HER OUTDOOR DINING ROOM

As Rachel Zoe says, "Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak". I love picking up on my client's personal style. A good designer should be able to have an idea of what a client likes before they can even explain what they like. 
I met with one client regarding a work space; it was a brief introductory meeting but I had a good idea of what direction I was going to go before I walked out the door. He wore a soft vintage American motor t-shirt with clean, well fitting jeans. He leaned back comfortably in his chair and spoke very knowledgeably about his business and the commercial property he owns. He swore casually and used a lot of funny analogies regarding relationships with women. From this first impression I knew he wanted an inspiring and humors place of business and I worked off a concept of Apple meets dive bar. Vintage neon signs, quality and eclectic artwork, simple industrial materials- all within a budget that made sense in relationship to the property's value. To say the least he was very surprised how far I was able to go based off of a first impression and I got the job.

As I sift through Tumblr and Pinterest for inspiration, I especially enjoy the fashion photos. I had the idea to pick a picture I was drawn to and to try imaging the client behind the photo. This pretty girl below has a casual and cheerful style. In my imagination she's girly, a little nerdy at heart and cares about the environment. That's why I pulled together a solar powered outdoor dining room for her. The color pallet is directly related to her outfit, the subtle geometric patterns blend well with the ruffly solar lanterns and humorous brass corkscrew. Our beautiful blonde and her study buddies can gather around the farm table for late night conversation over a couple bottles of organic wine.

her look is from Nordstrom

1. Solar Birdhouse from oooms

2. Stackable Acrylic Wine Glasses from Crate & Barrel

3. Brass Muse Bottle Opener from Jonathan Adler

4. Farm Table from Seabrook Classics

5. Surya Rain Area Rug from Rug Studio

6. Soji Solar Lantern from SFMOMA

7. Hot Mesh Chair from Blu Dot

8. Rope Ice Bucket from Haus Interior

9. Cross Dye Napkin Set from West Elm

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

This Sunday is my Birthday! I am so excite to spend some quality time with my friends and family this weekend. My husband David started working for a new restaurant group this month, so I decided to celebrating at the roof top bar of his new place of work, The Glenn Hotel. Looking forward to Champagne toasts and cake for breakfast.

I'm also excited to stop by Macy's tomorrow to find my perfect Birthday outfit! I never think to spend much time in Macy's clothing department but I was there last week picking up some face wash and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a key lime top to die for. With closer exam, I saw a matching skirt, then a cute dress, then another cute dress and so on. It's the first time I've ever come across Macy's Bar 3 line, full of flirty silhouettes in summer colors and contemporary patterns. At the time, I was still pretty tender from the car accident, so trying clothes on had little to no appeal. Check out some of my favorite's below.

The photo of this racer back dress doesn't do it justice. In person you notice the neon green leaves and hot pink flowers in the floral pattern.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

COLOR FORECAST

I imagine most people have  a start-of-the-week routine- pick up dry cleaning, review your schedule, check the 5 day forecast? Pimkie, a French clothing company, has introduced a live Color Forecast to help you plan your weekly wardrobe. New software was created for this marketing tool; high def. cameras film the streets of Milan, Paris and Antwerp in real time and detect what colors people are wearing. The point of this site is to inspire us consumers to buy the same color clothing as we see in roaming the streets of the major fashion capitols at Pimkie's online store. It's a smart and creative concept, and their video to explain the process it pretty cute too!

Check out their site for a fresh Color Forecast.

THE SHOPS

The Shops at Target is a really interesting concept that's launching this Sunday. Target so eloquently describes the program as "The Shops we fell in love with, collected and curated for you". It's an ongoing collection of shops that will partner up with Target to create affordable, exclusive lines. The first run of The Shops features 5 retailers from across the country. There are close to 400 products being introduced, ranging in price from $1.00- $159.99. It's an interesting evolution for Target; a big box store that has been very successful at collaborating with admired high end designers such as Jonathan Adler, Rachel Ashwell, Dwell Studio, Missoni, and Gwen Stefani. 


Private House is a home decor store from Connecticut, founded by Richard Lambertson and Suzanne Cassano. Their store features vintage furniture, antiques, art and garden accessories. They've create a line of tableware, and home & garden accessories with Target.

Cos Bar opened it's first store in Aspen in 1976 and since then has opened 11 more locations in 8 states. They sell European purfume and luxury beauty products and for their collection with Target, they've designed a line of brushes and cosmetic bags along with bath and body products.

