Quirk and Inspiration

A couple of years ago I decided that we needed to add some zippiness to our house. I invited my friend Erin over to help and still have a funny mental picture of the two of us in my living room - heads cocked to the right, hands on hips, in serious contemplation. "You need some quirk in here!" she declared.
Later that year - we found the perfect inspiration at a little hotel in Sorrento, Italy.



We both thought it was hands down the coolest, quirkiest, most fun place we've ever stayed. Everything about it was unique and weird and perfect.



For whatever reason, we've often found decorating ideas on vacation. I think it first started when we decided to paint our dining room the same color as a restaurant we had been to on a weekend getaway. The walls were a deep chocolate brown that made everything feel cozy and warm and endlessly inviting. We wanted to bring that home with us.



When your daily life is miles away- simple things like the way books are arranged in a cabinet, or the palette of a new landscape seem to stand out more.





(Check out the guy swimming between the boats!)



I can't tell you how excited I was when I walked into our hotel room and saw that it was painted head to toe in my favorite shade of "paradiso" blue. Pepo teases me that I would cover the house in this color if left to my own devices. It absolutely made my day - especially since this was a birthday trip.



There were small delightful surprises everywhere we turned.



Even the bathroom tile in the hotel lobby was stunning!



So when we got home and I saw our little breakfast nook with fresh eyes...


it seemed like it had just been waiting to be zapped with a little bit of Sorrento.


First - we repainted the walls a brighter, creamy white - to maximize light. I've always love this little corner nook - it's one of the few details that place our house firmly in the late 30's. Painting the back of it "paradiso" was also a great way to highlight our little collection of Italian ceramics.


The burnt orange table was inspired by the hotel as were the maritime striped seat covers (I'm so proud of how these turned out considering my beginning sewing skills!! You can't see it - but I even put zippers along the back seam so they can be washed.)


Finally - we converted the long-abandoned ironing board space, putting in a fabric covered cork board to stash snapshots and drawings from our nieces. Voila! A little bit of Italy right in the breakfast nook.