Do you know those houses that make you wish you lived in another time? Houses that you are sure have secret stairwells and passageways? Houses that make you feel like a child out of an old English novel that you read as a child?

Well, this is one of those houses.

I was invited there for dinner a few weeks ago, and I have pretty much not stopped talking about the house, the decor, the hosts and the evening since.

I stalked the owners until they agreed to let me take pictures for the blog!

The house is just a block from the beach in NJ. It has wide wraparound porches, canopy striped awnings and tons of gardens.

This is the view from the back porch, breakfast room and den:

The hedges hide a tennis court and a basketball court. Clever and beautiful.

To the left of the house is a manicured boxwood garden with a fountain center.

I wish I remembered to get a shot of the exterior. Oh well.

You open a gigantic wood door and enter the center foyer.

FOYER

It’s the size of my entire apartment.

An antique rocking horse sits at the top of the stairs. The woodwork is all original.

The fire place is gorgeous and the mantle is over a foot taller than I am!  Here you can see the rooms leading off the foyer.

DINING ROOM

To the left is the spectacular dining room.

The wainscotting, which is over 7 feet tall, is original to the house as are the dining table and chairs.

The walls are upholstered.

How gorgeous are those window treatments?!?

LIVING ROOM

This is the living room as viewed from the dining room.

I absolutely LOVE the seating arrangement. Very functional and conversational and seats a surprising number of people.

The painting above was bought at auction by the owners. The background almost matches the upholstery on the walls!

The sculpture, along with the rest of the sculptures in the house, were made by the owner.

The view toward the dining room and foyer as well as another fireplace. (There was also one in the dining room, not pictured.)
The little green and floral settees are genius.

An antique painting of a child sits above a chest set up with glasses and two teal ginger jars.

The painting sits to the right of a window seat and table. I love a window seat. Always have, always will.

The table is beautifully styled, just like the rest of the house.

The back of the house is an addition, it is very bright and looks out onto the gardens pictured above.

It contains a kitchen, (not pictured because the family was actually sitting in it!) a breakfast room, a den and a solarium… The “rug” on the floor is mosaic tile,

BREAKFAST ROOM

SOLARIUM

A small octagonal solarium is just off the family room.

A closer view:

FAMILY ROOM

This is the den, where the family hangs out and watches TV. I didnt even come CLOSE to doing this room justice, but it was dusk and almost impossible to take pictures.

A small bar in the family room.

BATHROOMS

The first floor also contains two very charming bathrooms.

This one features an interesting photo above an antique chest. I dont know if you can tell how gorgeous the wall treatment is from here, but trust me, its phenomenal.

A delightfully shirred fabric drapes this tiny bathroom that is under the staircase! I love the marble sink with the skirt!

And we are back in the foyer saying goodbye.

A very special thank you to the owners for letting me intrude on them!

And, again, I really have not even BEGUN to do this house justice. I need a photographer to come with me on these shoots because I don’t know how to take pictures at dusk!

Anyway, this is the kind of house my dreams are made of. Old world glamour at its best. If I had my choice, I’d choose a house like this. Authentically charming and awesome in its grandeur.

In case you were wondering, this is why I blog. So I can bring you the beautiful things I happen upon…
Thank you again!