I love the quote below ...

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. William Morris

But why not combine the two, both Useful and Beautiful?

I needed a kitchen timer.

Rather than get a utilitarian, run of the mill timer, I found this rooster timer at Sur La Table, while in Naples, Florida last week.

It might not be beautiful, but it is adorable, that counts, right?

Welcome Home,

Penny

Sunday Showhouse, and you're invited!!

Good morning, I feel like summers lazy, slower paced days are slipping away, and I am not liking that. The official event that tells me summers sweet days won't last forever is when I start to see back to school supplies.....ugh! With the time, like an hour glass slowly fading away...I am suddenly craving more than ever a seriously relaxing getaway. As we are in the home stretch of building our house, that is highly unlikely (best I can hope for is a few days at the beach) so I am taking a virtual fantasy trip today....all the homes today are incredibly grand, the first house being in the Bahamas has me longing for a lazy, "do as I please" weekend, going there would suit me just fine, then we move onto two equally grand homes in their own right, and again with spaces so over the top.....a weekend there would be heaven. Come take a look.....
CA'LIZA BAHAMAS, I have always loved this home. This magnificent Island colonial home is named after the owners daughter, Eliza. This is just the epitome of understated Island sophistication. Just a glorious home with a soothing and pale palette to promise the most welcoming and relaxed ambiance. The open shutter windows to allow the island breezes are in every room with a large loggia off of the back facing the ocean. Does it get any dreamier than this? I think not!

Love the exterior, very tall but not imposing, of course the shutters add so much

Now this is what I call a loggia!

I love the tranquility of this space, I can see this being a cozy spot to indulge in a great book

What a view, will have my afternoon cocktail here, thank you!

Soft and tonal, neutral dining room

Love the kitchen too....

How about this bedroom? So chic....

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA Then we travel to the west coast and to gorgeous Newport Beach, perched high on the hill to take full advantage of the majestic water views, this rather opulent home is quite impressive. Though the interior furnishings do not reflect my personal style, and think they are overdone,  I am still wowed by this house and the exteriors and grounds/views are beyond incredible. With a few improvements and furniture changes here and there, this is and could be ones ultimate dream home. I would however want to live outside, I am just mesmerized by that setting.

You know with an entrance like this...something fabulos lies beyond!

Love an interior courtyard

Would want to do a redo here

Not a huge fan of red dining rooms, just my personal opinion

This is a cozy family room, I like the grays and soft tones

The kitchen looks really pretty and open, with big open doors and windows to the outside

A bathroom fit for a queen and as I typed this sure enough..there is a tiara over there!

Love the way this loggia is done.....overlooking the pool

Breathtaking don't you think?

Oh the meals we would enjoy here.......this is where I would spend all my time

Quite spectacular.....perched way high up on the hill it takes full advanatage of the water views

Gorgeous!

Something about a house at dusk with all the lights on...its magical!

This is too much! I would go cross eyed, not sure if I should stare at the water view or the TV! (But I suppose I could get used to it, haha)

Oh and did I mention there is a dock and landing for your yacht? You do have one, don't you?

LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS. This older elegant estate home is an understated manor that has been lovingly restored and maintained. What I love here, is whether or not its your taste,that they stayed true to the integrity of the home when they undertook the renovation and followed through with equally appropriate decor. I think it happens to be quite beautiful and certainly very grand. The formal gardens are dreamy and overall this is a very special and stately home. Step inside!

Beautiful elegant and stately living room (love the wall color, a sand color)

Love this fabulous wide gallery/hallway off the main foyer

Updated fresh English style kitchen perfect for big get togethers!

Formal, wood paneled library for your reading pleasure

Don't you love this hallway? I do!

Increidble formal Parterre gardens are a perfect setting for afternoon coffee

A beautiful pond filled with looks like Carp fish grace the beautiful gardens

Three incredible homes...any of which I would be thrilled to live in. I do love the first one for its light, airy but so sophisticated Island feel...then that second ones views and grounds are just out of this world not to mention that the entrance isn't too shabby either, and last the understated elegance of the last one cannot be discounted, it is quietly fabulous. Do you have a favorite? Love to know! Have a great Sunday!

