it's friday, check your clock with faire houre.

one of the things i would do, if i was granted all the time in the world spontaneously, would be to surf etsy. seriously. one needs beaucoup time to see all that etsy offers.
thankfully, through decor8's blog i found the shabby chic site of faire houre, re-purposing china, into wonderful, pretty pretty clocks. have a looksy...









so...happy friday with faire houre's designs! do you have fun plans this weekend? my son's opening night for his high school play is tonight (babe's in toyland...and he's santa :) so we are looking forward to seeing him ho, ho, ho. and he has a solo song, he's just become daring enough to sing, and he's good!

wherever you land this weekend, enjoy...it's an order! :)

woolly pockets. decorating with nature.

i have to tell you, these woolly pockets are the sweetest contraptions and may be the best things invented since sliced bread.










what's best is that they are so portable, you can bring nature indoors to not only enjoy but to design with. commercially, as you saw on the staircase sides in the photos above, to residential, they are completely versatile and imaginative!

"woolly pockets are handmade in the USA. we try to make as little impact on the earth as possible, and make every effort to use sustainable, local sources for all of our materials."
flexible, breathable and modular, they can go anywhere, set them up on walls, backs of doors perhaps? that's what's fun, you could pop them up anywhere and everywhere. i'd love a woolly pocket wall of all succulents. wow. happy almost friday everyone! enjoy...

i wish...

i wish i was sipping on hot tea, after a long walk kicking at fall leaves, and in any one of these chairs, but alas i am not.

today's reality is sitting in my p.j's, glued to my laptop and typing a big fat paper for class. but in between my thoughts and my paper, i'll be here in my imagination, perhaps vivialdi is playing on the radio, my tea is hot and flavorful and the sun is on my face, coming through the window. aaaaah!

now back to my paper. :) enjoy!

hot textiles, hot wallpapers.

it seems i go through periods of becoming a bit bored with some of the textiles and wallpapers and wall treatments out there. but right now, is not one of those periods. in fact i'm inspired by so many!

next 3 wallpapers from fromental. oh...and there's more, i love them all!



"fab four multi" textiles by andrew martin.

kokeshi collection from spina design.

harlem toile by sheila bridges.


both branches & butterflies below by timorous beasties.


from sheila bridges spin on the french toile with her harlem-esque patterns to the japanese doll-influenced textiles by spina design, all are fresh, fabulous and eye catching.
just some wall and textile new loves for this tired tuesday of mine (the day after night classes). what's in store for today? i'm reading a book (required) that i'm not terribly thrilled with, (too bad!) then off to work on a paper, (on same book, bummer). but...the sun is out again! enjoy :)

houndstooth accents.

good monday morning everyone! the sun is shining here after a gray weekend, so i am smiling. i'll be out for a walk soon with this temptation of sun on my face, and it's warmer than usual which is a bonus as well :)
i was pondering the use of houndstooth patterns in design this weekend after spotting a piece in a magazine and actually had to ask myself if i even liked houndstooth patterns? after all i don't own anything with the pattern on it, not even clothes or shoes.
via.

via.

via.

via.

via.

via.

via.

via.


via.

via.

via.

via.

so after all of these fun images, i'm still on the fence. i love the element of design that they add to spaces, but i believe i'd have to have houndstooth in limited amounts. what are your thoughts on this pattern? some people seem to love it or not? are you a lover of houndstooth? curious.
enjoy your day! hoping the sun is on your face today too :)

usona home.

you've made it to friday! yeah!! another great find to share with you all is usona home for this fun friday post. based out of philadelphia, their on line store will keep you there for a while, just clicking away and imagining the possibilities.

hmmm. where do i start here? from the lighting as a central element in this space to the use of the giant wall with a fabulous design aspect as well as a fun use for storage, getting things up off of the floor, lifting the space a bit with that bookcase. love, love love.

this amazing coffee table offers several aspects to any space. it offers useful space, just by the size of it, what you can display or store on or in it. it offers an element of weight and a sturdy placement of an object in that space. grounding the space and welcoming you to gather around.

these coffee tables are fun, playful, flirty and fabulous.

i love usona's take and manipulation of the average arm chair to the not-so-average piece. reminding us all that it can be different and sometimes, well it just should be done differently.

