Today is Back to School Day here in Amherst, MA! My little cub enters first grade and I can’t hold back the tears as I write this. I’m so happy and excited for her but I know how much I’m going to miss having her with me all day… After a fun and easy summer spent snuggling, playing and being silly, it’s time to get back to a stricter routine and it’s bitter-sweet. It’s hard to let our children grow, isn’t it? Anyway, I wish all kids (big and small) a wonderful new school year!
“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James
House full of boxes, it’s time for a new season! On this beautiful summer afternoon, the movers are packing and hauling out one box after another, and it finally feels real… We’re moving! After two happy years in Urbana, IL, we’re on the move again. This time we’re headed to Amherst, MA. My husband’s work takes us there and we couldn’t be more excited! Although, truth be told, we’re sad to say goodbye to this lovely little town that has been such a welcoming home. During these past couple of years we’ve met some amazing people and made so many friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime! It’s funny…home is not where your parents live (although it sometimes can be), it’s not necessarily where your house is, but it’s with the people your heart feels most at home! I hope we’ll find a wonderful new home in Massachusetts!
During this long and relaxing holiday weekend, my Instagram feed exploded with beautiful images of quintessential American homes in some of my favorite locations. Nantucket is one of those places that, although I’ve not seen much of, I feel a special connection to. It is difficult to find a Nantucket home that isn’t charming so it ’s no surprise that this cottage by the sea is one of the most photographed homes in America. I’ve long admired its rose-covered exterior and was wondering how much prettier it could be on the inside.
Like so many of you, I am a fan of Tessa Foley of Nine and Sixteen Home. I have been ever since I discovered her blog and Instagram. She portrays life in a picturesque village just outside of Cincinnati and her images and blog posts are both aspirational and practical, filled with tips and ideas to help make our own homes more beautiful. As you can imagine, I’m thrilled that Tessa agreed to tell us a little bit more about a recently completed project – her home office makeover, which looks stunning by the way. Tessa also has a few national magazine pats on her back… Her beautiful home was published in Midwest Living in December 2014 and, later this year, we’ll see it featured in Nora Murphy’s book – Country House Style. Welcome, Tessa!
Hello Café Design readers! Thank you so much, Eva, for inviting me to guest post on your absolutely gorgeous blog! I get so much inspiration from you! I’m excited to share a little peek of our home with all of your readers. For those of you that don’t know me, I’m a blogger at Nine & Sixteen Home, turned self-taught designer, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a love of cozy, classic interiors, heavily inspired by coastal New England style and traditional English country interiors. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite places in our home, my office…
Last month, my husband and I attended a couple of open houses in our neighborhood. We’re renting right now but at that point we were contemplating the idea of buying our first home here in Urbana. It wouldn’t have been the wisest of decisions (and we knew that) since we’ll be leaving by the end of the year, but nevertheless, we wanted to get a feel of the market and see what’s available in our price range. We saw several houses of different sizes and styles (a handsome Georgian, a tiny bungalow and a Tudor style cottage) but my favorite was a sweet little Cape.
