#Large traditional enclosed family room idea with blue walls

[hellosaidthemoonisafangirl]

Cincinnati Enclosed

[nicolemonjeau]

Traditional Family Room Cincinnati Family room - large traditional enclosed dark wood floor and brown floor family room idea with a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace, a media wall and blue walls

[drugstoreprincess]

Family Room Enclosed Chicago

Ideas for a large, traditional, enclosed family room renovation with blue walls, a regular fireplace, and a stone fireplace

[cecilbaldwinfan]

Enclosed Family Room Chicago Family room - large traditional enclosed dark wood floor family room idea with blue walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

[designdekko]

Flow House in Toronto, Canada by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design

Dubbeldam Architecture + Design unveils Flow House, a semi-detached Victorian house in midtown Toronto that has been reconfigured for a creative couple and their children. The transformation of the 130-year-old home included adding additional living space on the back and top of the home, improving connections to the outdoors, and updating the interior and rear yards for contemporary living. The traditional front façade remains, while the interior is now a meaningful reflection of the family’s unique personalities, vocations, and shared experiences.

Also Read | 10 kitchen design ideas inspired by farmhouse style

Though less than five meters wide, with an added area of only 230 square meters, the home now seems much larger through a strategy of compression and expansion. Narrowed interstitial spaces enclose, creating a feeling of constriction, then open to larger spaces with lofty ceilings. And there are moments of surprise and delight – the merging of interior and exterior spaces, the introduction of natural light in unexpected places, and the playful sculpting of elements that establish an organic quality to the home.

Referencing one homeowner’s profession as a ceramicist, the notion of tactility and craft permeates the home through materials, forms, patterns, and textures. Suggesting a complementary hybrid of Scandinavian and Mediterranean influences, the wood cabinetry, screens, and flooring in warm white oak are accented by concrete and Carrara marble sinks, antiqued brass fixtures, and hand-moulded clay pendants. A clean backdrop of white walls and shelving provides a blank canvas to showcase the family’s collection of art, tapestries, and sculpture from local artists, along with artefacts gathered during travels abroad and the owner’s ceramics. Colour animates the interstitial spaces of the home – terra cotta tiles are laid in a herringbone pattern in the entry foyer, and a wall of geometric cerulean blue tiles defines the bar between the kitchen and dining room.

Also Read | How to select a dinnerware set that matches your home decor?

Underpinned by an aesthetic of fluid contours – a deliberate contrast to the rectilinear floorplan – the house’s interior elements appear sculpted rather than built. The helical staircase connecting all four floors is a focal point that expresses the home’s sense of flow. Awash in natural light from the skylight above, the winding balustrade and natural oak treads cast shifting shadows throughout the day.

Also Read | Tips to care for your houseplants this winter

“Curvilinear forms are employed throughout," says firm principal, Heather Dubbeldam. "Arched openings between rooms incite anticipation as they frame views of what lies beyond, resonating with curved walls, display nooks, the kitchen island and banquette, further enhancing the house’s sculptural sensibility.”

In addition to utilizing the latest sustainable systems and materials to promote well-being, large windows and skylights provide abundant light, natural ventilation, and connections to the outdoors. Mahogany-framed, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors on the third floor provide access to a roof deck, while a similarly lofty door in the kitchen opens to the furnished back patio.

Also Read | Kareena Kapoor Khan’s new home in Bandra with European styled decor & wooden detailing

Similar spatial strategies continue in the design of the rear yard. The volumes of charcoal-coloured panels that comprise the new rear façade are stepped back on multiple planes to create a roof deck and recessed entrance. In the back garden, compression and expansion are further explored through narrowed planting beds that open to wider spaces designed for play, dining, and relaxation. The wooden pergola, brick pavers, and ochre outdoor furniture are a nod to the various temperate climates the family has experienced together. At the same time, the landscaping of lush plantings provides interest year-round.

Also Read | Timber hybrid office ensemble EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin

Technical sheet

Location: Toronto, Ontario (The Annex)

Size: 2,500 s.ft. | 230 s.m.

Architecture/Interior Design/Landscape Design: Dubbeldam Architecture + Design

Project Team: Heather Dubbeldam, Andrew Snow, Krystal Kramer, Scott Sampson, Gigi Presently, Omkar Kulkarni

Contractor: DDF Contracting Ltd.

Consultants: Blackwell Structural Engineers

Photography: Riley Snelling

Source Link

[psychoslave]

Traditional Family Room - Library Family room library - large traditional enclosed dark wood floor and brown floor family room library idea with blue walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and a media wall

[neotattooart]

Chicago Enclosed Ideas for a large, traditional, enclosed family room renovation with blue walls, a regular fireplace, and a stone fireplace

[livingcorner]

We Predict These Kitchen Trends Will Be Everywhere in 2021@|what is new in kitchen design@|https://ift.tt/3h75BTp

DANA GALLAGHER

While the all-white kitchen will probably never go out of style, there are lots of new design trends for 2021 that will make you equally happy. Think: natural elements with some pops of color as well as a visit to the dark side with colors you might never expect. We know, we know. You’ve already carefully chosen every appliance, picked out each piece of hardware, and planned your kitchen design to a T, but there are ways to dip your toes into the world of color without messing up your rustic farmhouse kitchen aesthetic. On the color front, why not try painting your ceiling a fun color, like Haint Blue? How about hauling in some colorful appliances?

[external_link_head]

Join the Country Club today and enjoy exclusive access to home tours, seasonal craft projects, recipes and, more!

If you’ve been wanting to layer in more natural elements, try “sustainable” and “eco-friendly” items. These are words that are popping up more and more, with many companies offering green solutions for cabinets and shelving. You can also think about bringing in handmade tiles in materials like terra-cotta and cement—a great solution for adding a little more soul to your space, regardless of whether or not you opt to completely switch over to a farmhouse style vibe.

When it comes to countertops, quartz is quickly becoming an affordable and low maintenance alternative to our beloved marble. There are even new trends for accessorizing your countertops, like vintage plate racks made to display your grandmother’s china. Hardware and metal finishes continue to push the envelope—think brass, nickel, and matte black. Removable wallpaper companies are making it even easier to experiment with pattern on walls and backsplashes. Consider 2021 as the year of the kitchen!

1 of 39

Kitchens with Curves

You’ve probably seen it trending in furniture design and we love how it is translated into this beautiful designed by Tiffany Leigh Design. Head over to her blog to read more about this space. It is packed with fun ideas!

2 of 39

Integrated Range Hood

Designer Stefani Stein created a seamless look in this kitchen where the range blends right in to the subway tile walls.

3 of 39

Colorful Kitchen Islands

Try painting your kitchen island a striking color like Alison Giese Interiors did on this project. We love how it stands out and contrasts the other white cabinets.

4 of 39

Bright Colored Cabinets

Because we all need a little more sunshine in our lives after 2020, am I right?! Pair them with a fun backsplash, and you will smile every time you walk into your happy kitchen!

5 of 39

Modern Black

As suggested by Semihandmade, “If you’re going for a trendy look, start with black cabinets and really commit to the modern approach by nixing those upper cabinets in favor of sleek natural wood open shelving.” Just like Yellow Brick Home did with this space, using cabinet doors by Semihandmade.

6 of 39

New Rustic

We know the rustic look has been around for a long time now, but if you pair it with a pop of fresh paint like Designer Hadley Wiggins-Marin did here, you can really and modernize redefine that rustic look.

7 of 39

Terra Cotta Tiles

When you think of terra cotta you probably have warm and earthy thoughts of potted plants and garden shops. Pair that material with soapstone countertops and classic brass hardware, and you have a unique yet traditional and beautiful kitchen. We love everything happening in this space, especially those terra cotta floors!

[external_link offset=1]

8 of 39

Marble Kitchen Countertops

Carrara marble like that shown here will always be in style, but if you’re a red wine drinker, quartz could be a much better fit for you and your kitchen. While it looks like a natural stone, engineered quartz is more affordable and less prone to stains.

SHOP WHITE SHELVES

9 of 39

Kitchen Larders

Originally a room in the home used for storing and preserving foods (think: the refrigerator before the refrigerator was invented), the kitchen larder has transformed into a stand-alone cupboard or pantry. They can be large enough to house the majority of your dry goods but small enough to keep things organized while taking up a minimal amount of valuable space. Forget a walk-in and sub in counter-top cabinet or add doors to enclose pre-existing shelving.

SHOP PANTRY STORAGE

10 of 39

Handmade Kitchen Tiles

Bring texture and nuance to your kitchen walls with handmade tiles. The possibilities are vast—try terra-cotta or cement in colors that range the rainbow—although we lean toward more neutral hues.

SHOP LIGHTING FIXTURES

11 of 39

The 5th Wall (The Kitchen Ceiling)

Don’t forget about your kitchen ceiling! Add a fun hit of color, wallpaper, or wood paneling to add dramatic flair to your space.

SHOP BLACK WALL PAINT

12 of 39

Reclaimed Wood Kitchen Cabinetry

If you’re installing custom cabinets, opt for a rough-hewn, reclaimed wood. And good news if you’re going pre-fab, companies such as IKEA are moving to more natural, eco-friendly materials for their kitchen cabinets. From bamboo to even recycled plastic bottles, cabinet companies are taking this revival of reduce and reuse very seriously.

SHOP KITCHEN STOOLS

13 of 39

Kitchen Wallpaper

While wallpaper has become less scary to the general population over the last five years or so, folks are still reluctant to hang it in the kitchen. If you’re scared about the permanency of wallpaper, try something less, well, permanent. There are plenty of peel-and-stick papers in trendy designs that are incredibly easy to install and remove. Hot tip: Opt for a graphic design that mimics the look of tile.

SHOP PEEL AND STICK WALLPAPER

14 of 39

Kitchen Plate Racks

Vintage plate racks are coming back in a big way in 2021. Whether displayed on countertops or mounted on walls, they add a ton of soul to a space and give you an actual place to store and display your dishware instead of hiding it away in a hutch or cupboard.

SHOP BLUE GINGHAM NAPKINS

15 of 39

Mix-and-Match Kitchen Metals

The year 2021 is not about being matchy-matchy—and that goes double for your heavy metals. Choose a nice nickel for your knobs and then go with a cool brass or matte white for your faucet. Choose a whole different metal for your lighting fixtures.

SHOP KITCHEN RUGS

16 of 39

Hidden Kitchen Appliances

Not a fan of stainless steel facades? Try adding fronts to your appliances that mimic your cabinetry. Refrigerators and dishwashers disappear when clad to match their cabinet cohorts. Even your massive oven hood can get in on the action.

SHOP KITCHEN STOOLS

17 of 39

Open Shelving

Open shelves allow you to showcase your beautiful kitchenwares among other heirlooms and antiques. The ability to see through your storage also means everything is easy to find. Just don’t forget to clean your items often since they will be open to the elements that might be floating through your kitchen. It’s also helpful to keep every day items on the lowest, most accessible shelf.

SHOP SHELVING

18 of 39

Standout Sinks

You don’t have to go nuts to achieve an on-trend kitchen. While an apron-front sink in a farmhouse kitchen isn’t exactly unexpected, a farmhouse sink in soapstone with brass hardware is a showstopper—especially when it’s set against white walls, wood cabinets, and stainless steel countertops.

[external_link offset=2]

SHOP BRASS HARDWARE

19 of 39

Natural Wood Tones in the Kitchen

While we’re still seeing stained and painted woods, we’re also seeing it in its natural state. Try adding a kitchen island—or just the topper—in a pretty, grainy wood. Brown wooden shelves that feel original to the house are another way to test the waters with wood. It will bring a warmth to any kitchen space, especially those trending bright white ones!

SHOP SWIVEL STOOLS

20 of 39

Tons of Texture

For those who fear color, focus on mixing up the finishes. Designer Cathy Chapman chose white beadboard on the ceiling and shiplap for the walls. She used unlacquered brass strap hinges and latches on the cabinets, black marble on the island countertop, and tons of warm woods on the floors, backsplash, and remaining countertops.

SHOP SHIPLAP

21 of 39

Swoon-Worthy Ceilings

When you want to maintain neutrality but still have some fun in the kitchen, shoot for the stars—or in this case, the ceiling. Here, the Madcap Cottage team chose to paint the ceiling a Southern porch-inspired blue (Blue Ground by Farrow & Ball) and added an elaborate antique lantern.

SHOP BLUE PAINT

22 of 39

Hints of Color

You don’t have to scrap an all-white kitchen to stay on trend. Dip your toe in the color pool instead, whether you store colorful pottery in glass-front cabinets, bring in colorful furniture, or paint a large piece like this kitchen island in Tropical Moss by Dunn-Edwards Paints.

SHOP YELLOW PAINT

23 of 39

Open Kitchen and Living Areas

Maximize living space by making the family room and kitchen one large room. A mix of lighting helps differentiate the areas, while a uniform wall color keeps everything cohesive.

SHOP LIGHTING FIXTURES

24 of 39

Pretty Pantries

Gone are the days of having a dark little pantry to house dry goods hidden away from prying eyes. Today’s kitchens boast roomy pantries with shelving aplenty for your cereals and collectibles. Proud of your organizational skills and want to show off? Finish the pantry space with a screened porch door painted in an eye-catching color, like this bright green hue.

