An Inspired House

Sorry for the delay on this post – my youngest came down with the flu (Dr. says most likely it’s the Swine), and Strep throat. Needless to say, I’ve been wielding the disinfectant spray and hand sanitizer! The house smells like Lysol. She’s much better now, and the flu was not as scary as anticipated.

Anyhow, in my last post, I mentioned that my friend Katy stayed in Suzanne Kasler’s old beach home. Well, she came back from that trip so decor inspired, that her own home got a refreshing makeover! Katy has always had a great sense of style – leaning more toward Mountain/Western/Rustic. She was ready for a change, though, and look at what she did! I don’t have before pics, but the believe me, the befores were also very beautiful. These rooms below are the living and dining rooms.

As you enter the home, you turn left, and are greeted by the sunken living room. We actually sit in here when we come over. When does anyone use their living room? We do, because this room is too pretty to not be used!

Here is the other side – I love her zebra throw. The photos of the beach were taken with her point and shoot! There was no photoshopping involved. The beach really looks like that in Carillon!

View of the room from the dining room. She’s decorated for fall – see the pumpkins in her wicker tray?

I love her blue chairs. They are comfy as well.

The dining room is beyond the living room. See the copper pot in the corner? It’s very functional - it houses some weights for when the family is in the mood to do some exercising! (She’ll probably wonder why I even wrote that, but I think it’s perfect to store the weights there.)

A better view of the room. Katy’s husband is an avid fly fisherman. The print above the buffet is for him. I think it’s fun and unexpected.

The other side of the dining room: I love the hammered tin shelf. You can’t tell in the photo, but it and the clock are very big pieces.

Little details are scattered throughout her home. Seashells and votives (which do get lit), sit in this little basket.

This little curio sits in the hallway. I love the little white pumpkins. I had to get this shot, because her silver J.Crew flipflops look like they were put there on purpose for these photos. Nope, she just happened to throw them off right there!

And, of course, I have another beach inspired painting:

Aqua Beach is on Etsy. Click here to view.

Hope you enjoyed this little tour of a portion of my friend’s home. I know I always love going over there to see the new things she’s done! Thanks Katy for letting me show the everyone your home!

Suzanne Kasler’s (ex) Beach House

In a previous post, I showed you some beach homes in Carillon Beach. One of those homes was a beautiful home once owned by designer Suzanne Kasler. The home is called Casa Blanca I. There is a guest house called Casa Blanca II. During our vacation in Carillon, my husband and I would jog by the Casa Blancas and I was tempted several times to just run up to the porch and peek into the home. (ala Joni style :)) But alas, seeing as how it was a small neighborhood, and I am not that bold, and was afraid of getting caught and embarrassing myself, I did not peek in.

However, our friends we vacationed with had the opportunity to rent Casa Blanca I a couple of years ago when Ms. Kassler owned it. Below are some photos that were sent to them from the home’s management office. (I’m sorry, but I don’t have the photographer’s name to credit.)

The home was featured in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles magazine in 2007. You can read it by clicking here. The images I have are a little different than the styled home in the magazine article, but beautiful just the same.

This is the entry to the home. It is on the side of the home. It sets the tone for the light, airy feeling.

As you enter through the side, there is a powder room. I love the aqua colored glass sink!

Through the entry is the kitchen and dining area. I have 2 photos. The first may have been taken during the Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine shoot. I love the pops of color in the lampshades in this one. The second is the unstyled home:

Through the kitchen is the great room:

The other side of the room. I love the prints on the wall that again add that pop of color!

Upstairs are the bedrooms. The loft area:

The guest room:

The guest bath:

Master bedroom:

Master bath:

It was a great vacation for my friend. Although it was a bit stressful having 2 young boys in the beautiful home, she gained a ton of inspiration from living in this home for a week. In a few days I will show you some images from my friend’s Kassler inspired home.

I painted this painting shortly after our trip. "Ocean Abstracted" is now on Etsy. Click here to view.

Poppy Sea

The leaves are beginning to change colors. The fall colors - yellows, oranges, rusts, purples....I love them all when they are bright! I'm not done with the ocean, though. I've been working on some paintings that depict the relationship between land and sea.

Poppy Sea on Etsy. Click here to view.

Oh, that skunk smell from the other day? - gone! I did end up baking that apple crisp, though! Yum!

I have some images of homes I will show you soon, I just need to convert them into the right format. For now, though, I have to run - I have to volunteer at the kids' school.

The Smell of Fall

This morning, we awoke to that smell. That same smell that makes everyone hold their noses and say peeeeeeewwwww! .....Skunk! After making sure a skunk did not somehow make its way into our house, or was still hanging out in our yard, I got on the trusty internet to find solutions to get rid of that smell.

My youngest suggested all of us taking a bath in tomato juice. (Does that actually work when one is sprayed?) Thankfully this was not a solution we needed to test out.

One suggestion on the net that sounded easy was to put cinnamon in a pan and put it in the oven for an hour. So, as I write, I smell the wonderful smell that epitomizes fall for me. I am forced into thinking about fall. I don't mind, actually, it is my favorite time of the year.

This solution is working, for now anyway. Hmmm, it's actually making me want to bake an apple crisp!

"Familia Poppy" on Etsy. Click here to view.

Over-caffeinated

This morning, my sweet husband accidently ordered me a half-caf at Starbucks. He forgot I only drink decaf now, so I was extremely hyped up for most of today! Maybe it was a good thing, because it helped me get some work done. I will show you a new painting series I've been working on...soon. (hint: look at the picture :) )