Knoll Furniture meets Shelter Island

 Over the weekend I was in Shelter Island and I think I fell in love with this little town...
I had the pleasure of heading over to a family friends home for a wonderful dinner party. (The CEO of Knoll furniture and his wife) After walking in this place, I almost had a heart attack, I was so blown away by the stylish decor. When they mentioned to me that their home was featured in AD, I thought "of course!"
 So I finally found the gorgeous shots of the space and let me tell you. It really is this good, if not better. There was so much more than just what these photos show. It literally was so good and every little detail was done with such perfect intentions. I just loved it. Each piece of furniture is so good. I just wanted to take everything home with me.



 
I think the best part of the entire home was the backyard. The infinity-ish pool was incredible and the outdoor 10 person table make the perfect place for outdoor entertaining! The perfect place to spend your summertime. 
images Architectural Digest june 2013

bliss in the kitch'...Vintage Vixen

Every once and a while I come across a photographed home that really inspires me. It's not particularly  well designed but its well lived in. The decor, however, is so well done and really gives that collected look which I happen to adore and completely admire. Not many people can pull this look off well but this woman, Laura Gonzalez, did it and did it well. This little kitchen just makes me want to spend time learning new recipes, cutting flowers, have tea...so cute. 
 How adorable is this little dog? I mean seriously, he makes the room. Oh and the bookcase styling is beyond comparison, I love the way the butterflies keep it consistent and put together. I really enjoy mirrored coffee tables and this large block one is so good.

 I think its always wise to use baskets in open shelving to keep things looking organized. It looks so great especially next to the floral wallpaper. Such a femme fab space. 
images via moodboard

THE GOOD WOOD. Kelly Wearstler in Seal Beach


Just the other day I was shopping around Flatiron area and I happened to stumble across this amazing store that sells custom wood paneling. Now, I grew up in Austin, Texas, the mother land of wood paneling, therefore I like to steer clear of wood paneling as I think its too much. Lately though, I have been seeing some paneling in homes that really is chic and I'm into it. Things always come full circle I guess. 
Naturally, when this Kelly Wearstler Seal Beach spot came into my life (the pages of Rhapsody) I took it almost as confirmation. Perhaps wood paneling isn't so bad. Especially with incredible flooring to match. I love the way this little bar cart area is styled. I'm loving the splatter paint looking dishware. So very Ms. Wearstler. 
 These calming bedrooms are the perfect place to relax. I am so beyond ready for summer! 
images Kelly Wearstler design, photography by Grey Crawford for Rhapsody via Sukio

Stylishly living in Spain...

While I was in Madrid, I didn't really care about buying any Spanish paraphernalia, but I did however, stock up on as many decor magazines as I could. Madrid has an incredible collection of decorating magazines. I couldn't buy enough of them, they are just too good. I love America, but we could really take a cue from the magazines over seas. 

Nuevo Estilo was my favorite one and this months cover feature was my absolute favorite. A completely California chic look in Madrid. I love everything about this space. It's charming, relaxed, collected and incredibly chic. As I said in yesterdays post, I really love a collected look and not just everything so contrived. I think partly because I relate to changing around my home decor almost daily, an ever evolving collection of beauty. Of course she happens to be a fashion designer, only a chic girl would have a striped bedroom.


 I find that the most stylish rooms have a very eclectic look. Key pieces that are on trend and mix together for a killer combo. That's so very decorista style. 
Chesterfield sofa + Slim Aarons print + gold bamboo table + exotic rug + glass coffee table = YES! 

 I have been seriously considering black and white stripes in my kitchen. Love this look.

images via Nuevo Estilo home of CARLA REBUELTA

The Paris apartment of Jean-Louis Denio

It really has been a long while since...
I have been inspired by anything in design. Kelly Wearstler is the main gal who pushes boundaries and creates something oh so fresh, it always leaves me wanting more. Well, Jean-Louis Denio does that for me. I have seen a few shots of his work here and there but the other day I came across his Paris apartment and wow.  With my recent infatuation with modern Parisian spaces, this sealed the deal for me, HE KILLED IT.

 Not just your average black and white stripes, which for me are starting to grow a little tired. He tricked out his dining room in mixed metallic horizontal striped wallpaper. Yes! Ah, I just love it. Then in one bathroom, he pushed the envelope with a diagonal greige theme...my goodness, its good! 


