A Swedish Vacation House

Okay my peeps, 

I know we mostly like 'traditional' .

But it is important 

to be able to take away just 

one good idea 

from a design we may not be crazy about.

You can never have enough glass.

Right ?

COLD.

BUT, I like any kitchen that opens to an outdoor area.

Mine does....and I love it.

You don't ever feel claustrophobic.

I think the butcher block stairs and counter tops are an interesting idea.

I would like it in walnut or in limed oak.

 The stainless drawers are a great look.

The stairs have so much work in them.

I can appreciate the workmanship.

(but I would still like it better in walnut)

But I know they had their reasons.

This is supposed to be a Swedish Family home

where they take saunas together and then jump in a cold body of water.

Which happens to be right outside.

I love to do that too!!!

The glass fireplace is fabulous.

The glass walls are fabulous.

This space is fabulous.

But.....

I would do it differently.

Would you?

Oh look!

So that's where you place those floor lamps!!!

Click here to know more.

What did you 

come away with that you liked?

"The large old farm  house converted into vacation house for a family located at the nearby city of Malmo. The house especially designed to create a manifestation of the Swedish ritual of sauna and bathing. Apart from the sauna and attendant space for undressing, washing and relaxing , the mill house is also small dwelling. Surrounded by the beautiful natural garden while also appreciating the Japanese Zen master’s approach to finding the simple live. The traditional rite of sauna involves baking together and dashing out for an invigorating dip in a cold stream. See all photos, site plan and floor plan after the jump. Developer: Winggardhs"   

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A., one good idea,sweden,glass

Vintage wine jug sourcing update

Ask and you shall receive! You guys really pulled through for me on helping to figure out what the bottles in the below image are called, and where they can be found! Thank you so much!

The original post



hayniedi says:

"check out commercial suppliers and home brewery suppliers. They have lots of sizes and colors at very affordable prices which allows you to recreate the look on a budget. No one will know!"

Great tip!

Here's just two such sites:

Home Brew it

Wine Guy Supply


sss says:
"...as for these jugs, they are also known as demijohns or carboys, but i had been on a hunt for the last month to find ones that are more budget friendly and finally found a few. look no further than your neighborhood pier 1, marshalls, tj maxx, or ross dress for less for all colors & sizes! i bought a taller light blue one at pier 1 last month on sale for $29!"

Anne at the City Sage says:
"For a similar but slightly more organic look, I adore these recycled glass handblown bottles from viva terra:
http://tinyurl.com/qo8vjx

Rachel at Harmony and Home says:
"I was going to say the same thing as "sss". Your local TJ Max, Marshalls, etc. for the best price on these. Also, check out craigslist.org! "

An anonymous commenter sited J. Peterman's - which I didn't know had housewares!
http://jpeterman.com/category~cat~191201.asp

prazenjc says
"I just saw some at HomeGoods yesterday!"


Susan wrote:
A great site http://www.greatstuffbypaul.com has some real ones from France on page 2 at great prices. (go to Pottery, Glass and Stone and THEN on page 2 are the wine bottles) Great Stuff by Paul has other wonderful things too. My sister has bought other things from them and had great results. Also on Ebay type in 'large demijohns'. There is a dealer in Canada I have dealt with. His store on Ebay is called 'TRP35 vintage Antique store'. I bought a huge amber demijohn from him a few years ago and he was great to work with. Looks like he has a huge green one for $99.00! He use to have a lot of bottles, I don't know if he still does. His shipping prices where not bad either.

Thank you to all!

Help sourcing a product...?

A while back, Ann sent me a question asking where she could find large glass wine just like the ones featured in the first photo of my Tuscan Inspired Spaces post.

The jugs are on a shelf in the upper left corner.

Through my brief research, it looks like you can find them from antique dealers starting at $250.00. A lot of them are labeled as French or Belgian wine jugs, and I'm not sure how different they are from country to country. You can find them on Ebay for less, but of course the authenticity is questionable.

Does anyone know what these wine jugs are called in Italy, or where to find them? Or even where to find inexpensive reproductions if budget is an issue?

Thanks!



via Inessa Stewart's Antiques




via GoAntiques.com

via Ebay
via Ebay

Scenes From A Beach House

Summer is nearing to an end and my children are getting ready to go back to school this week. (Well, they aren't exactly ready...). Since I've just blogged about items I would have in my dream beach house, I thought I would post pics of some inspiring beach houses. After seeing a few of these, I almost want to edit my dream home now!





Coastal Living magazine dining and living room. Very elegant with the formal fireplace, crystal chandelier and white china. The glass and candle decor on the mantle give the room additional sparkle.






Windmark Beach Club (Florida) porch setting. Very clean aesthetic with the fresh sky blue cushions, sisal rug and huge blown glass vases.

