All white house ... by the beach

Do I lovE  a house by the beach!

Do I lovE me white!

Yes I do! 

When I found this home on TUMBLR my heart skipped a beat.

I love the sofas

The wooden armchairs 

(I have a pair that can be perfectly transformed)

The throw

and most of all the bedroom

!!

Visit here for more

What does a writer's home look like?

I read this post 

about a book that sounded interesting, 

and it trully must be a feast of the eyes, 

an island of fantasy.

But

I got interested at the writer 

and his home

And i loved it

His book is called

Great Houses, Modern Aristocrats

Check it out
xoxo

Rena

Support Diane von Furstenberg's Empowerment Plan

I admire Diane von Furstenberg for her talent, her work, her resillience. 

The wrap dress

=

Freedom 

and

Independence

aka

The new Coco Channel

What an inspirational woman!

Now I admire her even more for this innitiative:

The Empowerment Plan 

DVF will match dollar-for-dollar the first $50,000 raised in support of the non-profit, founded by Veronika Scott, recipient of the People’s Voice Award at the 2014 DVF Awards. The Empowerment Plan, based in Detroit, aims at breaking the cycle of homelessness for single women and their families. The Empowerment Plan hires women living in local shelters and trains them to become full-time seamstresses, providing them and their families with access to a stable income and secure housing, as well as independence and freedom.

Both those behind the Empowerment Plan and DVF share a similar belief in the importance of giving women the opportunity to gain control over their lives. As Scott has said, “Diane emanates all that we stand for and continues to prove that despite the struggles one may face, we are all able to accomplish greatness. By matching the first $50,000 raised through this campaign, she is giving back to women looking to change the direction of their own lives by conquering their own fears. Her belief in our work will empower women facing homelessness to break that cycle and to become the person they have always wanted to be.”

Not only will donating help empower women in need, but with every $30 you donate you will be entered for a chance to win a free DVF wrap dress of your choosing!

To read more and donate click here

An American Dream Home in Cape Cod

This morning I went with my eldest for a quick shopping trip. She needed a pair of trousers, as she had ended up her youngest brother's old pair that no longer fitted. Anyhow. In the shop I saw me a lovely t-shirt with a stamp that read Cape Cod. As I am a good mother, I didn't buy the t-shirt, but invested in a cotton dress and jacket for my eldest who, I think deserves any penny for all her efforts.

 ( I did see a lovely rope bracelet, too. sigh!)

So,

The next best thing is to look for real Cape Cod and All-American summer homes

and

even better

to share them here on my blog. 

This is my favorite.

Fairview is one of the most spectacular properties in Woods Hole and arguably on the whole east coast.

{via}

I love sunny and airy and beautiful views. 

What is your mood?

Bob Hope's space age Palm Springs home

It looks like a home from the future.

And now Bob Hope's legendary Palm Springs mansion has gone on the market for an eye-watering $50m.
It is the most famous property owned by the legendary comic, who was extremely passionate about architecture.

Boldly go where noone has gone before: Bob Hope's famed Palm Springs home is up for sale for $50m

The California home was designed by renowned Modern architect John Lautner especially for the funnyman and his beloved wife Dolores.
The concrete, steel and glass house was built in 1979 and has about 22,000 square feet of living space, and its unique design is somewhat reminiscent of the USS Enterprise.
Buyer's will get to boldly go where no-one except the Hope family has gone before, as this is the first time it has gone on the market.
It was sited on San Jacinto mountain to have a spectacular view overlooking the Coachella Valley, and its curving copper ' mushroom' roof plays off the shape of the nearby mountains.

 

Futuristic: The home owes is space age look to a design by famed modernist architect John Lautner

Stunning: The property was specially designed to take advantage of the glorious natural landscape

Not pooling your leg: The swimming facility was actually made in the shape of Bob¿s famous profile

According to public records the home has six bedrooms, and Bob apparently did not like being caught short as there are also 12 bathrooms.
It also has the unique distinction of having a massive boulder jutting out the living room floor.
The English-born entertainer obviously had expensive tastes, as the murals on the first floor and the pool area are by Garth Benton, whose work is also featured at the Malibu Getty.
As well as the Hollywood standard swimming pool, which is in the shape of Hope’s famous profile, other outdoor features include a pond, tennis court and an outdoor fireplace.
Bob died in 2003 at 100 and his long-running career saw him meet presidents, star in films and tour the world firing his famous one-liners.

