thanks to all who left comments on my blog this week! i put everyone's names into a hat (literally. a hat.) and we have a winner...

the fabulous and ever-sophisticated miss whitney sturdy.

whitney, you are hereby obligated to throw a fabulous soiree so that i can create some fun invites for you :)

as for the rest of you, dear readers, i'll have some more sophisticating for you this week!

...happy sophisticating...

sneak peak + a freebie!

i have been busily working with my dear friend carrie paschall to plan an intimate 40th birthday celebration for her husband, danny. danny is an admirer of all things autumnal--the weather, the colors, the food, you name it. naturally this has inspired our theme for the party!


i will post a full event gallery of the party at a later time, but in the meantime i wanted to show you the invitations i designed. we took inspiration from one of danny's favorite artists, charlie harper. as you can see, i mounted a charlie harper print on a chocolate brown notecard.



i then printed the invitation copy on a piece of vellum and laid it over the print so all of the beautiful fall colors could show through. then i folded over the notecard at the top, punched a hole in each corner and threaded rustic twine through the holes to attach a twig to the top of the card. done! rustic sophistication and a "sign of things to come" for the guests at the party. what do you think?


...here's the fun part...
for the next week, if you leave a comment on this blog, i will enter you into a drawing to receive a custom invitation design! so if you have a birthday party or a holiday gathering coming up, i will design and assemble up to 25 very sophisticated invitations for free... you'll just pay for materials!
the drawing will take place next sunday, october 25 at 8:00 p.m.

hope you have a great week and, of course
...happy sophisticating...

design obsession: one room, multiple seating areas

hello faithful readers...or should i call you dreamers, since you would have had to dream up posts on my blog lately? i have been m.i.a. my apologies. however i have an excuse! LOTS of events and fun projects that i'll be featuring ever-so-shortly.

in the meantime, consider this my ode to living spaces. in the last 20 years, we have seen the rise of the "great room." these often massive spaces are meant for living, dining, lounging, cooking...everything! all in one room! don't get me wrong, i love an open floor plan as much as the next girl--but really unless you have a weekly book club with, like, 90 people, you will rarely need one gigantic seating area.

my sophisticated suggestion? carve up the space. floating sofas with a sofa table behind them. area rugs. small game tables. my personal favorite? back-to-back sofas. matching, or not. either way they are an uber-chic way to create delightful seating groupings that are a bit more attainable and inviting.

take inspiration from these photos. just looking at them you can tell exactly how the designer intended the space to be used. you can just picture 3 or 4 ladies chatting in one area, a gentleman reading in the corner, an older sister playing a game with her younger siblings at the table...so fabulous! these tips can help you acknowledge the large space, while maintaining a cozy atmosphere.

...happy sophisticating...


the front half of the "great room" in this incredible brooklyn townhouse is broken up into lovely areas--an oh-so-chic table and chairs for chess or afternoon tea or homework. this area is separated from the seating area in the front of the room by the beautiful fireplace. if you were standing at the front window facing the table and chairs, you would see our next photo.


this is in the same room as the previous photo! brilliant, no! i love how distinct these areas are, but how the luxe fabrics and lively colors tie the entire space together. i love the "separate togetherness" of the space.


i love the use of back-to-back sofas here. it's a chic way to give equal attention to the fabulous fireplace and the "indoor/outdoor" nature of the room. best of both worlds!
september 2008.


again with the back-to-back sofas. this time, separated by one sofa table. so brilliant!
june 2007.


an interesting twist--this room is especially versatile. it could be used as an expansive space, or could function as multiple seating areas. the sectional in the corner is a brilliant way to take advantage of space that could have gone wasted. the room is still open and spacious, but still contained.
june 2009.



love the breakdown of this space. the more formal seating area is separated by a floating sofa and modern sofa table. the area behind has a much more "loungy" feel. this furniture is low profile, so it maintains the airiness, but provides lots of options.
july 2009.


from this one angle, you can count 3 seating areas! the stools are a brilliant touch because they create three distinct seating areas but could be used in multiple directions and they allow the eye to float across the room without obstruction, adding to the loftiness of the room.
july 2009.


you can just imagine people in this room. comfortable. cozy. spacious. brilliant.
january 2008.

again with the back-to-back sofas! this time, the gigantic area adds further definition to BOTH seating groupings. a very nice touch!


in this grouping we have multiple back-to-back sofas that almost give the appearance of being single pieces of furniture. the muted color palatte combined with subtle florals add interest to the room without getting too busy.

all photos compliments of house beautiful.

sophisticateur: nancy meyers

nancy, oh nancy. why are you so incredible? not only do you write & direct romantic comedies that make women across the world swoon, but you hire the most PHENOMENAL art directors & set designers to create environments that make us all want to move into your movie. every. home. is. perfect. PERFECT!!!!

