time for a house tour, this is our house in new england, connecticut coastal woodland. i've been slowly puttering and decorating and gardening since we moved in 5 years ago. this is our most traditional house so far, which i found challenging in a completely new way. i love to mix the old and the new and i am pleased it's finally coming together.
our prior house, on the west coast, was modern and colorful, overlooking san francisco bay and the golden gate. this one is opposite house in so many ways. coasts, style, setting, a more grown-up house since the kids are now teens. it's good to have new challenges, different problems to solve. when decorating, i like to work slow because it is more affordable, and i think you get a better result if you collect things over time. i am always rearranging things, revising, improving little by little. this allows me to take advantage of great finds when i travel or happen upon a great deal. understand the space and light a bit better. my favorite things about this house are the five fireplaces. not much use in the summer i'm afraid, but i so love having them the rest of the year. i always dreamed of having a dining room with a fireplace, and that one came true in this house. it turns out this particular fireplace puts out way way too much heat to dine comfortably, and if you sit by the fireplace with the fire roaring, you quickly feel a prickly heat and a sudden fear you might be roasting to death. (if you look closely in the dining room picture you can see one side of the table is practically in the fireplace.) a smaller fireplace or a bigger dining room would might solve the problem, maybe in the next house. my best advice on decorating is take it slow, don't rush in, live with the space a while.
