Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Design OBSESH.... Fall Decor.



It's official. It's gotten cool in the mornings and evenings here in Texas which means one thing. Fall is here. I love fall and really always have. It means that when you walk outside in the morning that breath of cool air hits you and then it warms up as the day goes on. Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail says it best, " Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies..."

Well, in my case, Fall makes me want to redecorate. I probably got this from my mom. When fall hits she puts on the "winter slipcovers" in the living room, a beautiful rich chocolate velvet (in favour of the summery white denim) and switches out the pillows. If I had all the money in the world, I'd have a new living room look for each season. Of course my current budget begs that I basically switch out the pillows and accessories.

A few elements for the perfect fall living room....

Love the Belgian Roll Arm Sofa from Restoration Hardware. A neutral linen like this will take you through all seasons. Plus, it looks PERFECT with fall accents!

iimage via cococozy.com

An element of dark neutral colors.... Love this chocolate velvet ottoman. I think mom would agree.

Woody Liana on Etsy.com

Gorgeous pillows with fall inspired colors and elements from the outdoors.

I love this birdcage from Z Gallerie. You could put ceramic birds in it like this picture or fill it with Fall foliage. This is great accessory for a console or the middle of your dining table.

A warm rug like these from Restoration Hardware can replace your seagrass rug for fall and add warmth to your room.


I love this mirror, also from Restoration Hardware. At Christmastime you can hang a pretty wreath over it for a great layering look!


To get really comfy during those cool fall nights.... Add an Hermes Avalon throw in a mocha color to the sofa.

Some Fall inspired rooms I adore....

image via decOrs.com





Happy Fall Everyone!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Who's the Prettiest Girl in the WORLD?


image via Pet Sugar

Does anyone else remember the episode of SATC when Charlotte got Elizabeth Taylor, her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? I DO! I was then, and still am obsessed with these dogs and remember thinking how darling it was for Charlotte's character to name her beautiful new canine after one of the biggest starlets from the 1950's & 60's. I always knew Ms. Taylor was an inspiration, but after what I found the other day, I'm even more sold.

So here's the story: As we know I'm OBSESSED with Palm Springs and even more obsessed with Palm Springs weddings. I was perusing Palm Springs weddings on Style Me Pretty and found a wedding that had been held in Elizabeth Taylor's Former Estate. OH MY GOD. The house is gorgeous. But I'll say no more and let you see for yourself.



The chandeliers are a little overkill for me... I would do something a little more understated.
I love the wooden beams and pitched ceiling.

Dining Room. Gorgeous!

Patio of one of the Casitas

Reflecting Pool

Pool, complete with gazebo, palm trees and mountain views.

It has a dressing room!

This bathroom is SWOON worthy.
I designed my dream bathroom at age 8, and I swear to you it had a central bathtub, his/hers sinks, a fireplace, and an upholstered chaise.
Don't make me show you the napkin.


The kitchen is the only part of the house that I'm not crazy about. If it were my kitchen, I would renovate it to look like this.....


Urban Grace Interiors via DecorPad

And now for the aformentioned wedding.......

Drumroll Please.

The bride in Ms. Taylor's former bathroom....


She got dressed in Liz Taylor's former dressing room.
I'm chartreuse with envy!
They brought a vintage typewriter so that guests could wish them well with typed notes!
What a phenomenal ceremony venue. At sunset no less!

Unfortunately the house is now sold. So I guess I won't be having my wedding there, unless I can sneak in while the owners are out of town and hold a wedding .... Bad idea?

Images via Style Me Pretty

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

What I Want.....




I have a perpetual case of the " I wants.." They range to all things. A trip to Palm Springs, An apartment in New York, Sushi on a daily basis, a closet full of Louboutins, and most recently, a new purse. Brian is always teasing me, " Welcome to Mackenzie's World of her Many Purses..." but whatever, what does he know anyway. I haven't gotten a new purse in about a year, mainly because I haven't found anything that I'm that attached to. I was browsing this weekend and saw quite a few things that I like....


Tory Burch
Love the green color!


Valentino
This is so 1960's Fabulous, I want to cry.

I'm in love with this Michael Kors. Fabulous color, great shape, awesome hardware. This could be a winner!

Halston Heritage
Doesn't count as a new purse, but I would love it for evening.

Chloe
So So Chic.

