Category Archives: Neighborhood Tours
Neighborhood Tour… Visiting the Pottery Barn Outlet!
I was in Ohio last week visiting my son, I shared with you part 1 and part 2 of his amazing attic reno project he did himself. While I was there, I finally had an opportunity to go to the Pottery Barn Outlet that’s just about 45 minutes south of Columbus.
I think there are only about 8 Pottery Barn Outlet stores sprinkled around the US, so I’m fortunate there is one located so close to Columbus. (if you’re wondering if one is by you, here’s the list: Pottery Barn Locations) and if you’re not close, would it be worth the trip? Well here’s my experience…
A Little Getaway at a Gorgeous Victorian B&B
We recently were given an amazingly generous gift package from our son and daughter-in-law to a B&B in Stillwater, MN at The Rivertown Inn.
(This is the ‘wallpaper’ in the dining room… They had an artist somehow photocopy or reproduce a painting onto large canvases and then hung that canvas on the wall like wallpaper, and then embellish it by hand with paint. It looks amazing in person, like a huge oil painting on the walls!)
A little about the history of Stillwater, the oldest town in Minnesota, it is a picturesque town sitting on the St. Croix River across from Wisconsin and absolutely filled with Victorian homes and mansions, amazing shops with tons of choices for antiquing. It’s for sure a destination town and well worth the trip.
And the place we stayed, The Rivertown Inn, was over the top in opulence and décor! The amazing attention to detail with no expense spared for this antique B&B is remarkable. High end finishes throughout, both inside and outside… click here to read the rest of the story…
Someone Else’s House: Bungalow Bathroom, Almost Anthropologie Style?
Continuing the tour of the refreshed and somewhat renovated c. 1916 bungalow, (or there abouts,) our young couple has purchased, the bathroom is the room to see today. (If you missed it, click here to see their bedroom/projects)
This room started in pretty good condition:
The walls, however, were a shocking yellow. I think the previous homeowner was trying to coordinate with the floor tile, but instead the result was quite harsh.
Although the mechanics of the room was fairly solid, our young couple really didn’t care for some things in the bathroom.
First, as what so frequently happens in older homes over the years, the bathrooms and kitchens during the ‘updating process’ lose their original trim and character. Which is exactly what happened to this room, it had, at some time in the past, been updated, and in that process, the original trim was removed and replaced with ranch molding.
Another thing our couple just wasn’t sure about, was the floor tile. Although it was in excellent condition, it just seemed to scream a little too loud.
After considering ripping out the tile, but given the budget, and encouragement from others to keep it because it had an ‘Anthropologie’ look to it, the new homeowners instead decided to add back in some of the missing character and see if then the tiles would feel more at home in the new setting.
And here are the results of their hard work and creativity: click here to read the rest of the story
Bayfield, Wisconsin, Part 3: Houses, Inns and Cottages
Well here it is, finally, the post featuring some of the houses, inns and cottages nestled in the hills and on the shore of Bayfield, WI which sits on the shores of Lake Superior.
(In the last week I showed you some street scenes and some buildings that caught my eye in Bayfield.)
Of course, I have to start with the famous Rittenhouse Inn. A gorgeously maintained Victorian inn, and fun place to stay, but if you’re thinking of staying there during Apple-fest, the first weekend of October, READ ON…
Bayfield, Wisconsin, Part 2: Public Buildings
Recently, in the ‘Neighborhood Tours’ I introduced you to Bayfield, WI, a tiny town nestled at the top of the state on the shores of Lake Superior, where we drove last week, to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary, just by spending some simple, quiet time together in this quaint little town.
The town sits on the steep wooded hills of Wisconsin and comes down to a point at the shores of Lake Superior. With several churches, the woods and skyline are sprinkled with steeples. READ ON…
Bayfield, Wisconsin, Part 1: Street Scenes
August is the month of our wedding anniversary. 33 years this year! Most years we are in Maine during this time, but this year, some things prevented us from being there… (so far… still working on that though…)
So on this special day this year, we decided to hop in the car and drive North to the shores of Lake Superior and enjoy the day walking around the little town of Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Bayfield is a tiny town at the top of the state of Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Superior.
Although it is a tiny town, it is packed with quaintness! The first weekend of October, Bayfield has the famous ‘Apple-fest’ where thousands of people celebrate with every kind of apple dish and beverage you could imagine in this gorgeous setting. We’ve visited during that festival time many times and it’s so much fun, but the streets are packed with vendors and people, not exactly how the street scenes look in these pictures I took on our trip this week. READ ON…
Visiting Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina
I just got back from a week in North Carolina… a warm week… When I was young, I was taught it was more polite to say it was ‘warm’ instead of ‘hot’… but come on… it’s hot in North Carolina in the summer!
Fortunately for me, I had a lot to distract me from the heat… for the second part of the week we were inland where I helped our friends decorate for their daughter’s outdoor wedding and reception…
I have several posts coming up featuring that wedding and decorations… amazing, beautiful and all on a budget!
But for the first part of the week we went to the Outer Banks. READ ON…
Happy Independence Day! Homes Featuring Patriotic Displays.
On this July 4th to celebrate the day’s national holiday, Independence Day, I thought it would be fun to feature some homes in the area where we live, the St. Croix Valley area.
Actually most of these homes are in Stillwater, MN, a charming town, and one of the oldest… maybe even the oldest town in MN. (It’s called ‘the birthplace of Minnesota’, so that might be a clue.) It sits on the St. Croix River and has antique home after antique home from around the Victorian time period.
The home owners in this town have taken great pride in restoring their lovely landmarks and so I hope to be featuring READ ON…
Neighborhood Tour: Upper Arlington, Ohio
If you’ve ever been to Columbus, Ohio, I sure hope you were able to go to the Upper Arlington neighborhood. The beautiful architecture of the homes includes several styles of Tudor as well as Storybook Cottage. Whenever we tour the neighborhood, there are many gasps heard Read on…
