take me there

i want to go to there.

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the scented letter

i spent a lot of time this weekend cleaning out closets and drawers with so much more to add to my seemingly endless clothing donations. i sorted sunglasses and found a new, larger home for all my beloved bracelets, since the collection has grown like it has. 

as i went through drawers and cleared out garbage and things i'd been clinging to just because, my spirits were lifted by the lovely scent of my lavender drawer sachets, which is all the more reason i know i'd love a beautifully scented sachet with my initial on it like this one. in the category of little extras, who wouldn't want one or a few? would also be a lovely hostess gift for a beach visit to come or a darling token for a bride-to-be with the initial of her new last name.

need more ideas for hostess gifts or bridal shower gifts?

high/low...x-benches

one of these x-benches is $595 from jonathan adler while the other is $179 from ballard designs. can you tell which is which?

well i won't torture you...the top one is adler, bottom is ballard. now i love me some jonathan adler, but in this case, i have to go with ballard...and i might, with a pair of these benches in my next bedroom. though i have to say, they have such an array of patterns and fabrics available, it would be hard to choose. 

the ballard options range from $179 to $369, while jonathan adler's much smaller set of options range from $495 to $695. i don't know, this one seems like a no-brainer.

under some circumstances, i'd say it depends how each feels, but unless money is not a concern, i think this is a decorative item for the most part and not one where the luxury of the fabric entirely matters. and if money is no concern, could you buy me a pair of the coral ikat ones above?

what do you think? could you see a reason to go for the adler ones?

in the bedroom

isn't the the charlotte bedside table sweet? i love the way they're distressed, but not so distressed that it looks intentional. and i love the simple, clean look of it and think it would be perfectly lovely to rest a book or two on, and the tiniest of lamps. i don't even know how i'd decide which color to choose...they're each so nice in their own way. i could picture the blue one in an otherwise white and cream room, but then the white would be so nice in that room as well...

an unfussy room

how totally gorgeous is this room? i love the softness of it. it's sweet and feminine, but not so much so that a man couldn't happily live there. there are so many things that speak to me about this room....the color of that wall is just perfection. and i'd know those poufs anywhere. i love the idea of them in place of a bench at the foot of the bed. the headboard reminds me of the one i die for from pottery barn and all together, the look is so unfussy and collected.

have an unfussy and collected weekend.

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nighty night

nightstands are kind of like a little apartment within your home, right? they're self-contained, just a lovely little tableau of whatever happens your first and last moments awake each day.

here's what's on mine:

-an alarm clock i've had since high school
-a small crystal bowl my grandpa gave me which holds rubber bands and odds and ends
-a glittery silver box for my rings
-a bottle of lavender and vanilla pillow mist
-a box i painted in mexico to hold my inner child - story for another day
-a face-shaped box from my grandma which holds q-tips
-a book or two and my blackberry
-anywhere between one and four water bottles at varying levels of fullness

i'm curious to know...what's on your nightstand?

image from house beautiful

if you knew suzani

for whatever combination of reasons, i've found myself gravitating towards suzani and ikat prints in a way i never was before (more on ikat later this week, and here. and here.) suzani means needlework, and are defined as "decorative tribal textiles made in tajikistan, uzbekistan, kazakhstan and other central asian countries." and i love them. a lot.

generally, suzanis carry meaning in regards to fertility, household stability, protection and health, so they make a perfect decor item in any home. i love the idea of mixing these patterns in with other patterns and pieces of furniture and art that don't directly correlate.

to me, textiles like these add such warmth and grounding to a space, and contribute to the feeling of a home that has come together over time. of course, there is a great appeal to the real deal, visiting these countries themselves and sourcing your one perfect piece from a local market, but there is also a wealth of access out there to collections of these pieces, including great sources on ebay. here are some of the pieces i love that i found there:






how gorgeous are these? and what's really lovely is that most of the sellers of pieces like these know a great deal about each one, so you have a sense of the provenance of what you're buying, which is so authentic, and really a nice connection to the craftsmanship and culture of the suzani.