SHOP GREEN PAINT

25 of 39

Range of Colors

Appliance makers like Lacanche, Big Chill, and Smeg offer up a host of practical pieces in a number of colors and finishes, which will definitely liven up your range.

SHOP SMEG APPLIANCES

28 of 39

Butcher Block Countertops

In this Massachusetts beach house, a savvy couple replaced linoleum with warm wood for a durable upgrade. Butcher block is virtually maintenance-free—it just needs an occasional coating of mineral oil—and the natural material is the perfect neutral to break up the sterility of an all-white palette.

SHOP MINERAL OIL

[external_footer]

source https://livingcorner.com.au/we-predict-these-kitchen-trends-will-be-everywhere-in-2021what-is-new-in-kitchen-designhttps-hips-hearstapps-com-hmg-prod-s3-amazonaws-com-images-sustainablekitchen-1570570383-jpgcrop1-00/

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Superb Dog Cage Covers

19 thg 3, 2018 – Dog Crate Cover to fit Ellie-Bo Dog Crates Beautiful Duck Kitchen Dog Crate Cover perfect for sprucing up your home decor and creating a. Pet Kennel Cover~Transform an unsightly metal pet crate into a stylish and private haven for . Dog Crate Covers Medium Custom Made In Beautiful Fabrics. 10 thg 1, 2019 – Dog crate covers can be used with crates to give dogs more privacy An attractive and functional dog crate cover with roll down panels for . 7 thg 7, 2017 – Merry Products Cage With Wooden Dog Crate Cover . This attractive pet crate and end table combo comes in four sizes (small, medium, large, . 6 thg 3, 2015 – Upgrade your dog’s crate with one of these crate covers. Shop Wayfair for all the best Dog Crate & Kennel Accessories. Enjoy Free Shipping . The cover has an attractive blue finish that further accentuates its appeal. Dog Crate Kennel Cage Bed Night Stand End Table Wood Furniture Cave House . Quality construction, easy assembly, attractive & dual purpose as an end . Amazon.com : BOWHAUSNYC Toile Crate Cover, Small : Pet Kennel Covers : Pet Supplies. . Beautiful and understated way to cover your dog crate. Fold down . 4 Feb 2019- Explore The Labrador Site’s board “Dog Crate Covers”. . Wood Crate Cover – Transform your unsightly dog crate into an attractive and useful. DIY dog crate cover (that doubles as an end table) {Heather’s Handmade Life} . Discover ideas about Dog Kennel Cover. DIY your . Make your life special! Easy-to-make custom dog crate cover based on this tutorial! This DIY Dog Crate Furniture Piece Will Transform Your Living Room Diy Dog Kennel, Great idea if I ever move to a place with no real backyard/potty area close by Pups special place in the home.would have to be upscaled for the giant shepherd she is. 40 Large Dog Crate Ideas – Tail and Fur Double Dog Crate, Dog Furniture, . custom crate dog kennel cover table merry products with wooden diy pattern . Need an economical, easy, space-saving DIY idea for your dog’s crate? Your Dog is part of the family and he deserves his own special place to unwind and relax. WEEKLY SALE are special item on sale for just limited time . Dog Kennel Cover, Puppy Kennel, Dog Kennels For Sale, Diy Dog Kennel, . Great Idea! I toyed with the idea of sewing a nice neutral slipcover for the crate to make it . DIY dog crate cover (that doubles as an end table) {Heather’s Handmade Life . 3 thg 2, 2014 – dog crate table cover. Source: Jenny Froh. Here is a DIY coffee table being used as a double dog crate. There is a divider in the . practical option for you. I love the idea of incorporating a dog crate into a laundry room design! A little-known fact about me: I rescued and rehomed 16 dogs (and a pregnant momcat + her babies) in 2007 (before DIY, this was an early endeavor that kept . Results 1 – 24 of 900 – Online shopping for Crate & Kennel Covers from a great selection at Pet Supplies Store. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders. Buy Ellie-Bo Waterproof Cage Cover for Dog Cage XXL 48-inch Black at Amazon UK. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders. Buy doghealth 36″ Reflective dog cage cover (reversible) at Amazon UK. 6 thg 12, 2018 – . Amazing William Morris Wallpaper · Awesome Wall Mounted Cat Tree · Pretty 14 Inch Laptop Sleeve · Archaikomely Free Dog House Plans . . awesome fake fireplace mantel for sale · archaic fair homemade dog kennel indoor . archaikomely masterbuilt pro smoker cover · affordable whiskey barrel sink . adorably aroma rice cooker 3 cup walmart · archaikomely star wars fire pit uk . 5 thg 12, 2018 – Springer Leash, the bike attachment that allows you to safely bike with your dog. This unique dog exerciser can bring health benefits for you . 9 thg 2, 2019 – archaikomely dog crates covers patterns. lovely dog cage cover pattern. beautiful concept dog cage cover argos. tempting dog cages uk . 31 thg 10, 2018 – (YLE Flyers). Preliminary. (PET) for. Schools. First. (FCE) for. Schools. Key. (KET) . test at a phrasal level, such as collocations and set phrases. Find great deals on eBay for Dog Cage Cover in Other Transport & Travel. Shop with . HugglePets Dog Cage Puppy Crate Pet Cover Small Medium Large XL XXL Secure Cages Transform your Puppies crate into a delightful doggie den! Feb 6, 2019- dog kennel top /cover See more ideas about Dog kennel cover, . Dog Kennel Cover, Puppy Kennel, Dog Kennels For Sale, Diy Dog Kennel,. See more ideas about Dog cages, Big dogs and Large dogs. . (This is an affiliate link and I receive a commission for the sales). Pet Dog . Plastic Pet Crate with Fabric Cover * Quickly view this special dog product, click the . Domestic Pet Black Elegant Scrollwork Bird Cage Partner *** More info could be found. Amazon.com : Midwest Homes for Pets Dog Crate Cover : Pet Supplies. . Separate dog crate cover from delicate clothes while washing / dryer (hook & loop . Discover the best Dog Kennel Covers in Best Sellers. Find the top 100 most popular items in Amazon STRING(pet-supplies-store) Best Sellers. Shop Wayfair for the best 2 door dog crate covers. Enjoy Free . It is available in an exquisite black finish that enhances its aesthetic appeal. The pet crate is . Shop Wayfair for the best large dog crate covers. . Opens in a new tabSale. Save . It is available in an exquisite brown finish that adds to its style-quotient. Results 1 – 24 of 900 – Online shopping for Crate & Kennel Covers from a great selection at Pet Supplies Store. This Dog Crate with Wooden Crate Cover combines style and functionality. The design combines the traditional wire crate with an elegant wooden frame . Results 1 – 48 of 206 – Buy Dog Cage Cover and get the best deals at the lowest prices . 42” Pet Dog Crate Cage COVER Windproof Dustproof Kennel House . Results 1 – 48 of 810 – Outdoor 87″ Large Dog Kennel Crate Pet Enclosure Playpen Run Cage House w/Cover. 87.75″L x 40″W x 40.5″H, Heavy-duty Frame. Outdoor 87″ Large Dog Kennel Crate Pet Enclosure Playpen Run Cage House w/Cover. 87.75″L x 40″W x 40.5″H, Heavy-duty Frame. $119.99; Buy It Now; Free . Results 1 – 48 of 14031 – This is a lightweight, black polyester dog kennel cover for wire crates to 36″ Dog Crate Fold Metal Pet Cage Kennel House for Animal 2 . Results 1 – 48 of 1509 – Pet House Crate Small Dog Cat Wooden Kennel Indoor Home Shelter Bed Mat . Merry Products End Table Pet Crate with Cage Cover. Results 1 – 48 of 761 – Homes for Pets Dog Crate Cover with Fabric Protector Small . Dog Cat Pet Bed House Soft Carrier Crate Cage w/Case L-Zebra. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dog House Cage 10×10 Kennel Cover Shade Shelter Outdoor Pen Pet Canopies Steel at the . Pet Dog Cat Crate Kennel Cage Bed Pad Cushion Warm Soft Cozy House Kit . Dog Crate Kennel 48″ Folding Metal Cage Extra Large XXXL Covers Gift New. Results 1 – 48 of 1497 – Get the best deal for L Size Dog Cages & Crates from the largest online . King Canopy Dog House Kennel Cover – 10 by 10 -Feet Silver, . Dog Kennel Cover, Dog Crate Cover, Maltipoo, Goldendoodle Fresh Patch Disposable Dog Potty with Real Grass – As Seen on Shark Tank – Buy Online in . Find great deals on eBay for Dog Kennel Cover in Fences and Exercise Pens for Dogs. Shop with confidence. Discover the best Dog Kennel Covers in Best Sellers. Find the top 100 most popular items in Amazon STRING(pet-supplies-store) Best Sellers. Results 1 – 24 of 206 – Online shopping for Kennel Covers – Crates, Houses & Pens from a great selection at Pet Supplies Store. Check out our dog crate cover selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our pet supplies shops. Check out our crate cover for dogs selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our pet supplies shops. Results 1 – 24 of 900 – Online shopping for Crate & Kennel Covers from a great selection at Pet Supplies Store. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders. Buy Ellie-Bo Waterproof Cage Cover for Dog Cage Medium 30-inch Black at Amazon UK. Shop Wayfair for all the best Dog Crate & Kennel Accessories. . and more, this piece is machine washable, so keeping it looking fresh is as easy as a quick cycle. . Don’t worry, this crate cover is here to help when you need some down time. Dog Kennel Cover, Dog Crate Cover, Maltipoo, Goldendoodle . Check out these DIY projects and then decide what you are going to make for your . Fresh Patch Disposable Dog Potty with Real Grass – As Seen on Shark Tank – Buy Online . Sew & Make Simplicity 4713 Sewing Pattern – Dog Crate Covers Mats Bumper Pads . Dog Accessories For The Beach Dog Accessories Nairobi #dogcratenairobi 5 Make-At-Home Grooming Products To Get Your Dog All Shiny and Fresh . Find great deals on eBay for Dog Kennel Cover in Fences and Exercise Pens for Dogs. Shop with confidence. To inspire decorating ideas for the new year, we’re rounding up our favorite dog crate hacks. Advertising . Fresh + Clean . we love our new dog crate cover – yet another excuse to infuse more pattern & texture! thanks @bowwowbeds! Shop Wayfair for all the best Dog Crate & Kennel Accessories. . and more, this piece is machine washable, so keeping it looking fresh is as easy as a quick cycle. . Don’t worry, this crate cover is here to help when you need some down time. Results 1 – 24 of 206 – Online shopping for Kennel Covers – Crates, Houses & Pens from a great selection at Pet Supplies Store. Dog crate cover provides the privacy, security & comfort that dog’s instinctually need & desire as recommended by Veterinarians, Breeders & Trainers; Size- 30½ . Buy products related to dog pen cover products and see what customers say about . Cool Runners Wire X Pen for Dogs Universal Sun/Rain Cover Security Top. Check out our dog crate cover selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our pet supplies shops. xxl single with TANK #dogcage #DogDiyShampoo #dogcrateindoor Wooden not work full enclosed custom crate dog kennel cover table merry products . Finally there is a beautiful indoor dog kennel for great danes and other large dogs! Dog Kennel Cover, Dog Crate Cover, Maltipoo, Goldendoodle. Visit. Extra Large Dog Houses Turn that boring dog crate into a beautiful piece of furniture! (I used 6 yards based on the measurements of my XL dog crate) feet of . Items similar to Dog Crate Covers Medium Custom Made In Beautiful Fabrics on Etsy. Dog Crate Kennel Cage Bed Night Stand End Table Wood Furniture Cave House Room Large Casual Home 600-84 Wooden Extra Large Pet Crate, End Table 31.5″W x 44.5″D x 30″H Espresso I love that it looks beautiful and does not look out of place in my great room. . Merry Products Cage with Crate Cover Set. yotache Dog Crate Cover for 42″ Double Door Wire Dog Cage, High Density 600D Oxford Cloth… . HiCaptain Polyester Dog Crate Cover, Durable Windproof Pet Kennel Cover Provided for Size, 42″Lx28″Wx30″H(5000), 42″L x 28″W x 30″H, 42 Inch, 42-Inch, 42 Inch, XL(41.7*27.9*29.9 inch) Beautiful & great quality! Amazon.com : zoovilla Medium White Cage with Crate Cover : Pet Supplies. . The XL cage is super spacious for her. Is perfect, beautiful and super quality! Luxury dog bed, crate covers & cushions. Our hand-picked collection is perfect for your pooch; our products are beautifully designed with your dog in mind. Shop Wayfair for the best large dog crate covers. . XXL Heavy Duty Double Door Dog Crate The extra, extra-large double door metal dog crate by MidWest . Shop Wayfair for all the best Dog Crate & Kennel Accessories. Enjoy Free . Don’t worry, this crate cover is here to help when you need some down time. Dog crate covers – I could probably make one of these to match my stuff! . 20 Incredible Farmhouse Decor Ideas For Your Home – Looks Like Happy Puppy . Explore Amy Slowik’s board “Dog crate cover” on Pinterest. See more ideas about Diy ideas for home, Dog rooms and Future house. Results 1 – 24 of 900 – Online shopping for Crate & Kennel Covers from a great selection at Pet Supplies Store. Results 1 – 24 of 206 – Online shopping for Kennel Covers – Crates, Houses & Pens from a great selection at Pet Supplies Store. Check out our dog crate cover selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our pet supplies shops. Choose high quality Metal Dog Crates. Satisfaction . Savic Cottage Dog Crate. £17.99 – £71.99Select options . Crate Covers. Savic Compact Crate Covers. Shop Wayfair for the best large dog crate covers. Enjoy Free Shipping on . Dogs can run and play in this ample house freely and safely. Top waterproof cover . Products 1 – 24 of 24 – Shop for Dog Kennel Covers in Dogs. Buy products such as AKC® Hi-Rise 5ft x 5ft x 5ft Heavy-duty Dog Kennel with Cover for Small or . Slip Cover your Dog’s Crate! Choose from 3 popular styles. Blue Stripe. From $ 32.99. Buy · Black and White. From $ 32.99. Buy · Signature. From $ 38.00. Buy . Sew & Make Simplicity 4713 Sewing Pattern – Dog Crate Covers Mats . Painting of Be Nice to Your Doggie and Give Him Perfect Fancy Crate to be Your. Creating a potty area for your dog is easy, convenient and your lawn and shoes will thank you for it! The nice weather makes this the perfect time of year to get . Tutorial: Sew a dog crate cover spray paint metal kennel! They would chew up the . Turn that boring dog crate into a beautiful piece of furniture! We love how @. dog crate diy #dogcratediy Diy Dog Crate, Dog Crate Cover, Crate Bed, Dog Crate Covers Medium Custom Made In Beautiful Fabrics. £109.00, via Etsy. Dog crate covers · Pretty sure I’ve had my eye on this Coffee table crate for about two . Dog Crate Cover on Etsy, $75.00 Crate Bed, Dog Crate Table, Diy Dog. 2 thg 9, 2013 – Maybe you can’t hide it, but you can try to make it pretty. And that’s what I’ve done as my project – made a dog crate cover! I have to tell you – I have never made anything this large without a pattern. But I’m very pleased with the . 10 thg 1, 2019 – Meet the MidWest Homes for Pets Dog Crate Cover, the best dog crate cover . Stylish geometric pattern; Durable Teflon protected fabric; Hook and loop tabs A cute, easy-care dog crate cover from Petoga Couture that’s . You don’t need to be an expert at sewing to make a dog crate cover for your pet. With these simple steps, you can create your own pattern and make an . Free next day delivery on eligible orders for Amazon prime members Buy extra large dog cage on Amazon.co.uk. Dog Puppy Cage Large 36 inch Black Folding 2 Door Crate with Non-Chew Metal Tray by Ellie-Bo. 1,133. AmazonBasics Double-Door Folding Metal Dog Crate . Free next day delivery on eligible orders for Amazon prime members Buy extra large dog crates on Amazon.co.uk. See a choice of really big crates by breed. . Big dog crates for big dogs. . Nav Dog crates logo : Soft dog crates and wire dog crates direct from UK supplier. Large Dog Cage available now from PetPlanet.co.uk the UKs #1 Online Pet Store. We offer Free Delivery & Express Delivery options and Guarantee Cheapest . Dog crates and Puppy Cages, ideal for home, training and travel, Small, Medium and Large Sizes from Doggiesolutions.co.uk. Results 1 – 48 of 228 – Buy Size XL Dog Cages and get the best deals at the lowest . Heavy Duty Pet Cage 36 42 48 Inch Dog Animal Crate Home Folding Door Training UK Ellie-Bo 42″ Extra Large Dog Puppy Pet Cage Folding Carrier . Find a large dog cage on Gumtree, the #1 site for Pet Equipment & Accessories for Sale classifieds ads in the UK. Find a extra large dog cage on Gumtree, the #1 site for Pet Equipment & Accessories for Sale classifieds ads in the UK. Products 1 – 30 of 47 – Get set for large dog cage at Argos. . Double Door Pet Cage – Extra Large . King Pets Single Door Pet Cage – Medium . allow us (and 3rd parties) to customise marketing content on both argos.co.uk and other websites. Bau House: Lovely Dog Cafe – See 162 traveler reviews, 237 candid photos, and great deals for Seoul, South Korea, at TripAdvisor. I was at the dog cafe in Seoul and I have a huge phobia of dogs. Dog at the Bau House in Seoul. Given the somewhat misleading name, the dog cafe is not a restaurant where you I would hang out there just to be with those lovely doggies!! 20 thg 12, 2016 – You’d want to stop by in Seoul to check out their animal cafes when you’re visiting South Korea. . If you want to stay at the dog café longer than 30 minutes and you do not want to purchase . Pretty usual in general though. Bau House, Seoul Ảnh: Bau House Dog Cafe in Mapo-gu, Seoul – Xem 50.303 ảnh chân thực và video về Bau . Từ đánh giá: Lovely Dog Cafe của Bau House. Bau House: Lovely dog cafe – See 162 traveler reviews, 237 candid photos, and great deals for Seoul, South Korea, at TripAdvisor. 4 thg 4, 2018 – But in Seoul, South Korea, pet cafés are taken to a new level, with . In addition to showcasing a collection of beautiful tropical animals, the . We visit “Bau House” in Hongdae and the “Cat Cafe” in Myeong-dong, Seoul, to get up close to some cute puppies and awesome cats! If you want to pet and touch cute, adorable cats and dogs, there are special cafes in Hongdae, Seoul, a heaven for animal lovers. You can even bring your own . #DogCratesCovers #CoverLetterEnglischMuster #DogCageCoversEbay #CoverParadiesDeutsch #DogCageCover

