Hello, dreamland. Isn’t it ridiculously charming? And it’s white! All white! I’m giddy! (For the new-comers, I have a slight obsession with white. It’s probably a wee bit unhealthy borderline freakish, but I care not! I love white even more than a cat loves catnip!) I’m not usually a huge fan of the shabby chic style; I admire it’s effortless beauty from afar and I love that it embodies such a carefree way of life. It’s elegant and sweet. While it isn’t personally my style or something that I could live with, I still find it endearing. And well, this cute little cabin has me reconsidering my stance. All of the little details are so charming from the numerous chandeliers, to the chipped painted cabinet doors, and the ruffley sheets, my oh my! There are most definitely elements here that I could get on board with.

Like this cozy sleeping loft! How quaint. When can I move in? And the ruffled bedding and canopied top? Oh my, oh my! Be still my beating heart.

Oh, and the best part? This cottage is only accessible via a stone crossing over a stream! How magical is that? As if I weren’t already positively smitten, this mini-home just keeps getting better and better. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this place was plucked from some sort of girlish fairytale dream land. In fact, it reminds me so much of the doodles I’d make when I was younger. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the blueprints from this cottage came from a six-year-old girl daydreaming about what her future home would look like. I know my 6-year-old self most definitely would have imagined something similar.

All images found via The New York Times Home & Garden section. Huge thanks to reader Kelly for sending this along to me! ♥

I figure, if I’m going to be stuck in bed, I might as well make the best of it. So I’ve built myself a little home inside my home: a tent in my bedroom to hang out in and wish I was far, far away in a magical land …where I didn’t want to chop my legs off.

Strangely enough, I’ve never been one for camping. I’m not a super outdoorsy kind of person. I enjoy nature. In small doses. Or from the comfort of my own home à la photograph. Terrible, I know. But anything that involves sleeping on the ground, or going for days on end without washing my hair, or rolling around in a mud puddle just doesn’t quite make my eyes see little floating hearts. But tents, despite my disdain for roughin’ it in the wild, still hold this mesmerizing power over me. And I get giddy at the thought of them, let alone building little tent forts from spare sheets.

Is it sad that twenty-two year old me wants to build individual tents for all of my friends and have a sleep-over? If only I’d been clever enough to think of something like this ten years ago. So for now, I’ll just be chillin’ in my green-quilt tent all by my lonesome and lusting over all of these pretty little constructions wishing a) I was a twelve year old girl again, b) not afraid of the ickies of the outdoors (bugs, dirt, lack of hygiene), or c) all of the above.

Edited to add: It just occurred to me that I already gushed excessively about canopies a few months ago. I suppose my life-long dream for a canopy translates well to my new obsessive-love for tents. ;)

And finally, this isn’t really a tree house, but I’ve been in love with this photo for a really, really long time!

I think that if I won the lottery, and was in a really crazy mood (which I would be, if I won the lottery), I would build a treehouse village (like in the 1991 Robin Hood, which is so cheesy that it’s awesome; it’s like a historically inaccurate medieval party) in the middle of an old wood and, I’d invite all of my friends & readers to live there for free, as long as they help me tend the kitchen, gardens & cook and clean for themselves (no electricity!) and yeah, it would be pretty amazing. /childish dreaming
Thanks for reading! ♥
xo

Click images to view their official entry on AT where you can view more photos of the space as well as floor plans.

I adore this office space! The stark contrast of the rich dark tone of the wood against the white of the walls makes that inspiration wall pop right out. To die for.

This cozy little sleeping alcove is flanked by long drapery panels to create a private area at night. How quaint! What I wouldn’t give for a cute little bed nook.

A beautiful industrial meets mid-century modern space.

Look familiar? That’s because I posted about this apartment in a Head Over Heels entry earlier last month. This is one of my favourites! It’s simple, elegant, and has all of the amenities you need in one itty, bitty studio apartment.

Here’s another tiny studio apartment that I adore. It just seems so cozy, and I love that the bed does dual purpose as a pseudo-office. They’d never have to leave their bed! What a treat.

Bold, dramatic, even a little bit theatrical! I love that this home owner went all out and treated his kitchen like just another living space.

Wait a minute, so I like black interiors? Maybe just a little bit…

So lovely, and feminine in a very classic sort of way. Love the sheers that surround the bed, and those super fluffy shag pillows. The texture!

Last but not least, this is the space I’d put my money on to win. It is utter perfection from floor to ceiling. The space planning is genius and the entire studio has so much personality.

Well, there you have it folks! If these don’t make you want to live in a small space, you’re a lost cause. ;) As a future small space dweller, these get me even more psyched to start designing my soon-to-be home. And perhaps someday, I’ll be able to enter my own small space into the contest.

1. under 400 sq.ft., 401-600 sq.ft., 601-800 sq.ft., and 801-1000 sq.ft.

For about the last 3-4 years, I’ve really started to pay a lot closer attention to the interior design world. I’ve seen hundreds, even thousands of house tours and make overs in print, online, and on television. In those 3-4 years, I’ve come across two homes that I’ve loved every single little detail of, enough that if I were offered a clone of those homes, I’d give up my entire life’s savings for them. This house? It’s one of those meager two houses that to me is like the Holy Grail.

This living room is the perfect balance between sophistication and laid-back comfort. The plush sofas and ottoman read as the ultimate place to curl up and relax with a good book and cup of tea, while the shape and unifying colour of the furniture lend the room a classic touch and a super polished look. Loving the mock-mantel piece, too. It’s actually two simple floating shells located side by side. I can see this being an idea I might steal someday.

Someday when I’m financially able to design my own home just the way I’d like, I intend to purchase myself one of these bubble lights. I’ve always loved the way they mimic paper lanterns, and they make any space feel instantly more playful and like they’ve been influenced by a child’s imagination.

Beautiful tone-on-tone wallpaper in the mudroom here. Being uber cheap like I am, I might try and stencil something like this as wallpaper for just a mudroom seems a bit extravagant for me.

This kitchen is absolutely divine! So gorgeous, that words have escaped me. I adore the carrara marble tiled back splash. Generally, you’d see a slab counter top in marble instead, and this method is much more cost effective. Plus, you really draw the eye to that beautiful marble now as it occupies more visual space in its vertical position.

And this bedroom looks like you’re floating on a cloud! The room is bathed in light and the fluffy pillows and bedding make me want to dive right in there!

There’s something so appealing to me in white. It evokes purity, calm, innocence, space, airiness, light, cleanliness, peace, perfection, sophistication. It speaks to so many things that I love, that to me, pure white is the ultimate dream. And so, this home has become my Dream House #2.

Now, when can I move in?

All images via Style At Home.com

1. Well, I like those too. :P