No wonder he was so cheerful: Bob was often cited as the biggest private landowner in California

Stream of consciousness: The funnyman will have found this a relaxing place to think up new gags

Telescopic view: The comedian had the perfect place to indulge his love of stargazing here

His second wife Dolores, who he married back in 1934, died in 2011 at 102.
The entertainer was often cited as the biggest private landowner in California.
Last year his daughter Linda sold her late parents’ Toluca Lake estate, near Los Angeles, along with some of its contents, in a well-publicised garage sale.
Despite being designed by one of the world's most famous architects, Lautner was said to have been infuriated at what he deemed to much interference by the Hopes.
It is said he thought the house inappropriately furnished, and distanced himself from the property in later years.
To find out more about the fascinating property click here

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2288168/Its-world-Bob-Hopes-space-age-Palm-Springs-home-goes-market-50m.html#ixzz2MgbXcoDR

Hudson valley dream house

Dans la vallée de l’Hudson, au milieu des bois, une bâtisse du XVIIIe siècle rénovée par les soins de ses nouveaux propriétaires retrouve une seconde vie. Il aura fallu près de cinq ans de travaux pour tout remettre à neuf. Le résultat : féerique.

Stewart et Jane Devlin ont quitté l’Angleterre pour la côte Est des États-Unis il y a neuf ans maintenant. Elle, Anglaise, travaille depuis sept ans chez Gap, où elle est directrice de création des marques BabyGap et InfantGap. Lui, originaire d’Irlande du Nord, dirige une agence de graphisme. Tilly, six ans, est la plus belle réussite créative du couple. Ensemble, ils ont un pied-à-terre dans le West Village et une jolie maison de week-end dans le village de Millbrook, situé à 1 h 45 de Manhattan dans la vallée de l’Hudson, terre d’élevage de chevaux que l’on sillonne par de jolies routes verdoyantes. La campagne anglaise leur manquait tellement qu’ils ont fait de ce lieu une réminiscence aussi chaleureuse qu’accueillante de leur pays d’origine.

Cette maison datant de 1780, ils en ont rêvé, ils ont attendu patiemment qu’elle se libère. So British : Jane a voulu une demeure qui reflète ses origines. Un country home confortable avec son canapé Chesterfield et un clin d’œil à la reine Elizabeth II, encadrée dans un coin du salon, qui ressemble à une boîte à souvenirs d’objets insolites glanés à travers le monde. Ces petits trésors chinés sont mis en scène à la façon d’une nature morte. Dans cette quête de la restauration parfaite, qui a fait de Stewart un parfait bricoleur, chaque détail a pris son importance, de la tuyauterie aux luminaires en passant par l’aménagement des huit hectares de bois et de jardin, la plus grande fierté du couple Devlin. La propriété boisée est délimitée par des murs en pierres sèches, construits par leurs soins, pour renforcer l’aspect rustique et naturel du domaine.

Après cinq ans d’acharnement et de patience, cette fermette est devenue un véritable petit bijou de beauté. Chineurs émérites, les Devlin ont arpenté les puces et les vide-greniers. Amoureux des créations chargées d’histoire, ils ont aussi rapporté beaucoup de meubles familiaux de la Vieille Europe. Le couple, un brin nostalgique, collectionne d’innombrables objets qui ont au fil du temps trouvé leur place dans la maisonnée. Tandis que papiers peints, tapis et étoffes habillent chaque espace avec poésie, goût et délicatesse. Un splendide musée à vivre.

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Tory Burch love

Little time did I have lately for fashion.
But,
Tonight I stayed home, while DH and the kids went to granny's to fetch an undoubtably yummy pastitsio.

I stayed home and took a random tour of the net.

I found and share here what I think is the most delicious colletion I've seen so far: Tory Burch SS 2013.

Great shoes

Adding character

The fabric of the dress and the colour and style of the shoes are beautiful

To read more of the backstage dispatch, head over to Vanessa Jackman

To see more of Tory Burch fashion, visit her website and for more inner info The Tory Blog.

Enjoy!



 

Ralph Lauren F/W 2012 Lifestyle collection

 I love everything RL.
Ralph Lauren has managed to put into objects that you can use and touch the essence of the American dream. 
Relph Lauren is not just a throw or a paint. 
Not even this beautiful chair that I covet.

