Sex in the City, Quiet in the Country

No, we're not talking about me here (I'll never kiss & tell), but Sex & The City author Candace Bushnell, a Glastonbury, CT native whose country home in tony Roxbury, CT is featured in the Home section of today's Hartford Courant. One of my non-Resolution resolutions is to purge everything from my home office and start over with a nice clean slate, kind of like her desk here:

{photo by Cloe Poisson, click here for more photos of CB's surprisingly country colonial.}

Below is a pic from her NYC apartment, which was featured in Elle Decor a few years ago, one of the few issues I kept because I really like her style and use of color, but with white walls in most of the apartment.

{"Candace Bushnell, Elle Decor", originally uploaded by Jessica Condatore}

I really like the color of my living and dining rooms, but since my apartment faces north, every winter I get the urge to lighten and brighten with some paint. Luckily for the BF, who has volunteered to help me paint, my Gemini nature has issues with choosing a color, so we'll stick with Behr's Caribbean Coral for now.

PS - thank you for all the well wishes with my lousy sinuses over the holidays. I'm all better now!

Hooked on Holiday House Tours Blog Party

Welcome! I'm participating in Julia's Hooked On Holiday House Tours blog party today. If you like looking at holiday decorations, need to get in the holiday spirit, or harbor some voyeur tendencies, then you may want to pop on over and check out the 50+ homes on display.

I live in a Victorian apartment building that "went condo" in the late '70s, so we have lots of charm and period detail, but with modern electric, plumbing, sheetrock, etc. We also have lots of great neighbors who can get quite festive when the occasion calls for it, and the holidays are no exception. We throw some great parties here, including one just to "deck the halls" i.e., decorate the lobby and the landing of each floor.

Here is the tree in our lobby, decorated with handmade ornaments depicting historic scenes from Hartford.

Before he played for the Sox, Babe Ruth batted for the minor leagues in Hartford.

A mod blue and white tree on the landing to my floor.

My front door. Welcome! (Note, I wasn't tipsy, I just couldn't take a straight picture with my dorky camera).

This year my wreath is silver, pewter and white. And fake. :-( It is very dry in the building and a girl can vacuum the doorway only so many times....

My tree, which I just put up this weekend. I love the smell of a real tree, but a) see note above re: the dry air in the building and b) The Lounging Party [aka my cats] think any living plant is their personal salad bar, just waiting to be chomped on. They did, however, "assist" with the decorating and frequently rearrange things while I'm at work.

My BFF Marie Louise of Cottage Industries brought back this petit chat from her honeymoon in Paris last year. The starfish is from Cape Cod.

I'm in love with the face on this little owl and acorn ornament.

As you can imagine, with a name like Robin I have a lot of bird ornaments on my tree (including the one in my new header above). Many were gifts from my dad growing up.

Even my chandelier gets a little dressed up for Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check out the other tours at Hooked On Houses. But before you go, please have a cookie, made by Meghan of Two Ladies In Waiting for our condo Christmas party the other day. I promise they have no calories!

Hooked On House Tours Blog Party

I'm participating in Julia's Hooked on House Tours Blog Party today. She has over 50 bloggers participating, its like her own little Home-A-Rama so be sure to pop on over later and tell her Robin sent you. But first, please step inside...

This is my building. When it was originally built in 1875, it was the largest apartment building in Connecticut. In the late '70s it was slated for the wrecking ball, but an enterprising developer bought it and the yellow brick building to the left of it and turned them into condos. He kept much of the period details like moldings, trims, carved copper hinges, doorknobs, and light fixtures, but installed modern amenities like new sheetrock, modern plumbing, heating and electric. I'm up on the 4th floor, but don't worry, there is an elevator.


When you walk in this is what you see. My place is about 970 sq ft. I was going to "stage" it for this photo shoot, but I figured it is perfect in its imperfection. Oh, and also I did not have time.

To the right when you walk in and up two steps is my office, which is kind of messy today due to a bunch of book orders from half.com, plus a craft I'm in the middle of, so this is all you'll see today.

I like my books organized by topic vs color, so that is why they are not neat and tidy at all (and interior designers everywhere are cringing). Top left is cookbooks, top right is historical non-fiction, poetry and vintage. The whole middle is fiction and the bottom is non-fiction, reference and books I loved as a child (Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, etc.). Tchochkes and photos everywhere, and there are more books and magazines all over the rest of the place.

Through the office is the half bath. My camera doesn't scale back enough and the room is small so this is as good as it gets. I love this wall color - Chocolate Sparkle by Behr. There is no "sparkle" per se, but there is plenty of chocolate and after I did this room I wanted to paint every room this color. It is delicious. On the left is a framed page from Godey's Ladies Book, circa 1860s, that I got for a song at an antiques market in Vermont.

Back down the steps to the living/dining room. On your right is the buffet/bar, I just realized the lampshade is slightly crooked. But you don't see it because you are too busy looking at my favorite painting, "Plunging Neckline" by local artist Sandy Welch. I bought this as a (very expensive) birthday present for myself a couple of years ago. Coincidentally I bought it the same night Mr. Marie-Louise (married to my BFF Marie-Louise of Cottage Industries) showed me the engagement ring he had picked out for her. It was an expensive night for both of us. And there was a lot of wine.

Here is the dining area and living room. The dining room set is reproduction Duncan Phyfe lyre-back chairs and pedestal table that were given to me by my ex's grandmother. I recently had them refinished and recovered the seat cushions myself in two different toiles.

A closer look at the living room area; the wall color is Carribean Coral by Behr. The black lump on the sofa is Zoe, one of my two black cats. The sofa is her personal throne (or so she thinks). Her brother Simon is around here somewhere.

I couldn't not show you the kitchen, although I detest it and it is slated for a makeover. Dig that 70s linoleum and light fixture! And don't you love the obnoxious placement of the thermostat on the left? I can't hang anything there and I can't move it. Aaargh!

My bedroom. The wall color looks white-ish in this photo but it is Coffee with Milk. I love my bed. If I could drive it, I would.

Master bath. A new vanity is on the to-do list here as well.

As you leave the bedroom you pass this view of the Farmington River. It was painted by Mr. Marie-Louise and he tells me it was his first oil painting. I don't believe him.

Speaking of views, here is the eastward-view from my little balcony. The beige monstrosity is the federal courthouse, completely devoid of any architectural interest.

And here is the north view, the Hartford skyline, or at least what I can see of it, as the sun sets. We also have a lovely garden that we just redid, but I don't have any photos. It is perfect for a quiet evening with a book and a glass of wine, or a festive barbeque (we are a very social building).

Thanks for stopping by, I promise next time there'll be wine and cheese. Now scoot on over to Julia's and be prepared to not get anything done today because there are lots of houses for you to look at and comment on!