Fabulous Room Friday 05.24.13

This week, I'm loving this amazing kitchen by Studio William Hefner. It is bold, glamorous, and classic all at once. I love the white marble countertops, white cabinetry, and black island as well as the black and white marble checkerboard floors. What I love most are the amazing cabinets (filled with blue and white pottery) in the passthrough area from the kitchen into the dining room? Isn't it fabulous? The glimpse of the dining room is pretty chic too, from the red Chippendale chairs, marble-topped bistro table and red tole lantern. I love every last detail in this space! The lovely and talented Kate LeSueur photographed my house yesterday for a fun, upcoming feature! We had so much fun together and she got some beautiful shots. I can't wait to share the photos, feature, and some very exciting news with you. Stay tuned and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Get the Look: A Modern Office

Hola! Arianna here, back with some more decor inspiration. For this month's Get the Look I'm featuring the office of Erin Hiemstra - a bright, clean, inviting space with with modern elements.

Create a similar look with these pieces:

1. An updated Queen Anne-style chair in all white

2. Brass dome pendants for a touch of refined glamour

3. A sleek brass desk accessory to stylishly hold pencils and other tools

4. A clear acrylic tray to keep the desk neat and organized

5. A modern floating desk with clean lines and a metallic base

6. A cozy faux sheepskin rug to soften and add warmth

LDV Top 10: Bold Throw Pillows

{Claiborne Swanson Frank’s Apartment via ELLE DÉCOR}

I adore throw pillows and their transformative nature. These little décor elements can make such a huge impact on a space. I always advise friends and clients to go for neutrals on bigger design elements such as sofas, chairs, and drapes and introduce color and pattern, especially, through throw pillows since they are a smaller investment and are generally painless to switch out. If you replaced the throw pillows in any of the rooms pictured in this post, I’m sure you’d agree that the entire look and feel of each room would change dramatically. Over the last several months, I have been redesigning my house in preparation for the photoshoot that is taking place here as we speak (yay!) and along the way, I have ordered more throw pillows than my husband cares for. However, they’ve been transformative and they make me so happy!

{Image via Suzanne Eason Interiors}

{Image via Carrier and Company}

{Raiana Schwenker’s Leopard Pillows via Sadie + Stella}

{David Hicks La Fiorentina Pillows in my friend, Hallie’s Apartment}

Below, you’ll find my current Top 10 List of throw pillows that make a bold statement. They are great mixed in with solids and more subtle patterns as well as on their own. I recently commissioned Arianna Belle to make the Coral Linen Pillows with Greek Key Trim for my family room and also have numbers 2, 3, and 6 in my home.

{1. Arianna Belle Coral Linen Pillow with Greek Key Trim | 2. David Hicks La Fiorentina Pillow in Bark Colorway | 3. Arianna Belle Leopard Print Cotton Velvet Pillow | 4. Throw & Co. Christina Pillow with Chartreuse and Chevron Trim | 5. C. Wonder Chinoiserie Pillow | 6. Boho Ikat Square Pillow | 7. Throw & Co. Whitney Pillow | 8. Arianna Belle Les Touches Pillow | 9. Jayson Home & Garden Gold Suzani Pillow | 10. Jayson Home & Garden Gold Agate Pillow}

Which of these pillows is most your style?

Currently Loving: Clare Elsaesser

My fellow Joy & Revelry Style Maven, Chelsea Horsley of Yours Truly recently stumbled upon artist Clare Elsaesser’s beautiful work on Pinterest and soon after, a collaboration was born. Clare has created a beautiful and affordable series of prints exclusively for Joy & Revelry, available only for the next two weeks, so act fast! Doesn’t her work have such a romantic quality?

{Grew Into}

{Navy and Yellow}

{Watching Trees}

Which is your favorite?

In the Stacks

{My dear friend, Mark Sikes is an even bigger bibliophile than I am! He has stacks of beautiful books all around his house, including underneath the beautiful Chippendale console in his living room as featured in Lonny.}

I have a couple of addictions in life—magazine subscriptions and stacks of coffee table books mostly of the interior design, fashion, and travel variety. While I have several bookcases in my house along with a new built-in in my family room, and various other surfaces where I currently stack my books, I am constantly buying new ones and receiving them as gifts from thoughtful individuals who know how much I enjoy them. I grew up loving to read and looking forward to trips to the library. I always knew that I wanted my house to be filled with books on fascinating subjects, even when I was just a little girl. While I use books in my décor, I do not believe is using them solely for that purpose. Every book in my home is one that I love and have read. Having said all of that, I know that the day will come when I run out of real estate for my beloved books. My stacks are constantly growing taller as you’ll see when I share my house tour with you in the coming weeks. How tall is too tall? What does one do when there isn’t anymore space? I haven’t gotten to the point of stacking books on the floor yet, but the day may come at some point! Until then, I’ve rounded up some images of some stylish stacks.

{New York designer, Ryan Korban has stacks of books in his Manhattan apartment.}

{Ryan loves his stacks! Here is yet another stack of books, this time on a side chair, as featured on The Selby.}

{PaperCity editor and Claridge + King designer, Laurann Claridge’s chic Houston high-rise condo features this beautiful antique Biedermier chest, topped with a spectacular quartz lamp, Waylande Gregory bowl, a Louis Philippe Mirror, and of course, a stack of carefully selected books.}

{Hudson Interior Designs stacked books on this nickel bar cart.}

{Stacks of Books on Top of as well as Under a Table | Image via Cote de Texas}

{Although this is a library in a home, I love the way that these books are stacked on a large rectangular table. It reminds me of shopping in some of my favorite stores.}

{Stacks of Books Comingle with Decorative Objets in this Vignette from Domino}

{Miles Redd stacks the books in his bedroom on a chair as well as on a low-slung table across from his bed. | Image via Mark D. Sikes}

{Designer Carlos Miele’s Home features a gorgeous carved console with stacks of books underneath. Notice the spines are not facing the front. Do you have a preference when it comes to the placement of the spines of the books? I like for them to face forward. | Image via ELLE DÉCOR}

{This image is from a real estate listing in Houston from my early days in blogging, years ago! It looks like their stack of books functions as a martini table near the leather arm chair. Just make sure to have coasters handy!}

{Stacks of Books on a Trunk used as a Night Stand}

{Another Bedside Stack}

{I don’t ever want my house to look like this! The key is for the stacks to be artfully arranged. Are you a fellow book hoarder? How do you store/display your books?}