Happy Halloween

Bold Geometrics and Pretty Florals

Photo from Caitlin Wilson Textiles

I've been a fan of Caitlin Wilson's smart eye for interior design, and now she's created a beautiful of line of fabrics and pillows inspired by her international travels. My favorite is the coral tall chevron fabric. Now, which fabric to chose...

Photo from Caitlin Wilson Textiles

Spooky Silhouettes

Although I'm always up for projects, I like to keep Halloween decorations simple {I'm more excited about Christmas}. So, I made silhouettes cut from black paper and anatomical artwork. For the skulls, I combined grainy black and white anatomical images with text. The hanging bats were stenciled using a cookie cutter. And the caged crow and witch silhouettes were inspired by these cupcakes. Add a few black crows, black glitter pumpkins, and silver skulls, and Halloween is sleek without being kitschy.

Follow The Lines

After seeing this stenciled rug project on Ikea Hackers, I've been working on my own. In the meantime, I'm hypnotized by the geometric stencils from Cutting Edge Stencils.

Vanity Fair

A guest bath is a good place to venture out from your style comfort zone. It's a small, enclosed room that can be bold without halting the design flow in the rest of a living space. I chose a color palette of charcoal gray, muted yellow, and glossy white. Although not overwhelming, the modern minimalist accents are a change from the vintage-inspired pieces I typically use. However, I sneaked in some vintage flair with framed French and Italian postcards.

~Vintage postcards: eBay

~Ribba frames: Ikea

~Cubed face: Z Gallerie

~Geometric vase: Momax

~Mirror: Momax

~Candlesticks: Martha Stewart for Macy's {spray painted white}

~Silk curtains: hand-sewn

~Geometric hand towel: Waverly Lattice

~Trash bin: Ikea planter {spray painted with gray lines}

Mistinguett

I love the vintage French charm of these Mistinguett giclee prints by Charles Gesmar {she was a French cabaret dancer and singer at the Casino de Paris and Moulin Rouge in the early 1900s). The hypnotic orange stripes on the dress contrast effortlessly with the exaggerated sea blue hat feather. It hangs dreamily in my hallway. I'm searching for the perfect lucite console table to pair it with for some modernity.

If you're looking for something more glam, this blush-toned print showcasing a scalloped ballgown should do the trick.

Sunburst

I've spotted sunburst mirrors all over design blogs, so I had some great inspiration to incorporate an inexpensive option in my home. This Target sunburst mirror’s bronze finish fits perfect with our antique treasures. To add a bit of modernity but also tie in with mementos from our travels, I sewed pillows using Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon and Kravet Riad fabric.

Bookcase Styling

I love the geometric lines of this Ballard Designs Bourdonnais bookcase, but I can’t find anything similar in Germany. Since I'm always up for a good project, I used an inexpensive Ikea Billy bookcase and Ikea Observator metal cross braces. I spray painted the braces black and used three for each bookcase. Add all of your favorite books and throw in some miniature busts, hat boxes, and crystal candlesticks. Simple. In keeping with the black and white color palette, the office also includes a clothes rack with some of my favorite pieces and my vintage American Tourister luggage.

Part 2 of this project will be adding moulding-embellished top panels.

Black and White Stripes

Continuing with the black and white motif in my office, next up is custom drapes. I love this black and white stripe drape project, but I wanted to use silk dupioni. So I bought 3 yards of black silk dupioni, 2 yards of white silk dupioni, and 5 yards of drapery lining. I cut out 8 ½” strips, keeping the fabric 54” wide. I sewed the strips together {5 black and 4 white} with a ¼” seam, always measuring to make sure they were even. Then, I sewed the lining to the sides, keeping the panels finished but free at the bottom. Black drapery hooks finished the project.

Two Silhouettes on the Shade

I’ve had some projects in the hopper for a while, so I’m excited to share the results. I love the idea of silhouettes, and to personalize them, I used profile photographs. After printing out the photo to size, I cut out the profile, traced it onto canvas, and then painted freehand using craft paint. They are now hung in my black and white-themed office {more on that tomorrow}. To complete my collage, I added some black and white photos from my wedding in Paris, vintage Vogue illustrations, and Napoleonic artwork.

Live Here

Now that we’ve moved to a new home, I’ve been dreaming up new design schemes. I love the clean lines of modern furniture and mixing them with antique-inspired pieces.

