on February 7th, 2012%
 The Cast of Downton Abbey
Because I know lots readers spent this Sunday evening watching the Superbowl instead of Downton Abbey (myself included), some of us may be feeling a little empty inside. I know I need my weekly Downton fix but with my native New England team up against my recent hometown New York team, I had to watch – Congrats to the New York Giants by the way!
The Masterpiece classic period drama Downton Abbey on PBS, has captivated many with its soap-opera drama and cast. Aside from the clash between servants and aristocrats, a great reason for the series’ success is the opulent, well-curated set. Many of the scenes are shot on location at Highclere Castle in Hampshire England, and no detail is left unturned. Set in the Edwardian period of England, after the heaviness, clutter and dark colors of Victorian interiors, people wanted something new and cheerful. Edwardian style was a breath of fresh air with decor in fresh, light floral patterns and pastel colors.
In my latest Ideabook for Houzz.com, I pulled together products influenced by the English taste that can be described as worldly and eclectic, gathered from travels around the world and founded on beauty, luxury and class. You can find my entire Ideabook on Houzz [Here] but I wanted to give readers a sneak peek at my favorite pieces. Enjoy!
 Lady Mary's Room Inspires a re-creation with both modern and vintage pieces I absolutely love Lady Mary’s room on the Downton Abbey. The rich wooden canopy bed and the lush textiles create such a visual treat! I was thinking about how great it would be to re-create such a space. Through extensive research I think I found some really great products that could pull together a Lady Mary inspired room.
1. The most prevailent detail in Mary’s bedroom is the wallpaper with it’s vibrant combination of deep red hues and lush blush accents, it emulate her strong and sensual character that the viewers are entranced by. This traditional wallpaper designed by Farrow & Ball (BP 915) [ Visit Store » ] is a close match to the decadent damask in Lady Mary’s room.
2. The curtains and bedding are a strong contrast to the dark walls, coordinating with the lighter parts of the print. At Ethan Allen the Camella Brocade Bedding [ Visit Store » ] is similar to the bedding in Lady Mary’s room, this ensemble with an elegant, traditional design adds an air of classic opulence to almost any bedroom.
3. This reproduction, chippendale-style writing table in Tiger Maple by D.R. Dimes [ Visit Store » ] is a must for Edwardian lifestyle, as it can be used as both a dressing table and a place to scribe letters to loved ones at war.
4. Vanity is an important aspect in the English lifestyle of the Edwardian period. In order to keep up one’s appearance, there must be an equally attractive floor-length mirror. Although mostly hidden behind Lady Mary in the photo above you can see she she has made sure to have a mirror herself. In my search, I found the above 19th Century Cheval Mirror [ Visit Store » ] on 1st Dibs.
5. The last piece for Lady Mary’s room is the Cream Scallop Dome Lamp Shade from Lamps Plus [ Visit Store » ]. It’s the perfect Victorian lamp shade to top off a porcelain base, its voluminous shape and fringe add just the right amount of feminine spirit to this rich space.
There are many more products to tie together a Downton Abbey look in my Houzz Ideabook, from club chairs to tea sets I hope it inspires someone to bring a little Downton Home to them.
on January 9th, 2012%
 The Rubbish Bin This weekend we headed to Boston for a short birthday trip. Since my birthday was on January 2nd and most of the museums were still closed from the holidays, we decided to wait until this weekend to celebrate. I booked a room at the Ames Hotel, which is a luxury boutique hotel that opened in 2009 after renovating the historic Ames skyscraper. Usually, we wouldn’t be able to afford such a room, but thanks to Living Social we stayed in the Deluxe One Bedroom Suite (room #303).
Upon entering the room you are presented with a light filled open space. The arched windows are floor-to-ceiling, and the decor of the room is crisp, chic and grand. I especially loved the juxtaposition of the 19th century architectural details with the modern furnishings. Even though I typically am drawn to more traditional spaces, this design of this space provided an opportunity for me to really feel like I was on a vacation. The hotel room in itself would have been a terrific birthday gift in itself. But to make our trip worth while, we took to the streets to visit museums, soak up some history and window shop.
 The Living Space  The Bedroom and Bathroom - Loved that Tub! I gathered a list of places of interest and we weren’t able to see them all but these were a few of my favorites.
 The Newly Acquired Chihuly Piece & An American Art Gallery The Museum of Fine Arts Boston has always been a great destination in Boston. It’s a gorgeous museum with a wonderful collection from all over the world as well as outstanding exhibitions. This weekend we went to the Degas and the Nude exhibition.
 Hermes Windows in Boston designed by: Aux Armes The Hermes in Boston is always a treat because they carry the saddles. There’s nothing like a beautiful saddle and I can only imagine how it must feel to ride with an Hermes. I believe it was retailing for around $6,300.00. They also always have standout window displays.