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/superb-dog-cage-covers

[nonfictionwritingstyles]

5. Travel Writing

A Year in Provence // Chapter 1: JANUARY

Peter Mayle

JANUARY

THE YEAR BEGAN with lunch.

We have always found that New Year’s Eve, with it’s eleventh-hour excesses and doomed resolutions, is a dismal occasion for all the forced jollity and midnight toasts and kisses. And so, when we heard that over in the village of Lacoste, a few miles away, the proprietor of Le Simiane was offering a six-course lunch with pink champagne to his amiable clientele, it seemed like a much more cheerful way to start the next twelve months.

By 12:30 the little stone-walled restaurant was full. There were some serious stomachs to be seen- entire families with the embonpoint that comes from spending two or three diligent hours every day at the table, eyes down and conversation postponed in the observance of France’s favorite ritual. The proprietor of the restaurant, a man who had somehow perfected the art of hovering despite his considerable size, was dressed for the day in a velvet smoking jacket and bow tie. His mustache, sleek with pomade, quivered with enthusiasm as he rhapsodized over the menu: foie gras, lobster mousse, beef en croûte, salads dressed in virgin oil, hand-picked cheeses, desserts of a miraculous lightness, digestifs. It was a gastronomic aria which he performed at each table, kissing the tips of his fingers so often that he must have blistered his lips.

The final “bon appétite” died away and a companionable near silence descended on the restaurant as the food received its due attention. While we ate, my wife and I thought of previous New Year’s Days, most of them spent under impenetrable cloud in England. It was hard to associate the sunshine and dense blue sky outside with the first of January but, as everyone kept telling us, it was quite normal. After all, we were in Provence.

We had been here often before as tourists, desperate for our annual ration of two or three weeks of true heart and sharp light. Always when we left, with peeling noses and regret, we promised ourselves that one day we would live here. We had talked about it during the long gray winters and the damp green summers, looked with an addict’s longing at photographs of village markets through the bedroom window. And now, somewhat to our surprise, we had done it. We had committed ourselves. We had over our two dogs, and become foreigners.

In the end, it had happened quickly - almost impulsively - because of the house. We saw it one afternoon and had mentally moved in by dinner.

It was set above the country road that runs between the two medieval hill villages of Ménerbes Bonnieux, at the end of a dirt track through cherry trees and vines. It was a mas, or farmhouse, built from local stone which two hundred years of wind and sun had weathered to a color somewhere between pale honey and pale gray. It had started life in the eighteenth century as one room and, in the haphazard manner of agricultural buildings, had spread to accommodate children, grandmothers, goats, and farm implements until it had become an irregular three-story house. Everything about it was solid. The spiral staircase which rose from the wine cave to the top floor was cut from massive slabs of stone. The walls, some of them a meter thick, were built to keep out the winds of the Mistral which, they say, can blow the ears off a donkey. Attached to the back of the house was an enclose courtyard, and beyond that a bleached white stone swimming pool. There were three wells, there were established shade trees and slim green cypresses, hedges of rosemary, a giant almond tree. In the afternoon sun, with the wooden shutters half-closed like sleepy eyelids, it was irresistible.

It was also immune, as much as any house could be, from the creeping horrors of property development. The French have a weakness fro erecting jolies villas wherever building regulations permit, and sometimes where they don’t, particularly in areas of hitherto unspoiled and beautiful countryside. We had seen them in a ghastly rash around the old market two of Apt, boxes made from that special kind of livid pink cement which remains livid no matter what the weather may throw at it. Very few areas of rural France are safe unless they have been officially protected, and one of the great attractions of this house was that it sat within the boundaries of a national park, sacred to the French heritage and out of bounds to concrete mixers.

The Lubéron Mountains rise up immediately behind the house to a high point of nearly 3,500 feet and run in deep folds for about forty miles from west to east. Cedars and pines and scrub oak keep them perpetually green and provide cover for boar, rabbits, and game birds. Wild flowers, thyme, lavender, and mushrooms grow between the rocks and under the trees, and from the summit on a clear day the view is of the Basses-Alpes on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. For most of the year, it is possible to walk for eight or nine hours without seeing a car or a human being. It is a 247,000-acre extension of the back garden, a paradise for the dogs and a permanent barricade against assault from the rear by unforeseen neighbors.

Neighbors, we have found, take on an importance in the country that they don’t begin to have in cities. You can live for years in an apartment in London or New York and barely speak to the people who live six inches away from you on the other side of a wall. In the country, separated from the next house though you may be by hundreds of yards, your neighbors are part of your life, and you are part of theirs. If you happen to be foreign and therefore slightly exotic, you are inspected with more than usual interest. And if, in addition, you inherit a long-standing and delicate agricultural arrangement, you are quickly made aware that your attitudes and decisions have a direct effect on another family’s well-being.

We had been introduced to our new neighbors by the couple from whom we bought the house, over a five-hour dinner marked by a tremendous goodwill on all sides and an almost total lack of comprehension on our part. The language spoken was French, but it was not the French we had studied in textbooks and heart on cassettes; it was a rich, soupy patois, emanating from somewhere at the back of the throat and passing through a scrambling process in the nasal passages before coming out as speech. Half-familiar sounds could be dimly recognized as words through the swirls and eddies of Provençal: demain became demang, vin become vang, maison became mesong. That by itself would not have been a problem had the words been spoken at normal conversational speed and without further embroidery, but they were delivered like bullets from a machine gun, often with an extra vowel tacked on the end for good luck. Thus an offer of more bread-page-one stuff in French for beginners - emerged as a single twanging question. Encoredupanga?

Fortunately for us, the good humor and niceness of our neighbors were apparent even if what they were saying was a mystery. Henriette was a brown, pretty woman with a permanent smile and a sprinter’s enthusiasm for reaching the finish line of each sentence in record time. Her husband, Faustin - or Faustin - tang, as we thought his name was spelled for many weeks - was large and gentle, unhurried in his movements and relatively slow with his words. He had been born in the valley, he had spent his life in the valley, and he would die in the valley. His father, Pépé André, who lived next to him, had shot his last boar at the age of eighty and had given up hunting to take up the bicycle. Twice a week he would pedal to the village for his groceries and his grossip. They seemed to be a contented family.

They had, however, a concern about us, not only as neighbors but as prospective partner, and, through the fumes of marc and black tobacco and the even thicker fog of the accent, we eventually got to the bottom of it.

Most of the six acres of land we had bought with the house was planted with vines, and these had been looked after for years under the traditional system of métayage: the owner of the land pays the capital costs of new vine stock and fertilizer, while the farmer does the work of spraying, cropping, and pruning. At the end of the season, the farmer takes two-thirds of the profits and the owner one-third. If the property changes hands, the arrangement comes up for review, and there was Faustin’s concern. It was well known that many of the properties in the Lubéron were bought as résidences secondaires, used for holidays and amusement, their good agricultural land turned into elaborately planted gardens. There were even cases of the ultimate blasphemy, when vines had been grubbed up to make way for tennis courts. Tennis courts! Faustin shrugged with disbelief, shoulder and eyebrows going up in unison as he contemplate the extradordinary idea of exchanging precious vines for the curious pleasure of chasing a little ball around in the heat.

He needn’t have worried. We loved the vines - the ordered regularity of them against the sprawl of the mountain, the way they changed from bright green to darker green to yellow and red as spring and summer turned to autumn, the blue smoke in the pruning season as the clippings were burned, the pruned stumps the bare fields in the winter - they were meant to be here. Tennis courts and landscaped gardens weren’t. (Nor, for the matter, was our swimming pool, but at least it hadn’t replaced any vines.) And, besides, there was the wine. We had the option of taking our profit in cash or in the bottle, and in an average year our share of the crop would be nearly a thousand litres of good ordinary red and pink. As emphatically as we could in our unsteady French, we told Faustin that we would be delighted to continue the existing arrangement. He beamed. He could see that we would all get along very well together.  One day, we might even be able to talk to each other.

The Proprietor of Le Simiane wished us a happy new year and hovered in the doorway as we stood in the narrow street, blinking into the sun.

