Today is my 300th Post! Thank you for all of your support, I hope to continue to inspire for another 300 posts!

 

P.S. I attended the Rubie Green Party last night held at Calypso Home in Soho, it was a beautiful bash! Rubie Green’s prints looked so beautiful in an array of shades of gray, I want to redecorate my entire apartment!

DeSmitten in Lonny Magazine

A very good friend of mine, Michelle Adams has launched a new web magazine, Lonny with her friend Patrick Cline. They are inspired by LONdon and NY and it is evident in each page of the magazine. From fashion to interiors, the inspiration is endless!

Michelle so graciously asked me to be a part of the very first issue!

 I am featured here with my favorite top 10 favorite items!

 

 I am so proud of Michelle, and cannot thank her enough for including me in this amazing achievement!

Bright Bath!

I know that I am not much of an interior designer, I am much more adept at fashion… but I thought I would share with you a little preview of some parts of my apartment throughout the next few weeks. I began to redecorate my entire apartment in the beginning of the year, so I thought it would be nice to share! I started with my bathroom because it was the smallest wall to paint and smallest space to fill…

Partners and Spade

Andy Spade and Anthony Sperduti’snew store/gallery is quite a site to see! From books to used paint palettes the store has everything you could imagine and more! Set up more like an art gallery/museum shop, the space is filled with white walls and fixtures. You can rummage through old postcards and flip through old books. It is definitely a place to see. Starting June 4th a new installation will be up, entitled “My Amazing Friends” curated by Kim Hastreiter.

40 Great Jones St. New York, NY

merci beaucoup!

A new store has opened in Paris, called MERCI! From the same owners of Bonpoint, this concept store has everything from designers like Isabelle Marant to eco-friendly furniture. Located in an old wallpaper factory, the store is set up like someones home. Lingerie and clothing laying across the bed and drawers spilling over with garments. Merci is giving Colette a run for it’s money!

Wishing I was in Paris to visit the store myself….

DOMINO EFFECT

Saturday morning I woke up extra early to go to Tom Delavan’sbeautiful Greenwhich Village townhouse for the Domino Tag Sale. It was definitely worth the wait… for me anyhow… there were $5 bolts of fabric lining the walls of the basement and everything else from art to tea sets . My search for living room artwork has finally came to an end! I picked up this Francis Bacon that incorporates the color of my bedroom and the color of the sofa all in one! I also picked up a vintage fur muff (in mint condition) that can double as a pillow in my leather library chair. Also, for a few dollars I found this great upholstery printed fabric…. so many ideas for its use! Although I am very sad that Domino Magazine has closed its doors, the sale was great!

Awake In Bed

On Monday night, I received my Photo Zine from All Things Ordinary , and couldn’t be more excited about how it turned out! This is the first issue of the Photo Zine, based on ordinary everyday subjects… Awake In Bed. Each issue will be dedicated to a different everyday thing.

Here is my photo… (in my old bedroom)

And here are some of my other favorites…

Thank you Kara for putting out such a great Photo Zine, I can’t wait to see what the next one is going to be about!

b + a b

b + a b = love

 

Trina Turk Fashionable Living

Trina Turk is best known for her bold prints and great use of color, now she is bringing it into our homes! She recently opened a home furnishing store in Palm Springs. Her home furnishings are mirror images of her funky clothing…

Barbie’s 50th, and She Doesn’t Look a Day Over 25!

We all remember the days of Barbie…dressing her up in super tight pants (which always required you to stand her on her head to get them on), decorating her dream house (with tissues as bead spreads) and driving her around in her little pink Corvette (or sometimes a remote control car you borrowed from the neighbor). My favorite Barbie moment as a little girl was when I asked for my mom’s help to put Barbie’s shoe on. When my mom asked me where her other shoe was, I simply replied… “She doesn’t need the other shoe, she only has one leg!”

It’s hard to believe Barbie made it through 50 years!

And it’s great that she did, so many people have honored her for her big Birthday…

Jonathan Adler himself decorated a 3,500 sq. foot Malibu Beach house for her…

Karl Lagerfeld designed a made over couple of Barbie and Ken…

And this year New York’s fashion week hosted an entire show inspired by her!

 

 Whoever says turning 50 isn’t fabulous, hasn’t met Barbie! Here’s to 50 more!

Avant et Apres: Window and Chair

Since I had friends over for my birthday celebration last night, I wanted my apartment to be as finished as it possibly could for the party! This weekend, with the help of my boyfriend we made the living room window more elegant and I recovered an old chair.
I found this window rather sad and kind of boring, so I came up with the idea to put molding around it.

Before…

I took inspiration from the over-sized molding in the stairwells of my building. I find that it makes the window look deeper. I still haven’t decided on curtains, but one step at a time….

Apres…

At work we had to set up a “mock store setting” and at the end of the project we were able to take the furniture home. I adopted this old chair that had nothing but a cardboard seat covered in muslin.

Before…

I found this painterly print in a stretch cotton that suited the dark color of the wood chair. I added some foam cushioning and voila!

Apres…

Birthday Wish List

Recently my mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and for the first time ever I was stumped! I know I need Art for the living room walls, but art is so subjective it is not something you ask for as a gift. So I did a little research on things that I would like for myself/my apartment….

