Beach Inspired Designs

The power of Pink...

2009-07-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

When i saw this room...i fell in love! It's just makes me happy! It was designed by Phoebe Howard. She's a fabulous decorator with impeccable taste. I love what she had to say about this room after she finished decorating it...{it gave me chills~being the Mom to a little girl...it had an effect on me}. You can read on her blog.

"The subconscious mind can really play tricks on you when you least expect it. As I stood in this room that I decorated for the Atlanta Symphony Show house, it suddenly became alarmingly obvious to me what I had actually created. It was not a room designed for a teenage girl as an ethereal oasis to protect and shelter her from the trials of being thirteen. My concept was to use pink in a way that was not sticky or sweet, but quite current and hip. It would be feminine and pretty, but not girly. The room would be a serene cocoon, but the tone would be stylish. This was what I had set out to design, but in fact the outcome was something quite different.
Eighteen years earlier my beautiful daughter Nellie was born, my second child, and I was completely overjoyed. I desperately wanted her to be a girl and was not afraid to admit it. I had four brothers and had always longed for a sister - no such luck. We did not know that she was a girl, four sonograms failed to identify her, and I had done the unthinkable. I decorated the nursery completely and entirely for a girl. I painted the walls the dreamiest shade of shell pink, painted the ceiling light grey, and the trim white. I hung sheer white billowy batiste curtains at the windows. I dressed her crib and the iron bed in white linen. A faded needlepoint rug lay on the floor, and I covered tufted furniture in creamy soft fabrics. It was a risky move, to decorate that way, and everyone was worried what might happen. I was never concerned. When the joyous day arrived, and I carried that baby into that nursery, my world was absolutely perfect. She was beautiful, healthy, and I was intoxicated with the purest form of true happiness and love. I spent many months in that room with my little girl, and the hours melted away. The light was perfect, and the room was so warm and enveloping, in a calm and simple way. I was lucky, and I would never forget it.
When I walked in to my room at the show house, that was when it hit me. I had recreated her nursery, one month before her graduation from high school. We were about to be empty nesters. The walls were pink, the ceiling grey, and the trim white. Billowy white sheers draped the bed, and hung at the windows. An old oushak lay on the floor, and tufted furniture was covered in soft fabrics. It took my breath away. As I realized what I had done, and the tears streamed down my face, I suddenly knew that it was going to be alright, and that I would be able to let her go. I had been a good mother, and my nest would never be empty. I could let her go. So I knew that my room would touch others in a different way than I had envisioned. Mothers with daughters would visit my room, be able to embrace their feminine side and paint rooms pink with full abandon. Pink is a color that actually has many layers, and not necessarily sweet. For me it was such a surprise, I still smile when I think of my shock when I entered that room.
Who would have thought that pink could be so powerful?"

by Phoebe Howard

Charlotte, NC architect...Ken Pursley

2009-07-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

Check out this beautiful kitchen...{it's not beach inspired but still fabulous} and the architect is a great friend. I had the chance to photograph him and his beautiful family while in Charlotte, North Carolina.

photos from House Beautiful

And this is the talented Ken Pursley...

enjoy more of his work here Pursley Architecture

Outdoor Living

2009-07-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

Living in Southern California, outdoor living was the way of life. All year long, we entertained outside and it was always perfect weather {sometimes a blanket came in handy when the ocean breeze blew in}. Things are different on the east coast...very different...but outdoor living still can exist.

here's some ideas to inspire...

Check out canadian house and home on how to design an outdoor living space.
http://www.canadianhouseandhome.com/design/designing-outdoor-living-spaces

red, white and blue

2009-07-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

happy Fourth of July!

photos from {marthastewart.com}

beach bound

2009-06-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

we are off to the good ole south! Two weeks of vacation {with three kids in a car!}...i look forward to it...and getting to see my sister and her family...the best part of all!
I hope to get lots of pictures of beach inspired decorating...if not, you can guarantee lots of photos of my little ones! {which are growing into big ones~ I'm just not ready to accept that...}
we also will be celebrating two birthdays while we are gone...my son and mine! we were born the same week...he is my oldest and that was the best Birthday present ever!

here's a picture i love...how perfect for a beach inspired wedding!

{coastalliving.com}

beds to dream about...

2009-06-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.cottagehomemaine.com/index.html

beachtown charm

2009-06-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

below is a beach house in Beachtown~ Galveston, Texas...when we were down in Galveston last year we visited this charming little beach community...so many fabulous houses {wish I had the money honey}...keep dreaming

{coastalliving.com}

eye candy

2009-06-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

here's a little eye candy to keep me dreaming of the day when i get my beach cottage...

These beautiful rooms are created by Brooke Giannetti. http://brookegiannetti.typepad.com/velvet_and_linen/

turquoise and pink {makes a lovely combo}

2009-06-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm in love...

Thibaut
Pattern ~Nautilus
Collection ~Toile Resource Vol II

paradise found...

2009-06-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

{I love when photographs are the focal point in a room...maybe that's the photographer in me?? fabulous frames...}

will this rain ever go away?

when we lived in California...I missed the thunderstorms {why??}...after yesterday...I could live without them!

we are planning a little vacation down south...our first stop will be Charlotte, NC {one of my very best friends lives here...can't wait to visit and takes lots of pictures of this cute town} and then we head to the Gulf Coast. I think my favorite place to visit is Fairhope, Alabama. I don't know if I like the cute quaint town best or the yummy seafood...I'm dreaming of the fried crab claws...only in the south!

she sells seashells...

2009-06-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

Missing the California weather...it has rained {poured actually} for the last two days here in Northern Virginia. We miss the beach...the sun...the sand...maybe not the sand. We are excited for our trip this summer to the Gulf Coast. The beach awaits us...

{CountryLiving.com}

coastal charm

2009-06-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

{coastalliving.com}

no shoes required...

2009-06-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

{Lisa Romerein}
{Troy Campbell}

{Jean Allsopp}

{Jean Allsopp}
photos from CoastalLiving.com

This next beach inspired room is from Candace Olson...just dreamy!

{Candice Olson from Divine Design}

2009-05-31T18:22:00.000-07:00

When you're away from the beach, you miss it dearly. My three year old will say..."I smell the beach"...we are only 4 hours away...much too far for my taste! I spend my alone time in the mornings drinking coffee and looking at my Coastal Living magazines...sometimes the same one over and over.
Makes me feel close to the salt air.

The following houses are designed by Jane Coslick. Just love her designs!!

Check out her website...
Jane Coslick Designs & Restorations; 912/354-8602 or janecoslick.com

http://www.coastalliving.com/