this indoor/outdoor (yes, it can survive outside if you can even imagine!)is perfect for both residential and commercial spaces, like rooftop lounge areas! making for a wow impact on your guests.

i love the look of this couch, not your typical design and the textural elements offer up a very special piece in your home.

how amazing is this unique table lamp, lit to imitate a candelabra, a conversation piece in your home to say the least.

and...the hanging version, just as spectacular!

these topsy-turvy lights intrigue me to no end.

usona's line of bedding and beds will have you dreaming for sure.

i hope your weekend is calling you with fun or relaxing ideas. as for us, more raking of leaves (are there more this year than last year? is that even possible?), a movie with my son, reading for classes and red wine at night. all is well with the world. enjoy your time this weekend. enjoy usona home's pieces and i'll see you back here sooner than soon!

new.

new to me, maybe new to you? new things i'm drawn to, new things i'm loving and new companies to ponder and explore.

this fun and inviting seating from artifort.


this coral lighting from pallucco.


these next 2 amazing wallpaper designs from diedrich.


this amazing "elizabetha" seating from capdell.

this "soft wall" by molo design, connects together with hidden magnets for a seamless span and lit with led lights. imagine the possibilites for both commercial as well as residential spaces. wow.

this ascott handle from feg.


i love the possibilities out there for commercial as well as residential spaces. it's endless really and that's the fun. fun for your clients, fun for you as an interior stylist or as a business or homeowner. just plain fun. enjoy your thursday everyone and consider the possibilities! :)

a round up of just so pretty...

i'm always a bit more tired on tuesday, at least this semester after classes until late last night. so...i rounded up some easy on the eyes, sumptuous spaces to ease into this gray tuesday morning...on cape cod anyway.










(all images via marie claire maison)
so pick a room, any room and hang out with me for a while. or hop around, room to room. i think i'll start in the first photo, in the tub, with coffee beside me and breathe for a while, then off to that little kitchen nook with the orange chair for a light breakfast...and so on and so on...this could be a good day in all of these spaces :) enjoy!!

for the love of art.

i feel a painting coming on. meaning, i feel the need to create. meaning i'm lacking artistic time of my own and i need to get some soon. and need is the operative word here. when you are an artist or artistic i truly believe that you need to create. for some...it's your outlet, your vice, your high of sorts, your meditation and your pure joy.

next 2 images via house to home.


next 2 images via living etc.


image via loft life magazine.

next 2 images via metropolitan home.


image via marie claire maison.

image via owi.

image via purple area.

image via skona hem.

so a goal for me in the next couple of weeks is to paint. i started a portrait of my son a while back and i'd like to finish it sooner than soon. for all of the reasons listed above.
do you hang art? if so do you hang it in a more traditional way, or in a super eclectic and clumsy chic way? do you paint? sculpt? sometimes i see being creative as a gift and sometimes a curse, cursed by time which leads to frustration sometimes. but i'll still take the gift of it for sure! enjoy your monday everyone and hey, get busy being creative :)

hotel sofitel lyon bellecour, france.

so this is where i'm going this weekend,the hotel sofitel lyon bellecour, but only in my dreams :) take this hotel in. it satisfies all of the senses. simply, actually not so simply, amazing!










(all photos by renaud callebaut)

designed by team studio patrick norgeut and so many other talented artists from gerard foucault offering his talents in lighting to SLA architecture as a project partner. wowzers.
"this is the venue par excellence for the architecture of interiors, where
the sensitive designer instills a direct relationship with the customer whom he sees as an individual and a person and whose queries will often combine functionality and economy with emotions, dreams and desires. spaces and furnishings are arranged so as to communicate and create an atmosphere of reassurance. breaking through the threshold of privacy and entering the homes, or other places of a deliberately intimate character (eg. restaurants, hotels or certain shops), we discover that the tile is not used for any whatsoever finish, but quite rightly for the most external and visible parts, as a type of ‘skin’ for the place where we enclose affections, relations and emotions, in the desire for a better quality of life, at least within those four walls."
don't you love that statement? wow. now i really need to see this hotel, to stay and take it all in. maybe one day, it's rich colors, tempting wall treatments and textures, swanky seating and eclectic room to room atmosphere will be mine to experience. here's crossing my little fingers! happy weekend everyone. if i could, i'd take all of you with me to the hotel sofitel lyon bellecour myself. enjoy!

amazing interiors. pure inspiration.

today is for pure inspiration. take them all in...these spaces. for how unusual, how different from one another they are. what elements are you drawn to? the more sparse and surreal or the more bright, cheery and lively?











