When I first saw this room designed by Rose Tarlow (Architectural Digest, 1991) I fell in love with its uncomplicated beauty and with the live vines growing in the room. I hadn’t seen vines (attached to the wall) growing indoors before and thought it was such a wonderful concept. During my high school years I visited a friend of a friend whose parents had built their house around a tree. I thought that was pretty cool as well. Joni at Cote de Texas did an extensive post on Rose Tarlow HERE.
The Rose Tarlow room reminded me of the “naturalist” trend in design that took place in the late seventies, something I was always attracted to…being the nature girl that I am. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to rough it…ask my husband! I just mean I’ve always taken to nature in a more broad sense of the word. I love gardens and forests and butterflies and most harmless insects and animals.
Besides the vines growing near the window, I love the ceiling.
Notice the earthiness of the logs stacked sky-high? I love this room, it looks like something John Muir might have lived in.
Tricia Foley is another designer whose rooms always evoke a sense of nature and as a result, feel very comforting and comfortable. Maybe the truth is, the simpler we keep our furnishings the more freedom we experience.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my “stuff” and can’t imagine not having it displayed in various rooms throughout our home, but I have to admit there is an allure to simple, uncluttered rooms.
This might have a natural flavor but it’s a bit too jumbled for me.
This above image is a shot of The Graphics Fairy living room vignette
When rooms are decorated using natural elements there is a sense that the home is in the country somewhere and that maybe you would harvest your own vegetables from your garden and gather wild flowers for the vases instead of hothouse flowers. Much like Willoughby (Greg Wise) in Ang Lee’s, Sense and Sensibility in the scene where he gives simple wildflowers to Miss Marianne (Kate Winslet).
Another home that gives me the sense of simple, natural elegance is the home featured in the blog site A Country Farmhouse.
This blog is appealing in the way that you imagine a simpler life might be. I believe the farm house is in Oregon and the seasons play a huge role in the activities around “home”. Visit if you haven’t before!
Are you a country mouse or a city mouse? (Remember that book?)
Garden, Home & Party 