Design.Wine.Dine.

Mercury Glass

Last holiday season I went on mercury glass overload in our home and I can’t wait to do it again this year… It’s back with a vengeance and I simply can’t get enough!  Table lamps and candle holders and ornaments, oh my!  I love that the shimmery silver seamlessly integrates into whatever color palate you already have in your home.  Whether you decorate with traditional Christmas reds and greens, cool oceanic hues, warm jewel tones, rustic browns or chic blacks and whites, even the tiniest bit of mercury glass accessorizing will add the perfect touch of holiday glimmer to your space.  Check out a few of my favorites for this holiday season below.


1.  Mercury Votive Holder – $5 – West Elm
2.  Tall Candle Holder – $12.80 – Target
3.  Etched Mercury Glass Ornament (Set of three) – $15 – Ballard Designs
4.  Tall Mercury Glass Vase – $19 – West Elm
5.  Industrial Pendant – $99 – West Elm
6.  Pinecone Ornament – $6 – Target
7.  Silver Pineapple Bowl – $32 – Jayson Home
8.  Silver Ribbed Votive Holders – $18 – Jayson Home
9.  Mercury Owl – $14 – West Elm
10.  Antique Glass Silver Origami Ball Ornament – $3.50 – Crate & Barrel
11.  Serena Antique Mercury Glass Hurricane Lamps – $89 – Pottery Barn

Fireplace Love

As the nights grow chilly and the days shorten, I can’t help but crave the warmth of a fireplace to curl up next to with a glass of wine and a good book.  To me, there is nothing more inviting or romantic than a fireplace in a home whether minimalistic and modern or grand and traditional.  I love to make fireplaces a focal point in whatever space I’m designing, either residential or commercial as they are such a beautiful and functional architectural element not to be overlooked.  Unfortunately, a fireplace was one thing that our little beach loft didn’t have when we fell in love with the rest of our place so I think it’ll be that much more special once we have one again.  Check out a few of the fireplaces that have me slightly jealous are inspiring me today… and while you’re never going to totally replicate one of the below with a wall mounted version, there are plenty of affordable and stylish options out there (starting at $139!) for you fireplace connoisseurs 🙂

{Cozy and gorgeous!  Via}

{Black and white contrast + A little black on black +Gold + Animal Print = Sexy, Elegant, Glamourous and Dramatic all wrapped into one delicious room.  Via}

{Who says you need a man to keep you warm at night?  Perfect tiny, bedside fireplace for a city girl.  Obsessed with this entire artful room.  See it here}

{Give me zebra print, lucite furniture and a well worn-in fireplace any day.  I’ll never tire of this look.  Via}

{Perfectly eclectic and warm.  Via}

{Homey and happy.  Via}

{Gorgeous rustic stone, beautiful common brick and crystal chandeliers.  Need I say more?!  Via}

{Amazing transformation!  See it here}

{Shag rug to snuggle on in front of this wood burning fireplace.  Love.  Via}

{Charming little wood burning furnace – so cozy!  Via}

{Rustic fireplace love.  Via}

{OBSESSED with kitchen fireplaces.  How lovely!  Via}

The Clarkston Union


{The Clarkston Union – located at 54 South Main St. Clarkston, MI}

On a recent trip back to Michigan, I visited my favorite restaurant on earth called The Clarkston Union in the small town of Clarkston where I grew up.  To say I’m obsessed with this place would be an understatement.  I literally crave food from the Clarkston Union at least two or three times a week ALL the way in California – almost three years after moving here (which I’m aware makes me sound like a complete heffer, but I simply don’t care).  If you are ever in Michigan and have the opportunity to visit this one-of-a-kind place, you needn’t know more than these two and a half words: Mac & Cheese.  Canadian sharp cheddar, mild pinconning layered with penne rigate and a crunchy crust make for an absolutely unbeatable combination.  Having visited the famous Beecher’s in Seattle, I can honestly say that I enjoy the originality of the Clarkston Union’s Mac & Cheese more.  This isn’t said to bash Beecher’s by any means – they make a mean Mac & Cheese, it’s simply the crunchy crust that puts The Union’s in first place (something you miss out on at Beecher’s in their small cup, ice-cream-scoop serving method as a result of their endless line down Pike Street).  If you’re feeling particularly exploratory, try The Union’s Mac & Cheese with ham or better yet, lobster – my favorite… my mouth is watering as I type.  Two other dishes worth noting are the Caesar Salad (which I know sounds boring, but I’ve spent years trying to replicate the dressing – it’s heavenly) and the Press (an iron-pressed panini that changes daily and I’ve never had one I didn’t finish).  I won’t even get started on the Sunday breakfast.  Holy Eggs Benedict and Biscuits & Gravy!  Dear Clarkston Union, please come cater my future wedding life.

