Who would have imagined that washing and ironing could look this good!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
We’re off to Barcelona!
Fabian and I are off to Barcelona for a week to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary! We are so excited to explore a new city and to get a little rest and relaxation in. I’m sure I will have lots of exciting things to share with you once we get back. In the meantime, I am leaving you in very good hands. I have some fabulous girls guest blogging on La Dolce Vita while I am away and they have some fantastic posts in store for you. ¡Hasta pronto!
Spanish Style: Sfera
{A Chic Look for Going Out}
As excited as I am to explore the beautiful city of Barcelona along with its architectural masterpieces and artistic treasures, I must admit that I am just as excited to do some shopping at some of my favorite Spanish stores. One of my favorite discoveries on my last trip to Spain was Sfera. It’s similar to Zara in that it covers all of the current trends and if I recall correctly, it’s even more affordable, while the quality is pretty great. Like Zara, they carry items for women, men, and children. I was perusing their website to see what they currently have in store and came across these fabulous looks.
{I love this flirty skirt and the great shape of the blazer, which, let’s be honest, I would be more likely to wear than the fun skirt!}
{Imagine all of the ways that you could wear this dress! It’s the perfect canvas for fun accessories.}
{A Pretty, Feminine Summer Dress}
{I love the tailoring on this trench. Very chic!}
{These last three looks are from Sfera’s “Collection”, which I assume are a little more high-end. The model reminds me a bit of Tilda Swinton here.}
{Another Great Trench and a Lovely, Draped Skirt}
{I love these pieces, though I probably wouldn’t wear the shorts. The jacket has a fabulous Chanel vibe, the striped tee is a classic, summer staple, and who doesn’t love a nice ballerina flat?}
Image Credit: Sfera
Gorgeous Grisaille!
(down east dilettante) Grisaille painting and wall papers have always been a love of mine. Grisaille (pronounced "griz eye") is the french word for shades of grey. This monochromatic technique was done both because artists could travel and do the work with out supplies, and the Grisaille painting could be a sample and/or under painting over which pigments could be applied.
Linda Coulter, a wonderful painter explains in her website: This concept was developed many centuries ago when pigments were very scarce. The Old Masters had only a handful of pigments to accomplish their beautiful results so they had to push each individual pigment to its fullest capacity to be able to achieve the luminosity in their art work that made them famous. In those days when pigments were extremely expensive, and it was also a way to save money. A sister to Grisaille is the less known Brunaille - which is in shades of brown. Below are some of my favorite examples.
The first is Martha Stewart's entry hall in her Turkey Hill House. This large mural stopped me in my tracks the first time I saw it . Lovely!
Here a common suburban two story entry turns extraordinary with this hand painted design.
(down east dilettante)
(down east dilettante)This historic house turned museum is in Portsmouth, NH. The Moffat-Ladd house mural is likely Dufour wall paper from early 1900's, which depicts the Bay of Naples. To learn more about this wonderful house click here.
(architect design)Here antique wall paper panels found at the Louvre are stunning. Read more about them on Architect Design here.
(Cote de Texas via Edie van Breems) One of my favorite images is from Cote de Texas via Edie van Breems of Libby Holsten's home click here. The curves of Mora clock wonderfully compliment the mural behind it.
I love the room above, though not traditionally Grisaille or Brunaille, the addition of the shades of green and the side panel painting make for a gorgeous wall.
I adore this 18 century hand blocked Grisaille wall paper from Wendy Lewis at the Textile Trunk. You may not be aware of this, but Wendy also has a gorgeous selection of rare antique wallpapers.
This particular piece took my breath away! It is just stunning in shades of cream and gray. I envision it framed in my Living room or Dining room like a rare work of art, or perhaps I could cover a screen with it. Oh the possibilities! 
Though Wendy does not always list every gorgeous paper she has (her wallpapers move fast and are in great demand by her interior designer buyers) send her an email and she will let you know what treasures she has recently found. Click here to contact Wendy.
If you do decide to buy this let me know how you use it. But if its sold by the time you read this, you may end up seeing it in one of my clients homes or even in my own house because I just can't stop thinking about it!!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Ideas for your home office
I love looking at other peoples home office. I can get tons of ideas from home office pictures. I read a story the other day that the desk top computer will soon be dead. I'm sure that will change home decor somehow, but, you always will need a desk right ??
Season 2 of Man Shop Globe Starts Tomorrow!
Have you ever wondered where the unique and inspiring home furnishings and accessories at Anthropologie come from? I’m sure that many of you watched the first season of Man Shops Globe last year, in which Anthropologie’s Buyer-At-Large, Keith Johnson travels the world in search of new finds to bring back to the Anthropolgie stores. It is fascinating to see where things originate from, where he finds his inspiration, and how some items evolve from the original prototype to what we find in the stores. Man Shops Globe returns with its second season on the Sundance Channel tomorrow evening. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek!
Domino Is Back
Thanks to brides.com our favorite discontinued home décor magazine is back online. All the great articles and images we loved about Domino can now be found here. They even have one of my favorite reads, How to decorate a (very) small apartment up right now…Welcome Back Domino!
Summer Time
Sorry I've been MIA. The summer time has swept me away but not in a good way. I've been trying to get organized (key word trying) because I have guest arriving in three weeks. My patio needs some summer loving and my bedroom is a hot mess. Good thing I start a much needed vacation on Friday. I'm headed to the land of great lakes for 4th of July festivities and a week of shopping fun. Minnesota will be my play ground for a bit and I plan on doing a lot of antique shopping. If you know of any must shop or stop places in Minnesota please let me know...Happy Summer Everyone!
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