Off to learn about organic cotton!

Hello all :) I'm headed to Monterey, CA for the rest of the week to attend the International Organic Exchange conference! So excited! However, the blogging will be a bit sporadic this week, as our eco-friendly hotel rooms are without internet, tv or phones (haha). In the mean time, please enjoy these beautiful organic ensembles from She-Bible. I'm loving the innovative shapes and soft organic cotton ;)

Love it!

Ah, the power of paint! This image from the November 2007 issue of Cottage Living makes me want to run to a garage sale immediately! Atlanta decorator Lee Kleinhelter used a few coats of Benjamin Moore's Rumba Orange high-gloss paint to transform a boring pine dresser into a chic, eye-catching piece. I'm in love!

Viva Ms. Eva

(Photo: Annie Schlechter)

Hailed as "one of the 10 most stylish women in fashion" by Vogue, Eva Jeanbart Lorenzotti has aways fascinated me. Her handpicked treasures from across the globe can be seen in her semi-annual Vivre catalog, and now thanks to Global Guide we can also take a look into her home! The April 2007 issue of Domino (as seen above) also ran a great story on her closet and dressing room, but this is the first time I have seen the rest of her home. (click images to enlarge)

I'm loving the combo of the paisley print wallpaper below, paired with the spotted leopard chair and a touch of turquoise. (Photos: Mark Seelen) In an interview with Eva in the Fall '07 issue of Global Guide, she states "my approach to decorating is very much the same as my approach to building a wardrobe; it is all about collecting. I fall in love with things and mix many strong colors and styles." She also claims that "how someone puts together their home can evoke many emotions and sentiments that are essential components of style."

Below are two gorgeous shots of Eva's dressing room as seen in the April 2007 issue of Domino.

Grace Kelly at Sotheby's

Since I've read so many good things about the Grace Kelly exhibit at Sotheby's via Habitually Chic and Brilliant Asylum, I decided to check it out this afternoon on its closing day. What a great decision! The exhibit was absolutely packed with memorabilia including family videos, personal notes, Grace's jewelry collection and engagement ring (which was unreal), her Oscar, couture garments and of course her iconic Hermes bag! Many of the items had never been previously seen outside of Monaco. An exhibition catalog is available via Sotheby's website which includes 137 pages of personal photographs of her life, as well as Town and Country's current issue: A Tribute To Grace Kelly.

Washington Square haunting

High on my list of favorite activities are A) decorating, and B) scaring the crap out of myself. That's why I couldn't be more excited to check out the haunted Merchant's House in Washington Square!

Built in 1832, the red brick and white-marble row house is New York City's only family home preserved intact from the nineteenth century, complete with the family's original furnishings and personal possessions. "Unfinished needlework, family photographs, a shaving mirror, sewing boxes -- leave the uncanny impression that the family has just stepped out for a while." (merchants house website) According to the New York Times, "One simply walks through the beautiful doorway into another time and place in New York." The NY Times has also referred to it as "Manhattan's most haunted house."

The house was owned by Seabury Tredwell, a wealthy NY merchant who ran a hardware importing business near the South Street Seaport. His family lived in the home until 1933 when his daughter, Gertrude Tredwell, died in an upstairs bedroom of the house. Seabury had forbidden her to marry the man she loved and she died a recluse spinster at the age of 93. Reports of her sighting in the home have been made ever since, and Henry James' "Washington Square" is said to be based upon her life. Read more about the apparent haunting in this New York Times article.

Haunting or no haunting, the Merchant's House is worth a visit to check out its Greek Revival interiors and Federal-style facade.

Cool site!

So today I stumbled across a cute blog called Our Wishful Wardrobe where I was introduced to Polyvore, a fun little site where you can create your own ensembles! I doubt I'd ever take the time to make my own, but it's certainly fun to check out what others have come up with ;) The best part is that you can click on the items and be taken directly to websites to purchase them. (Which basically takes the guesswork out of dressing yourself. Pretty sweet if you ask me)

Gallery Walls

Domino, Jan/Feb 2007

One of the easiest ways to make a statement in a room is with art! Now I know what you're thinking: "I don't have any art!" but I assure you, that's not the case. “Art” DEFINITELY includes framed pics of friends, magazine cut outs (vintage ads look great framed), sketches (even if you think they suck- chances are they will look great framed), flea market paintings, notes from friends, etc! To help yourself figure out how to hang a collection of “art,” lay it all out on the floor and arrange it until you think it looks good. Then, take a picture of it and make sure you still like the way it looks in the photo (you’ll be surprised how the look can change). Once you’re happy with the arrangement, hang the largest piece first and refer to the photo for placement of the rest, maintaining an equal distance between each piece for a more tailored look, or random spacing between (as seen above) for a more eclectic look. Whatever you do, don’t stress about hanging them- it really doesn’t need to be difficult and small errors in spacing can actually add character ;) Check out some of my favorites (credited when sources known).

Domino May 2006

Kate Spade's home, as seen in World of Interiors, December, 2006

Domino April 2007

Off to Boston!

Happy weekend! (Left: "Cobblestone Street and Historic Homes of Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts, USA" by John and Lisa Merrill. Right: Silhouette paperweight by John Derian)

Have a GREEN Christmas!

