Our Martha's Vineyard "Home Away From Home"

 One of my life-long dreams has always been to visit Martha's Vineyard.  Everything I've ever read about it told me that I would be in love.
My dream finally came true!
We were fortunate to rent this adorable home on Martha's Vineyard for a week and not only did I fall in love, but I didn't want to leave!


It was recently featured in New England Home, so you can imagine how perfect the home is.
I love the decor, right down to the zebra stenciled hide in the living room.  It looks amazing with white slipcovered furniture and nautical details.


I spent a lot of time in this room, especially in the morning sipping my coffee and watching the sun rise over the harbor.


This vignette from New England Home shows the detail of the delft tiles around the fireplace and blue menswear plaid upholstery on the rattan chairs.  I love the blue hydrangea in this scene.
In fact, I purchased fresh flowers for the house while we stayed here to give the rooms some life.

There is a little breakfast nook between the living room and dining room.
Notice the architectural details.  There is very little drywall in this house--only white painted tongue and groove on the walls and beadboard on the ceilings.


The dining room is papered above the wainscotting in a beautiful blue and white print.
The dining chairs are lacquered navy blue and upholstered in a flax straw like fabric.

This photo from New England Home shows the wallpaper in more detail.
Through the door is the kitchen.


The walls in the kitchen are painted chocolate brown--an interesting choice to highlight the vaulted ceiling and white cabinetry.  Hmmmm, I wonder how navy blue would look instead...


The New England Home photo shows the detail of the backsplash behind the stove.


There are two bedrooms upstairs, including a huge master suite that overlooks the harbor.
Notice the painted ceiling above?

The master bath is beautifully appointed with marble floors and countertop.
I love the grasscloth on the walls.

There is also a bedroom downstairs, with one wall papered in a lavender stripe.
It has double doors that open the the courtyard...

...which also separates the main house from the guesthouse, and is the point of entry to the home.

 The guesthouse has a loft, featuring two twins and a separate bedroom and bath.

It even has its own little kitchen!

 Outside the living room is a wrap around porch that overlooks the harbor.
This home has it all and it was such a pleasure to stay here, pretending that we live here full time.


We pretended that this was our neighborhood...

...and pretended that this was our street as we walked to the main street where all the boutiques and restaurants are.  

We took lots of walks, exploring the island, pretending it was our home and wondering what would the winters be like here.   

We even took a drive to the other side so Mr. A could check out the fishing village. We made plans to come back next year so he could enter the fishing tournament that started just before we left.

But alas, we had to say goodbye.

Hopefully, we will be back and if we are lucky enough to stay in our home away from home on Martha's Vineyard again, I will be thrilled.

To read more about this lovely home, visit New England Home.

The Books At Boxwood House

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."  ~Cicero

I couldn't agree more.  One can design a room with fabulous wallcoverings, luxurious fabrics and elegant antiques, but if it doesn't contain books, then something is missing.

 When staying at The Boxwood House, I had time to notice all the details in the house.  There are many, but what really stood out were all the books in every room. 

Oh, and glasses!  Every nightstand and side table had a stack of books and a pair of reading glasses.

Many of the books in the dining room are about San Francisco or California and its history.

For those guests visiting from another state or country, this would be fascinating.

I find it fascinating and I live here!

There are books about the 1906 earthquake, books about the gold rush, books about the wine country...

...and books about Abraham Lincoln.

The owners of The Boxwood House are obviously interested in history, both local and American history and have been collecting books for years.

How wonderful to have a place to lovingly display them.

For a home that isn't lived in day to day and used as a vacation rental, the books have given it warmth and also a soul. 

 

As I wondered around during my stay, noticing all the details of this home, so beautifully decorated and curated, I imagined other guests staying here, enjoying the view, enjoying special events with friends and enjoying life. 

I thought, The Boxwood House truly represents all things home!

