Kitchen vignette

Hi! I've been light on posts lately because I've been spending a lot of time away from my computer. Ahhh, it feels nice. I'll be posting lots of fun pictures soon - before and after shots of projects and scenes from around my house.

But not yet! Here's a vignette to enjoy while you wait.

(Tom Scheerer)

Have a good Wednesday!

Connecticut farmhouse, Round 2

Marc and I spent the long weekend in Connecticut and NYC. On our way back to Boston, we drove through Newtown, which is something I've been wanting to do since I discovered this farmhouse during my Trulia searches.

For as long as I can remember, I've had a thing for old houses. I grew up in Colorado, so "old" to me was 1940. I thought I was looking at a typo the first time I saw a house listed with a date from the 1700s ... how can something so old still be standing? And people living in it? Amazing. Lucky for me, New England is filled with old homes.

So, back to Newtown. We entered the address of the original farmhouse into our GPS, which gave us the opportunity to see a neighborhood with houses in our range (size and price). This type of exercise is mostly fantasy. We have no idea where we'll actually move to when Marc's residency is done. But it's fun to dream, especially when the setting is this beautiful.

When we were back in Boston, I continued my Newtown house tour online. This is my new current favorite: 1 Jeremiah Road.

The house is filled with things that make my heart flutter, like the vaulted ceilings in the kitchen

with wooden beams, of course.

The wooden door is amazing. I wonder if it's a main entrance?

I think the house would lend itself very well to a Tom Scheerer type of decor. Everything is so cozy and small-proportioned. Except for the fireplaces - nothing small about those.

But really ... I could see a room like the one above, and like the dining room below,

filled with comfortable furniture like this Tom Scheerer living room.

One of the things I like about Tom Scheerer is that he doesn't fill old houses with old things. In the next picture, for example, the coffee table and side table keep the room from feeling like a museum. And those lamps!

The real estate websites only show one of the four bedrooms in the house

and two of the four fireplaces.

It's an eyesore now, but I love to stare at every detail and imagine how I would change it.

If you're still with me, things are about to get more fun. That's because this house has a party barn!!

The barn is a "rare find," featuring a stone fireplace and plenty of space.

I imagine it being used as a three-season gathering spot, with a long rustic table and mismatched chairs that can fit more people than the small proportioned house probably can. The fireplace looks big enough to keep the barn warm even on a crisp fall night. Mmm, when my daydreams take a turn like this, I never want to wake up.

I see a pattern here

I really can't stop looking at pictures of rooms with dominant patterns. Like this couch -

and the curtains in this kitchen. Is this kitchen practical at all?

The answer is probably no. One chair, marble counters, no cupboards, etc. etc. etc. At least there's a dishwasher! And a pitcher that holds some very pretty lavender (Is that what it is? My flora-identifying skills are very limited. If it wasn't on my Laura Ashley wallpaper growing up, I probably don't know what it is. So basically, the only flower I can point out with confidence is a rose.).

The next picture is from a house on Nantucket. The patterned wallpaper is so pretty, especially with the thin wood trim accents. It's like giant delicate picture frames around each wall.

(Tom Scheerer)

The Dec. 2009 issue of Country Living magazine featured a house that had the same wallpaper (Waverly's Gramercy) in every room, but in different colors. For a small house, I think that's a great idea. It gives it a sense of continuity, but each room is still different. Here's the family room, which has the wallpaper in brown.

(Country Living, Dec. 2009)

And, on a smaller scale, one chair upholstered in a patterned fabric pops against a white wall.

And finally, here's a photo that I snagged from Katy Elliot (who credits The City Sage).

There's been an awful lot of pattern activity on Filed For Later, lately. Maybe it's time to cleanse the palate with some solids ... or maybe not ;-)

Hand-blocked fabrics

Hand-blocked fabrics stop me in my tracks every time. Not the heavy, densely patterned variety. I'm drawn to patterns that are simple on a grand scale, but if you look closely, you notice tiny detail after tiny detail.

Like this bed, for instance:

(TomScheerer.com)

I love the grand scale of the print, and what appears to be a chenille fabric on top of the canopy.

And here's a pattern that's similar in scale, but as a duvet cover. Isn't that headboard beautiful?

(House Beautiful, August 2008)

I'm equally as drawn to this next room, which has a similar style print, but in a smaller scale.

(House Beautiful, March 2009)

And, even though this cover is everywhere these days (mostly because it's one of the only decor magazines left), I feel compelled to include this picture because look at the printed fabric hanging over the railing and on the pillow!

I love the purples, blues and browns, which is evident if you see my living room. Someday soon, when my sewing machine stops humming, I will post pictures.

John Robshaw is behind most, if not all (I don't have sources for all the pictures), of the patterns above. I can't afford J.R.! Enter: Saffron Marigold, where patterns like this

and this

and this

give you the Robshaw feel but at a much lower price. A queen bedspread is under $70! My current favorite print is the first one listed above, called Lavender Dreams. Here are a couple of closer looks:

A duvet cover would be lovely, but I'd also like to see it made into long curtains, layered on top of blackout fabric so the pattern pops even when the sun is streaming through the windows.

More Tom Scheerer

What can I say, it's hard to choose favorites from Tom Scheerer's portfolio.

This bedroom is my new favorite:

And this just might be the family room of my dreams:

I would like to have Tom looking over my shoulder and whispering "yes" or "no" the next time I'm picking furniture.

Patterned sofa done right

So many things to like about this room:

(Tom Scheerer)

Let me list them:

1) The printed couch
2) The matching printed chair
3) The matching printed upholstered bench.
* who knew so many pieces covered with the same fabric could look so fresh?
4) The periwinkle throw
5) The subtle texture of the carpet
6) The subtle texture of the walls
7) The fireplace
8) The blue pillows

What I want to know is, which element came first? It all comes together so nicely, it's hard to imagine the room with anything missing.

What's your favorite part of this room? Do you have a new outlook on patterned sofas now? I know I do.