I have always been the person to choose the cozy over the chic.
Oh don't get me wrong, I like to look nice. I like to dress stylishly and classically as best I can, but no one would ever accuse me of being avant-garde.
The same thing applies to my decorating style and the houses that I love. I do not live in a big fancy house. The most modern thing you will find in my house are the stainless steel appliances. I have too much furniture and too many odd corners to ever find myself in a decorating magazine, unless it is called "Real Life Mishmashes"
I have been carrying a 1992 issue of Country Living magazine around for 20 years, since someday, if I can make enough money, I will build this house:
But, I could also build the following houses:
In a word, I like COZY. Modern furniture and design, with all that space and clean lines, makes me nervous. No surprise to you all - I need a little nest of blankets and books, and well, probably a little mess, too!
This week, I was searching on the internet for an outdoor faucet for my potager that would be decorative and found this one:
I spend most of my days trying to make my garden look like it has been there forever. This will help.
But while searching for this faucet, I ran across this:
A wee Hobbit door with our house number on it. Did I buy it? Of course I did! I have not yet decided if it will go outside or be placed somewhere in the house, but I knew I needed it, because it made me so happy. Can you even see there is a wee key off to the right? Perfection. Cozy. Since I want my own hobbit house someday, this seemed like the best of all worlds to tide me over till then. You can buy your own here. These might be what everyone gets for Christmas this year!
In honour of all things cozy, and really, what is cozier than Tolkien's Shire, let's make a summer time drink favoured by the hobbits: The Shire Flower
Ingredients
Oh don't get me wrong, I like to look nice. I like to dress stylishly and classically as best I can, but no one would ever accuse me of being avant-garde.
The same thing applies to my decorating style and the houses that I love. I do not live in a big fancy house. The most modern thing you will find in my house are the stainless steel appliances. I have too much furniture and too many odd corners to ever find myself in a decorating magazine, unless it is called "Real Life Mishmashes"
I have been carrying a 1992 issue of Country Living magazine around for 20 years, since someday, if I can make enough money, I will build this house:
But, I could also build the following houses:
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This week, I was searching on the internet for an outdoor faucet for my potager that would be decorative and found this one:
I spend most of my days trying to make my garden look like it has been there forever. This will help.
But while searching for this faucet, I ran across this:
A wee Hobbit door with our house number on it. Did I buy it? Of course I did! I have not yet decided if it will go outside or be placed somewhere in the house, but I knew I needed it, because it made me so happy. Can you even see there is a wee key off to the right? Perfection. Cozy. Since I want my own hobbit house someday, this seemed like the best of all worlds to tide me over till then. You can buy your own here. These might be what everyone gets for Christmas this year!
In honour of all things cozy, and really, what is cozier than Tolkien's Shire, let's make a summer time drink favoured by the hobbits: The Shire Flower
Shire Flower
Ingredients
- 3 oz. Purity Vodka
- 3/8 oz. Elderflower liqueur
- 3/8 oz. Lemon juice
- 1 bar spoon apricot preserves
Instructions
Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until ice cold. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with small, white flowers.
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| Bottoms up, Baggins! |
There - wasn't that refreshing? What about you? Do you like cozy? Tabs said in her blog the other day that she wants to live in an air stream trailer - I think that's pretty cozy! You will need a couple of Adirondacks out front, Tabs!
Have the most marvelous of Fridays and Stay Safe out there!
That tap is lovely, as are your ideal houses and the hobbit door!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've seen of your house, it looks absolutely fantastic - love your library and kitchen, not to mention your lovely bathroom plants!
I love a bit of cosy, but living in a country with a very hot climate, also love a bit of modern, open-plan.
My ideal house would be a massive Georgian pile with beautiful, bug symmetrical rooms and soaring high ceilings!
Our house in Sydney is an Edwardian terrace with super high ceilings, but lacks the space we would like!
As we will never have a spare million to buy a huge version of our house, we are going to start a big renovation later in the year! EEEk!
that should be 'big' not 'bug'.
ReplyDeleteRuth, I am convinced there is never enough room, especially for a family of 4 who likes shoes! Having said that, I would love a walk-in closet, a mud room and a big workshop for Barry...
DeleteOh, the tap is precious!! We await modelling pics. PS that first house is adorable. I love cozy as well.
ReplyDeleteI love the tap, too - can't wait till it is installed so I am no longer forced to carry my watering can down from beside the house! It hasn't been an issue this year, as Mother Nature has been doing ALL of the watering!
