Inspired!



By the fashion house Marchesa and their intricately designed evening wear.  Designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig were ultimately influenced by fashion muse Marchesa Casati. {1881-1957}. Marchesa Casati desired to be a "living work of art." The vintage inspired and highly detailed creations are elegant but edgy; pictured are designs from their Fall, Resort and Spring Collections. I especially adore their gorgeous handbags. As most of you know, I've slowly been designing and sharing my home with you. I love to use my house as a design laboratory of sorts. I'm currently focusing on completing my dining room and after seeing this crystal purse pictured above I am now completely convinced I need to add a bit more drama to the room with a crystal chandelier.. It may be modern or vintage, I'm not sure, what I do know is it needs to glamorous! I love to entertain, so i want to create a space that feels special but relaxed. It is going to be a mix of casual and refined elements. I can't wait to finish and share it...



Some crystal beauties...

I would even be open to a vintage murano look...not sure my wallet is ready for that though. We'll see what I find! I love the thrill of the hunt. I know most of you do too

images: Decor Pad, Coastal Living

On my radar..

Sculptural dining chairs..like this one above from Pieces Inc. { would also make a sweet dressing table chair}

image credit: Lonny Magazine, photography: Patrick Cline, designer: Laura Day, image 2: Elle Decor, photography: William Waldron, Image 3: Decor Pad.

Seriously, break out the china

{I have long loved this image and Kelly Wearstler's china patterns for Pickard (below) - am very into these colors right now!}

My husband and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary last night {not sure where the time goes}, we relaxed at home over dinner, wine and dessert with our three year old son. {Emerson our 7 month old daughter was sleeping - this is a rare occasion really}. After reading Amy Dragoo's quote via La Dolce Vita yesterday, I decided I had to break out our china! Here's Amy's motto: Life is too short, eat off the good china! I couldn't agree more Amy. It's the simple details, that make the difference! So tonight, I encourage you to "eat off the good china". It was really nice, I think I'll do it more often...

This image sealed the deal..

I'm sure you've seen this recent image from Elle Decor or via blog-land..I LOVE this dining room and have been contemplating what I want to do for dining chairs in my home. Louis XVI style dining chairs have been all the rage for a few years now, but I'm still drawn to their classic lines and clean style, they virtually work with almost any "look"..this photo pretty much sealed the deal for me last week. {all of these photos did actually} Ballard Design has a similar style available in a white finish, for a great price. I'm going to cover them in a parrot green linen {see color below}! Another decision off my list - check.

How can you forget this fabulous shoot of Katie Lee Joel's house in Domino? Love the look and the chairs of course.

top image: 1st dibs (a bit out of my snack bracket) bttm: Ballard Design

My color inspiration..

Images: Elle Decor April 2010, House Beautiful, Domino, House Beautiful

Let the sunshine in..

love the windows, airiness and play of light in all of these spaces..if you live down south I'm sure you've had a chance to throw open the windows..for now, I'm counting the days!

images: via desire to inspire, Elle Decor, Tria Giovan, via just beachy, country living, jeffrey bilhuber, ?, jay jeffers