Finally! Moving day is TODAY! By the photos you would almost think I am sipping champagne and prancing around in high heels right? Well, it's exactly the opposite- I'm sweaty and dusty and very likely smelly too. But I had to indulge in the idea, at least for five minutes) that moving could be perfectly civilized and glamorous. I'm a mix of all sorts of stressed, excited, anxious and overwhelmed. My arms and back are achy, my mind is going a million miles a minute with the long list of to-dos and I have my fingers crossed for everything to go smoothly. I tried to find some cute 'moving day' photos on pinterest and the web but was immensely disappointed. The photos were boring and ordinary and I needed 'uplifting' and 'pretty' so I had to make my own reality and stage them for you. It was a five minute stage but it is better than the alternative (who wants to see piles of boxes and garbage bags?). Since I haven't gotten around to packing my closet I pulled one of my favorite dresses. This one I wore to my rehearsal dinner and to my dad's 70th birthday. I have the best memories of both nights, so I decided to add some glamour to the otherwise odious and traumatic moving day experience.
[ print | Tibi pink dress | Clutch | Earrings | bracelet | Alexander Wang sandals]
I don't really like going out on Valentine's Day because all the restaurants are crowded and the food is never really great. I actually love cooking a special meal at home this day, but in case you are looking for some outfit inspiration I could not get over this pink dress....so SPECTACULAR. The structure is just amazing and these sweet heels are so feminine and romantic. I really adore them. Too bad I have fat ankles (I do! ) but they would look amazing on all of you, I just know it!
Society Social has an amazing giveaway here where you can enter to win a custom couch! I already entered as I love everything Society Social (but you all knew that already). Roxy, the founder of Society Social, enlisted ten bright personalities to style their dream sofa. I was so excited to see that Mara, from M loves M, chose my pillows for her dream sofa. I love that it's bold and confident and very lively. Mara is one of my favorite fashion bloggers and is just the sweetest girl ever and has fabulous taste, as you can see! You can see her full spread on the Project Sofa lookbook here. You can get the orange and pink tile pillow here and the fuchia peaks pillow here.
[ room image | Loeffler Randall clutch | white and black shirt | red bow heels | Jonathan Adler mirrored armoire | tiger sweater | white ruffle bikini | black and white raffia heels | black velvet and brass chair ]
What a busy week! There is so much going on over here that sometimes I have to remember to breath. It has also been a very exciting week for Mimosa Lane in the cyber world so I could not be happier. May I share with you some news? Town and Country selected my blue on blue pagoda pillow as a "Home Item they Love". Check it out here. Yeay! And you can purchase this and other colored pagoda pillows through Society Social here.
Valentine's is a good excuse to bake some yummy treats. And since I have a wonderful and energetic little helper cooking and concocting are even more enjoyable. We bought these cute heart sprinkles at the supermarket which were just waiting for us to infuse some Valentine spirit into some otherwise traditional fare. So, we came up with adding chocolate and sprinkles to madeleines and pretzels. It was easy and fun and the end result was particularly pleasing to the eyes. I mean add hearts and chocolate to anything you have yourself a party.
I know what you must be thinking? Two interior design posts back-to-back? So, unlike me, but i know you secretly love it and get inspired. After you really analyze that rug you will immediately forgive me. It's good right? This NYC townhouse (and the rug) was designed by architect William Georgis. The rug immediately captivated my heart. You remember my splatter post from way back? Well, I'm still not over it and this rug just made my yearning for splatter deeper. The second thing that captivated me was the curved sofa. You all know how much I love them from this post here. The art, the massive space, the scale of the pieces, just add so much drama making these rooms glamorous and maybe even rebellious. I also included some photos of some of his other projects.
I was introduced to the designer Patrick Mele through the latest House Beautiful magazine that identified him as part of the "The Next Wave" of designers. I was intrigued by the article and quickly logged on the computer to check out his portfolio. I loved it all. It is vibrant and bold. I'm including some of my favorite shots.
I am completely getting ahead of myself with this post considering its January but I just adored this amazing surf and swim collection by Cynthia Rowley. Talk about some chic and sporty beach wear! I would take up surfing just to be able to gallivant in the beach wearing one of these. The colors, the patterns- Oy!
Happy Friday!! Good news- We have a moving date, which is all sorts of exciting. The day is circled in my calendar and it feels wonderful. Appointments have been made and boxes have arrived and some slight packing may or many not have occurred already. Well, to start you off on this weekend right I wanted to share with you this little cheap thrill- that beautiful star ring you see on Liz. Isn't it adorable and sparkly all at the same time? And the best part is that it's on sale for $20! A cheap thrill never hurt anyone. I love finding pleasure in the little things.
[ Peter Pilotto for Target | black and white clutch | Alexander Wang bag | Gold Cuff | Stationery | Brass and Copper boxes ]
The lookbook to Peter Pilotto's collection for Target, just came out and it is very exciting. You can see the lookbook here. The pieces look beautiful on the screen and it will be interesting to see how this translates to real life- We can only just wait and see.
