Let the pinning commence!

Ok my friends... I've finally organized and uploaded all of my home inspiration photos on pinterest!  YAY!!!  Every day that we get closer and closer to our new home, makes us more and more excited.  I  can't wait to get in there and start working on it.  We're really hoping for a breezy, open, and serene feeling in the house, and these inspiration photos I've been collecting totally nail the look.  I think they're the perfect combination of modern and comfortable.  Clean and fresh, but not too fussy, and just the right amount of quirk.  You know, I'm all about the quirk.  If you have a minute, pop on over to my pinterest page and take a look at the Home Decor board.  I'd love to know what you think.  ♥

P.S. Here's a sneak peek of the board: 

Inspiration: Audrey

While reading our recent book club pick (- the unanimously adored) GRACE, by VOGUE stylist, Grace Coddington; this excerpt stayed with me:

"...Audrey Hepburn, too, was so chic and adorable in her skinny pants and little pumps. I loved Audrey, not only through her films but because of some reportage photos I saw in the magazine Picture Post that struck a chord. She was shown happily riding around on her bike and cooking in her tiny apartment. Everything was so clean and shiny.  I aspired to live in exactly that same perfect way."

Of course I found myself on a googling marathon to find and inspect the original editorial, and then voila!  Grace (per usual) was 100% correct in adoring and emulating the darling domesticity of Audrey's teeny, clean, simplistic, "perfect" home style.  I especially love the idea of having such spare and dainty garbage- that you could actually get away with newspaper lining your bin.  We recycle, we feed scraps of veggie and fruit detritus to our bunny... but never in a million years, could I get away with a newspaper-lined bin!  I mean seriously... gorgeous, graceful, humanitarian, sweetheart- and apparently even her garbage was lovely.  

Could Audrey Hepburn have been more dreamy?!

Audrey forever.

Before + After DIY chair makeover...

Hello friends...  See that chair up there?  

Here's the backstory; I've been parking my butt on it for nearly 3 decades.  

My mom found it at a teacher's estate sale a long, long time ago along with a matching desk.  The desk/chair set lived in my room as a kid, and it's where I did homework, listened to Joni Mitchell for the first time, wrote and edited a zine, cried into my journal, and ate meals with my head buried in a book during my parent's fancy dinner parties.  

Quick!  Look away for a sec, mom...  

I also secretly carved my name into both pieces.  

Somewhere along the line the desk went rogue, but thankfully my mother had the foresight to load this chair into a Matson container and haul it over the ocean with her when she moved to California.  I still use this chair just about every day.  I love it.   

Needless to say, the chair deserved a little facelift.  The white paint had some pretty well-worn indigo stains from years of my denim-clad posterior sitting in it.  SO...

Step 1: A fresh coat of ivory paint (but only on top, b/c those distressed legs are where it's at).

Step 2: Squiggly branches with dark brown paint.

Step 3: Emerald green + golden brown leaves - 1 quick stroke w/ sideways brush that ends in a point.

Step 4: Messy pink abstract flowers - stamping motion in center w/ swirly edges.

Step 5: Stamp red paint just in center of flowers.  Use dry brush.

Now I love my favorite chair even more!  ♥

Hey, Princess...

In the market for a castle?

This 98-room beauty is a steal at just under $8,000,000!  You'll have to pardon me, I'm kind of lost in French Chateaux heaven and princess dream fever over at this crazy real estate site.

Does 98 rooms and a moat feel a wee bit over the top?  How about this little 73-room escape just North of Paris?

This one's downright quaint in comparison, at just 35 rooms!  J U S T  3 5  R O O M S !  Whaa?

Ok, ok... but seriously, you guys - these listings are insane.  I can't even wrap my head around them.  Most come with private parks, lakes, pools, multiple out-buildings and formal gardens.  Umm... WHO BUYS THESE?!  I love how the site answers this question...