“Not bad, eh?” he said, with a flourish of one velvet-clad arm which took in the village, the ruins of the Marquis de Sade’s château perched above, the view across to the mountains and the bright, clean sky. It was a casually possessive gesture, as if he was showing us a corner of his personal estate. “One is fortunate to be in Provence.”

Yes indeed, we thought, once certainly was. If this was winter we wouldn’t be needing all the foul-weather paraphernalia - boots and coats and inch-thick sweaters - that we had brought over from England. We drove home, warm and well fed, making bets on how soon we could take the first swim of the year, and feeling a smug sympathy for those poor souls in harsher climates who had to suffer real winters.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles to the north, the wind that had started in Siberia was picking up speed fro the final part of its journey. We had heard stories about the Mistral. It drove people, and animals, mad. It was an extenuating circumstance in crimes of violence. It blew for fifteen days on end, uprooting in crimes of violence. It blew for fifteen days on end, uprooting trees, overturning cars, smashing windows, tossing old ladies into the gutter, splintering telegraph poles, moaning through houses like a cold and baleful ghost, causing la grippe, domestic squabbles, absenteeism from work, toothache, migraine - every problem in Provence that couldn’t be blamed on the politicians was the fault of the sâcré vent which the Provençaux spoke about with a kind of masochistic pride.

Typical Gallic exaggeration, we thought. If they had to put up with the gales that come off the English Channel and bend the rain so that it hits you in the face almost horizontally, then they might know what a real wind was like. We listened to their stories and, to humor the tellers, pretended to be impressed.

And so we were poorly prepared when the first Mistral of the year came howling down the Rhône valley, turned left, and smacked into the west side of the house with enough force  to skim roof tiles into the swimming pool and rip a window that had carelessly been left open off its hinges. The temperature dropped twenty degrees in twenty-four hours. It went to zero, then six below. Reading taken in Marseilles showed a wind speed of 180 kilometers an hour. My wife was cooking in an overcoat. I  was trying to type in gloves. We stopped talking about our fist swim and thought wistfully about central heating. And then one morning, with the sound of branches snapping, the pipes burst one after the other under the pressure of water that had frozen in them overnight.

They hung off the wall, swollen and stopped up with ice, and Monsieur Menicucci studied them with his professional plumber’s eyes.

“Oh là là,” he said. “Oh là là.” He turned to his young apprentice, who he invariably addressed as jeune homme or jeune. “ You see what we have here, jeune. Naked pipes. No insulation. Côte d’Azur plumbing. In Cannes, in Nice, it would do, but here . . .”

He made a clucking sound of disapproval and wagged his finger under jeune’s nose to underline the difference between the soft winters of the coast and the biting cold in which we were now standing, and pulled his woolen bonnet firmly down over his ears. He was short and compact, built for plumbing, as he would say, because he could squeeze himself into constricted space that more ungainly men would find inaccessible. While we waited for jeune to set up the blowtorch, Monsieur Menicucci delivered the first of a serious of lectures and collected pensées which I would listen to with increasing enjoyment through the coming year. Today, we had a geophysical dissertation on the increasing severity of Provençal winters.

For three years in a row, winter had been noticeably harder than anyone could remember - cold enough, in fact, to kill ancient olive trees. It was, to use the phrase that comes in Provence whenever the sun goes in, pas normal. But why? Monsieur Menicucci gave me a token two second to ponder this phenomenon before warming to his thesis, tapping me with a finger from time to time to make sure I was paying attention.

It was clear, he said, that the winds which brought the cold down  from Russia were arriving in Provence with greater velocity than before, taking less time to each their destination and therefore having less time to warm up en route. And the reason for this - Monsieur Menicucci allowed himself a brief but dramatic pause - was a change in the configuration of the earth’s crust. Mais oui. Somewhere between Siberia and Ménerbes the curvature of the earth had flattened, enabling the wind to take a more direct route south. It was entirely logical. Unfortunately, part two of the lecture (Why the Earth Is Becoming Flatter) was interrupted by a crack of another burst pipe, and my education was put aside for some virtuoso work with the blowtorch.

The effect of the weather on the inhabitants of Provence is immediate and obvious. They expect every day to be sunny, and their disposition suffers when it isn’t. Rain they take as a personal affront, shaking their heads and commiserating with each other in the cafés, looking with profound suspicion at the sky as though a plague of locusts is about to descend, and picking their way with distaste through the puddles on the pavement. If anything worse than a rainy day should come along, such as this sub-zero snap, the result is startling: most of the population disappears.

As the cold began to bite into the middle of January, the towns and villages became quiet. The weekly markets, normally jammed and boisterous, were reduced to a skeleton crew of intrepid stallholders who were prepared to risk frostbite for a living, stamping their feet and nipping from hip flasks. Customers moved briskly, bought and went, barely pausing to count their change. Bars closed their doors and windows  tight and conducted their business in a pungent fog. There was none of the usual dawdling on the streets.

Our valley hibernated, and I missed the sound that marked the passing of each day almost as precisely as a clock: Faustin’s rooster having his morning cough; the demented clatter - like nuts and bolts trying to escape from a biscuit tin - of the small Citroën van that every farmer drives home at lunchtime; the hopeful fusillade of a hunter on afternoon patrol in the vines on the opposite hillside; the distant whine of a chainsaw in the forest; the twilight serenade of farm dogs. Now there was silence. For hours on end the valley would completely still and empty, and we become curious. What everybody doing?

Faustin, we knew traveled around the neighboring farms as a visiting slaughterer, slitting the throats and breaking the necks of rabbits and ducks and pigs and geese so that they could be turned into terrines and hams and confits. We thought it an uncharacteristic occupation for a softhearted man who spoiled his dogs, but he was evidently skilled and quick and, like any true countryman, he wasn’t distracted by sentiment. We might treat a rabbit as a pet or become emotionally attached to a goose, but we had come from cities and supermarkets, where flesh was hygienically distanced from any resemblance to living creatures. A shrink-wrapped pork chop has a sanitized, abstract appearance that has nothing whatever to do with the warm, mucky bulk of a pig. Out here in the country there was no avoiding the direct link between death and dinner, and there would be many occasions in the future when we would be grateful for Faustin’s winter work.

But what did everyone else do? The earth was frozen, the vines were clipped and dormant, it was too cold to hunt. Had they all gone on holiday? No, surely not. These were not the kind of gentlemen farmers who spent their winters on the ski slopes or yachting in the Caribbean. Holidays here were taken at home during August, eating too much, enjoying too much, enjoying siestas and resting up before the long days of the vendange. It was a puzzle, until we realized how many of the local people had their birthdays in September or October, and then a possible but unverifiable answer suggest itself: they were busy indoors making babies. There is a season for everything in Provence, and the first two months of the year must be devoted to procreation. We have never dared ask.

The cold weather brought less private pleasure. Apart from the peace and emptiness of the landscape, there is a special smell about winter in Provence which is accentuated by the wind and the clean, dry air. Walking in the hills, I was often able to smell a house before I could see it, because of the scent of woodsmoke coming from an invisible chimney. It is one of the most primitive smells in life, and consequently extinct in most cities, where fire regulations and interior decorators have combined to turn fireplaces into blocked-up holes or self-consciously lit “architectural features.” The fireplace in Provence is still used - to cook on, to sit around, to warm the toes, and to please the ye - and fires are laid in the early morning and fed throughout the day with scrub oak from the Lubéron or beech from the foothills of Mon Ventoux. Coming home with the dogs as dusk fell, I always stopped to look from the top of the valley at the long zigzag of smoke ribbons drifting up from the farms that are scattered along the Bonnieux road. It was a sigh that made me think of warm kitchens and well-seasoned stews, and it never failed to make me ravenous.

The well-known food of Provence is summer food - the melons and peaches and asparagus, the courgettes and aubergines, the peppers and tomatoes, the aioli and bouillabaisse and monumental salads of olives and anchovies and tuna and hard-boiled eggs and sliced, earthy potatoes on beds of multicoloured lettuce glistening with oil, the fresh goat’s cheeses - these had been the memories that came back to torment us every time we looked at the limp and shriveled selection on offer in English shops. It had never occurred to us that there was a winter menu, totally different but equally delicious.

The cold-weather cuisine of Provence is peasant food. It is made to stick to your ribs, keep you warm, give you strength, and send you off to bed with a full belly. It is not pretty, in the way that the tiny and artistically garnished portions served in fashionable restaurants are pretty, but on a freezing night with the Mistral coming at you like a razor there is nothing to beat it. And on the night one of our neighbors invited us to dinner it was cold enough to turn the short walk to their house into a short run.

We came through the door and my glasses steamed up in the heat from the fireplace that occupied most of the far wall of the heat from the fireplace that occupied most of the far wall of the room. As the mist cleared, I saw that the big table, covered in checked oilcloth, was laid for ten; friends and relations were coming to examine us. A television set chattered in the corner, the radio chattered back from the kitchen, and assorted dogs and cats were shooed out of the door as one guest arrived, only to sidle back in with the next. A tray of drinks was brought out, with pastis for the men and chilled, seet muscat wine for the women, and we were caught in a crossfire of noisy complaints about the weather. Was it as bad as this in England? Only in the summer, I said. For a moment they took me seriously before someone saved me from embarrassment by laughing. With a great deal of jockeying for position - whether to sit next to us or as far away as possible, I wasn’t sure - we settled ourselves at the table.

It was a meal that we shall never forget; more accurately, it was several meals that we shall never forget, because it went beyond the gastronomic frontiers of anything we had ever experienced, both in quantity and length.

It started with homemade pizza - not one, but three: anchovy, mushroom, and cheese, and it was obligatory to have a slice of each. Plates were then wiped with pieces torn from the two-foot loaves in the middle of the table, and the next course came out. There pâtés of rabbit, boar, and thrush. There was a chunky, pork-based terrine laced with marc. There were saucissons spotted peppercorns. There were tiny seet onions marinated in a fresh tomato sauce. Plates were wiped once more and duck was brought in. The slivers of magret that appear, arranged in fan formation and lapped by an elegant smear of sauce on the refined tables of nouvelle cuisine - these were nowhere to be seen. We had entire breasts, entire legs, covered in a dark, savory gravy and surrounded by wild mushrooms.

We sat back, thankful that we had been able to finish, and watched with something close to panic as plates were wiped yet again and a huge, steaming casserole was placed on the table. This was the specialty of Madame our hostess - a rabbit civet of the richest, deepest brown - and our feeble request for small portions were smilingly ignored. We ate it. We ate the green salad with knuckles of bread friend in garlic and olive oil, we ate the plump round crottins of goat’s cheese, we ate the almond and cream gâteau that the daughter of the house had prepared. That night, we ate for England.

With the coffee, a number of deformed bottle were produced which contained a selection of locally made digestifs. My heart would have sunk had there been any space left for it to sink to, but there was no denying my host’s insistence. I must try one particular concoction, made from an eleventh-century recipe by an alcoholic order of monks in the Basses-Alpes. I was asked to close my eyes while it was poured, and when I opened them a tumbler of viscous yellow fluid had been put in front of me. I looked in despair around the table. Everyone was watching me; there was no chance of giving whatever it was to the dog or letting it dribble discreetly into one of my shoes. Clutching the table for support with one hand, I took the tumbler with the other, close my eyes, prayed to the patron saint of indigestion, and threw it back.

Nothing came out. I had been expecting at a scalded tongue, at worst permanently cauterized taste buds, but I took in nothing but air it was a trick glass, and for the first time in my adult life I was deeply relieved not to have a drink. As the laughter of the other guest died away, genuine drinks were threatened, but we were saved by the cat. From her headquarter on top of a large armoire, she took a flying leap in pursuit of  a moth and crash-landed among the coffee cups and bottles on the table. It seemed like an appropriate moment to leave. We walked home pushing our stomachs before us, oblivious to the cold, incapable of speech, and slept like the dead.

Even by Provençal standards, it had not been an everyday meal. The people who work on the land are more likely to eat well at noon and sparingly in the evening, a habit that is healthy and sensible and, for us, quite impossible. We have found that there is nothing like a good lunch to give us an appetite for dinner. It’s alarming. It must have something to do with the novelty of living in the middle of such an abundance of good things to eat, and among men and women whose interest in food verges on obsession. Butchers, for instance, are not content merely to sell you meat. They will tell you, at great length, while the queue backs up behind you, how to cook it, how to serve it, and what to eat and drink with it.

The first time this happened, we had gone into Apt to buy veal for the Provençal stew called pebronata. We were directed towards a butcher in the old part of town who was reputed to have the master’s touch and to be altogether très sérieux. His shop was small, he and his wife were large, and the four of us constituted a crowd. He listened intently as we explained that we wanted to make this particular dish; perhaps he had heard of it.

He puffed up with indignation, and began to sharpen a large knife so energetically that we stepped back a pace. Did we he said, that we were looking at an expert, possibly the greatest pebronata authority in the Vaucluse? His wife nodded admiringly. Why, he said, brandishing ten inches of sharp steel in our faces, he had written a book about it - a definitive book - containing twenty variations of the basic recipe. His wife nodded again. She was playing the role of senior nurse to his eminent surgeon passing him fresh knives to sharpen prior to the operation.

