My Virtual Home 2010

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My first post of the New Year is always my ‘Virtual Home’ – I go through the many images in my inspiration files and pick the rooms that represent my current style in architecture and interiors. It is a great way for me to document what I am liking at a specific point in time, and it is interesting to go back and see what changes have occurred over the past year, and how the blogs and magazines have had an impact on what inspires me. This year, I am sensing a move towards more sophisticated interiors.

Here is my virtual home 2008, and my virtual home 2009. I am purposely not looking at these before creating this post, so I can try to start with a clean slate.

Exterior:

When I visited NYC this spring, I passed by the window of Michael C. Fina every day. This little invitation caught my eye, and my first thought was ‘that’s my dream house’. It is a beautiful combination of the French elements that I love, and the Georgian elements that I admire. I wonder if this is a real invitation, and if the house itself exists somewhere? I believe the address on the envelope is in San Francisco.

Entry:

I always love a good vignette in an entry, and this is one of the most charming vignettes I have seen this year (from Suzanne Kasler’s new book Inspired Interiors). I am not even sure if this is in an entry, but it has the look and feel that I like to see in an entry – a chair on which to drape a coat on a chilly fall or winter evening, a pretty vignette complete with tulips, branches, art, and a sconce – these are a few of my favorite things all in one place.

Dining Room:

This is one of my all time favorite dining rooms; the dining set is similar to mine, and the room has elegant elements (the chandelier, the sconces, the silk curtain); and yet, the room does not feel too heavy or ‘granny’, perhaps because of the youthful slipcovers and the lack of a serious rug.

And yet, I also loving this dining room, with its beautiful elegant hand painted wallpaper, stunning sunburst mirror, and sconces. This dining room does not feel ‘granny’ either, but it is more sophisticated than the other one. Design by Nancy Corzine (this is her dining room in the Hamptons).

Living Room:

If I were to create a ‘Things That Inspire’ top 10 designer list, Gerrie Bremermann would be right up there in the top 3 (Suzanne Kasler and Lars Bolander round out the list). This room exemplifies so many things I love…sisal rugs, soft and subdued color, contemporary art (this was the first time I saw an Amanda Talley painting), soft and rounded upholstery, beautiful lighting (although, I must admit, I do not care for the chandelier). This room is sophisticated, yet fresh. Perfection. Image via Southern Accents, photo Tria Giovan.

This room, also by Gerrie Bremermann and from the same house as the image above, was a very close second for the living room pick, so I decided to put it in as well! I have a very large virtual home this year. Image via Southern Accents, photo credit Tria Giovan.

The feel of the above rooms, with this beautiful limestone fireplace by Francois & Company – and I am all set!

Library:

Although I am not a fan of blocking a door with furniture or objects, I keep coming back to this picture because of the architectural details and the beauty of the room. I would love to have a library; my house is literally overflowing with books, and I have very few places to put them. A room devoted to books, with a nice desk and beautiful architectural features would certainly be in my ‘dream home’. I imagine a library being a having a bit more color; a room such as this should feel like being enveloped in a cashmere sweater. As beautiful as this room is, perhaps I need to search a bit more for a model library! Image via Bellacasa Design.

Kitchen:

I love this kitchen, which surprises me given the moody colors. It is not the colors that necessarily appeal to me, but rather the style and layout of the kitchen. Interior design by Suzanne Kasler, kitchen design by Design Galleria.

Colorwise, this is probably more of a fit with what I like. The beautiful light in this kitchen and the pure simplicity of the design has great appeal to me. Image via House Beautiful (it is the December 09 kitchen of the month), design by Mick De Giulio, photo credit Julian Wass. The chandelier is by David Iatesta.

Ultimately, though, I keep coming back to my all time favorite Lindy Weaver kitchen. The colors are soft, the feel is elegant, and this room really speaks to me. Kitchens have been on my mind a lot lately, so forgive me for being undecided in this area!

Family room:

This picture is a long time favorite from my files, and is from one of my earliest blog posts on a casually elegant home in Charleston designed by Jenny Miller.

This is one of my favorite vignettes – I love the versatile Bobo console, with the eclectic grouping of sketches above. I would love to have something like this in my family room

Powder room:

This beautiful little powder room is in a home in Atlanta designed by Jim Howard. It is perfect in its simple elegance (and fabulous artwork by Carolyn Carr seen in the mirror reflection).

Master Bedroom:

I had a hard time picking a master bedroom this year. This is a master bedroom image from a Cote de Texas post on Gerrie Bremermann, illustrating Gerrie’s new direction – still classic and soft, but with more modern elements such as soft contemporary art and a glass lamp. It looks like a soothing, peaceful retreat – an ideal feel for a master bedroom.

Master Bathroom:

Given that I have already posted this bathroom on my blog three times over the past 6 weeks, it was a natural selection for this post! The pretty planters on either side of the tub are by Paul Ferrante, and the little stool is in Suzanne Kasler’s collection for Hickory Chair. Interior design by Susan Ferrier, architecture by Bill Baker.

I love this bathroom too…the floor design is so pretty.

Guest bedroom:

This was the guest bedroom in my sister’s house (she has since sold the house). The interior design was by Jim Hawes of Caldwell-Beebe – he selected an incredible Donald Kaufman paint color (DK 29) for the walls, which really set the tone for the room. This is the most beautiful guest bedroom that I have ever seen, and I was sad when she sold the house because it had such a wonderful fresh feel to it. But, she just bought a new house which is going to be made over, so it will be interesting to see what magic Jim works in the new place.

So, readers, what do you think of my virtual home 2010? For those of you so inclined (I know there are a few of you out there), take a look at my past two virtual homes and see if there are any trends or changes - virtual home 2008 and virtual home 2009. I feel that my virtual home 2010 perfectly illustrates my current feeling about decor; on the one hand, I am still in my 30s, and want somewhat of a youthful look. On the other hand, I am almost in my 40s (sigh) and I can tell that I will be wanting more sophistication in the next decade of my life.

Happy New Year, and all the best for 2010!

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