As if my food rant wasn’t enough, the interior of The Clarkston Union is nothing short of inspirational as a designer.  An old church turned bar/restaurant, the structure retains its beauty in its original stained glass windows as well as pews for a creative (and setting appropriate) twist on banquette seating.  Funky accents such as vintage art, photography and wall objects, a disco ball and 40+ beer taps top this place off.  Enjoy The Clarkston Union with a Bell’s Oberon or Hopslam (my two favorite beers) from Kalamazoo, Michigan and thank me later.

If you can’t make it to Michigan anytime in the near future, check out The Clarkston Union on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on The Food Network December 12th at 10:00pm. 

{Beer menu on the outside patio}

{The best Caesar Salad ever.  Period}

{The “most macked” Mac & Cheese}

{Scrumptious crust}

{I got mine with lobster!  Mmmm!}

{Snapped a shot of my dad’s cheese burger}

{Great design}

{From the entrance}

{I love all of the original details – the hardwood floors, pews for booths, chalkboard beer and wine menus, stained glass…}

{Vintage artwork, photos, bingo}

{Beer taps for days… some of the best micro brews available including Bell’s}

{Love}

{Gorgeous}

Friday Flowers – Ana

Shortly after Tiffany and Troy’s wedding, I received a message from a girl named Ana who was interested in chatting with me about doing her wedding flowers.  She was a friend of Tiffany’s so I was happy to find out more about what she wanted for her big day.  She was incredibly sweet, full of spirit and I was thrilled to hear that she loved color and what she referred to as “happy flowers”.  However, toward the end of our conversation, I was a taken aback when she told me that her wedding was in November of 2012, not 2011 as I’ve never had someone contact me that far in advance.  She clarified that the reason for this was because she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer she’d been diagnosed with the year before and just wasn’t sure when she would have good weeks and bad.  She wanted everything set in stone so that she wasn’t enduring too much stress too close to the wedding.  I was completely shocked to hear this as by the sound of her voice, I could have never guessed.  She was just that vibrant, lovely and high spirited.

When I met with Ana in person about two months ago, she looked much worse than I’d anticipated.  She was incredibly thin, but she was just as happy and full of life as she’d sounded on the phone.  Her fiance accompanied her to our meeting and the two of them excitedly showed me around their venue and pointed out their favorite wedding flower clippings pasted to Ana’s inspiration board.  Like most brides, she knew exactly what she wanted:  Absolutely no roses except for one red rose on an empty chair for her father who had passed away from cancer the year before (because those had been his favorite) and tall vases with submerged tulips, orchids and floating Gerber daisies.  I left the meeting excited, but concerned.  She assured me she was doing just fine and she was excited to meet again this November to see a few samples.

On Monday, Tiffany called me to let me know Ana had passed away over the weekend at the age of 28, almost one year after her diagnosis and almost one year before her wedding day.  When we hung up, I completely lost it.  I’d hardly known her, but there was something really special about her.  I wish I’d called her to check in two weeks ago before her condition worsened and I wish I’d had the chance to arrange her “happy flowers” for the happiest day of her life.  Any age is too young to lose the battle to cancer, but 28 with so much life ahead is way, way too young.

In honor of Ana, I could think of nothing more appropriate than for this Friday Flowers to be happy flowers.

Wishing everyone the very best this weekend.  Remember to smile at the little things, find joy in the journey, love with all your might and make every moment count. 

Desk Dilemma + Ghost Chair Obsession = New Office

When we moved into our apartment (just over a year ago – yikes!) we were in a scramble to furnish our place on the cheap.  Neither of us had much furniture to start and in trying to combine my slightly feminine design eye with the manliest of all boyfriend’s masculinity and comfort concerns, we wound up with a pretty traditional space and (in my personal opinion) way too many black case goods – including our desk.  While we got a steal on the custom piece, it’s one of those things that just wasn’t fully thought-out before we shelled out close to nothing for it.  Come to find out, I absolutely loath a black work surface (I know, it sounds ridiculous), but there is something so clean, fresh and motivating to me about a white or mirrored desk that the abundance of darkness is just discouraging.  And quite frankly, it gives me a headache when I work from it.  To make matters worse, we never purchased a chair for our desk so I’ve just been using one of our super uncomfortable (Ikea seagrass) dining chairs in the interim.  WAH!  I know I sound like a big baby right now, but I’m ALL about pretty (and functional) work spaces.

