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Saturday, January 3, 2009

My Virtual Home, 2009

One of the biggest benefits of the design blog world is exposure to thousands of inspirational images from homes all over the world. Reading design blogs has certainly expanded my knowledge of designers and the principles of design, and has had an undeniable influence on how I would like my own home to look.

Last year, on January 1st, I posted my Virtual Home 2008, as a way to capture my current taste in architecture and design. I resolved to create this post every January in order help document how my taste has changed over the year. My first post for the New Year is my Virtual Home 2009.

The entryway:


I love well defined entryways that enable a nice welcoming scene, and I have dozens of pictures of entryways in my computer files. This is a picture from the entry to one of my favorite stores in Atlanta, Mrs. Howard.

The living room:


Two views of the same room (styled a bit differently) - William Hefner Architect

This room is currently one of my favorite living room pictures on file. My own living room is mostly used for piano practice and Christmas, so it does not have to be very large (but it needs to be big enough for a grand piano). I would like for my living room to have two doors so it flows a well (I don't like rooms that are dead ends). This living room looks like it has a small door between the bookshelves.

The dining room:

Perhaps it is the influence of living in the South, but I love having a formal dining room despite the fact that I only use it a few times a year. My dining room must be a decent size due to the fact that I have an enormous dining room table (120" without leaves). I picked this image because the table and chairs are similar to mine, and the designer made them look a little less stodgy by using patterned slipcovers. I also like the crystal chandelier, silk curtains, and sconces.

The kitchen:



Without exception, every kitchen in my image file has white or cream cabinets and lots of light streaming in through the windows. I particularly admire this beautiful kitchen by Lindy Weaver.

Breakfast room:


This is a new category this year, but I came across these two rooms (one in person, one on a blog) and I had to include them. I love the idea of a breakfast room that is surrounded with windows and French doors. (Top image:Atlanta Christmas showhouse, design by Liz Williams Interiors; bottom image, Frank Babb Randolph)

The master bedroom:

This was a very easy pick. The image is from an Atlanta real estate listing from 2008 (the house has since been taken off the market due to the weak real estate conditions), and I love everything about it: the color scheme, the bed, the pillows, the contemporary art, the chandelier.

Master bathroom:


This is the only room that remains the same as last year. Perhaps I like this picture so much because the layout and color scheme is very similar to my current bathroom, which I remodeled a few years ago to my exact specifications.


Guest room:

This guest room, designed by Phoebe Howard, is one of my favorites.

My home office:


This is definitely my favorite image of a home office, by Lindy Weaver. Given that the kitchen is the nerve center of my home, it seems appropriate to have a nice work area there.



But, I also like this idea, from an old real estate listing in Atlanta. To the right of the stove is an office nook - close to the kitchen, yet separate too. Much easier for hiding the office clutter!


So, that is my virtual home, circa 1/09. Stylistically, it is not too different from the virtual home 2008, although it might be a little more on the traditional side than last year. Upon closer inspection, the color scheme is even more neutral than last year. I clearly like tall ceilings, light filled interiors, neutral/light color scheme. The big change in my style is my preference for the exterior of the house. Last year it was classic Georgian. My choice for 2009? Coming soon.

Please visit Quatrefoil Design for more inspirational images.

40 comments:

  1. that was super gorgeous!!! thank you for sharing that.

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  2. BEAUTIFUL!!

    I could live there...without my kids and husband! (they are too messy)

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  3. love the entry way and studio office. If you're ever looking for great art for your interiors check the links on my new blog! Just subscribed to yours, look forward to future finds!
    Jamie

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  4. Stunning! Love the wall mouldings of course!
    Happy New Year darlin!
    xoc

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  5. so beautiful - !!! the only room that stands out is the dining room - it has a patterned fabric!!! otherwise your "house" is all quiet neutrals and extreme elegance. very very pretty!!! That dining room chandelier is a personal favorite of mine. I hope you get make your virutal home a reality!

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  6. Georgeous! I agree with Joni on the beautiful Dining Room and chandelier.

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  7. It is absolutely gorgeous! The look is so serene and elegant. You have such lovely taste.

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  8. Thank you for the comments! I just read a design book that had the quote - flowers are for vases, not fabrics, and I thought about how I have little to no pattern on fabrics in my house. Interesting that you picked up on this for my post!

    I had a very hard time picking a dining room picture, and had about 4 pictures that I wanted to post. Most of these pictures I like the architecture OR the interior design, but there was not one dining room picture where i liked both. My second choice dining room was a Lars Bolander design, but the room itself was not my favorite, and I will not be going out and getting new dining room furniture, so I decided to be pick the one that is in the post.

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  9. A breakfast room would be a luxury! And I'd have to include an orangerie.

    Best wishes for a brilliant 2009.

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  10. Beautiful rooms. I especially like the bathroom and home office. Oh, to dream!!! Great yearly post to do!

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  11. Your taste is exquisite. Which means to say, I suppose, that it is almost exactly like mine. hehehe.

    You have impeccable taste my dear. I am smitten equally with all your rooms. That Wm Hefner house is simply perfect and that living room remains my favorite room of the year I think - thanks to your previous post on him.

    I also love the Lindy Weaver rooms, especially that graceful kitchen - the tall ceilings, the windows, the detail - an ethereal space! I also LOVE your view of an office nook next to the kitchen - now isn't that just the most perfect idea - hide the clutter but well-situated for frequent use.