 The Old State House The Old State House was built in 1713 (!) this building is where Samuel Adams, James Otis, John Hancock, and John Adams debated the future of the British colonies. The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed from the balcony to the citizens of Boston in 1776 and it was the site of what is known as the the Boston Massacre.
 Bodega- interior photo credits: kicksonfire.com and thebostonbazaarculture.wordpress.com The Last stop is Bodega, a men’s urban clothing and shoe boutique. Worth a visit because it’s actually disguised as a New York City style bodega (deli in spanish). When you enter into the front room, also merchandised as an NYC style deli – the miscellaneous items are real that aline the shelves. We actually thought we had the wrong store at until one of the staff members directed us to the soda machine, which slid open to expose the shop.
In addition to the typical touristy stuff, I wanted to revisit my family history and discover my mother’s Boston. Having spent much of her childhood and young adulthood in this city I ventured to the buildings she once called home and photographed some the streets that she herself used to walk. In my next post I’ll describe this part of our trip in more detail.
For more pictures, make sure to check out my Istagrams page, I uploaded a lot pictures over the weekend. Is there anything that I may have missed? Please tell me because I’d love to visit more the next time I go Boston.
on February 1st, 2011%
 The New York International Gift Fair I’m NYIGF bound today, let you know what I find!
on December 22nd, 2010%
I finally forced myself off the bus tonight (with a load of bags may I say) to take photos of the glamorous Ralph Lauren Mansions on Madison Avenue @ 72nd street. I have to give myself a pat on the back because I was seriously carrying a heavy load tonight . . . Xmas presents galore but taking pictures was necessary! Having done a little bit of freelance work with this company, I somewhat know the ‘in’s and out’s’ of their creative visual and I have to say, they take it very seriously! It’s very impressive how much of an importance they put on their visuals. With that being said, they spared no expense this year.
The first stop is the kids store. These windows are seriously sweet, although selling children’s clothes at this level of maturity really expresses who their actual customer is . . . wealthy moms and dads.
These next few are cute, the train!
At the Men’s Store, also known as The Mansion the windows took on different themes within the different brands featured in the store. As always, they feature the equestrian theme and being a horse person, I love it!
RRL & Co.
Collection
Accessories
Home
Lastly, the new mansion or Chateau as I like to call it.
I have to say that my only complaint about these windows is the lighting; in person its beautiful, but the lighting is a little low for taking photographs. By the way, a little interesting fact: This location is the first one to use realistic Rootstein mannequins. The mannequins chosen were based upon the models that walked in the most recent Ralph Lauren Collection Fall 2010 runway show.
All rights reserved. Please contact me if you would like to use my photos. Thank you.
on April 3rd, 2010%
From Seattle!
This past week my boyfriend and I took a lovely vacation to sunny (yes! while we were there) Seattle! We must have brought the sun with us because New England had the rainiest week in years. Our visit entailed visiting all of the lovely shops that I’ve read about through blogs and eating tons of wonderful vegetarian and vegan food. I really couldn’t believe the amounts of veggie restaurants! Please see photos of our adventures below.
A typical bum or backpacker. We honestly couldn’t tell the difference.
These stones were near Pioneer Square I think.
Near Pioneer Square
This fabulous dog was hanging out in the store Baby & Co. Which by the way, had really awesome displays.
Seattle Public Library
In the Womb at the library
At Pike’s Place Market
Even though this place is very touristy, I love how it reminded me of the open markets in Paris.
Beautiful and Cheap Flowers!
The disgusting yet vibrantly colored gum wall.
Ports with the mountains in the background
Gasworks Park at night
I think my favorite neighborhood i Seattle is Ballard, it is the old port town of the city. So quaint with great shops. If you’re ever in the area, you should definitely check out Lucca, Souvenir, Dolce Vita, The Field House, and Blackbird and we had a great brunch at Señor Moose Café! You can go down to the Locks to see the Salmon migrating and walk around the beautiful Botanical Gardens.
Dog treats!
This is the storefront of Souvenir, it mostly sells handmade cards and jewelry. The merchandise is so beautiful and so are the displays. The owner Curtis Steiner, makes everything himself. Great place for visual merchandising inspiration.
The Locks.
The Field House has a great concept and they do such a great job with defining their brand and customer. I love the displays and the styling, if I have the funds I would definitely buy too many good for my boyfriend from here.
I didn’t take any photos of the storefront and I can’t find any, but here is their cute little logo and signage that sits in front of the store.
Blackbird also has a great little candy shop at the corner of the block, you can read about its opening on here http://helloblackbird.blogspot.com/2009/08/second-born-blackbird-candy-shoppe.html
On our last day we made a trip out to Snoqualmie Falls. Only 30 to 40 mins outside of the city there are mountains, waterfalls, and nature galore.
|
|
