8.27.2008

Ikat Bedding

I'm kind of crazy for this bedding by Michael Kors, which I found lurking in the sale section of Bluefly:


It would look beyond great in my guest bedroom. Alas, the coverlet/duvet only comes in Queen or King. Maybe I could just get the shams? They have them on sale at Macy's...

Speaking of ikat, it is a print I am totally obsessed with. I know it's nothing new, but to me it always, always looks chic. How about these sleek little clutches from Charlotte Moss:


Or these gold-rimmed bowls from Anthropologie:


Or maybe this vibrant ultramarine scarf from Uzbek Alive:


Ooh La La

This needs to be my next dressing room...

8.26.2008

Weekend Project, Part 2


Guest bedroom decorating got underway this weekend. While there is still much to do, it feels good to have furniture set up and to have everything painted. The lamp seen above was an unexpected little project. I came upon the lamp base at K-Mart! It was a hideous burnished gold, but I thought the pineapple would have a real Palm Beach vibe with a coat of chartreuse paint. Was I right? I think it's super cute. As for the table, it was a $15 yard sale find. Originally beech veneer, it looks very cute with it's new black varnish and ceramic drawer pull. See below for a look at its legs:

The headboard is another example of the DIY spree I went on this weekend. I think I may need to add some black nail head trim to give it a bit more character. The right bedding would help too! Does anyone know where I can buy hotel-style pillow shams with the double-lined black embroidery border? I can't afford the Frette ones for $100/pair...


Finally, a spruced-up side chair for lacing shoes or resting a handbag. Yet another thrifty find, it couldn't have been more than $10. Wow, I'm really keeping the glossy black spray paint makers in business. Also, I finally found a use for that cool splatter print I displayed in a previous post. Yay!


8.25.2008

Weekend Project, Part 1


...A cute little stool for the bedroom! I'm loving the girly yellow leopard print. Meanwhile, the studs were a pain in the neck, and they still aren't perfectly straight and evenly placed, but I'm working on it. Compared though to what it looked like before....

"Casually elegant footstool" from Amazon.com

8.22.2008

Something Pretty for the Weekend

I can't stop staring at this bouquet from Portland's lovely Ink & Peat. It is seriously the prettiest arrangement of flowers I've seen in a long time. It makes me want to fly to Portland and buy it and everything else in the store. (image from their blog Housemartin)

Karl the Bear


My friend Clare sent me this funny bit of fashion news: that designer Karl Lagerfeld has collaborated with Steiff, the German stuffed animal company, on a bear that bears, ha ha, his likeness. According to W magazine, it is being released in a limited edition and will be sold at Neiman Marcus for a cool $1,500. Please everyone don't rush out at once.

8.21.2008

The Selby

Love the colors, and the gorgeous sunlight, in these images from Matthew Ikelberger's apartment, featured on super-cool blog The Selby...

More Pretty Things for the Walls...


...from Etsy artist Elsita.... 8" x 10" prints of her beautifully intricate papercuts. The details found in them are amazing!


8.20.2008

Fit for Framing

Check out this sampling of gift wrap sheets from Cavallini. They are so lovely and perfect for framing. At $3.15 (!!) per sheet, you could do a lot of inexpensive decorating with them. I picked up a few while in Chicago at a delightful shop called P.O.S.H. (more on it later!) and currently have the butterfly print framed and sitting on my buffet.






All available online at Kate's Paperie

Curtain Tiebacks



This charming, horse-adorned curtain tieback from Urban Outfitters is exactly what I've been looking for to go with my living room drapes. It has a quirky vintage quality that I like, though I slightly question the two-tone finish. Of course, a quick coat of spray paint would solve that problem...

