A Rainy Day in Southwest Florida

Rainy and cloudy days are really very rare here in Southwest Florida.  Although I do love all of the sunshine and warm weather, there is something to be said about a lazy, rainy day.  This is a photo of Louie lying on top of his favorite pillow and enjoying the quiet day.  To me, this photograph looks very painting-like and captures the mood of the day.

A House of Many Pages

I love books.  I love the look of them, the smell of them and the feel of them.  There are hundreds and hundreds of books in the House.  And although many are used as props and decorative items, the vast majority of them have been read and enjoyed.  Here are just a few photos of the many books we have and how we use them.

The second to last photo is a book signed by the interior decorator Mary McDonald.  We went to hear her speak a couple of weeks ago and got the book signed then.  If you do not know her, look her up.  And watch the second season of her show, Million Dollar Decorators, on Bravo this summer.  She is fantastic!  It really is the only television I watch.



An Office of Gray in a House of White

These are photographs of the Gray Office that is located right off of the Living Room.  It was used as a small bedroom by the previous owners.  We cut out the large doorway from a solid wall.  Bobby added the gorgeous trim work and the pair of french doors.  Although small, this room makes quite an impact when you walk into the Living Room.  I love how Richard decorated this room!

From the top: Two views of the Office through the added doorway.  The doorway seen in the second photo in the back of the room leads to the lanai and pool.  The walls are paneled and hung with black and white photographs and drawings. The armchair and ottoman are by Ralph Lauren and although quite beautiful, to be honest, are not that comfortable.  The boys found the glass topped desk at a consignment shop and it really is fantastic!  The last photo is a detail of the woodwork Bobby added to the room.  The house was truly just a plain concrete block before Bobby got his extremely talented hands on it.

 Boar's Head in the Bedroom

 

 

This photo was taken in my bedroom several months ago and for some reason I just love it. To me it is atmospheric, haunting and beautiful.  To each their own, right?  There are a number of taxidermy pieces in the House and one day I will post a series of them.  Until then, I decided to give this photo it's own post.   

Lakeview Painting in the Great Room

This is a painting that I did rather recently and that hangs in the Great Room of the House.  We tend to hang artwork Salon style, which means hanging artwork floor to ceiling in a room.  This way of displaying art was made popular in the Paris Salon Exhibitions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

I love the colors in this painting, especially the orange, and one day will probably reframe it in a thicker frame than what you see here. Not sure why, other than I think it could handle it.

Lakeview Painting

The oil on canvas painting measures 24"W X 36"H.  In the custom black and gold wood frame the piece measures 29"W X 41"H.  Pricing and shipping information is available upon request.



An Easter of Flowers at the House

We enjoy entertaining, especially at the holidays, and spending time with those we care about and eating way too much food.  The House tends to fill up with flowers on these occassions that our way too generous guests bring with them.  Above are just a few examples of what we received yesterday.

From the top: A gorgeous potted plant takes the place of a silver bowl that was shown in the Silver Bowl post below.  White orchids are our favorite! This one sits on the Kitchen counter behind a few cookies left over from the Easter feast.  Next is a photo of just some of the desserts we served yesterday among a few bouquets.  A shot of a corner of the Living Room shows another white orchid and the above mentioned potted plant.  Matt and his family brought a beautiful potted gardenia.  When I went out to take a photo of it, a butterfly just happened to land on it near a bloom.  The next photo shows one more white orchid.  This one though has been in the House since last Thanksgiving.  It still looks as fresh as it did the day it arrived.  It is amazing and I love it!!  The last photo is of one of the four cats who live here with us.  This is Fred.  He is sitting on the table next to the Thanksgiving orchid.  I could not resist including him.