(all photos courtesy of owi)
it's thursday, almost the weekend. how is your morning going? my mother is having surgery today, i'm off to visit her and maybe stop and pick her up an early birthday present as she'll need a suprise to open after all of that.
enjoy your day today, be inspired, be drawn to, be happy :)

let's get ready, to be funky.

it's fun at times to steer away from the traditional towards the funky and a bit eclectic and very non-traditional. even if you couldn't imagine an entire home filled with any of this style product, doesn't one or two of something funky make it down right fun though?

how fun is this children's "pick-up" car? wooden framed with foam, fire retardant seating, they can already feel the wind in their hair :)

speaking to all mario lovers, this bed would certainly call. cute and bright for a kids room.

this pendant, available in either black or white offers up texture to your space that needs it or needs more of it. i love the simplicity of it, like a wire basket.

transparent plastic illuminated makes up this very intriguing marie-louise lamp.

how about this unique, "green" version coffee table?

loving this rug.

super fun coffee table bookcase. would be great accessory to commercial space environments such as coffee shops, lounge areas etc.

unique take on the fireplace. instead a little ball of fire. can be turned 360 degrees also for your viewing pleasure, super cool. i mean hot!

just a non-traditional get away for you this wednesday from PID in sweden, for this half-way point in our week. where are you? what are you doing? i'm writing a paper (after i blog of course, priorities might be askew at the moment :) then off for a run and errands. all in all a calm wednesday...so far. enjoy yours!

blogs shout-outs!

happy tuesday to you! i've been madly flying around the blog skies lately completely captivated by a few new (or new to me) blogs and i really wanted to share.

skona hem, here.

design klub, here.


design wonderland, here.


design crisis, here.


atelier abigail ahern, here.


design is mine, here.


emma's design blog, here.


i'm not going to go into detail about each blog, i'll let them speak for themselves, as they will. check them out and then check out blogs that each of these sites loves, it will send you into design delirium :) not a bad place to be once in a while! enjoy!

bokja design.

"bokja is is an old turkish description for an embellished velvet wrapping of treasured items for special occasions, notably the embroidered dowry of a bride".
i know many of you may have seen bokja design before in blogland but i had to feature some beautiful colors and fabrics this autumn monday morning.








i would love a piece of bokja design furniture in my home, adding that spice to a space that is lacking. they are curious pieces, and one could spend a while just looking at the patterns, the intricacies of each piece. i just love them. they call back to my days, where in my family everyone played guitar (no seriously they did and still do), wine was on the table in the evening (seriously and still is :) and folk music was played religiously (seriously, and still is).
my somewhat hippie, bohemian past and a tad of all that for the present in some ways i suppose surfaces while taking in these pieces by bokja design. does that ever really leave you once it has been instilled? not necessarily a bad thing.
enjoy your (hippie-esq) monday eyeballing bokja's designs! (and if they make you want to run and grab a guitar, i don't blame you one bit :)

friday mixy things.

there are just too many things, spaces, colors, styles, seasons, tastes and textures i'm drawn to at this very moment, on this fall friday, that i had to mix it up.


this warm red space. here.

robin's egg blue anything. here.

this dress, here.

this thought. i forget where.

this intense color blue, here.

this exact couch. here.

this table. here.

this pink wall and that swirly chair fabric, here.

ah, this space. here.

all of these, here.

pretty covered stones, here.

this warm and wintery bracelet, here.

this fabulously creative initial book case, found here.


what are you drawn to right now? what color? are you missing summer or thoroughly enjoying fall? what are you doing this upcoming weekend?
i am plugging away on beaucoup homework, but am itchy to get in the car and drive. either towards western mass. for some fall foliage eyecandy, or to boston and take in the latest at the museums and eat yummy city food. not sure yet, i'll have to run it by the family. hey, enjoy your friday and your weekend ahead. see you soon...:)

inspiration from rachel.

are you in need of inspiration today? ooh, i do. i'm up to my ears with reading for classes, midterms and then squeezing in work here and there. i swear if we think too hard about what we do sometimes we wouldn't be able to do it...right? :) but...i could, with the fortunate click of my little fingers, just flip from one of rachel whiting's photographs to the next. over and over. then over again. and never tire of these invitingly soft interiors. oh and there's more...