Designer Spotlight: Dee Dee Taylor Eustace of Taylor Hannah

Happy Saturday! I, as you know, love flowers and might just have to open a charming little flower shop in my next life. They make me happy and I always try to have a small arrangement, bouquet or some floral beauty in my home. Particularly since we are not in our home, and in a rental with about half of our things in storage...I try to add small touches here and there to make it feel a little more like "home". Yesterday I was out and about so I swooped up two plants, found this beautiful little planter and voila, had a beautiful arrangement for a side chest in the kitchen......had to share since I really liked how it came out. (when planting orchids I love using a lot of moss and take little "squares" of moss and tie them with raffia on the stems, a tip I picked up from the "pros".Hope you are enjoying a nice weekend, we have dinner plans, some chauffeuring to do for my son, invited on a friends boat tomorrow and other than that...hopefully we can turn down the pace a notch or two and enjoy some much anticipated weekend downtime.On to Dee Dee Taylor Eustace of Taylor Hannah, I have admired their work for the last year or so after having discovered a gorgeous kitchen that Dee Dee designed. I looked further and was so impressed with their portfolio, created by the very firm that Dee Dee created and is today an multi award winning design firm. Very elegant spaces as evidenced by the pictures below. In my humble opinion, it  seems their signature look is the "new traditional" a traditional room with a more modern, less fussy, more streamlined feel. Many of the spaces have a slight transitional feel and they are all incredibly beautiful if you ask me! One thing is for sure, the work of Dee Dee and Taylor Hannah architects is consistently fabulous! Based in Toronto, Canada they travel all over to create beautiful spaces. Selected as one of the top 40 under 40 recipients, Dee Dee hosted the show on HGTV, Love by design, in case you are thinking the name might sound familiar!  I would be thrilled to call any of these spaces home. See what you think.... Dee Dee is highly regarded for her outstanding body of work that she and her namesake firm have created. Click here to visit their website. So, lets take a look! Could you possibly pick a favorite?

Now onto the beautiful spaces by Dee Dee Taylor......

This is one sumptuous master!

Elegant and monochromatic, like the pop of dark from the piano and table

So soothing, serene and inviting.......love it!

Grand sized space is a great fit for this beautiful transitional kitchen, love the high ceilings

Cozy and somehow grand feeling.......

Dressing would become a full time job in this closet, by choice of course!

This is an eclectic little space, the table is so unique!

Dramatic, dark and divine!

I would never be brave enough to paint my cabinets green but I have to admit this is awfully pretty!

Sweet and romantic guest room, fit for a princess

Elegant old world feeling space, very inviting at the same time...

This is another very grand and elegant country kitchen, check out the beadboard ceiling

I like the over sized subway going all the way up.....clean and perfect for boys!

This is a darling room, so sweet!

Drama overload...love how the gold pops against the deep dark woods

The rich dark chocolate brown gives this room such a luxurious feel with a slight masculine edge

I adore this kitchen, the light and dark, the double row of cabinets....beautiful!

Always loved this bath! So elegant and serene

Ample seating in this sitting area off the kitchen is so welcoming

Beautiful dining room....like the inset mirror in the panels

Love how open the shower feels with the glass on three sides....

An interesting mix of modern, transitional and old world European...

This is such a fresh and inviting bedroom, love the fabric on the headboard!

This is a perfect example of how beautifully they blend styles within a room

So what do you think of their style? Like it? Love it? Do you have a favorite room? It would be hard to pick a favorite but I do like and enjoyed seeing their take on the "new traditional", slightly less stuffy, more streamlined, fresh colors, sleeker feeling...its a great look and very much in sync I think with how people like to live today. Hope you have a wonderful Saturday!