paris, part two: design details

Ceilings of the Pantheon (L) and Les Invalides (R)

.Paris was pretty much the perfect storm for me: gorgeous architecture, interiors done to the last detail, luxe fabrics, beautiful gardens, history, gold, FRENCH! I expected to be totally enamored with all of it, but I was surprised at some of the things I liked more than I expected to.

 One of the surprises was the Louvre. It is the most beautiful, massive old building I've ever seen, and the Tuileries Gardens were beautiful even post-foliage. 

 

 

  

 The Louvre housed my favorite exhibit of any of the art museums we visited-- Napoleon's apartments. Dude knew how to decorate!

 
 Another beautiful surprise was the Opera Garnier, where "The Phantom of the Opera" is set (but it has never actually been performed there). It was even more ornate than Versailles, which is saying something!

And lastly, I was surprised at just how jaw-dropping the Eiffel Tower is--it is more beautiful than in pictures!

Ahhh, J'adore Paris. I can't wait to go back!

paris, part one: avenue carnot

Paris is one of those places that is so romanticized, you think it couldn't possibly live up to the hype. But it does. It is more beautiful and wonderful than any picture of it captures. 

We did a lot during our week there... but I'll spare you the travelogue and focus on my favorite parts, the architecture and interiors! First up, our rental apartment on Avenue Carnot, one of the cobblestone streets that emanates from the Arc de Triomphe roundabout. The apartment was quintessentially French: eclectic and stylish but not stiff.

 There were herringbone pattern wood floors and French doors, of course! There's a reason they're called French, every place we saw had them.

This was my favorite room in the house, I love the grey toile. Notice that it's exactly the same print on the blankets, curtains, and headboards? That kind of pattern repeating was common.

 This is the room we slept in. And THE VIEW:

TO DIE FOR. Amazing, right?! 

Photos from Haven in Paris vacation rentals.

Bonjour, I'm back!

The City of Lights lived up to my every expectation.

I'll share some of my pictures this week... as soon as I sort all 1,300!

bon voyage!

I'm leaving today for a week with my family in La Ville-Lumière and I am beyond excited!
I'm taking the whole week off to enjoy it--I'll share my grand adventures when I return on the 28th.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

À bientôt!

winner!

Winner =
Leslie from Pink Tulips!

Congratulations to Leslie, and thank you to everyone who entered.

diy draper chests the easy way!

This new design by O'verlays would have made my DIY Draper chest project a thousand times easier! I love the raised design and you can paint it ANY color. I might need to make a few more! Buy them here.

a "found" gallery

I found a stack of unused pictures in my decorating stuff this weekend and went to town creating a little display. I spy my ballerina painting, patterned silhouettes, and engagement photo from 6 years ago! And an oval frame that needs a filler.

I pulled a pair of benches from my bedroom and pillows I wasn't using... and there you go. I don't know if I'll leave it, but it's not bad for being made 100% of stuff I found in my closet!

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giveaway: four pillows from woody liana

Today I have a totally amazing giveaway from ROOST sponsor Woody Liana. 

You could win not one, but ALL FOUR of these pillow covers!

20"Schumacher Betwixt in Stone, pattern on front and Ivory linen backing

20" Lee Jofa Seacloth Sconset Stripe in Babe, pattern on both sides

20" Lee Jofa Suzanne Kasler Montmartre in Pearl/Pink, pattern on front and Ivory linen backing
13"x19" Belgian Velvet in Petal pink, velvet on the front, Schumacher greige linen backing, tassels*

PLUS 1.5 yards Ikat fabric in Napolitan (enough for a roman shade or small upholstery project)

*Lumbar pillow includes a down feather insert. Other pillows will be sent as covers (no inserts)

 To enter, become a follower of ROOST 

and leave a comment to say where you would use these fabulous pillows in your home. 

(+ extra entries to those who tweet, blog, or post a link to Facebook!)

The winner will be announced Friday. 

In the meantime, make sure you check out the other beautiful pillows in the Woody Liana shop.

Good luck!

burl wood

I'm totally enamored with burl wood.

The pattern of burl wood is the result of damage to the tree (bugs, fungus, stress) and it's pretty rare. And so beautiful!

I'd love to see this antique burl walnut in person. It was posted to Craigslist New Orleans, I can only imagine the kind of treasures you can find on that site. Amazing!

Do you like the burled look, or would you paint right over it?

living room design: seaside cottage meets world traveler

Remember Laura, my client with the amoebas on her ceilings? This is her living room design!

Laura made a tough, but good, choice. We decided we could work the amoebas into certain styles, but not her style, "seaside cottage meets world traveler." So we decided to do her style 100% and draw as much attention as possible away from the amoebas. Smart decision, I think, considering she'll leave the rental one day but take her decor!

The "seaside cottage" element is in the wall color, breezy curtains, and white sideboard. The "world traveler" element comes in with the eclectic textiles and trinkets Laura has collected from her travels.

I can't wait to see it all come together!

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Have a design challenge you'd like help tackling? Check out my design services page or email me for a quote.

welcome sponsor: angelique ink

Welcome to the newest sponsor of Roost, Angelique Ink! 

Angi makes beautiful handwritten calligraphy stamps and she sent me my own to try out. I think it looks great on my business cards! 

I also love her classy save-the-date, wedding announcement, and address stamps.

Make sure you check out her shop!

painted wood floors

 I love the look of painted wood floors.

     

 Especially white--it looks so clean!

 This black herringbone is amazing.

I've seen a lot of beautiful patterns painted on floors, too.
I love the look, but I think I would be soooo nervous to paint over wood floors!

a fabulous flor

When I think "modular carpet tiles," I mostly think of bland office carpeting. But I've been looking at the latest FLOR catalog for a project I'm working on, and they have some really cool stuff! 

I'm kind of obsessed with the "Faux Bois," which is a collaboration with Martha Stewart (and it's on major sale). It doesn't even look tiled!

 "Sophistikat" is my second favorite. It's comes in a perfect cobalt blue and you can lay it out in the coolest ikat/chevron pattern.

The "Side by Side" stripe is so classic, it would look good anywhere.

Of course, the main benefit to the tiles is that you can replace just a tile or two if they get worn or damaged. Pretty cool!

on cove & grey today!

Thank you to Lauren of Cove & Grey for featuring my "sanctuary" (my almost-done bedroom) on her blog today. Click here to check out the post!