What You Can Buy for $275,000 (or less)

I was just reading some news on the New York Times website when a photo of a most adorable house caught my eye. I clicked the photo, and was taken on a wonderful tour of three separate homes around the country--all priced at $275,000 or less.

First, here's the house that originally caught my eye. It's located in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia, and the price is $269,900. I absolutely love the black trim contrasting with the red brick, and that red front door is absolute perfection! I was less impressed with the interior, although the rooms seem rather large, and have tremendous potential. And while I'm a fan of color, the use of bright and almost neon colors is a bit over the top for my taste. I wish the interior had been decorated more in keeping with the style of the exterior.









The next house is located in Columbia, Missouri, and is priced at $274,900. While the exterior is nice, it really didn't arouse my curiousity like the first house. However, I'm glad I kept clicking through the tour, because I would have missed one spectacular house! The interior is really beautifully decorated, and I can tell that the homeowners have put a great deal of time and effort into decorating their home (although the master bedroom feel incomplete to me). I'm sure it will pay off in the sale!









The last home is a one-bedroom loft in the San Antonio district of Oakland, California, and is priced at $275,000. This would definitely be my choice! That wide open floor plan is incredible, and the modern and industrial touches are right up my ally. I don't really think the current owners have taken full advantage of this magnificent space, but in the right hands, it could be a real showplace!








To see more of these homes, you can visit the NY Times website.

Designer Spotlight:: Blount Design

I recently came across the website of Blount Design, an architectural and interior design firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. Their portfolio is filled with gorgeous, colorful interiors. Here are a few of my favorites:







To see more beautiful rooms from this design firm, visit the Blount Design website.

Designer Spotlight:: Mint Home Decor

The other day, I came across the website of California interior designer Claire Campbell of Mint Home Decor. I love the fresh color and clean, uncluttered (yet homey) spaces she creates. Here's a sample of her work:








Beautiful, right? I especially love that dining room, with the sparkly chandelier, the contrast welt on the chairs, and the rug...THAT RUG!! I love it!

BTW--Mint Home Decor is the most recent addition to our Interior Designer Directory, and the photos of Claire's work will soon appear in our Photo Galleries. (I promise!! After this week, I hope to really be able to set aside some huge chunks of time to work on those galleries. I have HUNDREDS of photos ready to be added!! 24 hours in a day just simply isn't enough!!)

Anyway...if you are an interior designer (or you know one) who would like to be added to our directory, please feel free to contact me!

Paula Deen Home

Paula Deen, the southern belle queen of the kitchen, is branching out! Her new furniture line, by Universal Furniture, is exactly what you would expect from this classy southern lady (with the thickest southern accent I've ever heard--and I'm Texan!!). Simply beautiful!

I wish I could tell you where to go to find these lovely pieces, but I couldn't find an online retailer...at least not yet. However, I'm sure you could ask your local retailer of Universal Furniture to see a catalog, if you're interested. You can click here to find your local Universal Furniture retailer.

First spotted here.

A Favorite Room:: Fabulous Black Walls

Happy Monday, all! It's time to get another week underway, and after taking the day completely off yesterday, I'm ready!

So this week, I'm using my old desktop computer while my Matt uses my laptop for some projects he's working on. I've had a good time looking through all of my old "inspiration files", and being inspired all over again by the gorgeous interiors. Here's one of my favorites. (I may have featured this before, but it's so spectacular, it deserves revisiting).







To me, a black, white, and red color scheme is one of the most beautiful palettes there is, and I love the boldness of the black walls. Gorgeous! And isn't it nice to see a room with black walls that doesn't look dreary and depressing? Nothing depressing about this room!

Unfortunately, I have no idea who designed this room. If you recognize it, please let me know so that I can give credit to the talented creator of this beautiful room.

So is there a color palette that always appeals to you--one that has stood the test of time for you? Please share with the class!

**Update: Thanks to a commenter below, I now know that the talented creator of this room is Kelley Proxmire, of Kelley Interior Design in Washington, D.C.