Decorating my dream house

A while ago I blogged about my dream house back in the home country.  Check it out here.  Then the other day I was reading Blue Fruit's blog (a current favourite of mine) and I was totally inspired by Virginia's 'Rescue me Please' post.  Basically, she imagined buying a diamond in the rough Art Deco house currently on the market and imbuing it once again "with dignity and drama".  Well it occurred to me that I should also embark on a fantasy redecoration project and what better subject than my dream house.

There's quite alot of floor area to play with here so let's chunk this down and focus first on the ground floor.

What's our vision?  I'm thinking classic with a contemporary twist.  As a jumping off point, I thought of this photograph by Mario Testino:

If you look carefully at the picture of the stairs in the 'before' photos, you'll see there's already a black and white tiled floor to work with in the main hall. 

I like the idea of mixing the classic checkerboard floor with a more contemporary approach.  For example, the hallway below a la Suzanne Kasler is classic but contemporary in its simplicity and lightness.  I love how fresh and unstuffy it looks.  And bye bye Mr Red Carpet on the stairs (what were they thinking)!!



The room below is again by Ms Kasler.  I'm a sucker for black and white and I think extending the colour scheme from the formal entrance to the drawing room provides continuity.

You gotta admit, it's a step up from the current arrangement.  For some reason, terracotta is a big hit in Irish interiors (yuck!).  At least the carpet is neutral but I wonder whether original timber floors lurk beneath...

Next, let's step into the dining room.  I'm thinking of a scheme somewhere in between the following two looks, one of which featured in a recent edition of Lonny and the other is by Kelly Hoppen.

via Lonny 

Once again, it's about striking the right balance between classic and contemporary.

Now, what about the kitchen? What I ask is that navy stripe about?

How about something a little more like this...

via Lonny

and this...

via decorpad

It's fantastic that with such a large space, there's ample room for both a generous kitchen and a less formal dining area.

Every home needs a comfy living area for some serious relaxing, coach potato-ing even!  So here's what I'm thinking for the sitting room that's directly off the kitchen:

Winters are cold these times in Ireland and it's hard to beat an open fire as a focal point.
And finally, the study:

Soon to follow is the upstairs.  There are still five bedrooms, numerous bathrooms and a dressing room to go so the fantasy decorating is far from complete!