'Carribean Forest' & Chartreuse

So, before I moved to LA my friends threw me a big bash and I, of course, had to purchase a new dress! I found one at Banana Republic (of all places) that I absolutely fell in love with strictly because it is my new favorite color... something the team at Banana likes to call "Caribbean Forest." (Ok, to be completely fair, I also love it because it has POCKETS!)



This is me and my gorgeous little sister looking perfectly posed ~ and that is the dress. The genius little salesman at Banana added the gold belt which really completes the outfit, but that is not the point. The point is that I saw this room via ATLA House Tour and LOVED it. (I bet you'll never guess why...!)



How yummy are those walls? And see the brass lights? This is what they mean when Domino says "we wanted translate this outfit into a room..." I honestly couldn't have done it any better!

I also found this color in some great wallpaper from Ferm found at Design Public.



My favorite color to pair with this green is a bright yellow/chartreuse color that I've been seeing a ton of ever since I spotted it (coincidentally) on a dress I loved in Nina Ricci's Fall Ready-to-Wear collection. (In case you couldn't tell by now, I take a lot of my design inspirations from the runway.)



Now for the killer combo! I found this photo on flickr and it was the only one that really captured the exact shades I was looking for...



Of course, if you add a little coco brown, it creates a great look for any room ~ like this one from design guru Jay Jeffers. (Yes, it's actually HIS bedroom!)



The chartreuse really pops on the chocolate brown. And, see the boxes below the nightstand? If I'm not crazy, those are my 'caribbean forest' green :) Such a great combo!

Acrylics De Jour

So, I spent some time perusing blogs this weekend looking for inspiration and completely fell in love with this acrylic headboard I found via Design Milk.



Meet Sir Elton from Myrica Design and his lovely counterpart...



Lady Babsy. Oh, and see that fun lamp above the bed? They make that too.



They also have a cool collection of just these plain acrylic coasters in a ton of colors, which is great for an anal-retentive party planner like myself. I can get them in every color and then mix them up to match whatever theme I may have going on!



Check out their site for more acrylic delights!

On The Cheap: Greek Key Coffee Table

Last week I found this table on 1stdibs for the lovely asking price of $4,900 (see my blog below).



Granted, it's vintage 1960's and I'm sure it's just lovely, buuuut...



... yesterday I found THIS table from West Elm. Ok, so it's not quite exactly the same, but it's a similar idea and only... (drumroll please)... $249! Plus, since it's listed under their outdoor furniture category, I have a feeling it's practically indestructible! Those of us on a budget can't afford to be too picky, but I think this table is a great substitute.

Baggu for You! (Enter to win a set of THREE!)

I try not to repost other's news, but when I got my Daily Candy email this morning I thought this one was worth it. Why?

Because this is not a pretty picture:



But this is:



And becuase my own little stash of paper and plastic bags is getting WAY too large!

We can all do our part to be more environmentally friendly and it starts with the smallest things, like this bag from Baggu. Made from super strong rip-stop nylon, the bag holds up to 25lbs and holds more than the grocery store's paper or plastic bags. As they note on their website, "Using one Baggu for one year replaces 300 to 700 disposable bags." And for only $22 for a pack of three bags, that's quite the impact. It's such a deal, in fact, that I'll send one lucky reader their own three pack just for responding to this post. Pick your colors, make a comment, and I'll draw a name on Friday! I picked fuschia, khaki and olive for mine :)

Room of the Week 7.27

Because I've been a little obsessed lately with dining rooms, I've been looking at different styles, and found this photo while looking through the House&Garden website. It's an amazingly eclectic style. A formal bench and streamlined table, hanging pots, rusted chandeliers, and if I'm not mistaken the walls are lavender? Somehow this mishmash all comes together though. While the pattern on the floor is slightly distracting to me, I find this room very interesting. As for something that's a little more my style...



I'd take this set of mismatched chairs, a gorgeously worn in table, white walls and a breezy feel any day.

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things...

There are a few pieces in my little collection that I keep returning to lately, so I thought I'd post them out here in no particular order or theme...