Fendi.... A little pricey, but a girl can dream
(Did I mention that I LOOOOVEEE YOU BRIAN?!)

images via Nordstrom

Jcrew
Image via J.Crew


Gucci.
Love it. Doesn't it look vintage? Like your grandmother had it in the 60's!

Prada

Prada



Tory, Loves it.

Image via Tory Burch

The Neverfull
image via Louis Vuitton

Chanel
I WANT IT!!!

And on another note, Congrats to my sweet friend, Miss Elizabeth Stinson who launched the website for her fashion line, Elizabeth Olliver yesterday.


Don't you LOVE the dress that she named after me?

Design Obsesh on Miss Liz to come later.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Design Reverie.... My First Loves.

image via depauw.edu

Every decorista remembers the first time they knew they were in love with home design. For me, it was at age 13, when my mom let me redecorate my foofy pink room however "I wanted!" I chose lavender walls and pastel green and blue bedding from the then totally new Anthropologie. I don't even think we had a store in Houston at the time. My bedroom was accented by green/blue tulle made into wispy "curtains" on my traditional four poster bed. I also picked out an antique desk in Austin. For Wall art, I chose tons of framed black & white photos of Marilyn Monroe. The whole thing is a little nauseating in retrospect, but at the time I thought I was the hippest 13 year old decorista on the block.



image via shopwillowbend.com

I smartened up my taste a little in late high school when my mom got me a pretty sage green comforter by Rachel Ashwell and we painted the walls a cream/taupe stripe. I stayed in my "everything has to be white, shabby-chic" phase all through college and didn't emerge from that chrysalis until I graduated, when I fell more in love with the "industrial chic meets Hollywood Regency meets Understated French" thing.
This is more my speed nowadays....
image via Vintage Living



As I've honed my tastes a little better through the years, and added in influences from Domino (tear!), Home Decor Stores, Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Country Living, and my FAVES British House & Garden and British Country Living, I think I've ended up with a much more
well-rounded style.





About two years ago I discovered home decor blogs. I was more than a little tardy to the party on that one, but I honestly had no idea what blogs were before that. I'm obviously living in the dark ages, because I still can't wrap my head around "pod-cast". Anyone who wants to explain to me what it is, please feel free.


image via La Dolce Vita


Last year, I was searching for photos of Olivia Palermo's Fabulous NYC apartment, and I discovered Paloma Contreras' Blog, La Dolce Vita. I immediately fell in love with it, mostly because of her incredible taste and eye for design and style, but also because she's a fellow native Houstonian! Before Paloma, I was a little intimidated by most of the female bloggers out there, since they all are designers in L.A. and NYC and seem to be impossibly chic and some are kind of unrelatable.


Miss Paloma

image via La Dolce Vita


I discover new home decor blogs everyday, but Paloma's is my first blog love, and she never ceases to entertain me with her fabulous finds! She has awesome series like " 10 things I can't live without" where she interviews bloggers and designers alike about their fave things and
"Fabulous Room Friday!" which is one of my personal favorites. It's one of the "10 things I can't live without!" ( No pun intended.)




A recent fab room Friday on LDV.


Please note the Black and White Marilyn Picture.

Perhaps I wasn't so off base after all.

This morning on my way to work, I was talking to my friend Jill and she told me that Paloma came into the store she works in yesterday. I could NOT contain my excitement. She might as well have told me that Julia Roberts or Jennifer Aniston walked in. I hope to meet Paloma one day and perhaps share design secrets! I just hope I would be able to contain my star-struck behavior. It could get embarrasing.


Besides providing loads of design eye and mind candy, Paloma has introduced me to a lot of home decor blogs that I now read. Yesterday she did a post on Kyle, who writes Knight Moves.


I have been looking for a surrogate local blogger since I left Houston for Dallas/Fort Worth, and Miss Kyle definitely fits the bill. I spent all yesterday evening perusing her blog. She mostly talks about the adventures of redecorating her FABULOUS Dallas home. What I like most about Kyle's blog is that she scouts out deals in the most umimaginable places. Like HSN, where she has found Awesome Nate Berkus Stuff....





Or Walmart where she found this trellis bedding that she used for the bed and another set that was used for curtains in her third guest room. So fun!


Since I'm such an advocate of imaginitive bargain shopping at places like TJ Maxx and Salvation Army, I love that Kyle is too!


Whatever their posting about, these Lady Bloggers are an inspiration.



Where do you find design and style inspiration?