escape to the cape

tomorrow, we venture up to the cape.  sis and the rest of the crew arrives on friday.  it's gonna be happy little irish reunion with the family and we've all been looking forward to it for quite some time now.  it's going to be one of those weekends where you go away to relax and you end up needing serious daily naps to catch up afterwards.

anticipating this, be and i are headed to martha's vineyard for a few days to recharge the batteries after the weekend. 

the idea came to me while combing through my june issue of elle decor.  oh meg ryan's home on the vineyard is delicious.  we won't be staying at a dreamhome quite like hers but a much more quaint, hob-knobby b&b.  it's going to be our own version of fabulous.  in the meantime, welcome to her home.

i'm particularly taken to pher affection for blossoming branches and the color purple.

(photo credits - elledecor.com)

nine lives

those novogratzs are really good at two things.  making babies and making homes. and i'm crushing them for it. 

i have been waiting for their new show, 9 by design, to premiere since last april.  back then, their book was about to hit stands and the buzz about their brood was really starting to hum.  i got the book a few months ago and flip the pages when, per usual, scheming up my dreamhouse.  it's safe to say my affection for cortney, bob, wolfie, bellamy, tallulah, breaker, five, holly, and baby major is steadily heating up - and this article warmed it up even more.  or maybe it's cortney's quote in the final paragraph -

“i had really big dreams and i’m not done..i grew up in a small town, i wanted the things i wanted and i’m going to go fight for them. life’s just out there for the taking.”

some snaps of their casa just a few blocks from me. field trip?

(photo credits - apartmenttherapy.com, newyorksocialdiary.com)

the pearly gates

do you remember when i talked about heaven a few weeks back?  well, i found the rest of my paradise and it only gets better. 

again, all it needs is me.  it's only a matter of time before i drive up to where the connecticut river meets long island sound and move in.

need a roommate?

i want to be dropped into this home and play house. can't you see me living here?  great inspriation for the dreamhome someday.

(photo credits - styleathome.com)

home sweet santa fe?

would you move to new mexico for this house?  i'm tempted but then again, life in a tiny, nyc little hobbit-hole of an apartment is going pretty well right now. 

enter to win hgtv's 2010 dream home...i've always wanted to visit the wild west.

(photo credits - hgtv.com)

ready to rsvp...

i've been waiting for miss martha herself to invite me to her house (i mean houses), for some time now. but it seems my invitation keeps getting lost in the mail. little does she know, i discovered these images and have made myself right at home in both maine and connecticut.

instant gratification for now. much appreciated inspiration for later.

one day, she will come to her senses and have me over for that cup of tea and charming conversation.




(photo credits - marthastewart.com, themarthablog.com)

brooklyn brownstone bliss

a few months prior to its final curtain, domino featured a house tour of jenna lyons' brooklyn brownstone in their november 2008 edition. i remember coming across it very vividly. i was walking down seventh avenue last fall when i spotted jenna sitting pretty on the cover of that very glossy edition. i had to have it at that moment and immediately chose not to wait for my very own copy to arrive in the mail. on my stroll home, i flipped through the pages and sighed and hearted and marveled over the lyons' home sweet home. you gotta figure the girl behind j.crew's consummate creativity would have one sweet abode. then again today, i spotted her casa at Livingetc too.

the vibe i get from their home is lived in but low maintenance. i adore the contrast of natural home-i-ness and subtle touches of glamour. my favorite piece of advice offered up by mrs. lyons - never let your home be 'finished' but rather, constantly evolving. i love that.

picturesque park slope

mr. and mrs. lyons ready and waiting to greet you at the door.

look what those yellow chairs do for the living room. instant POP.

great shot of living room into dining room...i would really like to be invited over.

mix and match that really works

that's it...my future dining room shall have a fireplace and a child's vintage car too

oh hey jenna. nice to see you're waiting for me in the kitchen. charcoal cabinetry, white counter tops, chrome appliances...my color combo heaven

the kitchen and sunshine pour into their delicious sunroom.

all this room is missing is me.

bed and bath brilliance - blackboard paint, white linens, tapestry area rugs, espresso wood floors, and a cozy fireplace.

can you imagine having this closet? more importantly, can you imagine having everything in this closet?

and lil beckett's room...the ceiling is so whimsical and charming. easily my favorite room in the house because the lyons abandoned traditional bubblegum pink and baby boy blue. who would've thought?

and a backyard in new york city?? lucky ducks

(photo credits - aphrochic.blogspot.com, fermliving.blogspot.com, frivoler.files.wordpress.com, habituallychic.blogspot.com, livingetc.com, newlyweddiaries.blogspot.com, timelesstreasuress.com)