We Are What We Do, the organization that brought you the infamous Anya Hindmarch 'I'm Not a Plastic Bag' shopper, is continuing its ongoing campaign to stop the widespread use and waste of plastic bags this holiday season. Round two of the campaign, titled 'Plastic Ain't my Bag,' will include a logo found on shop windows to remind shoppers this holiday season to avoid the use whenever possible. According to We Are What We Do, UK consumers use an estimated ten billion bags a year. Each of these bags take 500 years to biodegrade. Yikes. It's unclear whether this campaign will run in the US as well (the Anya Hindmarch bag certainly did) but regardless, the message is clear ;)

Oh Happy Day!

I was beyond thrilled to find the holiday issue of Blueprint on the way home from the gym this morning! Forget Halloween- I'm totally ready for Christmas!! Here are some of my fave images and ideas.

Ok, this is just genius. (And gorgeous.) Cynthia Rowley's REVERSIBLE taffeta skirt is so perfect for holiday parties!! (ahem, did I mention it's REVERSIBLE??!) It has such a classic shape and would look insanely perfect with a leopard print clutch! And, as Blueprint kindly pointed out, if you spill an hors d'oeuvre on it, just do a little switch-a-roo in the ladies room ;)

Finally, a great way to use mini-lights indoors without resembling a college dorm room! Blueprint editors took a basic art store canvas and painted it a pale pink, then poked tiny holes through which they placed the tip of the mini-bulbs! (Be sure no cords are in sight.) For complete instructions, check out the November/December issue.

I'm really into the garland and the collection of silhouettes...and the dog. (not so much the dress...)

FutureFashion Show @ ABC!

Tonight's House & Garden Design Happening event, "FutureFashion," was a celebration of sustainable fashion and home furnishings. Presented by House & Garden and Earth Pledge and hosted by ABC, the event featured fashions from designers such as Lela Rose and Oscar de la Renta. All garments were created with renewable, reusable and nonpolluting eco-textiles with innovative fibers made of corn, pineapple, bamboo, lyocell, and even tilapia "sea leathers!" Meanwhile, party-goers were free to mingle and sit on ABC's extensive collection of eco-friendly furnishings. Check it out (hopefully more fashion pics to come- the lighting and angles made it tough to take good pics!)

Cheap Trick

Like the look of bold-patterned wallpapers but afraid to try them in your own home? Check out this great idea in Hip Hollywood Homes. The Los Angeles home of publicist Lara Shriftman, decorated by architect Tim Andreas, features a small segment of bold wallpaper placed as the focal point in the room. This trick requires little long-term commitment and can immediately transform a blah room! The best part is that this can easily be done with one roll, (with plenty to spare!) meaning you can go for a gorgeous designer paper and use the rest to line drawers, frame, wrap gifts, etc!

Below are some of my favorite bold-patterned papers from Walnut Wallpaper. Walnut is one of the first websites to bring 'to-the-trade-only' papers to non-designers! (Translation: you can get your favorite Cole and Son wallpaper without hiring a decorator!) The best way to view the papers online is to search by designer- for some reason that's the only way to see them all.

Vintage Modern

I have always loved the idea of buying vintage clothing, but somehow I never seem to find the right shape, fit, price, look- you name it. So when I found the Wisteria Cardigan at Anthropologie, I was beyond thrilled! The buttery yellow cotton combined with vintage-looking white appliques and chocolate brown buttons reminds me of a sweater I would find in one of my grandma's old photo albums. It is available in Anthropologie stores (it's no longer online, but definitely in stores- call around) and looks great paired with kelly green or leopard! It also reminds me of Kate Spade's yellow sweater, as seen in the July/August issue of Australia's Vogue Living.I heart this combo ;)(left to right) Anthropologie Wisteria Sweater and AG Denim Trousers, Kenneth Jay Lane White Cocktail Ring, Kate Spade Camel Tripoli Sonia Tote.

{Currently} My Favorite Home

It's not often that I will post almost every image from an article, but in this case I simply had to make an exception. Featured in the November, 2005 issue of Domino, the home of Ashley Edwards literally couldn't be more inspiring to me. Ashley, a graphic designer in Houston, (formerly a senior graphic designer for Barneys New York) fills her beautiful Georgian-style home with the perfect mixture of vintage and modern pieces for a look that's chic and not at all pretentious. (click on the images to see them in their full glory ;)In the living room, the stately linen drapes, sisal rug, silver candelabra, window shutters and crown moulding work to tone down the mod, midcentury metal chair, graphic prints, faux-zebra rug and lipstick-red 60's ottoman. The art poster at right is titled "Gretchen" by Robert Longo, while the New York print at left was designed by Milton Glaser as a reaction to the events of September 11th. Ashley's slate-gray home office walls were inspired by Thomas O'Brien's New York store, Aero. Her white storage unit and desk were both custom-built, but very similar versions can be found at West Elm and Ikea. The striped vintage chair paired with a yellow pom-pom fringe pillow is again a perfect mixture of vintage and modern. (It's also very Kate Spade in feel.) I love how Ashley painted all the doors in her home with high-gloss, black paint. The crystal knobs again lend a traditional feel to a look that could otherwise lean very modern.

Finally, in her bedroom below, Ashley creates a soothing effect by pairing grays and creams with mahogany colored wood and her standard black and white palette. The look is much more traditional, lacking the bold colored mod pieces and prints found in the rest of her home. And there you have it: the house of my dreams :)