geneva homes tour part one

Happy Monday, and it looks like it’s gonna be another HOT one!! Even with this outrageous heatwave we're having in Southern California, it's still nice to be home. 

I was gone all last week on a family vacation to Geneva, Illinois and I have a whole lot of pretty pictures to share with you all… 

Geneva's a darling historic town about 45 minutes west of Chicago, and my husband has deep roots there. It’s his home town and his mother’s home town, so we still have lots of friends and family there.

Driving into town, this gorgeous brick Georgian colonial home caught my attention! Look at the pretty sun room on the left side.  

Every street in Geneva is filled with the most charming homes. I walked by this little farmhouse with the wicker swing each morning.

This is one of my favorite styles, and it's white with black shutters! Three stories, plus a basement, of fabulous square footage…wow! 

The variety of architectural styles is amazing!

Some of the stone houses are among the oldest in Geneva.

This Victorian house on the hill sits right behind my husband’s childhood home. It was once the home of the Bogash family, and is a prominent fixture in Geneva on Batavia Avenue.

The Fox River runs through Geneva, so every morning I would walk along River Lane and admire all the pretty homes with sprawling backyards that sit on the riverbanks. We stayed at the Herrington Inn & Spa which is only a few houses away from this stone beauty.  

Huge white hydrangeas are everywhere in town… and they're so perfect for summer! 3rd Street features several blocks of shops and restaurants that are converted from beautiful old mansions.

Most of the side yards are just as beautiful as the front!

I love seeing all the American flags flying proudly on these stately old homes.

More hydrangeas!

There’s really a great variety of vintage farmhouses too.

This farmhouse, below, has really charming Victorian gingerbread details, but it’s not over the top. It’s currently being refurbished, yay!

So cute!

Who doesn’t love a great wraparound porch?!

Besides admiring all the architectural beauty of Geneva, I really enjoyed the little sights and sounds of the town.

I never felt alone walking around, because in the early morning the robins, squirrels, bunnies, chipmunks and songbirds were out and about too. The sound of the train in the distance is also very comforting and nostalgic.

ciao! fabiana

a walking tour through the autumn foliage

We arrived in Geneva on Wednesday… 

🎃

Halloween!.. 

it's such a fun time of year in the Midwest. 

We had previously spent 4th of July this year in Geneva  during that heatwave, so this cooler weather was a welcomed change of pace, and I started my walk through town as soon as we finished with lunch.

This historic little stone house is just around the corner from where we were staying at the Herrington Inn. I just love the large yards, amazing stone walls and old wrought iron fences in this part of town, and the fall colors were really breathtaking.   

All these pics are from Halloween afternoon. 

I wanted to soak in all the gorgeous fall foliage 

and decor as soon as we arrived. 

Our actual very first stop in town was the Little Owl, a fun little restaurant that’s been here for over 75 years. We were famished after traveling all day, so their yummy burgers really hit the spot!

I love the architectural details of the old buildings here on State Street. Inside, the Little Owl still retains all its vintage character, and it's light and bright decor is updated perfectly.

In town, most of the homes were subtly decked out for Halloween. The pretty old farmhouses are some of my favorite homes, with those amazing front porches.

So spooky and cute!

This old stone home sits right on the banks of the Fox River and belongs to friends of my husband. It’s been in the same family for decades, and still maintains its gorgeous storybook style while being tastefully updated on the inside.

The sun shining through the autumn leaves is so dreamy!

You’ve probably seen photos of this beauty. I have to photograph it every time I’m in town, and now for Halloween…

It’s truly spectacular!

Here’s a view from the side. Another porch happily greets guests coming in from the driveway. So cute!

Just another cute side yard vignette in town.

Those white houses with the dark shutters

 get me every time!

Aren’t these embellished front porches darling?

And the wrap around porch on this one, wow!

I think my absolute favorite corner in Geneva is Sixth and Fulton. I don’t know why, but I’m just drawn to this part of town every time I visit.

This ivy covered home is really spectacular in person and reminds me a little bit of Savannah. 

Those two large windows in front are original and have the most amazing vintage wavy glass in them! Plus you can catch a glimpse of the inside which is so stylish and beautiful.

Here’s a look at the back of the house, and directly next door is this darling little house....

with the sweet front courtyard that I fell in love with this summer.

The main historical shopping district in Geneva is on Third Street, where you can find The Paper Merchant. This unique store is located in a lovely 1869 Gothic Revival home, and is one of my favorite little gift shops. You can’t beat its cute curb appeal and gingerbread details!

