Summer Tabletops To Love

Image via Martha Moments. 

After Wednesday's post, I decided to stick with the entertaining theme and kick-off the weekend with some fabulous summer tablescapes. Whether its hardy succulents or precious peonies (I think we still have one more week of their season!), tulips or simplistic baby's breath, flowers are in abundance this time of year. Rustic, formal, casual or traditional - I can't decide on just one theme so I'll just have to have enough dinner parties this summer to experiment with them all. Have a great weekend everyone - I'm off to a short staycation here. Get outside and enjoy the sun!!! 

Image via Tory Burch Blog. 

Image via Jose Villa Photography. 

Image via Kinfolk Mag

Image via Could I Have That. 

Image via Magnolia Rouge. 

Image via World Of Aerin. 

Image source unknown.

Image via Martha Stewart Weddings. 

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Image here. 

Summer Essentials From Ikea

This weekend I popped over to Ikea with a very specific shopping list.  Well, it had been at least a year since I'd wandered those aisles, trying to find everything that I didn't need. This visit, I kept myself in check for the most part, but I did pick up a few great things I'll be using for summer entertaining. Here are some of my favorite things currently in store:

Clockwise from top left: Lattad placemat, $4.99; Glansig tealight holder, $1.99; Elly dish towls (Set of 4), $3.99; Fabulos Glass, $2.99; Oleby Wine Bucket, $9.99; Glanta Tablecloth, $19.99; Korken Carafe, $3.99; Kastanjenot Serving Basket, $9.99. All items available in-store. 

Project: Malibu Bedroom

Recently, I was contacted by U.K. furniture maker Next to design a Malibu-inspired bedroom featuring one of their fabulous wardrobes. I immediately zero'ed in on the Cuba Oak wardrobe, which has varigated wood and simple, clean lines. I designed the master bedroom with an intention to utilize some natural elements and colors found at the beach (i.e. wood, mother of pearl, and stone), but to have a defined air of chic sophistication.  The Next Wardrobe and Floor Lamp are a nod to the driftwood my daughter loves to collect. The rug reminds me of the patterns in the sand at low tide and the wall color is a soothing blue-green, one of many colors in the ocean. A classic bed and side chair give some structure to the room and the side table adds a little touch of glamourous gold. The beaded light fixture injects some bohemia to the space and I love the unusual shape of the mother of pearl mirror. I can picture this room with a large glass wall and deck, opening out to the Pacific Ocean and views of our beautiful California coast. A girl can dream!!

Sources clockwise from left to right: Fiona Chandelier, $2,235, claytonhome.com; Ikat pillow, $36, oliveandgarden shop on etsy.com; Bethany Mirror, $1,646, zincdoor.com; Portofino Linen Stud Bedstead, $775, next.co.uk; Dehesa Floor Lamp, $74, next.co.uk; Benjamin Moore Palladium Blue Paint, benjaminmoore.com; Bianca Pearl Porcelain Lamp, $396, blisshomeanddesign.com; Ikat Stone Chenille 8x10 Woven Rug, $438, dashandalbert.com; Safavieh Maureen Gold Side Table, $185, overstock.com; Louise Chair, $1,800,serenaandlily.com; Cuba Oak Double Wardrobe, $464, next.co.uk. 

Project: Bohemian Chic Nursery

As some of you know, I recently launched my interior design studio, JHC Interiors. At the beginning of the year, one of my first projects was to design a nursery for a dear friend who was having a baby girl. She told me she wanted it to be chic, but a little bohemian and not too grown up.  Here is one of several boards I did for her.

Clockwise from top left: Alphabet Animals Print, shopchristinasong.com; Rattan Elephant Hamper, amazon.com; White leather pouf, inspiredbaazzar.com, Butterfly vintage prints, Marcade Vintage Prints on etsy.com; Souk wool rug, westelm.com, Brownstone Mercer Dresser, laylagrace.com; Purple Fabric for the crib sheet, The Pink Home on spoonflower.com;  Bedside Ring Table Lamp by Sandy Chapman, circalighting.com; White Damascus Inlay Mirror, serenaandlily.com; Oeuf Classic Crib, oeuf.com.

