Clean, rustic, Gustavian

Beautiful! I love the fireplace.

Images: Skeppsholmen

Raw garden deck

This somehow suits the house, I would have never thought of building a deck like this in raw material combined with a red country house. I like it! Bubbles and fire at the same time. A perfect place to spend those warm summer evenings. And I like that they have made a path all the way to the house, it feels so clean all of it. I prefer that rather than all grass, the city chick that I am.

Romantic pink

I like it but I think R would put in a veto against this. I’ll give him that.

Image: unknown

A bush of roses

Rose bushes are my absolute favourite garden accessory. You know when you pass a house with a white picket fence where the roses grow wild through the fence? I want that! The problem is – I am terrified of bugs, snails and such. That’s ironic, living in the country, in the midst of “nowhere”…

An what more, I have no idea how to manage a garden. I have tons of books explaining how to, and I know that I just have to start. Fail and learn, and do better next time. I just don’t know if have the patience, if I’m cut out for it. I guess I have to, if I want those roses.

Here’s what I mean:

Images from flickr.com

Some more blue-and-white

This is also a nice idea for a guestroom. What a surprise, and such luxury, to visit someone and get to sleep in a bed like this. I would definitely revisit. ;)

Rustic

I love this floor. I love it when people aren’t afraid to reuse what seem to be “unusable”.

Gold and blue

Such a pretty combination, this bedroom is delightful! Check out the wallpaper!

Country inspired

We actually have a guestroom with a fireplace and this photo really inspires me for future renovation. I love the blue-and-white. I love blue-and-white in general, actually, but that’s not really a secret. There is a lot of that in my blog!

Antique chair

Yuyuan garden

Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan. Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age.

In the 400 years of its existence, Yuyuan Garden have undergone many changes. During the late Ming Dynasty, it became very dilapidated with the decline of Pan's family. In 1760, some rich merchants bought Yuyuan Garden and spent more than 20 years reconstructing the buildings. During the Opium War of the 19th century, Yuyuan Garden was severely damaged. The Yuyuan Garden you see today is the result of a five year restoration project which began in 1956. The garden was open to the public in September, 1961 and is considered to be one of the most lavish and finest Chinese gardens in the region.

It was declared a national monument in 1982.

One of the highlights of the garden is the Exquisite Jade Rock. It is a 5-ton, porous, beautifully-shaped, grotesque rock, which is said to have been carried from Taihu (Tai Lake) in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. The rock is characterized by its wrinkled appearance, slender shape, translucent nature and numerous holes eroded by water. An interesting legend goes that the rock was found some 1000 years ago, and it was originally one of Song Emperor Huizong's private collection before it found its way into Yu Garden.

Images from flickr.com