Renovated Closet

I can't help but share a few photos of my fabulously renovated walk-in closet! Kevin did an amazing job installing the hardware and shelves and just maximizing every centimeter of space in what was once an awkward little room. Here it is in its "Before" state:

I can't complain too much about the size...at 6 feet deep by 4 feet wide, it's bigger than what a lot of people have. But with a door that opened inward, and with a strange nook in the back, I was at as to how to arrange the shelving. And there were a lot of requirements:
  • an area for my shoes to be displayed (not on the floor) for easy viewing and access
  • space for shoe boxes
  • adjustable shelves for handbags and other accessories
  • plus bars to accommodate a large collection of dresses, and a smaller grouping of skirts and tops
So, first things first, the door had to come off. No problem really, and I liked the idea of using a pretty drape to conceal the space as it would add an extra burst of color and pattern to the hallway. As you can see from the top photo, I now have a vibrant Amy Butler print curtain which Kevin's mom so kindly sewed for me. She even added an aqua lining to it, so it would be pretty from the inside too.

Then we went to work laying out the shelves. We decided to run a shelf along both sides of the space, about 12 inches from the ceiling, allowing for two shoe boxes to be stacked at a time. All in all, room for 40 shoe boxes! Then, we used the 30 inch nook in the back for the adjustable shelves. Kevin ran tracks vertically along the space and installed five shelves that I can use for storage boxes, stacks of clutches and sweaters, etc. (They can be seen below...a little messy I know, but I'm getting there.)

For the shoe display dilemma, I used a recommendation from Domino magazine, which suggested bolting over-the-door shoe racks to the wall for an easy and inexpensive shoe storage solution. It ended up working perfectly, and at $15 per rack, it was a bargain. If you don't have room for shoe shelves, or don't have the budget to have them built, this is a great alternative and allows you to get your heels off the floor.

Finally, for the clothes bars, we used the right side of the space and ran a long bar at the top for the dresses and a shorter bar right below their hems for tops and skirts. Plus there's still room on the right for a laundry basket, full-length mirror and hooks for necklaces, belts and various sparkly things. It's such a treat to have one location for everything - a spot where I can see thing out in the open, but can close the curtain to conceal it from the rest of the house. Hooray!

8.19.2008

And Beautiful in Blue

This bathroom is insanely gorgeous...




These and many, many more gorgeous images at M. Design Interiors... one of my favorite blogs, Decorno, had a mention of this site earlier in the week...

Gorgeous in Green


from maliburachel's Flickr photostream

Spotted in the Domino photo pool on Flickr...

Enfin, La Voila!


I am crazy for these dreamy stationary designs from Etsy shop Enfin, La Voila!



8.18.2008

Living Room Rug

So the one thing our new living room is desperately missing is a rug. I've been hesitant to buy one because the cats have "issues" when it comes to hair balls and I'd really rather not have them ruin it as soon as I put it down on the floor. But the lack of floor covering in the sofa area is really bothering me. See how the coffee table is just floating out there? So what I'm thinking is that I'll get a rug that I can roll out when we have visitors, but can be put away for day-to-day living. That's not too crazy, is it?

The second problem is actually finding a rug. I really don't want a sisal or a common-looking graphic print from Urban Outfitters or West Elm. I want something with a sophisticated floral print that still looks modern, and it definitely needs to be colorful. All this and it needs to be inexpensive. So here's what I've found:

Hand-knotted wool rug from Overstock.com

And here it is with the room:
Not bad, right? I think the flower pattern is really unusual and has a kind of fashion-y look, with the various paisley, plaid and polka dot prints on the flower petals. I also like the purples, blues and reds. The only drawback is the taupe background, but I'm thinking it might work by blending into the hardwood floors. I'm really kinda excited by this option...

Dream House

I love absolutely everything about fashion designer Nanette Lepore's home featured in this month's Elle Decor magazine! Decorated by Jonathan Adler, it has just the right combination of quirkiness, elegance and chic:






And is this not the most heavenly dressing room ever?

8.15.2008

Amethyst Lamp

Spied on Vivre, this lamp is for drooling-purposes only. It's $2,500. Still, a girl can dream!


Amethyst table lamp by McCoy Design