patty_cakes, I'm a born and bred New Englander, and happy to be so. I live on Cape Cod, and the first photo, of the shingled Cape Cod house is in fact quintessential Cape Cod. I've never seen a brass lobster on a coffee table, but perhaps in Maine that is common!

And nothing beats an LL Bean bag! I've got two, one medium, one large, which I use for grocery shopping; can handle the weight and are machine washable.

No not true. These are pretty silly lists!

Blue and white is not a "trend" I ever witnessed in NE. Bonfire by the lake, open porch, open doors ... reality is you will be eaten alive by mosquitos.

LL Bean and mudrooms yes, and I like the blue and white (but don't know anyone who decorates like that), but you'd have to be a Kennedy for the rest!

Could be worse - I'm married to a Texan (and I refuse to let him hang the antlers he found in the pasture in the house!) LOL

"The rest" look like an LL Bean catalog, or like someone trying too hard to be what they heard was stereotypical of NE! Blue and white are quintessential on Cape Cod, along with white bead board - beds, wainscoting, cabinetry, ceilingsâ¦.

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Fri, Feb 28, 14 at 16:43

I know of no one with a brass lobster anywhere in their house. But a lot of people I know have lobster crackers and picks, for when they eat lobster. My grandmother had special little bowls for the melted butta.

Boathouse? Most New Englanders don't live close enough to the water to own one, and the taxes for waterfront property in most of the NE states make boathouses something for, mostly, those with lots of money.

But wrapping up with a fleece (or wool blanket) outdoors somewhere? Yep.

Blue and white plates? For a certain generation of NEers, ayuh.

Firewood as porch decor? Check.

Bean bags? They are wicked good.

But that lakeside fire really should be an ocean-side bonfire. And, sadly, a lot of the shingles and shakes in my area are getting replaced with vinyl siding.

Just got home from work, which absolutely included my LL Bean bag, aka our boating bag. :)
Love this cute collection of pix!

Oh, forgot the firewood - my dad keeps his in the basement, but most people keep theirs in a woodshed since it shouldn't be right next to the house b/c of termites, carpenter ants, etc.

Blankets and huddling around a bonfire - check. More often on folding or plastic lawn chairs than Adirondack though, and in the back yard not on the water (that and the boathouse are the Kennedy parts).

No brass lobsters but lobster crackers yes, more often though we dig and eat clams (lobster may be cheaper in Maine, here in southern NE it's a rich person's food) so a big "lobster pot" is essential, as well as those little bowls for the butter. And no tomatoes in the clam chowder (whether you put cream in it or not depends on if you live in RI, or are just trying to make it less fattening)!

Not just the "Bean bags" but a lot of us wear the boots and coats too. Scarves, gloves, and knit hats are all the rage this winter ;-)

Our old house had cedar shakes on the sides and clapboards on the front - when we built we decided to go vinyl - maintenance is much easier! Still not that much brick around here, and stucco - well, maybe some of the older Tudor-style houses in the city but not out in the country.

Oh, and you won't see it in the decorating magazines, but right now the outdoor decorations (manmade) consist of blue plastic tubing running from tree to tree, ending in a huge tank!

I'm from NNE, now live in NNY, and find this list hysterically inaccurate, brass lobsters, and boat houses, not really. But the coup de gras is that lovely pic of the fire pit and boat. It's a designer's "camp", Thom Filica's I believe, and it's on Skaneateles Lake, in the Finger Lakes region of NY. Fact check much, HB?

Stereotypes do prevail, especially in decorating circles. Like Tibbix, I am a born and bread New Englander. My ancestors arrived on Cape Cod in 1636 and to this day the Nickerson family is alive and well, both on and off Cape.

This is just silly stuff, but fun....not to be taken too seriously.
I have an LLBean bag, we store wood-outside-for fires, both in and out of the house. I do love blue and white and have it in both our Boston suburb home and in our Cape house.

The house featured reminds me of a Nantucket cottage. Love it!

bonnieann, I rent my house out to visitors to Cape Cod. The woman who will be helping me with the turnovers this summer is in the Nickerson family!

I had ancestors on the Mayflower!

I've lived in New England all my life, and I think that list is ridiculous. It seems to assume that all of New England is waterfront property! I do have a mudroom (which is 1/4 the size of the one pictured) and that's about it. Okay...I might have an LL Bean bag somewhere around here.

awww, this whole thread makes me feel so nostalgic! born and raised just north of boston and now live in texas. agree most of these photos are more for the kennedys but they sure are pretty! :)

I guess it is safe to scratch NE as my style--I didn't check ANY of those boxes. ;-)

I'm a NE newcomer (which, as my NE-DH says, means less than five generations).

Odd they have three lake photos, and zero beach?

I have never seen a brass lobster, anywhere.

Our RE agent gave everyone in the family their own large LL Bean beach bag with each person's initials on it. We could carry our golden in it they're so big (or contractor's bills)! Can't wait to break them in.

It's discouraging that even HB has resorted to this. Someone who meditates on their dock has NE style? Please. This is the work of an editor who needs to fill space.

Lifelong new englander here and the only boxes I could check are wood pile and mud room. A lot of that style would, to me, be more "cape cod" than New England...coastal new england.

My great uncles on Mom's side who also grew up in New England were lobster trappers and fisherman...they certainly could never afford a luxury like a big brass lobster. And while they boated, it was for work, not pleasure. They were also rum runners during prohibition....

I also never heard of a wood pile for decor purposes. Not a good idea. Only wood piles I've seen have been for the purpose of having wood to burn.

Another New Englander here with roots to the 1600s. who agrees that the magazine used LL Bean and Orvis catalogs for inspiration!

Alas...I can check some of the boxes- the cottage shown does look like it is on the island where I live most of the year...Unfortunately these homes are disappearing as summer residents tear them down or move them off of the lots to build trophy summer houses...(that are often only used 2-3 weeks a year!)

I confess: I do have blue and white china of all kinds- and have had it for 50 years with some handed-down. We have no brass lobsters...just crackers like others have said. (There may be a wee brass whale paperweight that is lurking somewhere) Also have LL Bean bags of all sizes - how else do you take your "stuff" to the beach??? Fleece - check - from throws to vests...Tis still cold on the island - sometimes even in early June. Summer weather starts around July 4th!

Another check for the mudroom...wish I had the sink as pictured! What a great place for potting and pup cleaning.

As for the boathouse...My grandparents had a boathouse - but it was a working one on the water - not on a lake and not for cocktails when the sun was over the yardarm ...There were boats of all kinds in it or leaning on it and sails were hung to dry after a race. And the dock...was functional and but you could get splinters if you were barefoot.

beachpea, totally with you on the frustration of Cape-and-Islanders tearing down the great cottages and houses in favor of huge "trophy" homes, used only a few weeks a year. And I cannot recommend highly enough Denali fleece throws. they make two sizes, including a BIG 60X70, so hard to find! And the fleece is thick. They're just the best throws.