Valentine's Day Gift to Brides

Urban Outfitters, Inc. home to the lovely likes of Anthropologie, Free People and Leifsdottir announced its wedding brand BHLDN yesterday. Via press release, Urban has this to say about the new line:

"For the day that celebrates a woman's personal taste and style, BHLDN provides a confident and guiding voice to help create an extraordinary experience for brides to share with their family and friends. BHLDN's first collection is scheduled for February 14, 2011 through its online boutique, http://www.bhldn.com/. It will bring together a curated collection of heirloom quality wedding gowns, bridesmaid frocks, party dresses, assorted jewelry, headpieces, footwear, and lingerie." (view full press release via yahoo.com)

The website for BHLDN currently offers a preview (via flash) of what's to come, all set to a sweet serenade that brings back childhood memories of playing dress up while my music box chimed in the background. From what I've seen, it all looks sugary sweet in a modern vintage kinda way. LOVE IT! Prices will range from $1,000 to $4,000 for bridal gowns and $200 to $600 for event gowns. And at myBHLDN.com brides will be able to create MOOD BOARDS!! Well you KNOW I think this is a great idea! I remember when I was getting married I had a large 3 ring binder (NOT the lacy cotton stuffed kind) that held all of my inspirations (dress, flowers, rings, etc.). It went everywhere with me.

I can't wait to see more! Here are a few pics for you to enjoy and you MUST head on over to BHLDN to see more of the preview.

Design 101

You know what? I am not getting enough Sarah Richardson. Seriously! The interior designer and host of many HGTV design shows (Room Service, Design Inc., Sarah's House and Sarah's Cottage) now has yet another new show, Sarah 101. Unfortunately, Sarah 101 is only being aired on HGTV Canada...not available in the U.S., well at least not the lower 48. So I am sharing some Sarah 101 pics from the HGTV Canada website. Here we go...

I LOVE the green front door and the brightly colored coat rack in the foyer. Although, I would have placed the coat rack a little further away from the glass front door. I picture rambunctious kiddies rushing into the house, the door swinging open and crash! Call the glass man cause the glass in the front door just broke! Oops!

I reallly like the placement of the daybed style chaise between the living room and the dining room as it adds extra seating to both spaces. I saw Candice Olson use a daybed in a living space as a way to add flexible seating and I LOVED it. Here are the details and a few pics of that space (Carl and Tony's Living Room/Dining Room - Divine Design).

Okay, back to Sarah 101... the pink upholstered dining chairs, the pretty patterned accent chairs in the living room and the red painted console add great punches of color to the space. Sarah definitely has a knack with neutrals but I'm not sold on how she incorporated color in this space. Pantone's Honeysuckle 18-2120 (2011's Color of the Year) is going to be a thing of the past before we know it. Next year when Pantone Mulberry 17-3014 or Vermillion Orange 16-1362 is the Color of the Year what on earth are they going to do with the Honeysuckle chairs and sofa?

Sarah's design methodology has always been neutral finishes and fixed elements, a stellar combonation for timeless style. However, in this space she's strayed from her classic roots. I can't help but feel like this space is a bit matronly, in a grammy kind of way. The wall of plates seals the deal on the Grammy style for me. I think there is a much better way to display these heirloom plates, like...um, oh I don't know... in a cabinet!

Don't get me wrong, I do LOVE Sarah and her style, just not this project. I've seen pics of Sarah's Cottage and that I really dig. Check it out here.

Wish Lanterns

Over the Christmas holiday my daughter and I saw the Disney movie "Tangled", an animated and updated movie based on the classic fairytale "Rapunzel". We loved the movie! It was truly fantastic from beginning to end. My favorite part of the movie was the releasing of the lanterns, it was such a beautiful and meaningful part of the movie. I had never heard of such a thing and thought is was more Disney magical make-believe than reality.