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience:  this is the ideal life."  ~Mark Twain

A Night At The Boxwood House

 Welcome to The Boxwood House, my home away from home for just one amazing night.
My friend has lovingly restored, designed and decorated this very special San Francisco home.  It was quite a project that she and her husband dedicated 2013 to and they offered it to us for the night of my 60th birthday.
 To say that I was excited is an understatement!
The moment you walk through the door, the home welcomes with its classic elegance.

The living room in its 50 shades of gray.
The word that comes to my mind is "sexy!"
The chesterfield sofa is upholstered in pewter velvet, the armchairs in a gray wool menswear stripe and the draperies are a wool stripe as well.

 The view however is what you notice when you walk into this room.
Just outside the window is the Palace of Fine Arts, built in 1915 as part of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.  In fact this home sits on one of the sites of the original Expo.

Talk about San Francisco history!

The dining room features an exquisite crystal chandelier.
Almost all the chandeliers in this home are vintage crystal, curated over time and restored by my friend's husband.
The etageres have an amazing collection of vintage books about San Francisco, California and the Panama-Pacific Exposition.


The buffet is burl wood, found at a consignment center and refurbished.


The kitchen is located in the back of the house and features gorgeous soapstone counters...


...and Sub-zero refrigerator and Wolf range.
And a fabulous chandelier!

I'm in love with the soapstone sink.


 The kitchen has an eat-in breakfast area too.
And another fabulous chandelier!


Let's go upstairs to the master suite which also looks out to the Palace.


All I can say is sleeping here was an amazing experience.
First of all the view is killer and second the bed with its Frette sheets are so luxurious.
I slept like a baby!
Another fabulous chandelier too!

 The master bath has a wonderful black and white marble check floor.
Oh, and did I mention the floor is heated?  Yes it is!
Imagine waking up in the morning, walking into the bathroom with bare feet only to realize the floor is warm!  So luxurious!

I have a confession.
I pretended that I live here!
There I said it.


There are two more bedrooms upstairs, as well as another bathroom and laundry room.
This room features a king bed with a sitting room.


The third bedroom has a full size canopy bed.
I felt like Goldilocks!
Seriously, I wanted to crawl into each bed!


The upstairs bathroom even has a view of the Palace from the shower!

 Going back downstairs....

...I forgot to mention there is a small room off the hall that serves as an office.

That mirror is actually a television by the way!

I love this room.  It is upholstered in gray flannel which makes it even more cozy.

Across the hall from the office is a full bath that services the main floor and has a Palace view as well.

On the ground level, at the back of the house is an amazing outdoor area featuring a curtained loggia and a "man cave" that I could just move right in to!

 Even though this is an outside room, it is very protected from the San Francisco weather.


With a fireplace at one end and several outdoor heaters, it stays pretty cozy, especially if you close the curtains.


Under the loggia there is also an outdoor kitchen and dining area.


The "man cave" is wallpapered in grasscloth and features leather sofas, a huge flat screen television on one end of the room...


...and a kitchen on the other end, complete with a kegerator.


A bar cart is at the ready under a vintage maritime painting.
Most of the art in the house is either of San Francisco, vintage Panama-Pacific prints or is maritime themed.


The backyard is formal with an abundance of boxwood.

Back upstairs, the sun is setting and the house begins to take on a warm, romantic glow.

The Palace is glowing outside the living room window as the "blue hour" descends.
Night time at The Boxwood House is absolutely magnificent and we were pinching ourselves as it got dark and the Palace took center stage.


As we toasted my 60th birthday with glasses of very special champagne, we decided we could never tire of this view!

A special thank you to my friend Teresa for making my birthday so very special and whose talent and attention to detail has been an inspiration to me for over 27 years.
 I am very honored to have been a small part of this project, offering my opinion whether they wanted it or not, as well as the official photographer!

For more information on The Boxwood House, visit their Airbnb site here, or the VRBO site here.
A website is in progress and I will share it as soon as it is ready.