    Super post! xo T.

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  12. Love these images; all the neutral shades! The home office is my favorite. The office in my home is my only room I don't love.

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  13. Who wouldn't want to live in any of those rooms! They look so modern and classy, like out of an officedesigns.com catalog or something! Way to put everything together though :)

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  14. you are brilliant !!!
    i love this idea.

    i think it would be a great exercise for all of us design bloggers !!

    it beats the hell out of a written journal . right ?

    renee

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  15. Thanks, Renee! It was an interesting exercise to pick my favorites this year, because I have SO many more pictures in my computer files than I did last year. It really helps me sort through things. When I had a draft of this post, I had at least 5 pictures of kitchens, 5 dining rooms, 5 living rooms, and I would look at them all and delete one by one until I was left with my favorite.

    If I ever get to build/renovate a house, I will be all set! I wonder whether my future designer and architect will be pleased or dismayed at the sheer number of inspiration pictures that I have saved.

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  16. Just beautiful. Love your style. The breakfast room is probably the room I want the most... not having lots of space to work with has me making trade-off for it in the dream house in my head ;)

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  17. Love your color selections! Neutrals are my friend!

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  18. The millwork and trim are amazing in these shots. I've saved tehm in my idea file...thanks...and happy new year!

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  19. What a great trip through your design psyche! Your selections are so harmonious they almost look like they are from the same home. Thanks for sharing.

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  20. Happy New Year! I loved all your rooms, but I agree with Joni that the patterned fabric in the dining room is just not right, though the chandelier is exceptional. I have many of these photos in my saved file, but thanks for adding a few new ones. I wish this virtual home becomes a reality for you- but I am glad you are still searching as we all reap the benefits!
    Beautifully neutral, which you know I love. Great Post!
    -Gina

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  21. BRAVO!! I love them all and I could easily move right in and be so happy and at home! Fabulous and serene rooms, but my favorite has to be the kitchen!

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  22. A virtual home - what a great idea! I especially love the kitchen by lindy weaver and the dining room. I just discovered your blog - I will visit again on a regular basis. Thank you!

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  23. Definitely liked Weaver's kitchen and the Kasler style table, and of course Mrs. Howards and the neutral palette...I'm looking forward to stopping by her shop and Scotts Market this weekend!

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  24. Ack! I remember when you did this last year and thinking that I should do the very same...only the year came and went and still not virtual home for me! Yours is lovely though!:)

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  25. This could all be in the same house actually. Very well done. I am currently in that exploration. If I could build my own house from scratch, what exactly WOULD it look like. Thank you for the inspiration! I love that word. It's one of my favourite words.
    Maria

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  26. Simply perfect choices all around! The sort of photos that make me stare (and drool like an old bulldog -- but thats TMI -- LOL!) for hours -- memorizing each detail and thinking where I'd stack my magazines and put down my martini glass and put up my feet .....

    Jan at Rosemary Cottage (who still presses her nose up to windows to gaze at pretty things ....)

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  27. Thanks, everyone! After someone commented that these rooms could be from the same house, they flowed so well, I looked at the post with fresh eyes and was gratified that I saw the same thing.

    I am currently working on the post for the exterior of this dream home, and struggling the architectural classification. I think ultimately I need to just post and recognize that I am not an architect or an expert, just someone who knows what I like when I look at houses!

    I have hundreds of home exterior pictures in my files, and I really don't post them enough. My next post will have a lot of new images from my walks around Atlanta and my inspiration from homes that I have seen in blogs over the past 2 years.

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  28. i think that your designer and architect will love you for it. truly.
    it makes is super easy for a designer when a client is specific AND HAS EXCELLENT TASTE LIKE YOU!!

    thank you for finding me ...i was excited to see your comment.

    xx renee

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  29. When do I move in?
    I love every image.
    I am off to look at Phoebe Howard's site.
    Thank you for an inspiring start to 2009.

    xo
    Brooke

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  30. hmm. love the colors. serene and great home for living.

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  31. Our virtual homes are nearly identical :-)

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  32. Thank you for the inspiration. So, so pretty!

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  33. I love your virtual home...it is much like mine would be. I was just sitting in my living room looking through a Southern Accents from 2004 and that dining room photo is in there. I have literally 10-13 years of design magazines here and what are the chances that I was perusing that one mere minutes before I saw the image here. I was especially enamored with the drapes in that one.

    Love it all though.

    Kim

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  34. Oh I love this post! What a great idea and SO much fun.

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  35. Gorgeous virtual home!!! I would love to live there too :o)
    ~Des

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  36. I love it when you do virtual homes! The kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, office? I can't decide which of the rooms I like best! I loved the comment you left for me about guest rooms. The other thing I learned that sometimes it's to give a house guest their own space at times so they can relax and not feel smothered in activities either. I love your virtual house!

    Cheers,
    Karen O.

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  37. I agree that your master bedroom choice is perfect. I love everything about it. I just cannot wait for a master large enough for a king sized bed! I love the contemporary are in the somewhat traditional interior--they are a perfect match!

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  38. Very lovely! I have that dining room in my files and I'm painting my bedroom an approximate color right now.

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  39. You are soooo right, as designer I feel we are privileged to live such an amazing time where we can access and share such amazing resources so quickly, Bless the Internet

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Thank you for your comments! I strive to make my blog positive in tone, and appreciate the same courtesy when comments are made. Thank you!

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