June 25, 2018

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.image

Painted panels by Bob Christian hang in the living roomimage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A stone path leads to a marsh.image

Hope you enjoyed this tour!

June 21, 2018

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. image

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.

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imageThere 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.image

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

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Which hat do you like the most?

June 18, 2018

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!image

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.image

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!image

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

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

The corbels below the eaves are just charming. image

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

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

Yorkminster. Simply amazing.image

Absolutely enormous!image

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

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.image

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

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

There was a LOT of drinking.image

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Classic.image

All in all, a great trip that went seamlessly!image

But honestly, I was glad to get home!