Elsa Peretti's Tuscan tower, and the right-click

I like pretty pictures.  Who doesn't?  Sites like Pinterest and Tumblr (and I'm a fairly avid user of both) cater to this, inundating (overwhelming?) the user with thousands of beautiful images.  However, I also love information.  How frustrating it is to see a photo of a delicious-looking cocktail or meal on Pinterest, only to click the image and have it not lead to a recipe.  (Some people, apparently, are really just into beautiful pictures of food, and not the food itself.)  As much as I like pictures of beautiful things, most of the time I find that my appreciation of the image is much enhanced by having some information about it.

Photo by Fritz von der Schulenburg

That's when I find the right-click useful.  When you right-click a photo (using Google Chrome anyway), one of the options you get is "Search Google for this image."  (You can also search using the Google Image Search, here...but it's a lot quicker to just right click.)  When I saw the above photo in my Tumblr feed, it had no caption, and led nowhere.  I right-clicked and, voila!  I found a post on an interior design blog with a host of information.  This photo was taken in La Torre, the Tuscan holiday retreat of jewelry designer Elsa Peretti.  La Torre is a 16th century watchtower, and rather than whitewash the walls and keep the interiors (historically accurately) bare, Peretti and her architect, Renzo Mongiardino, decided to go full-on fantasy, creating a fairy tale-like atmosphere with trompe l'oeil effects like the incredible fireplace you see here. 

Spiral stairs that lead to a rooftop terrace.  |  Photo by Fritz von der Schulenburg.

The right click doesn't always work.  Often, it leads only to thousands of Pinterest or Tumblr "sources" which have no further information about the photo.  But I've found it's always worth the couple of seconds it takes to click and look.

A collection of paintings hanging on a wall painted with stripes in Peretti's bedroom.  |  Photo by Fritz von der Schulenburg.

The bathroom has both real terracotta tiles, and trompe l'oeil stenciled ones.  |  Photo by Fritz von der Schulenburg.

The guest room, with its beautifully stenciled walls.  |  Photo by Fritz von der Schulenburg.

 You can see and read more about La Torre at The Art of the Room.

xo

K

swedish country homes

It's January--nesting time in the northern hemisphere.  Nothing better than staying cozy at home, and perhaps dreaming of ways to be even cozier.  And where are the coziest, most inviting homes?  Well, if blogs and decor magazines are anything to go by, you can't beat Swedish country homes!  I recently found myself sucked into the photos of homes at Lantliv ("Country Life") magazine's website.  Below are some of my favorites.  Get cozy and enjoy!

A cabin on the slopes of Tällberg with a view of a lake.

A renovated 1700s rectory.

A 1930s home in Båstad.

xo

K

white walls, a bird band, and books

Last month, on a day when I liked the light, I took some photos around the bedroom.  It's the one room in the house where we painted the (wood panel) walls white, as well as the floors, and it makes the room so light and airy.  My marble-top dresser and washstand look so good in there now.  And we've finally hung some things on the walls.

Clearly, I need more hooks for hanging jewelry, purses, etc.  That accordion hanger is conveniently placed next to the closet, so I can also hang the occasional dress from it.

Antique bird band!  Passed down from my grandmother.  They used to come out only for the holidays, but I think they deserve year-round display.

A lot of book reading goes on here.

This sweet knitted sachet is from VintageAimee on Etsy (unfortunately, I think she only makes them during the holidays).  It's filled with lavender and clove and smells so good!

xo

K

living in a schoolhouse

I was one of those dorky kids who looked forward to going back to school at the end of every summer.  Even now, when I think "school," I have pleasant thoughts...the scent of freshly-sharpened pencils, a brand new Trapper Keeper binder, and textbooks wrapped in brown kraft paper on which one could doodle freely.  So when I saw the post at SF Girl by Bay about retro lighting fixture company Schoolhouse Electric, I knew I had to hop on over and take a look. 

hand-blown & decorated glass shade

wall mount fixture with cool deco shade 

ion porcelain lamp with cloth cord / this would make a cool bedside lamp

striped candles!

Not only are the items available beautiful (and right up my aesthetic alley), but the shades are hand-blown in the US and made using vintage moulds.  I like the look of the other furnishings they've added to their line, too. 

hamilton steel bedframe

a fun bright yellow wall clock

mix & match wool plaid bolster pillows

ticking stripe sheet set

Of course, I think all these things would fit perfectly in my house.  I already have these old school posters hanging in the kitchen.

xo

K

1955 nesting

Here are some images I collected from a couple of 1955 Women's Home Companion magazines.  See anything that inspires you?

Love the curved sofa, ceiling to floor windows, Danish modern-y chair and table, and that crazy room divider stone fireplace!

When did we stop having bars as a matter of course in our homes?  It's a regression, in my opinion.  However, the yellow color here might drive me to drink too much.

I don't know if I love this kitchen or it makes me dizzy.  Those stools are cool.

Apron matches the...wallpaper.  Wow.

I like the floor in this kitchen a bit more.  And I love that big ole prosciutto hanging from the pole.

I really love this room.  I'd love to get a larger area rug like this one (which is wool) for our living room.

How cool is that top atomic pattern carpet?  I also love the green and white leafy print one.  And the last one, with the abstract pattern, is interesting.

xo

K

return of the printer tray

Remember the printer tray (or drawer) that Andy hung on the wall for me in September?  That I found at a thrift last February?  It's okay if you don't.  Well, I've finally started to fill it up, so I thought I'd show it to you again.

  

It's brilliant for smaller perfume bottles (and my little self-labeled decants).  Most of my larger, more commercial perfumes are in bottles too big to fit on it.  But I love how my little bottle of 10 Corso Como (with the red cap) looks there.

Andy found that little circus dog figurine for me.  I've also discovered that rings look awfully cute displayed on the shelves.

xo

K

i shopped for you

Did you get any Christmas money this year?  I did, and though I'll probably use it toward a little trip somewhere, it didn't stop me from doing some fantasy shopping on Etsy.  And because I'm such a nice person and couldn't afford to buy all these things (even if they were all my size, which they aren't), I thought I'd share them with you.  

Keeping track of these finds was made a little easier than usual due to my signing up with Pinterest.  Pinterest is, basically, an internet-based inspiration board.  You can follow me there at this link.

  

Gorgeous 1950s brown party dress / SwaneeGRACE

Buffalo check wool coat / stonecoldvintage

1960s dress with satin collar / DearGoldenVintage

Pringle 1950s wool plaid sweater / PomegranateVintage

1970s stack heel oxfords / IveGoneModVintage

Charmingly macabre mouse requiem locket / shopfeverfew

Danish modern teak ice bucket / thecircamodern

Framed Scottie painting / jbyjosephine

Danish modern teak duck / luola

Victorian steamer trunk wall art / Canal-Side Studio

xo

K 

i want to live in a norwegian summer home

I mean, look at this place!  Who wouldn't?  I found these photos on the Desire to Inspire blog.  The photos are all by Mary Beth Koeth, and they are of a summer house in the forest at Nesodden, Norway.  I want to now paint all our walls white (the floors already are) and switch out most of our furnishings.

I need a (jute?) rug just like this, and those chairs!  I love the lace doily on the little table.  It might be harder to come by a porthole window, though.

The most perfect little napping/reading nook.  Actually it makes me think of a ship's berth.  

This last photo is mine.  This is the printer's tray I found earlier this year.  We finally hung it on the wall, and now I need to fill it with tchotchkes!

xo

K