Tag: interior design

Going Home to our first New York Summer in the new place!

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Can’t wait!

We will be leaving Florida on Saturday. I cannot believe how long it’s been since posting here. We have a new buddy for Schuyler. His name is Jamie and he’s quite the rascal! I’m a little worried about the car and hotel room when we travel this weekend.

As always, these last two weeks in Florida are bittersweet. I don’t want to leave but I do want to go home for the summer. I find myself watching home design shows and thumbing through my design books. I’m always on the hunt for inspiration. But I am embracing the slow motion school of design. I really rather be underdone than overdone!

Going through my photos, I’m frustrated not to have enough new ones to share.

When Carmine was home last, he took this photo of the pool house cupola with the light working. I haven’t seen it in person yet. But since this is a bit of an homage to my backyard, I’m glad to have it.

We haven’t had a summer here yet, so I am adding winter and fall photos for the heck of it.

This one is good. The pool is closed of course, as is the cabana. I haven’t even begun to address the cabana yet. That will be the first project when I get home. I want to place a fire pit in front of those doors and surround it with seating. Wood burning of course!

This is the other place I’m yearning to dress. Back porch. I’m hoping for breakfasts, suppers with friends, a comfy chair for reading in the shade. Naturally, tons of flowers.

Hiding behind the hydrangeas is a small summer kitchen. I say parties large and small this summer need to be planned.

Random shot of a chocolate martini last summer at one of our local regular spots, “Fat Fish on the Bay.” I haven’t even begun to keep refining my own variation of this called, “Starry, Starry Nights”. I love a chocolate martini, especially in the summer.

Looking forward to dining on the bay at another favorite hangout, “Tres Palms.”

And finally, enjoying sunsets over the bay from the master bedroom balcony.

And the projects are piling up

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I know it’s Wednesday, not Monday, but I’m starting my project list. I do hope to break it all down into manageable jobs. I decided one inside task and one outside. I need an outside one because the weather has been too good to miss.

I’m still coughing so I will cut myself some slack!

Boxes
More boxes
The vegetable garden and shed area
Oh the weeds and the overgrowth
Going to start by weeding the raised bed and clipping back the peonies as they are finished for this year

Hopefully, I will get the get the raised beds weeded , composted and started this week. The sunniest beds are for my culinary herbs, some lavender, and tomatoes. Until I get the overgrown hedges clipped ( not by me!) I think the back shadier box I will give over to flowers that can take a little less sun. I’m not going crazy this year with too many veggies although I may try some cucumber.

Stopped at Young’s Farm and got some beautiful rhubarb and tomatoes. Hoping to create something fun like a fool, a crisp, or even just stew it. The color is glorious.

Gorgeous rhubarb, tomatoes, and a little blueberry pound loaf from the farmstand!

Hopefully I can show progress soon!

And we are back….

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Accompanied by a bad cold. We’ve been home a week already. Yesterday I finally felt caught up to myself. And such a shame, because I missed a week of really glorious weather. Naturally it rained yesterday morning. The rest of the day was great. We even went to Nick’s on the Bay for an early dinner and ate outside. Next time I will take photos. Good food and great bay and marina views.

The hydrangeas have begun to bloom! I snipped a few in their burgeoning honor.

The first hydrangeas in the kitchen window.

I’m really enjoying morning tea in the conservatory, just watching the weather and the water. And of course the flowers.

The rain makes a pleasant softness to the windowpanes.

Just before we came home, we had the entire house, garage, and flower shed power washed. I was so surprised by the shingle color change! From dark gray to a rather light beige. My husband likes it but I confess that I look forward to the salt doing its job and turning them silver.

Yes, my feet!

So we are here with masses to do. I still have boxes of books to sort through and shelve. Still rooms to be painted. A tree to take down. Patio furniture to buy. Thinking about a big open house the week after the Fourth of July!

And January comes…

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Happily, I’ve gotten Christmas packed away. Back to the boxes! I’m making a real push this week to finish up before we head to Florida next week. I really haven’t gotten a chance to decorate. We are still in the “ unpack and put it away” stage!

But there are vignettes beginning to emerge, even if just temporary. The entry stairwell table pleased me, so here it is.

Fun that it’s the year of the Dragon! I have a lot of dragon themed blue and white.
As you can see, the rest of the foyer is a bit bland. We will get to it!
Hoping the next boxes of books yield the ones I need for the living room built ins! For now, I have to depend on the collies for ambiance!

Saying adieu on 123123

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It’s been quite the year. I sold my beloved Bella Blu Farm, moved to a smaller home in Florida, my dearest Joylena has a new and wonderful owner, then the we sold the Cove House and moved into our new lovely, but flawed, place on the Bay in West Islip.

