Do not look me in the eye!

Yep, that's me.

Image: farewell paperie

Pendant Love

Things I want in this room: Everything. That copper orb pendant by Tom Dixon is so beautiful paired with the marble tabletop and kilim rug. Also, I think I need that Paris Vu Par poster for my living room...

Check out a few more rooms with the glorious copper pendant HERE and HERE. 

Image: The Design Files via Spicer + Bank

Moody

People always ask me to define my style and I freak out a little and then wind up making up random phrases like 'glittery bohemian traditional'. WTF? Good thing Deborah Needleman, the founding editor-in-chief of Domino, created a Style Quiz for HomeGoods (Do you know they have a blog? And also a huge new location on the Upper West Side? Discounted fancy bath products for everyone!).

Of course I took the quiz right away and the result was...more articulate.

Mia, you are a Glamorous Classic

You have a refined sensibility with an appreciation for history and tradition in your furniture and your rooms. You value beauty and craftsmanship. You are visually sensitive and understand how symmetry and a balanced layout give order to a room. But you definitely like to shake things up with some unabashed luxury and glamour to keep things from getting boring. You go for rich materials like velvets, one-of-a-kind objects, lady-like touches, glimmering accessories, and a sense of old-Hollywood romance that makes your home dramatic and elegant.

You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. You have a natural sense of drama, and you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out. Your home can be happy and lively and the place all of your friends want to be.

 Makes sense, no?

My major problem when decorating my own space is that my tastes and style vary from day to day. When I wake up in the morning and open my closet door, the first thing I have to consider when getting dressed is how I'm feeling. What's my mood? Is it a ladylike shift dress and heels kind of day? An all-black with tall boots type of day? Are my cuffed jeans and leather jacket calling me? I'm the same way with decorating. One day I want all-white modern with clean lines and the next day I want mirrored cabinets and gilded sconces. The day after that I want leopard print rugs and tufted ottomans. Black & White. No, pink and grey. Obviously coral and navy. Wait, rainbow glitter!You see where I'm going with this? I literally can never settle on a decision! It's an affliction!

Right now I'm having a hard time deciding what to do with my bedroom because I just don't know what I will want in another week or month or year. Will I regret painting the design on my wall? Probably. But I guess that's why I steered clear of wallpaper, right? The nice thing about decorating is as long as you have a good foundation, you can mix up the accessories as often as you please- which in my case will probably be every few months or so. With that in mind, let's think of some ideas using my current bedding and the faux-wallpapered wall.

Last week I posted a moodboard for my bedroom that featured a lot of blue and white. Here's what happens if I want a more natural look with warm tones:

What if I want natural materials but I need some glam rock florals?

Perhaps something more modern and graphic with green and yellow accents?

Anyone have any votes for their favorite look? What's your design style?

Images created via: Olioboard

Image: Judy Kaufmann

Classy Halloween

You all know I loves me some autumnal bliss but here's something I don't often share: I hate Halloween.

Sure, an excuse to get dressed up like a trashy whore is always fun but you know what? I can do that any old night. The only thing I like about Halloween is the opportunity to wear old-fashioned non-scary masks and something that shows absolutely no skin at all, which no one seems to do anymore since the dominant costumes of today are strippers and pole dancers.

You know what I hate most though? I hate that Halloween decor has become tacky. There. I said it. Rubber spiders, fake cobwebs, toothless pumpkins and weird fake hands poking out of closets are decorations? Really??? That's supposed to be scary? It should be replaced with bed bugs, dust bunnies, the toothless homeless man who lives in my subway station and the weird fake lips on Lindsey Lohan. That's terrifying!

Whatever happened to the traditions of Halloween? Before children dressed up like Avatar and begged for candy, people used to offer prayers for the dead in exchange for fruit and cakes. When children went guising they wouldn't shove their hand into their neighbor's faces expecting a pile of king-size snickers, they'd offer up a few jokes or a silly poem to earn their keep. And instead of plastic pumpkins from Rite Aid, the 'donations' were collected in carved out turnips.

All this sounds much better to me than yelling 'trick or treat!' which is just silly because who ever offers a 'trick' besides dads who are trying to be funny?

No, Halloween just isn't like it used to be in the good old days.

That's why I'd like to propose something new for Halloween: a classy All Hallow's Eve Ball.

Here are the rules:

via Habitually Chic

1) Everyone wears fancy masks with ballgowns and jewels and furs like Tallulah at Capote's Black & White Ball. In Fact, everyone changes their name to Tallulah for the night.

Images: 1,2,3,4

2) Only sophisticated Halloween fare is served: Blood Orange Champagne Cocktails, Chipotle Deviled Eggs,  White Bean & Sausage Stew in Pumpkin Bowls, Heaven and Hell Cake and other fancy foods.No Hersheys or Nestle products. No caramel apples either- no one looks elegant gnawing on a giant apple on a stick.

thisnext

3) Decorations are black and sparkly. No cobwebs, no skeletons (unless they are bejeweled and provided by Damian Hirst), no monster of any kind especially if it lights up or screams 'wahahahhaahaha' at you. Lots of candles. Birdcages that have been spray-painted black and glitter disco balls (also black but possibly gold or even white). Taxidermy is allowed but only if it is beautiful like a raven or a white peacock and not something gross like a possum you found on the side of the road and decided to stick on your mantle.