I'd been dying to use the Alphabet Animal Print somewhere - the colors are vibrant and the illustrations beautiful. The Souk rug is so versatile it can move into any room in the house, but is plush enough for a baby to roll and play on (and is currently on sale at West Elm!) The bone mirror looks like it could have been picked up on a trip to Damascus and the gold lamp adds a dose of chic to the room. I rounded it out with the elephant hamper, a classic crib, and a few vintage butterfly prints.

Hope everyone is having a great week. We are off to a mini-vacay in Palm Springs this weekend so I'm signing off until next week. Ciao! 

WARM WEATHER ENTERTAINING: SERENA AND LILY

Photography by Jose Villa.


You may already be familiar with Serena and Lily's swoon-worthy nursery collections (I seriously would visit their website at least a few times a week the entire time I was pregnant), and there's no question they make some of the best bedding and graphic prints on the market. Recently, they've expanded their line to include some fantastic decor and tabletop pieces, all of which have the same bold prints and vibrant colors ever present in the rest of their collections. Here are a few things on my wish list to spruce up the house and get ready for warm-weather entertaining. 

Gobi Towels, $18 - $34, serenaandlily.com.

As the weather heats up, impromptu dinners with friends and family become a regular part of our week, so chic towels are a must for the guest bathroom. 

Montauk Birch Tray, $38, serenaandlily.com.

I love serving drinks and appetizers on trays when we have company and the bright, bold pattern of the Montauk Birch Tray has spring and summer written all over it. 

Set of 4 Corsica Napkins, $38, serenaandlily.com. 

I'm always looking for great sets of napkins to go with our everyday white dishware. I love the Indian-inspired print and the vibrant yellow on this Corsica set. 

Halden Table Runner, $38, serenaandlily.com. 

My tablecloths are always wrinkled when I pull them from the linen closet and I rarely have time to iron them, so runners are my go-to accessory for dinner parties. This runner is modern and graphic, but still has a subtle bohemian vibe and it's neutral color-pallet makes it a versatile must have. 

Fresco Beverage Bowl, $88, serenaandlily.com. 

For backyard soirees, I always put cold drinks in a container so that guests can serve themselves and I can enjoy the party. This bowl would pay for itself in price-per-use after a single summer. 

Fouta Beach Towel, $48, serenaandlily.com. 

During the spring and summer months, we often meet friends at our local farmer's market for dinner. Each family brings a couple blankets and we enjoy the sunshine and great food. These beach towels easily double as picnic blankets and we'll be using them both at the park and on the sand. 

GROWN UP ART FOR KID'S ROOMS

Stylist and designer Estee Stanley's Los Angeles nursery. Photograph by Laure Joliet, courtesy of Remodelista. 

Over the last several months, I've been working on designing a nursery for a dear friend, which includes rounding up things to fill the walls.  I've always found that sometimes the most challenging part of decorating a room is finding artwork and ephemera to finish the space. When it comes to kid's rooms, I'm a big believer in taking child-like subjects and reinventing them with grown-up design. From original drawings to 100 year-old vintage prints, here are a few favorites I've uncovered over the last several months. Some of them would feel just as much at home in your master bedroom as they would in the playroom. 

Tinou Oiseaux Bird Poster, $30, oeufnyc.com.

This is one of the prints I ended up buying for the nursery. Not only did I fall in love with the illustrations, all the birds' names are written in French! J'adore! 

Rapunzel Poster, $99.00, landofnod.com. 

I'm always on the hunt for vintage movie posters and this reminded me of just that. 

1918 California Flora Botanical Book Illustration, $30, etsy.com. For similar prints, check out Marcade Vintage Prints on etsy. 

I also bought this print for the nursery (my friend lives in here in California). Botanical prints are some of my favorite things to collect and frame.  Ebay, etsy, and your local flea market are the best sources and because flowers come in just above every color of the rainbow, its usually a chinch to find a print that goes with your decor. 

Manhattan, NY print 16x20 (other sizes and cities available), $45 from Albiedesigns on etsy.com. 

