Some of New England's seaport towns through the eyes of New England Fine Living

There is no doubt that I love New England, and one of my true loves is visiting ocean villages and walking through the streets of historic towns on the waterfront.  When I pulled together items for our online luxury gift and home decor store, I knew that I would be adding items that were reminiscent of the New England areas such as Nantucket, Rockport, and Maine.  Below are some local travel photos I took, over the years and you will see what inspires me.

Gloucester, MA - A day out on our friends boat. 2013
The following photos, of Gloucester, MA had no Photoshop done or image enhancement.  The colors came out so cool, in my mind at least, due to a storm that was coming in and then heading out. I would never be able to duplicate these again.

New England is for preppies

First let me share that in the 80's, when I was a teen, dressing preppy was so cool and the "in" thing, but I never seemed to fit into that category.  I tried to carry off the look, but I never felt quite right.  I felt prudish and stuffy and could not understand why girls were wearing pearls with their polo shirts.  I think that is when my own fashion style kicked in.  I was a bit preppy, a bit punk, and a little bit of pretty, pretty princess. To this day, I love to blend styles or wear a fun yet classy outfit, but you will never see me in a pair of khaki chino's, loafers, button down shirt, and a single string of pearls tight around my neck. Blech!  I am jealous of those who look great dressed that way.  

So just a little background on the New England preppy fashion.  It started around 1912 and become very popular in the 1960's then again in the 80's.  Today, we are seeing a resurgence of the class preppy looks that originated from the collegiate lifestyle of New England Ivy League schools such as Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. Other styles are reminiscent of our New England upper-class leisure activities which include equestrian, yachting, sailing, rowing, tennis golf and rugby (like you will see in the cute spoof video below).

The epitome of a New England Preppy... President John F. Kennedy 

Photo via 

A visit to Nashoba Valley Winery

Even though I had heard about the Nashoba Valley Winery, when I first moved to Middelsex County, I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I found it by accident one day.  I was on one of my "get lost on purpose" excursions, which is how I find great places to share, and this day proved to be a winner!  I have now been a customer for over two years.

With orchards, grape vineyards, a beautiful wine boutique, and tasting area I was in heaven.  I even think I heard angels sing when I opened the door :-).  Since I am all about visual presentation, ambiance, and great products, this winery had it all! Did I mention they have a fabulous restaurant on the premises called J's Restaurant? Reservations are STRONGLY recommended. 

Wallpaper has made a comeback!

When I first started my interior design business, wallpaper was very popular.  Including the borders that surrounded kitchen walls adorned with fruits and flowers (guilty as charged), but then it seemed to take a side step to allow for the faux painting techniques and wonderful calming colors that were being introduced by painting companies.  I am glad to say that wallpaper is back and some are even removable!!!!  Below is a picture from Fabricut,one of my vendors, and I think it is stunning!  Would I use it? Hmmmm, well it wouldn't go well with my current design scheme, but I would use it if the style was right. How about you? Would you use a bold pattern and color such as this?

New England Fine Living's Web site http://www.newenglandfineliving.com and this blog was created by Linda Smith Davis The Fine Living Muse, as a Girl's Guide to Decorating in Style, Entertaining in Style, and Living in Style.

A Visit To Nesting On Main in Concord, MA

On a last minute whim, I decided to take advantage of the sunny morning and head to Concord, MA.  I put on my sneakers, grabbed my camera, and walked along some of the historic streets and peeked inside my favorite shops (many are closed on Sunday or open later in the day).  One of the shops I can't pass by or "just peek in", is Nesting on Main.  I think after seeing these photos, you too will agree they have an eye for detail and carry beautiful things that will adorn an elegant home as-well-as a country home.  This was a quick photo shoot of the store's vignettes, but you they still showcase the cool items they offer.