There Was a House in Nantucket…

… that is owned by someone I know, and was recently featured in Architectural Digest, with an article written by former blogger, Mitch Owen of Aesthete’s Lament. I’d had a bit of a preview of the piece when the owner shared the book that Markham Roberts, the decorator, had produced for her. The house isn’t exactly nautical-themed, as many there are, but it does have dashes here and there of the ocean and beaches that surround the island. One thing that I noticed was the number of quilts scattered around the house. You KNOW I love quilts, so it was fun to see so many!

I thought I’d share some of the pictures of this wonderful house, all from Architectural Digest’s June issue.

Symmetry rules in the entrance hall, where a pair of Delft-vase lamps and objets d’art sit on an antique table from John Rosselli antiques.

Painted panels by Bob Christian hang in the living room

In the paneled living room, a mix of patterned and printed fabrics covers the custom sofa and pillows, along with an antique quilt.

Custom dining chairs are slipcovered in a No. 9 Thompson linen. Painted floor by Bob Christian.

Raoul Textiles linen covers the seating at the kitchen table. Custom pot rack by Ann Morris.

A pair of 19th-century English armchairs in a GP & J Baker stripe cozy up to the living-room fireplace.

In the master bedroom, Roberts deployed the same Bennison floral chintz on the walls, curtains, lamp shades, pillows, and vanity skirt.

A John Robshaw Textiles linen covers the master bath’s vaulted ceiling.

A flock of painted-wood shorebirds by Pat Gardner perch above the guest bathtub.

A stone path leads to a marsh.

Hope you enjoyed this tour!

Ascot Opening Day + Ladies Day

One of my favourite scenes in “My Fair Lady” is the one at the Ascot Races. The costumes are by Cecil Beaton and they are entirely black and white.

This year’s Ascot races are taking place this week, and on the first day, new fashion icon, Meghan Markle channeled the classic movie in a black and white outfit.

There were also other elegant black and white outfits at the first few days of the races. All of these images have been collected on my Pinterest page: What to Wear to the Races… Or Not where you can see several seasons of races and what people wear.

It is always so much fun to Google “Ascot Hats” and see what amazing creations the guests are wearing!

Which hat do you like the most?

Vacation Snaps!

Well, it’s been a whirlwind past two weeks. I put more than 900 miles on the car, traveled from Lyme Regis to York, attended a wedding, went to the theatre, stayed in eight places over fourteen nights, took planes, trains and automobiles, drank more in the past two weeks than I have in the past five months, saw loads of friends and family, never used my umbrella, and overall had a ball! And so, I thought I’d share some of my favourite pictures from the trip with you.

The view from my room in Somerset. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the house which was stone with a thatched roof!

The town of Lyme Regis on the south coast of England. A prime place for fossil hunting. The fog rolled in and I couldn’t capture a picture of the cliffs.

The Mini Cooper Clubman that I drove. This was after an accidental foray down what appeared to be a donkey cart track, via my GPS!

Incoming tide at Southerndown Beach in Wales. The tides have a 30-foot range!

One of my favourite churches – the Norman-era Sts. Mary & David in Herefordshire.

The corbels below the eaves are just charming.

This was about a 40 minute detour, but worth every minute!

The knights used to stop at this pub in Nottingham before the left for the Crusades.

Yorkminster. Simply amazing.

Absolutely enormous!

I love touring stately homes. This is Beningbrough Hall outside of York.

The family couldn’t afford plasterwork, so everything was carved in wood, and then painted. In the early 1900’s, the owner stripped all of the paint, and left the bare wood.

This is what it would have looked like. I love the two lamps on either side of the fireplace.

I love old country churches! This was in Sheriff Hutton, which is a great name for a village.

There was a LOT of drinking.

The Wedgwood Museum was gorgeous, but the layout was awful.

It’s always fun to see something you owned in a museum!

I spotted Barlaston Hall from a distance and then managed to find my way to see it up close. Look at those amazing windows!!

It was a disaster for many years, but is now used as an event space.

Twekesbury Abbey, circa 1200. It boggles my mind how these places were built.

We spent part of a summer in the town where this church is located, and I’ve been back a few times.

I couldn’t resist this country auction with my cousin, but had to sit on my hands so I wouldn’t bid.

The flat where I stayed in London had a massive private garden.

From the top of Parliament Hill, looking out over London.

I missed the Chelsea Flower Show by a few days, but many of the shops in Chelsea were still decorated.

Classic.

All in all, a great trip that went seamlessly!

But honestly, I was glad to get home!