Hydrangea Hill Cottage

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Watch Hill - A Blue and White Cottage by the Sea

Hi Everyone,

How's your week going? I hope all is well with all of you!

It's beginning to look more and more like spring here! More sunny days and warmer temperatures to enjoy. Perhaps that's why I'm pondering coastal living and warmer climes.

I thought you might enjoy this Ralph Lauren collection from a few years ago. It's called "Watch Hill" and even though it's been around for a while, I wanted to share it. For those of you who haven't seen it before, it's a dreamy collection and for those of you who have seen it before, it bears repeating and enjoying once again.

Just imagine coming home to this little blue and white cottage by the sea.......the very thought of it is enough to make me swoon!

Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Chic Potting Shed

This 600 sq. ft. glass walled potting shed is described as a 'chic shed'. Since it's owned by Georgia garden designer, Suzanne Hudson, it could be called a 'chic she shed', as this is where Suzanne loves to putter, pot and prune.

On rainy days, she loves to just curl up and peruse her gardening books. And with comfy wicker chairs, a table for two, mood lighting and pretty vignettes everywhere, it's also a perfect place to entertain her friends for a visit and a glass of wine.

For three years, Suzanne gathered and collected 139 old windows and five sets of french doors. She also designed the shed herself, personally planning which window would go where.

Using Benjamin Moore's 'Tarrytown Green' paint pulled it all together and allows it to blend beautifully into the surrounding space.

What a very creative lady and fabulous backyard getaway!

Salvaged door turned into trumeau mirror.

These oil lamps, along with hanging lanterns, turn the shed into a magical space at night.

It must be simply dreamy with the night lights!

House Beautiful

Monday, April 18, 2016

Gary McBournie's Nantucket Cottage

Hi there,

Had a great weekend and hope you all did, too! The sun came out yesterday after a couple of days of on and off snow. It was just like spring! What a surprise!

When I came upon the latest Nantucket cottage by interior designer, Gary McBournie in House Beautiful this weekend, I was surprised by the flood of color. I've followed his work since the 90s and have loved everything he's ever done. And while he's always used a lot of color, this color scheme was a bit different and took me a few minutes to really appreciate it. After all, blue, orange and green are not typical colors one would see together very often.

Then, when he explained how he came up with this color scheme, it all fell into place. The way he described it was quite funny, but made total sense. He said, "I was in Copenhagen for about a year-and-a-half before I found this house, and I loved the Danish-modern white-box interiors there, where people's floors and walls are all white, clean, and crisp. Later, I went to Marrakech, which is a whole other situation. You have all this fabulous saturated color coming at you — oranges, blues, and yellows. I think I got the two of them mixed up in my head, and out came this hybrid."

So, he used complementary colors of blue and orange with splashes of green throughout and even though each room and patio has it's own distinct look, the whole cottage flows beautifully.

To see more of Gary's interview, click here.

To see more of the cottage, click here.

Enjoy!

Besides offering privacy, this privet hedge and door certainly adds a sense of intrigue and would cause one to wonder what's behind that door? Love it!