something said for savoring summer.

after returning home from visiting my dad in tennessee, i was greeted (more like surprised) by crisp weather and wondering where my long sleeve shirts are packed. hmmm, a bit early for my taste (i am a summer person at heart), but i'll take it. i'll run with it and begin licking my chops for fall decorating, autumn color palettes enjoying outdoor fires in our little home~made fire place and cozying up with my favorite layered bedding. before i get ahead of myself, i must savor (just a while longer) all that is (was) summer.

just that summer feel. via m.a. belle.

summer parties and brightly painted fire~place mantels. i love this! via absolutely beautiful things & fern and feather.

summer beverage dispensers. how about this one? wow, via lotus haus, and by horchow. pssst...it's on sale!

care~free summer lifestyles. via design sponge.

summer sheets in summer rain, paintings by vladimir dubossarsky & alexander vinogradov.
summer brights via blue pool road.

summer sun peeking in, via emmas design blog.

a perfect summer~heading into fall, bed, via oh joy!
have you ever plunked yourself on just one of your favorite blogs for a while and perused all of their favorite blogs? and not moved? i did that today on oh joy's wonderful blog. i went through their favorite blogs and sites to visit...these are the results. new finds, old loves, and tons of summer savoring going on to sink a ship. speaking of ships, i may ride my (getting very old now) bike down to the beach to catch up on reading for class. why not right? must suck up summer while i can ;) enjoy!

french inspiration.

this morning, i am studying for a french exam. that said, i thought, why not feature french interior inspiration to get me into the mood. right? right! this glorious space sets the mood with that soft, french color palette, one of the many reasons we are drawn to french interiors. this space via twins garden.

the great blog, decorology said it best. french design offers effortless glamour. how true! i think that the one basic element that draws us all to french interiors and french design is that it does appear effortless. effortless and comfortable. we want that. we need that! visit decorology here.


a dream of mine (and probably a dream of yours too?) is to bop around to all of france's many amazing flea markets and antique stores. that's a trip just on it's own! the tiny french details can help to give a space that rich, fascinating french glow. little (or big!) finds at the flea markets could be the touches any space needs. these details were featured in the fab book, french home, and via one of my favorite blogs, the city sage.

another thing i adore about some french interiors is the beautifully muted color palette. very natural, rustic, soft and pleasing to the eye. this lovely interior, via the invitation lady is a prime example. aaahhhh.
this french apartment my friends, is a rental! yes! so run, quickly over to the fabulous site of the paris apartment, here, to check the rest of it out! hmmm, is a vacation in order?
i am drawn to the mix of very old and very new in this very glam apartment, filled with french inspiration. comfy and flirty all at once. via best home news.

this french armchair, given a fresh coat of blue gloss fabric offers contributes a sense of history and sass to a modern loft transformation, directed by architect eric cobb, via elle decor. love.

enjoy this monday morning and with the added french inspiration. between the beautiful interiors i've been perusing and practicing the language, i have to get to france at some point soon! if you've been, tell me about it. did you get to those much touted flea markets and antique stores? did you bring back that fabulous find? do tell!! enjoy...

soothing sunday.

where are you having coffee this sunday morning? as for me, i'm plunked at the kitchen table, surrounded by course books and looming amounts of homework. but after a asiago, tomato and cheese omelet, home~made home~fries and organic coffee, i'm ready to dive in!

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i hope you are enjoying a soothing sunday. i hope you are snuggled into a breakfast nook like any of these beauties! reading the paper, or finishing a great book. or just staring out at an amazing view, coffee in hand and the sun beaming in the window on your face. doesn't that sound nice? oh yeah!!! i'm happy to be back from my visit with my dad and back to regular blogging ;)

be back on saturday!

i'm off visiting my father for a few days...hence my lack of posts! i was so busy before leaving i couldn't put a design post together. i hope you all are enjoying your week, i'll be back on saturday to say hello and continue with inspirational design posts, as well as catching up on all of your wonderful blogs! enjoy...;)

from new york to la. & everywhere in between! happy weekend.

(via trends now.)

i love these tables, cool, edgy, flirty. super fun for an office space in a beautiful high rise or condo. wowzers. or in your get away cottage by the sea, reminding you of or bringing a little bit of grit and city~essence into that space, in a tiny way. ;) i thought they'd be fun for a weekend post and made me smile. hoping they do the same for you. what are you up to? i'm up way too late, will post again tomorrow. for now, enjoy these super fun tables!

barovier & toso. suspenseful suspension.

is it strange to drive almost 2 hours home from classes in boston, arriving at 10:30 pm. eating cheese and crackers and steamed corn alongside a glass of red wine, only to peruse suspension lighting, landing on an artisinal company named barovier & toso? of course not silly!











"this story is set on an island. murano which, like many other islands is a place of mystery and marvel." ah, yeah, that's how their website begins. so, wouldn't you be eating cheeses & crackers, sipping red wine, late at night, drooling on the side whilst perusing their lighting too? of course silly!

i just wanted to share this find. go find out more about barovier & toso. try ogling them late at night like me. there is something magical about these suspension lights. magical i tell you. ;) enjoy and goodnight!!

holding on to summer.

so, schools are open, blooms are fading, the weather will begin to change and for all of us in the middle to the end of this summer season, and if you are like me living in an area which welcomes fall and winter, you sometimes want to just hold on to summer and designing for summer, just a little bit longer. i sure do!

via we heart it.

via dornob.

try to keep some color about. it can lift a space, brighten, cheer it up, much like the sunny summer weather. this wonderful, happy space, via design evolution.

keeping bits & baskets & bowls of fresh, brightly colored fruit helps your residential or commercial space holding on to the summer season. this space via elle decor.
this "clementine chair", via hudson, slips you from enjoying this end of summer season, straight into a fresh fall season to come.

fabulous end of the summer canvas totes, via fishs eddy.

this lighting by kwangho lee, sculpted from large blocks of styrofoam, simply beachy, reminding me of a large abstract seashell. love. (images by fabian battistella)

found at design shimmer.


it's funny because i do love the other seasons that come upon my part of the world, but every now and then, after christmas has passed and the days are constantly grey, i will be looking back to this summer, remembering the light coming in the windows, the feel of the crisp cool ocean when i finally get brave enough to dive in, and picking wild flowers wherever i walk. enjoy your end of summer, design~wise and other~wise! ;) enjoy...