Islands and Barns

When I returned from the Bahamas in February, I had fallen completely in love with the easy Colonial Island style we saw around Eleuthera and Harbour Island. I'm an Anglophile at heart, but overstuffed chintz, huge paintings, and crazy patterns would look a little weird in my itty bitty downtown condo. Island style combines some elements of traditional British design, but softens the look with, obviously, island touches. It's also much more spare than the Country House look. Just adding a few candles in hurricanes filled with pink sand I brought back (like an idiot), spreading some shells and a starfish on a dark wood shelf, and buying more vibrant flowers have helped bring the look home with me.

This afternoon I was browsing in a popular home store that isn't a Barn and doesn't sell much Pottery. Apparently the style they are pushing this season is Coastal Style. Oh, great. They were selling bags of shells, pieces of (fake?) coral, and sand-filled hurricanes at fairly exorbitant prices. Now I look as though I bought a bunch of stuff at this store. Please. Islands are far more inspiring than Barns.