a large piece like these is perfect as a wall hanging, a bed cover (on top of a comforter) or a topper over a tablecloth. they even look amazing just draped casually over a great chair or ottoman. wisteria sells some pretty ones which are "inspired" by vintage suzani fabrics, shown here.


for other real-deal suzani pieces, i love jayson home and garden (let's be serious, love them for everything) and i particularly adore these pillows:


and etsy shop material recovery is a mind-blowing sea of vibrant colors and textiles. it's a project put together to "unite antique embroidered textiles.....with furniture salvaged from second hand stores." YES PLEASE. look at this bench and chair:


I DIE. sort of reminds me of this anthro chair i was coveting. and then the pillows:



for some other beautiful "suzani-inspired" pieces, wisteria has a few pillows i love, and an ottoman that's pretty close to perfect. i love the image of it in front of a broken-in leather couch and an oriental rug underneath.



etsy seller eleganttouch makes pillow covers inspired by suzani designs which are a less expensive (around $50 each) step into the suzani world. these are my favorites - i love how they're sort of washed out looking, and think they'd look great in a more subdued, spa-like space, even though they are still vibrant.





even dwell by target has taken on suzani, though i would stick with the throw pillow since it has an embroidered texture which the comforter and shams do not -- so much of the look is about the embroidery, and i'd hate to have it all flattened out and mass-produced looking.



to me, even buying the reproduction versions of suanis supports the tradition of the embroidered art and keeps the place of the important heritage in today's design.

top two images from elle decor and soul pretty; all other images from linked sites

a white washed rest

isn't this just the most restful bedroom in the world? it's from one of my favorite blogs, house of turquoise.

i am so loving all the white-washed shades in the room - the mix of cream and white, the palest of pale blue pillows on the windowseat, the wonderfully bleached beams on the ceiling. and the view just beyond the window - the sea air waiting just outside for when your inside rest time is done.

take me there. you too?

some honey living you might have missed:
masterful use of white in design
beach houses to dream of
do you love afternoon naps?

earning our stripes

what are your thoughts on striped walls? i kind of love them! i think it's easy for a striped room to go horribly awry, but here are some images i've been collecting that i think get it right. what i notice that they all have in common is that the stripes are the same width in each color, rather than having one of the colors thicker.

in the case of the photo above, the stripes are two different shades in the same color family, which totally works and gives the room a soothing feel, despite its many colors and potentially busy stripe. another idea i've heard is to do the same exact color, just do one matte and one eggshell or glossy...that's a cool idea, isn't it?

the room below is also really soothing- i love the stripes in muted oatmeal and white, especially with the robin's egg blue in there too, and the use of the toile fabric against the graphic stripe.

this orange striped entryway makes me feel like i'm on vacation - love it. rather than using a contrasting pattern like the toile above, i sort of love how the couch is upholstered in a matching awning stripe to the wall. it's playful and fun.

here are a few in yellow, which i think is a great way to use such a vibrant color without overdoing it or having to wear sunglasses inside. the light totally bounces off these walls, but the interplay of the white and yellow tempers it just enough.

and look how unexpected and cool the ceiling here is. impossibly cool baby's room, btw (of course it's in the home of the painfully stylish jenna lyons).

here, in a more traditionally appointed nursery, turquoise and white stripes make an appearance and totally wake up the space. i love all the other punches of color mixed in here and how they play with the stripe.

and of course, black and white is always a classic combination in anything. check out the ceiling on the last picture here!

our downstairs powder room is screaming out to be spruced up but i don't want to paint it a solid color...i toyed with wallpaper, and i'm still considering it. but these stripes look pretty good...

photos from mrs. jones painted finishes, materialgirlsblog, hgtv, house to home uk, darling savage, in my house, apartment therapy, annechovie, lonny, apartment therapy