A Tuscan-Style Home with Rustic Touches





Nye started with the Elizabeth Eakins rug in the "elegant but incredibly comfortable" living room, pulling out the colors for the upholstery and pillows. The wing chair is covered in a hand-blocked linen from Hazelton House; the Rose Tarlow Celestial sofa is covered in Morgan velvet by Michael S. Smith. Walls are ivory.

As an homage to the signature lime-washed paneling of David Adler and Frances Elkins, Nye lightened the den's somber mahogany to this mellow café au lait. Club chairs in a Cowtan & Tout linen velvet gather around a Crate & Barrel coffee table that Nye customized with a tufted leather top. "I really am a believer in high-low," he says, "even if the term has become a cliché."



Subtly layered colors and sculptural shapes make up a Joe Nye "moment of richness" in the master-suite vestibule of a new Santa Barbara house. An 18th-century Continental Italian faux-bois cabinet is flanked by 17th-century Spanish Colonial chairs. Portuguese needlepoint carpet from John Iloulian.

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An archway frames the living room vista from the entrance hall. An 18th-century Italian table from John J. Nelson Antiques holds a pair of twin 19th-century French oil lamps, which light a sofa beyond.

    

Mountain Home- Cozy Rustic Style

Mix-and-match antique chairs surround a rustic dining table on the open-air porch of a young family's house in Cashiers, North Carolina.

For the living area, designer Kathleen Rivers chose quiet colors "that look good with leaves." The pottery is part of the owners' collection of North Carolina mountain pottery. Lantern by Circa Lighting. Painting by Sally King Benedict.

In laying out the interior, architect Stanley Dixon blended a classical sensibility with vernacular mountain style, all in a contemporary vein. The great room's clapboard walls and old barn timbers radiate local charm. Soft golds, browns, and creams knit the living and dining areas with the kitchen. Curtains are G.P. & J. Baker's Poppies.

An unused basement nook was turned into a guest bedroom. Rich brown burlap portieres create privacy and a cozy-hideaway feel.

Modern glass-and-steel doors let onto the glorious heart of the house: an open porch with canvas curtains to pull shut. The sofa and chairs are from Rusticks. The Orkney child's chair is from Mainly Baskets. Rug from Bounds Cave. 

         

Rustic and Luxurious Design

Jill Brinson's Rustic and Luxurious Design

Objects arranged with a deliberate eye.

Lanterns give room a rustic feel and personality.  Although the colors
 are monotone, it works because of the natural pallette.  The chicken wire onthe faux washed cabinets give the room a more casual whimsical feel.

Now this is the life...

Anyone want to join me for dinner and drinks on the "back porch"?
Now this is the life! A cozy fireplace, outdoor chandelier, beautiful color tones in the fabrics and accessories.  Could this possibly get anymore fabulous?? I think not!   More outdoor living spaces I can't get enough of on the way...