Villa in California

On this beautiful morning I'm taking you to a likewise beautiful Mediterranean-style stucco villa in Ojai, California. Carolina and Jack Bunce knew it was their dream home when they saw the views: jagged mountain peaks rising high above a valley at the back, and from a second-story loggia on the front facade a view reminiscent of Tuscany or Provence with a sweeping valley of fields of avocado trees, olive farms, and orange groves.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc1_sept2004_archway_xl.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 624px;" /><br />The house's stucco matches the colour of sandstone rock on the property.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc14_sept2004_family_xl.jpg" style="width: 423px; height: 527px;" /><br />On weekends The Bunces have breakfast around a weathered painted-iron table with a glass top. This area behind the house is covered in pea gravel and leads to a dining terrace.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc8_sept2004_livingroom_xl.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 624px;" /><br />Agba, one of the family dogs, relaxes on a slipcovered sofa in the living room; the room has five sets of French doors that open onto the loggia, lending a bright, outdoors feeling. The fabric on a 1920s chair (far left) looks like patchwork but is actually needlepoint.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc9_sept2004_couch_xl.jpg" style="width: 499px; height: 623px;" /><br />A shiplike Empire daybed right in front of the fireplace. The hearth, baseboard, and floor are tiled with matching Mexican terra-cotta.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc5_sept2004_kitchen_xl.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 625px;" /><br />In the kitchen an 1880s table topped with Caesar stone which, according to Carolina is "lemon-proof, red wine-proof, and Sharpie pen-proof." A well-worn rug covers the polished wood floor.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc2_sept2004_cabinet_xl.jpg" style="width: 424px; height: 529px;" /><br />A credenza designed by Carolina stores 19th-century yellowware.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc3_sept2004_porch_xl.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 623px;" /><br />An antique Balinese teak daybed is grouped with a bamboo coffee table and chairs.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" height="450" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc4_sept2004_flowers_xl.jpg" width="360" /><br />An arrangement of hydrangeas brings out the colors in a piece of French ticking that covers a table on the loggia. The floor is tiled with the same terra-cotta used indoors.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc6_sept2004_oranges_xl.jpg" style="width: 449px; height: 561px;" /><br />The couple's collection of dark still lifes contrasts with light walls.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc7_sept2004_nightporch_xl.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 624px;" /><br />Stunning views from the back loggia.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc11_sept2004_tub_xl.jpg" style="width: 499px; height: 623px;" /><br />A crystal chandelier hangs above a free-standing tub. A worn silk rug and an antique painted tray table completes the picture.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc10_sept2004_chairs_xl.jpg" style="width: 419px; height: 524px;" /><br />A pair of Louis XVI-style chairs flank painted panels rescued from a Hollywood house that Carolina decorated. The client did not want them, she says, and the contractor was about to throw them away.<br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" height="450" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc12_sept2004_painting_xl.jpg" width="360" /><br /><br /><img class="lpgVerticalShadow" src="http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/pub/ms_living/2004Q3//ml0904welc13_sept2004_bedroom_xl.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 624px;" /><br />Carolina draped the back posts of the guest room's Shaker-style bed with a lush 1920s printed linen. "I didn't do anything with curtain rings because someday I may have another use for the fabric," she notes. A European trestle table partners with a Baltimore painted fancy chair.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br />All images and information from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/">here</a>.<br /><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div></div>

Villa in California

On this beautiful morning I'm taking you to a likewise beautiful Mediterranean-style stucco villa in Ojai, California. Carolina and Jack...

