Louis Vuitton

I usually don't give this shop a second look but the windows at Louis Vuitton right now are very clever. They have their products locked up in large, gold birdcages. The overall effect is quite stunning especially since the window was lit very well so that everything sparkles {the pictures I took don't quite do it justice}.

 

  

It's even more funny if you saw the tragic Newlyweds episode where Jessica Simpson brought her Vuitton handbag on a camping trip and treated it like a pet.  Don't judge me for knowing that...

{photos: jeanine}

Anthropologie Spring Window Display

The spring windows are up at Anthropologie now.  It's all about spring in retail world even though the real world still has a couple of months to go to catch up.
My favorite part of the spring design are the giant floral strands hanging from the ceiling as you walk in.

 

There were over-sized flowers, palm leaves and bamboo everywhere.  It looks like this spring will be colorful this year, at least in Anthropologie.

{photos: jeanine}

Nesting Newbies

I just stumbled upon a new online magazine called Nesting Newbies. It's a bit of everything, entertaining, cooking, decorating and some shop and design profiles.

 

I enjoyed the DIFA article and seeing the tablescapes done for the event.  I love planning tablescapes, since they are quick and fun to complete.  Most of the decorating wasn't my taste but they did do a feature on a local Boston shop, Lekker Home, which I used to enjoy visiting on my lunch hour.

The thing I really like about this magazine is that if you want, {Lonny take note of this one please} you can download the whole magazine as a PDF to keep for later.

{photo: Nesting Newbies}

Kitchen Renovation - Inspiration

I am working on a kitchen renovation, not a full renovation, but an inexpensive upgrade to bring a kitchen from a 1970s style to a more modern kitchen. 

The basics:

Currently the room is very dark with one small, north-facing window and a sliding door that used to lead to the outside but now connects to a 3 season {enclosed} porch.  The cabinets are a dark oak with brass and black pulls, the counter top is a yellow plastic laminate and the flooring is a sheet vinyl.  

What is being planned:

• The counter will be upgraded from a plastic laminate to a quartz surface or perhaps Ice Stone.
• A couple of the appliances will be replaced - the 30 year old stove top and oven.
• The cabinets will be repainted to a light color and a few new cabinets and a pantry will be added {to replace the desk}.
• The cabinet pulls will be replaced to something more modern.
• A new back-splash behind the sink and under the cabinetry and new tile behind the stovetop.

Since I received an "are you serious" look when I suggested white cabinets and a gray counter top, I began finding images and came upon this kitchen below.  It's the look I was trying to explain {just no glass-front cabinets in this reno}.

The house currently has a stove top, wall oven and a down-draft vent that are enclosed in brick {1970s style brick}.  Since the images are generally more successful words in helping clients picture a finished room.  I began pulling images for the next phase.  There have been discussions of removing the brick {it's not real brick, it's purely decorative and is another reason the room seems dark} and adding a hood and more cabinetry.  I have a ridiculous amount of images saved on an external hard drive so I began searching through my image library for this stage as well.  Below are the images I came up with.

  

  

   

  

The winner, one we both agree on {yay!} for the backsplash and hardware, is the photo below.  The kitchen will have white subway tiles and hardware similar to the kitchen below and have a light gray counter top as the first photo.  The hood is still up in the air for now but it's in the process of being discussed.

  

Now I have to work on talking them out of buying a range that I think looks like a photocopier, I also think the prominent black on the front will be distracting in the light kitchen.  This is proving to be tougher to do than I had hoped.

{3/2: edited to fix mistakes - that's what I get for typing so fast}

{photos: #1, source unknown; #2 - Design New England May/June 2009; #3 - source unknown; #4 - Better Homes and Gardens September 2007; #5 - Design New England November/December 2008; #6 - source unknown}.  I would love to be able to fill in the unknown sources, let me know if you can help.

Safavieh Sale

For those of you with a Rue La La account, they are currently having a sale on Safevieh Home Furnishings.  They seem to be quite traditional in their selection, but they have a couple of really great things.

I think this settee is fabulous, I have a  larger version that desperately needs to be reupholstered and I love it.

 

This carpet also caught my eye, specifically the graphic pattern.

 

I think the sale ends today but there are many items that haven't sold out so they are bound to pop up again in a later sale.

{photos: Rue La La}

Cashmere Mafia

I was watching Cashmere Mafia on Netflix and saw these church doors which have an amazing pattern.  I might have to hunt them down on my next trip to Manhattan.  I think the church is somewhere in Chelsea, but I'll have to do some sleuthing before my trip.


