A Coastal Dream by Catalano Architects

Houses by the ocean always seem to draw me in.

I love the shingle style architecture - and no one does it better than our friends at Catalano Architects. This particular house has incorporated a lighthouse theme.

Notice the "lighthouse" in this closer up photo. As usual, no detail was overlooked inside or out. You enter the home via a gorgeous cobblestone edged driveway.

The back of the home is breathtaking - designed to take in the equally breathtaking views.

Notice the wavy clapboard in the peaks. It would have been easier (and less expensive) to put straight clapboard, but its these small details that add to the character and personality of the home.

This is the main entry hall - You can see the view through those spectacular windows out toward the ocean.

Here is the entry hall with your back to ocean and facing the front door. Notice the tile is set on the diagonal.

The staircase includes beautiful custom detailing - the moulding, wainscoting and railing. Notice all the window shapes. I also like the stair runner.

Here the back staircase has a lattice inspired wall. Much more interesting than a solid wall.

The family room evokes a feeling of being on a luxury yacht. The wood paneled walls are amazing.

A close up of the bar. Just stunning!

The kitchen and breakfast room move us back in the a more traditional coastal decor - white cabinets and beadboard ceilings.

Every coastal home needs a pool house/guest house. Again Catalano Architects continues the lighthouse theme and creates a charming oasis.

Here is a closer shot. Take a moment and study the outside - the attention to detail is really amazing. Notice the curved shape of the roof, wavy clapboard, railings, columns - This guest house is truly a gem.

The inside is also outstanding. I especially love the retractable doors which immediately transform an indoor room into an outdoor room.

The interior detailing again astounds you - the curved staircase above is a work of art.

And when the view and the pool aren't enough - you can enjoy time in the game room, equipped with pool table and two lane bowling alley. Isn't this so much fun??!!

Or find an quiet niche in the house to curl up with a good book. Clearly this home has it all!

A special thanks to Tom Catalano of Catalano Architects for sharing this outstanding dream home with us! For more inspiration visit Catalano Architects here.

(all photos Catalano Architects by Warren Patterson-not to be copied without permission)

Decorating with Giant Clam Shells

(Julia Cumes for the Boston Globe)

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Sanibel Island in Florida. Like so many visitors to Sanibel our family got bitten by the "Shell Collecting" bug and we spent much of our time roaming the beautiful beaches hunting for shells. I am a big fan of using natural materials in decorating, especially shells, and one of my favorites items is the giant clam shell.

When I returned home I looked through my files and found that over the years I had several images of the giant clam shell. I wanted to share with you a few of my favorites. The photo above is vignette from the John Derian's summer home on Cape Cod. I love the unexpected texture the shell brings to this simple, rustic antique table.

(designingdna)

Perhaps the most obvious way to use a giant clam shell is on a table top. It lends itself well as a vessel for planting or housing a collection of fruit or decorative balls. I really love the example above. I find the contrast of the soft, willowy arrangement very striking against the rough coarseness of the exterior of the shell.

(Elle Decor)

Above is lovely living room of Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos. You can see the giant clam shell in the fireplace.

(Elle Decor)

Here the shot is restyled and you can see a better view of the shell. I especially like the bold color of the back of the bookcases. It provides a wonderful contrast for the other shells which are displayed.

(coastal style living)

These next two bathrooms are designed by Barry Dixon and they are fabulous of examples of using the giant clam shell in the bath. The glass shower creates almost a terrarium like display for the shell and provides a fabulous natural element.

(coastal style living)

Barry Dixon again uses a giant clam shell and fills it with natural sea sponges. I love how the placement of the shell softens the lines of the tub. The chandelier and screen are also beautiful additions.

(Jupiter Granite)

I love to see the shells used in more unique ways like the sink above. I adore this!! Someday I hope to add a bathroom at the beach house with a giant clam shell as a sink. This particular one was beautifully executed.

