The Hills- Who knew?

I know that a lot of us are addicted to The Hills, regardless of how vapid the show really is. Entertainment Weekly is running a feature entitled "They Shoot- Lauren Conrad Scores" which includes behind the scenes scoop, calls her "a West Coast reincarnation of Carrie Bradshaw (if Carrie were a millionaire)" and explains that the show is MTV's biggest success ever. Season 4 premieres August 18th at 10pm.

Image via Entertainment Weekly

New Juicy Charms

LINK

Reddish Design Studio

Lovely designs
LINK

Which is dreamier?

I'm not sure which is dreamier...Patrick Demspsey a.k.a McDreamy or his gorgeous vintage Mercedes.

Hi Fabian! Love you, honey. :)

Images via Popsugar

Office Interiors from Milano Layout

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Blakes Hotel - Amsterdam (Anouska Hempel)

Last week I posted about Anouska Hempel's Blakes Hotel

in London. This week I also wanted to share with you the

Blakes hotel in Amsterdam which is a bit different in design

but dramatic and eye catching never the less.

The red and white room above shows off Hempel's

signature flair for drama and stark contrast.

Another gorgeously decked out room with rich

fabrics and of course a canopy bed.

The building's facade and architecture are

every bit as lovely as the designs inside.

The lobby and common areas of the hotel are designed

in a stark and modern design with heavy Japanese

overtones.

Clever use of the slanted walls.

A zen bedroom to match the soothing bath above.

A beautiful dining area with exposed brick.

And a wonderful courtyard

to enjoy alfresco dining.

All photos from Architectural Digest.

Visiting The Asher's Summer Cottage

Once in while you enter someone's home and you feel like you have been there before. So warm and inviting, you immediately feel relaxed and comfortable and think "Yes, I am finally home!" Many summers ago I was fortunate enough to meet some new friends from Canada who summer with us. They invited my family to a party at their home to celebrate Canada Day. That's when I first came upon The Asher's Summer Cottage. So sweet and perfectly nestled into its setting it took my breath my away. Sadly, the party was outdoors (as I was secretly dying to get in) but my new friend and I shared a love of decor and she graciously left her guests to give me a tour. She has again graciously let me inside her home so that I might share it with you.

You arrive via a wonderful antique brick pathway. Today I will share with you the family room and the kitchen. Please bear with my novice efforts at photography. The house is far more beautiful than my amateur photos can capture.

The kitchen is a lovely room flooded with sunshine. Casement windows and wide oak floors add to the cottage charm. Notice the marble topped antique bakers table, the custom built in banquette and floral embroidered pillows.

Opposite the dining table used to be a wall which closed in the spaces. They opened up the wall an repaired the two sided fireplace using antique bricks, which they washed in white. I love the slipcovered chairs and teal antique pantry cupboard.

The kitchen has such lovely aged surfaces. Custom cabinets are glazed and finished to resemble aged driftwood or wood bleached by the sun. All counters are covered with antique carrara marble. Edges are chipped and worn and the marble has a lovely patina. The center island cupboards are painted and distressed black and topped with a huge marble slab. Because antique carrara marble of this size is nearly impossible to come by, they were able to find a piece that was tea stained and aged to match the perimeter antique counters.

Here are close ups of the cabinet glaze and the antiqued aged marble.

The kitchen from the opposite side. Beautiful French Doors lead out to an antique brick patio.

Notice the lower baking counter to the right of the stove. A perfect baking area for our children, who were making cookies to sell at the Village Fair Bake Sale. Isn't this what kitchens are for?

Spectacular casement windows open to lovely gardens beyond.

The family room is filled with slipcovered sofas , painted tables and antique pine. An accent wall in painted a pale, robin's egg blue. This adds to the tranquil feeling in this space. A wall of french doors opens to a screened porch. Handmade pillows are fish prints done each year at the Fair by her son. Framed antique boat blueprints, linen roman shades and sisal rug complete the look.

A warm and wonderful space for a warm and wonderful family. Thank you for letting us take a peek inside!

Fun Weekend in Dallas

We spent a fun and indulgent weekend catching up with our friends, Meredith and Allen in Dallas this weekend. Meredith and I have been friends since the seventh grade and have remained close ever since despite the fact that we haven't lived in the same city since our senior year of high school. Whenever we're together, it's as if no time has passed at all. Though our stay was short and sweet, we fit quite a few things into our weekend: lots of eating, shopping, some sightseeing, going out for drinks, and playing Rock Band for the first time (I like to sing, while Fabian prefers the drums).

We started Saturday off by having brunch at Bread Winner's, a Dallas institution. It was delicious!

I was super excited to visit the Williams Sonoma Home store for the first time. We don't have one in Houston, but I'm always drooling over their catalogs.

Here's where the indulgent part comes in. Meredith and Allen always take us to some great restaurants, but I always end up feeling like I've eaten enough for an entire month after I leave. We stood in line for a while to get cupcakes at Sprinkles.

Yummy cupcakes: Milk Chocolate (very rich), Strawberry, Vanilla, Coconut

We had such a fun weekend and hope to do it again soon!

New image via Design*Sponge. My husband requested that I get his approval before posting pictures of him. LOL!