Monday, July 9, 2012

Beach Home Decor: A House Tour from a Lovely Guest Poster


Hello ladies!!! Today I am introducing a fellow blogging beach chic, living in a Beach House here on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.  I had the pleasure of meeting Emma in person several months back......a very funny story, which she discusses on her blog here. We instantly hit it off.  Of course we would, she is a French speaker, a former flight attendant and a has lived in some interesting international locations, owing to the fact her father was in diplomacy.  I think you are going to love her style. Welcome Emma!!!!


Hello everyone.  I am Emma from twolittlepirates and I am so excited to be Guest Posting here on Desire Empire. It is one of my most favourite blogs ever.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I adore Carolyn's wonderful sense of humour, the tidbits she shares about Mr Beach House and the Beach House Brats, the fantastic recipes and the fabulous houses.  One of the things that first drew me to Desire Empire was the houses Carolyn posts about. We have been renovating our little beach cottage for the past 9 months.  It is a little weatherboard on Sydney's Northern Beaches and we have gone for a relaxed beach house feel.

Here are some shots of the story of our Beach Cottage so far:



This is our front porch.  It is normally littered with things like gumboots and cricket bats but I made it look pretty for this photo!


And the fabulous kitchen island.  We love entertaining and my husband wanted to be able to cook and still feel like he was included in the party.  Most kitchen stoves face the wall or a window, but ours faces into the open plan living area.


This is from the dining table facing back into the kitchen and the pantry beyond.


More kitchen....


Looking into the living room from the kitchen.



The window seat.  My husband built this for me, as I have always wanted one!


The main family bathroom.  I had the vanity made by a local shop called Beachwood, as I couldn't find what I considered to be a Beach House bathroom vanity anywhere!  


The chandelier I picked up in my flight attendant days years and years ago.  Yes, I flew home with it and yes, it got stuck in the X-Ray machine.  I nearly had a heart attack as the security staff prised it back out for me.  


The laundry.  
This is my favourite room.  I spend a lot of time in here (other mothers of grubby little boys will understand!) so it had to be pretty!


These last two photos are of the little one's room.  


And here's a little bit about me:

  I started blogging mainly to document my day to day life before it passed me by.  I didn't want to forget the special moments, so this was one way I figured I could remember the best bits.  I am married to R, a lovely man who makes me happy and is an excellent cook.  I know, I am very lucky.

 We have two little boys (or pirates!). The Captain is six and the 
Little One just turned four on the weekend.  There are a lot of photos of them on the blog.  


In my old life I was a flight attendant.  Surprisingly, this was quite good preparation for having children.  Sleep deprivation, ha!  Crying baby... I challenge thee to a red eye, with 2 football teams,  9 Unaccompanied Minor's, 3 medical emergencies, 2 non-working toilets, 5 missing special meals and  18 seats with faulty entertainment systems.  I do miss the travel and shopping though. 
I am kind of obsessed with organising and de-cluttering, entertaining and thanks to blogging I am now getting to be a bit crafty! So, that was a quick little introduction to my life, I hope you have all enjoyed it!  Thanks Carolyn for this lovely opportunity!! x

That's my absolute pleasure Emma.  Your home is gorgeous and I love your beachy style.  Your Mr R sounds like a dream.  Perhaps I can sign up Mr Beach House for some lessons.  God love him!!!!!

So Ladies, if you want to add another beachy blog to your list of love and find out how we met (and no I don't think you're crazy Emma), why not head over to Emma's and say G'day!!!!!

Have a great week gals!!!!!!


Today I am linked up here

46 comments :

  1. Oh what a lovely home. I will go say hello. Hugs, Marty

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  2. Oh you are so sweet Marty.
    Have a great week
    Carolyn

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  3. what a gorgeous house!! i love Emma's style & that sandpit is fantastic :)
    x

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  4. What an amazing home......
    I really love her style a whole lot.
    I want to have coffee with you both ;o)
    I'm not crazy either by the way......
    Tania xx

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    1. Seriously Tania are you in Sydney as coffee would be great?

      Carolyn

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  5. Thank you everyone and especially Carolyn for asking me to Guest Post!!! Tania - your comment has me laughing!!! Emma x

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  6. I've been reading Emma's blog for ages and love it! So nice to have found your lovely blog too :-)

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  7. Great post- the house is adorable- I am going to pop over to have a look at Emma's blog!

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  8. I love every room that I have seen of Emma's- her boys rooms are especially lovely. Nice to find your blog too Carolyn. melx

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  9. What a beautiful home. Love every inch of it. That boat sandbox is awesome...my two little guys would love it! And the vanity in the bathroom is to die for. Would be super delighted if you could link up with us over at Mop It Up Mondays: http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2012/07/mop-it-up-mondays-24.html.
    Thanks so much!

    {HUGS},
    kristi

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  10. Oh my gosh that sandbox is way cool! I'm excited to be a new follower. I would love if you stopped by to check out my baby design ideas and followed me back at www.iheartpears.blogspot.com

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  11. What a great house! I pinned the vanity! LOVE IT! Oh, and the sandbox is just the cutest idea ever!