Saipua

cherryrivers

4) Flowers are very important. They should, in fact, be as fresh and luscious as possible in contrast with all other darkly-themed decor. For this occasion, they should be mostly white and clustered in vintage black and gold tumblers.White hydrangea, lisianthus, anenome, ranunculus, freesia, eucalyptus, and star of bethlethem with dark accents of thistle and chocolate cosmos.

 

Silver Moon

5) Tarot readings are allowed only if performed by an actual gypsy.

papilles et pupilles via The Kitchn

6) Send your guest off into the night with a gorgeously packaged box containing few small rolls of Pain des morts, a Corsican brioche that is traditionally eaten the morning after Halloween on All Saint's Day. This bread is meant to be scattered over the tombs of the dead but I bet your guests will enjoy the sweet accompaniment to their hangover.

Ideas for the Bedroom

In case you haven't noticed, I've been a little obsessed with the bedroom lately. Before you let your mind wander- shut your perv face! We are ladies. When we talk about the bedroom we refer only to decor, of course!

Now that my wall is complete I can begin to plan out artwork, accessories and the small touches that are most important like sequined pillows and sheepskin rugs.

Here is a moodboard I compiled this morning. For this 'draft', I chose to pair the gold in the wall with blue and white. (The 'wall' you see here is actually piece of stationary, but in reality it is shimmery and awesome) I also added in a few pink accents for a little punch of color. Although this would also be nice with red. The overall affect would be very Oh Joy!. This version is very prim and lady-like though so I think there is more work to be done. Within the next few days, I'll introduce some other options and then hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to post the real thing. That's assuming I get my act together and decide on some lamps. Who knew stylish and fun lamps are the hardest thing to find? Consider yourself warned.

Gorgeous Kitchen for Fall

Image: Tim James via The Design Files

Brightstand (See what I did there?)

Aren't these nightstands the coolest?  I don't care that they are technically dressers for children or that I could probably make my own version for like $12.  I need two of them immediately! I want to fill those drawers with stuff I don't need like tropical-scented potpourri and monogrammed tissue boxes and eye cremes organized by mood.

Image: coco + kelley (dressers available at Layla Grayce)

Cozy Corner

This little corner is so simple and lovely. I like how the color scheme was kept at a mellow neutral and how the variation is only in shades of butter yellow. Looks like I need to get my hands on some ceiling medallions! It's such an ingenious way to add architectural detail to a boring wall.

Image: Better Homes and Gardens via Hello Giggles

Blame It

It's rainy and cold in old New York City and I'm feeling a little under the weather today. That's my ladylike way of saying, I'm effing hungover. rain + hangover = suckfest extravaganza.

I woke up feeling like someone punched me in the face and I would kill someone -literally murder the crap out of them- to escape the oppressive florescent lights of my office. All I really want to do is go home and curl up with a good book or a long miniseries and some comfort food and listen to the soothing sound of rain on my skylights. Doesn't that sound nice? Too bad I still have three more hours of work left...

PS. This song feels appropriate for today. Please take your pants off and dance now.

Images: (clockwise from top) Downton Abbey, Sparkle & Fade Cropped Pullover, Scale Necklace, Vintage Matchstick Cords, Fountain Boot, Oversized Floral Scarf, Flokati Diamonds Rug, The Hours, BL(Slow-roasted)T Sandwich, Lunet Chair, Stump Teapot, Round Velvet Pintuck Pillow

October Obsessions

This month I am all about Black, White, Green and Gold. Perhaps it's time to watch Atonement again...

via Focus Features

via Apartment 34

via JCrew

via Apartment Therapy

Elie Saab Fall 2012 via This is Glamorous

via What Wilson Wants

via Etsy (upintheairsomewhere)

via The Decorista

via Quadrille Fabrics

Ooh La La!

Someone please propose to me so I can add this fabulous dinnerware to my registry. C'est Magnifique!

Image: Commune de Paris via Elle Decor

Sneak Peek

Guess what's happening on my bedroom wall right now? THIS SHIT.

Yes. I finally did it- I painted my own wall paper. Why would you do this crazy thing, you ask? Because my landlord won't let us wallpaper and it was inexpensive and I could pick my own crazy color like metallic GOLD. Oh, and also I am batshit crazy. This took a full-day y'all and I'm only half finished. But soon it will look amazing and already I am loving the metallic sheen and the overall effect of the pattern. Thank goodness it's only on one wall or I might have lost my mind by now.

As soon as it's finished, I'll post better pictures and show how I did it (and probably what I was drinking throughout. Hint: It involves large quantities of alcohol.) Then I'll have to start strategizing art work and working on the lamp situation.

Please excuse this horrible photo taken with my cell phone.  I couldn't find my camera in the giant fort I created on the other side of my room while I painted.

