Thursday, September 30, 2010

Washingtonian Style Setter Party: After Pics

Last night's Washingtonian Style Setter party was a blast.

There were so many super-cool people from DC there--and everyone was dressed to kill.

Here are the pieces I scrounged together for the party...I'm not going to lie I was thrilled when someone asked me who my top was :)

NOTE: This was me after a 3-hour event :)

My skirt is hot off the Gap sales rack, my shoes are Nine West booties, and my top is a Sheri Bodell piece I bought forever ago from Nordstroms...you might remember this piece from my Inaugural Ball ensemble :)

Not bad for an outfit I threw together the morning of...The look for less here I come :)

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Washingtonian Style Setter Party

Tonight I have been invited to the Washingtonian Style Setter Party...not by Washingtonian but by a fabulous friend :)

Since I am in no way a Style Setter I am freaking out about what to wear...

In my dreams I would open my closet and this outfit would be hanging there:


But since it's not (I double checked this morning) I have to be a little more realistic.

I'll post pics of the party tomorrow...and reveal my completely average mass-market outfit :)

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Oh Joy! Wallpaper

Everyone knows I go to bed at night dreaming about Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis II wallpaper in charcoal...

But I might have to incorporate graphic designer, turned successful blogger Joy Deangdeelert Cho's new line for Hyggea & West into my dreams too!

I have always loved reading the blog Oh Joy! and seeing Joy's inspirations, designs, etc. She is a true artist and her first line of wallpaper is a testament to her understated creativity...her designs are fresh, refined, and happy.


Most have a textural sheen to them in matte metallics, delicate pearls, and sultry, smoky colors.

I would love to use this wallpaper in my guest room or powder room!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Trade Tool: Olio Board

Happy Monday...on this rainy day :)

Whenever I start creating a space, I always do a mood board first. Sometimes I just send my friend's mood boards I think they would like :) I usually work off of Photoshop & Illustrator, which are both quite expensive.






A couple of month's ago, I found this awesome online tool called OlioBoard that I wanted to share with you!

Olioboard is an interactive tool to experiment with the style, and mix and match items to create the  mood of a space.

You can use your own collection of saved images, or you can look through the OlioBoard library of countless pieces from over 250 brands like West Elm, Crate & Barrel, and Ikea.

This is super user-friendly, and I love searching their images...and it's FREE!!!!

Plus, they have a great community page where you can check out other people's mood boards, see what pieces they are using, comment on them, and follow them. Check out this creator, BMore Guy's mood board:


Whether you are an interior designer, or just an obsessed hobbyist like me, this is really fun to play around with, and hopefully will inspire your next design!

Send me some of your moodboards...I would love to post them!

Ciao.

Friday, September 24, 2010

I Love Colorful Front Doors

Confession time...I have wanted to paint my front door for ages. I even wrote one of my first posts about this. But alas my door is still exactly the same as the day I moved in.

Here are my completely safe / predictable options...

The quintessential red door:


The more modern black door:


My wild card is painting my door a blue.

Possibly a dark inky blue like Evening Sky from Benjamin Moore:




 Or a beautiful light blue-gray:




And I would love beautiful black window panes:



Just for fun, here are some fabulously colored doors I would love to try...if I wasn't married to a traditional Midwestern boy :)



And one door that I walked past in Georgetown last weekend and completely fell in love with...I had to pull my camera out of my bag and start snapping (Ryan ran away with embarrassment) :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Organization 101: Tall Boots

This past weekend I organized 90% of my office. No it doesn't look like these amazing offices...yet!

I am desperate to get this room finished, and use it to unwind and be inspired. While I have most of my desk and bookcases organized (tips: baskets, boxes, and more baskets), I have no idea what to do about my office closet (which is my second clothes closet), particularly that crumpled stack of tall boots piled up on my floor!

Which leads me to my question from yesterday's post: "How does one efficiently organize tall boots?"

I have a thing for keeping my shoes in their original boxes. At my old apartment, I had this amazing family room closet where I had multiple shelves that housed my shoe boxes perfectly. This is one of the things I miss most. Now I have to stack my boxes on my office closet floor, which works okay but of course I always want one of the bottom boxes...and down they fall.

And boot boxes are just too tall to store efficiently. Here is what I found:

Boottique's Boot Hanger is specifically designed to hang boots without leaving marks on even the softest suede. the metal clips are lined with a special plastic/rubber liner that won't damage the boots, deteriorate them, or leave any permanent impressions. In addition, the clips are set one in front of the other and slightly apart so that the boots hang cradling each other, creating double the space for storage...BRILLIANT!!!

You can choose from:
A free standing rack:


A closet rod hanger:


A tension hanger:

Each set of 3 hangers is $20...totally worth it! If you want a less expensive version try these clips for only $0.50 each--just make sure the pads are soft enough:


Or if you want to just stuff your boots and hang them, you can try the Container Store's version:
The container store also offers these great boot boxes for storing during the off season (you can really use any plastic boxes that will fit the size of your boots--check the Dollar Store)
I'm definitely ordering some boot hangers, and a tension rod. I'll post a pic when I'm done!

