{a cottage dreams are made of}

{sandra foster's victorian gingerbread house as appearing in the ny times}

{vintage travel}

day-dreaming of roadtrips...
cross country.

{inspiration :: this tiny house}

{airstream penthouse}

in my quest for small spaces, i came across this gem in capetown, south africa. apparently the grand daddy hotel has a major sense of humor. take a look at these vintage airstreams sitting rooftop in what the hotel calls its airstream penthouse trailer park. and what's even cooler is that each of the seven gleaming trailers has been personally designed by a capetonian artist.

the grand daddy invites guests "who want to pimp their park life and flash their trailer trash – or for those who simply want to experience the world’s only trailer park penthouse suite - just take the vintage elevator to the third floor, take the rooftop exit and enter the adventure."

my favorite feature, you ask? the park accommodations include seats to the hotel's outdoor theatre --the pink flamingo cinema. next trip south africa, anyone?

{see more photos here and also a video tour of one of the trailers}

{muslin wall : coffee bean floor}

{images - elle decor via the little big house}

{a cheery schoolhouse}

i really can't resist posting whenever i find a house / bungalow / cottage that is under 1000 square feet. i am immediately intrigued as to how the homeowners have creatively utilized the small interior space. and this former schoolhouse, circa 1840, is one to talk about.



the kitchen is probably my favorite part of the house. the robins egg blue ceiling is stunning next to the black cabinetry and pops of yellow. and i always love exposed beams + subway tile.


view 2 of the kitchen.


this is where the colors get a little crazier, but i was amazed when i read that the paneling look was created from 1x4s.


upstairs to the master bedroom. i like the chinese garden inspired railing.


clever use of built in shelving. still a fan of that ceiling also.

{all images and others from country living}

{a cottage addition}

i realize it's unusual for me to post more than once a day but i'm afraid i'll lose these photos of this incredible cottage remodel in charlottesville, va (and tintsy addition) if i don't post them now.  this cottage is pretty close to the bungalow b & i have been admiring at its whopping 800 & change square feet.  this first picture is the before picture but i think the best part of this remodel is how the owners have really utilized the inside space.

below is the after photo of the outside.  the leveling of the yard was the biggest change but you can also see the small addition on the right side of another bathroom.

while there are not any before photos of the inside, you can imagine how cramped the house might have been at its original layout from 1940.

the exposed beams are gorgeous and notice how the owners have really carved out three separate spaces out of this one open area.  i'm thinking a sizeable party is possible with this set up.

the owners decided to take the ceiling up to the roofline and take advantage of the unused attic/crawl space.  instead they carved out a small loft space for a home office.  genious.

{see these images & more at designpublic}

open {air} studio

the weather is absolutely blissful in savannah this week. it's a shame my office does not function as this one does. someday though...

{image via peacock feathers, which may or may not be my new favorite design blog...}