(all photos copyright and provided by rachel whiting photography)

these are just a few of her interiors, there's exteriors, too :)
"based in london rachel works as a freelance photographer.
with a foundation in landscape photography work honed as
a student on the editorial photography degree course at
brighton university, rachel graduated in 2001 with BA (Hons).
since graduating she has spent the past few years working
in the photographic industry specialising in the areas of
interiors and still-life, whilst maintaining a pesonal interest
in landscape photography.
her photographic work is constructed with an inherent aesthetic
of simplicity, shape, color and form evident throughout all of
her images."
so...glide along today, through the many wonderfully hypnotic rachel whiting photos for your boost, your calm, your inspiring, your awakening, your breathe moment that you might need today. i sure am! enjoy!

viva terra and their accessories.

before i changed the direction of my shop towards chocolate only, i had the idea of a wine/coffee bar, offering only treats and of course the wine and coffee. viva terra was a catalog i perused often for their accessories. slate chalk board serving platters, where you can plunk chunks of cheese down, write in chalk the descriptions of what's being served, things like that. i love things like that.

i've always loved these quartz candle holders. they must sparkle beyond words with dimly lit spaces and gobs of these sprinkled around a dining table or around a sitting area. love.

reincarnated indian beer bottle candleholders. shiny and unique. a large cluster of them on a dining table would be a fun centerpiece for a fall dinner.

recycled jewel-toned vessels. wonderfully soft matted fall colors, but the bright jewel tones add pizzaz.

recycled earthstone balloon ball vases. i am drawn to these earthy fall colors at the moment. plus i love the sheen of the glass.

perching bird bark rings. rustic charm addition.

vibrant collage pouf.

pillows from scrap sari wraps. great color additions.

take a gander over to viva terra, these little beauties i've featured are only a tiny portion of their great finds. interesting entertaining accessories and ideas. who knows, if i ever progress towards that wine/coffee parlour, i'll be back to flipping through their pages again and putting together spaces in my head. so fun! enjoy :)

catchy walls.

happy tuesday to you! i'm functioning today on a major lack of sleep and i found these wall papers and treatments fun to admire on this grey day (in my area we are expecting rain). i am always intrigued by the sort of "unexpectedness" (is that a word?) of wall treatments. how they can surprise a space, transform it from rather dull to fun and flirty instantly. and what's better, you can change them any time you want. how can anyone go wrong then right?

"fashion" by ferm living.

"feather" from ferm living.

"squares" from ferm living.

just...another way.

"rush hour" from ferm living.

found at ferm living!

"light bulb" wall stickers from ferm living.

enjoy these tempting scenes and enjoy your day however relaxing or busy. gobs of school work this week but super fun and inspiring. my son is also in his high school drama club and they have been putting on a haunted house, of which i am actually scared to go. no...seriously, they do such a great job that i actually get scared going in. so i'm there tonight, tired and scared, i hope i sleep tonight after it all :) enjoy!

decorating with antlers?

i realize the antler craze has gone in and out of popularity in the decorating world. real? fake? quirky? sculptural? or painted? so many versions and then again, do we actually like them? really?...do you?
2 images below via country living.


resin antlers by jennifer khoshbin at her etsy site here.

image via domino magazine.

image via house and home.