I'm head over heels for this couch from the Conran Shop out of the UK. The color alone makes me want to take it home immediately, but I love the lines even more. Plus, it's so versatile! I could make this beach chic or really mod/trad, just by adding different accessories. For a girl who likes to switch things up, that's a huge bonus!



I just found this greek-inspired table on 1stdibs ~ kind of a fun, modern and beachy look for the room. I really just love lacquered white right now, and the greek theme is hot!





I've found myself really drawn to pops of red lately, and both of these pieces add just the right amount to a room. I especially love how the red peeks out of the pendant lamp ~ it's an unexpected place to find a splash of color. You can find both these items at the Present Time website.



This chair by Ron Arad for Driade is an piece of art in itself. The lines are so fluid, and the orange just accentuates them, but how genius was it to put the color on the inside of the chair? I can picture this in a very white on white room with a few accents.



Finally, I am also loving this table from Eva Zeisel, carried on DWR's website. I saw it in a room in Elle Decor or Domino (can't remember which at the moment!) a while back, and I'm so excited to have found it... although I'm not so excited about the price ;)

Oh well... a girl can dream, can't she?

Out of Africa

Featured in the June issue of House&Garden, Amaridian is a company that is worth another mention and a deeper look. It took me a couple of hours to get through their site to see all the amazing items from talented artists, so be warned... the list of highlights is going to be long! Amaridian focuses on bringing a new style and idea of African design to America while still retaining the culture, benefiting the people, and supporting sustainable design.

Let's start with my favorites... the chandeliers!!





This visually stunning chandelier is from Willowlamp by Team Two Design ~ an architect and an industrial designer whose pieces are amazing. Created from ball chain and steel, this fabulous fixture is available in brass as well as other colors. I can imagine how beautiful it looks when the breeze moves the hanging ball chain...





This is another one from Willowlamp that is designed with a more traditional shape, but still using their ball chain to create a gorgeous and breezy silhouette.





This chandelier is beautiful on so many levels. Each one of the 6000 beads that make up this piece is hand made out of the clay from African soil. The creators of Mud Ceramic Studio work closely with impoverished communities in South Africa to provide work for the people who need it most. They are the ones who craft the beads and mold the wires that create this simple but inspirational piece.



My second favorite find on this site was a lounge chair from Cheick Diallo. These chairs are woven (!) into mod shapes and create such an incredible meeting of old and new. He also uses as many environmentally friendly materials and production methods as possible so not only are they cool, but you can feel good about supporting the cause :)



Also made from reclaimed and recycled materials is the Flower Ball from Heath Nash. Made literally from trash, these colorful lights are created from detergent bottles. The flowers and butterflies that make up the ball have great detailing and create such a fun little piece!





These are my favorite pottery pieces from the site, even though there are quite a few to choose from! Designed by Katherine Glenday, I really just enjoy the simplicity of these ceramics.

There is such a variety of wonderful pieces on this site from traditional African woven baskets to innovative furniture and objects ~ a site definitely worth some browsing when you have the time!

Thrift Stores Rock My World

Being new to my Culver City neighborhood, I've been doing a lot of exploring, and recently found my new favorite thrift store, Beit T'shuvah Thrift Shop, literally just a few blocks away. How lucky can a girl get? Usually my favorite finds at these places are tabletop items, and my latest treasure hunt did not disappoint! Here are a few of my finds during my last trip...



Finding a pink retro pattern is so rare! I loved these dishes, which also came with a set of bowls, bread plates and a few serving pieces. (The whole set was only $25!) I might have to host a fun 80's night party with black, white and pink decor just to have an excuse to use them.



These plates were two for $2.50 and had what I thought looked like a nautilus-inspired pattern on them. Very cute, and easy to pair with other pieces, I especially liked the scalloped edges.



A combination of deco with the hottest color of the summer makes these mugs irresistible!! What a cheerful way to start the day!