That being said, last week I finally reached my breaking point.  Since my other half insists on keeping the desk black, I’ve decided to order a mirror for the top.  And since I’m the only one working from it with a sore bum from the terrible chair, I decided to order this chair, which I’ve been eying for quite some time.  Truth be told, I have an undying love for ghost chairs.  The timeless lines of the traditional Louis XVI chair combined with the contemporary visual weightlessness of lucite, makes for the perfect transitional piece to accompany either traditional or modern decor.  To my surprise the chair came in just a few days of ordering, is much sturdier than originally thought and is one of the best knock-offs I’ve ever seen.  I’ll share some pictures soon, but take a look at the few images that inspired me to take the plunge.

{Great dining room.  Image source unknown}

{Effortless style.  Via}

{Neoclassical meets modern – gorgeous.  Via}

{Beautiful!  Via}

{Mirrored desk, lucite chair.  Done and done!  Via}

{Rustic white desk, bookshelves, faux fur.  Love. Via}

Wedding Flowers

My cousin Mike recently asked the love of his life to marry him and I’m absolutely thrilled not only for their future together, but to be doing their wedding flowers next year 😉  YAY!  I couldn’t think of a more splendid way to welcome Erin into our family and can’t wait for their big day (next September) which still seems way too far away to wait.  Erin found a bouquet she fell in love with online, so when I was home recently for their engagement party, I decided to try to replicate it as much as possible and experimented with what will potentially be the perfect centerpieces for their autumn Northern Michigan vineyard nuptials.  What do you think?!

Autumn Accessorizing

As I mentioned here, the impossible heat made it difficult for me to fully embrace fall (usually my favorite season) until a short while ago.  Now that Halloween is right around the corner, I’ve decided to finally break out a few autumn accessories to spruce up our place.  I know, I know… I’m a bit late.  Below is the look I created for our entryway last year and I’m hoping to recreate something similar today.  What do you think?  What are your favorite fall accessories?

Grace Bonney on The Nate Berkus Show

If you know design, you know Design*Sponge.  DS has been a go-to of mine for inspiration for years and I was thrilled to hear that Grace Bonney was going to be featured on The Nate Berkus Show today.  I LOVE her DIY projects and today, in true Grace Bonney form, they were not only incredibly chic and creative, but also very affordable.  My favorite had to be the $75 bright blue door dining table…  gah!  I’ve been dying to create my own refurbished door dining table, but our little loft is simply too small for that large of a piece.  Ahhh well… it shall have to wait for our next place, but I’ll be keeping this in my back pocket for when the time is right.  Click here to watch the full video and if you haven’t already picked up a copy of Design*Sponge at Home, you really should… I read it cover to cover on my flight home from Austin and can’t wait for (hopefully) a second 🙂

Little Log Cabin Love

My love of interior design started when I was a little girl, not only though my mother’s teachings but through my absolute fascination with history.  I can not even tell you how many times I read the entire Little House on the Prairie series, Little Women and subsequently wrote my own story books about pioneers and great American historical events.  My dad and grandpa built me a playhouse one year for my birthday and within days the entire thing was outfitted with vintage lanterns, chairs, mason jars and other knick-knacks from an antique show my mom and I went to every year in Petoskey, Michigan.  In school, one of my favorite projects of all time was constructing a log cabin with branches from our back yard, a moss roof and tiny furniture made by hand.  I had completely forgotten about that project until browsing Joss & Main this morning and I stumbled upon this log cabin in the Young House Love Outside In sale.  HOW FUN!  I’m obsessed!  What a great gift for a little girl (or boy) that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a TV screen or computer.  This brought back a world of memories and I hope to one day inspire my own future children to appreciate history… and design 🙂

If you haven’t signed up for Joss & Main yet… DO IT!  And make sure you check out all of the amazing furniture, accessories and artwork in the Outside In sale.

Think Pink!

As I’m sure most of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (as I mentioned here) and every year I’m pleasantly surprised at how much more cause consciousness is increasing during the month of October.  From pink cleats, towels and mouth guards in the NFL (how cool is that?) to pink LED lit towers all over the world, hundreds of industries now strive to raise awareness of this horrible reality that strikes 1 out of 8 women and will effect every one of us in some capacity at least once in our lifetime.

As an interior design geek, I was thrilled to hear that SUITE New York was going to be raising awareness in their own creative way through the The Pink Swan Project.  This is the second installment of their Pink Project, featuring the iconic Swan Chair originally conceptualized by legendary designer, Arne Jacobsen.  Nineteen of the world’s leading designers including Karim Rashid, Alexandra Von Furstenberg, Madeline Weinrib, Jonathan Adler, Margherita Maccapani Missoni and Nate Burkus, to name a few, participated by creating their own rendition of the shapely, historic chair which are being auctioned throughout the month of October on Charitybuzz.com.  Proceeds are benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  Check out the entire collection here as well as the touching stories of inspiration behind the individual designs. Here are a few of my favorites:

{Vicente Wolf}

{Madeline Weinrib}

{D.B. Kim of PYR for Swarovski}{Victoria Hagan}

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