My closet relationship

What is it with me and closets? My 1st year in NYC I sublet an apartment with 3 girls and my bedroom was actually the walk-in closet of the master bedroom; outfitted with built-in shelves, racks, etc straight from California Closets. 

Last night I slept in the closet of my hotel room in the Hamptons with pillows all around me to protect me from a tornado and severe thunderstorms while sirens and 

lighting continued through the night.

Tonight I was so thankful to be sleeping in my own bed in my little west village bedroom, which happens to be smaller than every single closet, and even the two laundry rooms of my client's house in the Hamptons....

Then on top of everything I just got an email from my landlord that she sold my apartment while I've been away, so it looks like I am now in the market for a new closet to live in...

I can only imagine the responses I would get from this Craigslist listing...

"Straight White Female Interior Designer looking for a closet to live in, 

preferably West Village above Christopher Street. 

Near an Equinox or Barry's Bootcamp is a plus. 

Must be allowed to furnish with designer pieces"

Here are a few closets that I wouldn't mind living in...

Keri Russell's closet via Elle Decor

a masculine rocker closet by Steven Gambrel

A whimsical wallpapered closet by Thom Filicia

A white & traditional closet with shirred fabric lined doors and brass hardware

A lacquered cornflower blue closet via Elle Decor

A chic white and emerald green closet with brass hardware

A grey closet with large scale lanterns and etched glass by LA Closet Design

A Hollywood Regency panelled closet by Kelly Wearstler

Make me blush...

I loathe being in pictures by myself, but when I was home in Nashville for a wedding my stepmother made me take a solo shot in my blush pink Trina Turk dress. As awkward as I look in the photo, I have decided that the blush color pink works nicely with my skin tone. 

Now that I am in the market for a new apartment, I am thinking that my next bedroom will incorporate some version of a warm blush pink, coral, or peach skin tone hue.

via Blueprint Magazine

Amanda Nisbet via House Beautiful

Fernandez & True Interiors via Lonny Magazine

Lisa Sherry via Lonny Magazine

Jarath Mellett via Lonny Magazine

Hillary Thomas via Lonny Magazine

Eddie Lee via Lonny Magazine

Maxwell MacDonald & Andrew Corrie via House Beautiful

Want more?

Follow my "Make Me Blush" Pinterest board...

(by clicking here or on the photo)

Just Breathe

An important person in my life made a small request that I give this blog more attention, so I am going to make an honest effort to shower this blog with more of my time and energy....

Ironically this request fell on a very tough day for me, but life is not all about beautiful things and fairytales. No, with every good day there are several bad days to go with it.

Sometimes life can hit you right in the stomach and knock the wind out of you. My best friend Margaret gave me some simple but very wise advice that is my mantra for the day...."just breath"

So I turning to the climax of a few movies for inspiration, I discovered there are many different kinds of breaths. 

"The Anxious Breath"...

Cinderella Story

"The Passionate Breath"

The Notebook

"The Thrilling Breath"

 The Seven Year Itch

"The Forgiving Breath"

 Unfaithful

Whatever type of breath you take today, don't forget to exhale...

"The Erotic Exhale"

When Harry Met Sally

My conclusion....maybe movies are NOT the best source for direction when it comes to staying calm and collected. How about we take another shot...

Here are a few different approaches to finding that "ahhhh" moment in your home...

light walls + light floors + light furniture

 soft materials + dark walls + white floors 

 varying heights + white walls + dark floors + neutral accents

 warm colors + mixing textures + unexpected forms

flattering pink undertones + soft textiles + dramatic metal accents

dark textiles + intricate details + monochromatic color scheme

architectural detail + natural color scheme + dark and light contrast

A little zen for you all in this chaotic world!

all images of the homes above are from Elle Decor. 

Metallics of Olympic Proportions

In honor of the summer Olympics and all the American athletes that represented our country with such skill and determination, I thought I would show you some of my favorite metal winners in the interior design division....via all the gorgeous metallic linens on the market right now.

Adding metallics to your home will can add drama to a room, but what I love about metallic linens in particular is that they have a subtle sheen versus an in your face glitzy effect.

Here are a few of my favorites..

Gold...

Lulu DK "Tango", in beige

Designer's Guild, "Peaweed"

Isaac Mizrahi, "Waterwave" in shale

Isaac Mizrahi, "Silverleaf" in argent

Isaac Mizrahi, "Goldflow" 

Silver...

Elitis, "Double Jeu" in silver

Isaac Mizrahi, "Storm" in glacier

Jim Thompson, "Magnolia" silver on a natural linen groundcloth 

Bronze...

Kelly Wearstler for Groundworks, "Patina Linen", in gold

Isaac Mizrahi, "Etched Linen" in brunette

Lulu DK "Tango", in taupe

Holland & Sherry, "Pampas"