Mixology (4)

Perfume:  Valentino Eau de Parfum – Garavini / Room: Zin Home wing bed frame Master Bedroom

Perfume: Prada Candy by Prada / Room: Venice by Turquoise , LA. 

Perfume: Benefit Garden of Good & Eva Fragrance / Room: Casa Paralea by JMA INTERIOR DECORATION. Photograph by Ron Rosenzweig.

Perfume: NANA DE BARY – GREEN from Liberty / Room: Phyllis Morris Showroom  – Trousdale Bed, Trousdale Nightstands, X Bench and the “SuperStar” wallcovering — all from the Phyllis Morris Showroom in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Lee Clower.

Urban Safari

I think animal prints have had a bad rap lately. What with all this “Jersey Shore” and “Jerseylicious” nonsense, the leopard skin, the giraffe pattern, and the zebra print has been given an unfair toss into the “trashy” and “kitschy” world. I actually believe animal print (faux, screen printed) can be extremely minimalistic and classy. Thus begins my campaign to reclaim animals! For Example:

Image found Here.

This basically makes me want to play and watch Jumanji. By Horchow.

Paper Maiche heads via Apartment Therapy.

No animals were harmed in the making of that Elephant Bust. Via Anthropologie.

From the GlamLamb!

Can you believe this beauty was found in an only 450 square foot home? Here.

When in doubt, wrap an antler in colored and neon yarn! Insta-cool.

I cannot imagine any chair being more comfortable than this Sheepskin Fluffiness. Here.

Both images above via Desire to Inspire. Please note the Giraffe prints, the floral armchair, the owls, the horses (WE’RE IN A JUNGLE HERE PEOPLE).

Shop by the Numbers: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 

“I believe there is no sickness of the heart too great it cannot be cured by a dose of Africa. Families must go there to learn why they belong together on this earth, adolescents to discover humility, lovers to plumb old but untried wells of passion, honeymooners to seal marriages with a shared sense of bafflement, those shopworn with life to find a tonic for futility, the aged to recognize a symmetry to twilight. I know this all sounds a bit much, but if I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa.” – John Hemingway, African Journeys

Call a Spade a Spade

When I was younger, one of my absolute favorite books was called “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler”. It outlines two children who take up residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Claudia Kincaid is almost twelve, a straight “A” student, only girl and eldest child of four, who decides to run away to somewhere beautiful, comfortable, and preferably indoors. She brings her brother Jamie along and they use the public restrooms by day and snuggle up to their favorite statues by night. I have always imagined sneaking into a museum and living amongst the tapestries and tea gardens!

Certain stores also fill me with a sense of yearning – to sleep in the confines of a small boutique, covered in fashion, design, and beauty! Case in Point: Kate Spade, replete with floral walls, microphones hanging from the ceiling, faux tour posters, drum kits, matchboxes, colored extension cords, and rococo ottomans! (The best part? You can buy much of the interior decor HERE, even down to the wallpaper used in-store.) Kate Spade’s new motto is “Live Colorfully”. The Spade aesthetic relies on bright, bold, and geometric shapes. Color is always accented with black. Punky meets Preppy!

(Images photographed by me, except for the Kate Spade catalogue design cover and Signature Spade pattern, done by 2×4.)

A sketch of the Kate Spade store on Fifth Avenue in NYC by Caitlin McGauley – who also designs some stationery and iPhone cases for the brand.

Kate Brosnahan Spade (born Katherine Noel Brosnahan; December 24, 1962) is the namesake designer of the brand Kate Spade. Although most known her for her boxy handbags, bow accents, and bright stationery, Spade has won numerous awards for her bedding and linens, as well as interior design. Kate’s interior designer, Steven Sclaroff, mixes his own style with Kate and Andy’s finds. Andy is Kate’s college sweetheart, they first decided to move in together while she was working at Mademoiselle. Andy is David Spade’s brother, but also a designer, advertiser, and publisher! They are long toted as one of the most creative power couples of the 20th century.

Let’s take a gander at the couple’s fabulous and timeless NYC Apartment: