Café Design

Have you ever had a fixation with one particular item you just couldn’t resist buying, over and over again? Seascapes, shells, oil landscapes, books, jewelry, records, botanicals, stamps, board games, or perhaps Manolo Blahniks? Sadly I have such a fixation, and it’s getting out of hand 🙂 It’s not jewelry or expensive shoes (though I love those things, too) – it’s comfortable chairs. Old chairs, new chairs, wooden chairs, bistro chairs, armchairs, antique chairs (my favorite), quirky chairs, free chairs, expensive chairs – I love them all. A well-made and beautiful chair is so hard to come by, and even harder for me to resist it when it does. In fact, this week alone I have found not one, not two, but five chairs. Five!!! This brings the total of chairs we’ve gotten this summer to seven, and we’re running out of places to put them!!! Please send help.  

Happy Friday, friends! It’s the end of a highly unproductive week for this girl: with the three of us at home in between summer camps, dog sitting a pup we absolutely adore (and have a hard time keeping our hands off of), and temperatures high enough to fry eggs on the driveway, working through my to-do list this week has been an exercise in futility. But that’s okay. With all the fun we’ve been having, it’s a miracle I managed to get anything done. But there’s one thing I did get to do, and it is a big one for me – a chore that has been on my list for months now… Is it entirely wrong that I want to brag about it? 🙂

Earlier this month we spent a blissful week on Cape Cod and made it to the island of Nantucket for a day visit. It was great to see in person some of the houses I’ve swooned over for years through the blog and social media and I returned inspired to add a touch of Nantucket to our own little cottage garden. One of the most remarkable details on the island, and on Cape Cod in general, was the stunning curb appeal of so many homes. Window boxes are an art form on Nantucket (you’d be pressed to find one you didn’t like) and the prettiest houses were the ones with the most colorful front yards, no matter how big or small. We fell in love with the architecture and quiet charm of Cape Cod and since our return I’ve been trying to break down that distinct Nantucket look and figure out ways in which I can add some of its charm to our own house and garden. Here’s what I have so far, none of it breaking news, but all of it feasible with some effort and expense. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn a commission on all qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Happy weekend! For those of you experiencing extreme summer weather, I hope you’re staying cool and hydrated, wherever you are. Western Mass has been scorching hot this past week so we’ve been hiding from the heat and only going out when it is absolutely necessary. We’re also dog-sitting our neighbors’ Australian Cobberdog, Albus,  and we couldn’t be happier to have this sweet and gentle  pup stay with us again. (The past few days have been filled with puppy kisses and cuddles and Sofia and I are having a hard time letting Albus out of our arms.)