Paper Fashion

I spotted these charming paper dresses while I was flipping through Luxe Interiors + Design magazine. They were made by British clothing designer Vivienne Westwood to celebrate the launch of her line of wallpaper with Cole & Son. Doesn't the white one look like someone just rocked a Project Runway challenge to make a couture dress out of paper?

Our bathrooms are in desparate need of some freshness on the walls [no exaggeration here -- the current wallpaper was picked out and put up sometime around 1961]. I've got some picked out for the kids' bathroom, but I'm still on the hunt for ours. This one from the collection is a good option:



Happy Friday!

[images via Ecouterre]

Children's Rooms

Have you heard of the series of books on children's rooms by Jeu de Paumes? The books focus on real rooms and nurseries in different cities, and the most recent edition just happens to be "Copenhagen." I'm so curious!

The Writing on the Wall

[Wall decals by Harmonie Interieure]

A Peony for Your Thoughts

The Peony is my favorite flower. I love them. I would have a yard full of them if I could. Sadness for me, peonies need 4 distinct seasons, so I don't think they would do that well down here. Anyone tried to grow them in the South? Yesterday, Ben went on a peony search for Valentine's and came to find that they were in short supply because of this weird winter. I wonder if Martha's peonies are okay...have you seen her garden? It's amazingly beautiful...

Here they are on display at one of her parties -- check out the monster blooms!

[All images from Martha's blog, where you can read all about her party and her peonies]

I wish I could bring you all an arm full of peonies!

Flying Through the Air

This past weekend, we worked on getting the nursery put together -- she's only 4 months old, so I figure it's about time! I've been looking for a mobile for a while now, and I increasingly like the idea of birds. Maybe because it seems so natural for birds to be flying through the air. There are some beautiful ones out there [some pictured above], and I found some amazing inspiration on Ohdeedoh. I even toyed with the idea of making one -- I love the whimsy of the origami birds in particular [bottom left] and since I don't sew [I SO wish that I could] I thought it may be something I could handle. Side note: there are some great tutorials out there for making your own mobile, like here and here, in case you are interested. But then I came across this one on Erica's blog, and I think this may be it...all the whimsy I'm looking for without any labor on my part! When it comes down to it, I just don't have the time to make one, and I'm afraid she would be over it by the time I did get around to it.

Can't wait for it to arrive!

[Images clockwise from left to right: Ohdeedoh Modern Eclectic; Ohdeedoh Modern Haven; Spool Bird Mobile; Ohdeedoh Crane Mobile -- How-To; Birds of a Feather, Helen Ige, spotted on Ohdeedoh]

China Plated Walls

We've got a bare spot above our piano where I'm planning to hang some plates [as soon as I can sneak them out of my mom's cupboard], so I was looking around for a little inspiration. Hanging plates on a wall can add such a beautiful architectural element...done right, it's like a sculpture...




[Images: 1. Apartment Therapy 2. Kelly Wearstler design at the Viceroy Hotel 3. Country Living 4. Martha Stewart Home Design 5. Courtney Giles ]

Weezie's Curtains

Weez got some new curtains for her basement apartment! I'm constantly amazed at how she transforms this space -- she has no architecture to help her out and little windows, but she manages to make the space warm and inviting.


Plus, I'm jealous of her curtain rods...we've got temporary solutions up in our house until we can splurge on some nice ones! Unfortunately, I think that may be a while...our fridge sounds like a jackhammer...not good...I'm just waiting for it to die...

[You can see more pictures of Weezie's little apartment here and here]

Succulent

How much do I love Succulents? Very much. The boys have made friends with "The Succulent Lady" at the Farmer's Market, and come home with some beautiful and interesting plants. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to make them look something like these from Modern Economy:


How great would those look on our dining room table??! Plus, if I can muster up the patience for dirt all over the place, the boys would love putting these together...I'll let you know what happens!

Labor Filled Weekend

Not baby labor [one month to go before that!], but work labor. My parents and sister came down to help us finish up some projects around the house -- hanging window treatments [to me, one of the most unpleasant things], putting in molding, more painting, etc, etc. And Weez came bearing gifts, beautiful gifts, like these pillows:

I love them. I've been detouring through the Living Room all weekend just to look at them. [The fabric is Lee Jofa]

And these curtains:

It's amazing to me what some window treatments will do for a place. I've got some more pictures to hang, and then I'm going to try and get some before + after pictures up. The place finally feels like it's coming together.

My dad also made this amazing play table for the boys, but I've got a separate post coming on that...

What else did we do? We watched football and we ate...a lot...Ben tried out the smoker for the first time this weekend, and it was a huge success...


Hope your weekend was a good one!

