living room love

i'm loving the palette and understated elegance of this open living and dining room. the balance of the overall romantic details with the more severe table makes the room look so unique. and that candle display hanging over the dining table doesn't hurt either. i'd love to relax and entertain in a room like this, wouldn't you?

(sparkling here)

map it out

i have some sort of odd fascination with maps... though on second thought it might just be an extension of my constant wanderlust.

around every corner in amsterdam, for instance, i would walk into an adorable dutch shop and find (and subsequently fall in love with,) several dozen beautiful map prints. while those prints mostly depicted the romantic, dutch golden age of yore, there's definitely something to be said about more modern, "design-y" maps like these colorful silkscreens from These Are Things.



while i love the bold color of the "statement map" above, i think something more understated, with only a flash of optical excitement, like the central compass rose below, would be a perfect, mature choice for an office or den.


i also couldn't ignore the San Francisco neighborhood map, (don't worry, These Are Things also has prints of LA, DC, NYC, Chicago, and even Columbus!) partly because of my love for my city by the bay, and partly because it makes the visual thinker in me very happy. don't you think this could make a wonderful gift?? a print of the city a friend was born in for her birthday, or a print of the city a couple met in for their wedding??

kitchen love

just a little kitchen love to get your 3-day weekend started!

(sparkling here)

here's to a happy 4th of july and hopefully more time spent at the grill than in the kitchen.
even if yours is this beautiful.

no fireplace?

no problem!

a salvaged mantel can be transformed into an eye-catching display bookshelf. 

i bet a salvaged bookshelf could be transformed into a mantel too, sans fire, of course. 

oh! if only i had the time, resources and creativity. owning a house would also be a step in the right direction.

 

(shelf/mantle reincarnation sparkling here, of course)

weekend lounging

i'm going to be working full days all weekend, and although i'm going to enjoy it, i know part of me is going to be craving one of these comfy loungers--especially come 5 o'clock on sunday! don't they just look like the place to be for all summertime activities (paramount among them being reading, napping, drinking, tanning, and chatting with friends)?? something about their roundness just makes them look even more inviting, i think...

(sparkling here via apartment therapy)

(sparkling here--original source unknown)

(sparkling here via here)

aesthetically pleased

here are some blog-finds that are currently pleasing my eye.

(super-neat laundry detergent street art sparkling here)

(innovative branch display hanger sparkling here)

(drool-worthy fuchsia glitter louboutins sparkling here)

(sparkly macarons sparkling--redundant much??-- here)