whole wall opened up to windows and french doors for a beautiful walkout.  The property I'm building on has a gorgeous pond and gardens that will be in view here and I want to be able to see it when working in the kitchen and having family dinners :)

Back View - to the left is where the extension for the family/media room and mudroom will be built.

This is the floor plan for the main floor of the house.  There will be some changes made - mainly the extension behind the kitchen, breakfast nook, and bathroom for the family room and mudroom.

This is the upstairs. I would like to have a balcony off the master bedroom.  The walk-in off the master also doubles as a laundry because there is no basement in the house.  I was also considering adding a laundry in the mudroom.  Have any of you seen a mudroom with a laundry? What do you think about this idea?

Above and below are the porch areas.  I am so in love - how amazing will it be to take breakfast here and have cocktails?! I can curl up and read here, entertain, and host dinner parties and luncheons... *dreamy

What do you think about the house overall?

Isn't it just darling?

Home is Where the Books Live

Daily Aesthetic Fix

Since we are on the topic of books today - here are photos that I found over at Mirage Bookmark of some of the world's most beautiful bookstores.

Wouldn't you just love to get lost in one of these for a day... or days?!

Shakespeare & Co. Antiquarian Books, Paris
(To view a really great virtual tour of this quaint bookstore click here)

Bookstore in El Ateneo in Buenos Aires - previously a theatre

Lello bookstore in Porto, Portugal - open since 1906

Selexyz Bookstore in Maastricht, Holland - A converted church with its coffee shop placed at the altar

Images via Mirage Bookmark via individual photographers on Flickr

Alkemie - A little taste of Design Heaven

Featured Blog

If you want to see some of the most beautiful designer rooms out there then you must pop on over to Alkemie.

Perusing Karen Olivia's blog is a full out "designer-studded" event saturated with beautiful photos with colour, style, and texture for all tastes. And it's not only a great resource for home decor inspiration but she also links to other fabulous blogs to do with art, fashion, books, and event planning (to name just a few).

In keeping with my "Ode to Stripes" post earlier today, here are some photos Karen posted here of designer David Carter's 40 Winks boutique hotel in London.

One of the guest rooms at 40 Winks

We also share a great love for the colour purple! Below are some examples of GORGEOUS contemporary, eclectic, and glamourous purple rooms that can be found here at Alkemie.

The bold printed carpet looks spectacular with the dark purple walls. The yellow
definitely adds a lot of punch as well.

Lovely accessories.

LOVE this! The purple walls and natural linens are a gorgeous combination.

So pretty

Purple is the colour of royalty - would you not feel like a Queen sleeping in
this room?!



LOVE IT!



In love with that headboard! It's a room for a princess :)


Many shades of purple...


I think I've died and gone to Purple Heaven!!!

To see more delicious designs - of all colours - be sure to visit Alkemie

K.

All images via Alkemie - to see the original sources click here.

An Ode to Stripes

All-Things-Creative Wednesdays

I am really loving stripes right now - especially bold black and white stripes! Stripes on the walls, stripes on the floor, stripes in the fabric, stripes on the facade. Depending on the look you're looking for, they can be paired with pretty florals for a romantic vibe or with bright solids to make them pop.

Bold black and white stripes carried onto the ceiling elongate the height
of this nook.

via Elle Decor (I think!)

The lovely Sassafraz in Yorkville with its striking yellow facade and striped awnings.

via Sassafraz

Who can resist a baby pink house with striped awnings?!

via Absolutely Beautiful Things

The legendary Fashion Crimes in Toronto. My favourite - black and white stripes
with hot pink! Their window displays are also to die for... if ever in the area
(located on Queen W) be sure to drop by - glamourous party dresses from floor to ceiling!

Such cute socks :)

via Merimekko

Max Axria's (of BCBG) living room. LOVE the funky chair and ottoman!

via Harper's Bazaar

The mirrored surfaces and lucite are stunning in combination with the stripes.

Joseph Abbatti design via Alicia B Designs

HOT shower!

via Eric Cohler

Horizontal stripes help to elongate a room and make it appear larger. I love the
primarily white furniture with dashes of colour carried out throughout the space to
accent the walls. And the cushions are gorgeous!

via Manolo Home

And of course, here is the charming room we stayed in at the Captain David
Kelley House in Cape Cod. Since the post is an ode to stripes I just had to use this photo
again to showcase its darling periwinkle stripes with floral bedding.

via Captain David Kelley House

What are your thoughts about stripes? How would you use them in a room? Do you ever wear them?

K