Guests on Safari

ROSEMUNDELast week I posted about Katrine Martensen-Larsen and her Danish beach house. After receiving a lovely comment on the post from Martensen-Larsen, I headed over to her blog, where I discovered something magical. During the summer, the family’s beach house is constantly overflowing with people, and when the overflow becomes too much for the cottage to handle, Martensen-Larsen puts her guests up in this chic round tent. This year she has decorated it in an African Safari style, complete with sisal rugs, leather luggage, and tribal art and textiles. These photos sure make me want to go camping. In an extremely safari-chic way of course. Katrine, are you looking for any more guests? ROSEMUNDEROSEMUNDE

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Danish Delight

Scan 2This little summer cottage on Denmark’s north coast is the epitome of cool casual beach chic. Owned by writer/interior designer/stylist Katrine Martensen-Larsen and her husband Anders, this family compound is the perfect summer retreat (Larsen’s mother and brother have cottages next door). This home and its surroundings, although located in Denmark, remind me of Hither Hills State Park on the East End of Long Island, with its rolling dunes, grasses and pine trees. Somehow Europeans always manage to get that coastal living look just right without the kitsch, and this house is no exception. And despite the moderne simplicity of the decor, the house still looks lived in … which to me, is the ultimate triumph in decorating. Fancy a swing in that hammock?Scan 3 Scan 4Scan 5 Scan 6 Scan 7 Scan Scan 1Photos via Elle Decoration Country Volume 4

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New Home in the Old Country

Scan 3Back to my love affair with Volume 4 of Elle Decoration Country. Today we’re in Umbria, in a new home that straddles traditional and contemporary in a very successful way. The siting of the home along a hillside, and the use of local materials is an ode to the traditional, while the minimalist interiors and modern furnishings bring the home into the 21st century. As a lover of old houses, this house is definitely a favorite in the “new house” category. While its age is not necessarily apparent upon first glance, a second look reveals the integrity of the structure and modern details such as windows, doors etc. I would happily spend time in this loggia, wouldn’t you? ScanScan 2 Scan 5Scan 1 Scan 4Photos via Elle Decoration Country Volume 4

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