Nursery Know How

I am so excited,  one of my best friends is having a baby boy at the beginning of the summer, she looks so adorable and can't wait until he is here!  Of course I am also a little crazed about what she is going to do with her nursery so I thought I would subliminally influence her with this entourage of awesome nurseries.  I also have a list of my favorite sites for modern children's furniture and toys!

Jenna Lyons, creative director of J. Crew, black walls and yellow striped ceiling is fabulous.  

via Domino

This little guy has a fireplace in his room and a mom with fabulous style!

via Domino

Another view of the room with the Oeuf crib converted into a toddler bed.  

I love this crib!

Dwell Studios Transportation bedding 

via Modern Nursery

I love how elegant this nursery looks, the colors are so soothing 

and this lucky baby has a fabulous view!

via Friago flickr

This nursery is so simple but I love the antique looking map shade.  

Maybe a future explorer lives here?!

via How Now Design flickr

The infamous Eames rocker, a staple in any modern nursery.

via Ella & Elliot 

I thought this was such an interesting theme for a baby room, camels are hidden around the room!  

And I love that chartreuse wall.

via OhDeeDoh

More animals done in a very fresh way, and I love the wall color.

via Decor Pad

This happy little room is great.  And this little dachshund dog 

shows up in many modern nurseries.

via mlcassid flickr

I wish this was my room, the light and the space is magnificent and this Noah's Ark is great!

via Oh Happy Day

I love all of the color in this nursery.

via OhDeeDoh

This shabby chic nursery is beautiful and would become a great little girls room.

via OhDeeDoh

I love this room, the reclaimed wood wall is fabulous and the 

baby bedding with kangaroos is awesome!

via Decor Pad

My Favorite Sites

Zac and Zoe

Modern Seed

All Modern Baby

Knoll Kids

Modern Nursery

Coochicoos

I Love Blue

I have always loved blue, especially deep, nautical, navy blue.  It always looks crisp and classic, especially paired with bright white accents or moody grey.  I have completed a few home designs that utilized a dark navy palette.  The pictures below are from House Beautiful's Kitchen of the Month section and I think it is an elegant example of how blue can be utilized.  The white Carrara marble is so beautiful, albeit extremely high maintenance, but the simplicity of the design and the bold color makes this space worthy of the "kitchen of the month" title.

I love the size of this island and the huge window over the sink.  

I also love having the extra wall oven for big baking jobs!

The square farm house sink takes simplicity to heart and is classic yet modern.

This kitchen is boasts traditional cabinetry and yet remains young and fresh because of the bold color and the minimalist detailing.

Photos via House Beautiful

Mad about Macaroons

Okay, so many of you may have seen my Facebook post of the macaroons that I made last night for a cocktail soiree that we had tonight afterwork.  I must say they turned out pretty darn good.  I was just so excited that they actually looked like macaroons!  My dream would be to go to Paris and take a class from the famous pastry chefs at Laduree.  They are the premiere purveyors of these beautiful and delicious little treats and their shops are so beautifully decorated.  The buzz is all about macaroons these days, move over cupcake.

So sweet

A view from the street

How exquisite are these colors?!

The interiors are so beautiful and French

And these are mine!  They don't look to bad!  I am so excited to continue experimenting 

with new flavor combinations and colors!

Consider yourself kissed.....

Happy Valentines Day

Hope you have a beautiful day.

xoxo

Photography via le love

Snow Tigers

I love snow....I think it is beautiful and fun to play around it.  It is great when you get off a day of school and you can play outside, go sledding with your friends, and come home and eat chicken noodle soup.

But this has got to end!  We have be pummeled by 24+ inches of snow in the last 5 days and I know you don't need me reminding you.  The news channels are running endless programming of snow conditions, snow reports, reports on power outages, reports on snowball fights, omg such and such place is open and delivering pizza, what a tragedy some idiot lost control of his car and is stuck in a snow bank.  I can't take it anymore!!!!!

On that note I know everyone has been stuck in their homes for the past couple of days and are going a little bit stir crazy.  But what a perfect opportunity to host a party!

I live in a condo community and the neighbors around here have each been hosting parties all weekend long.  Some of them were quiet elaborate with multiple courses.  Another was cocktails and appetizers and one neighbor had everyone over for bowls of delicious homemade soup and to sit in front of their fireplace and look at the beautiful snow from their patio windows.

