quick & affordable office makeover

I love fresh starts and new beginnings.  That doesn’t mean I’m an advocate for new years resolutions, but with each new year comes a new opportunity to make a few changes.  I like to start small and reflect on the little things that will help make a bigger difference in my day to day routines.  I love the feeling of being organized and what’s better than being organized with colorful, artsy pieces to brighten up your office space.  Sometimes there’s little to be done with the harsh overhead lighting, drab office furniture and depressing tile ceilings at work, but a few little tweaks to  your office, desktop and office supplies can make even the most sterile of spaces feel like a work appropriate sanctuary (Anne Taintor sticky notes available here.)

 

 

Felt office storage available  @ West Elm ($6.00-24.00)
Moleskine Folio Professional Orange Folder, $14.95 from Barnes & Noble

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

 

Stockholm Magazine File $10.99 @ The Container Store.
Rhombin Desk Organizer, $12 from PLASTICA

 

 

 

 

  

Jonathan Adler Note Cubes, $13 from See Jane Work    
TPS chartreuse file cabinet, $159 from CB2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year!
xo,

Lauren

spotlight on my favorite up & coming british starlett

Ever since being sucked into the British version of Skins (which involved a lot of re-watching and obsessing over each episode like a 13 year old) I totally fell in love with my favorite character Effy, played by the uber-talented and stunning Kaya Scodelario.  Her dark & edgy style on and off-screen is so inspiring – I love the way she pairs tomboy items like clunky boots, moto jackets or a baggy tee with really fitted and girly pieces.  While this combination is is nothing new, it really works for her and she’s able to pull it off in a way that makes it look fresh and new- and she can rock messy bed-head hair (one of my all-time favorite looks) like none other.   I don’t care how young she is, I would love to rain this girl’s closet- but it’s not just her style that’s made me such a fan.

Why hadn’t I seen or heard of this fresh-faced, talented actress before stumbling across Skins thanks to a suggestion from Netflix?  At 14, she was cast as Effy with no prior acting experience whatsoever, but was nominted twice for the British TV Quick Award in the category for Best Actress for her stint in Skins.  This show helped her fine-tune her acting chops and has lead to bigger and better roles, modeling gigs and magazine features.  Recently, I read an article on her in British Vogue and wasn’t at all surprised to learn that she had landed the role of Cathy is in the latest film adaptation of Wuthering Heights (after Natalie Portman gave up the role.)  Her charatcter on Skins was so gritty, damaged but beautiful (much like her personal style), I cannot wait to see her in her role as Cathy, which was hailed as a ‘heart-wrenching revelation’ at the Venice Film Festival.  Wuthering Heights was released mid-November in the U.K. but it’s U.S. release date has yet to be announced.  Regardess, I’ve already checked out the trailer which is available online and I can’t wait to see it once it finally does hit theaters.  Here’s a spectrum of her style below- from 19th century classic beauty to hard as nails Effy to sultry and sophisticated editorials, she can do no wrong.

Stills from Wuthering Heights:

 

Leather and lace in high school:

All glam & grown up:

 

 

xo,

Lauren

one-stop shop: interior design, jewelry & vintage decor

I was fortunate to recently come across the dreamy and beautiful home design & accessories website of artist and creative designer, D.L. Rhein.  I was so inspired by her design career, passion for creating beautiful things and the interior designs and decorative offerings available on her website and in her LA-based stores, I couldn’t wait to share.  I also became an instant fan of her design projects which feature unique pops of colors and statement pieces through non-traditional items (such as the turquoise beaded chandelier featured below) in an otherwise neutral space.  D.L. Rhein began her career crafting from home which lead to the development of homemade picture frames, which turned into a full-scale decorative, accessories business.  DLRhein.com offers sophisticated and whimsical products spanning from jewelry, vintage items, furniture, artwork, apparel and entertaining essentials.  She is known for producing unexpected combinations inspired by both timeless classics and the latest trends.

Recent design project, Hands On Salon Beverly Hills:

xo,

Lauren

outfit & artist spotlight: That’s Chic

I’m really loving the flowy pirate blouse, black skinny jeans, platforms & congac belt with gold hardware Rachel from ”That’s Chic’ modeled in her latest blog post, Simplified.  The accessories chosen add the perfect finishing touch and I especially love the bracelet’s she’s chosen to stack on.  I would wear this exact outfit anyday.