Beach home mermaid bedroom. I believe this pic is a rental home in Florida. I can't tell if the headboards are a wicker material or iron, but I think they are adorable for a beachy kids room. The headboards would probably show up better against a wall, rather than a window, and I'd paint that little nightstand a different color.



View of the Ocean from the Yellowstone Club in Turks and Caicos.



Windmark Beach Club patio swing. Lovely fabric selection. Doesn't this look comfortable? All you need is a tall glass of iced tea!




Tranquility Bay Resort in Key West, Florida. Perfect setting for an evening wedding.



Tranquility Bay Resort.



Tranquility Bay Resort. Dinner on the porch - spectacular!



Tamarindo Yellowstone Club, Costa Alegre, Mexico. I would love to see what is at the top of these steps!



Spa at the Tamarindo Yellowstone Club. How could you not relax in this setting?



Tamarindo Yellowstone Club.



I got this photo from a Southern Living web link. Look at these louvered doors. I don't know if this is a beach house, but anytime I see louvered doors like this, I think of either the South or the beach. I love how the home owners can shut the louvered doors if they want more intimacy during their dinner.



Living room from Southern Living magazine. Love the distressed beams and the natural cream colored draperies with ties. It ties in with the slipcovered furniture (pun intended!).



Slipcovered Dining Room. The dark hardwood floors really make the white slipcovered chairs pop. I like the splashes of red, but they were careful to not overdo it.



Point Click Home website. Fireside chat setting. Designer Candice Olsen did a patio like this for a client. This may have been it! The firepit is a little unconventional, but that's what I love about it.



Elle Decor white bedroom. I don't really like shabby chic that much, but the combination of louvered shutters and empty white distressed picture frames strewn with beads just puts me over the top for this room. Ingenious.



Sitting room from Elle Decor magazine. I like the mix of distressed iron with the gold picture frames, lamp and fabric in the room.



O.K., I love this dining room. The balance is perfect between the rattan chairs, the blue and white fabric on the end chairs and the black and white striped draperies and black lampshades on the breakfront. And, not to stand out, but to compliment the room, the area rug with the thinner black and light grey stripes. Perfect. I would definitely have this room in a beach house of mine! Well, at least until I got bored and wanted something a little less perfect!




Elle Decor bathroom from Point Click Home. How wonderful is that print of Mona Lisa over the tub? Pretty unconventional. The wood trim on the bathtub and step-up are beautiful. Add the slip-covered chair, candelabra and open doors to the deck, plus a glass of wine and you've got shangri-la!




Living Room from Cottage Living magazine. I like the slipcovered furniture and white furniture, walls, shelving, etc., but I almost want to draw in some more natural elements, such as some more baskets to go with the area rug, or a large palm back by the shelving to give this room a little bit more of an organic quality.




Four Seasons Hotel in Costa Rica. The wrought iron railing and the light fixture do it for me (and the view is not bad either!).




This picture is from Cooking Light magazine. This entry hall looks like a beach house, but I'm not sure. The dark paint on the stairs give it a nautical feel. Love it!




White bedroom from Coastal Living magazine. The periwinkle banded bottom on the drapery and the shells on the wall definitely make this room beachy.




"Vision in White" from Coastal living magazine. Strong orange accents give this room energy. I like the rattan rolling ottoman and the starfish and flower pot to match the pillows. Oh, and look at that fabulous lighting fixture!





Sunroom with a great daybed from Coastal Living magazine. I love how they pulled in more iron with the chandelier.

Dark wood kitchen open to the lush greenery outdoors. Very tropical.

From Coastal Living magazine. Color of the bookshelves and mirror is fantastic.



Living Room from Coastal Living magazine. The madras rug and paint color pull this room together. Note the beadboard on the ceiling and the wonderful octagon table.





Coastal Living magazine front entry. The light blue chairs and mirror really stand out against all the dark wood in the room. Note the blue and white pottery on the bottom shelf.




Carribbean living room from Coastal Living magazine. This room is my style. I love the balance and scale of everything in this room and am always in love with rooms that open up to patios or porches fully.



Living Room from Coastal Living magazine. Again, the dark wood really makes everything white in the room pop! Lovely.

China Beach Suite. A bit more modern than I like for a beach suite, but still wonderful.



China Beach suite living room view. Check out that cool ceiling lighting fixture, complemented by the standing light fixture.

Breakfast by the Sea. I just love the unironed slipcovers on these darkwood chairs and the chandelier. I may have done a different rug (perhaps some soft green and black thin stripes to bring in the colors of the displayed bottles), because it kind of gets lost in the decor. I always love glass displays, especially these large glass vessels on the table.



Let me know what you'd like in a beach house!