a bit of union jack for the Royal Wedding day...

I can't explain how fabulous it must be to live in the UK right now. Everything about the Royal Wedding this morning was oh so fabulous. Such a romantic day for us girls, to watch a real life prince charming say his vows...sigh. I can't get over how perfect and beautiful everything was. Not to mention, the words that were spoken...
"BE WHO GOD MEANT YOU TO BE AND YOU WILL SET THE WORLD ON FIRE!"
I died a little. 
I am ordering a union jack pillow immediately to remind me of this fabulous day!
and now a little something i made to remind me of this day...
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rooms that rock my world! {outdoor entertainer}

Oh how I am just loving this sunny New York weather. Lots of soirees and fun design events all over town, Spring is too much fun for this decorista. Lately I have been spending lots of time on rooftops having brunches and getting some sun. Now I am obsessed with making my rooftop cuter (if only they would let me decorate it). So today, I wanted to share my inspiration with you. 
Happy outdoor entertaining!

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Decorating idea...things on walls

So here is a thought. If you don't like art or sunburst mirrors like the rest of us, it can be extremely confusing for you all to know exactly what to put on your walls. Something I have been noticing in the glossies lately are these gorgeous groupings of collections. Mary Macdonald, Miles Redd and the like, all use this clever trick for keeping the walls different and interesting. I'm totally into it. 


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art + room {animal art}

gorgeous blue walls + cozy beige sofa + ritzy gold acccents + sexy cheetah painting =
perfection
So loving this room, the minute I saw it, I got inspired for something a little more masculine. One way to really dress up a masculine room is animal art. It's so right now and translates into almost any style.
Elephants are usually my favorite, but I am also loving birds, cheetahs and zebras too. I adore this flamingo...too cute.
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bliss in the kitch' {pops of green + fabulous flooring}

Everything about this kitchen is perfectly sweet. I am drooling over the wood flooring, its so rustic looking. I love the way the bright white cabinetry and dreamy gray walls give a polished look to the flooring. So incredibly clever. The lighting and appliances also give such a sophisticated finish to the otherwise eclectic mix. However, I think my favorite part are the subtle pops of green...the perfect anecdote to this simple yet chic little kitch'. 
lovely little way to get some green into your kitch'...


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Dear Decorista, {staining your floors black}

Wondering if you can help?!  We have an old timber cottage in the mountains. We are nearly finished renovating but have come to a halt with the timber floor.
 Through the house we now have old stained floors, new timber floors. We have been advised that the easiest and most economical option is to paint the floors throughout. We think we will give this a go but we are a bit nervous. At this point the house is looking really good. We have managed to renovate but still retain the feel of a small rustic cottage and we don’t want to ruin the effect with a floor disaster. We want to go dark with the floor and if painting is a viable option we are thinking of painting the floor black but not sure this will look any good and not sure whether it should be matte or gloss or satin and so on.
Can you provide us with some inspiration?
Thanks...Sydney

Hi Sydney!
 I personally LOVE stained black floors, I think they look absolutely gorgeous. I prefer a beautiful satin as opposed to a high gloss wet finish, but its all about personal preference. Also, black floors are hard to keep ultra clean, but if you want your home to be a stunner, go for it! See these beautiful examples, hope they entice you to go dark!!!
i love this gorgeous white kitchen with black floors...a KILLER combo.
So...here we have a super glossy black floor...
and this is a matte black stained floor. Very rustic looking.
and finally my most favorite look....satin finish.


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style-icious Sunday {feeling very floral}

It's a lovely Sunday in the city and Easter is in full force today. Beautiful pastels and bright colors are permeating the streets. Spring has definitely arrived and I am loving this transition to amazingly bright florals and botanicals. So lovely and gorgeous, they remind me of the beautiful Los Angeles sunshine that I miss so very much. Today I revel in the vivacious colors that lovely florals bring...happiness!



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10 things that rocked my world this week! april 23

1. Everything about the iphone rocks and I learn so every single day. I have recently fallen for Red Stamp, the app for sweet photo card messages. So lovely, and its free! 

