What a totally unexpected and awesome surprise this inspired home turned out to be! My last inspired home, Longwood, was exactly what I expected.. Super charming and conservative, beautiful fabrics and lovely antiques, great taste. However this home, which belongs to the daughter of the Longwood homeowners, was a wonderful and delicious contrast. Just as beautiful, just as charming, and totally different. Does a house speak to the owner's personality? Well it certainly does in this case. Christine and her happy home are young and fresh, cool and clever, smart and snappy.. 

Here we go!

This bold and beautiful entrance was such a happy surprise...

Not what I was expecting from this traditional exterior...

Absolutely love this entry with horizontal turquoise stripes. And a special hand painted feature by Andy Moore...

A better look at the stripes...

Look at the peacock!

On to the living room where the blast of gorgeous color continues...

Check out the chandelier ~ original to the house. It needed some clean-up, but what a treasure it turned out to be!

The master bedroom ...

One of three little monsters (actually the other two were quite large!) who greeted me with special love and then accompanied us for the photo shoot... adorable!

Check out that fireplace surround... This girl is not afraid of a little sparkle.

I mean to tell you every spec of this house was immaculate! As I was snapping shots, I wondered if this perfection was a 24/7 kind of thing... Chris thought perfection was a bit of a stretch. "Always picked up with a smattering of dog hair" was her more accurate description, "and an occasional run-in with animal vomit." Did I mention she's funny?

Love how the large doorways offer a colorful preview... Luring you to the next room...

  To the dining room...

Isn't the drapery brilliant? Sort of a summary of the home.

The original concept for the home was to copy the Governor's Mansion in Williamsburg, VA. After taking two years to complete the drawings, inspired is a better description of the end result than copied. A copy of the drawing hangs in the dining room...

Breakfast room...

 A fabulous kitchen for a fabulous cook...

Agree wholeheartedly with Julia...

More color...

Love this wallpaper in the powder room...

The modern touches mixed with the original moldings and architectural accents are quite glamorous...

Great open space upstairs...

The color continues in the charming bedrooms upstairs...

 Check out this awesome tile!

Redolent of the turquoise entry...

This house is cheerful and colorful and thoughtful. It's tidy and organized, and although dog hair might be a bit more prevalent on a regular day, it was certainly unnoticeable on this day, which is especially remarkable considering the family includes 3 children, 3 dogs, and a cat! 

What a fun opportunity to do mother/daughter inspired homes! Each home offers great style and character. I have come to appreciate and admire different design styles, and am equally attracted to design elements in each of these houses. The antiques, the color, the traditional, the modern ~ I love it all! And how fascinating to see such dissimilar styles from a mother and daughter. Like mother like daughter? Not!