The Dream House Files

Dream On : Weekend WindowsHopping

CLASSIFIEDS - Properties to Ponder.
FOR RENT: Spanish Estate, sleeps 12, Villa Lentisco in Andalucia. with garden and pool. On Sologrande golf course. Beach, beach club and restaurant less than a mile away at Marina del Sologrande.

: Villa Lentisco

FOR RENT: Chateau in the South of France, 18th century Norman chateau, restored cottage with garden, terrace.

: 18th Century Cottage in the South of France

FOR RENT: North Frisian Islands Holiday Chateau for Rent, two bedrooms, two baths, terrace. One of the oldest houses on the island of Föhr, restored. Located on the marsh in the old village centre of Oevenum.

: Home in Föhr

FOR SALE: Tuscan Farmhouse, Castelnuovo Berardenga, with panoramic views of vinyard, hills and cypress trees.

: Tuscan Farmhouse

FOR SALE: Country House near Limoges, France. Built in 1805. Includes meadow, lake, stables, barn, bread oven and swimming pool.

: French Country House

TAKING TEA - TEA BOOKS AND LINKS

: Tea Table from The Charms of Tea

The Charms of Tea: Reminiscences and Recipes from the Editors of Victoria Magazine

: Tea and Etiquette

Tea and Etiquette by Dorothea Johnson and James Norwood Pratt

: The New Tea Book

The New Tea Book

Miss Potter (2006) starring Renée Zellweger

: Renée Zellweger on location at Yew Tree Farm in 2006

I've been in the mood for rustic country cottages lately. One of my favorite examples in cinema for the rustic country cottage is "Miss Potter". It's the biographical love story of Beatrix Potter and stars Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.

: Graphics for Movie's Promo

: Yew Tree Farm House

The idyllic landscapes, lush gardens and charming cottages are an extra treat to take in since the story of Miss Potter is a jewel all by itself. She was a talented artist and writer. Socially, she lived in Victorian England but was a century ahead of her time.

: Hill Top Farm - Front Facade

: Hill Top Farm and Garden

The movie was filmed in London as well as Yew Tree Farm Coniston in the Lake District of northwestern England. In the Lake District Miss Potter purchased her home , Hill Top Farm, and several more farms adjacent to her property. When she found out developers had plans to expand and build out the area she outbid them at auction using the proceeds from the sale of her books. Upon her death she granted her vast estate to the National Trust to be preserved and is now part of the Lake District National Park.

: Hill Top Property

Martin Childs production designer on the film explains why Miss Potter's true life home of Hill Top Farm was not used in the movie because staging scenes proved impossible to use and still have room for the camera.

: Hill Top Farm - Interior

: Yew Tree Farms - Interior view of the Tea Room

: Still from the movie, Ms Zellweger by the Lake

Sources for information and photos are courtesy of Visitcumbria.com, nationaltrust.org and Yew Tree Farms.

Trailer for Miss Potter, Beatrix Potter Links and more...

: DVD Jacket for Miss Potter

Here is the trailer for "Miss Potter" starring Renée Zellweger. This trailer does not include as much of the countryside scenes, which in my opinion is the most visually appealing part of the movie. Miss Potter lived in Victorian times but she possessed the mind of a 21st century woman. It's was enlightening for me because I never gave much thought to her life until I saw this movie. I've always loved her books and drawings. Now I read the books to my children. I spent a small fortune buying the entire collection from The Folio Society because I did not want to compromise on her original vision when I read them to my children. I wanted them to experience the books as she originally intended. I'm so glad I did. If you have a chance to see this movie you must. The Victorian interiors and garden scenes are delicious eye candy for design junkies.

Trailer for "Miss Potter"

The World of Beatrix Potter website

: The World of Beatrix Potter

The Beatrix Potter Society website

: Colored Mouse by Beatrix Potter

The Illustrators Project: Helen Beatrix Potter website

: From Beatrix Potter 1866-1943: The Artist and Her World by Judy Taylor

Custom Airstreams at The Grand Daddy Hotel, Cape Town

: Pleasantville Airstream

The Grand Daddy Hotel in Cape Town takes the penthouse to a whole new level. It's so trailer park, but in a good way. Seven Airstreams have been customized by local Cape Town artists for the trendy traveler in themes such as Afro Funk and Love of Lace. They are all arranged on the roof of the hotel, called Penthouse Park, along with the rooftop bar, movie screen and restaurant.

