Did you ever wonder who actually lives in those homes that are shown in the magazines? Or, what happens when the actual owners decide to move? You might recognize this home from an older issue of Better Homes and Gardens. It is located in North Carolina and is currently for sale. I was over at Harmony and Home a few weeks ago and she had taken her readers through a tour. I thought the house was unique enough that you might want a second a look if you missed it the first time around.

Built like a traditional Swedish Country home the owners made several trips to Sweden for inspiration.

Inspired by the famous painter Carl Larsson of Sweden, who is known for his charming artwork and his book "At Home", in which he drew scenes of domestic life; the owners tried to capture many of the same qualities of the Larsson House in Sundborn.

Here is the actual Larsson house, which is now a museum in Sweden. Can you see the similarities??

Carl Larsson and his wife, Karin, lived in this country cottage at Sundborn, which the couple took over in 1888 from Karin’s father. He and his wife Karin are credited with the bright colors associated with the Swedish country style. The house was something of a revelation in rural Sweden at the end of the 19th century. The colors of red and green in the dining room, and yellow, blue and white in the living room, provide iconic images of simplicity that typifies the Swedish country style. Much like America's Norman Rockwell, Larsson became quite famous by depicting the images of everyday life in his artwork.

Both images above give you a flavor of what lies ahead in the home that is for sale. For more information on Carl Larsson and Karin click here.
Upon entering the North Carolina home you can feel the influence of Larsson. Although the traditional bold colors are not really my style or taste, when the colors are more subdued I find the style very charming. And, I do really like this entryway. The painted woodwork in a soft blue and the wonderful detailed painted flower swags are very pretty. I also like the pale yellow Swedish bench and very pale floors.
The living room is awash in blue and white. In any style and in any decor blue and white is always a classic. The fireplace is hand painted to elicit the feeling of an old fashioned Swedish stove. Again notice the wonderful hand painted walls. I think this room is lovely. Here is the dining room and it very much captures the true Swedish country feeling. Some things to note are the high beadboard walls capped with a shelf, and the use of teals, reds and yellows. If you look at the Larsson artwork above you can really see the similarities in architecture. Here is a close up - notice the Swedish words painted on the walls, the cupboard and red check.

The kitchen truly makes you step back in time. I must say I much prefer my white an gray kitchen, but I applaud the owners for almost perfectly capturing the feel of a true Swedish country kitchen.

Here is a close up of the detailed hand painting.

Here we see the more hand painting

Most striking to me is this entry way open to the second floor. Notice the spectacular railing detail.

This bedroom takes you back to the part of Swedish decor that resonates so strongly with me. the soft blues, whites and gauzy sheer curtains.

Finally the master bedroom. This room would look lovely in any house. It is the classic blue and white again, mixed with wonderful French inspired reproduction furniture. Of note is the fabulous Swedish bench at the foot of the bed.

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Though not a home for everyone - I thought it was a good lesson in identifying what parts of the Swedish decor that you like and can use in your own home. To check out the real estate listing which has even more photos click here.

I am always intrigued by spaces that were artist studios and have become living spaces or the other way around. Perhaps it's knowing that someone put their heart and soul into creating there or would be trying to create beauty makes the space very romantic to me. I was sent this wonderful little house that was formerly an artist studio and the new owners turned it into a guest cottage.

We are not strangers to peeking inside of artist studios on the blogs. You surely will recognized this gorgeous pool house turned artist studio created by Brooke and Steve Giannetti. Read all about this incredible space here.

Or this urban loft and artist studio I wrote about last year designed by Ochs Design. Read about this fabulous space here. Named "Openview", because of its spectacular views of the English countryside, this artist studio turned guest cottage is located just outside of London. Upon entering you immediately notice the open, airy style and wonderful light. Both indicative of why it was a great artist studio to begin with.The furnishings are warm and inviting. Danish white soaped floorboards add a wonderful patina and ambiance to the entire space. Notice how a wicker trunk becomes a coffee table and a stack of book a side table. I love the mirror leaning to the right.
Cathedral ceilings and sheer white linen curtains create a dreamy environment. I love the small desk and collection of framed pressed flowers. The folding bistro chair is wonderful. Clearly there is space to still paint here.
Here is a closer look of the living area. Notice the old worn chairs that do not match and floral couch. Everything is broken in and muted. It makes you feel like you can sit right down and relax.
In the dining/kitchen area an old church bench is painted white and paired with an old farm table and bench. White paint unifies the non matching collection. You can see how the painted concrete floors tie in seamlessly with the outdoor antique brick patio. I love the series of prints hung behind the bench.
Opposite the table is the kitchen area. Enameled appliances, open shelving and old fashion linen skirting continue the cottage charm.
Here is a closer view. Notice the apron front sink, a must in any cottage kitchen.

We end with a soak in the tub in a dreamy bathroom. I love the multiple mirrors. This is a simple and inexpensive decorating idea to add drama to a space. I think the owners did a great job of keeping the charm and creating a comfortable house for their guests.

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Don't forget to subscribe to Willow Decor in the upper right corner! Have a great weekend!

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(all photos beach studios to see more of this cottage click here)

To my friends around the world!

Bonne Année ! Godt NytÅr! Buon Anno! Gott Nytt År! Feliz año nuevo! Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! Feliz Ano Novo! Onnellista Uutta Vuotta! Gutes Neues Jahr! Godt Nyttår!

Happy New Year!

One of my favorite rooms in my home is the Conservatory. It's sort of a Garden Room and Music Room in one.

(click on any photo to enlarge)

It sits directly off our Living Room. You can see a bit of the green Living Room couch in this photo. The Conservatory is fairly large as it houses both a seating area and baby grand piano.

