Sunday, March 29, 2009

A Little Country House

Now, just as much as I love the idea of having a colorful 2 bedroom bungalow in Los Angeles, close to all the action, and just a stones throw from Brangelina, I also dream of having a rambling stone estate with horses and plenty of room (acres) to roam. Let's take a peak, shall we?

I spent 3-years of my adolescent life in a stone house that looked vaguely similar, minus the beautifully elaborate landscaping and dual fireplaces. Perhaps that is why this home caught my attention ... but it was the beauty within that held it.

Beautifully faux finished stone walls give a cocooning warmth upon entry into the front hall, boasting antiques and fresh boxwoods in french concrete urns. Le yum.

With the beautiful white marble floors, you start to understand that this little country house isn't so "little" after all - no, in fact, it's a massive estate with some of the most elegantly decorated rooms I've ever seen. Through the fluted columns, the formal living room calls my name:

And yours, and yours, and yours, and yours ... the list goes on and on. Oh, the parties I could throw in this beautiful home with so much room for all of my friends, their friends, and a few counties, too! We're already here - we might as well take a closer look, right?

Even with the formal feel of this room - it's still comfortable - cozy in it's neutral existence and perfectly appointed with furniture that makes sense. Take for instance that round table and the four armed chairs that back it. Turn those into the table and voila, instant conference seating, table for 4 for a catered Sunday brunch, or even puzzle space - and yes, I would put a puzzle together in this room with no qualms whatsoever.

The french doors lead out onto an expansive tiered stone patio that leads down into impressive and expansive gardens ... but we'll get there in a minute. For now - lets just luxuriate in this space. Ah ...

Now this is a great breakfast room - don't you think? With french doors completely one full wall - allowing access to the beautiful gardens beyond, it's surely a place that morning light would fill with joy and vibrancy. Add one of Scott's famous carrot cake french toast with pecan cream cheese breakfasts - and I think I could spend an entire day in this room alone!
But really - what house, any house, would be complete without a kitchen?

And a gourmet kitchen to boot. Scott would spend hours fumbling through all of the space in this kitchen - planning out the perfect order of all of his pots and pans, separating the copper from the calphalon from the le creuset, until finally he'd move onto the next set of beautiful cabinets! Add to that, amazing calacutta counters and island lighting more beautiful than any I've got saved in my vast collection of inspiration pics - and I'm hooked. But what's this?

A cobalt La Cornue French Range with double ovens ... a mere $41,000 and the absolute Rolls Royce of Kitchen Appliances - and I'm gonna have to bring a roll-a-way into the kitchen for Scott to sleep with it.
But this house has something no country house could ever be without. No, it's not horse stalls, a bowling alley, or 9-bedrooms (though it has those, too!) but an outdoor kitchen ...

A complete awful mess, I know! ;) To be completely honest, this is much more my style than the kitchen inside the house - but with a yard and view like this:
I doubt that I'd be in the indoors too much. Tiered patios and grassy knolls surround the property, and luxurious and perfectly appointed gardens complete the landscape with not a detail to spare. But what's this? In the distance ... a pool? A ... is it? Oh no, it couldn't be!

A PERGOLA! Now, this really is home, isn't it? And not JUST a pergola, no ... it's the outdoor dining room for that fabulous outdoor kitchen (just behind those beautiful french doors)! Oh now this we HAVE to see!

Beautifully manicured stones surround the patio area where seating for: count them - 14! - line up perfectly under the graceful arches of the pergola. Antique street lanterns hang from chains strung through the space adding charm and interest, and the perfect amount of ambient light in the evening hours.

The most perfect place for a quaint family dinner, or an elegant dinner party for 14 (OR MORE) this is my dream pergola. Yes, put me in this space: the kitchen, the pergola, and it's secondary eating area beyond (through the arch) and I'd be in heaven. Garden Heaven! But with gardens like this, who wouldn't be? And with arches and walkways to heighten curiosity buried in every hill and glen on this rambling estate - I say we explore ...

A fountain? Now - there we have it. A formal courtyard and an informal garden ... really, what more could I ask for? Oh - a gardener! Now - that's heaven!

Well I hope that you've all enjoyed yourselves touring this little country house as much as I have. I know I'll be seeing you back here for many of the fabulous dinner parties that I will hold, as soon as I can tempt the billionaire owner to trade for a craftsman bungalow in Niagara Falls. Until that happens - you'll find me reading and drinking wine by the fire in this cozy outdoor den ... ta-ta!

20 comments:

  1. I could really live there and be really happy. Love it. Thanks for the dream. Hugs, Marty

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  2. i am just drooling over all these pictures! my goodness, it is beautiful!

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  3. Fabulous Artie! What amazes me about these kinds of homes is that I dobt very much cooking is actually done by the homeowner...
    Ah, the perks of wealth! ;-) Bo

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  4. Where do you find all these amazing places to show us? This house is beautiful!!!!!!!

    Justine :o )

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  5. Oh Artie, You really caught my attention with this one. And horses to boot!!!!!!!

    'D'

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  6. That range!! Oh yeah, you found a great home.

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  7. Beautiful stone home, Artie. It would be a dream come true, if J and I could find a stone home in the Ozarks. Of course, it wouldn't be as grand as this one. It would be a cottage, in which we could spend our "golden years".

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  8. Wow! What a beautiful house...love the outdoor spaces! In a perfect world I would have several different homes to suit all my decorating moods!

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  9. I'm obsessed with that range, it is so beautiful! But with that price tag I'll have to settle for looking at pretty pictures rather than owning one :(

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  10. The photos ~ oh the photos! Wonderful ... but it's your descriptions/words that make this post so outstanding. I love the way you think and write. Carrot cake French toast? May we have the recipe please, Mr. Scott?

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  11. Artie, love all these wonderful homes you show us. People like us have to live in fantasy homes in order to keep from going totally nuts! Also, thanks for coming over and commenting on my blog. Much appreciated!

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  12. You are soooo right. The marvelous parties you could throw here!! Just imagine!

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  13. Gorgeous home...er...estate. I guess we can all dream a bit...

    Tricia - Avolli

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  14. how'd you get pictures of my courtyard?????
    hehe

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  15. Could I just work there and take care of the yard!

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  16. This is a beautiful home! I so could see myself by the pool with my favorite beverage. The courtyard is fabulous for entertaining!

    Thanks!

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  17. Oh yes, I think I could be pretty comfortable here! (You're right though, I would need house keepers and gardeners). Sigh, it was a lovely dream. laurie

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  18. Oh My Gosh Artie, you have found my absolute dream home! I could move in tomorrow. No make that tonight! Kudos to you Artie for finding such a wonderful post. I hope my blue dot from The Enquirer works - I bought a powerball - if I win I will invite you all over to work a puzzle in that room! ~ Robyn

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  19. Hi -- this is Sheila Johnson's home in Middleburg, VA. She owns the Washington Mystics women's basketball team. She's also a partner in the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards. Her Salamander Hospitality company is building resorts in several areas, including Middleburg. She and former husband Robert Johnson were founders of Black Entertainment Television, which they sold to Viacom in 1997. We did a feature on her home in 2007:

    http://www.washingtonspaces.com/2007/4/articles/the-making-of-a-masterpiece

    -- Jennifer Sergent/ Washington Spaces Magazine

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