other people's homes.

it's not really a secret how much i looooooove looking at other people's well designed and carefully edited homes. whenever i see an "open house" sign in my neighborhood, i jump at the chance to take a tour. it's not that i want to see the private lives of others...it's related to what i mentioned before - the peak into what other people consider beautiful. that is where the thrill is for me. this past weekend there was an open house sign on spruce street, near where i live. of course i went. not only was the place gorgeous (original crown moldings, multiple fireplaces, gorgeous details,) but the current owner had an amazing eye, deftly mixing classic art work with witty pieces, all the while with his own quirky personality shining through. walking home from my tour, i couldn't help but think of all the choices that the owner had made, and then think of my own decorating dilemmas. other people's beautiful homes inspire me to make my choices carefully and thoughtfully.

i think it was william morris who said "have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

what a wonderful motto.

*pictures aren't of the beautiful home i saw this weekend. pictures are from this delightful blog.