Lucky them!

Sometimes you see a home that is just so fresh and light and - for lack of a better term - happy looking, that you instantly fall in love with it. That's what happened when I was perusing the latest issue of Architectural Digest and stumbled upon the beautiful Beverly Hills home of Lucky Brand executives Dave DeMattei and Patrick Wade. It has once again convinced me that the light in Southern California really is different (read better) than in Holland, and that beautiful neutrals need not be monotonous, particularly when given a pop of colour in the form of bright lamp shade, a vibrant bouquet of flowers or a spunky stool to draw the eye in.

My favourite room is probably the dining room. I love those dove grey walls set off by the crisp, white moldings and slip covers on the chair. And don't get me started on the blue and white Chinese jars! I love, love, love blue and white China (have quite a bit of it in my own home). That pool isn't half bad either, though, is t?! Time for a little bit of California dreaming, me thinks! Seriously, is it wrong to lust after things you can never have as much as I do? 

Industrial stools

Last weekend we went to visit my father-in-law in the very picturesque town of Delft. He lives in the coolest house imaginable; it's an old, converted soap company, complete with exposed brick walls (like in the picture above), a two-story high gigantic tub (the top of which they covered with a bespoke wooden  top which is 3 meters in diameter!!) in which the soap used to be mixed, and the lingering smell of delicious soap which seems to have permeated the walls. My father-in-law and his partner are probably the two coolest, most fascinating and fun people I've ever known. He's a diplomat tuned art-lover and she's an amazing cook with a great catering business and who also paints beautifully. Their home is a mixture of antique, DIY furnishings and great finds. The most recent was a pair of vintage industrial chrome and vinyl bar stools, of which I stupidly didn't think to take a picture (next time, folks!! In fact, the entire house deserves a proper shoot, so I owe you that!), but it really inspired my new-found love of vintage and industrial, stools.  You like?

I love these fuchsia Tolix stools - they're on my list!

via Etsy

via Houzz

via Savvy Southern Style

Happy place

This is a view into designer Tory Burch's orange library and to me, it is the perfect vignette. It's so sophisticated yet unbelievably cheery. It makes me happy. Pretty much all Tory Burch's interiors make me happy, but this one is the most inviting.  And now I am going to go to sleep with a smile on face. Night night!

Style crush: Bianca Brandolini d'Adda

Bianca Brandolini d'Adda. Yup, she looks as glamorous as she sounds. This Italian socialite and model (she features in the Dolce & Gabbana ad campaign) is where the action is when it comes to fashion. Her mother was Valentino's muse, she's dating Fiat heir and dandy extraordinaire Lapo Elkann (I don't actually know whether they're off or on at this point, but that's irrelevant) and she herself seriously stunning. I love her style, both off and on the red carpet. Her effortless chic can make almost any outfit. She seems to be a big lover of leopard print (a girl to my own heart) and always manages to make it look so stylish and hip, without seeming to try to hard. It's a gift, I'm telling you! And it's also those great Italian genes. 

Prodigal blogger returns

Hi guys! I'm back! Not that I went anywhere physically, but my day job caught up with me. I had a couple of pretty big assignments that took up every minute of my spare time, but they're drawing to a close, well ahead of my deadline, so I'm happy and relieved and itching to get back to blogging. So, my  sincere apologies for the static, and now back to the business of chic and glamorous living.

I have to confess that I have a hard time practicing what I preach. I don't know if you guys remember this, but a while back I was announcing to anyone who was willing to listen that I was going to turn one of our spare rooms into my home office. Now, months later, I'm still working at my desk (read kitchen island) in the kitchen, surrounded by errant pieces of mail, the odd sippy cup and all the other detritus of our rather hectic (and messy) life. And yet I continue to crave that space of my own, where no one else's junk but my own clutters my desk!

So, in order to inspire myself and kick myself in the rear end, I've been ogling a number of rather stunning home offices. My favourite is this gorgeous, rather grand library, which I know is something I won't be gunning for but I love the feel of the room. The soothing colours, the gorgeous blue-and-white lamps ( I own one similar), the gorgeous antique desk and Asian artifacts, and of course, all those lovely books. Yum! This library was designed by Francois-Joseph Graf, who also designed the rest of this apartment in Paris' 7th arrondissement (which happens to be my favourite part of the City of Lights).

Source: Elle Decor

The following are pretty sweet too.

I love the chrome, the large black and white photography and the playful framing of the Hermes bags

Via Hayfield House blog

Alex Papachristidis

Mary McDonald

Tamara Mellon's home office in Elle Decor

Via CJ della Tore

Fifty shades of beige and tan

I am rediscovering my love of all things beige, camel, tan, cognac, sand, toffee and caramel. Whether in fashion or interiors - heck, even in car interiors - this colour screams glamour and eternal chic. Well, may it doesn't scream, it's more like a gentle whisper, subtle yet impossible to ignore. My old apartment featured a great deal of beige and cream, but that was BC (Before Children). And beige doesn't really go with stacks of blocks in primary colours. Let's face it: a room done up in beige, tan, etc. looks messy the instant something in other shade enters the equation. And right now I'm in my bright, colourful phase, so there's no messing with that. But somewhere down the line I can see myself choosing something more earthy and natural.

In the meantime, this images will have to do. And I love them! Especially the fashion shots. My all time favourite look has got to be the cognac dress with the bold, gold and ivory jewelry. Could it get any more perfect than that?? It's killing me!

Giovanna Battaglia

Perfection - I want her entire oufit - and to look that good in it!!

Jessica Alba

Kelly Wearstler

Taking it on the ear

Cara Delevingne

Maybe I've just crawled from under a rock, perhaps this trend has been around for a lot longer than I thought, so forgive me my ignorance, but I've been picking up on the ear cuff trend and I don't quite know what to make of it. Do I love it or hate it? I always enjoy something different, and my pearl drop earrings, boho chic chandeliers and chunky gold hoops aren't doing it for me anymore. Can I get away with anything as edgy as the ear cuff without looking like I'm trying too hard? We know it looks good on young, hot models like Cara Delevingne, and Jessica Alba and Diane Kruger can do no wrong by me, but what about me, the (a)typical suburban mom with one foot in the fashion world, the other firmly ensconced in a sensible pair of Superga's?

Not every ear cuff is quite up my alley - some are just a little too hard core for me - but I keep finding myself drawn to designs by jewelry designer Maria Black or Repossi (available via Net-a-porter) - as if I could ever afford the latter! I'm a fan of the version that's more of a comma-shaped earring, but hints at an ear cuff, like Olivia Munn's below. Call it the beginner's ear cuff. Baby steps, right? So what do you guys think? Are you aged 35 or over and already sporting a pair? Does it even matter?

Olivia Munn

Etro

Maria Black ear cuff

 Repossi ear cuff

Tuula Vintage

via Vogue Globo