Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Romancing The Home

Okay, so I picked up the January 2011 issue of The World of Interiors tonight, and I happen stumble upon an absolutely dreamy cabin.  (I must warn you...In an attempt to make you, my readers, the first to see the images below, I was forced to shoot them with my iPhone.  There's a random finger and thumb down there, but hey...you saw it here first!)
No, the cabin is not the project on the cover, and it has nothing to do with Le Corbusier.  Think 1930's cattle ranch in Kenya shaded by pepper and olive trees.  Think big game trophies, English antiques and heirloom silver.  Ernest Hemingway is your neighbor and Brooke Astor is a frequent dinner guest when she's in town.
What I love about this project is the sense of romance.  This ranch has been continuously owned (thought not always operating) by the same family since it was built in the 1930's.  There are pieces of furniture that have been with the home from the beginning and some that were brought in more recently.  Everything adds to the history; nothing is haphazard.  Owned by a British gentleman, the comfortable interiors hint at Edwardian manor houses of late 19th century England.  You expect to see a butler and a couple of footmen milling about.  There's a hint of formality and a lot of ruggedness.  Exactly what a weekend cabin should be!

The dining room.  You can imagine the ladies in their gowns, the men in black ties and the candles flickering...everyone's laughing...even louder than the hyenas laughing outside.  
(Gosh, that's a great looking thumb.  I should have been a finger model.)
There are aspects of this project that I love...the antiques, the rustic luxury, the history.  And others that I don't...the 70's-esque paneling and the threat of being eaten by a lion every night.  These shelter magazine editors really know how to....

(Enter butler)  

Oh, excuse me.  Mr. Hemingway is waiting outside to whisk me away on another big game hunt.  

You'll excuse me if I don't show you out.  

Until next time!  

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

Cabin Fever


My partner and I have a dream of owning a cabin in the woods.  Something simple yet grande, cozy yet breathtaking.  Just a place to go on weekends and holidays to get away from it all.  As avid collectors of all things antique (hence the "leftovers"), we often find ourselves making purchases and justifying them by saying things like, "Oh, this will be perfect for the cabin," or "We should get this now, who knows if it will still be here when we get the cabin."  It's sick, I know, but we're very devoted dreamers.


Over the years, there have been many crude attempts at floor plans...some drawn on napkins over brunch and some in AutoCad.  There have been quaint cottage style cabins, and grande Edwardian style manor house cabins.  Always there are disagreements and always the drawings get tossed aside for the next plan.  This cabin quest has become such a recurring theme in our lives that we've decided to start a blog to document the process.  The drawings, the inspirations and the collecting.  All will be documented for the world to see.  Who knows, maybe this cabin will never actually come to fruition, but throughout this blogging adventure we hope to chronicle our journey with the goal of one day sharing the glow of the first crackling fire with all of our friends and followers.

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