Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Wishing you a happy holiday season filled with love and cheer.


image source, design by Randy Fifield

A snow-white Christmas, part two

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The last few details of the frost-white inspired Christmas decor of Judy Jeffress.






A snow-white Christmas, part one

Sunday, December 21, 2014

The last Christmas tour from the Traditional Home archives (I've been scouring, can you tell?) is the Virginia home to Judy Jeffress. The 1930's fieldstone farmhouse has beautiful neoclassical details filled with light. The simple, frosty Christmas decor seems to gently highlights the home rather than overwhelm.







A "Neutral" Christmas

Friday, December 19, 2014

There's nothing neutral about this one. While the palette may be restrained, again, the over-the-top use of fresh greenery and ornaments are gorgeous in this California house of Brian and Emily Sullivan.







Christmas Colors from Nature

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

While I take no issue with red and green in Christmas decor, in fact I love them, this holiday design is so striking. The Wellesley house of Tanya Capello beautifully bedecked in the colors of a winter landscape.






How do you decorate for the holidays?

Friday, December 12, 2014

At Christmas time, I admire those with chic, minimalist decor. I'm just not like that, unfortunately. At Christmas, more is more. I found this Connecticut family house of Lisa and Eric Hilderbrand in Traditional Home. The lush greenery and cozy interiors feel lovely to me.







A Golden Christmas

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Breaking out the Christmas decorations and some these new finds are inspiring me this year. How are you decorating? Are you decorating? Here in Japan our local mall is running a "10 Weeks of Christmas" campaign so we're a bit behind the curve!


A Golden Christmas


upsate ny restoration

Sunday, December 7, 2014

I am absolutely in love with this restoration from Elle Decor.


This is the Claverack, New York, home of Peter Spears and Brian Swardstrom built in 1786.


This sounds like a tough restoration. They noticed a pucker in the ceiling, which eventually turned out to be a split the main beam supporting the second floor! A 20th-century bathroom installation had created too much stress. Yikes!





The dining room mural is so beautiful. It is by Elektra Buhalis and is painted in the style of the 19th-century New England artist Rufus Porter.




unpainted inspiration - victoria hagan

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Have you seen Victoria Hagan's NYC apartment? It maintains her clean aesthetic with a little city modernity. But above all the color palette is glittering yet peaceful - a respite from the bustling streets. 







We found out we're moving back to NY in several months. I'm excited to be heading home, for life is certainly easier with the familiar. There have been many challenges that are indescribable about being an expat, but moreover relating to our specific situation here. Yet, this was where our daughter was born and spent the first precious years. I will miss this time in Japan very much with bittersweet memories. I think that's life though, you have to keep the good and forget the bad. As we enjoy these last few months in here, we just had our first snowfall. This crisp apartment just reminds me of the fresh start of this winter season.

images source