Here are some beautiful mountain great rooms, in all shapes, colors and styles. Most are designed by well known interior designers, but some are not. 

I love the exciting use of color in this beautiful great room by Barclay Butera.  There's a lot going on here and yet the use of pairs everywhere manages to organize all the vibrant color and pattern into a welcoming room. 

In contrast, this staged design for Ralph Lauren furnishings is as neutral as they come.  It's sophisticated and complicated.  Clearly, every item in the room has been painstakingly selected, edited and placed.  Yet the room manages to create a calming and contemplative vibe. 

Of course, not all rooms are created with the intent of dropping everyone's jaws.  The room below uses neutrals to create an inviting, comfortable atmosphere. 

Everything about this room asks us to come on in and chat for awhile.  You know there are gourmet cheeses in the fridge just waiting to be pulled out at the first sign of guests.  There's really not much surprising about this room, but the use of quality leathers, fabrics, and fur paired with the beautiful sheen of highly polished antique woods combine together to create a room that shows that great care has been taken to provide for our comfort. 

The wonderful great room above epitomises to me the Old LodgeStyle that I love so much.  It looks like the room has been put together over generations.  Favorite cast-offs have been brought to the family mountain home where they mingle together with mountain and Western antiques.  Soaring ceilings and a huge-scaled fireplace complete the look. 

The story is all about what's going on up above in this fabulous great room.  The furnishings below have been kept simple and don't detract from the amazing beams, posts and trusses.  Furnishings by RagsUSA.

Worth interiors created the beautiful rooms below, where the focus is on  soft grayed finishes and cream upholstery.  It's like a sophisticated mountain snow cave.

And yet, the dark iron grids which repeat in the doors, the shelving unit and the ceiling fixture set up tension and create interest in this smart interior.

Sophistication and drama rule in the Aspen interior by Kathleen Rivers, above. 

And finally, a great room by one of my favorite designers, Charles Faudree, who is a master at putting together a truly collected room.  Wherever you cast your eyes in this interior there is a special furnishing or accessory to admire.  I love his attention to detail, warmth and charm. 

I love the styling in these photos showing the Thibaut mountain fabrics.  All the little Black Forest and Tramp Art details are right up my alley. 

The fabric is Thibaut's Telluride and the coordinating wallpaper is their Scottish Plaid, above. 

Thibaut's Evergreen wallpaper and fabric feature pine cone boughs in a repeating pattern.

Whimsical and sophisticated, Thibaut's Chestnut pattern is the way to go for mountain elegance (available in your choice of seven colors).

Adorable details in the painted chest, Black Forest frames, and stag figurines on the corner shelf.  I'm not as crazy about this Thibaut wallpaper so I'm not even going to tell you the name!  (I hope you don't think this is mean...it's for the good of all, afterall.) 

Above, Thibaut Telluride is styled to the max with an adorable Black Forest bear collection (you know we love our bears in Tahoe), charming carved Victorian chest, and leather ottoman with stick legs.  Adorable! 

If not, you might want to be.  Every month I receive an email from Cherry Gallery in Maine with some of their latest finds.  They get in a lot of great antique hickory pieces, but there are also usually a few charming camp pieces that just make me happy to see. 

This whimsical bear and moose carved bench is in this months email.

 
And this beautiful hickory chaise...

Circa 1910 and still perfect for an afternoon nap by the lake!

Lately, in bunk rooms for staging projects I've been dressing each bed in old camp blankets like this.  I love the look.  Colors and patterns collide but somehow it all hangs together.  My camp blankets are mostly flea market finds, and lots of them are old Pendletons. 

Pendleton is still at it after all these years.  In many ways, Pendleton bedding is just about the most practical bedding you can buy for a mountain house.  It is utterly durable.  The busy patterns and intense coloration hide stains and signs of wear.  In fact, it just looks better and better as the years go by and it is always in style and will never look dated. 

Here are some of my favorites in the current Pendleton line.

Above, Chief Joseph is one of Pendleton's oldest and most successful blanket patterns.  It comes in many wonderful colorways and is $338 for a king sized blanket.  Here's the red:

Designers Tip:  Getting the look for less: 

And here's a knock-off in acrylic that runs $84 per blanket. 

I think I'd use this in a bunk room on every bed.  And to snaz the whole room up, I'd add Euro shams in this charming  (and affordable at $32.00 per yard) forest-inspired print.   

