The 90's

Being 25 years old, the 90s is a decade I relate to a lot and I'm feeling nostalgic so I'm going to share that with you. The style back then resonated a lot with me. I liked the simplicity of it all. A lot of denim and black, a lot of menswear for the ladies and a lot of emphasis on comfort. 
My mother was a big part of shaping what i call my style today. This is how I remember my mother when I was growing up:

She always wore round sunglasses and for a while wore a beret like the one above. She wore a lot of black jackets paired with floral maxi skirts. I remember watching her walk around hoping one day I would be as beautiful and popular as her.
My mother was and still is a beautiful stylish amazing woman. ( i love you ma.)

Another thing i was exposed to growing up was beautiful ladies:

Who didn't know these gorgeous ladies. They ruled the fashion magazines. Nothing was cooler than ripped jeans and a plain white tee.

 Except for cut off jeans and a black undershirt.

I was completely enamored by these two girls, I
spent my childhood, adolesent and some of my adult life collecting pictures books movies and clothing of these billionaires. After I saw this movie I only wore my baseball cap backwards.

 This is where I would go most weekends. Now if I want to watch a movie all I need to do is lift my index finger and tap a button.

The Jetsons.. this cartoon was set in the future. It's been 20 years and I'm still waiting for my bubble car.

So who remembers this sound:

That was internet before DSL.

Text messaging in the 90's.

Interiors were kind of a mix of traditional and casual. The forms of furniture pieces were much more feminine.

A picture of the apartment from 'Mad About You'.
Using wicker indoors was very trendy then, wicker usually being something you put outside. A lot of natural colors were also used, browns and beige.

For those of you who recognize this landing it's from the movie 'Home Alone'. I practically grew up on that movie. Most homes in the 90s looked something like this, with all that wallpaper. Everyone had wallpaper, i do wish more people would use wallpaper now.

This armchair reminds me a lot of my childhood. Skirted, cushioned couches were everywhere. Adding to the comfort and femininity of the style then. Our obsession with the modern form hadn't developed so strongly yet.

 Why I needed  to own a bunch of these trolls is beyond me.


I'm the only girl in my family with six brothers. There was definitely the good to that, I got whatever I wanted and never had to share. But there was also the bad. I had to spend my childhood taking  undeserved abuse. This is a picture from my baby album:

I'm the one with with my jaw on the floor.

Yes, the 90's were a special time. Good moments.

Open Spaces

So I'm going to give you tips on how to have an open space. I'll keep it short and to the point. Here are four different examples on how to achieve an open space:

TIP 1. Furniture lay out is an easy way to make a room feel open. You want to set up your furniture in a way that enlarges the room and not closes it up.
Here's an example of an open space through furniture placement:

 

This is the home of Adam Levine from Architectural Digest. In this picture you can see all the pieces are placed around the coffee table. By doing this the area feels open and inviting. The floor to ceiling sliding windows also really help by extending the inside out.

TIP 2.  Limit bulky pieces. If you have one skirted sofa bring in other pieces where the legs are visible. 

This picture is a great example; there's the skirted sofa which is very plush placed opposite sleek armchairs. The armchairs being bare keep the room feeling open. If there was a second skirted sofa instead of the chairs the room would look much more stuffy.

TIP 3. Color palette is a simple and quick way to make a room seem more spacious.

The white walls, white coffee table and white sofas act like a perfect backdrop to all the tans and woods. Even though there's a lot of furniture placed close together in this space, it feels like everything is floating. The simple color choices here create an airy feeling.


TIP 4. Think Mirrors- they are the best way to create the illusion of more space. The help expand the room and bounce light around the room.

This wonderful room is a product of Nate Berkus, another favorite of mine. The floor to ceiling mirrors on the left wall trick you into thinking the room keeps going. The mirrors really help keep this space feeling light and open with all those statement pieces.

I hope you enjoyed this post and took something away with you :)
(Wow I really knocked out this post... I need a drink.)

Interpreting Style

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they dress and that's usually translated into their home. If you like to wear a lot of color and mix in some patterns, chances are you're making more bold decisions in your home. If you're more of a person who likes to wear matching sweater sets, spandex or a beret' then you probably shouldn't invite people back to your home.

 Take this girl, for example, really simple and classic. A pin striped blouse is a staple and the tan belt is also a classic piece (feels very Banana Republic circa 1996). She makes this look modern with her white crochet shorts; her hair is ombre which says modern. She sticks to more neutral colors with a pop of neon pink on her wrist. This is probably how her home looks:

 This room feels very laid back with the pillows and throw. The lounge chair and crochet pillows are more tailored. There's pops of color around the room but it's foundation is neutral. The coffee table and floor lamp are modern and chic. This room is open, casual and modern. 
Now this girl wouldn't be happy in this room:

No, she would need a room like this:

I didn't choose this picture because the shape of the sofa is similar to the shape of her jacket, this room screams glamor. She likes simple, strong and shiny. 

I wish it was acceptable for adults who are no longer in school to wear a uniform because this would be mine. I would be so happy to wear this every day. It's so simple and bohemian and completely effortless. This beautiful woman belongs in a room like this:

This room is breathtaking. The windows everywhere are a huge plus, everything looks better with natural light. It has an easy and casual feel to it. All the fabrics bring in so much warmth and the colors come from nature. I'm crazy about this room.

