Stuff I Wish I'd Thought Of!

One of the perks of being a realtor is getting to see some really cool houses.  Many of the houses I tour or show are vacant.  Some are decorated badly.  Some are decorated well but just don't do anything for me.  Every once in a while I come across is a house that I find truly inspiring!  When this happens I take pictures! 

I love the houses that show creativity, skilled use of color, and respect for history and meaning.  I imagine, through my thinly-veiled envy, that I would really like the people who inhabit these houses if I were to meet them -- quite sure that my jealousy would quickly capitulate into adoration upon introduction!  I secretly contemplate kidnapping them for a consult.  Or maybe just inviting them for tea (said the spider to the fly!) so I can suck their brains for ideas!  Instead, the more rational me takes pictures -- which I study and pour over and ENJOY!

In this post I'd like to share with you some of my photo collection of favorite ideas and executions (Yikes!  That sounds ghastly -- but you know what I mean!) from the houses I've toured. 



I adore the use of black and white here -- serene and subdued, elegant and sophistocated.
I am avidly looking for a place to reproduce this in my world!

I love the rustic simplicity of this entry table. 
It's made of chippy old white boards, scrap lumber, and some pretty, turned table legs. 
I'm hoping it won't be long before I can build a similar table in the upstairs front, "library" window to be my writing spot!

This is another view of the table so you can see the patina on the top surface.
It has a clear gloss finish on it that gives a definite upgrade to the simple boards it's created from.

I adore this little wall-hanging cabinet with the window door! 
I swear I'm only sightly influenced by the fact that, as a child visiting my grandmother,
I played with a little mini tart pan like the one on the top shelf (and I still have it)!
I dream of one day doing a whole big post on all the things you can do with old windows!  Stay tuned!

This vintage pie safe belongs to a friend of mine and was most likely built by her husband's ancestors. 
I love the old-fashioned practicality of knowing that one needs to protect pies and other goodies from flies and pets and other creatures who might wander by!
I'd love to build my own pie safe one day!

I hope you can see the clever construction of this extra "closet"! 
It's two doors hinged together.  A curtain rod with large finials is passed through the door knob holes
(and a second set of holes was added at the top for a second rod).
Perfect for little clothes or kids' costumes! 
A clever solution to stash in the corner of a room with too little closet space!
I love the idea of hanging all the little dresses or a collection of little fairy costumes and tutus for dailly appreciation!

Ah, the earthy, contemporary beauty of this smooth rock countertop!
I just want to run my hands over it for a very long time (and I did!)!
I can't wait to put this treatment to use somewhere!

This is just a very handsome corner!  Just good use of vintage elements -- rich in color and history!
I am also noticing in myself a fascination with framed pictures en masse. 
Hmmm... now where can I do that around here?

These photos make me SO glad that I AM THE HUGEST COPY CAT!  Because of this, I get to have all the things I admire for my very own -- if and when I have time to create them!  Now, what duties and chores can I shirk so I can have PLAYTIME?