Sadly, I'm probably the most excited to see what The Candy Store has to offer. Founded by Brian and Diane Campbell in San Francisco, this boutique candy store has put together a collection of their most popular sweets (including a Gummy Fried Egg).

The Webster is a multi-brand fashion boutique owned by Laure Heriard Dubreuil and Milan Vukmirovic.  They are based out of Miami Beach and their merchandise of clothing accessories and photography caters to both men and women. The line of Miami inspired clothing and accessories they've created with Target will be for men, women, children and babies.

The Polka Dog Bakery (obsessed with that name) comes from Boston, Mass. They sell healthy dog treats and really cool pet accessories like bowls, collars and toys. Their Target collection will consist of baked dog treats and a line of fantastic accessories!

Check out The Shops individual documentaries on Target.com to learn more about these local retailers and where they came from.

AQUA AND GOLD

After checking out the new summer accessories at Kate Spade, I developed a new color obsession- aqua and gold! It's a winning combo that's plastered all over their summer line and once it was stuck in my head I started seeing it everywhere. Oh what a bright and cheerful look as the weather gets warmer!

1. Aqua Door from Pinterest from MySweetCreations via Erin Olsen  2. Raskog Kitchen Cart from Ikea 3. Carousel Bangle Watch by Kate Spade  4. Enjoy Cupcakes Vintage Cupcake Camper  5. Loom Pattern by New Ravenna Mosaics  6. Barrow Street Anabel Baby Bag by Kate Spade  7. Serenity Stone Drops by Stella and Dot

MINTY FRESH

Mint green is everywhere I look these days. It's a big color trend for Spring 2012 and it's lovely seeing it pop up in fashion and interior design. I've always liked this color and I think it pairs well with a lot of colors in a unique way; gold, coral, orange, yellow. I found this color board at Creature Comforts, a really sweet blog full of pretty things to inspire!

photo by honeytree

Here are some more minty cool images to get you pumped for spring. I am completely obsessed with this vintage mint green phone! It would make a great book end or side table accessory- an easy way to get in on the trend without committing to it in a big way. I also just tried this nail polish color "Hey! Get in Lime!", it looks great on my toes, but I would definitely go lighter on my fingers to get a big pop of candy color.

1. mint dress via pinterest 2. mint phone via pinterest 3. mint books
4. blocked planter from anthropologie 5. OPI nail polish in "Hey!Get in Lime!" 6. scout chino by j. crew

 Mint green hitting the runway and the Oscars Red Carpet...

top: spring runway shows from Diane Von Furstenberg, Tibi, and Vera Wang
bottom: Berenice Bejo in Elie Saab and Maria Menounos in Maria Lucia Hohan

TOAST TO LOVE

My husband is in the restaurant industry, which means we don't do a lot of Halmark Holidays together. If it's a day that involves food and beverage, industry people usually miss out. That doesn't mean there wont be any celebrating though, this weekend were having a nice low-key "staycation" and enjoying some peace and quiet. if you're single or in a relationship, I hope you enjoy your Valentine's Day this year. Spend some time indulging and pampering yourself or the person you love!

(from top left to bottom right) 1. Waterfall Ruffle Duvet from Urban Outfitters 2. Ecru and Pink Sparrow Cami and Shorts by Juicy Couture 3. Carousel Chandelier from Currey and Company 4. Laduree Macarons 5. Barr-Co. Bath Products from Anthropologie 6. Schramsberg Brut Rose

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!

I hope everyone had a good week. If you are anything like me, the last two weeks have been nothing but a count down to Superbowl Sunday. I am very excited to spend the day with my New England girlfriends cheering on our boys. Have a safe and fabulous weekend, go Pats!

1. Kate Spade Nera Colorblock Mac Coat at Nordstrom for $558.00
2. Short Sleeve Crew T-shirt at nflshop.com for $29.99
3. Veronica Slouch Boot by The Fry Company for $328.00
4. BDG Cigarette High-Rise Jeans at Urban Outfitters for $58.00
5. New England Patriots Pet T-shirt at Petsmart for $15.99

AHOY THERE!

Nautical inspired fashion and home goods have been popping up a lot lately- just in time for Resort Wear. I have a soft spot in my heart for all things preppy and nautical, and I especially love it when designers bring the theme into modern times. Check out some accessories you could add to your life this Spring to get into the Maritime spirit!