So why not host a Chinese New Year party this weekend?  It is the perfect time to have your neighbors over and a fun tradition to celebrate.  Martha Stewart has some wonderful recipes on her site.  And 2010 is the year of the tiger- or in our case a snow tiger!

Martha Stewart.com

For your party fill your home with paper lanterns and candles.  The Chinese New Year is traditionally ends on the 15th day with a lantern festival.  This will work especially well if you are still without power!!  Anything red will invoke the feeling of the season.  Its fun to have party favors such as party poppers with little treats or you could break out the 4th of July sparklers for the end of the evening.

Other Chinese New Year traditions include: covering your windows and doors with red paper cutouts with themes of wealth, happiness, and longevity.  This seems like the perfect afternoon activity!

Chinese New Year is all about new beginnings.  It is a time to spend with family and friends and it is also a time to reconnect with neighbors.  I think one of the greatest lessons of Chinese New Year is that it is a time to forget old grudges and truly wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

Hopefully the snow will be melting away as you share your home with friends and family for your own Chinese New Year!

Wall Coverings Galore!

You know how your mom/grandmother's wallpaper was dusty blue with a little pattern of geese holding baskets?  Or perhaps it was dusty pink with a fleur de lis pattern?  Anyway, the 80's ruined wallpaper for you and you swore up and down that wallpaper would never again be applied to any surface of your home, especially after countless hours of scraping the stuff off of walls and praying to the gods of design that paint would cover up the mess!

Well wall coverings are back in a big way (has been for a while actually), but don't worry the patterns are bolder, more vibrant and they aren't your grandmother's wallpaper!  I have not even scratched the surface of what is out there but I hope I have provided enough of a variety to peak your interest.

Enjoy!

Julia Rothman for Hygge & West 

Wallpaper available by the yard for those accent walls!

Julia Rothman Design

Stripes courtesy of bellemaison23

I love this wallpaper!  The dinosaur bones glow in the dark!  

From Paper Boy Wall Paper

Coordinating papers from Osborne & Little

I always love a menswear stripe. Photo courtesy of Fanfare Interiors

Osborne & Little "Genoa"  paper

Ralph Lauren Home - Haberdashery Collection

Designers Guild- Amalienborg Collection

A Few Designers to Look For:

Brunschwig & Fils

Cole & Sons

Designers Guild

Osborne & Little

Nina Cambell

Thaibaut

Romo

F. Schumacher

Ralph Lauren Home

Mon Petit Chou...

... my little cabbage, I remember my best friend Maria explaining to me this french term of endearment and thinking it was just perfect.  Why is it that anything in French sounds like the most elegant, romantic proclamation of love?   I am positive the French do not have a day dedicated to expressing ones feelings as we do, instead they practice the art of passion daily.  Maybe that should be our new approach to love, practice makes perfect!

Photography by You Look Nice Today Photography via Snippet and Ink

Alas, we have Valentine's day and for me it is a fun day to remind my friends and family that I love them.  I remember decorating shoe boxes in Elementary school, to create a "mailbox" for the many Valentines that I would receive from classmates.  I can recall in second grade when a boy in my class made a card out of construction paper and white paper doilies.  He  had written "you are pretty" and his name, which shall remain anonymous, on the inside of the card.  Why can't we all be that straightforward?

I admire that boy's direct approach as well as his homemade note, and I do enjoy a homemade Valentine card.  There is something about getting a little note from a friend on February 14th or any day really that feels special.  This Valentine's Day celebrate your friendships and the people who mean the most to you.  A great place to find handmade cards and stationary that are both personal and fun is my great friend Melanie's etsy store, Verbage !  Melanie along with many of her graphic savvy friends have just launched their store selling one of a kind notes, postcards and stationary.  Their collection of sassy, off-beat, non-traditional and "irreverent" valentines just came out and is ready to ship!  Mel can guarantee shipping by Feb. 10th if you order by Friday at 5pm.

Office Love Mini Cards by Verbage

Consider Yourself... by Verbage

GIVE AWAY...

So to entice you all to share your most embarrassing, romantic or silly valentine's day memory I am going to give away a set of Melanie's XO mini cards for the best story!    I encourage you to leave your comments here for everyone to enjoy and visit Verbage.  

Happy Valentines Day!

Photography by Anna Kuperburg via Snippet and Ink