Food for Thought: The Neighbors Garden

Summer is my favorite season for many reasons, sun, fun and squash! I am very fortunate to have lovely neighbors who share their bounty with me. I would love to grow a garden and share with them, but my shaded patio is not conducive to gardening, except for herbs.

I am going to fix some squash tonight, but I haven't decided how. Summer squash is so adaptable to many types of cuisines. I may do a zucchini with fresh corn saute, served with lime cilantro shrimp or a spicy zucchini and shrimp stir-fry with pasta? Hmmm, what's your favorite summer squash creation?

Made my decision, Zucchini & Fresh Corn with Chipotle Shrimp :)

photo from flickr

Let Me Just Say wow...Bedroom WINDOWS

On Wednesday, when this blog was due, I wanted to feature a bedroom I am obsessed with, but I can't find it! I am still searching through books, tear sheets and my library of past mags, but as of this moment, no luck, so I found fabulous replacements! The bedroom I was obsessed with had windows for walls, I believe it was in NYC, but now I am not so sure, and lucky for me, the bedroom above is a fantastic substitute.

This room does not need a lot of styling and decor due to such an amazing view, the windows are the focal point of the room. I do love the ceramic stool for a the bedside table. The curves and gloss of the stool with the ease of the linen colored bedding add just the right amount of interest to add to the overall look without taking away from the splendor of the windows.Blue has never really been a color for me in my personal decor, but this room is something I would gladly take for a spin! The Petrie chairs and ottoman from Crate & Barrel have always been a favorite of mine and even more so now. Again, the windows are the focal point of this room, but the overall style is amazing, so pulled together and polished.

Hey, I have a thing for windows in bedrooms, big windows that is! Along with windows, I have an obsession with white interiors, but with a long haired black dog...you do the math. This room is so classic, glamorous and contemporary. The color palette is cool, but the room is so peaceful, and that window, love, love, love!

all photos from elledecor.com

Trend Tuesday: Lighting

I struggled with today's title. "Lighting" is sooo important and it is an amazing accessory. I have written about lighting before because apparently, I have a bit of an obsession with it. The living room above is simply stylish in and of itself, but the hanging basket light deserves just as much attention as the always classic Parsons table and the great graphic pillows.
This room above is lovely, but I have to say the hanging fixture steals the show, it looks like a snowball made out of daisies, simply amazing.
This pop of orange above with the soft turquoise is such a great combination. The bedroom below is, well it is WOW, but my eyes are 1st drawn to the coral shades on the wall sconces.

I'm a fan of the orange, brown and white color palette, and this room is no exception. The champagne color of the drum pendant is just the right touch of brown and orange combined.

After choosing the lighting for a current project, which was oh so fun, my future projects will receive the same attention to detail for that oh so important accessory. "Let there be light" has a whole new meaning.

All photos from http://www.lonnymag.com/

Fab Find of the Week: OCHRE Arctic Pear Lighting

I gasped for air from excitement when I saw this chandi today in an advertisement in House & Home. I had to immediately jump online to find it!

The Arctic Pear series of lighting is from OCHRE, http://www.ochre.net/. OCHRE is a London based design company. Along with exquisite lighting, they also produce stunning furniture and accessories.

The Arctic Pear series is rustic and industrial while being beautiful and glam. There are so many different settings and styles where this light would work.

I look forward to visiting the OCHRE showroom on my next visit to "The Big Apple". I also realized today that the launch party for http://www.lonnymag.com was thrown at the OCHRE showroom in NYC, of course it was...love, love, love!

Friday Musings: Equestrian Style, Part 2

Here they are, my very fashionable Grandparents. The top two pictures are the Conrads, Walter "Gramps" and Lillian "Nanna". Gramps is the man who taught me everything I know about horses, but I have to say, the only boots I ever saw him wear were cowboy, but he pulled off the lace up look quite well!

Nannas pants look to be true jodhpurs with the traditional hip flair. I love how Nanna & Gramps both have a little bit of their winter socks peeking out at the top, something I think we will be seeing in the upcoming seasons, not to mention the Buffalo Plaid she is sporting.

The other pictures are of the Brennans, Ed "Grandpa" and Hellen "Grandma". Grandpa and Grandma used to take weekend drives for picnics, and they always dressed well for them. I am not aware of Grandma and Grandpa ever riding horses, they certainly were not equestrians, but they looked fabulous for their outings.

I miss my Grandparents dearly, but I am so happy to have these photos to help influence my style. Now, time to start shopping for my jodhpurs and lace up boots!

This is how I remember Gramps :)

Food for Thought:

I was on the road for over 6 hours today. After a bag of Jack Links Sweet & Spicy jerky and a bag of almonds, all I want is a a salad, well, salad and a loaf of Ciabatta. I made a pit-stop at Whole Foods... :)

Let Me Just Say Wow...Grey

I am a huge fan of grey, it is the most versatile and hip neutral around. Yes, it is sexy, it is also glamorous and grown-up. It can be paired with a bright color such as yellow, coral or turquoise, but when paired with a bright color, it helps to ground it. It is gorgeous with smokey plum, and I am going to do a grey, smokey plum and coral scheme...someday! I am doing a grey room for some clients, but it will be grey, ivory and a touch of turquoise, some black lacquer and a touch of gild.

The room above is a classic elegant contemporary style. I love the 50's glam of the accent chairs and the casual fun texture of the side table.

The screen wall behind the bed is fabulous. The clean lines of this room are very sophisticated, possibly a little more manly for some, but it could be feminized with a lovely hand painted silk on the screen.

Again, this dining room is quite classy and contemporary with the clean lines, the pop of ivory with different shades of grey.

Ahhh, the pop of coral, the contemporary table and art, I cannot imagine a more fitting color for the backdrop. And those side chairs, gorgeous curves, I need to do more research to see what they are made of, they are fantastic! Can you picture with a touch of plum? I can ;)

My fondness for yellow and grey is no secret. This bed and bath is simply stunning! I do love the yellow barn door...and the nubby throw, the little chandi over the tub...what a great design.