Monday, December 30, 2013

Target Wedding Registry - Be Yourself, Together



Nothing screams holiday cheer and quality time like a well stocked bar. So when Target, one of my all time favorite places to shop, asked us to pull together items from the Target Wedding Registry to help couples create a fun wedding registry, with the theme "Be Yourself, Together",  we got cracking.

 

No built-in bar at home? Then be sure to add Target's stylish and budget-friendly bar cart to your registry. The rustic gold finish is the perfect finish to satisfy the design taste of both sexes, and it's double layers means you can really keep it stocked.Load up on the champagne, sparkling water and wines from Target on the lower shelf. These selections can also help the couple create their own cheer any time of year, especially on New Year's Eve.


On the top shelf, drape a favorite piece of fabric or a Target runner down the center of the bar cart, add a festive find like the Stag head, some shot glasses, a decanter and pitcher from the Cheers collection and your bar cart is styled, stocked and ready to steal the show at your first soiree. Now, cue up your favorite music and dance the night away.


What's the most memorable wedding gift you received on your special day? Or gifted to a friend on their wedding day? What are some of your favorite items you want added to your Target Wedding Registry wish list?Let us know by following along at #TargetWedding

Here's How To Create the Look Featured:
Bar Cart
Stag Head
Cheers Tumblers
Men's Glasses
Ice Bucket
Decanter
Mustache Corkscrew

*This is a sponsored post by Target, with original content written by yours truly.




Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.


Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Holiday Hugs and Best Wishes

So many blessings to be thankful for this holiday season as we chill out Miami style with family and friends. 
May you all spend quality time with your loved ones, and may we all savor the conversations, the hugs and kisses more than we do the gifts.
Cheers to an amazing Christmas.    

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

HELP! Last Minute Gifts For the Eternal Procrastinator


                                                                        1/2/3/4/5

Yes, it's true. I'm quite possibly the worst holiday shopper ever as in, every year I wait until the 11th hour to get my ish together. In all fairness, this is not my wish. But for many designers, the holiday season is the busiest time of year. Everyone wants their home looking fab, which means my own home gets neglected, ditto my shopping.
Anywho, grandma arrives today to the rescue to set up the tree and decorations for the 'lil man, so all will be well at home. I have also pulled together some last-minute gift ideas, with a full collection being featured today over on Arcadian Home. The collection was inspired by my love affair with mixing gold and silver finishes, with splashes of color and whimsical items, as seen in this recent project.



Check out a few of the selections being featured to get you started on your own mixed metal journey and to finally finish your holiday shopping: 

Gold Starburst Mirror
Shreve Table Lamp




Caroline Bar Cart




White Nesting Bowls

Loreni Urns
Someone's definitely getting that vintage camera and pillow! I'm loving all these as gifts for friends, family and of course, you. Now let's go shopping!






Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Another Bachelor, Another Reveal


This light-filled apartment with a killer view of Miami, belongs to my second bachelor client of the year, Mr. B. 
Well, he does have an amazing girlfriend, so technically, he's not a true bachelor. Anyway, I digress. Mr. B owns a home in Spain but works, lives in Miami and travels the globe for work. Renting, not owning a place here was his best option. 
This little cave of an apartment on Miami's Brickell Key is a prime location, but oh, the apartment was so gloomy it felt mildly depressing.
Since it's a rental, we couldn't knock down walls, change light fixtures or gut bathrooms, but we could surely purchase some solid pieces of furniture that will transition well to his next home, add some fresh paint colors to the walls (we'll paint it back to the original color when his lease is up), and give the space some gosh damn style. Here's where we started:

Yes, yes, when will I learn to remove handbags from my before photos? Anyway, handbags aside, pretty gloomy looking no?





Mr. B wanted the grey wall gone and some more fun colors introduced. Once we'd settled on the large items like this very comfy sectional from Z Gallerie, he left me to my own devices to purchase other items. I scored this rug from Home Goods and thought it's rust tones added color and warmth to the space. 

As always, I try to mix high tickets items with more budget friendly options so scored these end tables from Overstock. 


He swooned for this swing arm lamp from Crate and Barrel. Can you blame him?
He is an avid reader, so his book collection served as great accessories on this Overstock coffee table and throughout the condo.
This little nook needed some special love and attention.
This Ikea table is a favorite of mine because it's so versatile. It fit perfectly here. The Target lamps add extra lighting and the Nate Berkus baskets serve as both extra storage and seating for additional guests, and I love their amazing texture.

Y'all know I loves me some grey paint, but it admittedly made this apartment feel exceedingly gloomy and he hated it so much that it had to go. 

Since this is a rental, we only painted accent walls, and not the entire apartment. Here we added a warm beige with a brown banding, which added some visual detail on the wall in lieu on spending loads of money on art to add to this very long wall.


The accent wall is also the perfect backdrop for this walnut and white media console which we all fell in love with, but lost out to another buyer who'd purchased the last two! I cannot tell you the anguish I had over that, but luckily the buyer decided she only needed one and now voila, this splendid piece now sits very pretty in this space.

Around the corner from the living room is the first of two bedrooms, a tad smaller than the second bedroom but since it had an en suite bathroom he preferred to have it serve as the master.

