For a girl that does everything in her power to avoid being caught in the rain in fear of looking like a drenched cocker spaniel, this weather is somewhat of a guilty pleasure. There’s a suburban smell that infuses the city, the brute force of the wind turns covered walkways into shared shelter for strangers and the violent swells of sound give normally aloof city dwellers and colleagues something to bond over.
But before any of this conjures up images of me frolicking in the rain with newfound friends or as the poster child for Hunter boots, I’ll underscore that my beloved benefit to these stormy days is the bliss of excusable respite from the normal frenzy.
Theres a romantic leisure and luxe relaxation that is the true silver lining, that I’m very much looking forward to this weekend and wishing you the same.
P.S. Though the rain is soundtrack enough, I can’t get enough of Ingrid Michaelson and Joshua Radin pairing on sky.
So is opting for the white rice sushi instead of depriving yourself and going for the brown. Enjoying an ounce of dark chocolate. Or leaving your mouth in the shape its in after saying “cheez whiz”.
These being only a few of the gems from the New York Magazine’s feature with nuggets of enlightenment from the experts on the pursuit of happiness and the simple ways to attain it.
Some of these are effective, others more entertaining, a few are a tad excessive. But each have worked for at least one person.
‘Tis the hallmark holiday season. Sarcasm aside, these images from Irene Suchoki make such sweet Valentines day (or every day) cards. Find this lovely photo at her Etsy shop. Sorry hallmark.
Living two blocks from newbury street, and having visited many of the spas in this neighborhood, I have never seen any spot that oozes as much vivid warmth and energy as this Portuguese barbershop. I’m infatuated with the turquoise chairs, the contrasting red door frame and the bold teal walls captured in this photo. I hope but am doubtful that if touring this town, many of us would stop to admire this colorful cave.
Lethargy resulted not only in a lull on the blog for the past two weeks, but a brief halt on all things on the home front. Laundry piled up, suitcases remained unpacked, thank you notes were much delayed, and decorating projects lagged. After falling asleep early last night, even for me, I woke up this morning, surveyed the seemingly unfamiliar surroundings and state of my home and began rebooting. I sorted stacks of mail and swiffered up a storm.
But even after generally resuming order, the corner of my bedroom is still stacked with forgotten rolls of fabric and samples, meant for projects that were shelved in my mini-recess from the decorating frenzy that consumed the fall. Determined to resume after this recent bout of winter listlissness, I’m starting with the paint project that has been most daunting. With help from Lisa, my design idol and co-owner of Nest, I’m down to a few options for the living room that are derived from the damask wallpaper in my entryway.
Just having returned from Puerto Rico, I’m favoring the warmer gold and tan colors to set off the aqua in my curtains but these greenish blues are a bit more daring, while still offering calm and consistency with the color palette in the room so far.
I’ll be bringing home more paint samples tomorrow and playing around a bit, please chime in with any and all input or inspiration!
With winds and temperatures that are severe and sharp, even for this season, there’s nothing I want more than to seek refuge in the comfort of my bed. Typically an early riser, extricating myself from layers of bedding has proved to be challenging.
The inevitable mid-January cough and cold has me re-considering the bedroom. When I first moved in, I began creating a cozy escape, with maize walls, clean white linens, charcoal ikat and toile anchors and pops of red.
But I’m eyeing the easy elegance that channels Canyon Ranch in these bedrooms below. Though its too soon to replace my wallpaper with grasscloth, it does make an immediate difference in the first room. In both, the tufted headboards, glass lamp and soft palettes add serenity. For those of us who can’t re-skin our rooms, we can transform with tranquil textures: the faux-bois pillow, suede bench, silk cushion or cashmere throw, are all attainable accents to create a space that is a spa-like sanctuary.
With the craze surrounding the kindle this holiday season, and the hype around the tablet, I’m a little sad about the notion of future generations never having quite the same appreciation for dog marked pages, coffee spills and yellowed paper, and the beauty of an ever expanding bookshelf.
The greatest nostalgia is for the start of summers as a school girl, accepting the local library reading challenge and dawdling around the old building on a scavenger hunt for books on the recommended reading list.
This cardstock creation from Anthropologie is meant for saps like me. The cover is a sweet reminder of the inside of library books. And the lined pages, pockets and sporadic images of polaroids and postage stamps inside, invite you to store sentimental scribbles.
