Wednesday, August 4, 2010

ode to sarah(s)

My roommate from college, Sarah, gets another shout out today because she sent me a link which inspired me to talk about my love for another Sarah, Sarah Richardson of HGTV fame.  Her program, Sarah's House, instantly became my favorite on the station.  In Sarah's House, Sarah Richardson selects a fixer-upper house and completely renovates it to be magazine page worthy.  If you don't recognize the face below, I really think you should.  And then you should start watching her show or visit her website.


In the most recent season aired in the US, Sarah fixes up a farmhouse that I just love.  The episodes of this show coincided somewhat with the renovations Dan and I were doing here.  She really inspired me to try my best to make this place gorgeous.  Of course, I only wish that my designs were half as beautiful as hers are...I also only wish my budget had been half as large.  For some reason, my computer won't let me access pictures of her farmhouse re-do, so I'm going to show pictures of the cottage she re-did instead.  This is what my friend Sarah sent me a link to anyway.


 I love how SR combines patterns, but doesn't make the room look busy.  It's incredible if you look at the picture above how many different patterns are in this room.  From the throw pillows to the chair to the ottomans to the vase, there's so much going on. But you almost don't even notice the different patterns at first because the blue and white color scheme makes it so cohesive. 



I really love cottage style, but I feel that sometimes people go overboard with it.  These bedrooms scream cottage, but they are also very sophisticated.  I like how SR used the patchwork quilt on the wall in the first bedroom but put a more modern, luxurious looking quilt on the bed.  I also love the pattern combination in the blue and green bedroom.  These patterns are somewhat cosmopolitan, so when combined with the paneled walls the room still looks chic.  Seeing gingham and patchwork quilts and bead board all in one, especially in red, white and blue, kind of makes me sick to my stomach. No offense if you have a room decorated like that! I just feel like it's too stereotypical cottage.  I always wonder how to decorate a room in a cottage-y style without making it too cheesy and I think SR's designs are the perfect place to look for inspiration.


Again, I love how this bathroom combines cottage and chic.  The clean lines of the glass shower versus the old fashioned looking tub.  The basket storage and the sharp lines in the vanity.   That green chair. The marble floor and paneled white walls.  Okay, I guess you can see it for yourselves, but seriously, isn't it just so, so pretty?


Things I love in these pictures: the back splash in the kitchen, the wooden paneling under the island counter, the corbel detailing on the island counter, the stone fireplace that stands on its own, the off center chandelier, and the farmhouse table. Ah, it's all so great. 

 


I love, love, love the colors in these shots!  First of all, the blue and green are so awesome together and I love that green mirror.  I wonder if it's vintage or a reproduction.  Either way, it's totally awesome and I wish it were mine.  I also love the red built-ins.  AH! I feel like it's so hard to find the perfect hue of red.  It's always either too fire-engine or too pink.  This one is perfect.  Not too bright, not too light.  

While I don't believe the show Sarah's Cottage has aired yet in the States, I'm sure it will be just as good as Sarah's House. My favorite aspect of Sarah's House is that she doesn't hide when things don't go her way.  In almost every episode Sarah runs into some sort of road block. From a discontinued fabric to the wrong color painted on her cabinets, Sarah's show seems to be true to life in its illustration of the real setbacks and frustrations that come with interior design.  I love watching her think through the problems and come up with a solution that's better than her initial idea!  I'm sure this will be the case with Sarah's Cottage too.  I can't wait for it to be on tv! (Sorry, Dan!)

all images from here

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