Unicorn!! Paper!!

Awesome.

Image: arjowiggins, li edelkoort and french photographer gregoire alexandre via Design*Sponge

Chez Disco

Guys. Forget everything I've ever said I wanted in life EVER. I would take this lamp over everything else. I would literally give away everything I own and decorate my whole bedroom with this lamp alone. People would come into my apartment I'd usher them straight over to my lamp and let them 'ooh and ahh' over it for a few hours. I could charge an entrance fee. Like the wax museum.

Images: Reiko Kaneko via Design*Sponge

Me Gusta

Here are things I like: Upholstered headboards, embroidery, things that are handmade.

Unlike other embroidered headboards I've seen, this is simple but not over-the-top. It makes a statement without seeming obnoxious or overly cutesy. It is unlikely that I will ever have the time or talent to do something like this myself (though Design*Sponge has generously provided all the instructions online) but what's to stop me from covering a canvas with cheap upholstery fabric and going nuts with a sharpie??

Ps. I also love the simple bedding and floral pillow. Stay tuned for details of my exhaustive search for throw pillows for our new orange couch!

Image: Lydia Lee via Design*Sponge

Cool-Aid

Last week I hobbled home on horrible blister-ridden feet and of course I could not find a band-aid anywhere in the apartment. My old roommate keeps a handy Tupperware container underneath her bed that literally contains 6 different kinds of over-the-counter pain killers and I could not find a single band-aid anywhere in the house. As I patted my sore, swollen feet I resolved right then and there to go out and buy a first-aid kit as soon as possible.

Then I forgot.

Yesterday I made the blisters even worse by wearing yet another pair of insanely awesome but still very uncomfortable heels and I decided the best way to treat the now open wounds was with gin. Lots of it.

I saw this post on Shelterrific today and basically I think the fates are trying to tell me I should screw the pharmacy and support my local liquor store instead. I'm not even sure how or where this would fit in our apartment but I feel I must make it happen somehow because it is so damn cool. PLUS, the stylish cabinent would keep the barware far away from the cat, who might otherwise be tempted to knock them all over simply because she can.

Is it weird that I would be tempted to paint the traditional red cross neon pink or electric blue?

Images: Urbancase via Shelterrific

There are no words.

My birthday is in November.

This Anya Hindmarch clutch is the perfect gift. Just sayin'.

Image: Fashionista

No title. Too tired.

I am moody this morning because I had a fantastic weekend away in Maine and now I am back at work and the skies are grey and I woke up too late to shower and now my legs are woefully unshaven and basically I am gross.

My mood is brightened a little (literally) by the Brooklyn living room of Michele Michael, a freelance editor and prop stylist with Elephant Props and Patrick Moore, a furniture designer and author/illustrator. Michael divides her time between Brooklyn and Maine (holla!) and her modern yet homey living room inspires me to reconsider glass coffee tables and my inclination to shove the couch against the wall. I'm not sure our living room is big enough to handle this look but I think their customized bookshelves are fantastic- they are more unique than your average Billy bookshelf and they complement their mid-century couch beautifully. Who am I kidding though- the bright pink and neon blue pillows, yellow glass lamp and white leather pouffe are what really sold me!

Image: Design*Sponge

[Title of Blog Post]

I saw this photo from the glamorous apartment of Gemma Ahern on Design*Sponge a few days ago and I have been thinking about it ever since. I wasn't going to post about it because it's so obviously something I would post about and I want to keep everyone on their toes but then again, I post about wallpaper and things that are pink basically every other day and so anyway here it is.

[Insert rambly paragraph about the neon coffeetable and dark walls and amazing statement bookshelves here]

Image: Abigail Ahern via Design*Sponge


Ps. Please tell me someone got the nerdy theater reference in the title???

Heads or Tails?

I have not had a proper bed with a headboard and/or foot board since I was a child and I have been yearning for one lately. My current bed is basically the mattress and box spring on a metal frame with wheels. I KNOW. HORRIBLE. When I was 8 I begged my mother to buy me a sophisticated brass daybed from Pottery Barn but the white Sears version I received as a birthday present was rickety and disappointing and had to pretend I loved it long after the luxury had worn off.

I don't really care about foot boards or having a giant bed talking up half my room. A simple headboard would make the bed itself look more official instead of one step up from the whole boho mattress on the floor look. The problem with headboards is that they are expensive and usually sort of boring. I am all for making one myself but I hesitate because of all the important decisions that must be made. Fabric? Wood? Upholstered? Shelf? No Shelf?

Life is hard.

If my bedroom were larger and could handle the intense awesomeness of this blown up lace-covered canvas, I would totally steal this idea and then pretend I had come up with it myself when people come over to 'ooh' and 'ahh' all over themselves. My room is not, however, a spacious delight and so instead my sad bed will reside in a corner and I will just have to find another way to accomodate my fussy bed-related design queries. Perhaps I should make up for the lack of headboard with an abundance of pillows?

