Napa Valley

I apologize for the missed week of blogging!  I have been traveling, but have been seeking inspiration while doing so - and where better to get inspired than in Yountville, in beautiful Napa Valley, while sipping and tasting wine!

Bill, my husband, and I went to Napa Valley for a wedding celebration and made it in to a much-needed romantic weekend.  But while I promised myself, and him, that I would not even think about work, it's hard to not be inspired by such beautiful surroundings!

We spent an amazing afternoon doing some wine tasting at a place called Ma(i)sonry, which considers itself a "life aesthetic" and "living gallery".  You taste their rotating collection of wines while sitting amidst antiques, beautiful sculptures, and contemporary art and furniture.  For instance, we sat in a pair of 1970s Parisian leather and chrome lounge chairs while sipping our glasses and munching on cheese and nuts.  You can see a lot of what they were displaying here on 1st Dibs.  Their mission is completely in line with how I view interior design - as a living, functional work of art.

To give you a sense of how they set their space up, below are some pictures.  Apologies for the poor quality, they were taken on my Blackberry, as I had to return my newly-purchased camera.

Outdoor Tasting Table (by Hudson Furniture)

Gallery/Tasting Room

Indoor Tasting Room

Indoor Greenery

I often recommend bring greenery indoors to my friends and clients, but am unable to do the same in my own household  As an animal lover, I have two amazingly loving but mischievous kitties.  Bella and Sebastian would happily chomp away at anything green and living (and some things not-living, too!  Bella has a penchant for flip flops...)

My solution - terrariums!  The plants are safe but my home gets the added warmth of bringing some nature indoors.  Terrariums all over the place this season.  And the nice thing is you can get as creative as you want with a theme. plant mixtures, or miniature items or as simple as you want with a fern, an orchid, or air plant.  A few of my favorites are shown here.

Paula Hayes

Roost Copenahagen Terrariums

Terradctl

Blithe Gardens

littl

New Old Style

I came across this article from New York Magazine at the recommendation of my design friend Jessica (look for a feature on her beautiful Brooklyn apartment to come!).  Love the idea of making the old new again...

Some favorite images from the article for your enjoyment and inspiration.

 

Modern Makeovers: Kitchen & Bath

Now obviously these two projects have spectacular natural settings, but they are fabulous on their own as well!  Plus they show you can be one with your natural surroundings in a non-rustic, fabulously modern way!

I love the combination of tile & teak (plus who doesn't want to live somewhere that your bathroom can open directly to the outdoors?!).

William Duff Architects/Matthew Millman Photography

This Pacific Northwest cabin defies typical "rustic cabin" style with monolithic uses of marble.  And check out the view from the closet!!

Heliotrope Architects/Benjamin Benscheider Photography

Blossoming Branches

As the season transitions I can't help but want to bring every bit of spring indoors!  Blossoming branches are a great way to do it; they bring a breath of fresh air to any room in your home.  They last a bit longer than flowers - even after the blossoms are gone the branches continue to make beautiful sculptural arrangements.  An added perk - my cats seem to leave the branches, and their blossoms, alone (for the most part!) instead of the way the eat all other living plants and flowers!

*I began saving inspirational images way before blogging was a sparkle in my eye - therefore I was bad at keeping my sources.  My apologies for not being able to identify where each image came from (besides one being from Martah Stewart, and one being Jenna Lyon's home).  I promise to be better from here on out!

Preppy Paper

Love this wallcovering collection from Turner Pocock Cazalet!  From afar they look like traditional prints, and yet up close are cheeky renditions of cricket bats & balls, polar bears, and tennis rackets!  Plus the photography is fabulous.

Looking Up

Looking up at the ceiling, that is!  Why forget about the "fifth wall"?  It's a chance to really change a space but a lot less surface area to paint or wallpaper!  A few favorite painted ceiling inspiration pictures...