: Earth Cote Airstream

The Earth Cote trailer takes on a bohemian attitude.

: The Ballad Airstream

Ballad trailer, is an homage to John and Yoko.

: Goldilocks Airstream

The Goldilocks trailer is dedicated to the fairy tale, The Three Bears.

: Love and Lace Airstream

The Love and Lace trailer is for those who want to get in touch with their feminine side.

: Dorothy Airstream

My personal favorite, the Dorothy trailer above was designed by artist Sarah Pratt.

: Afro Funk Airstream

The Afro Funk trailer takes a subdued palette with modern furnishings and a mixes in African textiles and motifs.

: The Rooftop Terrace on the Penthouse Level

The rate per night for a trailer during high season (JAN-JUN) is about $194.00 USD. To view more photos of the Airstreams in more detail go to granddaddy.co.za.

Special thanks to The Grand Daddy Hotel website and Architectural Digest.

Airstream Dreams by Ralph Lauren

: 2010 Airstream Interior

As the summer is upon us I'm planning our summer beach vacation. I always make mental notes of the vacations we'll take as our kids get older. One dream I have is to take a Griswold style holiday and trek in an RV to Yellowstone Park. I'm sure my kids will hate it as the kids in the "Vacation" movie did, but what if I rented a fabulous RV for the trip, complete with HDMI TV?
I used to have a link bookmarked on the Ralph Lauren site on a fundraising project he did in the early 2000s (2002 I think). Ralph Lauren took four vintage (1960s) Airstream trailers, refurbished, decorated them and auctioned them off donating the proceeds to charity. I'm sorry to write the site did not archive the project. Especially since it archives Mr. Lauren's other philanthropic endeavors. So after a little cyber searching I've located most of the photos thanks to fellow bloggers and Architectural Digest who documented the project.
Each of the four Airstreams sold for $150,000 USD at auction. They were named for their decorative themes. The Adirondack Caravel, Nautical Bambi, Utility/Surplus, and Western Bambi. Here are the photos from three of the four Ralph Lauren Custom Airstreams. Still missing is a photo of the Utility/Surplus Airstream. My quest continues.
Special thanks to the following blogs and publications for their contributions to this post.
http://fashiontribes.typepad.com
http://www.airforums.com
http://talesfromthelaboratory.typepad.com
http://www.architecturaldigest.com
http://www.classicdriver.com

: Original Webpage for RL Airstream Campaign

: Ralph Lauren Vintage Airstreams

: Nautical Floorplan

: Nautical Exterior View

: Nautical Interior View

: Western Airstream Interior

: Adirondack Airstream Interior

Am I Blue?

: The Blue Kitchen - A Staging DON'T

Uh, yes. But only because I can't believe this listing agent didn't take care of this before they started marketing this house with the blue kitchen wall. They should have 1) strongly suggested to the clients to paint their wall white, 2) hired painters and added the fees to the final HUD 1 form at closing or 3) painted the wall white themselves. But they should not have done 4) nothing.

If a client is serious about selling their house they will paint this wall if their listing agent tells them to.
I know owners want their house to say something about their personality. Well this time they should have toned it down before they put it on the market. Buyers will not see the Picasso genius of the current owners, and just can't get past that bold color long enough to visualize colors they're more comfortable with. Keeping the bold color around will stop potential buyers in their tracks and they may lose sight of the rest of the home's wonderful features.

The Villa by Barton G.

The former Versace mansion is under new management. As of December 2009 it is under the management of restaurateur Barton G. Weiss and has been renamed, The Villa by Barton G. Originally named Casa Casuarina by the architect Alden Freeman, the Mediterranean style villa was built in 1930.

The most famous owner of this South Beach beauty was fashion designer Gianni Versace who in 1992 , for 2.9 MM, purchased, refurbished and expanded the property into his luxurious home and show palace. In addition to the mosaic tiled pool and southern wing he added, he embellished the mansion with ornate architectural details, most notably in the courtyard, observatory, and exterior facade.

Now a luxury hotel, travelers can stay in one of the guilded suites, each of which is uniquely named for their decorating schemes. And for a nice touch of green, the hotel offers guests unique amenities such as Kindles to electronically deliver daily news instead of the standard newsprint edition.

As for my pick of rooms, it's a tie between the Azure and Venus suites.

All reservations must be made by phone or email through the concierge. No online reservations confirmed in this hotel. It's white glove service from start to finish.

Special thanks to southbeachrealestateblog.com for info and before photo.

Aviary Suite