Dream Spaces by Loi Thai

Today we want to welcome our friend Loi Thai, from the fabulous store and blog Tone on Tone. Bethany and I had the pleasure of visiting him at his exquisite store in Bethesda, Maryland this past year, and we were blown away by how beautifully curated and tasteful his store is.  As you can see by his pictures, he has phenomenal taste and his home is pure perfection.  He is an avid gardner, along with his partner Tom, and their two pooches, Mocha and Panda.  You will never meet a nicer, more kind, sweet and generous person than Loi. He brings so much light, quality and positive energy to our blogsphere.

Many thanks for inviting me to guest post about my dream house. I'm so honored to be here!!! :)

My partner, Tom, and I have been thinking about a second home. We'd love a cottage in the mountains or up in New England (Maine), where the summers are cool and comfy. Ideally this dream cottage would be small, simple and have only one floor. There would be a central open room and a couple of bedrooms neatly tucked to the sides. That's it!

Here is a sketch I drew up:

 My dream cottage would be a simple and symmetrical rectangular box. There would be a front vestibule entry and a veranda in the rear. The center room would have super high ceilings.

 

 The dining area (right side upon entry) would have a trestle table with French Tolix metal cafe chairs. Above and below photos via Pinterest.

 I love the above trestle table from Crate and Barrel. It would look great with 4 Tolix chairs on the sides.

 To soften the dining area, I'd use a pair of skirted Lee chairs. When not in use at the ends of the table, I'd placed them on either side of this antique Swedish sideboard from my shop.

 In the living area, this Morandi painting would hang above an antique American mantel.

 This slipcovered Lee sofa would anchor the sitting area. I'd splurge on two pillows in Jaipur from Raoul Textiles for George Smith. The coffee table is from Hickory Chair.

 Behind the sofa would be this antique Swedish table (above) with a basket tucked underneath.

 On the right side of the living area would be this antique Swedish secretary.

 I'd place this antique Swedish clock on the left side of the living area.

 Simple sisal rugs would be used.

 A beautiful painting from Stanley Bielen and antique pottery jugs would complete my dream cottage!

Thanks, again, for having me, Nancy and Bethany!  ~ Loi

Thanks Loi, for being our house guest! I love your house plans and your simple and elegant taste. Don't forget to check out his blog Tone on Tone!
We'd move in with you but I don't think you have room for  2 bulldogs, a Shih Tzu and a Golden Retriever, although Panda and Mocha probably wouldn't mind!

Nancy and Bethany

Dream Spaces House Guest

Today we'd love to welcome our friend Rene, from Cottage and Vine!

Rene is a designer, DIY'er, Etsy shop owner and sweet, talented mother of two boys.  When asked what her favorite spaces are, she set her heart to dreaming, like we all do. Here's her lovely, cozy and stylish dream space:

If I did have a dream home, it might look something like this.

The exterior:

Foyer and stairs:

Dining room:

Kitchen:

Living room:

bedroom

bathroom

patio

It's always fun to dream isn't it?   Rene

Yes, it is-it's what we do! Dream and make those dreams come true as best we can! Thanks Rene for sharing this with us.  Go visit her at Cottage and Vine!

Nancy

Powell Brower Interiors specializes in making your house a home.  Our favorite accessories are furry feet and a well-lived life.  We offer both e-Design services (virtual) and complete interior design services for clients in the DC, MD and VA areas. We'd love to work with you, so contact us today!

Dream Space Series : Because It's Awesome!

Today we have the awesome Tobe Reed from Because It's Awesome. She is weighing in on her favorite looks for us in her dream home.  We all love Tobe's good taste, spunky personality and wonderful ideas on decorating, fashion, lifestyles, events, and all things fun and fabulous. Hop on over and check out her blog.

Hello! Tobe from Because It's Awesome here talking dream homes. No easy feat for a girl that's attracted to every decor style under the sun, but we'll give it a shot! When I take the time to really think about it, I really have a thing for quaint California Spanish-style bungalows, so that's where we're going today.

You know it's going to be crisp, comfortable and casual from the moment you walk in.

 Vogue

Cozy colorful living room.

Matchbook Magazine

Nails kitchen.

(Don't worry; we're changing out the granite soon.)

St. Louis Homes Mag

Dreamy master bedroom.

 Traditional Home

Secured the dream master bath, naturally.

via The Style Encyclopedia

Where we'd entertain:

Dining room with maja drama.

 Grant K Gibson

Cocktails (or tea . . . booooring) in the sun room.

Elle Decor

Saturday brunches and late night dinners on the patio.

Elle Decor

We'd DEFINITELY be sportin one of these.

Woodlands Lifestyles & Homes

And even though I love the neighbors dearly, you'll have to take the bridge to their place.

Architectural Digest

Thanks for having me, Nancy and Bethany! ox

And thank you Tobe for visiting with us!  We love your dreams!

-Nancy & Bethany

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Dream Spaces by The Zhush

                                       by Sue DeChiara of the fantastic blog and shop:

Before we started this blog I had never used the word"zhush" and now we can all credit Sue with a word we see frequently as we peruse design blogs and fix up zhush our homes!
Here is her Dream Space and all her Dream Rooms, some of which she already owns!

Hi! I'm Sue from The Zhush and zhush.com. Dream home series are always a lot of fun to write, since anyone that blogs about interiors all day is always doing a bit of wishful thinking.  As to where this house would be located...it would not be too far from where we already live in Westchester County, New York.  I'd venture five minutes outside our state into Fairfield County, Connecticut. I love New England architecture. A classic shingle style house like this one designed by Brooks and Falotico would really suit me just fine!

As far as kitchens go, I'm very partial to all white ones. Pheobe Howard always gets them just right, like this here. To. die. for.

As far as living rooms go, given how new ours still is, I'm still pretty partial to it. Lauren Muse helped us achieve the right mix, I'd like to think I could take it with us wherever we go. The same holds true for our Master Bath, seen below.

As far as the Master Bedroom goes, I fell head over heels for Marlien Rentmeester's entire home, but it was this room that really stole my heart.

Finally, some added features that I'd love to have in my own home one day would be a real library with a ladder, amazing herringbone floors and a grand entry/foyer. Thanks for having me over, hope you all enjoyed my dream home day dream!

Thanks so much Sue for sharing your good taste! Your living room and master bath are so beautifully designed.  I would want to take it with me as well!

Have a great week friends,

Nancy and Bethany

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