Even though I cant see her face, I can still see what her style is. I'm probably better off not seeing her face because if it's anything like her body I may as well kill myself right now. Moving on, the color palette of this outfit is really feminine and soft. You can see she likes a good mix; her long silk skirt is dressed down with a white casual knit. She's wearing gold bracelets one of which is spikes, showing she has some edge.

This room is soft with some good fabrics going on. The wallpaper is beautiful it's loud and quiet at the same time. The glass table hardens things up a little bit. The cowhide is a great way to bring in a wild feel to such a soft room.
I'm having a lot of fun with this, they should make this a game- 'Return the owner to their home.' Clearly I would be very good at this game.

Let's guess who lives in this room...

No, not her. She lives here:

 If you were thinking this woman lives there, wrong again. She's currently living between these two places:

It's a busy life....

And it's not this woman either:

She lives here:

This is called the 80's people. The woman above and this table setting both live there happily.

The answer is this woman..

This blonde bombshell lives in that adventurous space. You can see she loves to travel and take pictures of things that inspire her. She has this long hair that's out and messy and her leather jacket shows a lot of edge.

Yes, they will be very happy together.


This post was inspired by one of my favorite designers Emily Henderson. Her show 'Secrets from a Stylist' which is based on taking someones style and incorporating it into their home. 
Emily if you ever read this, thank you for inspiring me :)

Revive and Recharge

When a bedroom is done right it's perfection. It's a place to sleep, its a place to connect, it's a place to quiet your mind with a book, it's a place to glam yourself up for a big night. A bedroom symbolizes what relaxes you and what comforts you. It acts as a support to you after any long day. The bedroom should give you confidence, comfort and if you're lucky good company :)

This bedroom makes me feel like I can conquer the world while wearing a beautiful fur coat. This room is very glamorous, some people might not be able to handle the amount of glamor this room is offering. The console at the end of the bed is beautiful. The mirrored finishes on the console and bedside tables add a lot of light to the room. The bedding is this exotic fur that balances out all the shiny surfaces, great balance. As glamorous as this room is it still feels effortless, which is why this room feels so cool.

 
I don't know who this woman is, but I think I should be sitting on that bed instead of her. I am crazy about this space. This room also uses the soft fur which is cozy and comfortable. The wall sconces and white peacock add some art deco to the room which is always a plus. And don't even get me started on that painting- AMUUHZING (Penny quote again).

 This is the master bedroom of the talented designers Robert and Courtney Novagratz (if you haven't read their book 'Downtown Chic' you need to). The thing I love about this bedroom is the layering of patterns. It's not easy to this and they've done it well. The rug, draperies, throw pillows and painting work well together without over shadowing one another. This room feels bright and fresh. The reason this room still feels calm with all that pattern is because of the color palette; purple, white, grey, gold are a little muted while the painting shines. I love this bedroom.

 This bedroom is from 'Domino' magazine. I absolutely love  the canopy bed. I think everyone should have a canopy bed they're so dreamy. This bed has great draperies that you can close when you want to shut off from the world. If this were my bed, the drapes would barely be open.

Now this bed says 'come cuddle' all over it. I would love to fall into this bed every night. The bedding looks like perfectly rouched clouds.

What I like about these two bedrooms are the big florals. I generally lean towards moodier and more masculine interiors but I do love me some bold graphics.

Creating a Moment

My favorite thing to do in a space is to create a beautiful moment that sets an impression. Vignettes are great because you can do them absolutely anywhere, a tray on top of a coffee table, a console table, a bar area, dresser in a bedroom.... the list goes on. You can really portray an idea with a vignette, making it personal and meaningful. I am becoming increasingly obsessed, every surface in my apartment is turning into a little area of flowers, photographs and a piece of art. My husband has started to complain because slowly more and more of his things don't 'fit' anymore. I've traded in his keys and mail for a vintage lamp and some driftwood- anyone blame me?

This is simple yet chic. Using a candle instead of an ordinary book end is pretty and unexpected. The little frame in the back adds some fashion and glamor. A perfect moment :)

Adding a tray on your bedside table is perfect for stacking and styling your favorite pieces. The little touch of pink peonies is so simple and flirty.

 

  I love how these two chairs turned into something with a stack of books and a plant. 

This is crazy, out of this world gorgeous. That tapestry wall hanging is soooo amazing, I love the energy from it and the brown background works beautifully to ground those luminous colors. The styling on the console is symmetrical and there's two stools under the console to add to the symmetry. The flowers and gold dog/wolf definitely don't hurt. 

I have no words for this one besides that I'm pissed I'm not the designer behind this design. This picture gives me the same feeling I get when I see a beautiful skinny girl open her mouth and something smart comes out of it, hate that.

Look at that, I just connected today's post to yesterday's post using Rothko to do it- not bad for a rookie :)
This is beautiful, casual and so striking. The contrast between the raw wooden sculpture and white glossy sitting dog is perfect.

 

The shelf is really sharp it does a good job of adding a punchline to that wall. The round mirror is large and beautiful and that silver panther is hot, a perfect touch of art deco chic.