I have been in love with mirrored furniture for almost 8 years. One of the first pieces of furniture I bought right after getting married was a beautiful mirrored chest. To this day it is one of the most exciting pieces in our home. And I think another wonderful acquisition would be a mirrored desk. They are elegant, different, can lighten any dark corner because of its reflective qualities and can become a chameleon when styled correctly to fit any type of decor personality. Here I offer just a few- The classic chic work area, the Glam show-stopper desk, and the girly and romantic desk.
Ever since I saw Christian Liaigre's (one of my favorite furniture designers) Paris apartment in a magazine spread I just keep daydreaming about that fabulous gold trim. The panelling is so beautiful and goes perfectly with the moldings and large sale spaces. So I wonder, Can I make something like this work in my home which is newer, has more modern lines, and lower ceilings? Plus the room I envision this gold trim has dark brown colored walls. Am I crazy? Will it look like a whore house?
[ Book- The Ping Pong Diplomacy | sweater | jeans | sneakers | socks | bag | ping pong paddles ]
I have so many exciting things for you today I don't even know where to start! The most important one is that one of my family members who is a well-known author, Nicholas Griffin, has published his latest novel, Ping Pong Diplomacy: The secret history behind the game that changed the world. We are all beyond excited and are so filled with pride. Nick is always educating us while keeping us highly entertained with his fabulous novels. I received my copy only a few days ago. So, even though I just started reading it I'm very intrigued. Why? I had no idea ping-pong, politics, and spies were ever intertwined in real life. This novel gives us the historical facts enveloped in an exciting plot that changed the history of the relationship between China and the US. The New York Times has this great article on it you can read here. I had to share this exciting news with you and what better way to celebrate than to bring you a sporty outfit (you can easily play ping-pong with) to mark the occasion. So, I made a 'book to outfit' post instead of the usual 'art to outfit' post. Playing ping-pong is the new way of spreading good will. Play it!
Happy Friday! I'm thrilled for the weekend as I'm sure you all are as well. Yesterday I saw Sally wearing this cute pink coat (which she blogged about here)
and now have the color stuck in my head- I find it so feminine,
romantic, and soothing. I thought it would be the perfect pick-me-up to
start the weekend off in the right mood.
[ interior | apple Cider | Necklace | Valentine's Day gift idea | Gray Malin ]
I love it when school is in session- everyone is just happier abiding by a routine. Like they say 'man is a creature of habit'. So, I have some colorful things for you today starting off with that beautiful corner in Todd Alexander Romano's kitchen. I love the dramatic but elegant color combination of the blue and yellow. Also, I just love the way he so naturally mixes the Saarinen table with Regency chairs. There is an art to mixing periods for sure.
[HOME || Print | Tin Plates ] [ YOU || Clutch | Hat]
Just a few affordable finds for you today- some for you and some for your home. I know I'm getting ahead of myself on the warmer weather theme but since it has been freeeeezing here and our heat hasn't been working for the last few days ( can you imagine?! It's Murphy's Law that this should happen during the coldest days of the year) I have been thinking about warmer weather and I found these great little things I thought you might like.
Polka dots add a touch of glamor- they are cute, feminine, have a slight retro feel and are just so playful. I have been seeing a trend emerging on metallic dots, especially for the home for pillows and tabletop items. I just ordered two sets of these salt and pepper shakers for each end of my dining table. I can't wait to style a dinner party table with them. Here are a few more polka dot inspiration photos.
As part of my cleaning and organizing binge I went through a stack of articles that I have saved in hopes they would one day serve as post ideas for this little blog and I came across an exciting one about Gabriella Crespi (read the article here). I was intrigued by her scultptural pieces in the article and upon further research I realized she was the designer behind Aerin Lauder's famous "Z desk" (I die over this one)!) Her pieces are so simple but exciting and so very relevant today even though she mainly designed in the 60s and 70s. I see luxury, chicness, and maybe even a bit of opulence in these pieces. Aside from being an artist, architect, and designer Gabriella was also a socialite and could count on Elizabeth Arden, Princess Grace,
and the Shah of Iran as aficionados of her work. I will let you judge for yourselves. I'm in love with every single piece. From what I have read they are hard to come by because people are very attached to them. Here are some listings of hers on 1st Dibs (sorry no Z desks there). If you love drama and brass you will be in for a treat. Ready?
Growing up in our house sure is fun because not only does Santa come to visit but so do The Three Wise Men or Three Kings as we call them. They will be coming around Sunday night and of course their gifts are to make one "wiser" so I'm sure we will have some new books arriving. We leave sugar cubes and water for the camels and some 'turron' for the wise men. It's such a nice tradition we look forward to it every year.
We thought we were going to move over the holidays but as it usually happens we have been delayed a few more weeks and all I can dream about is unpacking and organizing. And since its the beginning of the year which is all about fresh starts and cleaning house the need to make everything perfectly arranged is killing me. I dream about a china closet like that one above where my vases are all in one place, bowls in another, tray dividers....heaven! I just dream of the many visits to the container store I will make when we can finally move because I'm going to be so organized even my almost obsessive compulsive mom will be impressed.
Welcome 2014- so excited you are here! And to kick-off regular programming here at Mimosa Lane I present to you Angela Dunn's (a New Zealand model) and her designer husband's beautiful home in London. The stones, the reflective surfaces everywhere, the lighting, the bit of leopard and fur....so good. Here is more-