a little trip

Well lovelies, I'm off. To the east coast I go! Ill be back posting on monday, but im going to take an early weekend. 
 you can follow me on instagram @cottagefarm to see what I get up to over the weekend. 


xx
















image: bdwd

Sneak Peek

 I love the incredible beauty wrapped up in these utilitarian pieces. Simple lines of form and function rule and the bits that make me weak in the knees come only with time and use. I strive to surround myself with pieces that inspire but that is not to say that I want a house filled with precious objects. In fact quite the opposite is true. I want my life to be reflected in the objects around me in the most tangible of ways - look at the yellowware batter bowl below for example. It has been worn in such a way that could only be achieved over many many years of stirring in that same bowl. How many meals were started here.  This aged beauty stops me in my tracks. Perhaps not a batter bowl anymore but certainly perfect for mounds of fruit or other such unruly pantry staples.... all of these lovely things will be coming to the shop very soon. 

 Though not specifically about the kitchen~ the wear, utility and age are as evident in these pieces as in any above. 

looks for these pieces and more in the shop over the next few days 

kitchen envy

gorgeous, no?  A little bit of kitchen envy for the weak week. Such drama in these spaces. The wall color keeps the top one looking very modern and very chic in an otherwise lovely old space. Love how it plays so well off the floors. Below, that irresistible soap stone sink. Its all about the is high back splash. 
enjoy. 

images: french by design, habituallychic

monday mood board

Camel... 
elegant. simple. classic. love








images: chair, eames chair, trousers, hair, entry, outfit, room, rug, bag, camel kisses 

flowers for friday

 I cant help myself during daffodil season. They are just such a spectacular little bloom. As i mentioned in last weeks flower post , they remind me of the gardens and fields at my parents house - growing wild with daffodils and edelweiss at this time 

 it seemed like a very quick week, didnt it? Im looking forward to lots of activities this weekend - a museum, a new restaurant, and of course the flea market on sunday. I booked a beginners knitting class too and im very excited to get that set up! 

Its supposed to rain so hoping these blooms will be cheery on an expected grey weekend. 
HAPPY FRIDAY~

shades of grey

a very sophisticated twist on the classic white cabinets. As of late I seem to only have eyes for these pretty shades of grey on the cabinets. It plays up the architecture of each of the spaces so beautifully. lovely with the dark & light floors 

oh and that little pop of yellow. so great!

1,2,3,4

Currently Coveting

we have been going out for pre dinner strolls the last few evening. after all that rain it feels good to stretch the legs and stroll through the neighborhood. 
Last night as I casually strolled by the window of Alice + Olivia only to do a major double take - absolutely ga-gah for this stunner. (i dislike the styling of it on their site, but it is truly gorgeous & elegant in life)

I just wish I had an event coming up that warranted such a lovely thing, not sure its appropriate for a wedding in the vermont woods. To tell the truth Im going through another one of my love affairs with the deco period of american architecture and design. I have been romancing this specific moment in time since I young and first fell i love with its boudoir art. 

Gathering

 On saturday we rounded up a whole group of friends for dinner. Since moving to san francisco almost 5 years ago I have been dreaming of having a big group gathered around the table with food and drink and lots of good witty banter. On St. Patrick's day (with a bit of irish luck) it finally happened. 

It was of course due in part to the fact that I finally have a kitchen and kitchen table big enough to entertain more than 4 (well the table is almost big enough, we had to bring in back up & borrow a few other things too!) and my stove is finally a full big kid sized too! So in my for real kitchen we christened it with a meal of corned beef & cabbage and ten great friends. 

And it was perfect! Lots of fun - I can't wait to do it again 

Monday Mood Board

Happy Monday! it was a lovely weekend - friends were gathered for a big meal on saturday night and it finally stopped raining. I will share some scenes from our dinner tomorrow. 


Just a few dreamy scenes to start the week. Simple opulence perhaps was on my mind - a small cottage tucked away on a hillside and stacks of simple rings. I love how beautiful the fat old worn wood is mixed with the huge bunches of grapes. It seems very rich indeed. and I would love to learn how to do a fish-tail braid. It always has an air of refinement over a normal braid. 






images: blueflowervintage, bedroom, boards & branches, car, hair, rings, cottage 

flowers for friday

flowers for friday - daffodils, iris and a few types of ferns. bright and cheery blooms for these last few grey days - a sweet bunch that reminds me of spring in my mom's garden 

thursday picks

thursday picks from jcrew. we are still under water here in sf and these pretty things have me dreaming of sunny beaches and cocktails with those little paper umbrellas!

suit, top, sandals, pants 

before & after

a quick little before and after.  The above two photos are the before and the bottom two the afters. 


One of the things I hadn't really considered moving into this apartment was the long narrow and rather dark hallway. The front is wonderful and flooded with light but the back of the house gets none of this. 
So my plan was to give the passage some purpose. Drawing inspiration from the light blue paint that can be seen on the ceilings of many New England porches, I painted a pretty light blue above the picture rail - wall and ceiling - 
I then chose a birch type color for the walls thinking it would give some warmth to the space but what I hadnt anticipated was the reflection of the blue paint onto the birch color. It just managed to turn everything a sour greenish tinge. 
And so out came the "valspar delicate white" and the walls (and trim!) got a whole new coat. The white walls show of the grand architecture of the little passage in a way I hadn't anticipated and the whole space feels much more open and airy. It was worth the work and though it looks like a subtle change in the photos I assure you it seems monumental. 
It has been raining and raining here and so its very dark.. the colors in the photos may seem a bit off because I had to turn on the over heads. The ceiling color is not aqua as it may appear but a very soft pretty light blue. 


Happy Wednesday! 

caroline swift

 delicate and distinctly beautiful ceramics. Even through the computer screen they seem as light as paper. And I love the way they are displayed here... just big nails to hold things up. 

loving the work of caroline swift. 

monday mood board

its all about orange 


table, kitchen, girl, gold pot, boxes, living room, light 

flowers for friday

a little collection of some of the flowers i have been working on over the last few weeks. 
Happy Happy Friday all. 


xx

stacks of pretty things

pretty blue and white bracelets and gorgeous jeweled rings that look like candy to me. 

images: here & here

monday mood board

inspired by a beautifully quite weekend. It was filled with visual inspiration and slow afternoons. The alameda flea market happened on sunday and it was a perfect seventy degree day. I strolled through layers and layer of history for hours and hours. sheer bliss. a scant few items were chosen but they are pick of the litter.
on saturday i spent my weekend alone with my city. Sometimes in the hustle of it all I forget to stop and really look a the places around me. I poked into the public library, a few shops..i sat out at a sidewalk cafe with a cup of black tea and watched for a while...and i found a delicious new bakery to love which  makes a divine and very rustic baguette. 


tell me about your weekend......

flowers for friday

 think spring... happy friday. I owe you one of these guys..its been too long and ive made so may since these were taken. please excuse the rubber band.. they were being prepped for a ride in the car. 
xx