Newport, RI in Pictures

Does it get to you, too, the slow breeze of the summer, the heat on your back?  Does your world stop spinning, just for a while?  Do you feel your heart beat back to a normal pace, all because of the quiet of the mornings or the warmth of the evenings? 

Summer is my favorite time of year, perhaps because of the beauty of it, perhaps because it seems so fleeting in New England.

Once again, we spent a week in Newport, RI, one of my favorite places at any time of the year.  Come with me for a stroll this summer's day.  The doors beckon, the harbor calls you, the shops invite you.

This street we are on is lined with homes whose history is worn on their shutters, where the view past the neighbor opposite looks like this...

Victorians painted like gingerbread houses sit among the stately and story-weary Colonials, all along the old brick sidewalks and the narrow streets.

There is serenity in this neighborhood this summer morning.  It is quiet.  It is early.  I hear the seagulls flying high over the water.

American flags are in window boxes, on sea walls, over doorways.  Patriotism whispers on these streets.

Every home says something.

 The gates and the gardens...they enchant.

 Even the neighborhood church, just as it stood in 1875, lures you with gardens...

 It seems every driveway, no matter how small, is dressed with a garden on its side...

 Now that the sun is high, it's time to go into town.  Ice coffee is on my mind, and I'll show you my favorite spot...

Through this row of shops, and up on the corner, I stop for my drink and walk on (I shouldn't show you this, it gets crowded enough!)...

Tired yet?  Just a bit left to see...  I'll share my favorite places where you might find me, when you walk these streets...

This quaint British shop where I always look for something for my man (we are both a bit anglophile...)

Speaking of the Brits, you will see a few represented in the neighborhoods, here and there (this house is far off from this shop, but they do look alike)...

 

And then we walk past Busker's, my favorite pub for fish and chips (remember I am a foodie, and I tell you these are the best in Newport...)

And then there is the best place for a lobster roll, just down the block...

And now  I show you our treasured little joint for $1 raw bar in the late afternoons.  Fancy it is not, but cold beer and oysters win us over, and the view of the harbour out those little windows is worth everything.

Summer is spectacular no matter where you are.  But if you find yourself in Newport, walk through the neighborhoods.  They have an affect you can feel.  And stop into one of these places and say hello to me.  Chances are, I'll be there.

I hope you are enjoying your summer, too!

Talk to you soon (with design in mind!),

Carol

 

A Year Flies...And 7 Things I've Learned

Friday was my blog's First Birthday!  One year.  Wow.  Time Flies.

Ginny, me and Corrina

My first post was about my title, Sofas & Sage, and in that first post, the sofa images came from Villa One Twenty in Newport, RI.  How incredibly ironic that one year from the date of that first post, I was having dinner in Newport, with Corrina, the owner of the Villa, and my friend Ginny, who introduced us!  This dinner was a total coincidence, and when I realized it, I had to have our picture taken!!

Last summer, in the heat of early July, I decided to start this blogging thing, to see how it would go, what I would learn, practice my writing, and mainly to share my passion for design and for cooking.  Well, if you've been with me for most of this year, you might ask what happened to the food part.  Umm.  Found out those two subjects are too big for equal billing in a week.  My passion for design, as it is also my profession, bullied food right off the page.

So, what have I learned over this first year?

1.   If I didn't have a passion for my subject, I wouldn't have endured the incredible amount of time blogging takes!

2.   I've learned that it's easy to let blogging get out of balance in my life.  Too much, and other things suffer.  The right balance, and I love it :)

3.  I've re-discovered my love of photography.  What a joy this has been.

4.   I've become a better designer.  There is no doubt that the constant reading to research for posts has made me continue to grow creatively.  What a bonus!

5.  I've learned that the blogging community is sometimes like high school.  There are blogs that are popular, those that are quiet "sleepers" just waiting to be discovered, those that are brilliant but hardly get noticed. 

6.  Regardless of  #5, I've learned that bloggers are among the most generous people around -- they share their advice, secrets, opinions, talents and time and ask for little else than your comments, to let them know that you are interested in what they are saying, or just to get a conversation started.

7.  Most importantly, blogging has taught me that it is possible to make great new friends whom I would never have otherwise found.  And that has made it all worth it!

So, to my readers and my followers...  Thank You!  I appreciate that you take time out of your day to see what's up at Sofas & Sage, to comment, or to send me a quick email.  I love hearing from you.

As I start year two, is there anything you'd like to have me address, a topic you'd like covered, or questions you'd like me to answer?

Talk to you soon and thanks again,
Carol

Serena & Lily and a Carriage House

Isn't she lovely?...

Serena & Lily's Amagansett chair

A client asked me to help her furnish all the rooms in her newly purchased Carriage House.  This house is all about a girl-escape. (Okay, I call it that.  She called it her "hotel."  I'm living vicariously.  I digress).  She purchased this cozy house to retreat to when she is in town on business.  She's had enough of the local hotel.  She wanted her own space.  So, we are creating a space that's a bit more girly than her primary family residence,  one where she needn't consider the design preferences of her husband or son.

The Serena & Lily chair, or at least its fabric, will find a home in the great room.  The goal for this entire space is a great flow of color (since it is very small), and a country cottage feel.  There are two bedrooms and a den that will be home to a sleep sofa and television.  Her daughter gets to choose the decor of the second bedroom, as she will be the one most likely to visit with her mom.  She's chosen this Serena & Lilly pillow as part of the inspiration for her bedroom...

Serena & Lilly

I'll be presenting the entire project to the client next week.  When decisions are made, I'll share the design details.  Our deadline is mid October for a complete installation, and I can't wait to see it finished.

If you've been wondering why I haven't been blogging much, well, family and work come first, and lately, there just hasn't been a whole lot left for the blog!  But, I'm glad you stay with me and continue to read!  I promise, there will be some fun projects to reveal :).

Talk to you soon,
Carol

Let's work together for the home you've always wanted.  Email me at SofasandSage@gmail.com.

Bedrooms and More Bedrooms!

If you haven't discovered the blog Conspicuous Style, you're missing out!  One of the things I love most is the incredible effort put into exhaustive numbers of images on most every post.

Stacy just posted about bedrooms, and I was so enthralled with all the images, I thought it was worth sharing.  Check these out!  Click here to be taken to Conspicuous Style, and I guarantee it will have you wanting to change your bedroom immediately.

Hope you all are enjoying a restful and wonderful summer!

Talk to you soon,
Carol

Tobacco Sheds in Black and White

Yes, you are still on my design blog.  No, I have not taken up smoking or the cause of the tobacco farmer, but I am taken with the tired, rustic beauty of abandoned tobacco sheds in North Carolina. (All photos by me.)

I was in North Carolina with my family visiting our friends over the 4th, and as we went here and there I kept being drawn to these sheds.  There was something so beautiful and so tired about them, languishing in the hot summer sun, defying defeat.  So, I made my girlfriend take me out early one morning to capture some images.  And yes, if you saw from your window earlier this week a woman taking pictures, that was me in your field,  in my pajamas and bed-head,  with coffee waiting in the car.

Here are more...

And here, in honor of the 4th of July and  love for country , I end with this...

Talk to you soon,
Carol


Let's work together for the home you've always wanted.  Email me at SofasandSage@gmail.com.