totally cool mom

I've been known to get starstruck a time or two. I remember waving furiously to Bart Conner in the Apple Blossom Festival parade after he won gold in the 1984 summer olympics. Prior to that, however, I remember going to a Lee Greenwood--the "I'm Proud to be an American" guy--concert with my dad. We rushed the stage after the concert and my dad hoisted me on his shoulders so I could shake Mr. Greenwood's hand. He patted my head and said "Hi sweetie." True story. Mark Wahlberg, who will always be Marky Mark to me, was my first real celebrity sighting (and therefore most exciting and memorable) when I moved to New York in 1999. Today I was starstruck once again when I met Cortney Novogratz, the coolest mom ever. I've been a fan since her show 9 By Design on BRAVO, and when I heard that she would be in Austin at a book signing event, I had to be there.

She's just as cool and personable in real life as you would expect her to be. And it turns out that we have a small world connection. She and her husband live in New York City (with their seven children!), which is where Alex and I met. After Alex and I got married in New York, we moved to Charlotte, NC, which is where Cortney and her husband met. Pretty cool, right? I thought so...

Tonight I will be geeking out reading my new book Home by Novogratz, which Cortney signed for the family today. When we get back from Wisconsin at the end of next month I'll be totally inspired and ready to start some new projects!

it's about the chairs

I'm on a little bit of a mid-century modern kick right now with an Eames molded plywood chair restoration on my radar (more about that later) and I just came across an interior by Joseph Foglia Designs where the chairs made the room:

Another Eames classic, the molded plastic armchairs, in a vibrant vintage blue are the perfect anchor to this neutral space. I want that!

Images from Joseph Foglia Designs.

miss-ed out!

I'll tell you where I was not today. I was not lined up in front of Target at 4:00am a la Black Friday waiting for the doors to open. I was not one of the thousands (or perhaps millions) on the Target website causing it to crash. So I missed out on the Missoni collaboration that is rumored to be sold out. I guess that's okay because #1 I'm pregnant and #2 I don't want to run around looking like everyone else anyway. Except those flats were really cute...

sassy in minneapolis

Lonny

I saw this house featured in the latest issue of Lonny magazine, and I'm slightly obsessed. Maybe it's because I've dreamt of incorporating an Eero Aarnio bubble chair into my future home's decor, or maybe it's the crazy wallpaper or the bright yellow accents. Whatever it is, the room lead me to Google the designer who, guess what, happens to live in Charlotte. Crazy! Here are some other shots of this home in Minneapolis from Lisa Sherry Interieurs:

Although I've never been a big fan of all white walls (or ceilings!), I have to admit that the designer has given me some ideas. White walls give you the freedom to go crazy with a bold, patterned wallpaper or wild with a striped island in the kitchen set below an equally striking medallion painted on the ceiling. I'm totally inspired...even if it does mean there's another round of wallpaper-hanging somewhere down the line (read about my first experience here). I'll just make sure to do it on one, flat wall the second time around.

Below is another home, located here in Charlotte, that Lisa Sherry decorated. I have to admit that I like the bold patterns she uses when they play off of white walls versus a darker color. However, I do love the chalkboard wall in the kid's room. If you could only keep it that quirky with transformer sketches.

CLEAR-ly

It started with my obsession for all things clear and led me to an obsession with a new interior design firm. Well...maybe not an obsession, but I like their designs. I saw the Akbar table (pictured above) in my latest issue of Elle Decor and had to check out the genius behind it. 

[Side note: when is too much clear furniture too much? Have I reached my limit yet? If I use this table in a bedroom, where there is no clear furniture of which to speak, is that okay?]

My investigative skills lead me to White Webb, NYC interior design firm of Matthew White and Frank Webb, and here is a look at some of their work that harmoniously tows the line between classicist and modernist:

me time

Novogratz bathroom

Yes. It is a cliche, but at the end of a hectic day who doesn't wish for a Calgon moment? I often joke that I am a single mom--at least when Alex travels 25 days a month, like the month of March--and that my real job doesn't start until I get home at around 6:30. From 6:30 - 7:30 I am in a full-body sprint as I prepare--I use that term loosely--dinner for two kids (now that Scout eats "real" food) then move onto bath number one [Scout], story time number one [Scout], bath number two [Catcher] and story time number two [Catcher]. Mix in the washing/preparing of bottles for the following day, clean up from dinner (which involves lots of windex and several paper towels to rid our ghost chairs of Catcher's sticky prints), and gathering of supplies (someone always needs more diapers or wipes at daycare)...and I'm spent for the night. No wonder I consider a baguette and a hunk of brie (and a glass of wine, of course) dinner. 

Wait. What's all this babbling about? Oh yeah...the Calgon moment. Maybe it's cheesy and very Soap Opera of me, but wouldn't a bath--in a stylish clawfoot tub, of course--be a great way to wind down? I'll take it.

Veranda

Country Living

Apartment Therapy

Elle Decor

fashion meets design

In honor of New York's fashion week, I dedicate this post to some fabulous collaborations between fashion and interior design...

Alexander McQueen for The Rug Company

Oscar de la Renta for Century

Oscar de la Renta for Lee Jofa fabrics

Diane von Furstenberg

Vivienne Westwood for The Rug Company

seeing redd

It seems like all the interiors I've been loving lately have been the work of New York-based designer Miles Redd. His mix of high and low--along with the juxtaposition of casual and glamour--is artful and inspiring. His design business grew organically as he began decorating friends' apartments in New York, and I hope to one day be as lucky (and talented!) as Redd. Take a look at some of his work (images from Miles Redd).