Crazy Daze of Summer

Chaos still reigns at my house, this first week of summer being perhaps the busiest since it all began. I am working crazy long hours at a job that is ending. Ironic, no? College Girl is still here and has extended her stay by as many weeks as it takes for her future roommates to find them all a decent place to live. We've had a house guest. I've been on two job interviews. Met with a client to consult on her kitchen/family room remodel. Had lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in ages. And there's still one more day to go! And one too many cats in my house. I'm pretty sure he's on my dining room table as I type this. He'll head up the coast when College Girl goes. Her I'll miss; him, not so much. If it weren't for my husband keeping us fed and the kitchen clean, things would be much, much worse.

So it was with great delight and a long sigh of relief that I happened upon these photos of a beach house that took me away for a much-needed imagination vacation..... My faux-cation begins with a stretch and a yawn as I wake in this quietly serene bedroom. A bit of vintage makes me feel right at home.

I toddle out through the dining room in my jammies and bare feet—the better to fully enjoy that cool blue floor—

and into the kitchen to pour myself a giant cup of whatever the staff has prepared for me today. Vanilla latte and carrot spice muffins? It must be Thursday.
I take my breakfast into the sun-filled living room. Love that glossy ceiling and the way it bounces the morning light all around. Makes reading my requisite trashy novels so much easier.
My plans for the day include alternating walks on the beach with naps on this lovely private patio. While I have no intentions to play chess—a vacation is for resting my brain, not hurting it— I'll be quite happy to simply contemplate this unique "board". The quiet colors and lush greenery have such a calming effect on me that zzzzzzzzzzz

Sorry, I dozed off! Excuse me while I duck into the bath to splash some cool water on my tanned, relaxed face. I'll only be a few minutes and then we can stroll into town for drinks and dinner. Thanks so much for driving out to join me!

When we return to the cottage and it's time to tuck in for the night, I'm sure you'll enjoy the cozy guest room. Don't you love those twin headboards? I myself am inspired to bring this idea to College Girl's room re-do. After she leaves of course. No bad cats allowed on those beautiful beds.

As much as I love my home full of color and pattern, a house full of white and quiet looks like heaven to me right now. Unfortunately, this is not a beach rental but the Fire Island getaway of one Alex Bates, creative director at West Elm. As seen in the June issue of Country Living magazine. And in my dream vacation dreams.

Pretty Things from the Sea

I spied these unique, sea-inspired accessories in a catalog that I had never seen before and was intrigued enough to share them with you.

What do you think? Sea anything you like?

atwestend.com

Summer-Fresh Fish Shacks

Last year, on the Friday before Father's Day, I wrote this post about my husband's Father's Day tradition: he treats himself and his dad to a big ol' pile of the fresh New England seafoods they love—as good Massachusetts boys do—and miss so much now that they are both left coasters. This pic is from that post about a favorite comfort food:

[SWAN RIVER FISH MARKET, DENNISPORT, MA]

Because it's "clams on a plane" time again—they may well be flying over the middle of America right now actually—I thought I might write another post featuring the charming seafood shacks that dot the east coast. Luckily, someone else had the same idea way ahead of me. Only, instead of writing about such establishments on a little bitty blog that hardly anyone reads, smart seafood lover Elizabeth Bougerol went and published an entire book that everyone can read, keep on their bookshelves and carry along when they travel (that's what I plan to do anyway).

[CLICK THE PIC TO SEE MORE IMAGES FROM THE BOOK]

Now, I am not a fan of the clam or the lobster, but I do love a basket of fresh fish and chips. And, I swear, the best fish and chips I have ever eaten were at Moby Dick's.

[MOBY DICK'S, WELLFLEET, MA]

One day, I'll go back and prove to myself that I am correct about their crispy, battered fish being the very best ever and that I didn't just imagine it because we were having such a great time stuffing ourselves with all the seafood we could find on that particular trip. To be certain that I'm right, I think I should visit all of these other places in the book and sample their fish and chips too. In the name of scientific research, of course.

[LOBSTER POT, PROVINCETOWN, MA]

[WESTFAIR FISH & CHIPS, WESTPORT, CT]

[LENA'S SEAFOOD, SALISBURY, MA]

[CAP'T CASS ROCK HARBOR SEAFOOD, ORLEANS, MA]

[CINDY'S, FREEPORT, ME]

[CLAM CASTLE, MADISON, CT]

[THE PLACE, GUILFORD, CT]

[ROY MOORE LOBSTER, ROCKPORT, MA]

Summer is upon us. Time to get out for some fresh air and even fresher seafood. Have a lovely weekend and say Happy Father's Day to your dad for me! Mine was just here and is on his way back to New Mexico tonight. No fish shacks there, though I'm sure he wishes there were.

Off-Season Fireplace Fillers

While organizing this post, I realized it might be a bit premature for some of you in colder parts of the country. But Spring has definitely sprung here in Southern California. April and Easter are only a few days away, for goodness sake. Time to close up my fireplace. Bring it in line with the new seasons and my lighter, warm-weather decor.

However, as I'm proof-reading before posting today, it's dreary out and threatening rain. Perhaps this idea is premature here too! Maybe I'll have one or two more fires before closing it up this weekend and then... what?