Mr. B entrusted all paint choices to me (love those clients!) so I decided to use the color of the living room rug as inspiration for the accent wall color in  the master bedroom. We splurged a bit on this bed from Crate and Barrel. I loved the mid century modern lines of the nightstands from West Elm and our

Our Instagram followers voted on the lamp shades (so glad y'all picked the one I wanted!!!) 


He already had this amazing duvet from Pottery Barn and it was the perfect finish for the bed.
A very longggggggggg hallway connects the rooms to the living room, so to add some interest without breaking the bank, we framed inexpensive prints of some of his favorite cities and used the water view he sees from the apartment as inspiration for the striped detail on the wall. 

We carried that blue into the second bedroom which he does double duty as his office and guest room. 
 

An inexpensive day bed from Ikea takes up minimal real estate in the room while providing seating and a comfy place for guests to sleep.


He fell in love with this desk from West Elm and we paired it with this a stylish yet comfortable chair from Modani. A gallery wall of maps of his hometown and other cities that he loves offers a sense of connection to Spain and Europe, even as he now calls Miami home.



A huge thanks to Mr. B whose emails kept me royally entertained. We often got lost in translation, as English is his second language. We had a blast sending photos, emails and text messages back and forth, since he was not here for much of the project, and we needed to make sure he understood all that was happening. A bigger thank you to his amazing girlfriend Paula, who trusted me enough to recommend to Mr. B that I take over the reigns of this design project, so he could live in style.
 
Source Guide
Living Room:
Zgallerie - Sectional
KMP Furniture - Media Unit
Overstook - Coffee Table, End Tables
Crate and Barrel - Floor Lamp
Home Goods - Area Rug
Curtain panels - Ikea but customized by Titan Decor.
Sheer panels - Titan Decor 
Bedroom: 
Crate and Barrel - Bed
Overstock - Rug
West Elm - nightstands
Lamps - Target
Guest Room/Office:
Home Goods - Rug
West Elm - Desk
Ikea - Daybed
All Artwork: Art.com and Allposters.com
Chair - Modani
Pillows - Target, Ikea and Home Goods







Tuesday, December 10, 2013

It Always Seems Impossible Until It's Done.....Nelson Mandela


Last week the world lost Nelson Mandela, a man whose passion for life, equality and justice made him withstand 27 years in prison. His crime? The audacity to demand that he and every black South African be treated equally, including being allowed to vote.

Nelson Mandela "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others"
I was teenager when Mandela visited Jamaica, among the countries he toured to celebrate his release from prison and the collapse of apartheid. 
It was the calmest day I have ever experienced but as a pressed my face against the fence to see his motorcade drive by a powerful wind suddenly appeared, as if nature too needed to acknowledge the force of Mandela. I have never forgotten that day, that moment, and am blessed to have at least had the privilege of seeing him.
Madiba....may your health improve!


From prisoner to president. RIP Mr. Mandela. Thank you for all you did to create a better world.






Monday, December 9, 2013

Powder Room Rules and More...




Yay, it's Monday! In my head I wish it were the weekend but hey, gotta give Monday respect. I have a busy week that starts off with an installation today. May the installation Gods be kind and deliver up zero surprises.
This week I'm also over on Houzz dishing about my powder room pet peeves. You know, like that lack of toilet paper or hand soap! What gives people, what gives. I had no idea so many people shared my issues. Swing by to chime in with your own peeve. I was surprised by some of the amenities people insist they must have in that room. Shocking stuff for sure.
The little man is gearing up for his first Christmas play this week. Can't wait! This weekend he stayed up WAY past bed time to help celebrate our favorite bachelor's birthday at one my now favorite Miami restaurants, Pride and Joy and to also check out a bit of the madness of Art Basel. A photographer in town for the festivities captured this very pensive expression. Yes, he takes that back pack everywhere!
Anyway peeps, make it a great day. 
 

Thursday, December 5, 2013

A Design Award! Stop Da Presses.......

I finally get to share this bit of news that I've been holding in for a few weeks. I've been selected as the recipient of the Z Gallerie 2013 Fall/Winter Design Award.
Humbled, honored, blessed are just a few of the words I can find to describe how this feels. 
As many of you know, I'm not a classically trained designer. I'm just a girl who followed her passion/obsession for design, studied quietly, worked my way up from the bottom, by learning the gritty work of the trade and now here we are. 
Thankful for all the clients who have handed over their keys, and cash, and trusted me to work my magic.
Thankful even more for having the best design team a girl could ask for - hats off to Debbie, Shaggy, Roy, Dennis and Tamisha for making me look good. The bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne that came with that award will be shared!
Here are a few of the the projects, featuring Z Gallerie pieces, that I submitted.

Sophie Mirrored Dining Table and mirrored buffet.
Brooke Hexagon Coffee Table
Venezia Chandelier
Z Gallerie accessories including the Alligator Bookend
Astair Nesting Tables
 Thanks even more to all of you for following along this little journey. And huge thanks to the hubby and Xavier for tolerating my insane work schedule and loving and supporting me through it all. Hugs and Besos. Now back to work!

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