Mix + Match Chairs

We have an enormous dining room table for the new place [it's beautiful dark walnut], and sadly, PB doesn't make the white Morrow chairs that we have been using anymore. I love these chairs. They are perfect for a family with small kids -- inexpensive, easy to clean, look simple and sleek. So, I want to keep them around, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to do a little mix-n-match. In keeping with the small kid-friendly theme, as well as the same modern look, I'm leaning toward these Eames molded plastic side chairs.

It's so hard to imagine what they would look like mixed in together, but I figure if I buy something that I love and mix it with something else that I love, it can't be too bad, right?!

It looks like they have the Morrow barstools on sale, so I wonder if those are on the way out as well -- I'm thinking I should get some for a kitchen bar before they are gone...


What do you think about a little mix-n-match?

Fabric, Paint + Tape

It's been a crazy week and a half -- lots of packing, loading, unloading, and DECISIONS -- oh my goodness, the decisions! I find it hard enough to think when I'm moving, and then add onto that the indecisiveness of a pregnant woman and half the time I think my brain will go into overload. Thankfully, I have my sister to help with some of those. Yesterday, while we were doing this:



...I walked into the workshop to find the boys doing this:


Which quickly turned into this:



Hope you guys are having a great weekend!

The Doghouse

I've got a thing for plaid, a thing for dogs, and a thing for houses, so what's not to love, right?! But, seriously, I do wish that someone would do this for real...it definitely gives new meaning to the word "doghouse".

We are back from our trip -- we stayed a little longer than we had originally planned because it was just so nice to get away for a bit. We did find a house that we loved, put an offer in, and someone got there right before us. We are pretty disappointed, but hoping that something else will come up soon. I'll keep you posted.

In other news, thanks to Droolicious for the shout out about our baby announcements! Check out the post here...

Sugar, Sugar

I keep seeing articles in my magazines [Cookie, Elle] about the kid and parent friendly restaurant in NYC called Sweetiepie. The interior is quite charming, and the food looks scrumptious. I wish we had plans to travel to NYC soon, so I could take the boys there -- they would love all that sugary goodness [probably wouldn't think twice about the pink frills -- I could just focus them on the part of the mural with Star Wars stormtroopers!].


All the decadence reminds me of the movie I mentioned in this post. It would be fun to try and recreate the Sweetiepig [that enormous dish 'o treats] for a birthday party!

Ralph Lauren held a party there in celebration of his new Bleecker Street children’s store. Check out these carriages that transported the guests from Sweetipie to RL...honestly, could a carriage be any more lovely?


[above 2 images from Vanity Fair]

Birds of a Feather

What is it with birds? They seem to have such staying power in the world of interior decor. I can remember them in fabrics in my grandmother's living room and in her collection of Rose Medallion china, and they are still as present as ever. Maybe it's because there are so many different species of birds, so many different colors and feather patterns, so many different ways to incorporate them.

Fromental does a beautiful job with their handmade wallpaper. All the designs are hand painted onto silk backgrounds. Their Chinoiserie and 20th Century collections both incorporate birds in a beautiful way -- one more traditionally, one a bit more modern, both elegant.

A Visual Feast

[If I had a little girl, I'd be tempted to plan a birthday party inspired by this picture!]

Since we are on the topic of movie sets, I couldn't resist posting about a movie that I enjoyed watching so much -- and would want to watch again just because of the costumes -- Marie Antoinette. The movie is a visual feast from the dresses to the hair to the food on the table. It's like a pastel paradise!



Watch and see if pastel colors and floral patterns don't pop up in some new b.wise baby designs!

An Apartment Fit for 27 Dresses

Yesterday, Erica posted a fun question on her blog: what movie would you have liked to be a set designer on? Do you remember the apartment on 27 Dresses? I wasn't crazy about the movie, but something about that apartment stuck with me. I think partly because we've lived in so many apartments that I'm always focused on a well designed one!

[I've got my grandmother's sofa in my parent's basement that is shaped exactly like this one. It's in need of a serious fabric makeover, and I like how this one has been updated]

[Any room with molding like this gets me every time, and I really like that paint color and those sconces, too]

Click over to see what other people said!

[Images from Apartment Therapy]

Bleu

I'd like to recreate this look in a house -- the off white stone and shutters, iron work, delicious marine blue, and the number painted on the side of the building [middle left side]. Don't be surprised when my door is painted blue!

[Image scanned from Loft Life magazine]

Have a [Yellow] Seat

Could you do it? Part of me really wants to take the plunge, and buy bright yellow chairs. The other part of me is afraid that I would love the chairs for a bit, and then be totally over them. What do you think? Could you commit to so daring a color for more than a few months?

[If you could, these chairs are currently on sale at West Elm -- they come in a spring green, too!]