If I had a beach house....

Like so many people, I dream of a house by the sea. Nothing too fancy. Just a little cottage a hop skip and a jump from the sand.







There'd be a great big living room, with huge picture windows facing the sea. I'd like a couple of big comfy white couches, and a fireplace for those wintry, brisk nights by the sea.




It would have a little quiet corner, for reading a book.




I'd like a large, well equipped kitchen, but nothing too fancy.



A great big table so I could comfortably entertain lots of friends or family. A great spot for board games too!






I'd want a buffet neatly stacked with all the things you need for entertaining the troupes.





A spare but comfortable main bedroom, with a vintage bed and crisp ticking bedding. Somewhere to snuggle down while listening to the waves.


A fun dormitory for all the kids.



A simple, yet luxurious bathroom.

I'd make sure there'd be lots of little of life necessities around, like french olive oil soap and thick white fluffy towels.

In fact, I'd make sure there were lots of little thoughtful touches, including flowers and candles.

Shells, of course.

Little lighthouses.

More shells, and some old bottles.

Images 1 Mark Williams 2 Austalian Country Style via Brown Button 3 Coastal Living 4 Atlanta Bartlett 5 Living etc 6 Country Home 7 & 8 Pure Public 9 Inside Out 10 Miranda Watchorn 11 Tara Dennis 12 Unknown 13 Andreas von Einsiedel 14 Mark Williams 15 Pure Public 16 Charlie Drevstam

It's nice to dream isn't it?

Hope you enjoyed sharing my dream.

Best wishes,

Current book obsession

Not only am I obsessed with home decorating and design magazines, I also love books dedicated to the same subject. I have quite a few at home, and also have a rather large 'wishlist' of more that I want to buy.

I love finding a quiet moment to pick out a favourite home decorating book out of my collection, then poring over the pictures and being inspired by the design.

Here are some beautiful pictures from one my very favourite books, Coastal Style.










The book has many interior and exterior images of seaside homes.

I just love this idea below....a group of white feathers loosely bound by an old rope.

I wonder if this painting is an old thriftshop lucky find....

What a great way to show a collection of beach pebbles. Sea glass would look fantastic too.

Coral and shells in a large glass jar....be still my beating heart!

This little boat looks like its sailed around the world a few times....

If you like these photos, you should stop what you are doing right now and go buy this book! It is filled with so many more beautiful images. The photography is by the talented Paul Massey, whose own beautiful home I posted recently, here.

Best wishes,

Wishing you a nautical weekend

Here in South Australia we have a long weekend (for a horse race no less! Only in Australia hey?). So I'm hoping to have an easy breezy weekend with my son and friends, making the most of the last days of summer.

I'm still trying to fend off the flu, but if I feel up to it, we might head down to the beach for a stroll and an icecream.

But if I don' feel well, I'll be taking it very easy at home, playing Skip-Bo with my son and trying to ignore the housework!

I love these laid back pictures, showcasing a casual, nautical style.



I'd love to have a window seat like this (below) on a verandah. You could have it hinged with a lid, and tuck your garden tools inside.

I hope you get to have laid-back relaxing weekend, where ever you happen to be!

Images 1,2 & 3 Christine Rudolph 4, 5 & 6 Lara Hutton 7 Andreas von Einsiedel

Best wishes,

Nautical Style

I love nautical style. Soft blues, lots of white, sandy hues, antique seaside ephemera, shells, lots of texture....When it is is done in a subtle, neutral, relaxed sort of way, nautical style can be just perfect. Like these two pictures below:

What I love about those two bedrooms is that the nautical theme is definitely present, but it isn't over the top, just nicely done. There's lovely little touches of blue - cushions, flowers, pictures, along with a starfish, a bottle, a seaside picture or two, and some nautical themed pages, torn from magazines and simply tacked up on the walls. Lovely!

And in keeping with this nautical theme, I am very excited, because three lovely books have just made their way to me - two of which are on the nautical theme. I order most of my books by mail, because they are cheaper that way, and there's nothing better than getting a package of books in the mail. Here's what I got:

Both coastal style and island life feature some of the home of the impossibly glamorous India Hicks, she of the impeccable English gentry lineage and bridesmaid to Princess Diana, who was recently featured in Cookie. See here.

Here's some little snippets of her style, taken from Island Life:

And here's a peak of Coastal Style:

Easy, breezy nautical style - I love it!