there is nothing more i can say. the photos speak for themselves. lose yourself in them. and if you're looking for movies to really get lost in...anything by nancy meyers and you're golden. utterly delightful.
...happy sophisticating...

let's start with the original. the unbelievable san marino home featured in father of the bride. w.o.w.



gotta love a great picket fence.



the living room. so simple and yet so chic. the muted color palatte really makes it feel homey.




and, of course, the phenomenal baby nursery featured in father of the bride, part II.

the napa home featured in the parent trap. love the climbing ivy. truly stunning.

and the interior. rustic chic. fabulous! notice how the accessories match the scale of the room.

and the wrap-around patio. shut. up.




the unreal london townhouse. mayfair district, i can only assume.




and the fabulous interior. orange has never looked so good. paired with traditional, classic elements, you can get away with a more bold wall color. i love the warmth!

the utterly delightful english cottage...built JUST for the movie. literally.

and inside? fabulous. love the color palatte of muted china blue and orangey gold. it plays off of the warm tones in the stone fireplace.




the "tent" featured in graham's house. shabby chic at its finest.

and, of course, cameron diaz's hollywood home in the movie. such a classic room! notice the jute rug as an organic background for the crisp brown and white. fabulous.




the unbelievable kitchen. i love how the modern surfaces are paired with more traditional lanterns.




and another view of the kitchen. LOVE the settee in the kitchen, so interesing. LOVE the slipcovered dining chairs. LOVE the use of natural elements to bring life to the space.

and the unbelievable pool. there are no words, really.

and to close? the something's gotta give house. it. is. perfect.

my dream kitchen. clean and bright. modern and traditional. so good it hurts.

and the dining room. you KNOW the food just tastes better in there. i adore the built in hutch with plates in all shades of white. notice how they mixed the finishes...black, warm brown, chocolate brown, creamy white. because they kept a simple color palate, they could mix without it feeling disheveled or unintentional.



glorious.

i wonder what she'll have for us next, in her upcoming film "it's complicated," starring the incomparable meryl streep, alec baldwin and steve martin. it will be fabulous, i'm sure.
check out out the trailer!

design obsession: bedside carafes

i've seen them everywhere from movie adaptations of jane austen novels to charlotte york's beautiful park avenue palace in sex in the city...regardless of time period and location, i have always had an affinity for the bedside carafe. they are a sophisticated approach to the utilitarian need to quench ones thirst in the middle of the night...and such a thoughtful touch for guest bedrooms!

when we moved into our new apartment, i went "carafe carazy" and purchased two for our bedroom and one for our "guest quarters." and given the fact that they come in such a wide range of styles, they seem to me to be worthy of a being a "design obsession"...whether your style is traditionally classic or eccentric and funky, these carafes offer a fun and thoughtful way to express your own design preferences.

and who says they are reserved for the bedside? what about using a bunch of them at a dinner party for individual beverages? so chic. the possibilities are endless, really.
...happy sophisticating...

fabulousness from cb2. and at $10, is it any surprise we bought 3?

a fun, modern carafe from unica home.



a true classic, from williams sonoma. love the monogram!

a very vintage touch, from posh chicago. perfect for a shabby chic-style room!

love love LOVE this shape! from grasshopper510.

and another fun shape from grasshopper 510.

the larger glass is nice. from crate and barrel.

anthropologie. need i say more? fab for the dinner table!

made from a recycled wine bottle. brilliant! available from meredithsmirrors on etsy.

omg: ma(i)sonry

i just invented a new feature category--omg--which means "OH MY GOSH i've discovered something so amazing that it is category-less."

so- OMG my husband and i just returned from a delightful week in the bay area and visited napa for the first time. i could go on and on and on about yountville & oakville & rutherford & st. helena...suffice it to say we plan to retire in one of these charming little towns.
too fab.
BUT across the street from our hotel we visited the most incredible place called ma(i)sonry--one part tasting room, one part gallery, one part boutique, all parts oh-so-sophisticated.

the building was built by an italian mason using stone from the eastern hills of napa valley. now it houses the most phenomenal collection of furniture, art and home accessories, and it features some of the most incredibly designed outdoor space i have ever seen. ever. you can grab a seat anywhere...really...anywhere...and sip or taste or take in the general splendor. they call it their living gallery. oh, and everything you see is for sale.

enjoy these photos. you'll die. in a good way. omg.
...happy sophisticating...


is it not stunning?


fab outdoor seating option #1. how great would this be for a private event?!

fab outdoor seating #2. the husband by the unbelievable fire pit.

beauteous.


so incredible.

one small piece of the fabulous boutique situation going on.

wouldn't you just love to sit here, oh, forever?
amazing.