Back to Work

Today is a sad day.  I'm officially back to work and Barron is off to day care.

Maternity Leave, you were very good to me and we had fun!     

But, there is a small part of me that is really excited to get back to work, to get dressed up everyday, and interact with adults again.    

Rockin' the Bangs

Ok, I did it, I actually got a new hair style!  For someone that loves change so much, changing my hair is a totally different story.  Now, I'm officially rockin' the bangs, and I LOVE it!!! My wonderful hairstylist in West Hollywood, Justin Teal, cut me longer bangs in the front and did a one length shoulder cut in the back. My post-pregnancy hair is so much healthier and I'm diggin' the updated 70s style.  Change is good. And hair grows. 

Hairstyle Inspiration: Bangs?

I first came across my new style crush, Miroslava Duma, on Stephanie's blog One Sweet Lemon.  Miro, as she is called, is a former editor at Harper's Bazaar (Russia) and is a  fashion writer and constant subject of my favorite photographer The Sartorialist.  

 Besides being blown away by her insane fashion sense, I am totally feeling inspired to cut some bangs! 

As you may or may not know, I had a baby boy almost 4 months ago and my maternity leave will be coming to an end this week.  So, before I head back to Corporate America (in my day job I work as a Recruiter at The Creative Group), I booked a hair cut with my stylist and am contemplating showing him these pics as inspiration.

How cute do Miro's bangs look with her long hair??!!  I love how youthful (well she's 25) she looks and I want to look the same.  I totally need a change from my usual (i.e. long layers with a pic of Jen Aniston in hand showing my stylist - lol!)  

I'm thinking if they look terrible, I can at least wear them styled back until they grow out and can be cut into long layers.

So what are your thoughts?  Are bangs totally lame?  Or do I go for it and try something new?  

Brown + Gray + Gold

This neutral color palette has been on my mind lately!  I love the way older wood antique pieces look against gray walls, and with the addition of graphic accents like black and white greek key patterns they fit together cohesively with the more contemporary pieces in the room.  

Again, the use of a chevron rug is perfect!  I also am inspired to use black and white gingham fabric as an accent, which I wouldn't have considered, but I love how casual and comfy it can make a room feel.  

I have inherited a couple of antiques like the vanity and dresser (in the top pic above).  They are pieces that are dear to me, although I probably wouldn't have ever bought  them for myself because they aren't really my style.  I think the use of dark gray, brown, and gold is a really great way to blend them with other elements in the room.  They no longer feel so "old" and "granny-like" or what I call "Little House on the Prairie".  Don't get me wrong, the pieces featured here are drop dead gorgeous antiques!!! 

Done and done.  This room can do no wrong in my book!  Love the paisley tapestry bedding, gold frames, light gray walls, and mix of chocolate brown and wood furniture!  I want to have a cocktail in this room!

I have my eye on this tufted bed!  It's so plush and those gray/brown taupe walls are lovely.  This is just right on!  I'm drawing inspiration from this room for a client's master bedroom re-do in the Valley.  

Bag of the Day: Chanel

Lauren Conrad in WeHo.

Love the wide legged jeans too!

Beach Pad Project: Chevron Rug

The Manhattan Beach Project is coming along nicely, the desk looks fabulous and the rug just arrived!  After searching the internet, I found this one from Milliken that is the exact color and look we are going for and it fits within the budget for a 5'4"x7'8" rug at just $165!  I was a little hesitant ordering off the internet, but the reviews seemed decent enough and I figured how bad could it be?  Well, much to my hesitation, it's much better in person than online!!!  I'm so excited and I'm definitely going to use this one again for future projects.

Happy 2nd Anniversary

I can't believe it's been 2 years since my wedding day...here's to 50 more years of health, happiness, and love!  

Cheers Josh!!!

Mom Cave {My Office}

Over the weekend the dining room became my new office.  Our living room is now a living/dining room since we never sat at the table when it was in the dining room and it basically was a waste of space (like most dining rooms are).  My OCD kicked into high gear and I spent all day yesterday cleaning out, rearranging, and organizing.  After a trip to IKEA to pick up some supplies I dove head first into this project.  (I apologize if the pics look grainy, I took them with my new iphone that I love!)  

Here is the room before:  

 I love to collect books so I forced myself to toss the paperbacks (i.e. all the chick lit books I read in my 20s) to make room to store my office supplies.

 I save birthday cards, thank you notes, love letters, and invitations to weddings, which I keep in my old shoe boxes...yes, I am sentimental like that and I just can't bring myself to toss them, which I probably should, but won't. 

