Hello Lovely

My husband asked it again just now.

"Still on the computer?"

marilyn minter and stephanie seymour, 2006

And I should be doing the dishes.
But did you see that living room?
There are much too many pretty pictures
by photographer Todd Eberle.

Tom Ford, 2004

Isn't he fabulous?







Wishing you a happy new week
of only pretty pictures.


p.s.
I need those green converse in the stephanie seymour image.

p.s.s.
I have problems.

:)

Peace to you right where you are.

You know the secret for writing good copy
about interior design, right?
Sex, rugs, and rock and roll.
Noooooooo, that's not completely accurate.
It is about truly connecting with your topic
in a way that is uniquely you.

Today I am in the mood to share
one of my favorite kitchen/living spaces
designed by Emily Bourgeois.

 When your heart begins to beat faster
as you stare at an image,
you know you're on to something lovely, yes?

Behind sliding, space conserving
 turquoise doors, lies a refrigerator and storage.  

Genius. Genius, I tell you.

If you are me, you are dying to touch
the skull behind the sofa,
run your fingers carefully over the teeth.
I absolutely love that Emily designed a white kitchen here.
The contrast happening is thrilling.
Feelin me?

How do you feel about the fact they just said no to rugs?

* * *
p.s.
Just delivered a painting commissioned
for a particular wall in a beautiful home!
I can't tell you how fun and fulfilling
such projects are for a little ol suburban
recluse with a paintbrush!




Peace to you, just where you are.

Swedish blogger/celebrity/designer
Elin Kling
 understands a little somethin somethin 'bout sweet style.

This is her apartment, and it's easy to imagine myself hanging here.

Oh wow.
Paralyzed.
By lovely.

Author and blogger Nichole Robertson

calls her new book

Paris in Color

(Chronicle Books)

a happy accident.

But clearly this is a

a lovely lady living

with a lot of intention.
My copy on my nightstand looks scrumptious,
and i have peeked at a few pages before bed each eve.
I just said 'each eve.'

She captures magic.

After moving to France in 2009

and sharing photos on her blog,

she realized her passion for

color coding her shots.



Nichole continued to document

her love for Paris in Color.

Voila!

From blog to book!

Wanna see more of Nichole's work right away?

Visit her inspiring blog

Little Brown Pen.

What color is Paris for you?????

I have not yet visited, but I think of greige!

Peace to you right where you are.

Click for a list of beautiful design books to inspire.

Definitely out of my mind aspiring to paint
a picture of my mood for you since
(who does that? weird.)
the mood swings violently wickedly wildly
as of late due to a sometimes stealer of joy
 and laughter we call effin hormones
on planet michele.

Other cooler folks with more restraint
and less imbalance call this brand of blog post
the 'emotional hit and run' variety.
But I hope you will see this one's a different flava...

I am not smacking you around.
Not fishing for pity or compliments.
I am simply here to suggest
(and let it be known I have probably not been drinking)
that temporal midlife madness
with its sweet and sour gobstopper
layers of chemical lameness
and
unpredictable surges of
self-doubt, memory loss,
and irritability...
is simply
a chapter of personal growth,
spiritual awakening,
and emotional deepening.
It's working! I'm nearly believing myself!

Guess what else?
Maybe it is possible to navigate this new territory...

source

with style.

Just look at me in my blooming hat!

With style!

Yes?

Peace to you right where you are.

p.s.

How on earth did I get my fix
before this addiction to blogs?
300 magazine subscriptions (you get the idea)
and watched a ton of Bravo and HGTV.

bonus confession:
Prior to design and fashion blog obsession I was hooked on
gorgeous cupcake blogs...know these? Ah, the pastry porn.

I do love a beautiful blog!

There are a hundred reasons
I am compelled to pay a daily visit to
Rebecca
of
Sanctuary.

Let's begin with the gorgeous styling and sensibilities at her home in Finland:

nuts for the Farrow & Ball wallpaper in her daughter's room

Alexander Van Burge

Then throw in a trained eye for understated beauty
leading to posts with the loveliest images of home,
of life around the planet.

Alexander Van Burge

Thank you, Rebecca for this haven
suspended in the blogosphere
where quiet inspiration flows
wide and deep.

Your site has been a restful rendezvous

of mine for years now, and I am so grateful.

Have a beautiful blog addiction to share?

Peace to you right where you are.

The Beauty Within

In the world of design (and most def in blogland),
we blab incessantly about the beauty inside of a HOUSE.

So when someone dares to go deeper to glimpse
the lovely on the inside of a LIFE...
well, I am all ears.

Interior designer
Geoffroy Van Hulle
offers such a glimpse in

The Beauty Within

(Lannoo Publishers - ACC)

Impossible not to admire Van Hulle's contemporary eclectic
spin on interiors, everyday objects, a full life, meals, and films.

Text is by Jo De Poorter

 

(This image by Raf  is not in the book
but leaves me breathless...)

"He is not afraid of colour, character

and a stuffed crane here and there.

As significant sources of inspiration,

he mentions Leonardo Da Vinci, Tony Duquette,

Saint Nicholas et sa mere."

This enchanting book thrills

with images you will want to absorb

carefully for a length of time.

A visual feast...

of delicious lovely for your library.

Am I the only one STILL gushing over real live
books with sexyglossy pages you can touch?????

Peace to you right where you are.

Click for a list of beautiful design books to inspire.