Let the pinning commence!

Ok my friends... I've finally organized and uploaded all of my home inspiration photos on pinterest!  YAY!!!  Every day that we get closer and closer to our new home, makes us more and more excited.  I  can't wait to get in there and start working on it.  We're really hoping for a breezy, open, and serene feeling in the house, and these inspiration photos I've been collecting totally nail the look.  I think they're the perfect combination of modern and comfortable.  Clean and fresh, but not too fussy, and just the right amount of quirk.  You know, I'm all about the quirk.  If you have a minute, pop on over to my pinterest page and take a look at the Home Decor board.  I'd love to know what you think.  ♥

P.S. Here's a sneak peek of the board: 

Before + After... Marsh Street!

{click image above for a closer view}

Last night I ran across a folder on my desktop full of renovation photos of our Marsh St. space.

These make me feel SO proud of us!   I mean... seriously.  Sometimes I forget how grody things were and how much hard work went in to creating a place we really love.  This is of course, just a snippet of the work... but it's a good example of the overall improvements.  

Home Inspiration, Oh you Swedes...

HELLO, GORGEOUS!

That's what runs through my head when I look at these photos.  Can you imagine waking up in that bed in the morning, trudging down the bright hallway, passing by the wall of books, and plopping down to enjoy the endless sunlight?  Seriously, is there a single spot in this entire home that isn't full of light?  This is the sort of place that helps the inhabitant paint better, write better, be kinder, healthier, and generally more amazing.  I'm so ready to move in.  

What do you think, Sahnzy?  Are we up for Sweden?

Home Reference... Free People headquarters!

I can't tell you how amazed I am by this space.  It's the Free People headquarters in Philadelphia, and it completely blows my mind.  Ok, it's not technically a "home", but this space is just oozing with home inspiration.  Can you imagine coming to work here everyday?  Inspiration overload!  My goodness, it's no wonder their collections are gigantic each season.  I'd be pumping out the goods in a workplace like this too!  

This photo made me think of an experience I had many years ago...  

In an art class, in intermediate school, we were asked to sketch our "dream home".  I drew this building:

I guess it doesn't look like much, but it's a GIGANTIC former sugar processing facility which overlooks Nawiliwili Harbor and Kalapaki Beach.  In the next photo you can really get a sense of the scale of this building, as it sits perched on a hill above a full-sized cruise ship.  Like I said, gigantic.

I'd been enamored with this building since I was a very little girl.  It has sat empty and unused since long before I ever set eyes upon it- fuel and fodder for a little girls' imagination to run wild with ideas.  I imagined a great big wall around my great big home on the hill, an indoor arena for my horses, skylights, and an indoor park...   The possibilities (and the square footage, it seemed) were endless.  My teacher, however, thought it very strange and asked that I choose between a second attempt at the assignment, or failing it entirely.  I attempted a weak argument; something about the clarification of a dream home vs. a dream house...  in the end, I reluctantly sketched a quick little square with a triangle roof because that's what she wanted.  But the truth is, this bulk sugar mill- far past its glory, was the dream.  I still feel its influence in my design preferences, and its spirit in the spaces that inspire me.

James is obsessed with the big, green Victorian on Pacific St. that overlooks Emerson Park.

What was your dream home as a kid?  What it is now?

Home Reference: Back yard pool...

I keep a little folder on my desktop entitled: "Home Reference".

In it, I collect images of homes and architectural details that have inspired me.  Jeff suggested that I share them here... so, here we go!  I thought the image below would be a perfect starter to acquaint you with the series.  At first glance, you'll notice that uhhMAAYziiing pool, nestled perfectly into the narrow yard.  Super cool, right?

But look a little closer...  see the bedroom upstairs?  The cushy sitting area at the bottom of the staircase?  The open floor plan downstairs?  The house is small, but they've opened it up as much as possible.  With an entire wall of glass, and accordion doors to blur the divide between indoor and outdoor space, they've made it look (and I'm assuming, feel) big and highly-functional.  Notice how the outside range, connects almost seamlessly with the indoor cooking area.  I love this.  I'll admit, I'm not crazy about avant garde rooflines, but the corrugated tin makes up for the pretention of that dramatic angling.  What do you think?

Photo by James Geer