Best Guesthouse Ever

Yes, please. I have always loved a settle bench at the front door. This guesthouse in the Hamptons is charming! The main house is large and very nice with an understated classic interior filled with antiques. See it too in the link below.

The guest cottage has a cozy living room off the kitchen.

via Architectural Digest

Art Gallery in A Master Bath

What an amazing space. This master bath is a real sanctuary full of wonderful nautical artwork and antiques. The architecture is wonderful too. I love the clerestory window in its own dormered nook instead of a skylight. The floors are wooden, all the walls are shiplap boards, and I don't see any tile at all. The owners must be sailors and want to be reminded of their boat while at home. I love what they've done to showcase their collections in such a clever, tasteful way.

Stay cool as we enjoy the last week of August going into the Labor Day Weekend. xo

A Painting in My Collection

Lillian Cotton (1892–1962) was an American artist known for her portraits, especially of high-society figures and well-known actors, writers, and artists of her day.

She was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father was Nathaniel Hugh Cotton, a West Indies shipping merchant born in Barbados, and her mother was Harriet Emma Clapp. Cotton developed an interest in art as a young child, drawing detailed portraits in sketchbooks as early as age ten, and attended the Boston Museum School. Between 1915 and 1917, Cotton studied at the Art Students League of New York under Robert Henri and George Bellows. In 1924, Cotton moved to Paris and studied at the André Lhote Academy. While in Paris, she met Arthur Elia Impey, a British army officer, and married him in 1926. The couple lived between Paris and New York.

Artist Information found here.

I have always wondered who this adorable child is, ever since I bought this painting with a left bid at an auction. It is signed lower left: L.Cotton 1913 when she was still at the Art Students League studying under the famous artists mentioned above.

I just discovered the magnifying glass on my iPhone and decided to use it on the horse embroidered on my baby painting's smocked outfit. You can see the texture of the canvas and the brush strokes of the oil paint.

I adore babies in smocked garments, a trend that is long out of style here where today's babies are dressed as miniature adults. Why rush it? They have their whole lives to wear khaki pants and button-down shirts! England's Royalty dress their children in age-appropriate styles from an age gone by. I love the way Prince William and Duchess Catherine are dressing Prince George, Princess Charlotte and I can't wait to see more of baby Prince Louis' attire. xo

Laundry Room, Home Office and Porch

Was once a porch so it required its own heat/ac unit.

Same house with a great home office.

The house with the best front porch. Swoon.

Photos found when searching the MLS today.

Summer Sleeping Porch Love

Everybody needs a dedicated space for catching up on their reading and napping. I have always been obsessed with sleeping porches even though I've never slept on one. via

Gather Ye Rosebuds

I photographed one of the crests from my old book, "The Royal Book of Crests" and this quote seemed fitting. I collect silver trophy cups and was drawn to this engraving. All of mine are engraved but I don't have one that was awarded for winning a flower prize. 

It's hard to believe next week is the last week of August, isn't it? That is usually the signal for the end of summer and a very popular vacation week. I got very behind in my mowing and tackled the back yard yesterday. Hopefully, I will do the front tomorrow and a final weeding of my front garden.

See you tomorrow. xo, Rosemary

Open Shelves in a Hudson NY House

Antique white stoneware on open shelves and topiaries on antique mounts, I'm in love!

“Just to have everything laid out in front of you has been wonderful and we really use everything on a daily basis,” the owner says.

The dining table, chairs, chandelier, and stools are all antique finds from the owners' travels. “We used old architectural pieces to define the spaces,” she says. Read more about this Historical Home in Hudson, New York and tour the other antique-filled rooms here.

Topiary Collection

This looks like a private home but it may be a shop. Either way, the topiaries are lovely and beautifully clipped. Photo found on Google Images.