Congratulations to Kristin of BonBon Rose Girls on winning the Nespresso + Life in a Venti Cup Holiday Giveaway. I suspect she'll be sipping some mighty fine espresso drinks over the next few weeks as she familiarizes herself with this fabulous little machine. Congratulations to you, Kristin.
Much love to ALL of you who not only entered, but promoted the giveaway on your facebook pages and twitter. And thank you for liking the Life in a Venti Cup facebook page. Much love to you!
For some inexplicable reason I was all worked up over my place settings for Thanksgiving. Now don't get me wrong, I know I'm very focused on pretty things... but my sudden obsession with bone china versus French porcelain was annoying... even to me. In the end I found what I felt was a good bone china set for every day. Plain, classic, soft white dishes in classic sizes.
The reason? I want to mix in super gorgeous accent plates from better brands and feel liberated enough to add in glam coffee cups and chargers as the mood strikes me. Any excuse to add some glitz to the table is okay by me, right? While I'm very classic in most areas of design, the table is one area where I love to go a bit overboard. Key plates should be white, but I'm all for having a bit of excess and exotic when it comes to accent pieces. The wilder the better.
Why am I bringing this up? I just received a note from L'Objet letting me know they are having a sweet sweepstakes. They are giving away a $500 shopping spree of their glam tableware. I say jump on this bus before it passes, as pretty place settings tend to come hand in hand with costing a pretty penny. Well, many pennies.
Take a tour of their site and peek at their upcoming Fortuny collection. Stunning. Opulent? Yes.. but isn't that what makes life and dinner parties interesting?
File this under the "why wasn't this possible before?" category. Waterworks, quite possibly the ultimate in kitchen and bath outfitters, now offers an online shopping experience for customers. If you've never ventured into one of these incredible showrooms, this might not mean much to you. Lately they've been given a bit of press on television. Million Dollar Decorators stopped into a showroom, as did Guiliana and Bill in an episode in a recent season.
If you're redesigning your kitchen or bath - or are seeking an excuse to do so - you're in for a true treat. These are some of the loveliest fittings, fixtures, tubs and surfaces you're likely to find anywhere. While I hadn't noticed before, the online offerings feature apothecary products, furniture and lighting.
Before you start demolishing your fabulous kitchen on a food-centric holiday let me urge you to stop. Sit back and enjoy the feast with family and friends. Tomorrow when your local Waterworks showroom opens you can indulge in your remodeling fantasies. Besides... you don't want to buy a soaking tub online, do you? No. You don't.
Until the shops open mañana you should stay offline and enjoy the day of fabulous company. And you current kitchen and baths. Trust me... those fittings and surfaces will still be there tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
It's hard to understate the professional impact of being the DC darling when it comes to interior design. Michael S. Smith, selected to be the interior design guru of choice when they outfitted the White House to suit their needs is just such a person. In this glossy new book he reveals his expertise and experience on high traffic areas of the home: kitchens and baths.
Yes, his clients often boast far larger budgets than the normal homeowner, but there are always universal truths in design. These two room in particular offer designers unusual challenges. They must be glamorous and impossibly clean looking... yet all necessary items must be readily within reach. This game of professional hide and seek would be problematic in the hands of an amateur, but Smith generously offers you his hard earned wisdom.
While this could have easily been just a book of glossy photos, Michael S. Smith: Kitchens and Baths is actually a well-composed and comprehensive resource book. Smith offers serious input on cabinetry choices, practical materials, reliable trade (and public) resources as well as other insider tips. I LOVE when designers do this. Yes, I love a book of pretty photos... but when they lay down the design law in short order the book becomes a very valuable resource.
While the rooms might be polar opposites (kitchens are often the center jewel of the home, and baths hidden luxuries) he offers interesting parallels on their relationship to us and the home. Each space requires strict order and design to serve their users well. Knowing this will help you approach each space with a fresh perspective - even if you just decide to reorganize a few cabinets.
Whether a curious homewoener or a professional in the design trade, this beautiful book is a surprisingly great read. Grab your copy here and learn more about Michael's work on his portfolio site.
Seen on Traditional Home
Note: when I looked at the Artistic Tile site it did not appear that this was the Treble tile. Seems credits were wrong on this image. If you're familiar with the tile, please do pass along the name so I can source it. Thank you!
Sometimes people are surprised to learn that my decorating style is very classic. I don't tend to be trendy or "poppy" in terms of how I live. I prefer things that will look good for many years to come. Much like my choices in handbags I like to "buy for life" not for a season. That doesn't mean a room shouldn't evolve, but it shouldn't have a stamp across it's proverbial forehead telling the world it was styled in a certain year.
For these reasons I think Michelle Workman's recent spread in Veranda for Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony is breathtaking. She takes classic to an entirely new level. Even the way she arranges the room is very harmonious. I do think this skews a bit feminine for most, but I just love it. It's pretty but not precious. I do think I'd mix it up a bit more wiht more bare floors or a rug like this one... but really, it's an impeccable place.
The limited color scheme takes me back to Monique Lhullier's pad. This subdued palette is a common thread with many creatives. I think it's because we have so much "noise" in our head that we can't contemplate soming home to a lot of visual chatter. Clean & serene is the name of the game, and this gorgeous Southern California home offers generous amounts of both. More importantly, they wont' feel the need to redesign it come next year. It looks timeless. It looks like a delicious retreat for two high-powered stars. And that's what coming home is all about, isn't it?
Good Lord, please give me this kitchen. Is that Fortuny-patterned wallpaper behind the gas range? Yes, please. Give me some of that. Loving the contrast of those sexy black pendant lights as well. So out of place that they fit right in. Only tweak I'd make: not keen on the farm table extension for the barstools (seen better in bottom shot). But really, if you gifted me with this lovely space I'd find it quite difficult to complain. It's hard to form words when your jaw is lying on the floor. It's smokin' hot. Hmm... probably a poor choice of words on my part. But you get the point. Consider this my Easter wish.
{photos from lookbook on Elle Decor featuring Jenn-Air}