I've got 3 city prints (Paris, London and Los Angeles) from Albie Designs hanging in my daughter's playroom. She is such a talented artist and her prints strike the perfect balance between whimsy and modernity. Check her shop regularly for seasonal releases of different cities around the globe. 

Amethyst Print, $19.95, landofnod.com. 

I think it's always important to have a few striking design elements in any room and this print would be fab in a little girl's room. 

1894 Antique Print of Baroque-style fashion, $17, AntinquePrintsOnly on etsy.com. 

While in the midst of re-doing my daughter's bedroom to look like a Parisian apartment, I've been on the hunt for vintage fashion prints from Europe. You might be surprised to learn they are very easy to find and almost always affordable. The rich colors and opulent costumes make this one particularly lovely.  

Stripe Girl 8x10 Print, $18, HelloSmallWorld on etsy.com.

When I saw this the first thing I thought was - I just wore that outfit last weekend! Seriously, the scale and simplicity of this drawing immediately caught my eye and I had to order it. 

1910 Vintage Map of San Francisco, purchased for $25 from Holcroft on etsy.com. 

My husband lived in San Francisco when we met and it will always be his favorite city in the U.S. I bought this vintage map for him, but ended up hanging it in my daughter's room.

Abstract Art Print, 11x11, $32, AeropagitaPrints on etsy.com. 

Although buying an original painting is often out of reach, high-quality prints are always affordable and can add the same wow factor. I was immediately drawn to the bright colors of this print and I think it may be the perfect piece to round-out the nursery I'm working on. 

THE WRITTEN WORD

Image here.

Last night as I was toggling between menu planning and working on a design project, I made an incredible discovery - Bookshelf Porn. No, seriously, that is the name of this incredible photoblog that chronicles and showcases the best bookshelves from around the world. Thousands of photographs of fantastic libraries are catalogued here - a library of libraries! I see a new Pintrest board in my future, and in yours. Have a great week! 

Shop This Shop: Design Darling

Gold Acrylic Stapler, $24, designdarling.com. 

It all started with a picture of this gold acrylic stapler on Pintrest. Talk about taking an everyday, generally drab desk accessory and glaming it up - I had to have one and wanted to order more as gifts. But before checking out, I started poking around Design Darling's wonderful site and sure enough, I saw at least five MORE things I wanted to order. With a well-curated mix of eclectic gifts, housewares, and desk accessories, their shop almost certainly has what you are looking for, whether you know it yet or not. Here are a few things that caught my eye (almost all less than $30!!).

Jonathan Adler Mr. & Mrs. Muse mug, $24, designdarling.com. 

Clockwise from top left: Greek Key Navy Pillow, $42; Monogrammed Key Fob, $28; Leather Business Card Case, $14; Antique Brass Bottle Opener, $25; all at designdarling.com. 

Gold Foil Notebook, $20, designdarling.com. 

Ginger Jar Matchbooks, $10, designdarling.com. 

Sugar Paper Gold Polka Dot Coasters, $26, designdarling.com. 

Things We Love Pencil Set, $8, designdarling.com.

Jonathan Adler Navy Zebra Tray, $24, designdarling.com. 

The Chicest Of Ceilings

The new year has me thinking about fresh ideas, new design projects, and ways to reinvigorate both my own home and several others that I'm starting work on. Enter the world of ceilings: almost always overlooked (I'm sad to say every room in my house currently has the safest of safe Swiss Coffee on the ceiling), a painted ceiling is an instant showstopper. Just check out the gorgeous blue and white room above. Can you imagine living in that loveliness everyday? Neither can I.  Solids or stripes, subtle or bold, stenciled or wallpapered, ceilings are so 2013. Here are 10 of my favorites to inspire you to get creative and hopefully, get painting!

Via Shelterness.

Via Houzz.

Via My Lovely Things

Via Maison Boheme.

Via Annsley Interiors.

Image via Simply Grove

Image via AWNL

Wiltern Theater, Image via Cinema Treasures

Image via Nursery Notations

Image via Elle Decor