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| My Fairy Tale Dream Home |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
Although I appreciate the crisp, clean lines of modern design, I remain, at heart, a lover of the classic style with an emphasis towards rich fabrics, natural wood and stone, crystal fixtures and, dare I say it......columns! Greek and Roman architecture has always influenced my particular design scope in one way or another.
My fascination with certain colors.....blues, greens, shades of terracotta, grays and pinks, cream......all lend themselves to the classical style. I can remember receiving a beautiful small porcelain doll for my fourth birthday from my Aunt Lou Lou. She was young and stylish and carefree and I loved her for all of these reasons. My precious doll, I named Lou Lou, had long, black hair, ice-blue eyes and crimson lips the exact shade of my Mother's lipstick that I loved so much. Her tiny straw hat sported an even tinier pink rose above its wide brim and her petite porcelain feet slid into the smallest black velvet slippers I'd ever seen. However, my delight with Lou Lou's appearance settled around her lace, satin dress. The use of color blew me away and I was only four!
The elegant deep cream-colored satin material of the main body of her dress was complimented by crisp, white cotton collar and cuffs that were squared-off and trimmed with the tiniest black velvet ribbon and cream lace. Clean, simple and sophisticated described her attire! Being so young, I'm certain that I could not have told you why I liked this color combination so much; I could only understand that I did.
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| Our Front Entrance in Florida |
Lou Lou's color palette is incorporated into my life to this day. The color scheme of our Floridian stucco-style home consists of a main body of taupe with arches and a square front column framed by white and the front entrance door is as black as Lou Lou's soft slippers.
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| Disney's Cinderella Castle |
Every little girl believes or is told that she is a Princess at least once in her lifetime and she can't help but fantasize about living in the perfect home.....her castle! Well, perhaps, her father the King's castle but, nevertheless, her imagination runs wild with the assistance of every Disney Princess holding her hand to guide her along the primrose path towards her personal allusions of grandeur and the eventual handsome Prince to fall in love with. And this, my friends, is every little girls' "rite of passage!" Given all of this (she says with a sigh), European architecture has greatly impacted my design sense with regard to shape, materials and texture.
In 1990 we made our initial adventure into Europe! Within the freedom of our rental car, we traversed the countryside passing ancient stone farmsteads surrounded by the sweetness of a newly harvested crop. Makeshift picnic lunches of bread, cheese and fruit were enjoyed from stone outcrops overlooking the red tiled roofs of small French village homes located deep down in the valley or, while nestled within the gravity-defying hillside vineyards in Germany that majestically outlined the stunning Mosel River far below.
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| Neuschwanstein Castle as seen from Mary's Bridge |
Trudging up the narrow path on our way up to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, located to the south-west of Munich near the town of Fussen and close to the Austrian border, I remembered how this particular castle was purported to be the prototype for Disney's Cinderella Castle. Making it to the top and being amazed by the grand scale of this magnificent structure, I could fully realize the impact it had on Walt Disney, as well. His fertile imagination incorporated the magic of Neuschwanstein Castle when he created the 'perfect home' for every little Princess lucky enough to visit Disneyland and Disney World.
We entered the vast cities of Munich, Paris, Bonn and London, falling madly in love with the people, the delicious variety of food and the opportunity to immerse ourselves within the 'energy' that only a vibrant, large city can provide. Both Dan, a builder by trade, and I expected to be blown-away by the expressive architecture of each of these grand cities and, we were not disappointed!
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| Brick Tudor Design |
Years before, while attending college at Michigan State University, I would often pass-by the interesting homes flanking West Grand River Ave. linking this beautiful college town with the capital city of Lansing. This is precisely when my love affair with European-style cottage designs began. I learned that many of these homes fell under the Tudor Revival Architecture category that frequently employed a variety of materials including stone, brick, stucco and half-timbering. I recall cascades of pink summer roses adorning the front entrances like aromatic shawls and fig ivy rooting into mortar and snaking along its prey until masses of shiny leaves shrouded the brick facade in a dense coat of living green.
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| Half-Timbered Tudor Design |
While studying the history behind these fabulous structures, I have learned that the "cottage craze" began in America shortly after World War I and continued throughout the 1920's and 1930's. According to Stand-Out Cabin Designs, American soldiers returning from Europe at the end of the war were enamored with the French (and, particularly English) cottages they had seen while traveling abroad. The ideas and images captured in their minds were subsequently conveyed to American architects, designers and builders who then interpreted and incorporated them in their new home designs.
I was hooked then and have remained so ever since. Captivated early on by these cozy, European home designs, traveling to Europe to see this cottage style for myself was inevitable.
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| Stephen Fuller (Architect) |
Order, symmetry and balance.......check;
Fireplace, focal point in room........check;
Natural colors and materials.........check;
And, the use of elegant fabrics.......check and double-check!
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| Our Indoor Use of Pillars and Arches |
That little girl at the age of four had been offered a look into the future through the icy-blue eyes of her favorite doll and instinctively connected how the use of color, texture, shape, light and style would become important factors in her life. Today, I incorporate all of these ideas whether I am finding the perfect fabric for window treatments, repurposing old cabinetry into a new kitchen design or while taking pictures with my trusty Canon or convenient iPhone camera to be added to my various photo collections.
No matter what your particular style of design might be, sage advice for all of us would be to remember to trust your 'eye' and your instincts and together they are certain to take you on the most amazing adventures!
*What design style have you incorporated into your life?
*Do you have a wide color palette or prefer a white theme?
*Is repurposing items something you enjoy doing?
*if so, what is the last thing you've repurposed?
Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
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