Image courtesy of: Mia G for w*ink

Oh Baby!

I am absolutely dying over this nursery sneak peak that Joy posted earlier today. Where can I find a dresser to paint like that? It's adorable and vaguely reminiscent of this (still swoon-worthy) chiffonier!

Sometimes I think I want a baby just so I can decorate the nursery. How adorable is this?! And this?!? Sigh.

I cannot wait to see the rest of the nursery next week!

Image: Oh Joy!

Pumpkin Madness

Now that it's Fall I can't get pumpkin off my mind. I want to eat these Pumpkin Spice Malted Milk Balls all day, every day.

Image: Nuts Online via Oh Joy!

It's DeCAFFinated!

Pals, it's that time in the afternoon when I want to go to sleep because I have worked so hard*. Usually by now I have read essentially the entire internet and I just want to go home, change into my home pants and watch TV like it is my job. This is also the point in my day when I have a conversation with myself that goes something like this:

Mia

OMG I'm sooo tired. I don't know how I can possibly continue wasting my time for the next two hours at work. Oh I know, I'll go get some  coffee! That sweet delicious nectar will save my life and automatically I will be revitalized and work will become more bearable!

Mia

Don't you dare! How stupid can you be? It's 3pm! You'll be up all night!

Mia

How dare you question my decisions! Shut up, cow!

Mia

But Mia, think clearly. You know you will just stay up until 2am watching old celebrity commercials on Youtube. And then at 3am you'll decide to scrub your bathtub and then at 4am you'll try on your old prom dress and cry for a while about how it won't zip up. And then at 5am you will start doing sit ups to remedy that situation and then when your alarm goes off at 6am you will cry and die.

Mia

Girl, shut your whore mouth! I must have coffee! And a donut! This is the best idea ever! I'm going to twirl now! Weeeeeeeee!

 
And then I get both a coffee and a donut and inevitably regret all of it later on around the time I am weeping uncontrollably in my prom dress.

PS. Have you seen Lauren Bacall's 1981 commercials for High Point coffee? I discovered them while I was in college and they are amazing. Watch them all! Fun fact: Emma Stone's character quoted them in Crazy, Stupid, Love. 

*I do not work hard.

Right on time for National Donut Month!

Pumpkin & Hazelnut Donuts

When I found out I was going to turn 30, I freaked out about gray hairs and wrinkles and having to start dressing my age and then I segued into a general malaise over my lack of accomplishments. When I was in junior high I envisioned my 30-year-old self to be very sophisticated and probably married to someone semi-famous like a news anchor and I thought I would live in a Manhattan penthouse and spend my time solving crimes like a younger Jessica Fletcher. So much for all that.  To make myself feel better I made a list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turn 30. And then I forgot about it. For almost a year.

I have always wanted to make homemade donuts so that was one of the first things to make the list. At first I thought maybe I would cheat and make baked donuts using a donut pan because the idea of frying things scares me and also because I am lazy. But then I thought, isn't the whole point of this list to actually do things as they are meant to be done and not just half-assed like most of the other things I do in life? I knew I had to suck it up and do it properly so I called upon my personal baker extraordinaire, Jessica, who immediately agreed to host my donut-making extravaganza.

Here are all the ingredients we used: (you can find the actual ingredient list and recipe HERE)

To be honest, I thought maybe Jessica would just do all the work and I would 'supervise' and count that as 'making donuts'. But because Jessica knows of my list and also is an ardent rule follower, she handed me the recipe and sat back to watch. While I was hard at work, she taught me important things like the rules of butter temperatures and what to do in case of an oil fire (DON'T USE WATER!!! FOR THE LOE OF GOD SUFFOCATE THE FLAMES!).

Around this time, I apparently began to act a little anxious. I guess I was just concentrating super hard on not screwing it all up. Jessica gave me some bourbon and apple cider to calm my nerves.

This isn't my actual drink but you get the idea

Anyway, back to the donuts. It was really fun to use the cookie cutters to make the donut shapes. It reminded me of my Play-Doh days except I can actually eat this stuff without getting in trouble. Maybe next time I'll make donuts in other shapes. Like dinosaurs.

So it turns out, it takes a ridiculously long amount of time for oil to reach 375 degrees. We had a lot of time to drink our bourbon. Another tip from Jessica: Don't crowd the donuts! Here are some donuts frying:

Full Disclosure: I burned a few.

Once the donuts cooled for a few minutes, I coated them in a mixture of cinnamon, sugar and hazelnut flour, which is just hazelnuts that have been pulverized in a food processor.Who knew?

Et voilà! Donuts!

Overall, it was a really fun day and not as hard or tedious as I thought it would be. The frying part was still a little scary but I think I got the hang of it around 25th donut.  The bourbon helped. And thankfully, Jessica was there to make sure I didn't burn her apartment down. Thanks Jess!

Now back to that list...

Images courtesy of: Jessica Egan, Mia G for w*ink

It's Fall!

What's the best part of Fall? Why, the outfits of course!

 

Image: tendances de mode, tick tock vintage, Sunday Crossbow, Madewell