hello, ikat!

I've been on a bit of a decorating tear lately. This week, it's been all about the guest bedroom/office. How great are these ikat curtains?

I made them in about 1 hour last night, using this fabulous $5/yard ikat (from Jo-Mar, the most awesome fabric store ever, for those of you who live in Philly) and a roll of Stitch Witchery. I'm calling this room my 48-hour project. A year ago it was a super cute little bedroom and office. But due to laziness and storage issues, it turned into a giant, messy closet and has gone mostly untended since our wedding. 

But since Wednesday, I've cleaned out the boxes and junk and refreshed the whole space using decorative objects I had lying around the house. I did a quick recover of the headboard (please ignore the ugly air vent above it), using a scrap of fabric found at an Urban Outfitters sample sale. The pink and orange pillow came from that sale too -$3 - yay! - and the small peacock pillow was made for my wedding. The framed print is from Lulaland and was a wonderful shower gift that had yet to find a home.

The Tord lamp and the Thomas Paul pillow were holdovers from the original version of the room, and the office supplies are from the Container Store and those adorable Liberty-esque storage boxes are from the Christmas Tree Shop.

I still have a few more things to do - clean up the craft corner and organize my desk - but it's coming along nicely I think. The best thing though is just having a bright, colorful, pattern-filled space to enjoy...

favorite spot

Maude loves her pink-striped shoe box. She has good taste...

Mabel likes it too. Sometimes they take turns...

I can't believe what big kitties they are now! They will be one at the end of March.

color coded

Now that I have a bookcase sitting prominently in my living room, I'm even more interested in ideas for arranging books and other details. This colorfully arranged version, in Candace Bushnell's home, looks like a large graphic artwork hanging on the wall. I love it. Oh, and that antique pink velvet chaise isn't so bad either...

(Via Elle Decor)

new living room, in progress

As you may have noticed, I haven't been blogging a lot the past couple months. What have I been up to...? 

Just a bit of living room redecorating! The big project has been the built-in bookcase, and my guy totally knocked it out of the park. For the past three years, I've been staring at this weird in-set space running along our main wall - a 9 ft x 7 ft area that made it really difficult for us to arrange furniture. Finally, after way too long, the idea came to us - BUILT-IN BOOKCASE! 

We are so happy with the way it turned out! The storage and display space the shelves provide make a huge difference in our small living area. I love that I can store books, display pretty things, and have a permanent spot for our barware and serving dishes. There have been other changes too, such as a MUCH-more-vibrant wall color and a "new" sofa. By new I mean "new to us" because it's a antique store find from the 70's (here's a close up of the fabric)...

A lot more needs to be done.... new pillows for the sofa, chairs for the small dining table, custom framing for the otomi fabric, an area rug, maybe a comfy chair - but for the time being I'm happy with the direction of things. What do you think? Any suggestions for what should come next?

(All images by me)

drama at lyford cay

Lyford Cay resort in the Bahamas recently received a fabulous update from designer Tom Sheerer. I love that it employs three of my favorite "p"s - palm trees, pineapples and pink!

(Via Lulu Dekwiatkowski's blog, Trail of Inspiration)

oh my...

Did you happen to see these lovely wedding photos over at Style Me Pretty the other day? I think these images are so dreamy... and the deep gray embellished belt over the lace gown is kind of to-die-for, don't you think?

(Photography by Amanda Wilcher via Style Me Pretty)

i'm in love... ready-to-wear from kelly wearstler

So chic! Kelly Wearstler's new ready-to-wear collection totally lives up to the fabulousness of her interiors. I love the colors, textures and bold patterns - so her, and so me! The line will be sold exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman... perhaps I will have to hop up to NYC and take a look in person...

(images via Style.com)

taking a peek... the coveted

Don't you think it's fun to peek inside the closet of a particularly fashionable friend? I certainly do, and now the new fashion blog, The Coveted, gives us all access to some truly lust-worthy wardrobes...

