Latest Photos Of The Park House

The Master bedroom.  I LOVE the linens and I spent a couple of nights last week making the burlap pillows, which are a nice addition, but the space between the chandeliers needs something.....and I think the rug has to go.  I like the all white and wood look and the carpet has too many colors.

The kids bathroom, which is surprisingly tidy, just don't look too close.

The front game room looks good though the wall the piano is on needs floor to ceiling bookshelves to finish things off!  Maybe this year, maybe next year.  

We've been slowly, slowly working on the inside of our house.  A few accessories here and there and a room is finished.  The latest finished item is the ladder and chandeliers that are hanging over the dining table.  I saw the idea on Pottery Barn's website and thought it would be a great addition to the large family/dining room.  I think it looks great and I'm very thankful to Balin for making it happen.

I think Balin is a little afraid that once I've got things done, I'll want to redo them.  I don't think so.  Of course there's always making new pillows or changing a picture here or there, but as for the over feel of the rooms, I'm pretty happy.  

An Evening View

Here's the backyard at night, the night before a party.  It's lovely don't you think.....

Check it out -

So here is the backyard as of the beginning of April.  We love it.  It's just what I had hoped for.  It's so easy to maintain and we're able to entertain lots of people with very little effort!  Goals accomplished.  I have to give a shout out to Rock-n-Earth Landscaping who did the work.  We couldn't be happier with the collaboration and vision Nathan lent to the project.  Great job guys!

Living Room

I love my living room.  I love my slipcovered white couch.  I love my two red floral club chairs.  But something's not quite right.  I think putting new pillows on the couch would help tremendously and I'm thinking that two taller chairs are what the room needs.  The red chairs are great but their really low and small.  Maybe if they were slipcovered.  I love slipcovers by the way.  They solve so many problems.  Especially with dogs and children.  Wash 'em, dry 'em and put 'em back on - all in an hour.  Woohoo. 

Anyway, here are some pictures of living rooms I like:

 This is my favorite room.  I love the red fabrics and lots of differnt patterns/textures.  I love the boldness of the striped wing backs and the white couch.  Love it all and would like it in my house please.

 I do love white and wood - maybe once Stanley has passed I'll ponder doing all white.  It's clean and pretty - maybe after the kids are gone...

 White and wood again...I'm just drawn to it.

 Yellow walls, clean lines, pillows...likin' it.

 This could actually be my house - excpet it's a little frilly and I don't think Balin would like it.  It's a great place though for Perrin and I to have tea.

I love the indoor/outdoor look here.  Again neutral colors, wood and now lots of plants.  And check out the candle laterns on the floor.  That might be a fire hazard with the Yogi.  He gets a little excited and tip something over.

All these ideas run around my head and I yearn to make them happen.  I've decided that this year I am finishing my house and making it the way I want it.  Then perhaps I will take on another project - like another house as a rental.  But for now I've got to stay focused and get things done around here.  It's going to be beautiful.

Master Bedroom thoughts

Tomorrow I have a decorator from a interior design shop that I love coming.  I'm hoping to decorate my room and I need some help.  I'm a little nervous because this shop is delicious and expensive but I think I might be ready.  When I did my room in the Twin Oaks house I loved it.  I loved having it finished and put together.  So I'm hoping we can figure something out here without making a major dent in the bank account.  I'll keep you posted.

I'm seeing a trend here - light colors, wood and an overall feminine approach.  I have to admit I love the idea of having small chandeliers hanging from the ceiling as our bed side tables.  Yummy, yummy, yummy.  Can't wait to make it all come together.  

Let's Get 'Er Done

So Balin's office will be complete tomorrow when they install the concrete countertops.  The trellis needs a couple of more items added and the railing for the stairs and deck needs to be completed.  Then we can relandscape the muddy mess that is currently the back yard.  (Imagine dead grass, mud and 20 feet in and out of my house daily. It's a great motivator to get things done.)

So I've collected a couple of ideas for the back yard.  My goal is to create a space to do the following:

A living room with a fireplace to gather with friends and have apertifs. 

A dining room with ambient lighting (candle light?) for warm evening dining.

A place to grill and cook outside.

A "hidden" playspace for the kids to play in their treehouse and mini-house. (Hidden for both their and my benefit.)

Here's a few ideas:

Not sure this is possible in my yard, but I like the feeling of it.  The ambience is due largely to the uplighting and the color on the walls.

 This is probably closest to what I'm thinking the living room will look like.  I think the connecting trellis is hugely important as it gives scale and place to the fireplace.  Without it the fireplace would just be floating.  I also like the seating along the fireplace with a big hearth in front - which allows for a lot of seating.  Of course the softening of the hardscapes with flowers is probably what makes this space seem to inviting.  Gorgeous.

 This picture is probably taken in CA or the NW as it's really lush, but the idea of a space that is either sunken or elevated creates the space's intimacy in such a exposed space.  I love the chandelier hanging from the tree - which I think helps create the desired mood.

 I like the form of this fireplace, though the scale of the room is not very inviting - it's too open.  It doesn't draw you in to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee.  Clearly the point of the design was to capitalize on the great view - but how could you create intimacy and still be in awe of the view?

 Thinking something like this, minus the wood, would be great in an outdoor kitchen.  Put this against the fence and then put a shed roof over it with a rusted tin roof and it could be pretty cool.  Maybe ikea has something inexpensive we could use.

 This would be my other favorite living room.  I would do some sort of wrought iron trellis on it though to give it a "hug" sensation and create that intimacy.  I love the rug and the red accents and lots of pillows.

 Here's a great, simple outdoor kitchen.  The wall and the wood above creates a more personal space and gives great interest.  Most of the outdoor kitchens that I found lacked any sense of interest or quaintness. Sad.  It doesn't take much to create a space you want to be in and honestly - granite, tile and stucco do not make a kitchen. 

 The details of this space is amazing.  Chandelier, lamp, pots and the trellis make it truly yummy.  I rug would make it all the more inviting.  I love that the furniture is all in neutrals which allow the flowers pop.  I wonder what it looks like when nothing is blooming?

 Another great fireplace.  I like the scale and the side wood storage which makes it more intimate.  The lamps on the sides probably ruin the ambience I would replace them with candle lanterns. 

 I love the pavers in this space and the form of the fireplace.  There's no place to sit near the fireplace though - bummer.

 YUMMY!  I love the rock on the fireplace and the mantel!  So cool!  The trellis is perfect and makes this space really livable.  The umbrellas help too.  Gorgeous.

 What about doing something like this outside? 

 I love the trellis over this kitchen - it gives it a place to belong.  Notice though the lack of interest in the face of the counter - boring.  But the candle lantern hanging is a great addition.

 So, take these cabinets and put them in the above kitchen and POW! You have great intereste and texture and an amazing kitchen.

 Transitioning to Perrin's shed....I'm thinking that we'll put on window or two in the shed, which makes everything prettier.  Then we'll add a "loft" with a ladder to her sleeping quarters.  Paint everything soft yellow or cottage white - throw a rug in, a comfy chair, small table and we've created a great space.

This is basically what Perrin's shed is like - unfinished.  Gotta get that window in and shoot - we could put left over hardwood flooring down.  Maybe string some outdoor twinkle lights in there and man, it's going to be sweet.  You know that this will be my space when she tires of it so I'm happy to spend the extra time and money on it.  :)