Leaving Town Again :(

Good morning,

we just got back from Thanksgiving in NYC, and now I'm leaving with our daughter for a soccer tournament in North Carolina. Though I will enjoy the time alone with her, I will miss my bed and house:( A girl can only do so much traveling.

Until I get back, here are some bed rooms that I will be dreaming about and wishing I were home snuggled up in (but I won't be, I will be in a hotel in the cold winter air!). Enjoy~

 

 (And of coarse my own bedroom, yum)

I'll see you when we get back next week!

I'm Looking For A Bar For The Home

Good morning, I am in search of a bar. Not that I want to go to a bar, it's only 11am after all. I'm looking for the at home kind that I can dress up for a client to later get liquored up, er entertain with.

Whether you want an at home bar for your self, or are gearing up for the soon to be here holidays having an at home bar is a great way to entertain and keep things organized and well planned. I always like to dress up my West Elm tray table as a bar and I place it in a location that guests can help themselves instead of waiting for me to wait on them, Ha! That's just too much work. In this case my dining room, right next to the table.

I've been on the hunt for just the right size and style for this client, and am leaning towards the West Elm Parsons Buffet which I'm thinking about hanging shelves above it for added style.  It's a smaller scale which I need. FYI both West Elm and Cb2 tend to have smaller scale pieces if you're looking. I also have my eye on a few other styles though so I'll update you when we're decided.

The truth is there are many ways to have a bar in your own home. You can go large if you have the space with a full blown built out, you could go with a piece of furniture that gives added storage and style such as a buffet, or you could go with a simple bar cart or tray stand that gives you the flexibility of moving your party on wheels to where ever you need!

Take a look at some of these amazing at home "bars" and see for yourself how this SHOULD be something every entertainer has in their home.

 

When entertaining and considering your own at home bar you should consider a few things. 

1- You want to enjoy your own party. If you have a place set up where people can help themselves then you don't spend unwanted time getting things for your guests. Just be sure to point them in the right direction when they get there. 

2- It's nice to have a place for your at home bar and drink area that's away from the food. It keeps the traffic down, and helps the party flow. 

3- You don't have to have a fully stocked bar to have your own at home bar. Keep a few essentials like red and white wine, minimal liquor such as vodka and scotch, and your basic juices and mixers should do the trick. Most people don't expect a full bar unless it is stated on the invite.

4- Don't forget to keep your glasses or drink ware close at hand or at least let people know where that is. 

5- If you have small children (or children at all) remember  that many at home bars are available with a lock to keep thins secure and out of reach.

6- Lastly I like to further organize my bar by placing a tray on it with napkins, stirring sticks and straws to help your guests out.

What do you think? Do you have an at home bar at your house, or is it just not your thing?

 

Bits Of My Week, Thanksgiving Break

Good morning, we left town last week and spent the most amazing Thanksgiving EVER in New York City! The weather was perfect, the city is amazing, and the nice crisp weather was a much needed break from Miami's everyday paradise. Ha!

Since I'm now getting back to the swing of things I figured I would give you a hodge podge  of little bits and pieces that was Thanksgiving and New York!

Our entry console.Decorated for Thanksgiving in just the right way.

Our hotel in NY, The Roger Hotel. Chic, cozy and swanky.

Out in NYC. 

I adore New York, and we will be back. Hopefully next time I can take better scenic "New York-ish" pictures for you, but honestly I enjoyed it so much I didn't think of it until it was too late :(

Hopefully it's never too late to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope yours was as full of love and joy as ours was~

Project Sneak Peek, A Little Progress

Good morning,

As promised I wanted give you a glimpse at my project that I will lovingly refer to as the Modern Man Cave. The good thing about working with a complete bachelor is that I had one thing to work around which was his much loved TV console from Pottery Barn and that was literally it! Ha! Starting from scratch is always the best.

Take a look at where the project started.

As you can see I needed to take the "cave" part out of  the man cave. There's a right way to make that happen. Step 1 was to tackle the ceiling and lighting. Step 2 is building out the stair case for the loft. Step 2.5 is the kitchen build out. Step 3 is to make the space something to be proud of.

Here is where things are looking with the ceiling construction and lighting in progress.

It's amazing what taking out the wood ceiling alone did for the space, don't you think?!!!

My goal is to bring in a cool industrial vibe, and to give this small space as much seating as possible. Things like a well executed sectional, extra chairs, playing with scale and the right color scheme will surely do the job and at least make things functional so that if you were a young bachelor you could actually entertain in your place and people would actually have a place to sit;) This is something I could not say when I started. 

Take a look again at a couple of the mood boards.

 

 

If things go according to schedule the kitchen should be progressing along next week. I'm excited to show you more of what we have planned there.

What do you think of the Modern Man Cave? It's pretty impressive for this young medical student to be making his place such a cool home. I have to say, I REALLY hope more men do this and I would love the chance to help them make it happen. More to come.

Project Sneak Peek, The Modern Man Cave

Good morning, sorry for the lack of posting lately. I have been working on a couple of projects, while at the same time life is picking up. It's getting to be that time of year.

Today I want to share with you a new project that is under way. It is the revival of a 1970's town house for a true bachelor client. This place comes complete with wood paneling all over the drop ceilings with psychedelic lighting in the kitchen, and NO lighting anywhere else. Construction pictures coming soon.

My client is a bit of a self proclaimed traditionalist style wise, so my goal here is to create a space that stays true to his traditional ways while simultaneously being "cool" and modern.

Take a look at one of the mood boards that I created for the living room.

I am sticking with a cool color palette and layering in some organic elements as well as some industrial pieces it blends well with the more traditional pieces such as the TV console and the plaid throw. When I am finished the space will have all the warmth of a traditional space, but will also have a throw back vibe with some mid century and lofty elements.

This is the Modern Man Cave with a strong emphasis on the masculine side, but done in a very classy and put together way. Men should take note:)

One of the things that I am MOST excited about in this room will be the large scale lighting. I'll post about that soon, but trust that it will steal the show.


I've got to run, but I will share more with you soon. 

I Need An Office Chair, What About The Ghost Chiar?

Good morning,

When I recently completed my daughter's room, I borrowed the desk chair from my office as a temporary solution for her room, but I ended up liking it there so I left it.

Here is is in her room next to the BESTA BUTS desk that we added gold brass rings to. How could I NOT leave it there?!

 Soooooo, that means I'm down a chair at my desk which makes working at my desk a challenge. Now I'm on the hunt. One of the chairs that I've ALWAYS loved is the famed Ghost chair by Kravet. This little chair is quite the looker, or looker through depending on how you see it as it is an acrylic Louis style chair and doesn't take up much space visually.

Here are some amazing office spaces with my little dream chair in them. I think you'll agree that for such an unassuming chair it is absolutely stunning.

Another day I'll post the ghost chairs as shown in a dining room because they are so amazing in the dining room and completely transform it.

My only concern here is how comfortable are these???? I once bought a slip covered dining chair from Ikea for our office and lovely as it were, it was the most uncomfortable chair EVER especially after lengthy amounts of time which happens allot when you work from home. This is a case where function will have to over ride style or at least be equal to it. Whaaaat? Well I never.

Has anyone ever sat in one of these, or better yet own one of their own? Can you shed light and tell me if this is a comfortable enough chair?