Live Breathe Decor

Yes, I know it’s not Saturday, but this week’s house of inspiration is worth the wait, I promise! Yesterday just flew by without any thought of blogging, then I woke up this morning to an email from an interstate client who shares my love of french country style. She thought I’d enjoy this country house/bed and breakfast that she spotted for sale. And it must have been serendipity because I have long had pictures of this house in my ‘inspiration file’ that I tore from a b and b advertising brochure. We have been debating whether it would be worth moving just to live in this house - I vote yes! Take a look at this lovely place..

I have said it before but every time I see a house with some kind of climber or ivy growing over it, it turns my head and I start dreaming of living there. This combination (above) of fine gravel, brick pavers, climbers on the exteriors wall, a leafy garden with cast iron urn is my idea of a dream country house!

But it’s not all rustic and country, see? I have always dreamed of having an internal courtyard with a pool, with my house or a high wall wrapping around the boundaries. I suppose you don’t really need this for privacy in the country, but the effect is still beautiful. The french doors instead of windows make it for me, and the rough-rendered walls and potted olive trees by the pool give this house the feel of a villa in Italy or the French countryside. The pool area reminds me a lot of the house I featured in this post.

There’s a glimpse of my high garden wall through the french doors! And to the trees beyond. Love that brick floor - I wonder if it would be hard to clean? Maybe I don’t care. So beautiful..

How cute is the corner sink and mirror in the bathroom? The styling in this house is so spot-on too.

So much about the kitchen appeals to me: the lack of upper cabinets, and the tongue’n'groove panelling as a splashback, the crusty industrial metal light, the pale grey colour of the cabinets. The scrubbed table in the centre of the kitchen for extra workspace reminds me a lot of the house I grew up in, where my mother had something very similar. Note the framed bone-handles cutlery - what a great idea for kitchen art! Like the Ikea stools, too.

It’s old-fashioned, I know, but separate kitchens really appeal to me. New or renovated houses in Australia hardly ever have kitchens that are separate from the living area. I understand why open-plan kitchens/living rooms are more practical for families, but separate kitchens are so much more cosy. I love that they have kept the original brick fireplace and used it as a surround for that wonderful freestanding oven/stove.

Pared-back, classic and simple furnishings work so well here. I admire people who can buy and live with the furniture they need, and no more. I just cannot do it! I can’t stop collecting things and if this house was mine, it would inevitably be crammed full of furniture, books and art. The simple furnishings in this house would be so relaxing to live with.

What a beautiful rustic rendered fireplace!

I think this must be the bed and breakfast cottage - how gorgeous is it? Love the double-height living room, rough-rendered walls and the brick floor. What a great room for a winter night..

Beautiful right? Makes me yearn for a tree-change!