a place for it all

i purchased my very first large piece of furniture yesterday (well, besides a bed) i have never lived in very big apartments or have always had friends/family around who were more than happy to donate an unused piece of theirs. i have never owned a couch, bookshelves or large dining table... but yesterday this amoire came home with me. i love its clean lines, blond wood and geometric cutouts on the doors. it feels rustic and scandinavian in all the best ways! without feeling heavy or terribly dated. more classic is guess, but fun because of the doors- i love how the medallion in the rug mimics the shape on the doors - it also pairs so well with the mid-century pieces i already have. 

it was a little scary buying such a big piece and even scarier when sos and i carried it up two flights of  (tiny, old) stairs by ourselves. but its here in our bedroom, with more than space for all our clothes. im pleased as punch! im hoping it will be a wonderful cornerstone for the rest of the apartment. i know it looks a little sparse in here at the moment but i want to paint the walls a soothing grey and i am still getting used to the new house, it will fill out a bit over time. 

 how about you- do you find it hard to commit to large pieces?


*sorry for the photo quality, my big dslr is outta sorts at the moment- so im just using a little guy. 
also i guess i need to trim the rug pad! huh. her undies are showing. 

sneak peek

im off this morning on a little adventure to collect the first new piece for the house! im excited and a little nervous. ill be back later this afternoon and will be listing some new things in the zola collection. here is a little sneak peek of the new items to be listed later today. see you all later  

WWDD

over dinner with some friends this weekend i was asked who my decorating style icon is - normally people ask "whats your style" for this i have a choreographed answer - but being caught off guard i blurted out dara caponigro. huh? 

obviously she is an amazingly talented designer and has had an unbelievable career (previously an editor at domino, she is currently the editor at veranda) but when that flew out of my mouth i must admit i was a little surprised - so being a firm believer in the voices of the subconscious i thought perhaps i was telling myself something. 

the last few days i have been canvasing the internet and past issues of magazines. she seamlessly blends rustic antique pieces with the clean sharp lines of modern pieces in a way that is sophisticated beyond belief. she has an impecible way of marrying the two styles to create a natural, serene and understated space- there is nothing fussy or overly worked in her designs. each flows as seamlessly as the next-  also i adore her playful sense of scale 

when decorating this apartment i think i just might find myself asking - what would dara do?

for more check out this feature in the NYT about her parents retirement home. 

images domino, 1stdibs 2,3,4,6.

stripes

i came across this kitchen at designattractor and just stopped and looked for a long while. the wallpaper is obviously what catches you first. its crazy bold graphic nature is arresting but somehow, paired with all the white slightly farmhouse features of the rest of the kitchen it seems just perfect. the paper reminds me a bit of a lichtenstein and it most certainly brings an unexpected pop to this little kitchen. 

im not sure im ready for an entire wall of this in the dining nook but i do love it in so many ways. my kitchen chairs are getting to need their seats recovered and ive been searching around for a fun new fabric - i came across this fabric (the second one from the top) at ikea and was instantly reminded of the above kitchen 

- perhaps its just the right was to bring in a hint of these bold stripes

images. designattractor, ikea

flowers for friday

things are still a bit helter-skelter here. boxes boxes everywhere...but im reminding myself that moving into a new space will just take some time, blogging from the top of  cardboard boxes is not so ideal. but, baby step- the first friday flower post from the new place. not normally a pink person but these just seemed to call to me from the market. peonies, snap dragons, amazing peppery smelling freesia, and that sweet little red flower (the name of which escapes me at the moment) the container is the larger of these two bowls listed in the shop. i like the wildness of the snapdragons and the heavy rustic quality of the bowl 

acapulco chair

a bit of a love affair with a chair - i first spied this beautiful chair in the above photo...great design in the most simplistic of form and it looks like the perfect place to cozy up and read or thumb through magazines for inspiration. Im still garnering inspiration for the patio this entire apartment. at first i really liked these chairs from ikea, though now ive had a look at them and im not so sure - 

but the acapulco chair has me all misty-eyed and thinking about morning coffee and evening cocktails on the patio. it comes in a range of colors too, but i think i best like the black. 

it is now being handmade by greenpointworks, a brooklyn based company... better start saving my pennies 






images, emmas & second two okdesign 

full of grace

i love this photo of grace kelly - her long extended arm, so elegant no? its so sweetly sublime and summer perfect.

image. princesgracekelly

cathy cullis

this work by uk artist cathy cullis is hauntingly wonderful. imbued with memory, a fluid history seems to flow through each piece. I am especially drawn to their nearly photographic quality - they remind me of the very early daguerreotypes. 

i also love the dream quality of her group images - as though you remember being a part of something but now how or why - i think this moon painting would be so gorgeous next to a bed and find more of her beautiful work in her etsy shop. 