~Alice Lane: Fallon Rug

~Ballard Designs: Whitley Desk

~Jayson Home & Garden: Lauralee Sofa

~Jonathan Adler: Nelson Minor Lamp

~Oly: Ingrid Bed

~Plexi-Craft: King George Vanity

~Z Gallerie: Montecito Dining Table

Filagree

Whether it is filigree detailing on an iron gate or gilded finishes on pillars, I love the lavish appeal of old world architecture. While in Prague this past weekend, I found myself drawn to the elaborate doors gracing the palaces, embassies, and homes in the Malá Strana district.

Work Space

A workspace should be functional and pretty. This lacquered desk from Target and chair from Ikea get the job done with clean lines {plus simplicity lends itself to great inexpensive options}. I chose a color palette of black, white, silvery blue, and muted yellow. Then, I like to add details that evoke lovely memories. My husband gave me a vintage girl’s porcelain tea set from the 1900s last Christmas. I picked up the vintage clock at the Strasbourg flea market. And my husband’s parents gave me this print at our wedding because it reminded them of me on our first windy trip to Paris.

Desk: Target

Chair: Ikea

Cut glass lamp from the 1950s: vintage

Lamp shade: Ikea

Maudit Vent print: Paris street vendor

Candle: Cire Trudon

Josephine bust: Waterloo gift shop

Girl’s porcelain tea set: vintage

Desk calendar: Cavallini & Co.

Clock: vintage

Jewelry tray: Anthropologie

Pocket watch solid perfume: Modern Alchemy

Pencil holder: Anthropologie

Pencils: Staples

Folders: Staples

Lace handkerchief: vintage

Silk dupioni curtains: Pottery Barn

Bedside Manner

Nightstands offer a small niche to mix pretty things I collect while traveling with affordable décor. The French Legionnaires print from the Saint-Ouen Flea Market or candle from Cire Trudon always evoke lovely memories. Plus, my I’m a sucker for anything with a cameo.

Books: Vintage and The Little Bookroom

Candle: Cire Trudon

Carafe & Tumbler: Butler’s

Lamp: Target

Legionnaires Print: Vintage {from the Saint-Ouen Flea Market in Paris}

Milk Glass Tray: Vintage

Vase: Ikea

Fashion Prints

Photos from JKL Designs

I just discovered Colorado-based artist Leigh Viner of JKL Designs on Etsy. Her fashion illustrations beautifully balance the dichotomy between edgy and ethereal. Her blog also gives a peek into her style and inspiration. Better yet, you can buy both prints and original artwork in her shop.

Roman Traces in Germany

Roman Black Gate in Trier

When the history of cities date back over 2,000 years, it’s pretty extraordinary to still see ruins intermingling with modern life. In Trier, the Porta Nigra {Black Gate}, built in 186 AD, gets its name from the darkened stone. Interestingly, the gate guarding the opposite entrance to the city was named Porta Alba {White Gate}, sort of like an ancient take on good and evil. In Mainz, the support pillars of a Roman aqueduct that was built in 69 AD project from an open field. And in Cologne, a Roman archway that was built in 50 AD stands near the grand cathedral.

Roman Aqueduct in Mainz, photo from Wikimedia Commons

Roman Archway in Cologne

Thanksgiving Menu with an Italian Twist

The pumpkin custard profiteroles inspired an Italian-themed Thanksgiving menu this year. For a spin on the classic flavors of Thanksgiving, dinner will include pillows of pumpkin gnocchi and savory apple and sausage stuffing. I can’t wait.

Appetizers

Antipasti Platter {mozzarella, pecorino dolce, marinated eggplant, roasted red peppers, Cerignola green olives, prosciutto}

Pumpkin Risotto Fritters

First Course

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter

Main Course

Roast Turkey with Sage

Sides

Apple and Sausage Stuffing

Herbed Mashed Potatoes with White Wine Gravy

Green Beans with Cranberries, Pancetta, and Pine Nuts {sautéed in olive oil}

Dessert

Pumpkin Custard Profiteroles with Caramel

Drink

Spicy Pinot Grigio

Fusion

Cologne Cathedral

German cities are both picture books of history and modern urban cores. Depending on the location, you can find ancient structures right next to contemporary buildings. The gothic Cologne Cathedral was commenced in 1248. Today, it abuts the Römisch-Germanisches Museum, opened in 1974, and the Museum Ludwig, reopened in 2001. A few blocks away, the ruins of St. Alban’s Church adjoin the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, housed in a neo-cubist structure built in 2001. The interplay is remarkable.

Cologne Cathedral and Museum Ludwig, photo from de.wp, User: Thomas Robbin {{GFDL}}

Cologne Cathedral and Römisch-Germanisches Museum, photo © Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-3.0 & GFDL

Wallraf-Richartz Museum and St. Alban’s Church ruins, photo from City of Cologne: ddp