lovely homes {a house tour}

The first lovely home we have to feature is that of the equally lovely Julia Winter of Jewel Ya fame.  This charming Phoenix home was built in 1940 and Julia and her husband are only the second owners and have made no structural changes, so it stands today as it did back then.  Even the kitchen and bathroom tiles are all original!  Paul and Leroyce Bennett were the original owners who built the house for entertaining, which they did quite a lot of with the troops in WWII.  It is located in the Alvarado Historic District, just east of the Heard Museum and just blocks from the Phoenix Art Museum where part of Mrs. Bennett's amazing Glass Vase Collection was donated.  Julia tells us, "There is a lot of pride in our neighborhood and most people have kept the houses near their original condition."  As for how she decorates her home, Julia said, "Matt and I were lucky enough to get to go to the estate sale and we have one of the (Bennett's) pieces of furniture in the entry way.  Also, lots of Willows' pieces, accessories and influences here in the house...  Just going to the store keeps me making small changes that make our house more livable and enjoyable."  My personal favorite aspect of this charming home, is the butler's pantry (I may have some slight jealousy over it...).  I tried to somewhat copy the idea in my own kitchen remodel, but, sadly it isn't quite the same - not as cute, charming and authentic as the real deal.  I will just have to keep drooling over Julia's...  And don't you love the black and white throughout the kitchen and butler's pantry?  Enough of all this rambling.  Here is Julia's always lovely home...

Thank you so much, Julia, for sharing your home with us!