We must have looked suitably impressed, because he then produced a handsome piece of veal and his tone became professorial. He trimmed the meat, cubed it, filled a small bag with chopped herbs, told us where to go to buy the best peppers (four green and one red, the contrast in color being for aesthetic reasons), went through the recipe twice to make sure we weren’t going to commit a bêtise, and suggested a suitable Côtes du Rhône. It was a fine performance.

Gourmets are thick on the ground in Provence, and pearls of wisdom have sometimes come from the most unlikely sources. We were getting used to the fact that the French are as passionate about food as other nationalities are about sport and politics, but even so it came as a surprise to hear Monsieur Bagnols, the floor cleaner, handicapping three-star restaurants. He had come over from Nunes to sand down a stone floor, and it was apparent from the start that he was not a man who trifled with his stomach. Each day precisely at noon he changed out of his overalls and took himself off to one of the local restaurants for two hours.

He judged it to be not bad, but of course nothing like the Beaumaniere at Les Baux. The Beaumaniere has three Michelin stars and a 17 out of 20 rating in the Gault-Millau Guide and there, he said, he had eaten a truly exceptional sea bass en croûte. Mind you, the Troisgros in Roanne was a superb establishment too, although being opposite the station the setting wasn’t as pretty as Les Baux. The Troisgros has three Michelin stars and a 19½ out of 20 rating in the Gault-Millau Guide. And so it went on, as he adjusted his knee pads and scrubbed away at the floor, a personal guide to five or six of the most expensive restaurants in France that Monsieur Bagnols had visited on his annual treats.

He had once been In England, and had eaten roast lamb at hotel In Liverpool. It had been gray and tepid and tasteless. But of course, he said, it is well known that the English kill their lamb twice; once when they slaughter It, and once when they cook it. I retreated in the face of such withering contempt for my national cuisine, and left him to get on with the floor and dream of his next visit to Bocuse.

The Weather continued hard, with bitter but extravagantly starry nights and spectacular sunrises. One early morning, the sun seemed abnormally low and large, and walking into it everything was either glare or deep shadow. The dogs were running well ahead of me, and I heard them barking long before I could see what they had found.

We had come to a part of the forest where the land fell away to form a deep bowl in which, a hundred years before, some misguided farmer had built a house that was almost permanently in the gloom cast by the surrounding trees. I had passed it many times. The windows were always shuttered, and the only sign of human habitation was smoke drifting up from the chimney. In the yard outside, two large and matted Alsatians and a black mongrel were constantly on the prowl, howling and straining against their chains in their efforts to savage any passers-by. These dogs were known to be vicious; one of them had broken loose and laid open the back of grandfather André’s leg. My dogs, full of valor when confronted by timid cats, had wisely decided against passing too close to three sets of hostile jaws, and had developed the habit of making a detour around the house and over a small steep hill. They were at the top now, barking in that speculative, nervous manner that dogs adopt to reassure themselves when they encounter something unexpected in familiar territory.

I reached the top of the hill with the sun full in my eyes, but I could make out the backlit silhouette of a figure in the trees, a nimbus of smoke around his head, the dogs inspecting him noisily from a safe distance. As I came up to him, he extended a cold, horny hand.

“Bonjour.” He unscrewed a cigarette butt from the corner of his mouth and introduced himself. “Massot, Antoine.”

He was dressed for war. A stained camouflage jacket army jungle cap, a bandolier of cartridges, and a pump-action shotgun. His face was the color and texture of a hastily cooked steak, with a wedge of nose jutting out above a ragged, nicotine stained mustache. Pale blue eyes peered through a sproutin tangle of ginger eyebrows, and his decayed smile would have brought despair to the most optimistic dentist. Nevertheless there was a certain mad amiability about him.

I asked if his hunting had been successful. “A fox,” he said, “but too old to eat.” He shrugged, and lit another of his fat Boyards cigarettes, wrapped in yellow maize paper and smelling like a young bonfire in the morning air. “Anyway,” he said, “he won’t be keeping my dogs awake at night,” and he nodded down toward the house in the hollow. I said that his dogs seemed fierce, and he grinned. Just playful, he said. But what about the time one of them had escaped and attacked the old man? Ah, that. He shook his head at the painful memory. The trouble is, he said, you should never turn your back on a playful dog, and that had been the old man’s mistake. Une vraie catastrophe. For a moment, I thought he was regretting the wound inflicted on grandfather André, which had punctured a vein in his leg and required a visit to the hospital for injections and stitches, but I was mistaken. The real sadness was that Massot had been obliged to buy a new chain, and those robbers in Cavaillon had charged him 250 francs. That had bitten deeper than teeth.

To save him further anguish, I changed the subject and asked him if he really ate fox. He seemed surprised at such a January 19 stupid question, and looked at me for a moment or two without replying, as though he suspected me of making fun of him.

“One doesn’t eat fox in England?” I had visions of the members of the Belvoir Hunt writing to The Times and having a collective heart attack at such an unsporting and typically foreign idea.

“No, one doesn’t eat fox in England. One dresses up in a red coat and one chases after it on horseback with several dogs, and then one cuts off its tail.”

He cocked his head, astonished. “lls sont bizarres, les Anglais.” And then, with great gusto and some hideously explicit gestures, he described what civilized people did with a fox.

Cillet de renard à la façan Massot

Find a young fox, and be careful to shoot it cleanly in the head, which is of no culinary interest. Buckshot in the edible parts of the fox can cause chipped teeth-- Massot showed me two of his-and indigestion.

Skin the fox, and cut off its parties. Here, Massot made a chopping motion with his hand across his groin, and followed this with some elaborate twists and tugs of the hand to illustrate the gutting process.

Leave the cleaned carcass under cold running water for twenty-four hours to eliminate the goût sauvage. Drain it, bundle it up in a sack, and hang it outdoors overnight, preferably when there is frost.

The following morning, place the fox in a casserole of cast iron and cover with a mixture of blood and red wine. Add herbs, onions, and heads of garlic, and simmer for a day or two. (Massot apologized for his lack of precision but said that the timing varied according to size and age of fox.)

In the old days,. this was eaten with bread and boiled potatoes, but now, thanks to progress and the invention of the deep-fat fryer, one could enjoy it with pommes frites.

By now, Massot was in a talkative mood. He lived alone, he told me, and company was scarce in the winter. He had spent his life in the mountains, but maybe it was time to move into the village, where he could be among people. Of course, it would be a tragedy to leave such a beautiful house, so calm, so sheltered from the Mistral, so perfectly situated to escape the heat of the midday sun, a place where he had passed so many happy years. It would break his heart, unless-- he looked at me closely, pale eyes watery with sincerity-- unless he could render me a service by making it possible for one of my friends to buy his house.

I looked down at the ramshackle building huddled in the shadows, with the three dogs padding endlessly to and fro on their rusting chains, and thought that in the whole of Provence it would be difficult to find a less appealing spot to live. There was no sun, no view, no feeling of space, and almost certainly a dank and horrid interior. I promised Massot that I would bear it in mind, and he winked at me. “A million francs,” he said. “A sacrifice. “ And in the meantime, until he left this little corner of paradise, if there was anything I wanted to know about the rural life, he would advise me. He knew every centimeter of the forest, where the mushrooms grew, where the wild boar came to drink, which gun to choose, how to train a hound-- there was nothing he didn’t know, and this knowledge was mine for the asking. I thanked him. “C’est normal,” he said, and stumped off down the hill to his million-franc residence.

When I told a friend in the village that I had met Massot, he smiled.

“Did he tell you how to cook a fox?”

I nodded.

“Did he try to sell his house?”

I nodded.

“The old blagueur. He’s full of wind .”

I didn’t care . I liked him, and I had a feeling that he would be a rich source of fascinating and highly suspect information. With him to initiate me into the joys of rustic pursuits and Monsieur Menicucci in charge of more scientific matters, all I needed now was a navigator to steer me through the murky waters of French bureaucracy, which in its manifold subtleties and inconveniences can transform a molehill of activity into a mountain of frustration .

We should have been warned by the complications attached to the purchase of the house . We wanted to buy, the proprietor wanted to sell, a price was agreed, it was all straightforward. But then we became reluctant participants in the national sport of paper gathering. Birth certificates were required to prove we existed; passports to prove that we were British; marriage certificates to enable us to buy the house in our joint names; divorce certificates to prove that our marriage certificates were valid; proof that we had an address in England. (Our driver’s licenses, plainly addressed, were judged to be insufficient; did we have more formal evidence of where we were living, like an old electricity bill?) Back and forth between France and England the pieces of paper went-- every scrap of information except blood type and fingerprints-- until the local lawyer had our lives contained in a dossier. The transaction could then proceed.

We made allowances for the system because we were foreigners buying a tiny part of France, and national security clearly had to be safeguarded . Less important business would doubtless be quicker and less demanding of paperwork. We went to buy a car.

It was the standard Citroën deux chevaux, a model that has changed very little in the past twenty-five years. Consequently , spare parts are available in every village. Mechanically it is not much more complicated than a sewing machine, and any reasonably competent blacksmith can repair it. It is cheap, and has a comfortingly low top speed. Apart from the fact that the suspension is made of blancmange, which makes it the only car in the world likely to cause seasickness, it is a charming and practical vehicle. And the garage had one in stock.

The salesman looked at our driver’s licenses, valid through out the countries of the Common Market until well past the year 2000. With an expression to infinite regret, he shook his head and looked up.

“Non.”

“Non?”

“Non.”

We produced our secret weapons: two passports.

“Non.”

We rummaged around in our papers. What could he want? Our marriage certificate? An old English electricity bill? We gave up, and asked him what else, apart from money, was needed to buy a car.

“You have an address in France?”

We gave it to him, and he noted it down on the sales form with great care, checking from time to time to make sure that the third carbon copy was legible.

“You have proof that this is your address? A telephone bill? An electricity bill?”

We explained that we hadn’t yet received any bills because we had only just moved in. He explained that an address was necessary for the carte grise-- the document of car ownership. No address, no carte grise. No carte grise, no car.

Fortunately, his salesman’s instincts overcame his relish for a bureaucratic impasse, and he leaned forward with a solution: If we would provide him with the deed of sale of our house, the whole affair could be brought to a swift and satisfactory conclusion, and we could have the car. The deed of sale was in the lawyer’s office, fifteen miles away. We went to get it, and placed it triumphantly on his desk together with a check. Now could we have the car?

“Malheureusement, non.” We must wait until the check had been cleared, a delay of four or five days even though it was drawn on a local bank. Could we go together to the bank and clear it Immediately? No, we couldn’t. It was lunchtime. The two areas of endeavor in which France leads the world - bureaucracy and gastronomy - had combined to put us in our place.

It made us mildly paranoid, and for weeks we never left home without photocopies of the family archives, waving passports and birth certificates at everyone from the checkout girl at the supermarket to the old man who loaded the wine into the car at the cooperative. The documents were always regarded with interest, because documents are holy things here and deserve respect, but we were often asked why we carried them around. Was this the way one was obliged to live in England? What a strange and tiresome country it must be. The only short answer to that was a shrug. We practiced shrugging.

The cold lasted until the final days of January, and then turned perceptibly warmer. We anticipated spring, and I was anxious to hear an expert forecast. I decided to consult the sage of the forest.

Massot tugged reflectively at his mustache. There were signs, he said. Rats can sense the coming of warmer weather before any of those complicated satellites, and the rats in his roof had been unusually active these past few days. In fact, they had kept him awake one night and he had loosed off a couple of shots into the ceiling to quieten them down. Eh, oui. Also, the new moon was due, and that often brought a change at this time of year. Based on these two significant portents, he predicted an early, warm spring. I hurried home to see if there were any traces of blossom on the almond tree, and thought about cleaning the swimming pool.

[jeremystrele]

50 Gorgeous Outdoor Patio Design Ideas

As the weather gets warmer, we all start spending more of our time outdoors. Our attention shifts from interior design projects to our outdoor spaces. Warmer months mean the chance to sit in the sunshine and enjoy cooking and eating meals with family and friends out in the fresh air. But, is your garden up to scratch for entertaining? If your backyard looks like it’s in need of a little tender loving care – or maybe an injection of some wow factor – then you’re in the right place. This patio design collection presents 50 gorgeous ideas on how to expertly present your al fresco dining and open air lounge areas.

Designer: Clements Design   When considering how to design a patio, you must first map out what you aren’t able to change, like any established shrubs and trees. Rather than seeing these things as roadblocks to your patio design ideas, use these unmovable items as inspiration in the shaping or locating of your new garden area.

Warm summer days can still bring chilly winter nights. If you want to sit out long into the cooler evenings, or entertain way into the small hours, then it’s a good idea to incorporate a roaring outdoor fireplace into your backyard patio design.

Designer: Clements Design   Why stop at just one outdoor patio design if you have the space to enjoy several? This sprawling garden offers up multiple patio ideas. A sociable lounge, an al fresco dining area and a couple of decks at the sides are all connected by contemporary stepping stone slabs.

Designer: Mary Barensfeld   Once you have your patio garden design, you can have fun selecting outdoor furniture to complement it. This stunning patio has been kitted out with the Bellini Style White Outdoor Dining Chair. The white originals are available here.

A sun patio tops this multi-level garden, nestled under a pergola. It is accessed by concrete steps via a dining deck. Another set of steps lead down to a plunge pool behind glass balustrades.

