A Late Introduction!

After taking over the Summer House in New Canaan a little over 3 weeks ago, I thought it was about time that I introduced myself! Obviously life has been a little crazy since the takeover and on top of that I have a beautiful 5 month old baby at home who keeps me even busier! Luckily, I have an amazing husband that helps me manage it all!

Margaret and I have known each other since, well, basically since ...forever. My mom has a running joke that she’s known Margaret longer than me, and Margaret never has let me forget that she’s a whole 6 weeks older than me.

So now to the store. It all happened pretty quickly. Margaret and I have always toyed with the idea of opening our own retail store and when we stumbled upon The Summer House it was love at first sight. Walking into the store I couldn’t help but want to take every item on the floor and put it into my own home. From the antiqued baseballs to the gorgeous Dino Mark Anthony sofa I fell in love with each and every item.

Over the past three weeks, we’ve realized it’s not all just fun and games though. Owning a store takes a lot....A LOT...of hard work, thought, and dedication. It’s definitely a learning curve but we’re making progress (and having fun while doing it) every day!

That’s all for now on this rainy Friday afternoon!


Megan

This Ceramic Elephant Side Table is the latest item that I want to take home with me!
Photo: meganandmargaret.blogspot.com

Tyler Taylor in Elle Decor

Tyler Taylor is featured in the October 2011 issue of Elle Decor!  Tyler, the former owner of The Summer House created a beautiful dinner table for a Spring Gala Celebration.  Tyler's theme was Paris and her table included an illuminated reproduction of the Eiffel Tower.  

Visit Tyler's blog at houseandpost.blogspot.com for a behind the scenes look at the creation of Tyler's table.

Margaret

Autumn Arrivals

Whether we want to admit it or not Autumn is on it's way.  Driving to The Summer House today I noticed several trees are turning into those spectacular jewel tones.  The rural setting and the light rain makes me want to curl up on a comfy sofa with a good book, a soft throw, and a bottle of vino.

Today, we had some wonderful new arrivals at the store.  After some rearranging and a lot of unpacking, we are thrilled about the new boxwood topiaries, mohair throws, and wicker baskets.

We can think of so many ideas for this vintage airplane propeller.

Photo: Meganandmargaret.blogspot.com 

Wicker baskets that roll make storage a little easier.

Photo: Meganandmargaret.blogspot.com

Silver trays, planters, and mint julep cups.

Photo: Meganandmargaret.blogspot.com 

 We just love this soldier!

Photo: Meganandmargaret.blogspot.com

 Two sizes of wicker trays.  I can see this filled with a wheat sheath to make an amazing autumn piece for your coffee table.

Photo: Meganandmargaret.blogspot.com

 These rice grain throws are so soft!

Photo: Meganandmargaret.blogspot.com

 A set of boxwood topiaries are a must for every house.

Photo: Meganandmargaret.blogspot.com

These mohair throws are so cozy for that in between fall weather.  I especially love the colors and how lavender and grey play off each other so well.

After a long day at The Summer House, Kathleen and I sat down and started to read Contemporary Living with Antiques.  We were drawn to this book because it has a similar design philosophy to us which is keep it simple, but add in a few powerful pieces.  We are drawing major inspiration from this book and even though we're selling it, we're keeping one behind the counter for us!

Margaret

Day Two at The Summer House

Today is day two at The Summer House for us!  We are learning a lot.  For example, don't try getting on a ladder in platform wedges.  You will likely fall.  Luckily, Megan was there to steady me.  It didn't help that I was holding a hammer and nails at the time.


Moving on, we fell in love with these porcelain dog lamps recently.  We selected a beautiful grey painted parchment shade.  Grey is such a wonderful color for interior design because it fits well with such a broad variety of styles.

More fun items are arriving every day so be sure to come in and take a look around.

Hope you have a wonderful long weekend!

Megan & Margaret

Style for Miles

I have minimalist tendencies for home design, a style that Iris Apfel is openly hostile towards.  Every once in a while something completely insane comes along and adds a healthy dose of eccentricity to my life.  I can't help but love these kinds of people in all their glory.


Iris Apfel is the perfect example of just such a person.  She is a "more is more" kind of gal and I have to admit, when it comes to fashion, I am a "more is more" girl too...  But Iris, my goodness, she has style for miles!


When you look at her New York City home you'll find that Iris loves color and has fabulous use of texture.  Her style is a mix and therefore totally unique to her.  This style is not for everyone, in fact only a few lucky ones have the time or panache to do something like this.

Iris Apfel and her signature glasses.

Photo: pem.org

This is the best jewelry display I've ever seen.  Think I should add it to The Summer House?

A special thank you to Nicole Pedota for her assistance with this post.  Look for more on Nicole's lakeside wedding later this month.

Margaret