What will I do to fill in that unsightly, unused fire box? What should take the place of the firewood-filled basket and hearth tools? Searching around in books, magazines and online, I've come up with lots of examples but still I'm not sure what to do here.

Part of the problem in my house is that I really don't want my fireplace to be the focal point of my living room. It's off-center and clumsily proportioned. We purposefully painted out the brick we uncovered in the process of remodeling so that it blends into the walls. I don't put much on the mantel either. A round, iron-framed mirror plus a couple of small prints propped up and some greenery or vase of flowers and that's it. Nothing that will call too much attention.

What I choose to fill or cover my firebox during the off-season will likely then be quite low-key. You, however, may have a perfectly centered, beautifully proportioned fireplace that is the star of your room. With that in mind as well, I've gathered a variety of options to inspire us.

One of the more traditional covers for an unused firebox is a decorative fireboard. A painted board or even an embroidered and framed panel does the job nicely in vintage surroundings. Plants and flowers, whether inside the firebox itself or placed on the hearth, are also classic choices. I might try a fern this year. But any fern in my living room will have to be faux. That corner of my living room lacks enough light to keep a real one alive. Dried hydrangeas or faux boxwoods in decorative containers are another alternative I might explore.

An obvious solution to covering the opening of an unused fireplace is a folding screen. Unlike the finely woven metal screens that prevent sparks and embers from escaping the fire, a carved screen like the one above, a painted screen or even an upholstered screen custom made to complement your room is purely decorative and should be replaced when fire season rolls around again.

Here's an interesting screen of sorts fashioned from the fronds of a sago palm. And while the fronds may be real, it appears that the fireplace itself is not. Placing items on the faux hearth of a faux fireplace lends authenticity to the overall look. On a real hearth, below, decorative objects and flowers soften the blackness without entirely blocking the firebox. Which is fine, I suppose, when the fireplace will be in use. But I'm not a fan of this particular flatscreen-over-the-mantel look. I would add something more to the hearth arrangement to further reduce (or eliminate altogether) the appearance of one black box on top of another.

Candles in the firebox are a tried and true solution to an off-season or non-working fireplace. I've never tried this myself though. Maybe this will be the year. No, I take that back. I know better that I'm really not a "candle person". I'd never bother to burn them.

I do like the look of these candle hurricanes set atop a chest placed in front of the fireplace opening. This particular arrangement seems meant for the winter holidays, but it could easily be replicated with branches and plants from our current season. The starfish and Nantucket baskets lend a seaside touch that can stay all summer.

A low chest or a bench placed in front of the fireplace adds extra seating while the fireplace is not in use. That's a smart use of a temporarily freed-up space.

Or move an entire seating arrangement and treat the front of your fireplace like any other wall in the room. I like this idea a lot for my own home. Since I have such a funky fireplace situation, I do tend to treat it more like a wall. There's a reading chair and floor lamp pushed right up almost against it now.

More often than not, I've taken the easy way out and simply plopped the basket that holds our firewood right into the firebox and called it a day. Expected but (sort of) effective. Decorative (kind of) but not intrusive.

I suppose I could expend a teeny bit more energy and stack the logs sideways in an artful arrangement. And make sure the room surrounding the fireplace is as interesting and colorful as the one below so the hearth is hardly noticed anyway.

Even more ambitious is this firebox packed full of... what? Is that wood? Shingles? Books? Whatever it is, it's a conversation starter for sure. Which is not what I want my fireplace to be. So, intriguing as it is, this won't work for me. (And does anyone else think of spiders when they see this? We have a lot of spiders here. No need to make them feel any more at home than they already do.)

This fireplace below, is, in fact, full of books. Sorry, but there's just something inherently wrong with this. Yes it's edgy and creative and colorful and solves a storage problem perhaps, but it's books in a fireplace! The implication really bothers me. Nope, not going to happen.

Something I have considered is making sure the room itself is so striking, so well put together and full of interesting furnishings and objects, that the fireplace becomes a non-issue. Unlike as we see it in the photo below - smack in the center of our view - I believe the fireplace here might be overlooked entirely by the occupants of this room. Now that's the effect I'm looking for!

The elements of surprise and distraction are definitely at work below. Neutralize the furnishings and windows and hang a big blue sail fish over the mantel. Fireplace? What fireplace?

I'll be working over the next few days to solve my fireplace puzzle. I have a set of small shutters that, with a new paint job, might be just the thing. I also have some wooden boxes, a couple of baskets, and maybe I'll go on the hunt for a faux fern just to see what that looks like. If I come up with anything blog-worthy, I'll show you next week!

In the meantime,

tell me -

What do you do with

your fireplace in the off-season?

Hide it or highlight it?

Say Goodbye to Summer

School may have started and it might feel like fall, but Labor Day Weekend, for most Americans, represents summer's last hurrah. . . last chance to get out and away and into something like this. . .

Whatever you have planned for your "last hurrah", don't forget to keep in mind that this is a holiday meant to honor the hard-working men and women throughout the history of our country who built this nation into one of the world's best and most desired places to live. And remember too that there are many among us who wish to be working hard but are either under-employed or altogether unemployed because of the troubles in our current economy. Count yourself among the lucky if you have the luxury of a job that allows you these three days of leisure before getting back to work again next week. No grumbling allowed come Tuesday morning.