This enclosed patio design is achieved with heavy planting overhead, and sheer voiles hung like banners to form a flowing wall. The voiles are knotted at their base to give them a little weight in the breeze. A romantic chandelier lights the outdoor dining table and Panton S Style chairs, as does a set of twinkling storm lanterns and table tealights. You can get the curvaceous Panton S Style Outdoor Chair here.

A half covered pergola provides areas of both light and shade around this quaint outdoor dining spot. A simple pendant light hangs at its centre.

Built-in seating can be constructed in solid concrete and dressed with cushions that are to be stowed away in winter months. The permanent seating structures can be used to create the perimeter of an outdoor room.

Photographer: Dabito   This covered patio design features a hanging swing seat ina natural cane finish. The flooring is a stunning geometric tile in a joyful blue colourway; orange cushions on the outdoor sofa provide a stripe of warm contrast. The fence constructed around the seating has been stained ebony black for added drama. Two decorative plates hang on the fence to make it appear like a traditional room.

Backyard patio ideas abound here: A meeting of outdoor rugs in different hues and shapes, mismatched scatter cushions and throws brighten neutral rattan furniture, colour pop accent chairs and side tables with quirky candlesticks and bowls, statement pendant lighting and a woven screen to make the whole ensemble feel cosy and complete.

If clashing multi coloured accessories just aren’t your happy place, then how about choosing just one bold statement colour. This modern patio design is a dreamy vision in purple, teamed with natural accents and lush green planting. A striped rug reflects the slat lines of the overhead pergola roof, as well as adding some smart panache.

Designer: Elysian Landscapes   This hot tub patio design incorporates two stunning tile patterns to make it a stand out space. Also note how the concrete walls have been painted a beautiful shade of blue to complement the tile colour. Pale blue pillows on the outdoor chaise add a finishing touch to the scheme.

Patio paver design ideas can incorporate pattern without the need for intricate and expensive tiling. You can use a combination of slabs and gravel to make patterns too.

Designer: Luciano Giubbilei   This simplistic design patio lets the highly manicured garden topiary and large garden sculpture take the limelight.

Designer: Secret Gardens   Minimalist gardens can be created with concrete patio design ideas that are pale in tone, and provide neat built in planters around the border. Low-level low-key garden furniture completes the look.

Designer: Luciano Giubbilei   A concrete patio design can be teamed with areas of block paving to change things up a bit.

Designer: Michael Lee   Outdoor lighting for borders deserves a spot in our round up of patio decorating ideas too. Uplighting plants gives a dramatic and warm effect, and extends the hours you can use your garden.

Designer: Designs By Sundown   Another take on the outdoor fireplace – not one for homes with young children though. This small patio design also has a substantially sized built-in bench, which proves that you don’t need a huge area to create an impressive and functional outdoor entertaining space.

One cantilevered end extends from this bespoke garden bench. A matching coffee table balances on a semi-spherical base.

The backrest of this concrete bench extends all the way to the sides of some patio steps.

Belonging to a greenfingered homeowner, this simple patio design lets the plants do all the talking.

This patio landscape design holds linear beds of grasses and a tree lined border. A couple of lanterns hang from a nearby tree to help light evening festivities along with the log fire pit.

Designer: Harrisons Landscaping   Patio design plans can be linked to interior spaces. Select interior and exterior flooring in the same tone to create a seamless look.

This neat narrow pool and patio design is a little slice of luxury.

Water features are an ever popular part of garden design and they work superbly when combined with outdoor patio design ideas, like this triple pond creation with decked walkways.

A bit of creative planting can be all the wow factor you need. Vertical planting is a great way to inject more natural beauty into small patio design ideas.

Designer: Marylou Sobel   You can take vertical planting up as high as you dare.

Covered patio ideas include solid roofs that shelter from rainfall, awnings to shade well from sun, or a pergola canopy for areas of light and shade. Open rafters mean that you can weave plants through the beams, and are solid enough to hang an outdoor light.

Designer: Peter Fudge Gardens   An Acapulco chair decorates this warm sun dappled deck, with a step stone paver patio design running off it.

For a change in texture, consider a deck over concrete patio design.

Designer: Elysian Landscapes   Position your patio to take advantage of the best views.

Remember to cater for the little ones too by adding a few kids chairs.

Designer: Peter Fudge Gardens   Gravel sections can be uncomfortable underfoot – especially on barefoot summer days! Add stepping stones to areas of loose chippings, you’ll thank us for it.

A natural or uneven edge adds extra character to a patio area.

Dress your new spot with an outdoor rug. You can pick up trendy geometric print designs like this for very reasonable prices in order to achieve a high-end dressed look. Add a few complementary cushions to your patio furniture for a fully cohesive scheme.

Designer: Peter Fudge Gardens   Placing your sitting area in a lower section of the garden can protect it from chilly breezes.

An outdoor kitchen makes a luxurious and fun add-on.

Planting can be used to create privacy screening.

Designer: Wernerfield   Cutting away rather than building upon the existing landscape creates interesting levels.

Designer: Wiktor Klyk   This magical pavers patio is shrouded by trees at the end of a deck.

A circular formation makes a refreshing change from modern linear layouts.

A swing seat is reminiscent of childhood fun.

This patio cover design can be retracted to let in more sunlight.

Designer: Alana Langan   Photographer: Hannah Blackmore   Blur the boundaries and bring the garden up onto patios and decking by introducing mature potted plants.

An eye-catching orb lamp looks fabulous out on this luxury terrace.

Visualizer: Karwan Muhammed & Karzan R. Sa'eed   This sunken seating area is surrounded by water.

A living patio roof design blends beautifully with a thriving garden.

Have fun with your patio furniture. You can buy the Bertoia Diamond Chairs here.

A dark painted wall at the far end makes the garden appear like a continuation of the interior.

Visualizer: Fuel 3D   Indoor-outdoor living at its most seamless.

Patio furniture ideas: 50 Modern Outdoor Chairs

Related Posts:

Outdoor Dining Furniture Ideas

Beautiful Loft Design: A Solution to Space Shortage

House With Floor To Ceiling Glass And Beautiful Nature Views

Duplex Merge with Mesmeric Views

Fresco Designs

Architectural Concept of a Glass Box Home

[drewebowden66]

50 Gorgeous Outdoor Patio Design Ideas

As the weather gets warmer, we all start spending more of our time outdoors. Our attention shifts from interior design projects to our outdoor spaces. Warmer months mean the chance to sit in the sunshine and enjoy cooking and eating meals with family and friends out in the fresh air. But, is your garden up to scratch for entertaining? If your backyard looks like it’s in need of a little tender loving care – or maybe an injection of some wow factor – then you’re in the right place. This patio design collection presents 50 gorgeous ideas on how to expertly present your al fresco dining and open air lounge areas.

Designer: Clements Design   When considering how to design a patio, you must first map out what you aren’t able to change, like any established shrubs and trees. Rather than seeing these things as roadblocks to your patio design ideas, use these unmovable items as inspiration in the shaping or locating of your new garden area.

Warm summer days can still bring chilly winter nights. If you want to sit out long into the cooler evenings, or entertain way into the small hours, then it’s a good idea to incorporate a roaring outdoor fireplace into your backyard patio design.

Designer: Clements Design   Why stop at just one outdoor patio design if you have the space to enjoy several? This sprawling garden offers up multiple patio ideas. A sociable lounge, an al fresco dining area and a couple of decks at the sides are all connected by contemporary stepping stone slabs.

Designer: Mary Barensfeld   Once you have your patio garden design, you can have fun selecting outdoor furniture to complement it. This stunning patio has been kitted out with the Bellini Style White Outdoor Dining Chair. The white originals are available here.

A sun patio tops this multi-level garden, nestled under a pergola. It is accessed by concrete steps via a dining deck. Another set of steps lead down to a plunge pool behind glass balustrades.

This enclosed patio design is achieved with heavy planting overhead, and sheer voiles hung like banners to form a flowing wall. The voiles are knotted at their base to give them a little weight in the breeze. A romantic chandelier lights the outdoor dining table and Panton S Style chairs, as does a set of twinkling storm lanterns and table tealights. You can get the curvaceous Panton S Style Outdoor Chair here.

A half covered pergola provides areas of both light and shade around this quaint outdoor dining spot. A simple pendant light hangs at its centre.

Built-in seating can be constructed in solid concrete and dressed with cushions that are to be stowed away in winter months. The permanent seating structures can be used to create the perimeter of an outdoor room.

Photographer: Dabito   This covered patio design features a hanging swing seat ina natural cane finish. The flooring is a stunning geometric tile in a joyful blue colourway; orange cushions on the outdoor sofa provide a stripe of warm contrast. The fence constructed around the seating has been stained ebony black for added drama. Two decorative plates hang on the fence to make it appear like a traditional room.

Backyard patio ideas abound here: A meeting of outdoor rugs in different hues and shapes, mismatched scatter cushions and throws brighten neutral rattan furniture, colour pop accent chairs and side tables with quirky candlesticks and bowls, statement pendant lighting and a woven screen to make the whole ensemble feel cosy and complete.

If clashing multi coloured accessories just aren’t your happy place, then how about choosing just one bold statement colour. This modern patio design is a dreamy vision in purple, teamed with natural accents and lush green planting. A striped rug reflects the slat lines of the overhead pergola roof, as well as adding some smart panache.

Designer: Elysian Landscapes   This hot tub patio design incorporates two stunning tile patterns to make it a stand out space. Also note how the concrete walls have been painted a beautiful shade of blue to complement the tile colour. Pale blue pillows on the outdoor chaise add a finishing touch to the scheme.

Patio paver design ideas can incorporate pattern without the need for intricate and expensive tiling. You can use a combination of slabs and gravel to make patterns too.

Designer: Luciano Giubbilei   This simplistic design patio lets the highly manicured garden topiary and large garden sculpture take the limelight.

Designer: Secret Gardens   Minimalist gardens can be created with concrete patio design ideas that are pale in tone, and provide neat built in planters around the border. Low-level low-key garden furniture completes the look.

Designer: Luciano Giubbilei   A concrete patio design can be teamed with areas of block paving to change things up a bit.

Designer: Michael Lee   Outdoor lighting for borders deserves a spot in our round up of patio decorating ideas too. Uplighting plants gives a dramatic and warm effect, and extends the hours you can use your garden.

Designer: Designs By Sundown   Another take on the outdoor fireplace – not one for homes with young children though. This small patio design also has a substantially sized built-in bench, which proves that you don’t need a huge area to create an impressive and functional outdoor entertaining space.

One cantilevered end extends from this bespoke garden bench. A matching coffee table balances on a semi-spherical base.

The backrest of this concrete bench extends all the way to the sides of some patio steps.

Belonging to a greenfingered homeowner, this simple patio design lets the plants do all the talking.

This patio landscape design holds linear beds of grasses and a tree lined border. A couple of lanterns hang from a nearby tree to help light evening festivities along with the log fire pit.

Designer: Harrisons Landscaping   Patio design plans can be linked to interior spaces. Select interior and exterior flooring in the same tone to create a seamless look.

This neat narrow pool and patio design is a little slice of luxury.

Water features are an ever popular part of garden design and they work superbly when combined with outdoor patio design ideas, like this triple pond creation with decked walkways.

A bit of creative planting can be all the wow factor you need. Vertical planting is a great way to inject more natural beauty into small patio design ideas.

Designer: Marylou Sobel   You can take vertical planting up as high as you dare.

Covered patio ideas include solid roofs that shelter from rainfall, awnings to shade well from sun, or a pergola canopy for areas of light and shade. Open rafters mean that you can weave plants through the beams, and are solid enough to hang an outdoor light.

Designer: Peter Fudge Gardens   An Acapulco chair decorates this warm sun dappled deck, with a step stone paver patio design running off it.

For a change in texture, consider a deck over concrete patio design.

Designer: Elysian Landscapes   Position your patio to take advantage of the best views.

Remember to cater for the little ones too by adding a few kids chairs.

Designer: Peter Fudge Gardens   Gravel sections can be uncomfortable underfoot – especially on barefoot summer days! Add stepping stones to areas of loose chippings, you’ll thank us for it.

A natural or uneven edge adds extra character to a patio area.

Dress your new spot with an outdoor rug. You can pick up trendy geometric print designs like this for very reasonable prices in order to achieve a high-end dressed look. Add a few complementary cushions to your patio furniture for a fully cohesive scheme.

Designer: Peter Fudge Gardens   Placing your sitting area in a lower section of the garden can protect it from chilly breezes.

An outdoor kitchen makes a luxurious and fun add-on.

Planting can be used to create privacy screening.

Designer: Wernerfield   Cutting away rather than building upon the existing landscape creates interesting levels.

Designer: Wiktor Klyk   This magical pavers patio is shrouded by trees at the end of a deck.

A circular formation makes a refreshing change from modern linear layouts.

A swing seat is reminiscent of childhood fun.

This patio cover design can be retracted to let in more sunlight.

Designer: Alana Langan   Photographer: Hannah Blackmore   Blur the boundaries and bring the garden up onto patios and decking by introducing mature potted plants.

An eye-catching orb lamp looks fabulous out on this luxury terrace.

Visualizer: Karwan Muhammed & Karzan R. Sa'eed   This sunken seating area is surrounded by water.

A living patio roof design blends beautifully with a thriving garden.

Have fun with your patio furniture. You can buy the Bertoia Diamond Chairs here.

A dark painted wall at the far end makes the garden appear like a continuation of the interior.

Visualizer: Fuel 3D   Indoor-outdoor living at its most seamless.