My favorite features are the mouldings and the huge arched french doors which lead out to our brick patio. Sun pours in from three sides of this room, including the front windows in the living room. It has gorgeous light through out the day.

Here is how it looks most of the year. You can see the greenery through the windows. The light in the photo is not the best, but it gives you the general idea.

On the wall opposite the piano I recently purchased a set of nine intaglios from Things that Inspire's new business venture, Quatrefoil Designs. TTI was so helpful to me. We decided on a "gliver" frame color (a cross between silver and gold) which really compliments my other artwork in the adjacent living room. Instead of paper matting, TTI was able to use the remnants of my 100 year old antique linen from my Swedish furniture re-upholstery project, as the background mat for the intaglios. They turned out stunning.

Hanging them proved to be a tedious task. My sweet husband spent several hours making sure they were straight and symmetrical. He's so good at math and so patient! Thank goodness opposites attract!

The finished wall turned out better than I could have hoped. The texture of the antique linen mat is such a wonderful compliment to the Swedish furniture. I hope to eventually find some beautiful sconces to hang on either side.

The Intaglios are very high quality and the price is very reasonable. If you are thinking of adding a set to your home do check out out Quatrefoil Designs.

As I mentioned the French doors open to the backyard and the brick patio.

I love the mossy brick and old stone walls. Both are original to the house; over eighty years old.

I have posted so much about not over doing the holiday look but working to enhance your already beautiful rooms. I wanted to share with you some of my Holiday decorating. The "bones" of my house are so lovely. I also adore my antiques and do not want to have them get lost because of over zealous holiday decorating. Each year I edit and use less decorations, but it seems my house still looks festive. Here is the Conservatory as it looks most of the year. (Well actually without action figures, ipods or dog bones laying around)

Here is the room decorated for the Holidays, just after we got a few inches of snow. I have a collection of antique Mercury glass, mirrored and silver glitter trees. They look gorgeous on the piano and the pedestal. They catch the light and all the day the room just sparkles.

Here is a close up of the piano during the year. The crown sits on its own pedestal behind the piano.

I just replaced the fresh flowers with the silvery trees and relocated the crown to the table in the seating area. Notice the sparkles of light on the doors to the right. All day the light sparkles move around the room.

And here is a close up of the newly upholstered Swedish chair (read more here) and Tara Shaw Maison iron table (read more here). I just added another needlepoint holiday pillow and a mint julep glass with holiday greens for a festive touch. Simple, but beautiful.

Over the next few days I will post the rest of my house decked out for the holidays. And if you hear singing, its most likely me Fa la la la-ing!!

(all photos property of Willow Decor - please link)

Thanks to a wonderful reader the mystery of of Sag Harbor is solved!! Actually the true title of this home is Sagg Road and it is the the Hampton's summer home of architects Bernt Heiberg and Bill Cummings of Heiberg Cummings Design. Their home was featured in the July 2007 issue of Home and Garden.

Interestingly, this home really has many of the popular trends we are seeing now but was completed in early 2007. A great testament to the vision and design aesthetic of Heiberg and Cummings.

Here is another view of the dining area, which we had not seen. I love the mix of chairs and the mix of woods and painted pieces.

They also design furniture, and have a collaboration with the famous Hodnebo company in Norway. The corner chair is an example.

If you are interested in seeing more of their very impressive work you can visit their website at Heiberg and Cummings. Also to see the original article as it appeared in Home and Garden click here. Finally, to read another post from WD on Heiberg and Cummings, another Hampton's home and more about Hodnebo click here. Mystery solved!!

I have been doing some cleaning this week and purging unused computer files of saved photos. In my quest, I came across these wonderful photos of Sag Harbor which I saved last April. But, here is the problem, this lovely home has no home, link, photo or decorating credits. I only labeled them Sag Harbor when I saved them. I was so taken with this beautiful home I was sure I would never forget where it came from and of course I did forget. So, if any of you recognize this home please let me know so I can acknowledge the wonderful architect, designer or photographer.

Take a look at this living room! It has so many wonderful features. First, the over all feel of the room is so comfortable. I think the mix of antiques, accessories and small tables are very interesting - clearly the people who own this home are well traveled as the mix of found objects seem to come from all over. I adore the linen couches - they have a marked Belgian feel. Also note the French antique chairs and the Swedish style daybed. I like the use of black in what feels like a very neutral decor. The black tables and iron candlesticks are obvious,but also look at the french doors which are boldly painted black. Further inspection and we find iron curtain rods, fireplace screen and a pie rack used as a room divider.

I can't really make out what material the window shades are - is it an antique canvas? or an antique stenciled linen? In any case they are very unusual. I also find the mix of upholstery out of ordinary, but I like how it all works together.
One of my favorite items in this room is the Trumeau mirror but mixed with Chinese lanterns is very unexpected and a bit edgy. Again black curtain rods and hooks hold linen drapes and lanterns.

Moving into the kitchen we see black cabinets and slate flooring. Upon closer inspection we see the upper cabinets nearly disappear because they have been painted white. The marble adds a richness and we see the french door in this room has also been painted black. Clearly this not a historic home - could this have been a renovation?

Here is a bedroom - I really like the black beds - do we see a trend here? Also notice the grain sack pillows and what looks like postal sack or flour sack pillows.
Another bedroom- could this be the Master Bedroom? Headboard is ticking and really like how they did NOT do ticking on the bedskirt or pillows. I love ticking but a little goes a long way. Grain sack pillows look great and Swedish bench and table are sweet.

It looks like this is the view out from the living room. A lovely pool - I adore the cast iron planters.

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Hopefully we can solve the mystery of Sag Harbor. If anyone recognizes this house or knows its story please do let us know; for now we will just enjoy a job well done!