ah

so many lovely shapes within this gem.

i love the multiple plaster medallions and the beautifully aged furniture.

oh - floor boards!

james plumb via apartment therapy

escapist.

i fantasize about buying an old airstream and parking in the forest with my honey and my frenchie. a quick trip to craigslist and reality sets in - airstreams are redonculously expensive.

so, periodically i think about buying one of these:

(i have no idea why that woman is posing with the camper or why she thought that would help sell her camper on craigslist.)

and turning it into this:
via stencil library

amazing what a romantic photo can do.

napping outside

i think this is from apartment therapy. i've been holding onto it for a long time.

dreaming

found via a google image search

via sam's notebook

via vintage simple
(i admit, i'd ruin the lines and put a cabinet under the sink)
i love the idea of a farm house sink instead of the standard double sink.
finding one that is plumbed for two faucets will be a miracle.
via the design notebook

completely impractical, but so pretty.
via sam's notebook

and for a practical choice:

this bathroom has almost exactly the same layout as ours
from vintage simple

i love the old mirror and the bead board.
i prefer a clawfoot tub and they are frequently on craigslist
for $125-150 - far less than a new tub costs.
and though pedestal sinks are pretty, i find them too impractical
in an old house where every inch of storage is a cherished feature.

i will not horrify anyone who actually reads this blog with a picture of my bathroom as it stands now. i think the staircase may have caused someone to jab out their eyes with a hat pin (i was tempted when i saw that picture again).

i will take two

unfortunately for me, it is one of a kind.

made from reclaimed wood by gursan ergil design

raw

there's something so lovely about this bare bones kitchen. so little fuss, utilitarian, open, honest. i love the bottom of the sink peeking out from between the baskets in the second image.

the island in this kitchen is strikingly beautiful... uneven, raw old wood, smooth with age...

we have wooden counter tops in our house (and subway tile). i hope someday my counters look this good, echoing of a thousand good meals and a lifetime of laughing in the kitchen...

all images via sanctuary

delicious!

awesome octopus by designer thomas paul
via designs sponge

chalk

anthropologie

so much to love

via abundance

calm and pretty

via design sponge

more stairs, mostly wood

via this old house

perhaps if they were not so steep and had some kind of railing on the other side...
via apartment therapy

obviously needs some sort of handrail...

totally wrong for my house, but really cool.

these two via apartment therapy

i'm seriously considering just taking the stairs out and putting in a ladder at this point.
who knew you could have so much heartache over a set of stairs?
i guess all the people who have owned our house in the last thirty years - which is why this monstrosity was left in our living room (that and they had terrible taste):
the room itself looks nothing like this now: we've torn out all the carpet; refinished and repaired the hardwood floors; replaced the door at the bottom of the stairs; painted, painted, painted... with oriental carpets, reasonable furniture and linen drapes it's beautiful now, except for this monstrosity in the middle of the living room.

stairs

via flickr

via apartment therapy