Well these magical lanterns are for real! I did a little websearch and look what I found! These "wish lanterns" are properly called Khoom Loy or Khoom Fay. Their origins began with the Thai culture. "The largest and most stunning of all Thai Lantern festivals takes place during the month of Yee Peng - the festival of Loy Kratong in Chiang Mai – in which lovers and partners gather on the riverbanks to float flowers and candles, launch fireworks and release thai lanterns together. It is considered good luck to release a thai lantern with the belief that misfortune will fly away with the lanterns. The offering of lanterns is also said to symbolise knowledge, their light guiding revellers on the right path to follow in life." (history via wishlantern.co.uk). I think these would be a great tradition to start for birthdays and anniversaries.

The Sky Lantern can be found here and here. Make a wish!

Glam Accents

Here are a few sparkly fun accents that would add glamour to any space. Enjoy!

Coco White Leather Ottoman from Horchow

I love the subtle sparkle of this generous sized ottoman pictured above. It features silver-tone studs with clear stone accents and a fancy center brooch.

Aluminum Side Table from Graham and Green

Moroccan Puff Ottoman from Horchow

Mercury Glass Lamp from Horchow

Moroccan Tray Table from Graham and Green

Faux Snakeskin Desk Chair from Graham and Green

---------------------------------UPDATE---------------------------------

I have to add one more thing to this post of Glam Accents for all my friends who prefer a more rustic style. Check out this tub featured in the December 2010/January 2011 Elle Decor Mag. The Lefroy Brooks tub is very sparkly yet the rustic nature of the room and the house bring it down to earth. I LOVE THIS!!!

Hit the Nail on the Head

Check out the Marco series of consoles and side tables from Bungalow 5. The textured, lacquered grasscloth pieces feature polished nickel nailheads, brushed nickel pulls, steel glides and is available in black or white. Currently out of stock but new shipments are set to arrive in March. I really like the cube shaped side tables and the large cabinet pictured below.

Function with a Side of Table

Here are a few side tables I've found in my web travels. All are functional and have great style. The cubes from Kartell open so they can be used for storage, the tray table from MoMA fits snug to a sofa and the adjustable side table from Moroso will work with just about any height sofa or chair.

Kartell Optic Cubes from Hive Modern


Porter Tray Table from MoMA Store

Adjustable Sofa Table from Dwell

Diesel Side Table from Moroso

HGTV Dream Home

Win the HGTV 2011 Dream Home!! Enter now for your chance to win the beautiful ski lodge style home in Stowe, Vermont!

This is my favorite part of the HGTV Dream Home, the dining area. I really love that the designers used Ethan Allen desk chairs on castor wheels as dining chairs, so creative!

Ethan Allen Collector's Classics Sutton Desk Chair

Pink Kitchens

Years ago when my husband and I were looking for our first house we almost bought this super cute 2 bedroom, 2 bath starter home. My favorite part about the house was that it had its original 1950's PINK kitchen. Yes, a pink kitchen. It was super cute! I dreamed of baking cupcakes and cookies in that kitchen (good fun but bad for the booty!). So when I stumbled upon this pink kitchen (pictured below) by Krista Ewart it brought me right back to that pink kitchen that was almost mine. Keep an eye out for future posts featuring Krista because I'm really digging her whimsical designs.

Image courtesy of Krista Ewart

This picture below is identical to the kitchen we almost had in our 1950's bungalow, right down to the chrome cabinet pulls and pink tile. So sweet!

Image via 1950's Atomic Ranch House

Here are a few modern takes on the classic pink kitchen. I especially love the pink glass backsplash with the white cabinetry and the HOT PINK cabinets in the last pic are really daring, I can totally imagine waking up to these cheery kitchens. Enjoy!

Pink Glass Backsplashes from UK Glass Products

I'm not sure where the image of this Hot Pink Exotic Kitchen originated...I've searched everywhere!! Here is a linkback to where I found it.

Nooks

I've been looking at options in breakfast nook seating for a potential client and I've found great alternatives to the traditional options. Most are custom designs, but well worth the investment considering comfort is at the top of our list.

All nook seating from Bianco Brothers

Nook table options are endless. A pedestal based table is the most efficient versus a table with four legs, as it is easier to navigate in and out of the seating area. I really like this round, glass top option and the dark wood oval pedestal, extendable table. What are your thoughts?

Platner Dining Table from Design Within Reach

Harvest Oval Table from Pottery Barn