And voila!  An adorable budget-friendly bunk room.

Vintage camp blankets stacked in Ralph Lauren's Montana home.

For fabrics and camp blankets, visit the Dragonfly online store:

One of my favorite rustic furnishing companies has long been Genesee River Trading Co.  I really like their use of happy paint colors (so perfect for casual cabin living) and their old-fashioned linoleum table tops just make me feel good.  If you like a vintage or antique-inspired cabin look, then you're sure to like the Genesee River Trading Co. style.  Around here, we call this look "Old Tahoe". 

Genesee River Trading Co is well known for the fantastic display they put together for the High Point markets, which are held twice a year for the furnishing and design trade.  The folks at Genesee bring along many pieces from their current line, but they also scour the local countryside for rustic signs and collectibles which are sold in their display booth.  It's always a madhouse at the start of the show as dealers and shop owners scramble to get their names on their favorite pieces. 

Here are a few photos of some of their recent High Point booths. 

Colorful and playful camp-style to the max!

They collect a lot of vintage signs.  You can see a number of them propped up here against their truck as they unload.

Genesee River trading company is located in Amish country and their line is influence by local bentwood craftsmanship.  Bentwood rockers are some of their most popular items.

Below is an example of the linoleum table tops I love. 

And this one, below, is actually hand-painted in a checkerboard pattern.  These both make great sofa side tables or night tables for cabins. 

This wonderful desk, below, shows their trademark combination of hickory, birch bark and bright paint colors.

The pieces look great in a charming, whimsical camp-inspired environment, but many pieces, like this impressive display hutch below, can also work in more serious lodge homes. 

Genessee River Trading Co makes some fabulous beds.  Below is the Rustic Revival.

They have a great finish palette.  Yes, the red looks fabulous, but their pieces look great in all the colors, below. 

And sometimes less color is more.  Here, camp furnishings get a calming white-washed look.

Bentwood rockers are perfect for a casual enclosed porch.

Fun, funky and fabulous!

Genesee River furnishings are available to order at Dragonfly Designs, just email spipal@att.net or shop online:

Yes, lake houses are fun, of course.  But this house in Lake Burton, Georgia, has been thoughtfully designed with family fun in mind. 

An outdoor spot invites comfortable reading and chatting with on-the-water views.

Dogs just want to have fun!

Marshmallow roasting in a huge outdoor fireplace.

No-fuss comfort in this handsome living room. I love the whitewashed walls and the mushroom stain used for door and window trim, a fresh and modern combination.  It's not easy to juxtapose style and casual living but this house does it brilliantly.

What could be more fun than an old-fashioned porch swing.  Grab a good book and a pitcher of lemonade.  Now, that's my idea of fun.

Hickory furniture in the dining room.

Stylishly practical, this kitchen feeds a family crowd.

Cabin simple but always with whimsy and flair. 

Rustic log bunks have been painted with Benjamin Moore's racoon hollow.  I like this look so much more than leaving them natural.  It gives the room a degree of sophistication, don't you think? 

Floor tiles like these from Flor are a practical solution in a room designed for heavy kid-use.  Spills?  Just pick up the dirty tile and wash it in the kitchen sink. 

A collection of Swedish wooden snow shovels is charmingly playful at the top of the stairs.

Relax in this cozy tub.  This bathroom is proof that casual can be elegant, too.  Flea market vintage furnishings mix with linen draperies and an oriental rug serves duty as a bath mat.

An unpeeled oak log cut from the property makes a handrail that reminds us that this is a rustic cabin.  Red linoleum is used on the stair treads.  With a restrained neutral palette, an occasional punch of color or a whimsical detail become highlighted visual treats.  They put the fun in the interior!

Relaxing, inviting...the perfect headquarters for planning the afternoon's activities.  Boating, hiking, Scrabble anyone?

Photos from Country Living Magazine.

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Whether there's snow in the forecast or not, it's cold outside.  Do you agree with me that slippers are one of those little pleasures that make life good on a cold mountain evening?  And these Swiss slippers from Altalena are just about as cozy and charming as slippers can get.

I think my favorites are the red Eideleweiss pair.

No, maybe the white fawn pair.

One thing's for sure.  I am having no problem whatsoever in making up my mind about this Altalena handbag.

