a peek inside

i was reading a new-to-me blog recently, and the writer mentioned that she felt irritated by blogs where the photos are always up close, and don't ever show the whole setting.  oops!  that is me, for sure... and the more i thought about it - the more i agreed.  i just love to look at photos that show a whole room!

so i went back through my photos from the last couple of years and i found a few i'd like to share.  here's the irony - these were taken last fall when we had moved everything out of our living/dining rooms to clean the carpets - so they are stark and bare!  but...i am very drawn to these photos...i believe i am a minimalist hidden in the guise of a gatherer, clutterer, thrifter, junker, with ADD!!! wow. how's that for a fine mess? 

so anyway, i'm going to post these photos and show you what you would see if you were to walk in my front door and look to the left!  ignore the blurring and the poor light and the fan that was drying the carpet that day, okay?

we bought this home about 2 years after it was built;  11 years ago this fall.  (we moved from an old white colonial home with wood floors and white woodwork.  it was darling.)  so as you enter you are on a tiled floor, and ahead and to the left you see this partial wall, and the kitchen is just beyond.  this chandelier hangs in our dining room...in the foreground you can see the one step down to the "formal" (not so much) living room. 

a little glimpse of the kitchen ceiling beyond

standing by the partial wall and looking toward the dining room windows, all while ignoring the huge ripples in the carpet that we later had stretched.

view of the living room

here's a peek of the beam that runs between the rooms - not in the original plan but added by the family that built this house - i like it as it adds further definition between the spaces.

(you can't see on these photos - but the beam connects to a column near the front entrance.)  this shot is perhaps my favorite scene in my home...i love the simplicity of it.  uncluttered. peaceful.  tone on tone.  it makes me happy:)

and a close-up of my cherished hydrangeas in a chippy sap bucket!  thanks for looking around. i love seeing pictures of your homes and projects and yards and gardens...and i thank you for sharing these things on your blogs. the inspiration is priceless:)                

as i continue to simplify my home and life, i'll make an effort to share more of our living spaces...have a wonderful september thursday!