 Now, please don't think I am cheating on New York or the rest of country, I love my home. I just find it incredibly intoxication to find inspiration from forward thinking, especially in design. This guy has really rocked my world. You wouldn't think it but this apartment is actually really small. So these photos really show how great design can trick the eye. This is some solid design skill. Love.


The perfect grey sofa...

The perfect sofa...
It's such an intense mission to really find the right sofa for your home. There are beyond so many sizes, shapes and colors it can be so daunting. If things were my way, I would have a different sofa every other month, I just love so many different ones. When committing to the perfect for my new digs I really don't even know where to begin. When I spotted this room, I felt my heart skip a beat. The story behind this living room (I read it a few times over) and this lovely grey sofa is so fun and seriously one of the things I love so much about design and decorating. The story of how other peoples homes evolve, etc.
This sofa and pair of art deco glam chairs really had me over the edge. The homeowner really must be such a chic person.
images via cotedetexas

office space of the day...an artists abode {Olatz Schnabel}

Through the years of writing about design, I have learned so much about my own taste. Each season I have new and different looks that I would classify as "my own style", yet with every emerging new year I look back upon past articles and see styles that I fall in love with all over again. The bedroom of Olatz Schnabel and her artist Husband Julian has captured my heart all over again...
turquoise walls + pops of red + wooden secretary + black and white photo collection =
domestic bliss
for the rest of this beautiful home...

I have never seen colored walls done through a home like this one. The blue walls in this bedroom are absolute perfection. I have used this color in a bedroom before and the client still raves to this day. The color is topped off with a gorgeous exotic rug. It's so important to use modern rugs like these, they are so on trend right now. I also adore the kitchen, the mossy green is fantastic especially next to the black and white tile. Genius.
Black and white checkered tile in the bath is also killer with the copper fixtures. Such eccentric lighting  as they have thrown in is key in this kind of home. Beautiful.
This last photo is my dream. A beautiful outdoor space for morning coffee conversations. Swoon.
images via NY Times

PARISIAN FANTASY

With my trip to Paris coming soon I have been researching the things & places that I must see. Elle Decoration is one of my favorite magazines for art and architecture in France and I just can't get enough of it. I can't read or speak in French, yet, so I am not sure what this is of but I am blown away by this magnificently decorated home...

 I love how layered and artistic this home is. While I love how bright colored and funky patterns abound right now in American home decor, my eye is drawn to edgy pieces, curvy lines, sumptuous fabrics, muted colors, moldings, and very high gloss paint. 
 These things are totally refining my style and I am beyond excited to get inspired for some new projects I have coming up. Im ready to get bold in bringing in some unexpected items with history and using things that are ridiculously oversized. 
images via Elle Decoration

office space of the day...ESSENTIAL GREENS

gorgeous green parsons desk + bamboo chair + dark wood floors + silver lamp + pretty plant =
domestic bliss
This adorable home is fitted with the prettiest of green accessories...

An art wall with kelly green frames and a painted stair runner to match is such a stylish idea. I can not get enough of how cute this is. 
Hints of grey and yellow are blended in perfectly with the pretty greens. I love it. 
Mixed metallics go a long way in this entryway. The gold geometric light fixture and sunburst mirror add such dashing personality to the entryway.
This amazingly stylish house can be found here.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS: the french effect

Every once and a while I stumble upon a gorgeous home filled with the look of Parisian Glamour and I am instantly drawn into daydream mode. I would say that I typically like more modern glamour in my own decor, but I can't help but notice the elements of the oh so sophisticated french look...
The main stays for capturing the look of France are gold mirrors +  chandeliers + curvy chairs + sometimes a dash of velvet.
In my designs I like to incorporate these elements mixed with different looks for my personal favorite style...ECLECTIC GLAMOUR. However, this home is quite the gem. 
images via House Beautiful photos by Bjorn Wallander

STYLISH IN SEATTLE {rue magazine may/june}

I am so beyond excited about the new issue of Rue...its really good! I am especially fond of the home features this issue, my girl Cassandra (of Coco + Kelley) finally unveiled her decorating + styling skills. Her Seattle apartment is oh so cute and totally her. I just love seeing where people live and how they decorate, it really lets you in on a person's true personality. I think thats why I have such a love for decorating and design...

