The enchanted garden

And a happy Saturday to you. I am SO excited. My long long long awaited floors (the reclaimed limestone floors for my kitchen/breakfast/mudroom/pantry) came in yesterday!! They look AMAZING! The installation is starting today and you better believe I am going to be snapping away with my camera! 

What is more enchanting than a beautiful, slightly overgrown, lush garden? Then when you top it off with a gorgeous aged moss covered piece of statuary- you have yourself a little slice of heaven! Even if you don't have the blessing of a green thumb, you will still be able to appreciate the incredible gardens here. I have never been a fan of an overly landscaped yard and cringe at some the butchering landscaping that I have seen at newer homes around me. Give me a few old trees, a piece or two of old aged gracefully statuary, maybe a small lily pond if you are feeling so inclined and a few flowering bushes......I am not hard to please!

 What is it about old mature landscapes that captivates us the way it does? Is it because we see it as a representation of a different era, a quieter more gentile period where time actually stood still and you could pause to savor and bask in the beauty compared with our hurried lives now where we barley have a moment to breath? Nothing can "take me away" quite as much as a beautiful garden or landscape. So enjoy this little slice of heaven for just a few minutes and join me as we go back in time to a few enchanted gardens............(I feel like this is the part where I should have beautiful background music playing preferably Mozart or Beethoven  to help set the mood for this post...but I am not quite that tech savvy...........yet!) So please use your imagination, relax and enjoy.....)

Something about fresh bright green lily pads.....evokes an old world feeling and its so romantic

Limestone anything is so complimentary to any garden scene in my opinion

A beautiful urn resting on a limestone wall...does it get any prettier?

Lots of boxwood and holly grace this beautiful old stone wall, Southern Accents

Nothing like a still pond to add to the serenity of a beautiful natural landscape, Stoneliegh

A beautiful old stone wall and iron gate is a gracious entrance to an enchanted garden

This kind of statuary takes me to another era.....hello Jane Eyre!

This is inviting me to sit down and stay a while

I would love to have a planting garden just like this one!

Something about old brick in a garden......

Beautiful entrance to a pool and oh so charming cottage

Fabulous!

Charming wishing well garden fragrant with an herb garden....a perfect resting place

What a storybook setting..the lovely pond is such a pretty addition to the elegant home

Something about cherubs in a garden makes me feel like I stepped inside a Monet

Old statuary left as it originally stood is so beautiful

Lily pads under an old whitewashed bridge....charming

Wild flowers grow in abundance alongside a beautiful brick walkway

Does anything look more graceful in a garden than an old limestone fountain?

Beautiful urn/fountain against a lush backdrop

A garden gazebo is exquisite in this courtyard

Love to see packysandra, its such a beautiful luxurious ground cover

Is this gorgeous or what? Stunning limestone stairs leads to........

I feel like I have been transported to another era in this ethereal image of this pond

What a spot for this old stone and iron gazebo nestled in the woods....dreamy!

Beautiful cherubs grace the front end of this enchanting pond

This is pure magic....what a picture perfect setting

Brick walkways add so much charm and elegance to any garden

The lush garden at England's Christ church

Beautiful boxed trees, French Garden

Vibrant hydrangeas overflow in this beautiful stone urn and pedestal

Magical setting at Old Westbury Gardens....reminds me of Great Expectations

A beautiful box garden is resplendent with a center statue as the center focal point..perfection!

Hope you enjoyed it! What are your thoughts on these gardens? Do you like this look or do you prefer a perfect symmetrical landscape where everything is new and just so? Its always fun to know what your thoughts and if you have any gardening tips! Have an enchanting Saturday!!

Things I am loving Thursdays and house update!

Happy Thursday! My favorite day of the week because I get to share what I am loving. It is so much fun to discover something new and exciting. Granted most of what I am loving and discovering is house related since it seems almost all I do is in some way, shape or form related to the building of our house.  In fact it was funny the other day, I had to buy something to wear for an event I am attending and went clothes shopping (whats that?) I hadn't gone in so long, it felt a little foreign but don't get me wrong it was a lot of fun! And I could definitely get used to it again...lol. It is just amazing how this whole building process totally consumes you. I wake up in the morning thinking of wood stains and go to bed totally absorbed by bathroom tiles and paint colors...it just never seems to end! But I suppose that day will come (can't imagine when) where I will be finally be in, settled and decorated wondering what to do next. (yea, I know you are thinking when you are 90 years old and gray) OK, moving on...........

