Lisa's House, Part II

Ready for the second part of this wonderful house tour?

Lisa found a clever way to take advantage of her home's near-perfect layout. When you enter the front door, a colorful path of meandering Turkish rugs invites you through the foyer, past the central hall, and to the light-filled bedrooms and the garden beyond. Remember how this looked?

 

Now that we've dallied in the living room, dining room, and kitchen, awestruck by the seemingly endless and beautiful collections of crystal, china, candlesticks, pottery, fabrics, and whatnot, we can move on to the bedroom to the right. Which isn't, in fact, being used as a bedroom.

With garden greenery beckoning outside the windows, lovely old mirrors, books, sofas, and capacious desks, this is a space in which dreams are dreamed and artistic yearnings are transformed into whatever reality you choose...a place you could happily spend your entire day in and never feel the need to leave.

You could start by taking a mid-morning nap in this charming corner...

...with the tree outside possibly haunting your dreams (in a good way).

Then you would wake up and realize it's time to get something done! 

Good thing there are paints, brushes, and pots awaiting on the big desk...

 

 ...so you can create something beautiful to gaze upon for the rest of the day.

(The dragon will happily critique your work. That's what dragons do.)

Palm trees and monkeys are lurking right next to the window. 

The monkeys were quiet the day I shot this, but at other times, who knows?

There are more hints of the Caribbean right across the room. 

Love that vase of chili peppers! 

 If you are lucky enough to be a guest in this house, you 

will sleep in this ravishing space.

What interesting visions will await you here? I didn't see a gypsy--

she must have been hiding in the closet.

I told you we could spend all day in this room, but let's move on.

The "real" bedroom is darker and more mysterious...

 

 ...the bed casually draped with a deep persimmon spread. 

And interesting artifacts on the wall. 

I guess if you indulged in those chili peppers, you could use the fans to cool yourself down.

There is not one thing that "matches" anything else in this room. Just a happy hodgepodge of inherited antiques and flea-market finds. Amazing juxtaposition of colors and textures here--and it all works perfectly.

The shelves and corners overflow with personal treasures...

...and fragrant memories. 

Lisa's beautiful mother approves of her collections. (That's her in the photograph.) 

So do we.

Finally, there is the back garden. Where an old, weeping Chinese Elm greets you with open arms as you walk out the door.

Cherry blossoms overlook a secret gate. (I can't tell you where it goes. But it's neighborly.)

On summer afternoons, this is a divine place to dine...

...while gazing at the flower beds (that right now are not yet in full bloom).

I hope you've enjoyed this enchanting place as much I have enjoyed visiting over the many years that I've known Lisa. A true artist, a gracious hostess, and a wonderful friend. Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your magical home with us!

© 2013 by A Silken Swoon. All rights reserved. All photos by Eileen of A Silken Swoon.