{photo: Cashmere Mafia screenshot}

Loyal Luxe

I have a cat who regularly attempts to destroy everything I own.  She looks innocent but is actually a little terror.  I often find the bottom of the bookshelf completely empty, the furniture rearranged and carpet squares detached from their adhesive and spread around the room.  My laptop has taken more than a few leaps off the ottoman I keep it on when she has decided she can't share the space.  Needless to say, I don't spend much money on stuff for her as those things are quickly destroyed as well {she does have plenty of toys}.

I recently found this modern cat chalet by Loyal Luxe which is adorable and extremely reasonably priced at $19 CAD {so I'm assuming $30ish US including shipping and the currency exchange fee}.  With most of the things I post I like them but don't actually consider buying much.  I am seriously considering getting this house though.  It's cute but pretty unobtrusive and simple with dangly things and scratchy parts and if it was destroyed in a savage attack, I wouldn't have a meltdown.  I'd probably just use it as an excuse for a trip to Montreal to buy another.

I'm hoping it will reduce the number of times I find my clothes all over the floor and the drawer full of cat fur instead.

{photos: #1 - jeanine, #2 - loyalluxe}

Vapiano Restaurant

Happy Valentines Day!  I'm not going to write much but I will leave you with some photos of Vapiano, a German-based Italian restaurant. These photos are from Stockholm and the UK.

 

 

{photos:  55935853@N00/ / CC BY-SA 2.0}

Ace Hotel, Seattle, WA

The original Ace Hotel is in Seattle, Washington. Built in an old rooming house it was where the laid back hotel vibe began for the Ace Hotels.

This one is sort of an ultra-modern cabin with great artwork.  I think the artwork is what really makes this place great.  It evolved over time and if you look at some of the pictures taken without the illustrations and artwork the corridors look similar to what you would find in a college dormitory.  In this hotel I am partial to the illustrations and very graphic pieces.















{photos: #1 - danielnguyen/ / CC BY 2.0; #2, 5, 9 & 10 - gordonr/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; #3 - zota/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0; #4 - galant/ / CC BY 2.0; #6 - gzahnd/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; #7 - humain/ / CC BY-ND 2.0; #8 - yoohoojuju/ / CC BY 2.0; #9, 11 & 12 - everyplace/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; #13 - schatz/ / CC BY-SA 2.0; #14 - rdfrank67/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0}

Busy, Busy

I have been crazy busy lately {in a good way fortunately}.  Seeing this bedroom makes me want to grab a book, from the stack I have waiting, and lie in bed reading all day instead.

{photo: new componibili nightstand, originally uploaded by whereyourheartis}

Small Spaces

The largest apartment I have lived in was about 550 square feet {and I shared that one} so I have always had to work with small spaces. This Houzz slide show has some fabulous ideas if you're short on space but don't want to give up on style.

Going Mini in your Home: Mini Bar, Mini Library, Mini Spa and More

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Browse by Space and Style- For Example:

Contemporary Kitchen · Eclectic Bathroom · Traditional Living Room · Traditional Bedroom · Modern Dining Room · Contemporary Homes · Contemporary Patio · Modern Landscaping ·

Find Home Improvement Professionals- For Example:

New York Architect · Los Angeles Interior Designer · Chicago Contractor · Seattle Landscaping ·

Grims Grenka Hotel, Oslo, Norway

I have hotels on the brain these days since I'm currently working on a hotel project. My new favorite fabulous modern hotel, designed by Kristin Jarmund Architects, is the Grims Grenka Hotel in Oslo, Norway.

The design intent is explained on the Design Hotels website as:

...refined and modern design elements {are} combined with traditionally Norwegian features to create a luxurious and sensual atmosphere. Kristin Jarmund Architects paired tactile natural materials such as stone, wood and leather with glass and painted surfaces. Eye-catching flourishes include folk art, lamps made from reindeer antlers and a moss garden embedded in the reception desk...

There are winter rooms and summer rooms distinguished from each other by color palettes.  Other sources of inspiration include ancient Norwegian log houses.

The interior is spare and modern but with attention paid to the details.

 

They water feature outside the bar is like a screen, shielding some of the view to the inside.

 

The corridors are simple and dark gray with the room numbers printed on the "wooden bridge" at the floor.

 

The guest rooms are spare with windows into the bathroom.  Below is a "winter room" palette.

Some of the suites, like this "summer room", have integrated bathrooms {I'm still not convinced this is a good way to go but they are beautiful and functional}.

{photos: #1, 3, 6, 8 - acechick; #2, 7 -  dionhinchcliffe/ / CC BY-SA 2.0; #4, 5 - cornybeard/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0; #9 - jonolave/ / CC BY 2.0}