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!