Inspiration at Colonial Williamsburg

This post was brought to you by Colonial Williamsburg. Book your stay at colonialwilliamsburg.com.

I've been really into classical architecture books lately (this one is completely fascinating). We're going to be knocking out and rebuilding a few interior walls of the new house that will need some special moulding. I've been doing as much research as I can before we have to make final decisions there. So when I was invited to come down to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia with my sister Heather and sister-in-law Kenzi, I jumped at the chance to have a girls weekends and to tour the beautiful, historically restored town and soak up all the classical and colonial architecture (and I'll be honest - the spa and the amazing food were a draw, too) :)

 photo DSC_1090.jpg

 photo 1DSC_1173.jpg

 photo DSC_0941.jpg

 photo DSC_1061.jpg

 photo DSC_0911.jpg

 photo DSC_0816.jpg

 photo DSC_0551.jpg

The past couple of weeks have been SO intense with work and the upcoming move, it was really amazing to hop in the car, get out of the city and have some kid-free time with these ladies I love so much.

 photo DSC_0418.jpg

Also, I was excited to go straight to the source to see the new collection of historically accurate paint colors Colonial Williamsburg recently launched with Benjamin Moore.

 photo DSC_0698.jpg

 photo DSC_0753.jpg

The colors are more vibrant than you might have guessed, which makes complete sense after touring some of the homes in Colonial Williamsburg. Those early Americans were not afraid of color!

 photo DSC_1067.jpg

 photo IMG_4853.jpg

 photo DSC_1042.jpg

I fell in love with one of the greens especially. Wouldn't this dark jade make the perfect front door color for the new house, with gray for the body of the house, white for the trim and charcoal on some of the accents? I'm feeling good about this combo:

 photo fDSC_0713.jpg

The weekend really was magical. The Williamsburg Inn was amazing, the grounds were stunning, the museums and historical sites were fascinating and inspiring. I practically never put down my camera - there was so much beauty everywhere.

 photo IMG_4871.jpg

 photo IMG_4869.jpg

 photo IMG_4875.jpg

 photo IMG_4870.jpg

 photo DSC_0981.jpg

It was so nice to be staying in the hotel right in the middle of the town. We could pop home in the middle of the day if we wanted a little mid-day nap :)

 photo DSC_0928.jpg

 photo DSC_0964.jpg

And then we could head right back out to the fun!

 photo IMG_4712.jpg

 photo DSC_0990.jpg

 photo IMG_4696.jpg

 photo DSC_0998.jpg

 photo DSC_0986.jpg

Here are about 500 more photos of what caught my eye on the streets of CW. :) I was so inspired by woodwork! The fences, birdhouses, porch railings, radiator covers - everything had such a lovely attention to detail! Check it out...

 photo DSC_1131.jpg

 photo DSC_1154.jpg

 photo DSC_0930.jpg

 photo DSC_0992.jpg

 photo DSC_0953.jpg

 photo DSC_0952.jpg

 photo DSC_0945.jpg

 photo DSC_0840.jpg

 photo DSC_0948.jpg

 photo DSC_0771.jpg

 photo DSC_0649.jpg

 photo qDSC_0468.jpg

 photo DSC_0635.jpg

 photo DSC_0669.jpg

 photo DSC_0486.jpg

 photo DSC_0575.jpg

We had dinner on Saturday night at the Regency Dining Hall. Delicious food in a beautiful room! The Rockefellers helped to restore Colonial Williamsburg nearly 100 years ago, and this dining room felt so classic and inspired by that period. It is really lovely with chinoiserie panels, crystal chandeliers and frilly curtains. The jazz band was my favorite though. The singer's voice was a spot-on Ella Fitzgerald. Such a treat.

 photo IMG_4867.jpg

 photo IMG_4733.jpg

 photo IMG_4873.jpg

 photo IMG_4866.jpg

A few more favorite things we did at Colonial Williamsburg this weekend:

1) Renting cruiser bikes to ride all around town was such a treat! The extra breeze from the speed of the bikes was so refreshing.

 photo DSC_1002.jpg

2) The Cheese Shop was a hit with us! I recommend picking up the Prosciutto and Provolone sandwich, a jar of their House dressing, and a selection from their great gluten-free wall and other assorted condiments.

 photo DSC_1180.jpg

 photo DSC_1196.jpg

 photo DSC_1194.jpg

 photo DSC_1190.jpg

3) The wallpaper at the Wythe House. Every room is a different color and pattern!

 photo IMG_4863.jpg

 photo DSC_1100.jpg

 photo DSC_1122.jpg

 photo DSC_1125.jpg

 photo DSC_1120.jpg

 photo DSC_1116.jpg

 photo DSC_1112.jpg

4) The grounds and special decorative touches at the Governer's Palace are so beautiful. The inlay on the stairs is especially can't-miss.

 photo DSC_1063-1.jpg

 photo DSC_1039.jpg

 photo DSC_1058.jpg

 photo DSC_0640.jpg

 photo DSC_1054.jpg

 photo DSC_1025.jpg

 photo DSC_1049.jpg

3) Williamsburg at Home is full of really gorgeous, unique home goods, fabrics and paints that are designed to give homes a punch of colonial style, but that are surprisingly clean-lined and modern at the same time. The shop was really pretty - and I'm still dreaming of the inlay dresser below!

 photo DSC_0693.jpg

 photo DSC_0739.jpg

 photo DSC_0706.jpg

 photo DSC_0728.jpg

 photo DSC_0700.jpg

 photo DSC_0734.jpg

 photo DSC_0742.jpg

 photo DSC_0733.jpg

4) Don't miss stopping in to all the great tradespeople shops around town. I really enjoyed the weaver's shop, the apothecaries, the cobbler and the general store.

 photo DSC_0612.jpg

 photo DSC_0609.jpg

 photo 1DSC_0572.jpg

 photo DSC_0567.jpg

 photo DSC_0522.jpg

 photo 1DSC_0513.jpg

 photo DSC_0555.jpg

 photo DSC_0534.jpg

 photo DSC_0558.jpg

 photo DSC_0545.jpg

Wow! That might be my record for most photos in a post! And I edited out SO many! ha! I guess I didn't realize just how inspired I would be by Colonial Williamsburg, but I came home last night rested, full, happy and bursting with new design ideas. Kenzi got a welcome break from studying for her nursing board exams and Heather's added the Williamsburg Inn to her someday-wedding-reception potential site list. :) So I'd say it was a successful girls weekend!

Have you ever visited Williamsburg? What was your favorite thing to do or see?

Comments