I want a house that has got over all its troubles. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life bringing up a young and inexperienced house. Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) from They and I

I grew up in a model home. We had a stairway that was just for “show,” and a “library” with blank books. Our dining room floor was so immaculate, you could perform open heart surgery. My mom replicated every square inch of their current home to its model; right down to the matching dried peas in the glass apothecary jars on the kitchen counters. If given the chance, Colin Cowie would intern for free for my mother/Jane. It is no surprise that I will always feel that my home is on the junior varsity team of style and completion.

Don’t get me wrong, like any proper mother daughter relationship, I have my adequate share of rebellion and independence. While my mom’s gorgeous homes are richly textured, luxuriously hued, and always accessorized with the perfect collection (she was doing seashells WAY before Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give,) my taste has always been white, uncluttered, and accessorized with dog hair. Nevertheless, I have a fantasy that one day I’ll be able to pull my house together like my ingenious mother.

Here are a few shots of rooms I someday hope i’ll be able to pull together a la Jane.