Heroes Among Us

I ran across this treasure of a home two years ago. If only I had a few million dollars lying around. Sigh.

Oh, well. Good thing pictures can satisfy a poor journalist’s appetite for fancy new digs.

The following photos are from House Beautiful magazine (2008), which showcased the Ojai, California, property when interior designer Kathryn Ireland owned it. It has since been  purchased by actress Reese Witherspoon.

The structure and design itself are things to long for, but take notice of the decor. It is simple, clean and crisp, which is right up my ally. Well, for today anyway, right? Each day brings new dreams!

And right now, I have a  hankerin’ for a cozy, 1920s Mediterranean-style Ojai palace.

{From the wide-plank floors to the chandelier to the Juliet balcony to the way the fireplace anchors the room with near silence… plum gorgeous.}

{I love porches. But I might be able to live with this. Wow.}

{Hello, lovely rock-lined door archway. I am in love. With. You.}

{Dear God: It’s me, Margaret Brandi. I need these tiles somehow. Some way. Some day.}

{A cozy nook under the stairs.}

{Another cozy nook.}

{Built-in shelving and the way the window arch creates a built-in look make this casual bedroom a teeny bit fancy. This room is very “Pottery Barn,” and that makes it my favorite.}

{Clean, fresh and simple decor makes me not even care the tub doesn’t have claw feet…}

{The bold room paired with modern art gives the somewhat rustic house a touch of Mediterranean sophistication.}

{Nothing can substitute for an old, traditional farmhouse table. Terra-cotta floor tiles draw together a kitchen that handles the white backdrop impeccably. Adore the splashes of color!  }

{Quite possibly the coziest room on the planet. Forget marble and travertine fireplaces. This is the most beautiful fireplace I have seen in years.}

{Back courtyard.}

{The tree that hosted a thousand “special clubhouse” meetings. I wonder how many children have plotted and schemed on that perfect perch?}

{Back terrace, lanterns lining the walk.}

****A couple of times a week, I’ll share my favorite room/place of the moment. That’s the great thing about daydreams, you can have them as often as you want! Favorites weren’t meant to have limits.

All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in
the dusty recesses of their mind, wake in the morning to find
that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
for they dream their dreams with open eyes, and make them come true.
--T.E. Lawrence (AKA Lawrence of Arabia)

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