"It's Getting Hot in Here!"

June 1, 2011

There is nothing worse than Washington DC in the summer. Don't get me wrong, this is a great city but when the heat index hits 105 degrees and you live in downtown DC, you don't even want to leave your apartment. These are the days that I am craving getting back to Kiawah and having that cool ocean breeze on my face and that icy cold firefly and lemonade in my hand. But that is just wishful thinking for now.

To make myself feel a little better I am sitting in my bedroom with it's cool blue walls and the blinds closed thinking only cool thoughts. So to make you feel a little better and cool you down here are some beautiful blue rooms to admire while you dream about the ocean too.

I am now going to go and paint my floors blue too!

Rrrfff!

Velvet in the City! mmm.

Love this ceiling, I would lay in bed all day just staring at the ceiling.

A simple take on monochromatic from Martha Stewart.

Periwinkle is sooo under used. Love!

So relaxed. So calming.

Simple stripes in House Beautiful.

A fun take on blue. Loving the lucite bench with polka dots!

I have used this one before but I just adore this wallpaper.

Blue, beachy, perfection! Thanks, Elle Decor.

Modern Blue.

Coffee table, foot rest. "Tomato, Tomahto".

May 10, 2011

When looking at coffee tables the other day, my mom asked a funny question; "Where do coffee tables even get there name?" I thought, what an excellent question. When I drink coffee I don't exclusively have it sitting on the table almost always placed in the middle of a sitting area. I commonly use that table for books, decorative trinkets, a place to rest my lap top and most importantly a place to put my feet up. So I went ahead and looked up the origin of one of the most important furnishings you can have in your living room. Much to my disappointment there really was not answer on why it is called a coffee table accept that it is used to serve coffee. Wikipedia, you stink! So, with out further adieu here are some great "coffee" tables or for me some great foot rests!

A great marble top coffee table looks great in almost any room.

Very modern, in an NYC loft.

Chinese Chippendale inspired in Coastal Living.

Love the all white room, love the white lacquer table!

Two low side tables next to each other are always a great look.

Really, I just like the giant piece of coral on top of this simple table. Everyone should have a giant piece of coral in their house. I do. Do you?

A great new company, OOMPH.

And octagon ottoman. A great twist. And looks like a comfy place for my feet.

I have posted this divine room before and I thought it deserved a second round. I lika da Greeks and I like the greek key design on the table.

You can never go wrong with lucite. Repeat, you can NEVER go wrong with lucite.

Love!

Sofa Love

April 21, 2011

Last night my mother sent me a picture of a simple and perfect Billy Baldwin sofa. The e-mail was title "perfection". And that it was. There is nothing better than a great sofa. It is the anchor in all living areas. A sofa needs to have so many uses.

Your sofa needs to be comfortable enough to entertain but not so comfortable that your guests are sleeping on it. It needs to be just the right size. Not to big, not to small. And most importantly it needs to be the space where you can lounge all day catching up on your DVR and eating your Haagen Dazs out of the container. Now, that does not mean that it needs to recline and come with a cooler and remote caddie built in. Here are a few pics of some great sofas in fabulous rooms that are both fashionable and functional and I would certainly like to take a nap on them anytime.

Digging the unique shape of this sofa.

Some super sleek chaise's in Sweden.

A Tuxedo Sofa

This look could definitely be achieved with some paint and a trip to Ikea.

Love the back to back sofa's in this Greenwich CT living room

Sofa is clean and simple, the room is AWESOME!

A Billy Baldwin Sofa. Love.

This room in the Hampton's has sofa's that were made for entertaining.

Pottery Barn, easy.

A real simple sofa in Real Simple magazine.

A bathtub chaise. I know not so comfortable, but I still love it.

Love how these sofa's really pul the room together so effortlessly.

"I will take mine Al Fresco!"

April 19, 2011

This is the time of year when you take the cover off those grills, and give them a good cleaning. The time of year when that porch of yours is put too good use. It is time to eat outside!!

As long as there is a subtle breeze to keep away the pesky no see ums, I love dining al fresco. Whether it be on my porch on Kiawah, my rooftop in Washington DC or eating at a great restaurant where they have tables on the sidewalk I really don’t think there is anything better than a great outdoor dining area. So for those of you looking for a fun spring project, here are a few ideas to jazz up that back yard, roof , fire escape or sidewalk!

A fantastic roof deck in the UK

A little wisteria courtesy of House Beautiful

oooo.. NAPA!

Loving the chandelier outside look.

Bad Ass in Bangkok.

Betsy Johnsons Mexican casa! Love!

Florals Galore!

Spring is finally here. The trees are green and the flowers have bloomed. This is by far my favorite time of year. I just love flowers and I love gardening. Sadly, I don’t live in a place where I can stare at a beautiful garden all year long.

So wouldn’t it be great to have a room that looked like a beautiful garden! I know, floral patterns are not everybody’s thing but when done right I think it can make any room the happiest place in the house. Here are so great rooms that I would love to sit in on a cold winter day.

I love the look of the matching patterns of the wallpaper and the drapes.

An amazing floral mural.

The House Beautiful bathroom is great with the wallpaper done on the ceilings.

Love the wallpaper, love the bathroom. As Coco Chanel would say "before you leave the house, take one thing off". That one thing is the hideous clock!

This is very cool, not sure if it is a wallpaper, but I like it!

I am a sucker for pink and green. Not tons of florals but it sure feels like spring to me!

I am really liking the touch of pink velvet.

Shabby chic is not really my taste, but this was at least done well. And I do like the wallpaper. It makes me think of all the classic 80's Ralph Lauren prints or some good ole Laura Ashley.

It can be difficult to do florals with modern but this designer hit the nail on the head.

Mini Shampoo Bottles! YAY!

April 11, 2011

I love, love, love staying at hotels. And no, I do not mean staying at the Super 8 off of I-95 because you have no other choice. I am talking about the hotels where just lying in the bed makes your whole body turn to jello because the sheets are so soft. Where there is a mini bottle of Veuve in the fridge and fresh flowers on the coffee table.

My favorite part of a great hotel room is the bathroom. The minute I walk into my hotel room I immediately check out the bathroom to see if it is the ideal place to sip my champagne while poofing my hair and applying my rouge.

What I always hope for is a bathroom with a giant shower and wall to wall carrara marble. One with a fantastic vanity and slippers that actually fit my tiny feet. Here are a few that I certainly would not mind checking out.

Mosaic shower, Park Hyatt Paris

Simplicity at its best. Nim Hotel, Copenhagen.

Love the vanity! Encore, Las Vegas

Not a dog bowl, a foot bath! Hyatt Andaz, NYC.

With that view I would never leave this modern masterpiece. The Standard Hotel, NYC.

Clean lines with another fantastic view. The Regent, Bal Harbour.

This is my dream bathroom in my dream city. The Fours Seasons, Milan.

Could not find where this was, but that's okay I probably will never stay there anyway. A girl can dream though.