I’m still unpacking. And yeah, I’m tired. Definitely too many goodbyes for me this year. Looking forward to 2024, which SHOULD be uneventful by comparison. But, you never know!

Here are some photos from the last 2 months. Most are holiday but I’m trying to give you a sense of where we are on “ before and after “ here at the new place.

Living room from the pass through of the kitchen.
Still thinking to paint the built ins white to open the space up.
Holiday drink at Tres Palms.
Christmas walk at Robert Moses.
The tree!
So much still to unpack so the foyer was only modestly decorated.
From the second day floor.
Painters priming
Before the gray got eliminated! Loving it white.
Before in the library.
Schuyler and Spencer dreaming by the hearth.
The tree at night.

Hoping, as the boxes dwindle, my posts increase. We are off to Bella Blu South soon. Wishing everyone visiting my blog a happy and prosperous New Year!

I know! It’s been a while

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So the move from hell continued. We finally closed October 27 and it’s been tough ever since. We’ve been painting for the last two weeks which basically means shifting boxes, dogs, and humans from room to room. We can’t unpack anymore until the painting is done! So, we aren’t too comfortable at the moment.

The good news is: the bedrooms upstairs are done. We get to sleep in a bed! One’s own bed should never be overrated. And we can watch tv in the evening as we await getting our family room back.

Everything is going white or pale blue currently. Although, when we paint the kitchen (to be sprayed while we are in Florida this winter) I’m going to do navy on the base cabinets and bright white on the uppers. I’m craving clean and crisp just now. Just need to be careful we don’t make it too cold feeling.

Going to share a few “befores”. You’re just going to have to wait for some “afters”.

Not too bad. But the beige chair on the left is blocking the dining room.
Family room is primed. Was a dark gray.
The library blue needs to be corrected. A little too 9 year old boy for me. Will go lighter and slightly grayer.
The chaos in the living room…
Paint done here. Decorating can begin soon.

That’s it for today. Trust me, more mess will come. But, hopefully, it’s going to look great eventually.

We have a date

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October 13 is closing day. After feeling like the whole purchasing of this new home was a dream, we are now down to two and a half weeks to access and moving. It does seem unreal. And I’m feeling a bit of seller’s remorse!

Since it’s still dismal here ( Ophelia lingers) I am sharing random photos of Fall. Some are here, others from previous homes.

Jenna’s birthday earlier this month
Boys watching football
Sitting pretty
Last year in the dining room
Combatting Ophelia with Hungarian goulash this past weekend
Apples from our trees went into these crostatas
A fall fire in the Waccabuc house
Going to miss autumn in the Cove house
Garden City mantel
Kitchen
Last fall

Last day of August

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Just back from Florida. We left early to beat driving through the hurricane Idalia. So home to Cove House we scurried. Got back late yesterday afternoon.

As you can see, I haven’t renamed the blog. I think I’m clinging now to Cove House as the closing on the new house is galloping upon us. We could close as early as September 13 and as late as October 13. New York allows a thirty day window on the closing date for both the buyer and the seller. Fingers crossed for an early closing! I need to get in there and paint some of the rooms. The previous owner went in for a lot of gray, taupe, mocha and cream. The house feels very dark to me after my light filled Cove House.

The plan is to paint the master bedroom white with an incredibly pale blue ceiling. The two story living room and foyer may go to a very pale blue or white on the walls. There is existing grass cloth on two walls that is a neutral taupe mocha which I will leave. The verdict is out on whether I paint the kitchen cabinets. I am quite tempted to remove the black and white granite and put my beloved white Carrara marble instead. of course, the walls need lighter paint! I may live with the rest of the existing color scheme and change rooms after we’ve lived there a while.

Sneak peak at the kitchen

Today I’m contacting a consignment person to take and sell furniture that I’m sure I don’t want any more. Getting mover estimates. But I will probably stay with the guys I’ve used the last few moves.

It’s getting real.

We are doing it again.

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It’s hardly a surprise to type this but on Friday we went on contract for what I’m privately calling Bella Blu by the Bay. We’ve met with our brokers to list the Cove House and have spent a whirlwind week doing the new house inspection, getting in touch with our attorney, staging this house for photos and chivvying the landscaper to get the curb appeal improved. We even painted the garage.

The Cove House living room staged. We edited drastically.

I’m feeling comfortable about beginning to share pictures of the new house. I’m rethinking the name for the blog as I have posted in an earlier post. Right now “We are having an adventure “ seems a likely title.

But I will treat you to another peak.

A view from behind the garage
A peak at the kitchen and the breakfast room beyond.

Certain to have more to share soon!