I did manage to toss all my old fashion mags a few months ago, so what is left are my beloved Dominos, Elle Decor (I found one from '99 with Lulu DK's pad on the cover!), and House and Garden.    

 Here is the office now!!!  I absolutely love it!  I decided my desk needed to be moved because I wanted a conversation area to hang out in and now I can look out the window.

I purchased the Kassett organizers in white from IKEA which I am madly in love with!  They are cheap, look great, and totally do the job when it comes to organizing all your stuff neatly.  The bottom row looks all black because that's where all my photo albums are stored.  

It's crazy to me how much storage the Expedit offers.  It's seriously one of the best things I have purchased to keep everything in it's place.  I really think every new mom should own one of these for their kid's room because of all the organization it offers - it's the perfect place to store books, diapers, wipes, toys, clothes, etc.  Little Barron is getting one in white when we move!

Notice the swatches of fabric on my Louis Chair (purchased for $50 on Craigslist - it's practically brand new)???  I've been saying for months I'm going to get it reupholstered and I'm finally going to pull the trigger.  I'm painting the frame glossy white and using black ostrich leather for the fabric.  I can't wait to see the finished product!  

Seriously loving my 27" iMac and all of Apple's products for that matter.  They're just really insanely cool! 

I am so in love with my new office aka Mom Cave!

Thirsty Thursdays: Happy St. Pat's!

What the heck, make mine an Irish Car Bomb please, because they're just too much fun!  

Cheers!

Bag of the Day: Givenchy

Zoe Saldana

Bag: Givenchy Antigona Duffle Bag

Image via Vogue Diaries

Beach Pad Project: White Desk

I've been working on sourcing white desks for my client in Manhattan Beach and have found the perfect piece that I thought I would share with all of you.  Her inspiration is the Jett Desk above from Z Gallerie, although stunning and so cool, it doesn't fit within the redecorating budget.  

I stumbled upon this little number (The Josephine Desk) while shopping for wine and chocolates at Cost Plus in El Segundo this past weekend!!!!  My client absolutely loves it and I was stoked that it was on sale for $179.99!  Stay tuned for more fabulous finds and I can't wait to show you the finished product!

Bag of the Day: Celine

Nicole Richie in Paris.  

Bag: Celine

Images via The Vogue Diaries

Saturday with 'Ze Strokes

Fabulous Find: Furniture from Maison 140!!!

The other day I received an email from one of my favorite vendors in the valley, Hotel Surplus, that they just received a shipment of furniture from the Beverly Hills boutique hotel Maison 140.  The hotel, like many of Kor Group's other Los Angeles properties, is currently undergoing a makeover by Kelly Wearstler.  

I was so excited to see what had come in that I rushed to take a look for myself - here are some of my favorite pieces.

These headboards were totally plush!  I purchased the yellow one for my latest client project in Manhattan Beach.  It's the perfect headboard for a sunny and bright beach pad!

I loved this Oriental style headboard - seriously contemplating it for my room, but have also had a tufted one on my wish list.  

This tufted bench is perfect for the foot of a bed or as extra seating in a large living room.  There were a lot of nix and dings and of course the fabric needs to be recovered, but overall it was in good condition.

I loved these mirrors, especially the one above!

There were a couple of these that I would love to use as panels in a dining room, above a buffet, or on either end of bedside tables.

These bed side tables I'm using with the yellow tufted headboard.  The handles are a really cool acrylic and have a light airy vibe to them.

Loved all the French antiques and these little bedside tables were adorable.

This little number used to sit in the Bar Noir at Maison 140.  It wasn't in the best condition, oh well...

This little Macau chair will be used for the desk area of the beach pad.  It's either going to be painted white or turquoise blue.  Definitely needs some recovering - notice the rip in the leather???

So in love with this Greek Key cocktail table!!!  I'm debating grabbing this one for myself!

This is the perfect piece to house jewelry.  The hardware was really nice in person and overall in great shape!

I'm seriously tempted to purchase this dresser and use it in a foyer.  Again, it was in great condition and really beautiful.

More bedside tables - I loved the style of these ones.  Each room in the hotel had it's own furniture, so there are a lot of bedside tables, which is great if you are buying for one room, but makes it hard if you are doing many because no two rooms were alike.

A Louis Chair, needs some work, but love a great Louis.

This little marble and black cocktail table is very glam and there's 2 of them.  I'm thinking of using both as coffee tables grouped together.

Lamps, lamps, and more lamps!!!  The 2 yellow ones with white bamboo on them are being used for the beach pad.  I'm going to grab a white one for myself.  They are all quite large so you definitely need the space for them.

They also have all the artwork from the property.  Could be interesting used in the right room.

Here's a peek at the pieces in their original setting....