DeleteYes Cozy is the word... I am also nervous with modern... My parents called my house "bric-à-brac" because I love to buy things, including furniture, on flea markets or "antiques" shops... I love heavy curtains in the winter with blankets in comfy chairs and I love cotton plaids with country curtains in the hotter months! I love the first house, but I will say that the fourth picture make me dreaming!
ReplyDeleteHave a fantastic weekend Wendy.
HI Steph - okay - you take the fourth house! Funny - I was just going to talk Barry into going with me to the antique store this morning....I love those little knickknack things with stories as well. Plus, have inherited so much..
DeleteI have a friend, who when she came to my house for the first time said "You have a lot of STUFF." It wasn't a compliment!
I grew up in a house similar to house #4, a white Victorian. A wonderful house that will likely be torn down someday for somebody to put up two new houses in its place :(
ReplyDeleteI love your garden tap!
Hi Abby - I hate to see those old gems torn down hope that doesn't happen to yours! Have a great day!
DeleteIf I have $24.5 million to spare, I would like to buy Kelly Ripa's apartment in Soho. I would feel on vacation everyday. Hope this link works http://www.bittenandbound.com/2013/01/12/kelly-ripa-apartment-for-sale/
ReplyDeleteI'm off now to buy that Lotto ticket.
Holy Toledo - wonder what they bought next...
DeleteGood lick with that! That is quite a mark-up from the original $9M - what an amazing spot!
I think i might be the lone supporter of modernism:)
ReplyDeleteThe house we live in is is around 60 years old,so for me the mix of old with new(modern) is perfect.
I love midcentury modern and danish furniture and also collect chairs(Panton,Eames). I adore clean lines and there are not a lot of nic-nacs here,because they drive me crazy.
Ina - I always admire homes like yours when I visit - I just appear to be incapable of living in one! :-) I start off with clean empty spaces, but then I fill them up with my odds and sods. I love how we are all different - wouldn't it be boring, otherwise?
DeleteIna, I also really like modernism, and my current apartment is quite minimalist.
DeleteYou want to build a Hobbit house, hilarious! I'm like you, I like cozy. I fill up the clean empty spaces, as much as I wish I had them. Funny you posted those miniature doors, I need to buy a new real front door and I'm overwhelmed by choices. Have a great weekend!!
ReplyDeleteI need a new door, too! Let me know what you decide - it We will likely not get ours till the fall - we are still reno-ing the basement, which I hope will be done by fall! There is always something!
DeleteI also love COZY. I am laughing at the picture of the house in the Shire! Crack me up Wendy! The Shire is a magical place and Hobbits "live in a song", of course you belong there and you'll be taller than everyone too.
ReplyDeleteOur house has small rooms but lots of them which is just as I like. I love old Persian rugs and thick silk curtains, lots of textiles on the table as well. Well you know I love fabrics and that extends to clothes as well!
Oh I would be the hit of the Shire, favoured by men who who favoured their women tall and lanky...
DeleteI love persian rugs and thick silk curtains as well! Still need that in my dining room!
A Shire Flower, what a lovely name. I love all of the hosues you'vepicked as you can tell, I keep snaffling them for my interest board!
ReplyDeleteIt is true - I have noticed that we are house hunting together!!! I just need the elderflower liquer!
DeleteCripes, how many typos can I fit in one sentence?
DeleteI didn't even knowtise - heehee!
DeleteI love cozy, but not quite hobbit style! My challenge is to keep cozy from morphing into clutter. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteJennifer - I am always morphing into clutter....
DeleteWell I love my house. I better because forgoing an act of God I will be in it the rest of my life. I am a traditional gal who likes warmth with a bit of cozy ( I do have a mud room). A friend just built and decorated her new house and it is very modern, clean, chic, and not at all cold. She did a great job and although I like, I could not live there. She sketched several drawings and then paid some one to paint them in the colors she wanted...I thought that was interesting. Have a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of her custom-made art- how interesting!!! No acts of God! If you recall - we have established she have to have grandchildren and likely great-grandchildren!
DeleteThe green ranch style is very charming. It suits you. I like cozy too, which is why we have a keeping room in both houses. The hobbit house makes me claustrophobic.
ReplyDeleteBut think how warm the hobbit house would be in winter! ;-) I love a nice keeping room!
DeleteI'm mad for that faucet and plan to try your cocktail recipe. Cheers!--Susan
ReplyDeleteHI Susan! I need to find Elderflower liquer, too! Let me know how you make out! When the faucet it up, will definitely take a look!
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