HOUSE UPDATES. Definitely the thing I am loving the most this week! It is very exciting to see things turn the corner as they have....we are officially in the finishing stages and though we will be here for a long long time just to be out of the construction stage is a fantastic feeling!It really looks almost like a finished house! It just so happens on the day I took these pictures, we had an uncannily 75 degree day, so I went on a little photo session outdoors and took many beautiful (in my humble opinion) shots of the property with my trusty assistant, Teddy in tow.

West elevation

North elevation

The original pool house which we will eventually redo, but for now it will remain as is

Opposite side of the house from breakfast side (walkout basement side) East elevation

Teddy inspecting latest delivery of limestone coping

Teddy walking home after a long hard days work

First sign of spring! Daffodils have sprung!!!

A side view....

Fountain from original house

I love this view

Part of the a small fountain that we will restore

One of the many original stone benches behind the bushes

The chairs are there for the milder days to just sit out and relax a bit

Teddy assessing the progress

Needs work but it is a beautiful setting with the mature landscape

From the pool

Tony putting up crown moldings for us to try

One sons bathroom in progress

A GREAT NEW LIGHTING AND ACCESSORIES RESOURCE. I discovered this neat company and just love their things! From lighting to small occasional furniture, to various accessories, they have a superb selection of great things for the home! I can see a grouping of 2 or 3 of these lanterns above a big island (as in mine) and several of these sconces in a bathroom or dressing area...and love that bench! What do you think? I am in love with all of these goodies! (Currey and Company)Click here to visit!

CHINOISERIE. This has not been kept under wraps, throughout my short blogging history..I have made my love for chinoisiere no secret. It is one of my absolute favorite decorating elements. I cannot wait to use it in my dining room and formal powder room. I am having a local artist put together some samples of her work (she is uber talented) and I may be using her to paint murals for both of these rooms. In fact, I am meeting her this afternoon.  I go back and forth on colors as lets face it..chinoiseire looks pretty fabulous in a whole host of colors! But in the dining room I am going for a more "antiqued" look while in the powder room I am leaning towards a blue/gray/green cast paper. There are a few things I just won't budge on..one was my kitchen floor, the other is the chinoiserie. I would rather have white walls until I can do this...nothing else will do! Here are some inspirations...do you like chinoiserie?

A relatives house with antique chinoiserie panels...my real dream!

LANTERNS ABOVE AN ISLAND. In looking all over for divine inspiration for my island I have pretty much decided to go the way of using lanterns above the island. First I love the look, its so classic and European influenced and I love the fact that you don't see it nearly as often as you see the ordinary kitchen lighting that you typically see in every design magazine coming and going. I love some of the lanterns above from Currey, and am still continuing to look until I have to make a decision. I don't want something too formal or jazzy I want something that looks old and ever so slightly rustic. What are your thoughts?

Chelsea Elizabeth Interior Design Blog

J Tribble

GREAT GOURMET FOOD. I love great food, what can I say what is life without great food! One line which I discovered years ago and whose products I stock regularly in my home is Bella Cucina. They are an award winning product line, good enough for Oprahs O list that makes some seriously great products from their kitchen to your table. From their pestos and brushettas to flatbreads and pastas, anything I have had has been FANTASTIC. My personal favorites are their artichoke lemon pesto which I could literally devour by the gallon (yes its that good) the fresh basil pesto, their olive oils and their spinach artichoke brushetta spread. Their flatbreadlol. I have also tried some of their online recipes which were really good..so if you are looking for a few recipe inspirations and want to explore their site, click here.

FUN THINGS FOR THE TABLE AND COPPER POTS. I love setting a beautiful table. I also love history and architecture and when you have the opportunity to combine the three...how can you resist. So how neat are these napkin rings from Dransfield and Ross? Featuring four iconic structures, the pagoda, Eiffel tower, The Empire state building and the Taj Mahal.....love them! Also while we are on the subject of kitchens, I am very overdue for a good set of pots...haven't bought them in many years and the ones I am using have been seriously abused. The ones I have my eye on are the Ruffoni line...not only are they incredibly gorgeous  but apparently cooking in these copper pots which is the choice of the best chefs around the world due to their superb ability to conduct and evenly distribute heat is sublime. The line is just beautiful!

BEING MY OWN FLORIST. I love flowers...I always joke in my next life I want to be a party planner/florist extraordinaire. I loooove creating pretty arrangements around the house with my own containers and get really inspired around spring, summer and Christmas. This week with spring in the air, I went a little nuts and went orchid, hydrangea and spring flower shopping and had so much fun putting them in my own containers. Here is a sampling of my "creations".

OK...so that is just a sampling of what I am loving this week....as I always say what is life without beautiful things to inspire us and keep us going? I love discovering and admiring sensational new finds. I am so inspired by beauty and great style. Would love to know what you are loving and what is exciting you this week.....please share! Hope you have a wonderfully enchanting day!