While writing about John Derian earlier this week I found that he is doing a line for Target, and I fell in love with this alphabet tray…

 

Also, Spring is just around the corner and last summer I wore my gladiator sandals out in no time-so I need a new pair, these Sam Edelman sandals are the perfect neutral color and can be worn with any little summer frock!

 

And of course I still want Laird Borrelli’s Fashion Illustrations By Fashion Designers book that I didn’t get for Christmas…

Lil’ Bit of This, Lil’ Bit of That

As I posted last week, the Zig-Zag has me mesmerized so I picked up a few canvas’s at Blick Art Supply and a set of oil paints to create a simple zig-zag for my living room. I originally thought I would just find fabric and cover a canvas, but I’ve had no such luck. So here is my simple pink and white DIY zig-zag painting that is currently resting in my window, until I find a place for it on the blank walls…

Also, I found this amazing zig-zag scarf at Esprit (which is not a store I normally stop in, but while I was out shopping for work this caught my eye). It is very soft and great for when the temperature warms up a few degrees…

Also, yesterday in the mail I received a few early birthday gifts! One good thing about living in a different state than family and some friends is that your birthday lasts for about a month long!

My best friend Erica sent me a little surprise from Kate Spade…

 

It is so cute I just want to leave it hanging in my room!

 

Also, grams sent me some old photos of my great aunt and my great grandma. The quality of these photos are so great, and I love the scalloped edges around each photo. They look so statuesque in these photos!

 

And finally…I was flipping through the latest issue of Elle Magazine and I came across this slightly disturbing photograph of Kate Hudson. She looks great, but the kitchen floor she is sitting on is he EXACT SAME FLOOR that is in my mother’s house right now. I grew up with this kitchen floor!! We had our kitchen re-done and this floor installed in 1990… so crazy!

John Derian

One of my favorite little boutiques for home goods is John Derian’s which is conveniently located right down the block from my apartment! His store contains little treasures that have a nostalgic feel but are often times out of my price range. Some of my favorite things that he carries, but that I cannot afford are…

Moroccan Poufs $265

Hugo Guinness Prints… starting at $425

I am most in love with the underwear drawing!

I originally saw the underwear drawing on someones blog… forgive me because I cannot remember where, but here is the image I fell in love with at first sight…

Not knowing that this was an artist, I assumed it was just a drawing someone had done and found amusing so they framed it. I apologize Mr. Guinness but I had my boyfriend re-create it for me and I put a hot pink background behind it and framed it for myself. It wasn’t until I walked into John Derian’s boutique and saw the underwear and all the other amazing images hanging on the wall that I realized you were a very talented artist. Here is my recreation…

Also, I found these ceramic dipped tin cans that were so amazing, and very pricey!

Wanting these lovely little tin cans I decided to do a little DIY project, here are my before cans….

And After…

The items that I did pick up at the John Derian boutique were post cards, one of the only things I could afford! Here are the ones I bought for $1.50 each…

Zooey Deschanel Style

After going to the screening of Yes Man! I was reminded of how much I love Zooey Deschanel. She has a wonderful voice… as seen in Elf and Yes Man and she has incredible style! Here are some of my favorite Zooey images…

And this month she is on the cover of Domino!  

Stylish Couple: Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan

Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan tied the knot this past September in San Francisco. Both men are inspirational in their respective design worlds. I am sure they continue to inspire each other every day. I know that recently I have been inspired by Jonathan Adler’s interiors as I slowly pull together my apartment. As for Simon Doonan, he has inspired me through out my fashion life. His writing is quirky and easy to relate to. Together they make a beautifully stylish couple. 

Here are some photos of their home, mostly decorated by Adler…

Jonathan Adler’s pottery…

Some window displays by Simon Doonan.

I am very happy for them and look forward to their future work!

Dish List

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I am back in New York now and looking forward to the New Year. My Christmas gifts this year consisted of gift cards to Home Depot and Bed, Bath and Beyond and apartment necessities. My mom took me shopping for apartment things and we went to a consignment store that carried only home goods. I picked up a set of these 6 bowls for $10…

and 4 drinking glasses for $8…

Then we headed to Home Goods and as we began to leave with only a few bathroom hand towels we stumbled upon these adorable dishes…

I think I am always drawn to black and white for dishes because growing up we had a black and white (with accents of red) kitchen. My mom already had given me a set of simple large white plates with a silver rim, which sit nicely with my new dishes! Also, they had white square plate/bowls with silver trim to match. Here is my very first matching set of dishes:

I love that they all go together but they aren’t too matchy-matchy. The set is made up of vintage and new dishes, just the way I like it!

Interior Inspiration

So I know it takes a long time to acquire the many things that make up a beautiful apartment, but I am anxious to have a finished space. I could just buy things to fill to place but I won’t. Yesterday I went to 4 different flea markets in search of more furniture and all I bought was a lamp! Here are some more inspiration images that keep me motivated to continue my search for amazing pieces for my apartment.

Fab Furniture and Fashions

Someone at Elle must be redecorating their apartment as well… nothing better than high fashion and vintage furniture!

 

Bedroom Bliss

As I begin the big move from a tiny room to a large one I find myself inspired by color! I want to have a very creative space to create beautiful things! I have enough room for a full size bed and a large desk for pattern making and sewing. I am going to put shelves on one wall filled with inspirational books, tears and sewing notions. Here are some inspirational images for my bedroom…

All of these colorful images were found here.

Another lovely office space…