Gray, beige, dark blues, earthy reds…..in New England this is the main color palette for homes, cars, clothes…..everything really. When we’re feeling really wild we’ll paint our front doors bright red but overall earthy, muted colors are what rule the day and truthfully it just gets so boring. I grew up in a colorful home- vibrant with hues, love and personality and that really shaped me and my style. In a world full of beige, I crave a rainbow. The puritan, farm house, rustic, primitive style that defines New England will just never be the right fit for me. I can appreciate it in someone else’s home or on a weekend getaway in Nantucket, I can even bring a dash of that style to my decorating around Independence Day but, for everyday style, I crave something different. You know when you go on vacation and you pick up mementos or a vibe you want to carry back home with you? Well, I guess I take that to the nth degree. My style continues to evolve….and it’s evolving into a mix of British Colonial style meets Morocco meets Boho and island style….with a dash of 1950s. (Not confusing at all, right?)

I crave lush flowers and foliage, cascading and overflowing. I want a courtyard with colorful tile and a plunge pool, large arched doorways, walls with vibrant colors, nights lit with lanterns and scented with jasmine. I want to eat figs right off a tree in my backyard and see white curtains billowing in the breeze off my patio. When people come into my home, I want it to feel special….like a retreat. So I spend time swooning over Pinterest and Instagram photos, imagining my dream home and as I do this I think of @angelarosehome’s advice to stop “pinning and start doing”, and sometimes I do, but mostly I don’t. (If you don’t follow @angelarosehome on Instagram you should, she’s funny, down to earth and does some amazing home projects). So if you’re like me and tropical, global inspiration is your vibe, keep scrolling and see some of my décor obsessions, inspirations and cravings.

We’ll start with my dream yard/garden/outside space because the weather is warm and this is what’s on my mind…..and as I was gathering these pictures I realized this may have to be a multi-part post. There are just too many delicious pictures to share!

I’ve always dreamed of having a courtyard. I used to tell my mother that we were going to build onto her house to create a compound so we could all live together forever (not needy or creepy at all) and there was always a beautiful courtyard in my plans.

I’m not a huge fan of the typical pool you find in backyards across the USA, but this….this I would happily put in my backyard. Look at the beautiful pool floor!

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I love the retro inspired outdoor furniture. Give me patio umbrellas that have beautiful patterns on the underside and fringe along the edges. Give me color and personality. Give me all the 1950 garden party vibes.

Just looking at these images gives me a calm euphoric feeling. I like to incorporate the plants, colors and lines of these inspiration pics as much as possible. A fringed umbrella over my outdoor dining table, an outdoor rug that brings to mind Moroccan carvings, dark wood lounge chairs, lots of flowers and tropical plants, strings of lights over the patio and tall lanterns lighting the stairs of the deck. Warm weather is so brief here in New England, as soon as it starts it feels like it’s almost over, but I put my stamp on it every year, I hope you do too.