Vibrant Interiors... PAL + SMITH

After seeing these, I think I need even more color in my house! See more here...

Images from PAL + SMITH via Desire to Inspire

Bedroom Changes, Part 2

Lately I've been making some small additions to the dresser area of my master bedroom. The big owly is from the sale room at Anthropologie and I believe he's meant to be a flower pot as he has a huge opening in the back and a little tray underneath. Isn't he cute?

The Adler peace sign hand is a miniature version of this one, and was found at the Matthew Izzo sale I referenced last week. I think it's super-groovy.

Meanwhile, the clutch purses are a small sampling of a rather large collection I have of the vintage variety (the exception is the beaded ikat one by Moyna). More on this another day...

The other day I found a very cool bamboo-framed mirror at my favorite old furniture resale shop, Uhuru. We had been needing something bigger for the dresser, and this Hollywood Regency-feeling piece was the perfect solution. Not to mention it was already painted white, which meant no need to spray paint.

Finally, I got around to hanging some new prints that were gifted to me at Christmas. The goat photos are by Sharon Montrose, and they make me laugh every day.

I'd Like to Live Here

Christian Lacroix's 17th Century Le Marais apartment (seen above) is currently on the market. Thank goodness, as I have been looking for a second home in Paris for a while now. At least I have been in my dreams... 

Images from Wall Street Journal via Apartment Therapy

Dark and Light

Oh, how I love stripes! There are lots of amazing black and white interiors in the February issue of House Beautiful.... these from a home designed by Carelton Varney...

And these from a California home by designer Stephen Shubel... such a fantastic mix of patterns! And p.s., the kitchen below may be one of my new favorites... check out those floors!

Poufs by Afra

I have a thing about stools, ottomans and poufs. They are just such cute little pieces of furniture! These fabric poufs by Istanbul-based designers Afra (which I came across on Flickr) are particularly fun. I love the crocheted seats combined with the Anna Maria Horner fabric on the side...

Their store in Istanbul is adorable too. If I ever get to that part of the world, it would definitely be worth a visit! Check out more of their work in their Etsy store or here...

Top image via Elle Decor Aralik

Bold and Neutral

Love the mix of bold colors and earthy neutrals in this room by the super-talented David Jimenez. Oh, and if I had an actual landline in my house, I would totally want the retro white telephone....

House Changes

I completely rearranged the master bedroom today. The bed is now situated between the windows to create some symmetry in the room, while the marlin gets to have the south-facing wall all to itself.  I need to do some accessorizing still, and I'm working on a picture wall for the other side of the room. More on that once I get frames for my new prints...

French Dressing

I love this image of Keri Russell from the December issue of InStyle magazine.  The ensemble she's wearing is perfect for a casual day out, say maybe sightseeing in Paris or just window shopping here in Rittenhouse Square. Love the ruffled J.Crew cardigan, love the striped blouse, the Tom Binns necklace, the skinny but not too skinny jeans...it's all great. I will be attempting a recreation as soon as it's not snowy and freezing outside!

Alexander McQueen (!!!) for Target

It just keeps getting better at Target. Last week we all heard about Orla Kiely's home collection coming out on February 1. Now, they announce their "designer collaboration" (not a Go International collection) with Alexander McQueen, debuting on March 1. It's all about more than I can stand! Read more about it here...

Images via Jezebel

Citrus Chic

What a fantastic event look at this Golden Globes party hosted by HBO. You don't see these color combinations and prints very often in event design...it's all extremely fresh and modern. I love the yellow leopard print projection on the tall screen, especially when it reflects off the surface of the pool. The designer Billy Butchkavitz took his inspiration "...from the architecture of Luis Barragan and vintage 60's textiles." Love it all!

Images via BizBash

Wow!

I was knocked out when I spied this gorgeous invitation over at Style Me Pretty the other day. This is seriously the prettiest invitation design I have ever seen. The vibrant and unique colors of the laser cut overlay look spectacular with the chic and elegant cards. Finding it in the mailbox would be like receiving a gift! Designed by Ceci New York...check out more of their gorgeous designs here...

Images by Ceci New York via Style Me Pretty

Primary Colors

Marni always does the very best combinations of print and color. I love these bold and eclectic looks from their Spring 09 RTW. Makes me want to go into my closet and start doing some serious mixing and matching...

These necklaces are pretty fab as well...

Images via Style.com

 

Day 4: Pocket Change

Saving change is a necessity, but a shoebox (or if you live in my house, a plastic pretzel barrel) filled with random coins and pocket lint is not the tidiest or most attractive way to corral it. How about a cute piggy bank instead? I'm dying for the Jeff Koons balloon dog myself. A tiny work of art for the dresser, and a place to store my pennies for a rainy day!


Collage 1, from top left: vintage paper mache piggy bank; Jeff Koons balloon dog; Karim Rashid "Time is Money" bank; Los Luchadores; Bruno Limberger Koin Bank 

Collage 2, from top left: Harry Allen pig bank; Year of the Ox; black elephant coin bank, Jonathan Adler; Vacavaliente leather pig bank; Dwell elephant bank; Domus house coin banks

Furniture Jewels

Oh how I love the decorative drawer pulls at Anthropologie. They are like jewelry for your furniture! I am pretty obsessive about visiting their sales room several times a week, and today they had some of these lovelies on sale. Here's my craft room bureau dressed up with some yellow beaded "earrings"...

Knobs from top left: Medaglioni, $12; Hypericum, $2.95; Naturalist Monarch, $10; Flatback, $14; Zulu, $8; Lazy Daisy, $6

                             Day 3: Bathroom Storage!

It's a great thing to have storage space in the bathroom. For us though, the storage is on open shelves. For this reason, it all needs to look pretty in addition to being functional. I didn't want wall to wall bins, so I worked in some framed prints and knickknacks to break things up. And the baskets hold cleaning products, toilet paper and other items that are best kept concealed.

Since the color of the soap matches the wall, I decided to unwrap the bars and put them on display in a big glass jar from Crate & Barrel. Now when one of us gets into the shower and realizes the soap has been worn down to a sliver, it will be easy to grab a fresh bar!

Meanwhile, the horse print is by The Cellophanes and the "Love" jar and little elephant are by my favorite potter, Jonathan Adler (found at the fantastic Matthew Izzo moving sale, for my Philadelphia friends!)

Bowls for cotton balls and toiletries in modern packaging sit out on a tray (this one is Thomas Paul) and towels are folded and stacked on the shelves.

I left open space so we can add baskets as needed, but for now it contains our clutter and allows room to display some fun objects. What a relief!

Ego Awards by Jimena Rios

I'm loving these brooches and rings from Argentinian designer Jimena Rios, which I recently came across at LAMA. Crafted from sterling silver and various fabrics, these pieces from her Ego Award Collection make witty statements you can wear anytime. The Chica Mala ("Bad Girl") pin would look adorable attached to a bright overcoat this winter. And at $16 to $20, they are an affordable gift!

Rios also crafts beautiful and unusual bird-themed pieces in combinations of sterling, fabric and embroidery...

Images via LAMA and Jimena Rios