If I could stretch my living room

view toward the entryway of my house

I have thought that my formal living room was oddly small since I bought this house. The heyday of the "parlor" is long gone and many suburbanites use the formal room as a giant toybox...gasp. Personally, I love formal spaces and entertaining in them.

Bombe chest flanked by equal windows

Before I show you my desired design let me show you what exists.

view into the dining room

This is the view into the dining room when standing in the center of the room. The pair of Brno chairs are now in my family room.

The dining room is decidedly masculine and completely traditional and I wanted the adjoining living room to be a bride to its groom, so to speak. 

stool from Target recovered with Le Lac in the foreground

I should mention that I prefer furniture to "float" in a room but this room is too small to float the 72" Sheraton sofa.

Here is the current floorplan.

If I just could s-t-r-e-t-c-h it a few feet in each direction...

I could have two Sheraton sofas facing each other, a favorite set up of mine.

Between them would be this coffee table.

I would add a fireplace and keep the mantelpiece fairly simple.

Over the mantel, since I am dreaming, would be a Sally King Benedict painting like this.

Over in the corner would be my Bombe chest acting as a bar.

 Think this.

or this.

My stretched living room is a far cry from its current sate.
Anyone have a magic wand handy?

Decorating infidelity

My dining room

I "finished" my dining room last April and was thrilled with the masculine, moody, and English country house feel.

view from the living room

 

About twelve minutes later, I saw this and wondered if I had done something horribly wrong.

Meg Braff

I'd love something this sunny and happy.

I chided myself for not doing something a bit more creative and sassy.

I missed out on a great opportunity for wallpaper and Chinoiserie heaven.

Bunny Williams

The truth is that the sunny, happy rooms are wonderful but I am far more drawn to this über-trad look. My dining room is mostly used at night and the chocolate brown walls and twinkly, antique chandelier lends itself to a cozy dinner party.

I have to remind myself that Christmas in Virginia would not look right in a white and coral, West Palm Beach looking space. I still occasionally want to stray.

Do you fantasize about cheating on your decorating style?

Bringing the beach inside--literally

When I saw this cover of Elle Decor's Special Issue I thought the photo must be of a party shack set up for a celebrity fete.

It is in fact a retreat in the coastal, Portuguese town of Comporta. What struck me most was not the trendy slipcovers or vernacular construction of the building, but the floors.

I shuddered at the practicality of such a thing. Many years of beach vacations with sand in places that it did not belong worried me.

But it charmed me too.

I suppose the slipcovers would be easy enough to shake out and a stray crumb would be less noticeable.

The cottage is in fact quite high tech. The floors are heated and all fittings quite modern amongst the charm of a traditional fishing hut.

It seems like the ultimate in casual living, which is what a vacation should be.

I felt much better knowing that the floors of the bedroom are a different material.

Fantasy spaces

This is the time of year that many of us make and fill wishlists. I thought a post on a wishlist of rooms or fantasy spaces would be a fun diversion.

I start with a dressing room.

It is adjacent to this bedroom--at least it is in my head.

 The view is my basis for choosing it.

And for the kids...

It only needs a sliding board.

My "mom cave" is a gloomy library like this.

The door in the shelves is my favorite part.

I might add a Christmas tree to cheer it up a bit.

The living room has a view too.

 Don't mind the geographic anomaly amongst the views!

Fancy a snack?

Indoor or outdoor dining?

And one more place to relax...

Well there it is, a bizarre collection of really cool spaces.

Which is your favorite?

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for give away details! 

In the mean time, check out these great holiday giveaways.

All yours for the modest sum of...

5,250,000 Pounds or $8,286,075.00

This English Lake District property description reads...

A fine Lakeland country estate enjoying a dramatic setting to the South Eastern shore of Lake Windermere, believed to date to the 1400's and which has remained in the same family since 1804. The estate is set in approximately 105.4 acres with 707 yards of lake frontage.

Loving the pink living room

I only wish there were more pictures of the interiors which must be fascinating. Too bad I don't have around 10 million to spend just now.

Do you ever fantasy home search?