Interior Inspiration

Its all about a gorgeous workspace today! We all need a place where we can sit and feel comfortable and inspired, whatever the task at hand. Such a space starts with two simple pieces: A beautiful, comfortable chair & a stunning surface. I especially love some of the unexpected pairings in these photos!  
All of the necessities are present on each of these desks but not much else. Being careful not to over-style your workspace is the key. I want a place that feels clean, uncluttered and full of possibility. I don't want to feel like I must clean up my work-surface before starting something. That takes away from creative energy. 

Im thinking about creating a new little work-space in my apartment soon! Where do you work from at home? 

Interior Ideas

Its Friday again! And this time I was inspired by the classic Eames lounge chair. It a perfect casual chic combonation and adds gorgeous sculptural lines to a space. 

Im also looking forward to an outing at the british museum this weekend, visting with out-of-town friends & lunch here 

How are you going to spend your days ? 

see you on Monday
 xx 

Hallway Inspiration

A defined entry has an important place in design. It should be welcoming, give a little hint of whats to come beyond the door and above all functional. 

When you move into a new place the possibilities seem endless and quite tangible, but then the newness wears off and you find yourself going day by day with things as they are. I think it takes a while of living somewhere to realize what problems there are to be solved and how to go about solving them. So its been a year and I have finally figured out how to remedy the little narrow hallway that leads into the house. (go here to see the paint before & after)

First I needed to understand what function the space had to serve.... storage, a place for shoes to go on and off, a spot for keys, extra light to shine into a dark closet and it all had to be 15" wide or less. 

So a year later and I finally have a bit of inspiration for the space!




tray, decorative boxes, lamp, console, storage, stool, basket 

scandinavian cottage

 i couldn't resist posting this charming little cottage. It seems so filled with energy and simply lovely.  It would be the perfect place to spend a summer 

 I am bursting with excitement for an upcoming trip to sweden in about a month. I have been looking forward to it since november of last year and I can hardly believe it is almost here. It will be a pilgrimage of sorts as I have not been before and both my great-grandparents were born there. And, I eagerly await all of the things that come with experiencing a new place. 

i would love to have a bright summer dinner under this canopy!


images: HB Design

focus

some lovely spaces that I have been looking at recently. I am feeling a bit uninspired when it comes to my apartment just now. Do you ever feel that way? Just a bit stuck I suppose and not sure what is the next move on the decorating front. I know it needs to be a bigger piece and I think this is what has me paralyzed, I haven't seen anything I like just yet.  

I also need to make changes to the entryway. It needs to be more functional and thus the form needs to change. I know exactly what I would like to do but I cant seem to find the right pieces. Maybe I am too married to what i see in my head. I wish I could just sketch them and have someone make them for me. 

And finally the little eat in nook in the kitchen is feeling tired. I have been thinking something bold like glossy navy paint would spice it up but I find myself second guessing. Maybe I should just go for it? 

Anyway, I am off  a wedding for two dear friends in DC. Looking forward to being there to support them on their blissful day. Im hoping that going to this new place will bring winds of change too. Sometimes its good to step back.  
One place I am always feeling inspired though is on instagram (you can find me at cottage farm) and Im taking my polaroid with me to DC in the hopes of this beautiful tool coaxing me out of this little cloud. 


enjoy the rest of your week all. 





images: 1, 2, 3, 4

dining divine

just a bit of eye candy for your tuesday. Im enamored with these beautiful dining spaces. Opulent and sophisticated but sill with a casualness about them that is truly lovely. Oh! and that bench. 

images: first two, third 

kitchen envy

gorgeous, no?  A little bit of kitchen envy for the weak week. Such drama in these spaces. The wall color keeps the top one looking very modern and very chic in an otherwise lovely old space. Love how it plays so well off the floors. Below, that irresistible soap stone sink. Its all about the is high back splash. 
enjoy. 

images: french by design, habituallychic

shades of grey

a very sophisticated twist on the classic white cabinets. As of late I seem to only have eyes for these pretty shades of grey on the cabinets. It plays up the architecture of each of the spaces so beautifully. lovely with the dark & light floors 

oh and that little pop of yellow. so great!

1,2,3,4

interior inspiration

kitchen envy. 

sorry for the shorter posts this week. Time is short here and im up the walls, but i hope youll enjoy drooling over this fabulous kitchen shot as much as i have. 


.... that sink fixture! 




image found here. 

Kitchen Addition

Over the weekend a little addition. My kitchen is a big wide open square. And while Im elated to have such space after the little galley kitchens Ive had before, it does have its challenges. The set up is a bit inefficient and counter space is sacrificed. 

 The solution... a kitchen island. This one is sized perfectly for the space and I am pleased with the outcome; added counter space, extra storage. I also added a vintage rug. The kitchen feels so much warmer and this thrills me the most! 

interior inspiration

just a quick follow up to this mornings before&after post. Here is some inspiration behind the bathroom's grid wall.....

images: AuNatural, Mrs. Blandings 

cozy

 i want to spend the day tucked away in a cozy beautiful kitchen... cooking inspired, simple food 

 cool stone, smooth wood, perfectly aged copper

any of these would do - 






images: 1, 2,  3 

American Modern

i have been spending a lot of time with Thomas O'Brien's "American Modern". I know the book has been out for a while and you are probably familiar with it by now, but I just cant seem to get it out of my system now that its in my house. 

I am particularly drawn the the two houses that O'Brien has designed for himself - a 1930's era apartment in Manhattan and a stunning federal colonial estate upstate that was once a boys school. There is so much to look at in each of the spaces (in fact he shows both incarnations of his city apartment so its really like seeing three houses). I admire his ability to be true to each of the spaces with such strict editing that they look as undersigned and unworked as you would want them to be. This I think is a skill which takes much practice and strictness. 

I love how we can see his progression as a designer through these three spaces. His first incarnation of the 1930's apartment is very strict indeed, beautiful and effortless but you can visibly see how restrained he was in this first apartment. I love this. Its like getting a glimpse into the studio paintings of a great master, that timeline of inspiration to change fascinates me in every medium. 

It seems that in his Academy (the name of his upstate house) project he lets his strictness (but not his keen editing eye nor his mastery of textiles and mixing of periods) relax a bit and I just cant get over the results. It feels so personal but I could easily see myself living there as well.  I especially love how all of his spaces feel so gender neutral, the perfect balance. 

 

If you havent spent time with this book I highly reccomend it. I keep finding myself thinking about an image or phrase from the pages and going back to flip through and find what I've been thinking about. 

styled

 im holding my breath looking at the gorgeous styling work of scott horne. 

 im wrapped up in the textures, rich colors and use of fabric.....

mark cunningham

 for me there are those certain spaces that stick in the corners of my memory, subconsciously perhaps, but forever bubbling to the surface. causing me to see certain things in certain way, and consider what i would not perhaps have before. this is the upstate new york home of designer mark cunningham. a sophisticated space that has me continuously captivate. 

i love how seamlessly the space is able to hold classic american and masculine pieces with gentler modern and natural, global nods. 

i really think its so simply beautiful... ooh and i love that unexpected barn light on the celling and that upholstered headboard wall. there are so many wonderful, elegant and quite places to look. it feels so calm. 
can you tell how much i love this space?