1. Sailboat Model by Bobo Intriguing Objects 

2. All Aboard Stud Earrings by Kate Spade for $48.00

3. Yves Saint Laurent Resort Collection 2012 found on The Fashion Bomb Daily

4. Stripe Favorite Throw by West Elm for $29.00

5. Thomas Paul Ship Accent Pillow at Burke Decor for $60.00

6. Thomas Paul Wheel Cocktail Napkins at Burke Decor for $24.00

7. You Anchor Me Prink found on Pintrest.com

You've got to love these big fat boating knots to make a statement!

1. Salor's Knot Statement Necklace from Etsy for $20.00

2. Rope Wall Clock by Two's Company for $92.50 

3. "Let's Sail Away" Earrings found on Fab.com 

4. Do-it-youreslf Braided Doormat on Marthastewart.com

5. Not Knots Pillow found on The Designer Pad

6. Pier Lamp by Continental Home, found on elledecor.com

FOR THE ULTIMATE BACHELOR

Set your Tevo's everyone! A very talented and sexy friend of mine, Anitra Mecadon, is hosting a special on the 2011 Esquire Magazine's Ultimate Bachelor Pad. Anitra is the host of DIY Network's Mega Dens and a super talented Atlanta interior designer. You have to check out the commercial for the 6,800 sqft. Clock Tower Apartment. This is the ninth Esquire Show-home and the first one in Brooklyn. The apartment showcases talented designers, high tech home products and stunning real-estate. It's used by Esquire to host charity events, in the last 8 years the Esquire apartment has help raised around $8.5 million! The special airs January 19th at 10pm on DIY Network, don't miss it!

Here are a few pictures of the Esquire Ultimate Bachelor Pad in Brooklyn, NY.

photo credit

COLOR BLOCKING

Hello Readers! I took a trip to Target today and I'm happy to say that the big 2011 trend of color-blocking is here to stay a few more seasons. Color-blocking is the use of bold solid colors in big geometric shapes. It is fun to see designers and artists block together unusual color palettes (pink with red or nude with neon green) to make a statement. in It's been a nice change of pace to see 20011/2012 winter fashion collections full of bright colors. You can also see big blocks of sexy bold colors in interior design, furniture and accessories. These crayon colors add so much drama and excitement to traditional or modern  backdrops.

1. Saguaro Hotel via design milk
2. Color-blocking Dress via Pintrest
3. Chloe Leather Envelope Clutch via Net-a-Porter
4. Untiltled by Mark Rothko via Art.com
5. Framed via moca
6. Venini Vases via Barneys New York
7. Color-block Stilettos via Pintrest

TO THE NEW YEAR!

Wishing everyone a happy weekend! I hope you all have fabulous plans for New Year's Eve, just remember to be safe. Below is a festive party outfit I came up with.

1. Resin and Wood Broach- 12.50
2. Dalmatian Faux Fur Cape- 60.00
3. Structured Sleeveless Skater Dress- 46.00
4. Premeum Color Spot Earings- 18.50
5. Sparkler Missy Handbag- on sale for $93.00
6. Lancome Le Vernis Devine- $15.00
7. Curling Ribbon Ring- $78.00
8. Coach Poppy Eau de Parfum- $65.00
9. Rouge Dior Lipcolor- $32.00
10. Sultry High Platform Courts- 65.00

DEAR SANTA,

I've had so much fun Christmas shopping and working on my Holiday Gift Guides that I thought I would put together a dream Christmas list for myself. If you have Santa's email address, please send him a link!

1. Plex Led Cuckoo Clock- Occa-Home for $200.00
I first saw this clock on Fab. but I missed the sale :( I love the cheeky and simple design and the vibrant colors it comes in.


2. Squares Blanket- Ferm Living for $149.95
This throw blanket was made for my sofa.


3. DIY Charm Necklace- Anthropologie (prices vary)
I've always loved the concept of charm bracelets and necklaces but I usually find the charms to be a little cheesey. Juicy Couture carries a cute line but even they seem a little bubbly for my taste. This new collection from Anthropologie is right up my ally, with tiny trinkets and oddities as charms.


4. Dark Nostaligia- Amazon for $45.00
This design book by Eva Hagberg is beautiful and unique. I had a chance to check out this book  briefly and I haven't stopped thinking about it. There are so many great hotel, restaurant, and bar designs in it! It would be a perfect source for inspiration.


5. Holga iPhone Lens- Photojojo Store for $30.00
Downloading the free app. Instagram has change my life. I take photos on my iPhone for work all the time, mostly of furniture while I'm shopping or project progress. With Instagram I can edit them to look like something off an actual camera. This Holga Lens would add another level to the editing I can do on my iPhone!


