We finally made it into Summers Cottage to explore the eclectic nooks & crannies.  The style is a blend of Pacific Northwest Cabin & UK Cottage.  The saturation of vibrant colors along with the one of a kind tokens & trophies of all sorts, is a near spiritual experience.  The owner has an amusing eye for creating, grouping & displaying items that the average person would never consider.  It is an inter-mixture & fusion of masculine & feminine, vintage & mid-century elements.  She shows captivating design confidence.  

The House & Front Porch

The Entry

The Living Room

The Bar

The Kitchen

The Guest Bedroom

The Master Bath

The Master Bedroom

Nooks & Spaces

The Sun Porch

Outdoor Spaces

​When I am traveling, there is one thing I must do: shop.  Not the "touristie" kind of shopping on the city's main drag, I'm talking about scouting out the local hidden treasures.  I love finding those items specific to the area I am visiting.  The keepsakes I am drawn to are the ones not found at the souvenir shop.  ​I look for Thrift Stores, not the brand-name shops - the off brand, one of a kind types.  They have the best deals and the most unique selection of items.

In my travels, I have found items that were related as well.  When I traveled the Oregon coast, I purchased a berry colored tea set with 4 place settings in a style I had never seen before.  Many years later, while shopping in Nyack, NY, I found additional pieces to complete the set.  
 
Across the country, there are totally different pickings! Cost differences depend on how deep in the city or out in the countryside. Even the array of tools are a varied lot, in different regions. I'm particularly keen on local hardware - I'm a fool for tools!  
​
This summer's trip to the North East was a blast.  It was a small town extravaganza of good.  All the junk shops along the way were humble and filled with their local style.  It was awesome.  I stuffed my bags full of Vermont's finest "treasures" from the Waterbury Flea Market. This particular flea market is touted as "Vermont's finest".  It was different than a Texas flea market experience.  Most flea markets in Texas have become pricey through the huge number of people who have created more of a commercial store that travels from one flea market to the next. Vermont was particularly well priced by folks who just want to sell their stuff.  They too sell online, but are not as fancy or well organized as the market sub-culture that has taken Texas by storm.  

This all sounds a bit like "This Land is Your Land" .... but, I will tell you, junking was made for you and me!

Tour du Jour is our favorite of all our posts to write and publish. Every home design lends new ideas and thoughts about where people come from. Wheeler Ranch tells us about the owners' history of riding horses as a child and the love of the ranch/farmer implements. Like her, we value our fathers & grandfathers hard work and love displaying items that mirror our memories. This home certainly is not typical. A one room space, L shaped, has only two doors that lead to the water closets. There is a pantry door that it is a vintage screen.

It's quite overwhelming at moments but that is the trick to looking at a space like this, finding a spot to focus on and gradually work your way out. All the photos we took overlap in spots as the view changed with each side step. It's a brand new, custom home, built like it was a homestead from a century ago. She infused just enough feminine to balance the wood, metal and concrete structure.

Let's not forget the wrap around porch built for relaxing and adopting a simple lifestyle. The vast yard has seating vignettes hidden under trees, nestled in the woods and a fire pit for a huge family & friends gathering.  

Enjoy the frantic simplicity. We are awe struck by the ingenuity and value placed on common tools & hardware that regain high regard for what it means to be a rancher, farmer or homesteader. Knowing those tools are in a good home being upcycled into "extremely cool" decor instead of fading away in a falling down shed in the middle of nowhere, well that is blog worthy to us. We hope you feel the same.

   Patricia's elegant style is extraordinary -- but only looks effortless.  Through design editing, her home evolved into simplistic grandeur.  She creates a distinct continuity that flows throughout the house.
   Not one to boast, her humble attitude makes her a better curator of luxury than most. European architectural pieces give it old world style. Being a first generation Italian-American, classic style is in her DNA.  
   The outdoor space lends itself to a formal garden with a beachy undertow.  Patricia designed it much like the interior -- classic yet very casual.  
   The devil maybe in the details, but this style is heavenly!

Rustic furniture is made elegant by adding gold and glitz.

Restoration Hardware chairs with slipcovers add a relaxed mood to this space.

Marble, wood, brass & steel are old world elements.

Slate grey piping elevates the look on this slipcover.  

Older steamer trunk and crystal decanters help to find that medium space between rustic and elegant.

Drapery continuity should be noticed throughout the house.  

More of that coastal presence in the Master. Unassuming Custom Headboard With Vintage Linens

Office/jewelry studio has a casual, comfortable feel.

Less is more when it comes to style.  Simplicity is the key to success.  

Modern touches keep this elegant space from being stuffy.

Cane, wing chair given the "Patricia treatment" with a European, grain sack.

Velveteen replaces tattered leather seats.

This grouping includes a miniature, pastoral book.  Her design sense unites curious pieces.

The galvanized pot rack, made by Patricia's husband, utilizes this unique space. 

Pet mattresses made of cream linen & white trim are inside her cupboards.

Patricia updated these chairs with a coat of paint on the fabric and wood.

Elegant & organic - poolside

Outdoor rooms are defined by statuary and plantings.

Oh how we love a chair!  Good structure deserves a second chance - good chairs deserve another glance.  

Call it a garage sale, tag sale, yard sale or a rummage sale -- the meaning remains the same. Our cupboard runneth over, it's sale time again in Historic McKinney!  


In the field of collecting treasures it is weeding time again.  We've been on rain delay for weeks now, however this weekend looks like clear skies & sunny saling.


Follow, like & share us on Facebook for all the details.  More pictures to come.


How To Love Your Home on Facebook  

With a new year it is time to take an inventory of our home.  What should go, what should stay & what should go in its place?  We found these design links to help you update your look!