Image: LivingEtc via The Style Files

Nice Rack!

I have about a million things on my 'to do' list but instead of working on various writing projects and/or work I actually get paid to do, I am going to write about this brazilliant coat rack.

I have such a love/hate relationship with coat racks. We had a traditional brass coat rack when I was little but it was so top-heavy it fell over on me when I was 6 and I spent half my morning 'trapped' under a mound of jackets pretending there had been an earthquake and rationing out fruit snacks in case I was stuck under there all day.

The problem is, I don't love those wall racks either- especially the kind with a shelf or anything that looks too 'country'. Ick. Since we don't have a hallway closet, we have to find a way to store coats and hats that won't topple over onto our guests and small cat. Our entryway is tricky though. When you enter our apartment you basically walk straight into the kitchen and though my first instinct is to fight for a proper entrance console/mirror combo and forgo the jacket storage altogether, I also have to consider practicality. This coat rack might be an easy solution to our problem. We could keep a few coats on it without piling them on top of each other and it looks shallow enough not to take up the entire walkway. Plus, we could paint it a nice bright color and it would look so neat and tidy!

Image: Design Sponge

Carnation Nation

Yesterday a friend showed up at my apartment with flowers (And homemade chocolates. God, I'm spoiled!) and ever since I have been thinking about how important it is to have fresh flowers around. It can brighten any day and do wonders for a bland apartment that has yet to be set up or unpacked or repainted. It can also add variation to your color scheme. Say, for example, you have a room that is all neutral colors or all black and white. You could add several small arrangements in hot pink and suddenly your room is totally Parisian chic! Perhaps you decide you hate pink and replace them all with bright yellow and voila! your room is Venetian Art Nouveau!

I tend to be quite snobby about flowers. I hate things like baby's breath and hyacinth and anything too tropical and pointy. I also hate most filler flowers with the exception of carnations, which I am starting to adore. I especially like the fuchsia and white stripes in this simple yet classy bouquet. They're not wedding-worthy or anything but they'd be so nice scattered throughout a living room or in several small bud vases on a windowsill in the bathroom.

I vowed not to say anything about the wallpaper but come on, it's fabulous! I have had my eye on this style for quite some time and would love love love to use this in a bathroom above crisp white subway tile.

Image: Katja of Nestled In

Oh and also...

I DIE.

This is tile, people!

I must have this in a bathroom at some point in my life.

I would never leave.

I would make a fort out of deliciously soft white towels and drink spa water and eat assorted crudites all day long.

Image: Jill of The Office (not the tv show) via Design Sponge

Found: The Rug of my Dreams

For the past 9 months or so, I've been obsessed with a rug I basically made up. It is a Persian style rug except instead of boring neutrals and burgundy and olive greens, it has hyper-saturated jewel tones. I've actually found a few of them but they are always part of the decor in a store that has little to do with rugs. I found a slightly faded version in Brooklyn Industries while I was trying on men's hats and a bubble-gum pink variation a Juicy Couture at the mall in New Jersey. Fueled with passion and a little boredom (my friend was trying on a million dresses), I told the sales girl I was a designer and then asked the manager to find out where they bought the rugs. Alas, they were 'vintage' and 'the home office takes care of all that'.

Failure.

Today I was perusing Design Sponge and my heart basically stopped, flipped over, and then threatened to do the mambo when this rug hit the screen. It's everything I want: vibrant and bold yet still a little traditional and thin enough to avoid vigilant vacuuming. I envision a danish modern coffee table, a small tree where I could hang some random handmade ornaments, some pin-stripe curtains and a neutral couch with round tufted pillows.

Hanna hates rugs because her old apartment had floor-to-ceiling carpeting and so her first instinct is to cringe and avoid rugs altogether. We have one old rug in our sad little living room and it is currently covered in dust and cat hair because we don't use the room too much at the moment. (No couch and tv = entire seasons of The Office on hulu at our kitchen table.) Nevertheless I am determined to convince Hanna not to hate on rugs- even if I have to tie her down, make her watch Aladdin and pretend the damn rug can fly!

This particular magical rug resides in the gorgeous home of Jorey Hurley, which is a featured 'sneak peek' on Design Sponge today. Check it out and marvel at the superb dining room gallery she created as well as the many fun prints she designed with Hable Construction.

Ps. Also I like her dog named Biscuit.

Image: Jorey Hurley via Design Sponge

Miadoration

Since my lovely ex-roommate Other Mia has so graciously agreed to do some guest posts, I thought I would honor her literary roots with magnificent card catalog I found over at Desire to Inspire!

This reminds me of Other Mia for several reasons:

1) It is a card catalog (duh)
2) It is colorful
3) There is a hat (Mia makes ridiculously cool knitted hats and wrist warmers, as well as handmade prints under the label BabyKitty. You can find them in Brooklyn at Flirt, which is the best store anywhere, ever.)
4) There is also a half naked lady wearing a cute skirt (don't ask why this reminds me of Mia. It just does.)