Ralph Lauren is about desiring a certain lifestyle that spells the essence of great American style.
Elegance and comfort.

Lilly Pulitzer at home

I love all things Lilly Pulitzer.

And I admire the lady herself.

I'd love to grow into life, Lilly-style!

Being a Lilly lover and an interior designer, I was looking for information about Ms. Pulitzer's home.

I love to see spaces where women I admire live their dream.

So, I found this article, that is actually a listing of Ms. Pulitzer's Palm Beach home.

Here is a taste:

... about 20 years go, her late husband, Enrique Rousseau, first brought her attention to the property, which lies about eight streets south of Worth Avenue.

“Enrique and I had just sold our house on the lake, and we were just looking,” she says. “Enrique found this, and when I saw it, I said, ‘Oh my God. We are going to have to build,’ because we fell in love with the property.
“It was a tropical oasis, really beautiful — specimen trees, huge banyans, orange trees and a little stream. There were a Chinese garden and an orchard — and a service road coming through to the ocean — unbelievable.”

{I can imagine beautiful summer evenings in this garden}

Within it are a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom on the first floor, and two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. It’s surrounded by its own lush gardens and patios.

The main house is set back on the property. And once through the front door and into the entry foyer — with its Herpel-tile floors and barrel-vaulted ceiling — visitors are welcomed with all the colors from the Lilly palette, and then some.

Asked about the warm color on the entry’s walls and ceiling, Rousseau thinks for a moment and then answers: “How about tomato bisque?”

To the south is a powder room, and to the north is her office.

A little farther along is her center-island-layout kitchen with professional-grade appliances, open shelving and a breakfast room — Rousseau loves to cook.

And take note of those refrigerator doors, covered with two big framed floral images.

At the end of the foyer is a sitting area, where a daybed is heaped with pillows, and the pale-green dining room, furnished with items she brought from her previous residence.

The house is situated at 710 S. County Road.

Read the full article here.

All house images from here.

Ms. Pulitzer's photos via Google.

Mario Buatta: A man after my decorating heart

Mario Buatta

"To be a good decorator, you have to be three things: an actor (you have to pretend you like the person, their house and their things!), a psychiatrist (you have to figure out what the client wants) and a lawyer (to collect your money)!"

This phrase from an interview Mr. Boatta gave to AD started me on this post. 
It is so true and realistic, it reflects someone who's been in the business and who is confident enough and honest enough to distill his experience in a phrase. 


 That made me admire the person who is dearly known as the Prince of Chintz, 
but is to me the Prince of professional decorating. 
If a person is true to himself and his ideas, then he is true to his work. 


I grew up in a maximalist home of velvet curtains and upholstery and armchairs covered in chintz.
I shaped my aethetics in the flowery South of England.

I work for a company with natural, contemporary aesthetics.
I had a long affair with Designers Guild.


Life shows me that I'm growing into a modern maximalist,
an archaeologist, universitarian and gardener by DNA, 
and I am embracing the person that I am,
a work in progress.


As I am looking into who I am growing to be, in this start of the year, I find this serendipitus insight resonating to my heart and mind.

Some of Mario Buatta's decorating maxims:

“The best time to look at a room is the day after you’ve had a party because you see the way people used the space.”

Every room should be a different color. Each space should have its own mood.

Three perfect colors are lemon-yellow, leaf-green, and Prussian-blue.

These color combinations always work.

 For a living room: 

yellow walls, a pale-blue ceiling, and white woodwork. 

For a kitchen:

 off-white cabinets painted robin’s egg–blue on the inside (it makes the dishes look great) with a lemon-yellow ceiling. 

For a bedroom: 

apricot walls, a pale-blue ceiling, and off-white woodwork. 

For a library: 

red walls, squares of silver tea paper on the ceiling, and brown accents".

A few of my favorite rooms, decorated by Mr. Buatta.

I love the warm glow of this room.

I love the Brunschwig & Fils chintz with the rose and buttermilk velvet.
I like plenty of different types of sitting, too.

In this room, I can smell the warm, fragrant air bringing in the perfumes of the rose garden. 
My favorite room of all!

This is a bathroom but it could well be my home office.

Elegantly feminine.

Gracie, Mr. Buatta.

Read more on Mario Buatta's views on decoration, homes and life, as it were, 
 here, here and here. 

 Listen here.