Amy Neunsinger home my new fave

These pics are all from the Feb. 2010 edition of House Beautiful magazine. Photos by Amy herself! This has become my new fave home. I have been waiting for these pics to go on the HB website and was so glad to discover they were finally on. I have been wanting to share these pics for awhile now.

This kitchen is my new dream kitchen. I know it has a lot of industrial type fixtures in it but I love it!!! My husband couldn't believe it. There was something so striking about it. I think it is the contrast of the sleek concrete floor and the sereneness of the white mixed with the metal ductwork and hardware. I am in love!! The big sliding glass doors let all that beautiful sunshine in and opens the space even more. The concrete walls painted out white just blend into the background. The wall they kept bare had tile on it at one time and they couldn't chip away any further. Amy liked the rough south of France feel it had so it stayed. It is such an unexpected sight, but it works!!

We are trying to buy land and possibly build our own home and I think this would be so cool. It would be cheap and easy to do. My husband is in construction and I think we could do a lot of the work ourselves. It is hard to believe it is all concrete because of the way they added the right textures in to make it cozy and clean lined. It has big open spaces yet lends itself to such a cozy feel.

The dining room has my large farmhouse table that I love. I can do a lot of entertaining in that space. With a family as big as ours it is a much needed detail. (My husband is the youngest of 12) I also love how it transitions into the family room. What a great place to hang out and talk while the kitchen is busy with preparations. Again huge sliders that let that natural light in.

Then you have the barn doors!!! I love the rustic touch it adds. Being farm folks this little detail fits right into our scheme. (You have to check these doors on a sliding track at my friend Amy's website. To die for! Her and her hubby installed them in their masterbed and bath!)

Next we have the sunroom. This is actually their entrance to the house. What amazing glass doors to welcome you into the space. We wouldn't be able to do those in the climate we live in here, but it's perfect in LA. It's a great spot to display her photography.

Off the sunroom is the living room. The cowhides are perfect. We have two of them and I never thought of layering them like they did in this pic. It could have just been for the staging of the article but I like it and am going to try it!

Then they have their home offices. Love how all the inspiration and projects are all over the walls. That is a space I could be creative in!! Gold's small office/library would be so cool to have! Love the ladder! (My kids might have way too much fun with that though. Could be a problem!) With my husband and me both working from home I am always on the lookout for great home offices. These could definitely work for me!

Then we are on to the Master Bedroom and Bath. I might need to add a little color to the bedroom but I love the old dresser they have in there. I like blues that remind me of Ralph Lauren ads and the beach. Nothing crazy bold. Just subtle and relaxing.

And that bathtub!! Please start the bath and pour in the bubbles! How relaxing that would be. And did you see that sink!! A huge basin with double faucets! What a great idea. It has a huge walk-in shower with rainhead fixture. I could easily call this place home!!

I hope you all enjoyed this feature home as much as I did. I have looked through these pages for so long they are wrinkled and tearing! I think I need to start an inspriation board and get these babies hung up.

That's my next project. Since we are wanting to build our own home I am looking through all the images I have saved for years and going to weed through the styles I have outgrown and narrow it down to what we really are looking for in our new space.

For more pics you can check out the architect's site here.

Winter

While I am sitting here looking at all of this snow I am dreaming of being back here(see below). The beach. Where I long to be right now! Winter has been hard here this year and living in the country where you can be snowed in for days has been an eye opener. Sometimes it is nice to snuggle in with the kiddos and hubby and watch movies, bake cookies, or catch up on all those books I have been meaning to get to, but I just miss the sun and the warmth! Give me the beach where I can hear the waves rushing on shore and find cool seashells!

I guess it takes a long winter to really appreciate the beauty of Spring and Summer. Here's hoping to an early Spring!

Hope you are all enjoying beautiful weather!!

(These pics are all mine on our place. We have lots more snow since I took these pics.

And the beach is in Galveston where we just went to last week. Boy did I soak up the sun there!!)

Mudrooms

Well the New Year has me wanting to get organzied!!! I long for a real mudroom. Is that sad that I long for that? Well, I have 3 kids and a husband. We have lots of shoes, the boys hunt, fish, play in the mud and snow. That also means coats, coveralls, snowpants, boots, and on and on.... The never ending mess of things I have nowhere to put at the moment. It drives me nuts. So, I look through these images and know they will definitely stay in my inspiration files for when then new house comes along.

So here is what I am looking for in a mudroom:

*There has to be a spot for shoes. So, I am loving the pics with the shelving under the benches for all the shoes. Cause really, we have more than one pair of shoes to put away!! I wish they looked all neat lined up in a row. Ha! Never happens.

*There must be hooks galore! We have lots of coats and 3 backpacks. Along with totes and bags and whatever else I can find. I like the iron hooks. They are sturdy and look good too. They must be spaced properly though because I have had a row of hooks that were too close and the kids could never keep the coats hung up. They were always on the floor!

*I also need baskets or drawers for those mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves. And they really need to be in a spot where the kids can get to them. Easy to put away and get back out. So mom isn't always having to reach up high and get them out of a bin.

*Cabinets will hide the never ending things that have to go into that room that I don't want to look at. Like my tool box for when I need to fix something that isn't getting done:) The laundry essentials, extra light bulbs, things like that.

*Space!! We have learned from our other homes that we cannot skimp on space for the new mudroom. We need ample space to get into the door, hang up items, put on items, get to the next room, and do laundry. Oh yeah the washer and dryer have to be in there too!

*Flooring. I would love to have tile like in the pics above. Very easy to clean, durable and looks great. It can really make the space look like it belongs in the home. Not part of the garage. Which is sometimes where I feel like mine belongs.

*Beauty. As I stated before I want this room to look good too. I love the first pic how they added the mirror above the hooks. Just a little touch like that makes that whole space. I hope I will be able to add some little pieces around the room so you can transition into the home seamlessly.

So, until that new house comes along I will be thinking of some new ways to spruce up the space that we now use as the catchall for all our coats, boots, hats, etc......

What kind of things can you not live without in your mudroom?

1 & 5) Remodeling Center, 2) unknown, 3&4) OrgOptions, 6) Closet-Solutions,

7) RenovationDesignGroup,

8) 7Sandylake

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all! I hope your holidays were filled with fun. We had a lot of snow and long travels but we all made it through another year. Now to start this one with all the things we would love to make right. Ya know the usual:

Be in the Word more

Exercise

Eat healthier

Find a job

Decorate more

Blog more

Etc....

I hope that you all will have a blessed New Year and that all you strive to make better will come true. We are still enjoying spending time with the families so I haven't been on here in awhile. Kids go back to school tomorrow so we will be trying to get back on our schedules again. That Christmas vacation seems to fly by sometimes and other times not go fast enough! :)

I am looking forward to catching up on all your blogs again!