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  12. I'm a follower of Emma's blog from way back and every time I see a snippet of my home, I find myself oohing and aahing and wondering how I can recreate the same look and her stunning style into our own home :) I'd often thought a sand-pit boat would be a cute idea and seeing Emma's, I'm now convinced we need one here :) I also adore the bench seats, the colours of the exterior of Emma's home and the wonderful colour palette which flows so well throughout her house x

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  13. Emma's home is gorgeous!! I love the idea of having the cook-top on the island bench, something I will definitely consider for my next home.

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  14. wow, what a great space. i looove the kitchen.

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  15. Th e sand pit boat is an absolute winner! Thanks for sharing and have a sunny day!

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  16. Beautiful home!! So many things I love..., including the fun boat sand box for the kiddos!

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  17. She has a wonderful home and thanks for sharing it.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  18. What a charming home! Loved the tour and seeing the sunlight glisten across the rooms. Thanks!

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  19. The home is lovely! So bright and airy. Great personality in the child's room and such a great laundry room. Thanks for sharing.

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  20. What a gorgeous home - and another fellow north shore blogger! :) I think I need to pop in and say Hi! Thanks Carolyn

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  21. The Vanity in the main bathroom is gorgeous!

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  22. What a lovely place! So fresh and inviting. Thank you for sharing. Visiting from Chef in Training. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/make-it-pretty-monday-week-5.html Wishing you a grand week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  23. Hi, I just found your blog, and I've poked around a bit. I love your cottage/coastal look! Ironically, my husband and I are trying to sell our cottage, lol! There is a good reason though. We are finding the upkeep of a cottage and a house quite time consuming! So, my solution is to bring a bit of that relaxed look into my home (driftwood makes excellent decor, lol!).

    By the way, I just became your newest follower, yay! Would be so appreciative if you would reciprocate and follow back. Have a great day. Signing out from New Brunswick, Canada.

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  24. A lovely post from Emma, she had me at her hubby cooks. Lovely home and the sand pit my favourite. Not only dors the master fhef cook, he builds too. When I return from NYC I will get my social media guru to help me with the twitter. Thanks for following me on the instogram. Xx Roberta

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  25. FABULOUS HOME! Come link up on Centerpiece Wednesday and share all this eye candy with us. I am dying over the sand "boat" such a cute idea.

    Karin

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  26. Great home! I am visiting from No Minimalist Here, and liked what I see. I am your newest follower. I hope you visit Uptown Acorn soon.

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  27. Beautiful!! So many wonderful details - and your kitchen is gorgeous!!

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  28. Oh Carolyn, it's such a treat to see more of Em's house after the renos. She has impeccable taste and a wonderful sense of humour. J x

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  29. What a pretty beach house! My eye went right to the vintage basket and the sand box is such a cute idea. Thanks for joining the Open House Party this week.

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  30. That is an absolutely gorgeous home! I felt like I was flipping the pages of a magazine and only wished I could actually put my feet in the sand. :-) Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Inspiration Friday Carolyn!
    Vanessa

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  31. Beautiful and inspiring and dreamy! ;) Thanks so much for sharing her with us!

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  32. What a warm and wonderful home - I love all the white and all the personal touches (especially the window seat).

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  33. I love your cottage! And that little sandbox is the sweetest thing!!

    Tania

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  34. I so want a window seat box like that. I linked in a pizza made with roast chicken leftovers to Live.Laugh. Rowe's linky party. Have a great week.

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  35. Gorgeous and just looks like a living vacation! Love it all but especially the window seat and the pirate sandbox!

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  36. Where did you buy your bathroom tiles from i love the floor ones

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    1. This is not my home it is Emma's, so you'll have to click over to her and ask. I think it's known as brushed granite, I had it in another house I once lived in and is available in most tile stores.
      Carolyn

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  37. Your cottage is designed exactly the way I always my cabin to be. The only difference is I wouldn't have a sandbox and I would have more windows. Other then that though I would have lots of white walls and a tub similar to yours.

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  38. Hi, I love Emma's house. It's practically perfect. Can't seem to get into Emma's blog anymore though... At the pointy end of picking exterior colours and would love to see more picks of the exterior colour scheme. Oyster linen looks like it would work with my green roof and I just keep coming back to it (and to these pics!). Cheers Kristy

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  39. Hello, I tried to get to Emma's blog to ask her about the pictures of the boys rooms, where she got the blue boat. I am looking for one for my sons. Any information would be so helpful!! Thank you :)

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    1. Hi
      Send me your email address via my contact details and I will pass them on to Emma. I also have one of those in my son's bedroom and I have seen them in selected toy stores ( the high street type). Can't remember where I got it, but I seem to remember being told by the retailer, it was an old man who made them by hand. I just looked and it has no branding on it.
      Carolyn

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