I opened the most recent copy of Elle Decor with some trepidation.
The front cover promised views of Meg Ryan’s Martha’s Vineyard beach house, and given what she’s managed to do to her face, I was worried what would happen if she managed to get her hands on an actual house.
No, not a young Joan Rivers
I was fretting needlessly though, as the house itself is very, very white, very, very bland, the very epitome of quiet good taste, utterly devoid of personality and not at all what I was expecting. Maybe that goofy, quirky schtick that Meg does in her movies really is acting after all?
I can see how for some people this might be a haven of peace and tranquility and the house certainly has excellent bones; but to me all the white seems absurdly unimaginative and would make me feel PROFOUNDLY uncomfortable.
Can you imagine trying to eat pasta with sauce in this dining room? I would have a nervous breakdown. Though I must admit to liking the table and the overall architecture of the room. And aren’t ghostly chair covers very passe’ anyway?
And you can just imagine the stylist on this shoot screaming at her assistant, ‘Flowers! Leaves! Fruit! Throws! Bombay Sapphire! Just rush to the shops and get me some COLOUR, dammit!’ And you just know the stylist also brought in that metal ‘FLOWERS’ thingy, though I do like that very much.
I love the textures of these shelves and the fabulous wooden bench in the kitchen. Of course I would be terrified to actually cook in there.
So, am I being unnecessarily harsh? I don’t hate it but it’s quite a long way from what I’d do if I had eleventy million dollars to spend on a beach house. The view’s very lovely though and has awakened a hitherto unsuspected yearning to go to Martha’s Vineyard.
So, your turn. Additional comments always welcome too.
Ha! So that bit of dynamic bloggery didn’t last long. My computer has been taken away to computer hospital to cure its severe case of ‘fighter jet fan’ so I’m currently working off the home server which the Husband has set up for me. I didn’t even know you could do such a thing. But it’s not a terribly efficient set up, so posting may be a little light over the next few days.
In future every Tuesday will be ‘Go Fug Your Room’ day IF I can find enough subjects. If you see articles which might be good candidates for GFYR then do let me know. They need to feature decor which is at least somewhat controversial, and of course being snarky about celebrities or celebrity designers is always much more amusing than making fun of people we
Love this vacation home. This feels very Scandinavian. Very peaceful, light and quiet And very much filled with personality considering most objects were handpicked and a lot custom made. And that view is to die for! Sorry, gotta disagree with you on this one!
Tee hee! I suspected my stance on this one might be controversial…
I like it, minus the dining room. My problem is that it is not Martha’s Vineyard. I don’t want that vibe when I’m on the cape, the vineyard, or nantucket. I want coastal, rustic New England, which can be done in a modern way. This is a little too loft-like for me for a beach house.
Oooh, interesting. Possibly even fodder for a future blog post. If you have a house of certain style, period or location, does the decor have to ‘match’? I wouldn’t know real New England style if it hit me in the face, having never been there. And MR’s house seems quite beachy enough (and not very lofty to me).
Just popping in to say hello. I’m not dead, just busy. Normal service will resume as soon as possible 🙂
Love
Di
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Hmmmmmm……… I agree – it’s the kind of home I think I’d love to be able to exist in but I know full well that I would go NUTS without some patchwork, and some linen, and some tapestry, and some COLOUR and some interest and just SOMETHING….
Depends how often you are holidaying there. Maybe her actual house is positively TECHNICOLOUR and she needs somewhere white to find her head. I could do with a place like that.
Horrid, horrid, horrid. Dull, lacking texture, imagination, and courage. And photographs horribly as too white. There, that balances the feedback out a bit!
i’m with you. it’s ever so blandly styled, with not one ounce of personality. also, i thought that was leslie ash in the top photo… do you not think there’s a scary resemblance?
I *LOVE* the kitchen/pantry and the view. The bedroom isn’t too bad. But too much white, and I prefer a beach home that is more rustic/classic, rather than modern looking. Thus, the “S’okay” rating. 🙂
She has a better interior designer than cosmetic surgeon – we all agree?
Tee hee! Yes, I think we can all agree on that ^^^^
And Charlotte, it seems the Daily Mail has beaten you to it… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-530828/Is-Meg-Ryan-turning-Leslie-Ash.html
Re Daily Mail clip:
Whooo – weird. She also seems to have borrowed Jennifer Aniston’s hair
I like Meg Ryan, but absolutely not this house. Agreed, the structure of the house is very good, but the use of white and proportion…a disaster.
Excellent & very informative post. Loved it. Keep it up dear.
I like Meg Ryan as an actress. Honestly the house is beautiful but not much. As what they said, “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder”.
Jane Taylor
window blinds liverpool quick tips on selecting the right shape and styling your room
if you’re looking for a celeb house to snark on, Gerard Butler’s apartment was recently featured in…hmm..Architectural Digest? I think? It was hideous. Tuscan farmhouse meets swinging bachelor pad meets douchebag. Ugggggly.
I have exactly MR’s look,which I’ve just moved from a beach to a mountain top in New Mexico. Add a little native pottery {or not} and it’s cool, serene, and classy. A perfect respite from theater/studios. Oh— I cook & serve mucho pasta–a messy pug, Wash, hang, put back on.
I’m a fan of Meg Ryan. Her beach house is such a knockout! I love how the colors blend and complement into each other. It makes me remember our beach house that we bought several months ago. Mine also has touches of white, but the only difference is it’s more colorful, and wrought iron doors were installed to make it look more different.
Lovely color – white! I love the simplicity of the house internal design. They must be done by a professional who does best things in decorating a house. It is simple yet classy.
Great beach house. Simple and cozy. Awesome