(Now, do I think it would have been nice for the makers of this blog to choose a name that did not already belong to another, already-established blog? Um, yes, that would have been nice. Do I think this particular The Coveted, with its glimpses into some rarified closets, is totally addictive? Absolutely... )

(Images via The Coveted)

yay for color!

These are the kinds of dresses I love to see on the red carpet! The young stars are the real risk-takers - no princess-y ballgowns or sparkly sheaths to be found here. Hailee Steinfeld in SS 2011 Prada, Jennifer Lawrence in Oscar de la Renta, and Mila Kunis in Alexander McQueen - each one looks totally cool and totally fabulous. I'm dying for the striped Prada in particular... totally covetable, yes?

(All images via Style.com)

perfectly pink

So fabulous, so glamorous, and with a show-stopping pink chaise... love love love!

(Images via Skona Hem) 

wardrobe + art lust

Did any of you catch the amazing house tour on Vogue.com of Vogue writer, Lauren Santo Domingo's super cool NYC home? There's lots of eye candy to check out, but what I keep coming back to is the super chic ensemble she's wearing here. Makes me want to dig through my closet and put together something even half as inspired as her pairing of polka-dotted skirt and leopard blouse. The mod wallpaper and the Warhols aren't so bad either, but what I really love are the clothes!

Here's another glimpse of her apartment - this time, the living room. See what I mean, so, so chic...

In another Vogue.com house tour, we get to see inside Samantha Boardman's ultra glamorous home. Glamorous to me means being able to live surrounded by exquisite art....

Oh, just a massive and fabulous Cy Twombly looming over a ultra-loungey velvet sofa, with a spatter-painted rug and a couple Jeff Koons sculptures hanging out in the corner. Pure heaven! Maybe I will finally splurge on that Twombly coffee table book I've had my eye on forever, which would be perfect for my new bookcase. Just a tiny bit of glamour, and for only $50!

(All images by Claiborne Swanson Frank for Vogue.com)

color lust

What an amazing room makeover! I'm lusting after everything in this space, from the tie-dyed rug to the chevron easy chair to the curvy purple lamp to the bold, vibrant artwork. Purple, blue and chartreuse are one of my favorite color combos and the interior design team of Healing Barsanti maximize the impact of the colors while keeping it all really cohesive and chic. Check out the step-by-step process of the room re-do here!

(Images via House Beautiful)

eye-popping pattern

There's so much to look at in this home belonging to designer Sig Bergamin. The interplay of pattern and color is masterful, and certainly inspiring! I'm swooning over the bold drapes and rug in the living space...

(Photos by Simon Upton via Elle Decor)

green (and pink) with envy

I love seeing what the ladies end up wearing to the various awards shows, particularly the Golden Globes. And though I'm always hoping for a super wow, risk-taking look like those worn in the past by Cameron Diaz, Zoe Saldana, and January Jones, I can also accept a simply lovely dress when I see it.

While Angelina Jolie is usually a bit too minimalist for me, the color and shape of her Versace long-sleeve beaded dress are spectacular. And Natalie Portman was perfection in her maxamalist-but-still-pretty Viktor & Rolf gown, with that utterly fab bejeweled rose. I would wear it in a second!

Have any of you had a chance to peruse the red carpet photos? If so, who did you like?

(Images via Style.com)

blue mood

This room is beyond divine, and makes me even more certain that my new living room color needs to be a bold shade of blue...

And I certainly wouldn't mind adding a few beautifully patterned, cerulean-hued dresses to my wardrobe! These would be perfect...

p.s. I particularly love the ankle boots and socks. It's totally my thing right now! I've been wearing this pair almost every day, with everything...

(Interior photo by William Waldron; dresses from Matthew Williamson's Pre-Fall 2011 collection)

heaven...

... is a sun-drenched dressing room, with chic wallpaper and glossy drawers for holding pretty things...

(Photograph by Michael Graydon, via Style at Home)