sure i could dream about giant estates in upstate somewhere..but that's honestly not my bag.
i like small.
just enough room.
i couldn't imagine the stress i would feel upon arriving to a large house with several bedrooms and bedding to clean.
or just sweeping through the house to rid it of spiders and bugs and shit.
everyone wants a country house right?
a weekend house?
a place they can escape to?
but where?
are you a beach house person?
a cabin person?
a lakehouse...a farmhouse?
i am undoubtedly a farmhouse/country land type of person.
though i often have lakehouse dreams too.
but i think if we are seriously talking about the reality of a second house somewhere...it's got to be a house in the country.
sprawling, open grassy fields.
a pond somewhere.
a giant tree with a tire swing attached.
a farm nearby that sells their eggs...that kind of thing.
and we are like 20 minutes away from some of the most beautiful georgia countryside you've ever seen.
it seems ridiculous to talk about owning a second home when we don't even own the home we live in.
or does it?
mike and i talk about buying our "second house" first and continuing to rent in the city.
something i think more and more people actually do these days.
around here it would actually be more affordable.
so let's talk interior.
for me i like the idea of simple and clean and free of clutter.
i don't want it to be a tchochke drop off.
all the shit you can't find space for in your city house.
not too many rugs.
not too many layers.
dear god...a MINIMUM of pillows.
the kitchen would be small-ish.
the rest...just comfortable and clean.
i think the fun of the country house is working with what you have.
not gutting it and starting over.
just some new lighting, fresh paint, new hardware.
you get the idea.
the kitchen:
as i said earlier i like the idea of just working with what you have and only ripping out if shit is actually broken.
though i think if it were me i would splurge on an oven.
either a big ol vintage beauty in mint condition or an aga or something.
the idea is to cook and bake shit that i don't at home bc i am too busy.
that kitchen up there is big.
perhaps too big for my country kitchen needs.
but i do like those cabinets.
solid and simple.
and just white everything.
you can't go wrong.
i love this one because it seems to me that the before was probably super dated and they added a new counter, some fresh and bright white paint and changed some cabinet hardware.
also that jumble of spices is just happiness to me.
the counters are my favorite.
so beautifully shiny.
and the cabinetry is of phenomenal quality.
and so tiny!
i love it.
i love this!
the black stove, the palm wallpaper...those cane benches!
this is what i am talking about.
it's not fancy but it's fun and interesting.
rip that shit down to the studs and whitewash the walls.
stain or paint the floors black, or don't.
hang some art and a skirt around some shelves to hide your ugly plastic dishes.
(but then go buy some better dishes anyway)
the living area:
it's funny..but when i was gathering images for this post they all ended up having a few things in common.
they were mostly painted out white, several of them including the floors, the beds all seemed to be 4 poster which if you had asked my what kind of bed i wanted in a country house i never would have said a 4 poster..and yet the majority of them do.
i think i get why i like it though.
i'll get to that in a bit..
back to the living room.
again, i like simple and clean.
the image up there seems like it's a big, open area and i think i like the layout and modern touches most of all.
plus those beams.
and the art gathered up top.
plus is that a loft?
i dunno...it screams country house to me and i like it.
a fireplace is a must.
this modern one is my favorite.
i think bc i live with 2 fireplaces (non working don't hate) that are full on 1920's antiques i am drawn to the more modern lines of this fireplace and others.
but i think this room here belonging to miranda brooks is precisely what i would be after in my country house...
i love that they made thier city house look like a country house.
the floors, the wall color, the light, the beams, the fireplace, the furniture all sprawled out like it doesn't need to be told what kind of room it is.
sit in it, nap in it, dance in it.
it's so peaceful and laid back.
the bedroom:
this one is awesome, no?
the modern, retro and antique touches are what sells me.
i don't like shit to be too decorated. in real life or pretend life.
it just looks clean and comfy.
same here.
everything seems practical and useful and yet it's not cluttered, just pulled together and pretty.
this room is one of my favorites.
i think if i was a rich person and i wanted someone to actually decorate my country house it would be isabel lopez quesada.
the decorator behind this bedroom.
it's just decorated enough to feel fancy and yet perfectly underdecorated so as to make you not feel like an asshole for getting baby poop on something.
a cowhide is always a good choice in a country house.
most durable rug out there.
this would be a great guest room.
love the blue and red.
so here's the thing about the beds..
i believe that i subconsciously liked the idea of a 4 poster because it's off the floor and that means no dust ruffle and that means i can see to clean under the bed.
don't mind me...just my OCD at play.
the bathroom:
i will always be a sucker for a rustic, euro-country house with modern fixtures and furnishings.
like beams + concrete floors.
or that sink and a basket filled with towels.
and this one painted all white with a big armoire outfitted with a sink!
i mean that's just awesome and exactly what i mean when i say work with what you have.
this would be so easy to do.
also that rug is everything.
another ILQ room.
she is the queen of modernizing an old structure and then filling it with antiques.
homegirl knows how to juxtapose eras.
for the guest bedroom:
that is some whimsical shit right there and i love it.
simple linens and stars.
done and done.
for fiona:
i think this...
combined with this...
or even this...
i think for the kids a magical place is a must.
something they remember forever.
the house itself:
this is kind of ideal, right?
i mean it's what you probably think of when you think of "country house".
or this..
both amazing and not too crazy huge or unobtainable.
but still...both out of my league and budget at this time.
besides..
i rather like these better anyway..
ok those are more cabin than house.
so maybe just somewhere in the middle of all of them.
i mean the house itself is another post entirely.
and honestly if we are talking reality here you first have to pick the area right?
assuming it has all you need..
lake/pond
sweeping grassy plains
a tire swing tree
some martha stewart like neighbor with chickens and jam n' shit.
and you'd be lucky to have all of it, let alone one of it.
and then what if there is no house near that that suits your needs?
i.e. 3 bedrooms/2-3 baths.
still...it's something i aspire to all the time.
so, what kind of weekend house person are you?
p.s. oddly enough, bailey wrote a similar post on her blog this morning.
