This lovely home in Greenwich, Connecticut was recently featured in CT Cottage and Gardens. 
Located in the exclusive Sherwood Farms area of Greenwich this home was just listed for sale. Advertised as owned and decorated by an interior designer I was immediately intrigued. Let have a quick tour...
The beautiful front to back entry has 11 foot ceilings. I adore entrys that allow you to view straight out to the back of the house. I also love the light the comes in with this type of window/door placement. Notice the lovely bridal staircase and incredible moulding detail. Banister is ebony stained with white painted accents, a popular trend.
Off to the left of the entry you can see the Library. Advertised as an antique English pine library with adjacent game room with wet bar; the detail is amazing. I am a stickler for symmetry so I really like the two doors on either side of the fireplace. The brown painted ceiling adds a coziness to the 11 foot ceilings. I also love the jazzy zebra chairs to lighten things up bit. Flat screen TV above the fireplace makes me think this is a real recreation area for the family. You can see an air hockey table through the french doors.
The kitchen has a definite Christopher Peacock feel. No real surprise as we are in Greenwich where a large number of his kitchens have been installed. The listing does not call it out as a Peacock kitchen but surely it has the look with the Carrera marble, white cabinets and bin pulls. I do like the contemporary stools which give this kitchen a bit of edginess. I also like the wide floor boards, the rattan chairs and the worn farm table. They add a nice, earthy texture and feeling to what could be a cold space.
Ice box latches and bin pulls make me think if its not Peacock, its a good copy. I also like the heft of the two inch marble counters.
The Family Room must be off the kitchen, but its hard to tell. It is a lovely area filled with light from at least two sides. The all white decor makes me think the children may be relegated to the library area. Bobo Intriguing Objects chandelier hangs above, which now can bought via Restoration Hardware.
The Dining Room is beautiful. I love the off white/gray wall tones. Mirrored table and huge fireplace surely make for sparking, magical dinner parties. The Chandelier looks a bit small for the space. I would also like to see more artwork. Perhaps the owners have replaced the light fixtures, prior to listing the home. 
The Living room continues the soothing gray palette. Notice the Mora clock on the right. I also like the garden urns on the acrylic tables. Its very unexpected.
The Master Bedroom also has a wonderful gray/taupe palette. I find it interesting that in such a large room they would locate the bed in front of the window alcove- but it does look lovely. We find some more acrylic chairs against the far right wall. The two chairs on the far left side of the photo confuse me though. From this angle the taupe one looks out of place. It is also interesting to note that is the first room we have seen drapes. 
Finally the Sunroom which opens to the fabulously long veranda/covered porch. The "SIN" sign speaks to me - and I like the furry pillows. Both add some more of the edginess we have seen in some of the other rooms. Again we see drapes, perhaps these are to shield the sun.
Here is the a photo of the back of the house and the spectacular veranda.
A close up of the porch. The orange couch is an interesting choice. The listing mentions:
the French doors lead to verandas from most public rooms with private views of conservation land. The second floor features a wonderful master suite with a Waterworks bathroom and walk-in closets. Five additional family bedrooms are on the second floor, and the partially finished lower level offers play space and an au pair suite.
It is really a lovely home and a fun tour for all of us!!
For more information on this house click here.
(all photos Sothebys)
Since I've been on vacation, and it has been raining most of the time, I have had some extra time to do some Internet shopping. Here are some of my favorite new finds!
First, I stopped by my favorite Swedish Antiques site, 
I loved this dresser with X design. This could go into any room in my house!
But, my favorite piece is this Mora Clock. Notice the lovely, soft lines of this clock. Many of the Mora clocks I have seen recently do not have a good curve scale, they seem a bit off to me. This one is perfect and unique with the diamond detailing on the bottom. Tricia Mitchell has an incredible eye - check out more of her great finds 
I was in awe of this 19th Century 
Made from blue and white Ikat fabric. 
What a rare find! Spectacular!
Look at this lovely antique 
Then I found these gems - gorgeous antique monogrammed 
The monogram and detailing are spectacular! Who knew such treasures were on EBAY?
Finally I found this antique cart cover - Wow - I could just throw that over my sofa and change the entire look of my room! To see all her exquisite textiles 
Valorie writes an great blog that keeps it all real. She has a great design sense and style. Her experience with design (and life) allows for her refreshing perspective! Visual Vamp is filled with interesting design ideas, as well as designer and artist profiles.
We met up at 
Everywhere you turn in perch. you find another treasure.
I loved this zinc architectural piece - It would make such an interesting mirror. I also adore the antique door it was hanging on.
Isn't this a great little table? I like the way Valorie paired the more formal bust with the very contemporary mirror. 
But, I was very late for a meeting with New Orleans' Bayou Contessa!
Julie was kind enough to spend some time and show me around her beautiful shop. It is housed a 120-year-old building with her showroom in the front and offices in the back. It is a wonderful old historic New Orleans building with 14-foot ceilings and separated into different rooms.
When I walked in I nearly lost my breath. EVERYTHING was so beautiful.
And when I turned to the right, I was overwhelmed again by the beauty of another room.
Here is a collection of some of Julie's sconces and starburst mirrors. The patina on Julie's pieces can not be captured in photographs. There is a great depth and layering in the colors, creating a wonderful effect. Sconces pictured in the top photo are Danica and Michael; in bottom photo, Jodi. 
Every one of Julie pieces was created for an individual client before they were added to the line. They are named after the person they were made for. If someone gets more than one piece, Julie names them after one of their friends or another member of their family. Of course Julie is best known for her chandeliers. Pictured above is the Madeleine.
Here is another favorite of mine - the Isabelle.
Julie also creates other beautiful furniture. Here is her Garland Vanity, complete with signature Julie Neill crown.
Perhaps Julie's most interesting new development is her ability to cut metal into any shape she desires. This is allowing her unlimited options as to what she can create. Pictured above is Artemis Chandelier with crystal drops. 
The Meme Chandelier was stunning!
Here is another new design named Jeffery! And as luck would have it, you will meet Jeffery in my next post!
So how does Julie ensure that her lights remain stunning? She makes them right in New Orleans. We had a chance to visit the studio and meet the artists, hard at work creating these custom pieces. They spend hours layering and layering to create the special finishes. Julie checks each and every one daily to make sure they all have her signature patina!
You may not be aware that Julie is also an accomplished artist and sells some of her work in her shop. Here is one of my favorites. The camera did not capture well the gold pattern or the watery teal blue color. I wish it had fit into my suitcase because it really spoke to me.