6. Sihouette Cameo for $299.99
If you are a crafty person, you need to check this thing out! It works like a home printer but instead of printing images, it cuts intricate designs into paper, vinyl, fabric and more. You can use your own design or work with the templates from the online store. I am dying to play with one.


7. One of a Kind World Globe- Etsy
I love globes and this one is so unusual. It's from the 1940's and over time the paper was removed or came off. The effect is this mix between modern and vintage, that Restoration Hardware should be all over. Sadly, this crazy cool globe has been sold, I want!!

1. Meadow Collection- Glassbaby for $440.00

While I would never expect Santa to spend this much on glass votive holders, I had to share. I found this company on the show 'Home By Novogratz'. The married design team works out of New York and the cameras follow them to a lot of cool local boutiques on the show. Glassbaby makes beautiful handblown glass votive holders and "drinkers"that are sold individually or in sets like this one.

2. Laguiole Letter Opener for $42.30

Laguiole is a classic knife and corkscrew company known for it high quality products. I like this because it's neon!

3. 'Untitled' by Dorthe Alstrup- 20x200 from $20.00 - $2,000.00

I would put about 90% of the artwork sold on 20x200 in my home. They carry limited edition prints for great prices and the artists involved are awesome. I'm always looking for art for my home, but lately I've been trying to fill a photography void. I love this print because it has such a playful story hidden inside and the colors are beautiful. 

4. Jessica Simpson Bede2 Pump- Belk for $79.00

I came across these at Belk last week and wanted to eat them up! Color blocking is real big right now and I love wearing bright shoes because I wear a lot of dark neutral clothes.

5. Stereoluxe AM/FM Radio and MP3 Dock- Urban Outfitters for $199.00

Design meets function- this is a beautiful way to accessories your home and listen to music. This MP3 player has a home in my living room.

6. Wildwood: The Wildwood Chronicles- Amazon for $17.99

Colin Meloy, the lead singer for The Decemberists, and his wife / illustrator collaborated on this book and I've been dying to read it. It looks amazing!

MONDAY PRESENT...FOR THE PREPPY GIRL

1. Holiday Sock Three Pack- J. Crew for $25.00
Who says socks are a bad Christmas gift!? I love giving and getting socks for Christmas and this three pack is a perfect little packaged gift.


2. Sudsy Glass Strand- Anthropologie for $78.00
This glass strand necklace is like an abstract version of a pearl necklace. Every preppy girls owns pearls and this necklace would be a nice alternative. Also, the fact that it's glass means it would match any outfit!


3. Birchbox for $10.00 a month
Birchbox is a great gift for any woman! It's a monthly box of four to five beauty product samples by well loved companies like; Stella, Nars, Benefit and Philosophy. You can gift 3, 6 or 12 months.


4. Monogram Note Cards- Kate Spade for $26.00
Every preppy girl loves monograms and every preppy girl needs stationary (for sending thank you cards and love notes). These note cards have a simple foil stamp on the front and bold black and white stripes on the back.


5. Hunter Regent Boots- Zappos.com for $195.00
Hunter is a very classic boot company that's been around since before WW1. Over the last few years they've become a popular fashion trend because they've added more styles and funky colors. I love the Regent Carlyle because it's a dressy version of the original and they kind of look like riding boots.


6. Forget Me Not Earrings- UncommonGoods from $100.-$300.00
I love these simple little earrings designed, by Kiel Mead, to resemble a knot around your finger as reminder. They would make a charming reminder of how much you love someone this Holiday Season!


7. On The Spot Gloves- Anthropologie for $28.00
Just a sweet pair of gloves, prefect for the stocking.

TACKY, TACKY, TACKY

Hello! Sorry I disappeared last week, lots of work trying to get ready for the Holidays, finishing up some exciting work projects and preparing for a party. Over the weekend I hosted a Tacky Christmas Party, with a grand prize for the most ridiculous outfit and a White Elephant Gift Swap. It was a great time with friends and family with plenty of delicious food and wine, as well as  a few batches of Grasshopper Mint Shooters being passed around. The Sweater Contest got rather competitive and the White Elephant Exchange had fun gifts ranging from home goods, gag gifts, wine and liquor, gourmet snacks and the most popular, an "adult goody bag". We were lucky to have freakishly warm weather and could continue the party outside by the fire pit!

 I know most of my guest had some luck putting together their outfits at thrift stores and Walmart  but I thought I would share some "fancy" tacky sweaters I've seen this season. 

kate spade

urban outfitters

topshop

abercrombie & fitch

abercrombie & fitch men's

urban outfitters

urban outfitters

Hope you had a great weekend too!