Patio furniture ideas: 50 Modern Outdoor Chairs

Related Posts:

Outdoor Dining Furniture Ideas

Beautiful Loft Design: A Solution to Space Shortage

House With Floor To Ceiling Glass And Beautiful Nature Views

Duplex Merge with Mesmeric Views

Fresco Designs

Architectural Concept of a Glass Box Home

[garagedoorshampshire]

50 Gorgeous Outdoor Patio Design Ideas

As the weather gets warmer, we all start spending more of our time outdoors. Our attention shifts from interior design projects to our outdoor spaces. Warmer months mean the chance to sit in the sunshine and enjoy cooking and eating meals with family and friends out in the fresh air. But, is your garden up to scratch for entertaining? If your backyard looks like it’s in need of a little tender loving care – or maybe an injection of some wow factor – then you’re in the right place. This patio design collection presents 50 gorgeous ideas on how to expertly present your al fresco dining and open air lounge areas.

Designer: Clements Design   When considering how to design a patio, you must first map out what you aren’t able to change, like any established shrubs and trees. Rather than seeing these things as roadblocks to your patio design ideas, use these unmovable items as inspiration in the shaping or locating of your new garden area.

Warm summer days can still bring chilly winter nights. If you want to sit out long into the cooler evenings, or entertain way into the small hours, then it’s a good idea to incorporate a roaring outdoor fireplace into your backyard patio design.

Designer: Clements Design   Why stop at just one outdoor patio design if you have the space to enjoy several? This sprawling garden offers up multiple patio ideas. A sociable lounge, an al fresco dining area and a couple of decks at the sides are all connected by contemporary stepping stone slabs.

Designer: Mary Barensfeld   Once you have your patio garden design, you can have fun selecting outdoor furniture to complement it. This stunning patio has been kitted out with the Bellini Style White Outdoor Dining Chair. The white originals are available here.

A sun patio tops this multi-level garden, nestled under a pergola. It is accessed by concrete steps via a dining deck. Another set of steps lead down to a plunge pool behind glass balustrades.

This enclosed patio design is achieved with heavy planting overhead, and sheer voiles hung like banners to form a flowing wall. The voiles are knotted at their base to give them a little weight in the breeze. A romantic chandelier lights the outdoor dining table and Panton S Style chairs, as does a set of twinkling storm lanterns and table tealights. You can get the curvaceous Panton S Style Outdoor Chair here.

A half covered pergola provides areas of both light and shade around this quaint outdoor dining spot. A simple pendant light hangs at its centre.

Built-in seating can be constructed in solid concrete and dressed with cushions that are to be stowed away in winter months. The permanent seating structures can be used to create the perimeter of an outdoor room.

Photographer: Dabito   This covered patio design features a hanging swing seat ina natural cane finish. The flooring is a stunning geometric tile in a joyful blue colourway; orange cushions on the outdoor sofa provide a stripe of warm contrast. The fence constructed around the seating has been stained ebony black for added drama. Two decorative plates hang on the fence to make it appear like a traditional room.

Backyard patio ideas abound here: A meeting of outdoor rugs in different hues and shapes, mismatched scatter cushions and throws brighten neutral rattan furniture, colour pop accent chairs and side tables with quirky candlesticks and bowls, statement pendant lighting and a woven screen to make the whole ensemble feel cosy and complete.

If clashing multi coloured accessories just aren’t your happy place, then how about choosing just one bold statement colour. This modern patio design is a dreamy vision in purple, teamed with natural accents and lush green planting. A striped rug reflects the slat lines of the overhead pergola roof, as well as adding some smart panache.

Designer: Elysian Landscapes   This hot tub patio design incorporates two stunning tile patterns to make it a stand out space. Also note how the concrete walls have been painted a beautiful shade of blue to complement the tile colour. Pale blue pillows on the outdoor chaise add a finishing touch to the scheme.

Patio paver design ideas can incorporate pattern without the need for intricate and expensive tiling. You can use a combination of slabs and gravel to make patterns too.

Designer: Luciano Giubbilei   This simplistic design patio lets the highly manicured garden topiary and large garden sculpture take the limelight.

Designer: Secret Gardens   Minimalist gardens can be created with concrete patio design ideas that are pale in tone, and provide neat built in planters around the border. Low-level low-key garden furniture completes the look.

Designer: Luciano Giubbilei   A concrete patio design can be teamed with areas of block paving to change things up a bit.

Designer: Michael Lee   Outdoor lighting for borders deserves a spot in our round up of patio decorating ideas too. Uplighting plants gives a dramatic and warm effect, and extends the hours you can use your garden.

Designer: Designs By Sundown   Another take on the outdoor fireplace – not one for homes with young children though. This small patio design also has a substantially sized built-in bench, which proves that you don’t need a huge area to create an impressive and functional outdoor entertaining space.

One cantilevered end extends from this bespoke garden bench. A matching coffee table balances on a semi-spherical base.

The backrest of this concrete bench extends all the way to the sides of some patio steps.

Belonging to a greenfingered homeowner, this simple patio design lets the plants do all the talking.

This patio landscape design holds linear beds of grasses and a tree lined border. A couple of lanterns hang from a nearby tree to help light evening festivities along with the log fire pit.

Designer: Harrisons Landscaping   Patio design plans can be linked to interior spaces. Select interior and exterior flooring in the same tone to create a seamless look.

This neat narrow pool and patio design is a little slice of luxury.

Water features are an ever popular part of garden design and they work superbly when combined with outdoor patio design ideas, like this triple pond creation with decked walkways.

A bit of creative planting can be all the wow factor you need. Vertical planting is a great way to inject more natural beauty into small patio design ideas.

Designer: Marylou Sobel   You can take vertical planting up as high as you dare.

Covered patio ideas include solid roofs that shelter from rainfall, awnings to shade well from sun, or a pergola canopy for areas of light and shade. Open rafters mean that you can weave plants through the beams, and are solid enough to hang an outdoor light.

Designer: Peter Fudge Gardens   An Acapulco chair decorates this warm sun dappled deck, with a step stone paver patio design running off it.

For a change in texture, consider a deck over concrete patio design.

Designer: Elysian Landscapes   Position your patio to take advantage of the best views.

Remember to cater for the little ones too by adding a few kids chairs.

Designer: Peter Fudge Gardens   Gravel sections can be uncomfortable underfoot – especially on barefoot summer days! Add stepping stones to areas of loose chippings, you’ll thank us for it.

A natural or uneven edge adds extra character to a patio area.

Dress your new spot with an outdoor rug. You can pick up trendy geometric print designs like this for very reasonable prices in order to achieve a high-end dressed look. Add a few complementary cushions to your patio furniture for a fully cohesive scheme.

Designer: Peter Fudge Gardens   Placing your sitting area in a lower section of the garden can protect it from chilly breezes.

An outdoor kitchen makes a luxurious and fun add-on.

Planting can be used to create privacy screening.

Designer: Wernerfield   Cutting away rather than building upon the existing landscape creates interesting levels.

Designer: Wiktor Klyk   This magical pavers patio is shrouded by trees at the end of a deck.

A circular formation makes a refreshing change from modern linear layouts.

A swing seat is reminiscent of childhood fun.

This patio cover design can be retracted to let in more sunlight.

Designer: Alana Langan   Photographer: Hannah Blackmore   Blur the boundaries and bring the garden up onto patios and decking by introducing mature potted plants.

An eye-catching orb lamp looks fabulous out on this luxury terrace.

Visualizer: Karwan Muhammed & Karzan R. Sa'eed   This sunken seating area is surrounded by water.

A living patio roof design blends beautifully with a thriving garden.

Have fun with your patio furniture. You can buy the Bertoia Diamond Chairs here.

A dark painted wall at the far end makes the garden appear like a continuation of the interior.

Visualizer: Fuel 3D   Indoor-outdoor living at its most seamless.

Patio furniture ideas: 50 Modern Outdoor Chairs

Related Posts:

Outdoor Dining Furniture Ideas

Beautiful Loft Design: A Solution to Space Shortage

House With Floor To Ceiling Glass And Beautiful Nature Views

Duplex Merge with Mesmeric Views

Fresco Designs

Architectural Concept of a Glass Box Home

from Interior Design Ideas http://www.home-designing.com/outdoor-backyard-patio-design-ideas-photos-inspiration

[taniasinel]

The Prettiest House Ever?

This month, there has been a rash of blog stories about a newly restored house in Provence.   Of course the house is right up my alley, it’s in France – and it was renovated by the team of Alexandre Lafourcade.  While he restores the Provencal buildings, Alexandre’s mother, Dominque, restores the gardens.  Dominque’s husband and Alexandre’s father, the company’s founder Bruno, sadly passed away last year.

The incredible restoration work of the Lafourcades.

Long time readers know the name Lafourcade.  The name first came to the attention of those in the states when Veranda did THAT story on interior designer Ginny Magher.  It was Magher’s Lafourcade-restored mas that defined the Provencal look: the long facade with French blue shutters, plane trees, gravel courts, and stucco walls with tile roofs.

Ginny Magher’s “Mas de Baraquet”

When Veranda showed the Magher’s Mas in 2000, it was a universally loved story.  Their Provence house became the “one” that everyone desired. 

This was the cover which showed Ginny’s Provencal master bedroom with the glorious Manuel Canovas fabric.  Mario Buatta famously used this same fabric in French blue in Pat Altschul’s bedroom at her Southerly estate.

The two story entry is a favorite room.  Love this!

And this photo of the Magher’s estate shows the genius that is Dominique.  Here is the BEFORE shot of a typical pergola.

AFTER:   Just a few years later, Ginny’s brand new pergola looks like its been there for 100 years.

The Magher Veranda cover story brought much attention to Ginny, of course, but it also introduced the Lafourcades to America.  Their web site showed other fabulous renovations by Bruno, Alexandre and Dominque and over the years their reputations have became legendary due to their exquisite taste and their ability to recreate a masterpiece.

And so, when photos of a newly renovated Mas started showing up on Instagram, people took notice.  Was it a new Lafourcade?

Even Ginny herself took notice with this comment on Instagram:

  Ginny:  “Your house looks very similar to our Mas de BARAQUET in Provence. Ours was a Bruno Lafourcade collaboration. Your Mas de Poiriers is gorgeous. Bravo.”

I guess all Lafourcades-clients feel related to each other.  I loved seeing that Ginny commented on the new Mas.

News of the new Mas is spreading fast.  It started this way:

  This summer while in Provence, popular fashionista Julia Engel of “Gal Meets Glam” paid a visit to the Mas and everyone on Instagram looked and then did a double take.

The house is gorgeous.

Beyond gorgeous.

Forget about millenniums and forget about contemporary design.  Put all that aside.  Just clear your mind of anything “nu.”

This is classic French design.  Country French at its best.

And this house will make you remember why you ever loved French design to begin with.  And, this house will make you wish you had never left it all behind. 

It’s always the same lesson we have to relearn over and over again:  classic is best and nothing much can top it.

Besides the photos that Julia took of the house HERE, there is a fascinating interview with the owner of the mas on “The Glam Pad.” HERE.

OK. 

So with all those stories already written, what is left for me to blog about?

Usually when a few popular bloggers have already written about a house that I particularly like, I will walk away from the story in order to avoid repetition.

BUT - there is my “Mother” rule. 

“The Mother Rule” 

If a previously written story is something I think my own mother would love to read about and if I know my mother never read about it before and never would read about it unless I wrote about it….

then I’ll write about it.

The Mother Rule.

I proved this theory to myself. 

I posted a photo of a bedroom from this new Mas on my Instagram and I immediately got a phone call from my mother, Betty Rae.  (To read all about the infamous Betty Rae, go HERE.)

Shortly after I posted the photo from the Mas on my instagram, Betty Rae calls me:  “Have you shown this bedroom to your sister Cathy?”  And more:  “Be sure you send this photo to Cathy!”   Betty Rae is now 87.  She doesn’t quite realize that Cathy already sees all my Instagrams regardless – no need to mail her the photos.

But that’s besides the point.  Betty Rae’s excitement about the photo from the Mas showed me I had to write the story for her, despite the fact that several other popular blogs had already written about the house.

And then this happened:

I found a new treasure trove of photos on the Mas’ rental web site that hadn’t been seen on those other blogs yet…

So, Betty Rae, this one is for you!

The mas is called “Le Mas des Poiriers” and it is located right outside Avignon on the Isle de la Motte – an actual tiny island formed by the branches of the river.  The mas is located on 65 acres, filled with pear orchards, hence its name.  There are 7 bedrooms, plus 2 more in a guest house.  It’s all available to lease (details below.)   But don’t think you are going to check in on a Tuesday and leave on a Wednesday.  It doesn’t work that way. 

This is a house to cherish lovingly and slowly.

  The interiors were done by SBLong Interiors of Dallas & Connecticut.   Talk about a dream job! 

But hard. 

I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for Susan B. Long to completely furnish a working house for a large family – and to do it all from across the globe.  The owners of the Mas have five children and their numbers are rapidly expanding with in-laws.  The family is as beautiful as the house – large, loving, close, philanthropic, and adventure-seeking.   The family has lived all over the world, literally, for different work assignments.  Moving so often, they have owed a number of homes and over the years, at least five of their houses have been decorated by SBLong Interiors.