While the avacado green and mustard yellow flowers aren't exactly my bag, these dishes were pretty cool if only for the fact that they had a little spot on the plate specifically to hold the cup! Perfect for a brunch party :)

The Little Things

I found this photo by Matt Devino via ATLA's ongoing "Through My Window" celebration of photography. I love to be reminded of how the most simple things can create such wonderful compositions ~ if we stop to see them in our hectic days.



For info on the photographer and more, click the link to ATLA above. Have a wonderful weekend!

Not Quite Hermes, But...

Many of you may remember this Hermes china pattern inspired by old ironwork. It's one of my absolute favorites, and I wish wish wish I could afford it.



Weeellll... while I was searching the web (as bloggers tend to do) I found this set from Seattle tabletop designer Rosanna (who I also love) on sale at Bazar for only $22 for a set of four!



Being the bargain shopper that I am, I had to share this little find with you. No, it's not Hermes (but I am also not currently employed), so for now... I think this little pattern will do the trick!

Room of the Week 7.18

I'm a sucker for a punch of pink in a room, and I LOVE this design from Barclay Fryery. It's a perfect balance of masculine and feminine, and makes great use of a small space.

Here's another view of the same room...



Isn't the zebra rug just the perfect accent?

An Octopus' Garden

While we've all seen many items from the sea gracing our home decor (coral, starfish, seashells, urchins...), I've noticed a somewhat strange creature making waves as of late. The octopus is emerging, people, and I'll be honest - I'm not sure what I think of it.

Last week I popped into one of my favorite shops on Abbot Kinney, Plantation to see what was new, and was delighted by the gorgeous black, white and yellow room set up in their upstairs space. Isn't it fun?



And on one of the little bedside tables, this creature caught my eye.



And, actually I really liked it as a little accent piece in this room. It was something new and unexpected, and I really loved the black, even though it is available in other colors.

Then today I was reading my Daily Candy email and saw this awesome necklace from Jami Rodriguez.



This is an amazing piece - it looks like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean.

So, I started digging a bit more to see if I was crazy or if this eight-legged creature really was becoming a new inspiration for design, and here's what I found!




From Dermond Peterson's Seaside collection comes these beautifully crafted linen pillows - perfect for the beach house!



For some reason, I have a feeling a huge octopus on a cute card might actually be appealing to a guy (more than, say, bunnies, honey bees or cupcakes), so try this one out on your sweetie. From Luxe Paperie.



Forget cuddly teddy bears! For some reason I adore the idea of this soft baby octopus. If you know how to crochet, then you can purchase this pattern from jpolka on Etsy. If you don't, you better find a friend who does. This little guy is super cute.



Not quite as cuddly, but more grown up, is this octopus from skullknockers also on Etsy. I can just seem him propped on a bookshelf, peering out over the living room.



For something a little more subtle, this vase from Bread and Badger adds a nice etched design to your octopus curio.

So what's the verdict? I suppose this dark creature from the depths of the sea isn't SO bad as a decorative motif... but we'll see how long it lasts!

Go For the Gold

I love the way a little gold can go a long way on the table, and I really love how there are so many designs these days that incorporate gold into their china in a way that allows it to be functional enough for everyday use. And, since I'm currently obsessing over dining room decor, I figure I'd share some of the pieces I'm coveting!



This design, by Marie Daag, was featured in Domino months ago and is still my favorite. I love how clean it is, and how the taupe creates a more earthy tone to balance gold the gold rimming. This is a piece that is truly versatile.



While gold tableware is not usually something I gravitate to, this hammered gold set from Horchow really gives some great texture to a table setting. And, even though it's gold, the hammered style makes it a bit more usable for everyday settings. I can picture the plates above with this silverware on a neutral linen napkin to fancy up my farmhouse dining room table. Gorgeous!



I also love the gold on this design for Dibbern. The rings are meant to mimic tree rings and I think their imperfect circles give them a casual feel.





To top things off on the table, go for one big gold accent, or a few small ones, but don't overwhelm too much! I think this gold leafed shell from Plantation could be the perfect beachy centerpiece ~ just add some decorative seashell balls (you can find them at craft stores, or places like Crate and Barrel) or fill it with some other raw material to balance it out.