Dorothy Draper Madness

The Dorothy Draper Madness started over the weekend when I was at my sister's house for my nephew's birthday party. I went in the basement to grab a drink and there, under the dart board, sat a Dorothy Draper Espana nightstand. I was aghast. After explaining to everyone that this was a travesty that it was sitting in the basement, I began a search to find its value. Now, I'm not sure if it was real or not, but it had me on a kick to own one for our upcoming home. Low and behold, there was one on eBay claiming to be an original and located in the next town over from me! I had to have it. Long story short, I sat in front of my computer last night screaming and panting over winning this dresser and it's all mine! I paid a cool $500 for it (a little higher than I wanted to go), while it's being sold on 1st Dibs for $4800 (which makes me feel a whole lot better about the $500) Here's another one on Etsy going for $675, which is also not a bad deal. Seriously, what a hot piece of furniture she is:

A little background on Dorothy Draper , she was an American interior decorator from the 1920s - her death in 1962. A seriously interesting woman, she was married to the personal doctor of Teddy Roosevelt when he was diagnosed with polio. She was also the cousin to amazing designer, Sister Parish. Her style was very anti-minimalist and used bright colors and large prints in her designs. She was quoted as saying: "Never look back, except for an occasional glance, look ahead and plan for the future. Success is not built on past laurels, but rather on a continuous activity. Keep busy searching out new ideas and, experimentally, keep ahead of the times, or at least up with them."

She was said to always be trying new things and pushing people to their limits. Dorothy was the founder of the style "Modern Baroque", adding modern flares to classic styles. She's even said to be to decorating what Chanel was to fashion. How cool is that?

One of my destinations in life is to get to The Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia. Can you imagine staying in this paradise?

One of my favorite design blogs, Marcus Design, even used her espana chest in her logo:

And if you're a serious DIYer, you can follow her directions on how to Ikea hack your own espana night stands! They're gorgeous!

I can't wait to choose my dresser's location in our new home! Maybe Sex and the City style in my home office:

Lust List

Here are a couple things I'm lusting after lately:

1. Circa Lighting Industrial Pendant // 2. Kate Spade Wallet // 3. J.Crew Bracelet // 4. Mossimo Loafers // 5. Gold Pig Bank

Notice a theme? Fuschia + gold/tan tones are such a lovely combo:

cocokelley.blogspot.com

somuchtosmileabout.com

Have a nice weekend!

Things to Look Forward to: Summer 2012

Yes, I'm well aware we are halfway through summer and I'm only just talking about what to look forward to now. I had this post waiting on the sidelines since June, but better late then never!

Woody Allen's new movie To Rome with Love is at the very top of my list. I loved Midnight in Paris and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and set in Rome? Right up my alley:



Any Baby Boomer movie with Meryl Streep, you can count on me watching, and I really don't care that I'm only 26. It's Complicated was one of my favorite movies, so Hope Springs is sure to please:

We're headed to see the fam in Italia this year! CANNOT WAIT. Our little beach condo is in Calabria. It's the perfect relaxation spot. Nothing to do but beach it and eat. Perfecto!

I'm also trying to squeeze in a little jaunt to Paris. Please oh please let it happen:

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I've been wanting to have a clam bake since January. I have to make this happen.

My hubster and I are trying our hands at making our own wine. Pinot Noir is currently fermenting in our dining room. A wine infused popsicle? Yes.

I'll provide more details on the wine making as we progress :)

I currently have a meyer lemon tree growing like crazy! I don't want to get my hopes up since I don't have the greenest of thumbs. I'd say my thumb is more of a black/green color. If they work out, I'll definitely be making lemon macarons and lemon creams: (p.s. I have a bowl of them sitting on my counter right now. If people think I grew them, so be it.)

Shorts, shorts, and more shorts. I can't seem to get enough of them this year so far. They're so versatile and can be worn for the office or on the weekends:

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=53199085

I'm especially in love with crochet shorts. I scored a pair at Zara (on sale!). Here are some other super cute ways to wear them:

becauseimaddicted.net

southernpiphi.tumblr.com

That's all for me! What are your hopes and dreams for the rest of your summer?

Burgundy: Fall 2012

I can't even call myself a blogger after this terrible hiatus, but I have a post for you nonetheless. I sat in on the really informative and inspirational webinar Graphic Design for Bloggers give by Alt Design. Right after, I was super inspired to carve out a chunk of time, no phone calls, no interruptions, and design a board based on my favorite Fall color, burgundy, or as the fancies call it, bordeaux. Mark my words readers, burgundy is in for Fall 2012. At least it will be for me.

1. Velvet burgundy chairs? Drooling... | 2. Perfect fall lipcolor | 3. Burgundy blazer is totally happening for me asap | 4. Ikat burgundy pillows for the home. | 5. Zoya polish in Paris | 6. Burgundy jeans in my cart now. | 7. Why not paint a room burgundy? My recommendation would be a dining room. Mmm so lush. | 8. Mulberry bag, you are mine. | 9. Christian, you are the man.

And do not even get me started on burgundy + leopard:

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Atlantic-Pacific

Burgundy Jeans by Fashionable Interiors

I also love the idea of pairing burgundy with a peachy color. I used this combo in one of my interior designs for a client. The table is burgundy, it's a little tricky to see in the photo:

That's all for today, hope to be back soon!

Calling All Bloggers

Hey all you blogger friends out there! Ever heard of Alt Summit? I'm sure you have, but did you know about their promotion they're running thanks to Bing and their Summer of Doing Campaign?
Ok enough quizzing, I am super pumped to take a few of their online classes to brush up on some of my blogging skills, like:

Graphic Design for Bloggers
Designing Inspiration Boards
DSLR 101

Look out blogging world, I'm going to have mad skills after this...Thanks Bing!

A Fashionable Interior: Piping

At High Point Market this past April, piping on furniture made quite the appearance. Piping is a great way to add a graphic element without being too loud: