Design.Wine.Dine.

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}

Gallery Wall Love

Our entryway in our apartment is comprised of a long hallway with the right wall opening up into our living space.  Right now it’s horribly empty and screams at me daily for a few big pieces of art or a gallery wall.  Since I have several empty frames laying around that are dying to be filled and hung, I decided to take the gallery wall route and I can’t wait to get it completed.  What better way to display memories, art and a few inspirational typography quotes?!  The space is currently taped off (and I’ll share images in a “how to” over the course of the next few weeks) as we wait for a few final items to pull the whole look together, but here are some of my inspirations that I keep coming back to for organization reference.

{I saw this wall last year in Pottery Barn and have been hanging onto the image ever since.  Love the paint color, the textures, the varying frame sizes…. Swoon!}

{Gorgeous!  Great mixtures of ledges, lighting, photography and art. Via}

{Layering technique obsession!  Via}

{While I wouldn’t want to use all mirrors, I like the idea of incorporating a few of them to add some light and reflection. Via}

{So chic.  Great black and white prints. Via}

{Simple and elegant. Gilt frames… yes please!!}

{Love this hallway with frames all the way up to the ceiling.  Via}

Welcome Fall!

Call me crazy, but I just can not get into the fall swing-of-things this year.  Friday was the first official day of fall in the northern hemisphere and I’m usually counting down the days to sip on Pumpkin Spice Lattes while bringing out warmer decor and autumn hues.  However, this year I’m finding it increasingly hard to trade in my oceanic blue/green Ikat pillows and summery coral for faux colorful leaves and gourds galore.  Perhaps I just didn’t get enough of summer or maybe it’s the persistent heat that’s totally killing the mood for me.  Determined to find some sliver of autumn-love within me, I grabbed my favorite fall themed latte and scoured Etsy for some autumn pillow covers that would transition seamlessly and still allow for accents of blue and green throughout our home.  In my quest, I found a few that I just LOVE and I can’t seem to make up my mind… and now I’m finally excited for my favorite season 😉  What do you think?

{Beautiful yellow damask… $25 for a set of two 16″ covers.  Found here}

{Divine velvet.  $46 for one 12×20″ lumbar cover.  Found here}

{Gorgeous orange.  $25 for one 18″ cover. Found here}

{This combination has almost everything that I like.  Ikat, geometric trellis, yellow…  $45 for various sizes and prints found here}

{Always a fan of grey and yellow combinations.  $38 for a 12×16″ cover found here}

{I am L-O-V-I-N-G the vibrancy of this Robert Allen print.  $40 found here}

{Also a fan of how effortlessly it pairs with blue and green.  $35 here}

{After searching around for this Robert Allen fabric, I finally found it here for $14.98/yd.  Awesome deal!  Do you like it?}

Office Space

I’m currently in the middle of wrapping up an office project so work spaces have definitely been on my mind lately. I can say without a doubt that they’ve quickly become one of my favorite spaces to design simply because there is an absolute science to human productivity.  Your environment can make or break the amount of work you’re able to get done in a given day (as well as your overall mental state) and organizational methods vary so much from person to person.  As a former Hollywood assistant, I thought the toughest yet most interesting parts of the job were not rolling calls, running (physically running) errands or dealing with celebrities – it was getting inside your boss’s brain and understanding their organizational methods (or lack thereof) so that they’re able to function in such a high-stress environment.  Clearly I was meant for a desk job in the Hills – not.  But in all seriousness, what I discovered was that no two agents’ methods were ever remotely close to being the same and I think that fact alone lays ground for an argument against identical, dull, grey cubicles in which so many Americans call home for 8+ hours a day.

In comes the inspiration… The new WhoWhatWear offices in LA have found a flawless balance between functionality and personality and I’m completely obsessed.  Check out some of my favorite images of their offices below.

{I love the clean, white palate… and the peonies add the perfect punch of color}

{The inspiration boards are the first thing you see upon entering the office and set the professional tone while a custom settee with accent pillows keep the space comfortable and personal}

{Close-up of inspiration board and accessories on top of the credenza}

{I LOVE the coral accents!  Looks familiar, no?}

{Add a punch of personality to your office with a fun business card holder}

{Really loving this mirrored fireplace/mantle idea… and not just for an office!}

{The chair and accent pillow keep the space comfortable while this book case from West Elm with magazine holders keeps everything clean and organized}

{Great way to store (ahh-hemm!) “necessities” that are just too pretty to put away}

{I spy vintage lamps, a jute hallway runner and ghost chair… Need I say more?  Obsessed!}

{All images taken via WhoWhatWear and The Coveteur}

Design High

I took a bit of a hiatus to make it through a few stressful projects last week, but I’m back in action and ready to share some of my latest inspirations.  I visited the LA Mart for the first time and goodness gracious!  I  have been missing out.  The PDC has always been my go-to for sourcing, but I was pleasantly surprised that the LA Mart far exceeded my expectations.  Two words:  Haptor Barrett.  I will definitely be back!  Below are a few of my favorites that still have me giddy with design high excitement.

{Checkerboard floors, Benjamin Moore grey walls, beautiful white wainscoting, crystal lamps and those HEAVENLY tangerine, leather chairs with nail-head trim.  Need I say more?}

{Detailed view of the chair… I’m in love}

{Neutral palates are my thing so I was a fan of this arrangement with subtle pops of green through simple accent pieces… and I’ll take those mirrored cabinets any day}

{Gorgeous}

{Neutral palate + tangerine accents + the clean lines of the shelving unit paired + white upholstered chair + industrial inspired coffee table = LOVE}

{Putting book shelves behind a bed is something I’d never thought of doing.  Not only is it a great functional storage solution, but would add so much visual interest to a space with some careful accessorizing}

{Classic indigo/white, porcelain Chinoiserie lamp paired with coral atop a mercury glass end table.  Classic, fresh and beachy all in one.  Yes please}

{Upholstered book case with nail-head trim.  Original and elegant}

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