Please, Santa!

Slippers are $76 per pair and the handbag is $380.

I always like to see wallpaper in a powder room.  Why not show your guests that you went to a little extra trouble to let them know you think they're special?  And since a powder room only requires a few rolls of wallpaper, it's the perfect place to splurge a little.

The dilemma is how to find mountain-appropriate papers, of course.  One of my favorite choices would be any of the rustic grasscloths.  These always work in woody neutral colors, but I also like them in colors and patterns. 

Be a little daring, with this handsome Phillip Jeffries grass cloth wallpaper called Framed $105 per yard).  I love the contemporary square pattern, but I especially love the subtle metallic colorations.    This wallpaper is dressy but not fussy and it will glam up any mountain powder room.

Another wallpaper that works great in mountain powder rooms is Cole and Sons Woods ($120 per roll).

Quietly sophisticated, this paper adds interest without overwhelming. 

Over the years, many clients have asked for red powder rooms.  It's always a struggle to get just the right red that doesn't close in a small room.  One could simply bypass that problem and use Woods in the red color-way, below.  It's beautiful and dressy, but the pattern is subtle, even with metallic gold. 

I think it's stunning.

Looking to replace your kitchen countertops?  Here is some great advice from kitchen designer Paul Anater.

My business and client projects are always changing and this year I seem to be involved in several construction projects.  I think one of the most difficult parts of building a house (aside from paying for it) is the enormous number of decisions one has to make. 

I remember bursting into tears once at the paint store in the middle of remodeling my first home.  The paint clerk had asked me what color I planned to paint the closet doors in the master.  It was just one question too many in what had been months of attempting to visualize every little decision. 

Now I use a 3D drawing program to help clients with these decisions.  Below are some sketches I've been working on for a client who is building a new Craftsman style house on the lake. 

This is a 3D model I created of her living room.  There will be a lot of complicated carpentry trim and finishing. I will be able to print out scaled close-up drawings of trim details that the carpenter can use on the job-site.  This saves everyone time and money since changes and new ideas are put into the drawings first.  We all know what happens on the job when changes are made after something has been built....$$!  My 3D model eliminates guessing and poor decision making from the process.  Over the years I've found that if the drawings look good, the finished product looks good.

Another view of the living room.  Because of TRPA restrictions, the living room is pretty small.  It has been a challenge to get enough furniture into the room to make it comfortable.  I'm confident that we've solved the problem because I can see clearly that the 3D model is working.  By the way, I can spin the model around and look at the room from all angles.  I can also get close-ups of details by zooming in. 

Here, I've drawn in the two interior door styles we're considering.  Which one do you prefer?

We're also deciding about the interior wall by the stairwell.  Should it be painted?

Or should it be trimmed out in wood?  It takes me only a moment to make these changes on my computer screen and we can quickly make a decision and move on to the next question.

Above, here's a bird's eye view of the room. 

It's just so much fun to spin this room around and around!

Well, the plow is in front of my house at this very moment cleaning up a small snow berm left from earlier this week.  It's that time of year again.  The mountains are starting to open and I plan to be skiing in a few weeks (I ski Squaw Valley and if that's your mountain, I hope to see you on the slopes!) 

Anyway, here's a little tidbit just to get you into the mood.  After a long days ski, what better way to climb into a cozy warm bed than with these charming embroidered skier sheets?

A client tipped me off to these...thanks, Laura!  The link is at http://www.cuddledown.com/product/bedding/sheets/embroidered-skier-percale-flat-sheet.do if, like Laura, you wish to purchase them. 

And just a reminder, the flannel sheets below are available at Garnet Hill.  I've posted them before but thought I would include them again. 

Charming.

Stay warm!

Great combo... Samarcand's Pine and Porcelain ($106.65) and Osborne and Little's Carlow ($162).  How about a blue mohair sofa with seat cushions in the rustic red striped Carlow and fluffy down toss pillows in the Samarcand Pine and Porcelain?

Lodge Sofa from TCS, available to order through Dragonfly Designs.

I am crazy about Carlow (above, a close-up).  How often do you find a fabric that is both handsome and rustic without being brown or navy?  By the way, it is durable as all get-out.  It would be bullet-proof for kids and dogs in a busy mountain cabin.  This fabric just brightens my mood!

Samarcand fabrics can be purchased in our new online store.