Today I’m super excited to share the beautiful home of one our contributors, Nancy Neil. Nancy lives on a small fruit ranch in Carpenteria with her husband and two sons.

Nancy’s home is a rustic cabin constructed out of old railroad ties. How beautiful is the texture of the wood?

Step inside, and you”ll find a cozy living room with plenty of room for her sons to run around and play. And how about that awesome pendant light? Want!

Nancy’s filled her home with lovely collections of found objects and sentimental pieces from her past. I particularly love the old movie film tins as book ends.

In the bedroom, a beautful triangle window is echoed in a huge orange triangle painted on the wall (talk about an easy way to create a focal point/art piece). Thank you, Nancy for sharing your beautiful home with us!

I’m always inspired to see how other artist’s lived, what they saw everyday, and the spaces that may have inspired them to create. And this home of Marcel Proust is certainly inspiring to me, french countryside, old churches, quiet walking paths…

A strong ribbon of blue runs throughout the house, the tiles on the facade and in the perfectly casual kitchen, and of course in the beautiful stained glass window. Who’s home inspires you?

I’m a big fan of romanesque architecture, and this home made from a converted church is pretty darn incredible (note the patio of off the apse).

The groin vaults in juxtaposition to the modern living spaces is pretty incredible… I could definitely live here.

I’ve been obsessed with boat houses every since I stayed in Cambridge. They line parts of the river cam and it seems like such a romantic way to live. This particular one, is owned by the stylist Emma Freemantle and its kind of bananas.

I love the irreverent mix of strips, florals, ethnic fabrics, all against the beautiful teak interior…

A pot bellied stove in a boat house? Too awesome.

I love the deep rich red used in the bathroom. And that distressed mirror? Perfection.

Continuing my wanderlust for France is a virtual tour of Versailles… Um, how amazing is the pattern of the stone? I love the geometry in contrast to the ornate facade.

I die for this chair and this bed. This is perhaps the most perfect french canopy ever.

Even the stairs are so pretty I could hang out on one of these landings any day. And the stables? The stone vault and beautiful wood details, make me very jealous of the horses who call this home. These photos are from the book Versaille: A Private Invitations, which will be coming home with me soon, I’m sure!

I love the idea of layering bold reds and deep fuchsias for an unexpected color explosion. It would be key to keep the shapes of containers and decor simple, and let the color be the big wow factor. Would you consider such a bold palette?

I keep day dreaming of escaping to a little spot in the French countryside, and perhaps staying in an old castle.

Or a manor home surrounded by vines…

The rooms would have fabulous fire places and cozy day beds for reading…

And a garden terrace, perfect for flower arranging and al fresco dining…

I love classic blue and white china. There’s just something so elegant and timeless about it.

Um, how awesome is this writer’s desk with three dimensional blue and white tile?

And of course, classic chinoiserie blue and white china adds an exotic element to this classic combo. Would you use blue and white tile in your home? Your wedding design?

I’m this close to finishing decorating my bedroom (its only taken a year). I wish I had this photo as inspiration back then– I’m loving the rumpled linen drapes and that headboard is pure, tufted, perfection.

Of course, this bedroom has the most fabulous tufted bed frame ever. I love that is the only punch of color in the whole room.

I love the touch of blue in the chairs, walls, throws, and carpet. And that ottoman is the epitome of chic.

Silver-y blue, chesterfield? I think I love you.

Photos from top: 1. via Sarah Klassen 2. Gabi Tubbs 3. via House Beautiful 4. Joanna Henderson

I love libraries and I would be so happy if I had one in my home. This one is just about perfect– fireplace, check, aqua bookshelves, check, comfy velvety couch perfect for relaxing and reading a book, check.

Oh yes, and there’s even a window seat, to boot.

While this space maybe a bit over the top and grand for me, I still love the aqua bookshelves and the gold detailing is so pretty. Happy Wednesday!

Photos by Simon Watson.