Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Unmistakably European








I don't know what it is about European homes, but I think they are instantly recognizable. Perhaps it's that sense of history, the way bricks, and stone floors, and plaster arches become beautifully worn after hundreds of years of a life well-lived. Whatever it is, I am always instinctively drawn to these sort of spaces. After all, I am technically European, despite being raised in the U.S., so if my blood tingles every time I spot a barrel vaulted ceiling, or a chippy plaster wall, well it's only to be expected.

{images via European Chic}

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12 comments:

my favorite and my best- MFAMB to you said...

that kitchen in #4 comes up again and every time i see it i save it. it is so evocative. i love small kitchens. i really do.

European Chic said...

I am so glad you have the same taste I do. European interior design rules!

Greetings from Paris!

nelya said...

Thanks, European Chic!

ModernSauce said...

oh so YOU'RE European?! No wonder I like your blog so much then. I feel so fancy! ; )

Loving all the pillows today!

Sarah Greenman said...

My Dad's house in Scotland has these wonderful walls that are part granite boulder and part aged plaster. The huge wood beams slope a bit around the floor to ceiling fireplace at the far end of his house. Every time I see it, I think, "Only here. Only in Europe do I ever see this kind of wonderful age and patina. Beautiful post today!

nelya said...

Hahaha, ModernSauce, trust me when I say, there is nothing fancy about me...more like a mini-van driving, cul-de-sac living, straight-up proud soccer mom. I'm sorry to dispel the fantasy. ;0)

nelya said...

Sarah, you're Dad's house sounds utterly amazing. I can just see the sheep grazing in the rolling pastures just outside his door....

Naomi@DesignManifest said...

You and these gorgeous ceilings! I just can't get enough. Keep 'em coming.

erin@designcrisis said...

Ok, so now I must have a levitating, ceiling grazing bookshelf, a vaulted ceiling for which to grave upon, dancing papyrus plants, and plaster walls.

Your blog is making it harder and harder for me to find a house I love!

;)

Alcira Molina-Ali said...

So lovely...Euro spaces definitely exude a certain je ne said quoi that draws us in.
Alcira

neochronicles.com

Emma at The Marion House Book said...

I hear ya! Makes we want to hop on a plane.

Bri@Meyouandawiener said...

Those mofos know how to make a space feel sexy and cozy at the same time.