June 18, 2013

My Favorite Room on La Dolce Vita

Hi guys!! Long time, did you miss me? I’m sorry, I’ll try not to go a whole week silent again… that wasn’t cool. I have a treat for you, though! My dear friend, Erica, came in this weekend and inspired me to finally finish up that guest room of mine. I love how it turned out… very Boho vintage with a dose of glam and a dollop of prep.

I’m excited to be sharing all of the details in La Dolce Vita‘s fabulous series, My Favorite Room. Please check out the full room HERE.

I’ll be back a little later to share all of sources and stories behind each element. Most are vintage/one of a kind, so that’s what I mean by “stories…”

Hope you like! xo

June 7, 2013

thoughts on my dining area

In the past, I haven’t shown much of the process mid-design in my place because I think I’ve been a little embarrassed to reveal how often I change my mind and in turn, change the design. I experiment, I make holes, I move things around, I make mistakes, I edit, edit ,edit. (Case in point: My Bedroom.) Well the heck with embarrassment, today I’m just shooting from the hip. I make no promises to do anything, I’m just thinking out loud.

And I’m thinking about my dining area. So this is what I’ve got going on right now, but it is all changing.

I already hung my new chandelier. It’s the Edmund by Arteriors and I LURVES it.

It’s antiqued brass, glass, faceted and just stunning in person.

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June 4, 2013

Bedtime Story… Or how I hacked my Ikea Bed

A girl, a Dream and a few yards of DIY Hand-Blocked Fabric

Ok, the time has come for me to tell my bed story. Note: I’m not calling this a DIY. Frankly it was very difficult and involved collaborations with a professional carpenter (dad) and fashion designer/ expert sewer (sister) and I don’t recommend doing the whole thing yourself. I didn’t read a single how-to post before starting this project, I didn’t prepare at all, I just dove in and realized half way through I was way over my head. I’m dumb, silly, lucky and a little bit wiser now.

Nevertheless, a lot of you have asked about it. So let’s get down to it.

It started with a hand-carved paisley wood stamp. The first thing I did when I put an offer on the cottage was buy this stamp. I didn’t know where I would use it or what application (curtains, bedding, upholstery, on the walls?), but I knew I needed it in my life. I bought the paisley block print from HERE on Etsy. I loved that the scale was large (8″ high) because most of the wood blocks I found were only half the size.

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May 22, 2013

Question

How many times can you change up your bedroom before you are deemed certifiably crazy?

At least a dozen, right? After all, you have to crack a few eggs to…

{I originally bought these ikat pillows for a client but then couldn’t give them away}

{Gold pillow was moved from living room}

***

The NEXT post I do will be on this Darn DIY bed, promise.

That means it may be awhile… hehe.

May 20, 2013

Nesting

With travel plans falling through last minute, I found myself home this weekend with no plans on the books and a huge feeling of relief. Life has been so hectic recently so I luxuriated in some quiet time. I puttered, I ran errands, I vacuumed and I began to decorate. Inspiration was flowing and I was roaming the house “tweaking” and moving things around. I’m weirdly ADD when I decorate. I tend to get inspiration in bursts and follow it wherever it leads me. I’ll be working in the living room, run upstairs to grab a pillow, end up getting distracted and start messing with my bedroom, only to grab a water downstairs and be lured again to my living room arranging. It’s a miracle I get anything done.

But I did! Furniture got moved all around. Art arrangements were hung. Art walls are a challenge . For me it is always a big experiment in balance. Still tweaking, but I’m glad I’ve at least made a few holes.

Also, Pillows were styled. I had myself a grand experiment, grabbing every pillow in the house and piling them on the living room rug. I mixed and matched and cocked my head and analyzed how each arrangement brought a different personality to the room. Pretty much every pillow I own looks good in my living room. I guess that’s the joy of a neutral backdrop. While each of the rooms in my house are distinct, I am able to intermix pillows between them to switch up the look of the space. I felt the urge to mix it up and now my bedroom, guest room and living room have their summer makeovers. Shopping in ones own home can be quite fun.

I’m still tweaking the final arrangement, but in the meanwhile, here are a few pairings that I thought were cute.

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