Helpful Hints...

Lauren from Pure Style Home posted this helpful piece from Sarah's Fab Day. We are actually using a lot of those tips for the new apartment. Extremely spot on advice for any home...check out, it's a good read!

Some Designer Lovin... Kat Burki

Connecticut based designer, Kat Burki, epitomizes grace and elegance....so I thought what better designer products to showcase on graceful elegance! While her collection is quite out of my price range (although the accessories are reasonable), they are still fun to look at and garner ideas. For that piece of look-alike furniture you found at a flea market that needs refurbishing or that old couch sitting in your parents basements...just b/c we may not have the wallet doesn't mean we don't have the potential to create something just as beautiful!

I absolutley adore these gold leaf napkin rings (and affordable)!

Color Wheel: Grey

In the midst of these grey days, sky looming so closely over the tall buildings of NYC and April showers, I had a thought...GREY! So I am really just thinking out loud here - but I am contemplating painting the new bedroom a solid grey against the white moldings. Contrary to my very instincts of light and airy blues/yellows for bedrooms... alas I just may do it. Take a look at a compilation of grey rooms.... something to ponder...

Happy Monday...

Happy Monday everyone! Today is yet another dreary rainy day here in NYC and on days like today - it's hard to find inspiration. Well look no further...one of my bff's, Carolyn, created this FAB inspiration board for the Elements of Style reader contest!! Her inpiration is a guest room retreat in the country - and boy does this make me want to run away into the country. Enjoy and wish Carolyn good luck!!
I love everything in this board! The green night table is gorgeous along with that unbelievably unique/cute teapot lamp. I took a gander at that garden chair when I was in Anthropology this past weekend and then had a reality check when I saw the price tag and the fact that I don't even have a backyard yet (soon)! The bedroom in the top right looks so relaxing and the branch table mirror is to die for. Good luck CG!!

Fabulous Friday Finds...

Born a new tradition: Fabulous Friday Finds. With so many deals and steals out there...I figured I would dedicate Fridays to share these great little gems that we find on the world wide web. So if you find anything worthy - send my way and I'll post on a Friday!

To begin...my oh so "in the know" friend, Carolyn, sent me the link to One Kings Lane, an amazing new website that features incredible deals (almost half off retail sometimes!) on home decor. It's been very popular on the blog circuit...but if you haven't signed up already...do so STAT! It's great...I made my first purchase today...oh la la, placemats!

The next find came across my desk by way of my ever so stylish, talented and design genious Mother: FurnitureLand South. This company is based in North Carolina and features over 1 million square feet of furniture!!! Their consultants will help you find a piece of furniture you love, match colors and help design your house with their virtual room planner (that is what I used to design my future living room in yesterday's blog). Basically, if you find a piece of furniture from any furniture manufacturer...FurnitureLand South probably has it in their warehouse and you can purchase at a value price...along with all the other services that they offer. Email Sherry at sherryneedles@furniturelandsouth.com - she is SUPER helpful and she can help with your needs.

And might I add - I love this bamboo sofa!

Lastly, if you are in need of closet essentials check out The Container Store. They are having a 30%-50% off sale on all of their ELFA components. We will certainly be purchasing a boat load for our new walk-in (can't wait)!!

Happy FRIDAY and enjoy the weekend!!

Caroline "NOT" in the city....

Well my days of existing as a Manhattan city dweller are dwindling. (Ok, I am being a bit dramatic...I will only be 10 minutes across the river in Hoboken and still working in the city...but still)! Lauren from Pure Style Home inspired me yesterday by her posting, asking for help on her new home that she just purchased (congrats again!) and I figured I would do an SOS of my own. We close on 4/20 but I wanted to get some ideas before we actually move in for this old pre-war brownstone . Here are some pics of the new apartment as it stands now....
This is the living room looking on to the kitchen and the entryway. The room with the french doors (love!) to the left is going to pose as an office/den for the timebeing. We are also keeping the blue back tile in the kitchen...but getting rid of the blue island tile and putting a nice wooden tabletop for that partial island. (we are not really doing anything more to the kitchen right now...that will be a project for down the road).

This is the rest of the living room if you are lookng from the kitchen. This piece of furniture should be gone by the time we move in and we are building built-in bookcases on either side of the fireplace and we are going to mount our flat screen on the fireplace (non-working). The bookcases are also going to come forward and hide the heating vent that covers the front of the brick (ugly!). It's a big open space but I need to figure out how to divide the room between a living room and little kitchenette/eating area. Since our kitchen is so small, I want to do something like this... (not properly sized but you can get the idea). Thoughts?

This picture does not include the bookcases that will be there...but you can get the jist... And I am thinking of painting the living room and very light blue (basalt from RL Paint) but I am stuck with the curtains for the living room...any advice!? Maybe a simple white like this from A Cup of Jo ?

Any ideas on colors for the kitchen curtain?? I love the exposed brick here and I am going to love to hang pots on those hooks above the oven!

Another view from the living room to the kitchen. Again, keeping the blue backtile but getting ride of the blue island tile.

Here is the view of the bedroom...I am thinking of painting the walls a light yellow and going with a light yellow/green theme in here. I love these curtains that I am 99% going to buy from Anthro for this room...like/dislike?

This hallway will not exisit anymore. We are pushing down this wall and creating another hallway from the entryway....kind of confusing but I will post pics once it's all done :-)

Our lovely backyard...lot's of potential! Any tips/advice/comments are welcome!! I'll be sure to post everything once it's complete - we move in on May 1 and it will probably not be all pulled together until at least the end of the summer. But a fun project none the less! :-) Thanks in advance!

Exposed...

I love exposed wooden beams. I think it brings a rustic and cozy feeling to a home. Here are some examples of them really looking fabulous....

This picture from April's House Beautiful doesn't do it justice (need to
practice the art of scanning)! But this living room is beautiful. The wooden beams really work here with these light and purple colors....so fun!
Wow

I don't love the modern steel cabinets in this kitchen...but I do really like the beam action going on!

* Check out Elements of Style today...I just saw that she has a bunch of amazing photos (per usual), that also feature wooden beam ceilings.
Images courtesy of April's House Beautiful and the amazing designer, John Saladino