 

hanging in there-

well i must admit im beginning to to feel a little overwhelmed - this new apartment is so much larger than the previous one and every room needs something but i think the biggest thing (aside from absolutely needing a dresser) that needs changing is the overhead in the living room - this is what is
currently hanging in there 

- not my cup of tea & to boot its hung too low. i was sure i wanted to replace it with a nelson bubble lamp but sos isnt sold on the piece so im exploring some other ideas and inspiration. 

images: designacctracor, cottagefarm, design*sponge, jeanpelle, thestylefiles

lake tahoe

 it was a very relaxing weekend spent around lake tahoe - hiking was on the agenda and it was a beautiful time to go. new life and the bright signs of the thaw after a very long, very deep snow season were everywhere. 

i am always amazed at the diversity of the california landscape - you can understand why it was the back yard of photographers like ansel adams and edward weston.  

the air was still crisp with the coolness of the snow, in places on the hike it would have been nice to have snowshoes, in some spots around nine feet of snow was still on the ground, but the sun was bright and powerful and working its melting magic - running water was everywhere. 

a weekend away

well im off for the weekend. it seems like a funny time to be leaving but this little weekend away has been planned for ages - so the boxes here at the house will have to wait. 
what lovely things are you all up to this weekend? 
i apologize for the scatty nature of this week, but i hope you all understand. hoping monday will bring a bit of regular routine and a real internet connection. see you back here soon!


xx


image thepursuitaesthetic

interior inspiration

dreaming about these two sweet retreats - they seem full of summer and calm. i would love if someone would bring me a cup of coffee in bed, it looks luxurious. i cant wait to really be  settled 

via.the pursuit aesthetic, its a wild world 

a clean start

well im still without proper internet but making progress on the apartment...slowly.
i can honestly say that i have never moved into a grimier apartment before. ive spend this entire week scrubbing, scoring, soaking and that just for the bathroom and kitchen! im exhausted but there is something incredibly satisfying about the whole process - i invested in a very coarse bristled scrub brush and pounds of this really tough cleaning agent, tsp. its really a miracle worker but it does require gloves. ive also gone through an entire bottle of surface cleaner, but at least there isnt grease still on the cabinets - they were sticky to touch. These have also become my best friend, i know the sponges arent exactly environmentally friendly but they are great little scrubbers and i use these cheapy kitchen towels instead of paper ones, then just throw them in the tub and hang em dry. this is not such a glamours post i know, but its an important part of the process - having a good, CLEAN foundation its a great place to start.

a sweet spoonful

at each turn of the season there are particular things that i am really excited for- fiddlehead ferns for example and pea tendrils in spring....and rhubarb. im wild about is the first delicate stalks of rhubarb - my most favorite dessert in the world has to be warm rhubarb compote over really good (even preferably homemade) vanilla ice-cream. simple to the point goodness. 

i was delighted to stumble across A Sweet Spoonful . Megan is an oakland based food blogger and im dying to try some of her recipes. i love that she is local since that means we will be on the same growing schedule and uses local produce in her recipes! she has recently posted two rhubarb recipes: a rhubarb compote and a gorgeous rustic strawberry rhubarb pie. 

megan's photographs are so inspiring - the rustic pie just might have to be the first thing i make in my new kitchen. do take a look over at a sweet spoonful 






all images courtesy of a sweet spoonful

moved

well the move is finished!! & im exhausted and missing you all - i cant wait to be settled. there are mountains of boxes ahead of me but i wanted to take a moment and check in.... 

how were your weekends?

im loving the calm summery feeling of this light airy bedroom - how dreamy to have your big fluffy bed open out onto a patio. 

my internet is hopefully being installed tomorrow so i should be back to a regular schedule by the end of this week - and ive a scrumptious post for tomorrow already in the works - 

image: a wild world.