2. NYC has the most lovely apartments. This one in particular has such style. I love the matching frames on the wall and the mirrored pillow. Genius!
3. I attended a birthday party for a super fabulous artist at the Jade buildling (a building designed by Jade Jagger...super chic). It was such a stylish soiree, fashion bloggers and trend setters galore. The balloons reminded me of happy birthday memories. Jadore!
4. I went strolling through Chelsea the other day with my cousin and the puppy and I spotted the most fabulous flowers everywhere. I love the fact that spring has arrived and the flowers all over the city are in full force. It's so fun to see. 
5. Found my new favorite restaurant in the city (at least for now). Room Service, its a thai restaurant in Hell's Kitchen area. The decor was to die for! Literally. There was a huge crystal chandelier encased in glass in the middle of the restaurant. AMAZING!
6. Again, the Kate Spade stores really make me happy and I was dying over the fabulous rose wallpaper.  It's inspiring me for a new project and the mood board is in the works. This will be on it for sure!
7. It's awesome when you choose a fabric for a client, and use it in their home and they second guess it at first. Then all of a sudden its published in House Beautiful and then they love it! Too funny.
8. I love the downtown wall street area, its very European and gorgeous. I fell instantly for these gold geometric statues down on the sidewalk. Total decorista inspiration.
9. Brooklyn in the house. I love shopping down there and love these animal heads I found even more. Needing. Wanting. Loving. them!
10. I keep thinking about the hot pink pup I saw at the pet store. If The Decorista could have a mascot, I think this would be it. lol.

Introducing my newest contributor...The Decoristo

 Last week I let my sweet intern do his thing here on The Decorista and you guys gave him such a fabulous welcome. Thank you for being so sweet to him. He's so stylin', no? 
I wanted to give him a proper introduction, so you can get to know the boy behind the magic. 


 
Don't you just love him? Homan and I must come from the same style roots... loves.
 Hope you enjoy him as much as I do...
and stay tuned for his next post on Eclectic chic (one of my favorites)!
Happy weekend everybody! 

Secret of domestic bliss #48... the power of pillows

Pillows are the ultimate decorating accessory. Whatever your style is, the perfect pillows can make your space pop! If you are a fickle decorating person and love to change your home decor (sort of like me), I say stick with a neutral color palate and keep your pillows colorful and funky. I really love what pillows can do for your home, whether it be the pattern, colors, texture, or size. My suggestion... use your pillows to creatively express yourself and your personal style. 



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Elements of the perfect guest room

I was chatting it up with someone the other day about decorating their guest bedroom and we were discussing what a guest bedroom needs. Many times we overlook our guest bedroom as just a second bedroom when in fact its actually the very place that people dear to you will be getting their beauty sleep.  The perfect guest bedroom should be accessorized with your guests in mind. I personally love to deck out guest bedrooms in different themes, it's sort of that boutique hotel vibe that I love. What are some key decorating elements for the guest bedroom? Well, first of all the bedding is of the utmost importance, nobody wants to sleep on hard sheets...
Adequate lighting also is a necessity. You need to have a main bright light for the daytime and a soft, subdued light for late night reading. Ample reading material is also needed, sometimes guests aren't in their own bed, so reading helps them to fall asleep.
If I ever have guests over, I always make sure to have flowers by the bedside to brighten their day. Next to that I like to keep a glass and small pitcher for drinking water or maybe tea. Everything should be at arms distance. 
It's also quite nice for your guests to have an extra chair in the room to hang things or for you to sit and chat with them. It gives the room more of a "liveable" feeling. I also love to hang an extra robe for their R + R time. I mean wouldn't you wanted to be treated like a king or queen for the weekend? 

Ashlina styling projects: Luxury Monograms

Remember back when I told you guys I had a blast styling a photoshoot here in the city? Well, the campaign photos are finally here and I am so excited to share them with you. William Brinson was the photog and I had such a great time working with him. If you are looking for a superb photographer in the city, THIS is your guy. We love Luxury Monograms, a super cute line of monogrammed home goods.
I was so honored to be a part of the whole process. I LOVE being a stylist! 
Did the pictures come out great or what???

(notice my beautiful bedazzled iphone cover made an appearance. so chic)




The Decorista tip of the day...get an arch lamp asap

 The weather here in the city is rather odd lately, gorgeous one day, rainy and gross the next. I had a lot of time inside the apartment and was thinking about an easy way to glam up the living room. I had a marvelous idea, To get a little extra something in your space, get an arch lamp. They are gorgeous, modern, sexy and oh so glamorous! I am currently obsessed with the look of these bad boys. 

Anyone who has an arch lamp in their home has mad style. Everytime. They are just the thing to take your decor to the next level. How gorgeous does this room look with an arch lamp? Loving the tiger pillows and red leather club chairs. MEow! 

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the Art of Living...getting glamorous

One of the things I love most about being a girl is getting ready and putting on my makeup, playing with my hair, all that good stuff. I literally love the process. What is better than a fabulous place to do all of these fun things...nothing! Give me a pretty place to primp and I am a smitten kitten. Incredibly in love with glamorous vanities and primping stations.




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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