A charming 1930s house fit for a fairy tale

✯ Day 231 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

There are many books from my childhood that I look back on with immense fondness. From Robert Munsch's entertainingly delightful Pigs to the endearingly sweet Bread and Jam for Frances, by the husband and wife writing and illustrating team of Russell and Lillian Hoban.

I was very fortunate that my parents filled my earliest days with great books and that they read to me often. One title that I simply could not get enough of was a whimsically charming book of stories about fairies and other similar fictional sprites called Come Follow Me by Gyo Fujikawa.

Though not a vintage book (it'd earn the title of retro at this point though), there was a timeless quality to the sweet, gorgeously illustrated stories that this hardcover book abounded with.

As I grew up I really did not retain a passion of fantasy stories (veering more towards non-fiction genres, especially history instead), however anytime I see something that reminds me of one of the stories in Come Follow Me, I'm transported back to being a five year old again, a mythical world of fairies dancing on the pages before my young eyes.

It was, of all things, the November 1938 cover of Better Homes and Garden magazine that swept me back through the years and brought memories of a childhood storybook to the forefront of my mind.

 

With its bay window, rusty brown hued tile roof, and pale brick walls teaming with verdant climbing vines, there's something so perfectly fairy tale-ish about this wonderfully pretty vintage home (the image of which comes by way of paul.malon on Flickr).

I could imagine a sweet old woman living there who put out saucers of milk for the neighbourhood cats each evening, unaware that it was the "little folk" who were coming to lap it up, living there.

Or perhaps a young woman with a wicked step-mother, waiting for her prince to come dashing into town on a white horse.

While I don't profess to be an expert of architecture, I can usually peg a house's style well. This darling home leaves me a tad baffled though. Is it English countryside (a style I adore), mid-century Connecticut? The longer I look at it, the more I feel it has vague Tudor elements. No matter what style you call it however, there's no denying that this beautiful 1930s house would make an amazing home.

I could so easily picture myself tending flowers in its garden, stringing laundry in backyard, setting a row of pumpkin against those lovely bricks come august, building a snowman on the lawn come winter.

It looks like a house with a sense of whimsy and elegance. And the longer I gaze at it, the more I adore it. Perhaps that's because, if I try really hard, I can just about see a fairy or two fluttering around those stately climbing vines, beckoning me to come follow them.

Vintage 365: Richly elegant 1930s inspired bedroom exudes timeless appeal

✯ Day 54 of Vintage 365 ✯

Oftentimes when I point out some element of home decor to my husband, he'll grin a little and say with a twinkle in his eye, "You're so baroque". It's true, there's no denying it - and I see nary a reason to skirt around the fact that for as long as I can recall I've been drawn to regally elegant, immensely beautiful style that has a definitive old world (and old school!) element to it (think Georgian, Regency, or Victoria era styles).

Though I don't have any desire to deck my abode out to look it could have been plucked from Liberace's wardrobe, I do adore a sense of grandeur, ornate detailing and beguilingly sublime style in the rooms and furniture that beckon to me.

When I chance upon such decor that also happens includes a distinctly mid-twentieth century element as well, it's all I can do to keep from going week in the knees (which would call for one of those enchanting Victorian fainting couches I'm always hinting to the mister that I'd love to own).

While perusing the pages of Elle Decor magazine's site this week, I spotted just such a room (which was styled by skilled decorator Miles Redd, whose work bursts with opulence and ageless beauty). Though the colour palette is a bit different from what I usually favour, there's something so terrifically sophisticated - one might say down right stately - about this 1930s inspired, antique furniture filled bedroom that I had to share it with you at once.

Though the furnishings are commanding and very, very solid looking, there's an almost surprising lightness to this enchanting bedroom which comes via the playful blue floral wallpaper, classic white crown molding, and transparent chandelier.

This is the kind of superbly designed, undeniably inspiring room that borrows from different centuries and decades, yet never looks dated in any way. It's both commanding and reserved at once, graceful as the day is long, and most definitely a fair bit baroque - which suits me to a tee (just ask my husband).