2 images below via house beautiful.


then there's the quirky cardboard version from urban outfitters.

images below via we love domino.




i have to say (and as a vegetarian) that i would only be drawn to all of the fabulous resin and fake ones out there for my own personal decorating that is, and strangely (as a vegetarian) i am drawn to them. why? i don't really know, i can't put my finger on it. but i think it's the sculptural quality of them, the actual design that i'm drawn to most, does that make sense?
what is your antler answer? could you hang a pair, no matter how cleverly, in your home, anywhere? or do they bother you in some way? what if they were fake? just curious. i guess what i'm saying is i find them sort of funky and cool, when put in the right spot, or at the right height, or the right size. so much matters. enjoy this sunny monday everyone! (at least where i am :)

yeah for fridays, yeah for weekends!

friends in blogland...what are you up to this upcoming, and i'm sure for most of you, highly anticipated weekend? i hope your weekend is full of good foods, fall walks, sleeping in, taking time to drink your coffee, pumpkin carving, red wine, shopping, or whatever it is that you find perfectly relaxing.

as for me this weekend, well i do have a pumpkin (awaiting the knife and design), i will be painting a little more for a friend's house, definitely eating fabulous food since my fiance is a crazy good cook, (it's a wonder i'm not as big as a house :) and i'm hoping a long sunday breakfast after sleeping in. that would do it for me, i love sunday breakfast. enjoy!

everything.........white.

so, i woke up this morning having dreamt of beautiful white spaces (don't know why, you understand!) but i just did. so, when i opened my computer up, and pondered today's blog post, i just went with it my friends. everything white. :)


magnetic vases & candleholders, found here.

these next two bedrooms, found here.


these dreamy crochet curtains, found here.

this fun armoire, found here.

this spectacular sculptural table, found here.

awe, these birdie beauties, found here.

oooh, "her bath", found here.

this amazing tree bed, found here.

this white tree bed, found here.

so, there you have it, an eclectic variety of white spaces, things, design and fun. now that this white dream is out of my system, who knows what color tonight's dreams have in store for me?
what are you all doing today? where are you going? i'm off to a local college campus to review a very sustainable and "green" building for a project i'm working on for a class i'm taking. should be interesting. enjoy this thursday!

walls.

walls, walls, beautiful walls! if we look at the walls of our commercial or residential spaces as blank canvases, because really aren't they? then the possibilities are endless, and what's even better, we can change them up at any time. wallpaper them, paint them, mural them, letter them, decorate them, knock one down, put one up. completely intriguing what can be done.












i have a blog crush on skona hem's blog. and as i was perusing the translated pages (you can click here to do the same), catching up on this wonderful blog, i kept noticing walls, bountiful, plentiful, beautiful walls. so many i had to feature some, well, that skona hem has featured. had to. it needed to be done. :)
seriously though, aren't some of these jaw dropping? which wall do your eyes go directly to, which one would you want to take off of these blog pages right to your own home? i'm having trouble deciding, they are all unique, and striking in their own ways. love.
enjoy your wall candy this fine wednesday morning. i'm off to finish my painting job, then more homework. whatever your plans, have a great day!

benjamin hubert.

born in the uk, benjamin graduated from loughborough university with honors.
"benjamin hubert studio was launched at 100% futures at 100% design 2007 and was shortlisted as ‘best new exhibitor’. returning to exhibit at 100% futures 2008, benjamin received ‘the most promising designer award."







benjamin hubert studio spans the design range designing fab furniture to amazing lighting. both industrial and utalitarian in style to luxurious and daring. so fun.

check out benjamin hubert's on line studio and follow him, he's one of those people that is going to keep people talking! enjoy :)

wishing i were here...

here's where i am in my head: fantasy.
reality check: crazy homework day.
so for now, float along with me (vicariously) as if we were there! without a care!
how is your monday starting out? my to-do list is long but i'll try to post later, but for now, reading, and a report to finish...happy monday! (especially if you are floating along like in this photo)!

fashion friday, mixing and matching.

i thought i'd mix and match some gorgeous fall outfits with similarly gorgeous spaces, all tones i'm loving, textures i'm craving, outfits i'd love to jump into and spaces i'd love to dwell in for a bit.
h&m outfit, living etc. space.

theory outfit, interior internet space.

prada lovelies, interior internet space.

stella mcartney outfit, house to home space.

free people outfit, space found here.

j-crew outfit, house beautiful space.

anthropologie outfit, house beautiful space.

what about you on this fashion friday? any must haves for fall clothes this year? have you made a recent purchase that you are completely thrilled with? as for me, i'm still searching for the perfect high pair of leather or pleather boots. i'll find it eventually. enjoy your fashion friday, enjoy your upcoming weekend and we'll see you right back here soon :)