Here are some additional closet organization tips from Real Simple magazine:
  • Edit your wardrobe. Take a look at your clothes and assess what you wear most, least, or not at all. Donate the clothing you haven’t worn in a year or more, as well as anything that no longer fits. If an item is severely damaged, toss it out.
  • Decide what to store. Let seasonality and frequency of use be your guide in determining what to keep in the closet and what to stow elsewhere.
  • Organize hanging garments by type and color. Blouses, for example, can be sorted first by sleeve length and then by shade. By keeping like with like, options for a given outfit are clear at a glance.
  • Choose the right hanger. Your closet will look neater if you use just one type of hanger—wood, wire, or plastic.
  • Set up zones. A low rod holds tops and skirts; an eye-level pole, dresses; and a high bar, shirts and suits. A high shelf works fine for out-of-season shoes and sweaters.
  • Arrange folded items. Any clothing that will stretch out of shape should be folded over hangers. When organizing the folded clothing you’ll store on shelves, place heavier items at the bottom of the pile, and lighter ones at the top. After folding, arrange garments by function (workout tops together, business tops together, etc.) and color (white to nude to bright colors to black). If your closet doesn’t have shelves, consider using part of your clothing rod for hanging canvas ones.
  • Get a garment bag. A sturdy canvas garment bag protects fine suits, dresses, and jackets better than plastic. (Leather, in particular, is susceptible to drying and even cracking if kept in plastic.)
  • Deal with dry cleaning. Remove clothes from dry-cleaning bags as soon as you get home, and hang your clothes on proper hangers. Return the wire hangers to the dry cleaner for reuse.
  • Manage odds and ends. Store bags, belts, ties, scarves, and other accessories in plain sight on hooks or racks, which can be attached to the inside of your closet door.
  • Contain what doesn’t hang. Use containers—consider a matching set of baskets—to hold accessories and clothing that can’t be hung, such as socks and undergarments. Smaller baskets or boxes can store a single type of accessory, such as scarves or hats.
  • (Check! Fini!) Pick a system for storing shoes. Choose between a shoe rack on the floor, a hanging shoe organizer, see-through plastic boxes, or original shoe boxes with photographs stapled to them to identify the boxes’ contents. Stow shoes you don’t wear frequently in labeled plastic boxes on a high shelf, in another closet, or under your bed.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Design Envy: Large Closets

If you are like me, you are starting to remove your spring/summer clothes from your closet, and unpack your fall/winter items. This is one of my all-time favorite ways to stay organized. Plus Ryan always laughs at how excited I get when I discover pieces I totally forgot about. It's the cheapest way to shop!

I do this to #1: Stay Organized but #2: I just don't have enough space! Ryan and I both love clothes, and have collected many items over the years. Because we don't buy anything super trendy, we tend to keep pieces for a while...which leads to us being completely overtaken by clothes!

We both currently operate out of 2 closets each! this does not include our 2 coat closets, the packed away clothes in the attic, or the 2 rolling racks we have in the basement.

Lately, I have been dreaming about one day extending onto our house and having a true master bedroom with a walk-in closet, and space for my shoes...seriously does anyone know how to store boots efficiently????

In honor of this far-off dream, I wanted to show you some designer closets Elle Decor is featuring this month...A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Jimmy Choo founder, Tamara Mellon:
Photographer: Simon Upton
Interior Designer Nate Berkus:
Photographer: Pieter Estersohn
Fashion Designer Nanette Lepore:
Photographer: William Waldron
(Love the Chinese Art Deco rug from ABC Carpet & Home.)

Fashion Designer Anna Sui:
Photographer: Eric Boman
Creative Director for JCrew (and one of my fav. style crushes!!!) Jenna Lyons:
Photographer: Rebecca Greenfield
See she doesn't know how to store boots well either :) Okay...tomorrow I am totally doing a post on how to organize winter boots!

Jeweler Loree Rodkin:

Photographer: Firooz Zahedi

Estée Lauder Creative Director Aerin Lauder:

Photographer: Simon Upton
 (In case you are obsessed with the wallpaper like me, it's from Gracie wall coverings)

One day I'm sure I will get a larger closet...until then I will just have to stay organized and get more creative...and maybe stop buying clothes :)

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Shop Profile: Z Gallerie

Sorry for the lack of post yesterday...I spent the weekend celebrating my 2-year anniversary, and yesterday was a crazy day :)

In honor of Z Gallerie moving out of Tyson's...so Arhaus could move in...and then literally moving back in, just one door down...

I thought I would profile Z Gallerie!

(according to their website) Founded in 1979, Z Gallerie began as a small poster shop in Sherman Oaks, California. The brothers and sister operated the store during the day and framed posters at night in their parents' garage in Van Nuys.

Z Gallerie is great for inexpensive, fun, slightly modern accessories for the home. You can always find something unique. I love the range of everything from white lacquered animals and Parisian mirrors, to vintage prints and iron bird houses. When you are decorating it's hard to realize that what you need in that "I have no idea what should go there" spot is a white lacquered Ram's head. Plus if you ever decided that was what you had to have...you would never ever find it! But when you are browsing, it just seems right...and you are so glad the buyer for a mass chain store like this could read your future mind!

Here are some of my favs:

Sofa:
Prints:
Towels:
I'm seeing a huge "bird" trend...and I'm liking it :)

Accessories:

Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming to see a bunch of random pieces, and wonder how it's going to all look together. But here's a great example of what a couple random accessories:




Can look amazing all together:


Don't fret, if you do not live near a Z Gallerie, you can purchase these great pieces on their website!