This house in Connecticut designed by Susan Long is the family’s main base now, after a life time of living abroad.    Definitely not country French, the house is very sophisticated, very chic, very classic traditional decor.  HERE.

A previous second home designed by Susan Long was this mountain home in Deer Valley Utah.  HERE.

Instead of French antiques, Long used a lot of English antiques in their mountain home. 

What’s the connection to Provence?

  The family had rented vacation houses in Provence and one summer they stayed in the perfect house.  It was large enough for the family and its location was secluded yet close to antique shopping and great food.   As luck would have it, that mas was for sale.

Who you going to call?

The Lafourcades!

When the family decided to take on the challenge and restore the Mas, they knew just who was up for the job.

Alexandre and his team renovated the house while Dominque completely recreated the extensive gardens, swimming pool, and tennis courts.

The Mas has been an new adventure for the family - now dealing with children marrying and younger children leaving for college – this house will be a place they all come to be together again.

The renovation by Alexandre involved moving the front door to create a new grand foyer and stone staircase.  Rooms were reworked, ceilings were raised and stone floors were installed on the first floor, with antique terra cotta tiles going upstairs.  Much needed closets were added, many flanking the beds.   Bathrooms are all white marble.    There’s a new master suite along with a mud room in a barn that for centuries had just a dirt floor.  Additionally, there are newly installed fireplace mantels throughout.    The house is filled with antiques that were handpicked in France by SBLong and the owner.   Tough duty, I know!  And note:  not everything was bought – some pieces were inherited with the sale of the house.

 The one design choice that proved genius was the fabric.  All fabrics were purchased from Pierre Frey.  Taken together as a whole, these French prints create a certain mood.  Any other fabric would have looked too trendy, too en-vogue, too English.   The Pierre Freys are the correct choice and make perfect sense.  Another SBLong fabulous yet important decision.

The last step has been the landscaping which was installed by Dominque Lafourcade. A wisteria covered walkway leads to the newly built pool and a rose covered arbor lays on an axis off the living room.  A tennis court now has its own charming house while the old barn was renovated for staff apartments. 

Here is how the Mas looked when it was first purchased.  Pretty, but in need up an update.  Originally the shutters were burgundy  - today, they are French blue.  The open air building to the left is now the orangery.

The garden plan drawn by Dominique Lafoucade.   On the plan you can see the cypress allees and the rose arbors.  The swimming pool is enclosed by foliage and walls.  The pool is new – before it was on the front lawn.  Behind the house is the large barn which now holds offices and apartments for the staff.

An original aerial photo of the property before renovation.  You can see the original pool here in the front yard.  Brilliant idea to move it!   This move frees up the large lawn to become all garden designed by Dominique.  The new pool is off the kitchen to the right of the house.

A before view.   The plane trees are so leafy you can barely see the house.  But here, you can see the original barn behind the house.

The approach to the Mas with the newly groomed plane trees. 

AFTER:    The shutters are now blue.  Notice the blue and white fabrics on the furniture – stripes and checks.  Gravel terrace.

This is the corner between the long facade and the kitchen facade.

The front view – the large arched window is now the living room.   At the very left – the other large window is the orangery.   Many of the photos are not completely staged yet.  You can see the step ladder was left out in view – but that’s ok.  It will be forever before a magazine properly photographs the house.   We can wait. 

This allee of tall cypress was added by Dominque to accentuate the center axis of the house.

This makes a natural place for outdoor parties – one long table between the cypress.  Seriously pretty.

  The party given here designed by A Matthew Robbins Design Company HERE.

And behind the table – you can see the rose covered archway which will take another year or two to grow out over the arch.

The kitchen facade with a Provencal fountain.

This area of the house overlooks the new swimming pool and the sunflower fields beyond it.

The corner view – love the furniture with the stripes and checks in blue.

Flowering plants were added to these pots.

A sitting area.   These stone posts act as gates throughout different areas of the estate.

The enclosed pool.  There are a pair of the stone posts at the front and rear gates.

The view towards the sunflower fields. 

A closer view of the row of chaises with the blue pillows and towels.

The original barn across from the house, where the new front door is located.  The shutters were kept the original color in homage.  A new fountain was added here.

The staircase with stone steps.  Love the red and white check in the window.

The fabric on the table is "Erasmo"

The other direction.   A collection of creamware tureens.

The view from the second level down.  Notice there is a fireplace in the entry and a library on the landing.  When this photo was taken, all the curtains had not yet been hung.  Understand – this house was just finished.  Just!  The owners and designer have been posting photos of the installation for months now.  It was a huge undertaking.   Be sure to look at their instagrams (posted at the end) for all the before and during photos!!

Notice down the first floor hall, the bench in checks with a runner underneath.

The view  of the library in the landing.

And a view at dusk with the curtains now hung.

The main salon – with cream sofas and red and blue accents.

Notice all the antique portraits in oil flanking the fireplace.

Looking into the room.  Notice the Lafourcade treatment on the shelves.   Jib door past the shelves leads to the orangery.

A vignette.  Love that painting.  The curtains are beautiful, so full and lush.  Notice they are lined in check fabric!!  The details!!!

Another vignette.   The clock was inherited with the house.   And I love how Susan Long brought in color through the lamp shades!!  Love the miniature with the round, gilt frame on the side table.  All the tiny details!!!

Instead of a table, there is a square, tufted ottoman in navy.

The fireplace in the large salon.

The next room to the large salon is the dining room with its two crystal chandeliers.   The large table doubles as a library table.  This is just too pretty for words!

Notice the wood doors between these rooms are painted custom colored French blue.

Whoa!!!!!!!  Gorgeous.  Absolutely gorgeous!!!!!

Blue and white toile in the dining room.  Notice the chairs with the check arms and blue trim.  All tiny, but hugely important details.  Bravo to SBLong Interiors!

The view from the opposite side.  Along the back wall is a collection of creamware.

Throughout the house, Long uses collections of plates along with art work.  Notice the sconces.

The flowers in the pot differ from week to week.  Here, blossoming branches in spring.

The curtains throughout the house are just beautiful.  All are lined, mostly with a check fabric.

Instead of a pedestal – the bust is placed on a small table.

I love the check on the chairs – you can never have too many checks in one house!   With such a large family – you need large tables with lots of chairs. 

Off the dining room is the family room, kitchen, and breakfast room.   Notice the set of stairs behind the family room.

A vignette in the family room – showing the beautiful fabrics.

The large kitchen with two islands that double as extra tables.

The large kitchen.  Notice the two sinks.

Of course!  It’s France!   Those pots!

A view in the kitchen.   Behind the kitchen is the butler’s pantry which is in the former staff kitchen.

A view at dusk.   The table is all set.  Notice the sconces that flank the opening into the kitchen.

A large wood island divides the breakfast room from the kitchen.  Charming curtains!

A perfect TV viewing room for watching world soccer tournaments.  It’s France!

The mud room in what was once the barn.

Looking back into the hall behind the living room.

Prettiest mud room I’ve ever seen.  Love the blue and white checks.  Love the lantern-sconce.  Fabulous painting!!

The living room is at the right and at the left is the orangery.  I think this was once a open garage/barn. 

The tall orangery.  Two story with a balcony.  Usually these rooms in Provencal houses are typically the former barns.  

Love the fabric on the chairs.  More identical chairs are set up outside the orangery.  The owner said in an interview this was one of her favorite rooms.

And this room – with custom colored fabric and a wonderful painting with a sofa with a velvet cushion.   The custom colored fabric is the Le Manach pattern "Victor Hugo Bordures." Guess where this room is!  I don’t know!  No other photos!  I looked!  No fair!

And the charming laundry room.  With a family of nine, you need lots of towels!

The Bedrooms:

The master suite.  Look at that bed!!!   What a canopy.  And notice the Swedish bench at the foot of the bed.   Hidden between the bed and the sofa is a TV cabinet.   Closets on both sides of the bed – added after the fact.

Apparently, this was all the fabric the owner could get of this pattern.  So, the canopy was made of plain fabric.   But I think this is perfect – I love the plain cream fabric – it sets off all the patterned fabric.

Before the canopy was completed, this photograph was taken.  Such a pretty room with all the large windows.  Corner rooms make for lots of windows.

Apparently this was in the area that was once the barn and it is the room above what is now the living room.    This room connects to the upper floor of the orangery through its closet.

Two French chairs in check face the Swedish settee. 

The fireplace with two caned chairs flanking it.   Pretty trumeau.  The bathroom is seen through the open door on the right.

The master bathroom with an antique armoire and tub – right in the middle of the room.   Why didn’t they close that door?  Whoever took these photos for the rental agency needs to go back to close that door!  LOL!!

Notice the wainscot in the bathroom – and in a lot of rooms in the house.  It’s painted on!!   Details, details, details.  I’m telling you Susan Long did a fabulous job!

Ah!  Thank you!  The  door is now closed.   The shower is incredible with its matched marble.

White marble.   Terra cotta tiles. 

Now think about all the bathrooms that people are doing today using every kind of tile there is, just to be “different” – why?   Isn’t the white marble the perfect choice?

Can’t afford marble slabs like this – go for marble subway tiles.  It’s as effective as this, almost as fabulous, and it’s just as classy and chic.

Guest Room – well, this might be the prettiest of the lot.  Hard to judge.  The designer said she loved the peach fabric that was used to line the canopy.  I love the canopy – SBLong designs for the canopies are incredible.  I love the curves on her canopies.  And notice the lantern – all the details, all the minute details, and Susan Long still took the time to put the trim on the lantern chain.  Amazing work.

Can I stay in this room?  Even if I’m not a daughter?  

I promise to be neat!

From the front – antique tufted settee.  And I love all the seagrass rugs in all the rooms. 

Notice how beautifully placed the Tree of Life fabric is – and remember, Susan Long lives in DALLAS!!!!!

Notice how perfectly the headboard’s tree melds into the canopy’s tree of life.  Perfection.

Dallas!!!!  She lives in Dallas!!!!

But this is my favorite – the oval portrait of a lady and her cat? or dog? between the luscious curtains.

There’s more!!!  Look how pretty this side of the room is – the old doors, the antique mantel, the trumeau, the antique chairs.    This room must be in an older section of the house with its beamed ceiling.

I’m sorry – there can’t be too many photos of this gorgeous bedroom!

Bathroom with marble and more marble. 

Well, this guest room is another favorite.  The check is in dark and light French blue.  The blue velvet pillows are so pretty.  The alcove with tis Pierre Frey fabric is flanked by two closets.

Love this room.

Wait I was wrong!!  Can I stay in here instead?   I’ll just move my own bags.  Don’t mean to be a bother.  Gracias!!!                    

                                                                                                       The vanity chair – notice the check trim.  No detail is too small for Susan B. Long.

I love all her velvet pillows and the silk shades!

The reflection of the bed in the antique mirror.   Another beautiful collection of plates!

Bedroom #4.  This one is much larger than many of the other bedrooms.  The closets are painted French blue.

Though it’s larger – the ceiling is lower and beamed.  This must be in what was once an older part of the house? 

Stylized for the photos.  Perfect pillows.  I love all the collections of plates that Susan Long used on the walls.  Love how she hangs them, too!

The bathroom in the large bedroom.  Notice the pretty marble treatment.

The water closets are often hidden behind doors with glass panes.  The details!

Another view of the bathroom off the large bedroom with the beamed ceiling. 

Bedroom #5 – this is a smaller one with two flanking closets.  Just darling!!!  Again, love the pillows and the Pierre Frey fabrics.

Notice the painted base molding – with the blue stripe.  Love the way the walls were painted in this way.

And the focal point – this luscious velvet chair with blue check.  Notice how the check lines the curtains too.

Another darling bathroom with white marble, towel heaters, and other quiet luxury.

Bedroom #6 - A small bedroom on the corner which makes it extra bright and light with its many windows.  Such a pretty ribbon fabric matched with a tiny check.

I love two things especially – all the beds are made with white cotton duvets and sheets AND I love all the seagrass on the floor.  Some seagrass is layered with an antique rug, but most times, it’s left in all its glory. The corner room with the extra windows.  Pretty trumeau.

A  closer view of the darling chair and beautiful Pierre Frey fabric.

A Jack and Jill bathroom between the two smaller bedrooms.  That marble!  This bathroom is one of the owner’s favorites, she says in Instagram.

Bedroom #7.   Pretty antique sofa.   Beautiful fabric wall behind bed.

The armoire and chair across from the bed.

Off the front of the house is the guest cottage.  You can see it here.

The utterly charming Guest Cottage – it apparently is the original house on the property.  It was renovated to accommodate two guest rooms. 

And here is the guest cottage, in what was once the kitchen.

There are two bedrooms in the guest house.  This one is gorgeous, of course!  Love this one so much!!!!!

The chintz and the blue and white check and gray chest and pink pillow – what more could you want?

And the second bedroom in the guest cottage.

Ready to go?  Or do you just want to visit virtually?  Either way, I know you had a good time.

For Rental Information go HERE

Direct Information about rental:   Le Mas des Poiriers

Intagrams  @provencepoiriers

Susan B. Long HERE.

The owner of the Mas gave the commencement speech at BYU Marriot School last year.  I found it so inspiring and I loved learning about the man behind the Mas.  Interested?  Read it HERE.

If you do read it, and also find it soul inspiring, leave me a comment.

Whew!

Take me to Provence!!!!

from COTE DE TEXAS http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-prettiest-house-ever.html