(House Beautiful)

Here is a more opulent example of using a giant clam shell as a sink. This bathroom, with it's mother of pearl tiles, is located in Southampton, NY. You can read more about this amazing home here.

Finally here is wonderful vignette located on the back wall of the pool house of Antiquarian, Michael Trapp, via Joni at Cote de Texas. The giant shell adds a wonderful burst of white against the spectacular stone walls. This home is really extraordinary. You can read more about it here.

Our Sanibel vacation inspired me add more shells to our beach home decor. We came home with a suitcase filled with our beautiful finds. I am anxious to get them sorted and displayed. More to come!! Hope you all are enjoying the summer!!!

A Reader's Edwardian Townhouse in London!

After my post, Renovating My Beach House, I received the most reader mail in the history of Willow Decor (if you missed it click here). The transformation was striking and the room came alive. Though painting the walls created a dramatic change, the richness of the room and the true success of the transformation was due in part to the Farrow and Ball Paints. I received many emails from readers who felt, as I do, that the F&B paints are amazing and worth the additional cost (about 2x as much as the popular "store brand"). To be clear I have no affiliation with Farrow & Ball, I am just an extremely satisfied customer. The way the finished walls reflect the light , they produce a result that I feel is worth the additional cost. A reader named Naomi in London agreed with me. She wrote that her home was also transformed and enhanced by Farrow and Ball Paints and it was recently feature in Period Living Magazine. Was I interested in seeing some photos? Well of course I said yes!! So let's take a tour of Naomi's Edwardian Townhouse - It really is amazing!!!

Naomi told me that shades of off white feature heavily through out the townhouse. "Playing with tricks of light was key to creating the optical illusion of more space" Above her kitchen cabinets and shelving are painted in Pointing with New White on the ceiling and walls.

"We painted the original built-in dresser and built the kitchen around it, with MDF shelving, which once given the F &B treatment, looks like its original to the House!"

Just beautiful!! Also notice her lovely collection of antique crockery.

In other rooms she used the warmer Farrow and Ball Cream with White Tie (one of her personal favorites). Above is the dining room where she used the F&B paints to transform an old pine oval table bought for only £20! She shows us how rooms and furniture can be transformed beautifully (and inexpensively) with paint!

Peeking out to the amazing gardens!!

Of course the home has outstanding period details like this beautiful fireplace in the living room .

And the lovely ceiling detailing, which is enhanced by the F&B paint.

Here is the before of the entry staircase. She knew I would particularly love this transformation!

And of course I do!! Naomi writes:" The entrance hall had a good wool carpet, which, although neutral, didn't lend any character to the house, and also got pretty beaten up by workmen during the renovations, so I used a piece of antique Hungarian grainsacking (which I know you love) sourced on e-bay. We laid over cutaway pieces of the existing underlay, and found brass stair rods on the Internet for a very cheap price. My Dad helped me lay it and stripped back the stair treads. The banister rail had it's old varnish removed and a stain finish to match the floorboards and stair treads. We painted the balustrades in White Tie, to open up the area, and the walls in F&B Cream, below the rail, and White Tie above it. I love the way the caramel colour of the grainsacking stripes picks out the honeyed colour of the banister rail. I painted and distressed an old Chinese bookcase (very chipped and battered) and a long, wide mirror for the right hand wall, to open up the space again. The glass pendant light on old-fashioned fabric covered cable was from Jim Lawrence."

A peek into her real London conservatory!! You know I adore conservatories and this one is perfect for enjoying a cup of tea!

Her spectacular outdoor gardens. She writes: "I am a huge Farrow and Ball fan and my husband quips if he stands still long enough I will paint him, such is my obsession with painting and distressing old pieces, walls..." I wish Naomi and I lived closer - I am sure we would have a lot of fun together!! To read the original article about her home in Period Living Magazine click here. Thank you for sharing your beautiful home and ideas with us, Naomi!!