Beautiful built-ins

I've lived in quite a few old houses and one thing I love about them are the built-in features. Bookcases, desks, window seats - they add so much charm and personality. How about you? What's your feeling on built-ins?

A dreamy day bed/window seat - oh the hours I could spend there
via My Home Ideas

...a little girl's paradise...
via LKS Design


serene office - my desk is never that clean though - as I use it to work on... :)

I love this room. The curtains hung lower ads a lot of dimension to the room I think...










via Decor Pad

via High Fashion Home Blog

Awesome treatments for your walls

Don't want to hang art or wallpaper, but just a coat of paint too boring for you? Well, Jill recently introduced me to her unique take on walls and I was impressed. She is also a talented interior designer. Check out her graphic murals...

Of her process, she says:
"The murals started a number of years ago when I had a short-term loft rental in Tribeca (NYC). I had these massive white walls and didn't want to spend a fortune on art since I'd be moving out in 6 months, so I painted the murals directly on the walls. Then other people started wanting them, too. All of my murals are painted, but there are different techniques. The geometric ones like the yellow octagons I work out in Autocad first to get the dimensions and spacing just right; then I use a laser level to tape it off. It can take days to do the taping for one of these, but then the paint just gets rolled on so that part happens pretty quickly. For the figural ones like the birds in trees, I work out the design on paper or in the computer in small scale first, then project it onto the wall and trace with a pencil. Then I hand paint all the outlines and fill them in, often needing 4 coats of paint to get the nice crisp opaque look I like---these are the most labor-intensive of the murals. I'm currently working up wallpaper designs based on the murals, which will be available on www.wallpaperstogo.com sometime in the next few months."

I think her murals are really tasteful, and are simple enough you wouldn't get tired of looking at them after awhile.





I think I'd pick this one - maybe in a high gloss cool gray over the same color in matte.
Which is your fav?

Go to Jill Crawford's website to see more!

Some of her interior design:


Two different but beautiful beach homes

Granted, I focused on waterfront homes yesterday, but it's a hard thing to get too much of - so why not some more? The first home focuses on preserving the funky personality of original beach cottages, while the second home is modern in design - but constructed from reclaimed materials...which is closer to your aesthetic?








via Coastal Living









via Notebook

Sam Maloof, R.I.P.

Iconic furniture maker Sam Maloof died last week at 93. It's impossible to quantify his influence on furniture and the world of craft. He's one of a handful of artists whose work will last well beyond his own life.

Here is an excellent obituary from the Los Angeles Times.

Here is my post about rocking chairs that includes some photos of his work.

Two Waterfront Retreats

I am in need of some solace - big time. I've been dealing with a series of stressful situations which even have me considering picking up and moving to a new city. A waterfront retreat with no demands on my time, surrounded by nature and quiet, sounds like a dream.

Would you chose the lake front retreat?...






...or the beach retreat?





via Wish