 Cass is so good at styling and putting vignettes together! I love the way the photographer really captured her aesthetic. 


 Don't we all have a love for this Zgallerie chandelier? Hello aqua! 
images via Rue magazine, styling + decor by Cassandra Lavalle + photography by Belathee

Home Tour: Stylish Brooklyn living via NYTIMES

These summer like days in New York are absolutely wonderful, I swear I wake up and take on the day with an extra spring in my step. Hello sunshine! 
What else puts a little brightness on my day? Seeing amazing spaces with outrageous wallpaper. The moment I saw this dining room in a NYTimes article, my eyes almost popped out. How incredibly chic is this Vivienne Westwood, tromp l'oell plaid wallpaper. It's fabulous behind the pair of Hello Kitty solider portraits (I just can't get over how cool those are). Finishing off with a wood dining table + benches. Hello...this Brooklyn pad is so incredibly cool...
I also love this living room. Metallic wallpaper and glam accessories make for such a good eclectic mix.

 The girls room with flamingo wallpaper. These are my favorites all in one home. I wanna live here. 
 Such a chic little family aren't they. I wish my parents were that cool.
  kidding. my parents are awesome!

House Tour: Inside the home of Nina Bergsten

Nina Bergsten...no idea who this woman is but her style is OH SO VERY chic. Stockholm is her home, so she has that Swedish style on lock. White walls, white furnishings with bits of black and rustics in the mix. What I love most is the touch of pretty pastels added throughout which really give the masculine look such a soft, feminine touch. Its perfection in my book...
How stylish is this woman? I think I need that sweater ASAP.


Images via RESIDENCE

Inside the home of Diane Von Furstenberg


What girl isn't inspired by Diane Von Furstenberg, I know I completely am! Being an entrepreneurial woman is powerful. I find myself always looking to women like her to keep me motivated and inspired. My favorite thing to do with people I admire is to see where they live. It gives you a glimpse into their true personality. It's just a small obsession of mine. 
Here architectural digest takes us inside her NYC playhouse. I love it...
Hello greenery...
I love this whole set up. The leopard print carpet, zebra chairs, branch table and of course the Warhol! 
Now this worktable is VERY office space of the day worthy...wouldn't you say?




scanned images via the decorator FOR MORE IMAGES = Architectural Digest

Harpers Bazaar: VERONICA SWANSON BEARD's COLORFUL DOMESTIC BLISS

Everything about this home tour is domestic bliss to me...
Cool minty blue walls and bright white pieces blend together so perfectly, especially with a touch of greenery.
Wouldn't you just freak for that chartreuse sofa mixed with pops of plum? I LIVE for it! 
black and white stripes in the living room are ALL THE WAY LIVE! 
all images via HARPERS BAZAAR

The Art of Living...how to decorate Mid Century Modern style

I love all styles of decor, its part of being a decorista to the core. Not every style looks good though and mid century modern is one of those that can go all wrong. I particularly love this home and how they rocked the look. Lots of white really keeps it fresh and piles of colorful cushions gives a little extra kick. The best part, really good artwork and gorgeous woods, you can't have old ratty wood for this look. It will kill it and be far too retro. Take a style cue from this fabulous pad. Oh and p.s. how GORGEOUS is that light fixture? So so good! 


style at home

How to decorate like a graphic designer...

Absolutely into the look of this home, it's a super gorgeous feature from Real Living Magazine. It really inspires me to see the homes of incredibly artistic and creative people. Ashley Haley is no exception, in her home she uses black, whites, nudes, and a mix of fun prints solid colors are big furniture. I love her how everything in the home has such a cool and hip graphic twist. She has really done of great job of pairing high's and low's, something not every gal can do. I guess graphic designers can have mad style too! 



images.

Home Tour: Angela Cunha's black and white stripes

This super fun + modern home tour is the home of Angela Cunha, a portugese interior designer. She sent me some lovely photos of her home so I thought they would be perfect to share with all of you. What impressed me right off the bat are the abundance of black and white stripes throughout her space. I am absolutely crazy about the black, gray and white striped wall. So clever and stylish. It's really a job well done.

to see the rest of this stripe filled pad...

images from angela's blog.