This card catalog would be great for storing craft supplies and materials, but I'd be tempted to store all my costume jewelry and outrageous make-up!

This photo comes from bitsandbobbins, whose adorable citrus-colored San Francisco apartment was featured on Apartment Therapy!

Image: bitsandbobbins via Desire to Inspire

In a great green room...

I am so excited to be guest-blogging my first post on Mia's blog. Once upon a glorious time we were roommates and known as Mia and Other Mia, depending on who was around or being spoken about. So just to clarify, I am Other Mia. At least for now. I spend a lot of time around picture books because I am a children's librarian, and I wanted to take a moment to talk about interior design in kid's picture books. To me, there is no greater example than Good Night, Moon. Who doesn't want to cuddle up in such a cozy space, with striped curtains and a bright rug and all the little details. Illustrators today have amazing resources at their fingertips, and printing techonology has come a long way, but there is nothing that can replace the attention to details in the illustrations that have these simple colors and hand-drawn lines. Can you believe it was published in 1947? I tip my hat to you, illustrator Clement Hurd! The telephone and tiger rug I find particularly sophisticated. Mmm, nap time...

Goodnight Moon is by Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrations by Clement Hurd. Harper &Row Publishers inc. 1947

Image: Clement Hurd/Harper Collins Publishers

On reading nooks

I am in a horrible mood today because my dumb cat spent half the night knocking all the perfume bottles off my dresser one by one and then this morning I bought a 'mixed berry' scone and there were raisins in it.

Fact: RAISINS ARE NOT A BERRY.

Sigh.

Luckily this photo from AT:LA has lifted my spirits a bit! I would totally do something like this in my apartment if I had the proper corner. It's cozy and comfortable and makes great use of a corner that might otherwise have been wasted. I love the deep drawers, which are perfect for storing drawings and papers if you are an artist or even household items like stationary, napkins, place mats, unused artwork and take-out menus.

I also love that they used fabric instead of wallpaper; it's wonderful for renters and easy to swap out of you wake up one day and decide you are out of your flower phase and heading toward tie dye.

Image: Family Living via Apartment Therapy Los Angeles

No Title. Just Awesomeness.

WHERE CAN I GET THIS BARREL LAMP OH MY GOD.

Image: LivingEtc (Basically I spend hours on this website)

Fly, butterfly, Fly!

One of my best friends in college went through a period where she wore head-to-toe pink-glittery pink eyeshadow, tank top, sweater, scarf, jacket, pants, shoes. Pink. Pink. Pink.

I loved her look. She made a statement. She was saying 'Pink is my favorite color'. (Aerosmith's 'Pink' was literally her favorite song.) Sometimes I prefer a little more surprise in my aesthetic statements. Sometimes I want normal, normal, normal, NOT NORMAL. For example, my junior year prom dress was a deep Indian teal with hot pink crinoline that really came in handy when it was time to can-can. (I joke. I spent most of my prom hanging out in the bathroom and huddled in a corner drinking peach schnapps we had stolen from our parents' poorly stocked liquor cabinets) At other times, I am perfectly happy to wear something completely ridiculous because I have EMBRACED the weird. Like the sequined top in the shape of a butterfly I wore for New Years a few years ago. God I love that top.

I'm not sure if you know this about me but sometimes I can be dramatic.

This living room is my sequined butterfly top. There is nothing subtle about it. From the giant window to the oversize ottoman, ornate mirror and floral wallpaper, this room screams 'I AM A GIRL'. It's the type of room I gravitate toward because it is bold and glamorous but have to make a conscious effort to stay away from because though I am hyper-feminine in my tastes, I dream of living in an apartment that is still somewhat gender neutral. You know, the type of place devoid of doillies and stuffed animals and 40,000 throw pillows that sends boys running.

Sigh. It's so hard being me.

Image: LivingEtc

Speaking of...

Now that my mind's on dining areas, I might as well post some other ideas.


Even though it isn't the most practical idea, I love the look of thick rugs under a dining room table. Especially if the space is small and you need to carve out a distinct dining area. I love this rug because it reminds me of Warhol's flowers.


One of the most difficult things about living in a small space is giving up certain pieces that wouldn't fit or don't make sense in the space. Being the traditionalist that I am, I yearn for a proper buffet in a formal dining room. Even though we are lucky enough to have more than enough room in our kitchen for a dining area, it is definitely more of an informal seating area than a serious dining room. Nonetheless, I would love to incorporate some bold-colored wallpaper like this red and white poppy design.

I am such a sucker for mismatched prints.

And mismatched colors.

And drama.

Images: LivingEtc

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Holly over at Decor8 featured some lovely spring florals the other day and I've been thinking about them ever since. I feel a pink phase coming on....

Also, I am beginning to miss the Saarinen table I had in my first apartment in Harlem. I wonder how that would look in our dining area?

Images: LivingEtc via Decor8