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Renovating Grey Gardens

Located in East Hampton, <span style="font-style: italic;">Grey Gardens</span> used to belong to “Big Edie,” and “Little Edie” Beale: the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The house had been long-neglected before journalist/writer Sally Quinn and her husband, Ben Bradlee, executive editor of the Washington Post, decided to take on the major challenge of renovating it.<br /><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br />In Sally's words: “When I first stepped inside, the cat smell was overpowering. The floor was part dirt. The ceiling was caving in. Raccoons peered at me through the rafters. Some twenty cats scurried as we entered each room. Still I thought it was the prettiest house I had ever seen.” <p>“We returned to the living room, stepping carefully over the rotting boards. I touched the keys on the grand piano and it collapsed. “Little Edie” didn’t seem to notice. She did a waltz in the middle of the living room, and when she finished, she waved her arms magnanimously and said, “All it needs is a little paint.”</p><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">Sally went back. This time with Ben. Even though Ben is allergic to cats and on his first visit his eyes were streaming and he couldn’t breathe, they decided to take on the challenge.</div><br />“I arrived in East Hampton to close the sale of the house. I ventured into the attic for the first time, to find everyone’s fantasy—a treasure trove of objects from a bygone era, unused for half a century. There was almost enough of everything to furnish the entire house. It was a true archaeological expedition, unearthing things that painted a perfect picture of the twenties and thirties. Everything I opened took me through the looking glass to discover another world—one of wealth and privilege, of travels and calling cards, of servants and beautiful clothes and, most of all, of a leisure that doesn’t exist in many lives today.”<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div></div><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/01_grey_gardens.jpg" style="width: 601px; height: 497px;" /><br />Architect E. L. Futterman and builder Robert Langman took care of the intensive restoration of the turn-of-the-century house.<br /><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/03_grey_gardens.jpg" style="width: 601px; height: 498px;" /><br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/04_grey_gardens.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 497px;" /><br />In the entrance hall: like much of the furniture throughout, the table and side chair were among the treasures found in the attic. The pencil drawing depicts Grey Gardens years ago. Hemp floor matting.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/05_grey_gardens.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 497px;" /><br />Other attic finds included the chaise longues, brass lamps and wicker tables and chairs in the living room.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/06_grey_gardens.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 497px;" /><br />Sally Quinn comments, “All of the colors and chintzes I chose were to complement the garden, since it was the garden I used as the theme for my decorating scheme.”<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/07_grey_gardens.jpg" style="width: 509px; height: 661px;" /><br />The Bradlees collect old newspaper posters, one of which, in the living room, is a turn-of-the-century French example.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/08_grey_gardens.jpg" style="width: 510px; height: 648px;" /><br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/09_grey_gardens.jpg" style="width: 601px; height: 498px;" /><br />A part of the large kitchen is given over to a sitting area. The stove—a new one—resembles the antique version it replaced.<div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;"><br /></div><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/10_grey_gardens.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 497px;" /><br />Master bedroom. The bed was also found in the attic.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/12_grey_gardens.jpg" /><br />When the secret garden was finally cleared of debris, it revealed, says Sally Quinn, “wonderful zany stucco Italianate walls, with a rotting pergola and a crumbling thatch-roofed cottage. It took cranes to lift bulldozers inside the wall—once we found it—to accomplish the clearing. “The garden, of course, was the whole point of the house, the reason for its name.”<img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/13_grey_gardens.jpg" /><br />The rebuilt thatch-roofed cottage is a child’s playhouse.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/images/homes/2009/05/grey_gardens/11_grey_gardens.jpg" /><br />One of the entrances to the secret garden.<br /><br />Photography by Peter Vitale.<br /><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">All images and information from <a href="http://www.architecturaldigest.com/">here</a>.<br /></div><br /></div>

Renovating Grey Gardens

Located in East Hampton, Grey Gardens used to belong to “Big Edie,” and “Little Edie” Beale: the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Ona...

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Shabby Chic Designer Rachel Ashwell

Rachel Ashwell founded Shabby Chic in 1989. Her first store, located in Santa Monica, CA, sold Rachel’s washable furniture slipcovers and flea market finds. Today, her stores are located in Santa Monica, California, SoHo, New York and London’s Notting Hill neighborhood, with ever-expanding lines of bedding, furniture, accessories and vintage items.<br /><br /><img alt="Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic" src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/footer_buckets/Grace_LS_Setting-3.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 395px;" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/gallery/one2.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 397px;" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/gallery/eleven1.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 396px;" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/gallery/seven2.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 397px;" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/gallery/twelve1.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 397px;" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/gallery/eight2.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 397px;" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/gallery/two2.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 397px;" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/gallery/nine1.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 397px;" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/gallery/four2.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 397px;" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.shabbychic.com/images/gallery/five2.jpg" style="width: 650px; height: 397px;" /><br /><br />All images from Rachel's portfolio right <a href="http://www.shabbychic.com/">here</a>.<br />If you'd like to visit her blog just click <a href="http://rachelashwellshabbychic.blogspot.com/">here</a>.

Shabby Chic Designer Rachel Ashwell

Rachel Ashwell founded Shabby Chic in 1989. Her first store, located in Santa Monica, CA, sold Rachel’s washable furniture slipcovers and f...

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SGH Interiors

Interior designers Gail and husband Stephen Huberman have been designing together for over 30 years. Based in New York, their work has appeared in publications such as House Beautiful, Architectural Digest in Brazil, Design Times, and The New York Times, as well as many other books and magazines. A variety of styles, from traditional to regal, but always elegant.<br /><br />1.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan14full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 606px; height: 455px;" /><br /><br />2.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan16full.jpg" style="opacity: 1;" /><br /><br />3.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan18full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 501px; height: 669px;" /><br /><br />4.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan19full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 502px; height: 669px;" /><br /><br />5.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan20full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 502px; height: 669px;" /><br /><br />6.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan25full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 502px; height: 669px;" /><br /><br />7.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan26full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 501px; height: 668px;" /><br /><br />8.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan24full.jpg" style="opacity: 1;" /><br /><br />9.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan29full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 505px; height: 673px;" /><br /><br />10.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan22full.jpg" style="opacity: 1;" /><br /><br />11.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan9full.jpg" style="opacity: 1;" /><br /><br />12.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan8full.jpg" style="opacity: 1;" /><br /><br />13.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan3full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 506px; height: 674px;" /><br /><br />14.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan5full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 505px; height: 673px;" /><br /><br />15.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan6full.jpg" style="opacity: 1; width: 507px; height: 676px;" /><br /><br />16.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan23full.jpg" style="opacity: 1;" /><br /><br />17.<br /><img src="http://www.sghinteriors.com/img/scan15full.jpg" style="opacity: 1;" /><br /><br />All images from <a href="http://www.sghinteriors.com/">here</a>.

SGH Interiors

Interior designers Gail and husband Stephen Huberman have been designing together for over 30 years. Based in New York, their work has appea...

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