Right across from the Paper Merchant is the most iconic store in Geneva, The Little Traveler, which is housed in a thirty-six room Victorian home that seems to be a combination of several vintage homes all connected by more rooms!

Their well-known café serves lunch, amazing sweets and Sunday brunch. Our good friend David is the chef there, and his desserts and pies are my favorites!

So if you’re ever in St. Charles or Chicago, make sure to take a little extra time and visit Geneva. The train from Chicago actually stops just one block from The Little Traveler! 

A walk through this charming little town takes me back to my childhood, and growing up in a small town in New York. Actually, the feeling I get walking through old-town Geneva is like something out of a movie... 'It's a Wonderful Life' to be exact. It really reminds me of Bedford Falls, and I really should come back in the winter for the full effect, haha!   

I’ll be back later in the week with some of my favorite restaurants in Geneva, and boy, were they good!! 

ciao! fabiana

💕

While I’m here today, I wanted to share some of my "Tablescaping Essentials" with you. I have a whole page on the Amazon website with my favorite picks for setting a beautiful table.

Quite often time is of the essence, and I have last minute projects or events to work on, so I turn to Amazon for one or two day delivery. You’d be surprised at how many amazing items they have to offer! And I'm constantly updating this page with my new favorites. 

You can check it out here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”.

weekend happenings

Happy  Sunday!

Just touching base to share with you some of the latest from around here. I’ve been working on a few new tablescapes for a fabulous website I’m collaborating with. We're currently working on a story all about collecting vintage china and how to use it to set a pretty table.

I can't share too much else about that project, but there's a sneak peek above. 

And there's some news buzzing around the neighborhood about Christina from the HGTV show Flip or Flop...

photo by Page Six

She recently purchased this home that may look familiar because it was featured on the Newport Harbor Home Tour a couple of years ago. Here’s a peek at it.  And best of all, she’s right around the corner from me!

welcome to the neighborhood, Christina!

On Friday I was invited to the Tommy Bahama restaurant in Newport Beach to try all their new menu items! What a treat!

I’ll be sharing all the details soon, but I did want to show you one of my favorite entrees, above, the Ahi Tuna Bowl, filled with lots of healthy ingredients like quinoa, farro, island slaw, roasted corn salsa, avocado and toasted almonds… super yummy!

While we were in Geneva last week, we stayed at our friends Craig and Pam’s beautiful inn, The Herrington. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the only place to stay in Geneva. Located right on the Fox River, it’s within walking distance to all the best shops and restaurants in town.

The stone walls of this build date back to 1874 when it was the Geneva Rocks Spring Creamery. Butter and cheese were produced here and kept cold in the Fox River. In keeping with the dairy tradition, the staff at The Herrington bring guests milk and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to their rooms every night!

We also had a lot of family history to explore in Geneva. This home called Ridgelawn, once belonged to my husband’s great uncle, Ernest Oswalt, who was a successful publisher and the founder of the Campana Corporation in Batavia. 

After Uncle Ern’s death in 1955, it became a convent and is still occupied by the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary. Getting to tour this one hundred year old house was quite a treat. It still remains pretty similar to what it was like in the 1940's and 50's when Uncle Ern and Aunt Hazel called this place home.

Our cousin Melinda came along on the tour and had lots of family photos to share with us that all date back to the heyday of Ridgelawn when the Oswalts lived there.

We had a really fun time in Geneva, and even though we’ve only been back a week, I already miss all our fun friends and cousins.

We arrived during a 112 degree heatwave and cooking was out of the question, so Christine opted to order gourmet fried chicken, corn on the cob and salad for all of us to nosh on while we caught up with each other on all the latest happenings.

I miss my sweet Geneva friends, from the top left,
Pam, Lisa, me, Heidi and
front row, Gina, Lori, Christine, and Kristin.

Chicago was all decked out for the Fourth of July. We took the architectural boat tour of the city on one for the hottest days of the year, but still had a really great time!

After the boat tour, we were greeted by the local food trucks and filled our tummies with gourmet lobster rolls and nice cold drinks.  

Back here at home this morning, I set yet another tablescape, this time out in the backyard. And yes, I know it’s a little early for Thanksgiving, but I have my reasons for starting this soon, haha!

I’m going for a blue and white themed Thanksgiving. What do you think?  

 ciao! fabiana