Outside Living Spaces

I've been hunting around for inspiration for our back patio area in Florida.  These images from Better Homes and Gardens, are a great starting point.  Our home in New York has a traditional style back porch, complete with swing...it's one of my favorite spaces in the whole house, even though we only get to use it a few months out of the year. I'll try to snap some pics of this space and post them here  this week.  For our Florida home, I want to do something entirely different than New York, and because it's a vacation house, the outdoor furniture needs to be very low maintenance. All I need is that one image to get started, it might be as simple as the furniture layout, or in this case, the idea of using drapes or matchstick blinds as an added way of shading out some of that hot, southern Florida sun.

Scenes From Our Vacation House

 

School's officially out for summer around here.  Last week, we thought we would keep our three kids busy and possibly tire them out a bit with some tropical sun and surf by taking a quick trip down to Florida.  Of course, my children have more energy than ever with all that fresh air. One cancelled flight odyssey back to New York, this past weekend, has left Mr. Zhush and I completely exhausted.  I did manage to take a few pictures of the progress on our home, although truthfully not much was done this trip.  While artwork and light fixtures still wait in boxes for installation, I'm happy that our new navy drapes with white Greek key trim (see below) were installed.  This all white, extra tall room really needed some color and I think these new window treatments really helped to define the style of this space.  Hopefully, the next time we head down, I'll have a lot more to show...I'm especially interested in tackling some of our outdoor spaces now, since that's really what a vacation home in Florida is all about.

Monday's P.O.P.

purple predicament

Image via: Fauxology

Minor Obsessions

book | Supergoop sunscreen mist | sunglasses | tote | towel

Last weekend, I was able to sneak in a little rest and relaxation at the beach, and I'm hoping to repeat that same magic and escape to the sandy shores again tomorrow.  In fact, my beach bag is already packed with my essentials...an easy read, (I'm only on page 10 of Revenge Wears Prada, but so far, not bad) some big stylish shades, a great sunscreen (obsessed with this stuff!) and some soft, bright towels. (Of course it helps if Mr. Zhush is willing to schlep a beach chair and an umbrella:)

So Chic In So Cal

Thanks to my trusty DVR, I'm finally all caught up on Mad Men.  The episode where Don goes to California was so sixties, hippie chic and completely reignited my left coast envy. Viewing the laid back stylish "Golden State" interiors of Schulyer Sampterton have sent this envy straight into overdrive.  My house, not to mention my life could use a big dose of laid-back-California-cool. I completely dig this whole vibe...(man).