Q. Why buy French Chateaux?

A. At present, large estates are offering superb value for money compared to other prestige property around the world. Boasting acres of land, lakes, outbuildings and their own capacious floor spaces, chateaux give one the opportunity and space to choose how to live and work. Taking the figure of 1 Million Euros as an example, chateaux costing this will far outweigh, in real terms, the real estate offered by other luxury and prestige property of the same price. In many locations, you are paying for exactly that - location - and will no doubt be jostling with other similar properties for the best view. French chateaux offer the rare ability to look out from your window and survey no land but your own.

Works for me!

I pick this one:

Home Inspiration, Oh you Swedes...

HELLO, GORGEOUS!

That's what runs through my head when I look at these photos.  Can you imagine waking up in that bed in the morning, trudging down the bright hallway, passing by the wall of books, and plopping down to enjoy the endless sunlight?  Seriously, is there a single spot in this entire home that isn't full of light?  This is the sort of place that helps the inhabitant paint better, write better, be kinder, healthier, and generally more amazing.  I'm so ready to move in.  

What do you think, Sahnzy?  Are we up for Sweden?

Black and white and red all over...

Remember the awesome Scalamandre zebra wallpaper in Margot Tenenbaum's bedroom?   

I'm a big fan of it.  Check out this zebra-print scarf that FAB is offering today for $14.50!

I'd totally be channeling Margot Tenenbaum all day wearing this.

 And just like the original wallpaper, it's offered in yellow too!  ♥

Home Inspiration, bright white + full of light...

I'm of the opinion that white (and nearly white) in the home is hit or miss.  

Depending upon the way it's used, the objects surrounding it, and the way it's lit... white can be austere, harsh, or just plain un-welcoming; however, it can also be clean, simplified, and help put your mind at rest.  When my mind is at rest, I feel more open to epiphanies and much more likely to stumble upon creativity.  But I never consciously realized how cozy white could be until tonight.  While randomly sorting through the "Home Inspiration" folder on my desktop, I couldn't help but notice my own predilection for white in the home.  

I've rounded up just a handful of the images for you here, and found several cohesive elements that help tip these room from severe to serene.  Notably: Furs, plants, soft textiles, whimsy, natural light, woodgrain, and warm neutrals.  You'll find nearly all of those elements in each of the images below.

Fur.  

From a shaggy dog, to a cowhide, wolf pelts, and lots of sheepskins...  cozy, natural elements, such as furs, instantly soften edges and warm the rooms they occupy.  

Ahhh, natural light...  

Nothing beats it.  Nothing else even comes close.   It's that gorgeous diffused glow that seems to illuminate inanimate objects from within.  It flatters, feeds, and helps us function.  Even better?  It's free!

Textiles. 

Look at all the textiles at work above and below... a Kilim rug, embroidered woolen wall tapestry, pelt on the floor, throw blanket on the mid-century chair, and fluffy duvet, act as an invitation to sit down, snuggle up, and ahhhhh... relax.  Note, the whimsical animals in the tapestry.

Woodgrain + Plants.

The natural greens of plants instantly sets a mind at ease.  The warmth of woodgrain and straw help soften the hard lines of this very contemporary room.  Note; the whimsy of the sheepskin pillow.

Whimsy.

I love the unexpected duo of bathroom and bedroom sharing a space.

Warm neutrals: Copper, linen, leather, straw, rust, taupe, and even worn-out ballet slippers are the perfect accompaniment to a shocking true white... creating a comfortable balance and toning down the austerity, without losing the wonderful sense of clarity that white creates.  Can you find the whimsical element in this photo?  It's got ears!

So there you have it...  my white moment.  What's inspiring you right now?  

Home Inspiration... Le Shack!

Magical.  I'm sitting here, wracking my brain to think of a better word- and there just isn't one; to describe Isabel Marant's darling little shack, at the end of a nameless road, along the Loire river in Fontainebleau.  Can you imagine a more charming existence?  Cult-status fashion designer in Paris, 5 days a week... no phones, no electricity, no city, on weekends.  It looks like Neverland!  Now, this is my kind of camping.  

The New York Times ran a beautiful story on "Le Shack", the rustic weekend retreat of Marant, her husband/accessories designer-extraordinaire, Jérôme Dreyfuss, and their little boy.

I've been living vicariously through these photos ever since.