Juicy Couture jeans, Style Stalker top, Seychelles shoes

xo,
Lauren

ansel adams in living color

I’ve always been a lover and collector of Ansel Adam’s prints.  Recently, I had the good fortune of being invited on a trip out west to Jackson Hole where I was surrounded by one of  his most famous muses, the Grand Tetons.  This was really one of the most overwhelmingly beautiful destinations I have experienced.  Here are two of my own photo’s under the original by Adams.

Ansel Adams: Grand Tetons and Snake River

 

 

xo,

Lauren

 

lovesit: missoni madness

   

I’ve been looking forward to the launch of Missoni’s collection for Target for weeks – September 13th had been highlighted, starred and scribbled on in every calendar and daily planner I own.  Although I was working yesterday, I planned ahead to get up a little earlier and try my best to score a few items from the highly anticipated collection online.  I wanted to grab everything – the prices were almost too good to be true but the speed at which item’s I was quickly trying to get into my virtual cart were selling out was not so good.  As much as I love target, I was beyond frustrated with the fact that their site crashed for almost the entirety of the day.  Somehow I was able to access my online shopping cart and quickly proceeded to checkout before being kicked offline again- even though it meant I was unable to access some more items I wanted to add to my bundle:

     

I was thrilled about the item’s I was able to buy but I still wanted more.  Last night after doing some errands with my boyfriend I found an excuse to stop by a Target on our way home.  Somehow this Target still had a decent but limited selection of the Missoni goods.  I was expecting the collection to be featured together on one display- all the home goods, kitchen ware, bath, apparel, etc but it was separated throughout the store in each item’s designated department which made me feel like I was on an easter egg hunt trying to track everything down.  A couple of the kitchen items I had ordered online were in stock and they were even better in person than I had expected so I can’t wait to get them in the mail.  However, some of the other items I had been considering  but didn’t have the opportunity to add to my cart, were really less than stellar and looked more cheap than chic.  In particular, the glass vases looked very budget as did the black pumps, the paper-lined picture frames and framed swatches of the Missoni print.  Basically any of the item’s that had Missoni-printed paper involved looked like it had been glued on by a 5-year-old.  They had a lot of the girls/ infant collection available which, frankly was cuter than most of the women’s collection.  A lot of the women’s lingerie/loungewear was still available but I wasn’t really dying for any pieces from Missoni’s women’s collection except for the yellow bikini, scarves and belted cardigan which were sold out early on.  I think their home and kitchen collection was really their best offering and I’m still holding out for one of the throw blankets which are one of the highlights of the collection.  After speaking with a Target employee I was told most of the stores would be restocking their Missoni inventory later in the week but there was no word yet on the website getting more.

Lust list:

 

xo,

Lauren

feeling inspired

These soft and subtle dream-like images below are giving me some much-needed inspiration on this wet and dreary day in Boston. 

xo,

Lauren

starting over: inspiration and style for a new space

It’s been several weeks since we moved into our new apartment and I am still struggling to set it up and arrange everything the way I saw it coming together in my head (the other side of our bedroom is still a storage space for art.)  With more space and a very different layout than our last place, it’s been a challenge finding the ideal home for each piece of furniture, artwork and the decorations.  Although the apartment is in an extremely old building, the unit itself is newly renovated and offers my favorite combination of old and new, with an exposed brick wall providing ambiance and a nice pop of color that fairs well with my mostly neutral color palette.  With everything finally unpacked, I decided it would be best to find pictures of living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens I covet to help me design and furnish my new space.  While I sometimes have a hard time deciding on what furniture style or decorative items I like for a new space, I always know what I don’t like – and take it from there.  That being said, I would be totally lost if I didn’t have some inspiration for the overall look I am going for.  Here are some fabulous examples of gorgeous gender neutral/modern/rustic /sleek interior design styles I’m LOVING and drawing inspiration from as I work on making my home a home- and hopefully painting a charcoal grey accent wall in the bedroom in the process (an idea I stole from image # 3, below.)

(Images courtesy of Jessica Helgerson of Portland, Oregon and www.jenerationinteriors.com)

‘After’ photos of the new place to come…
xoxo,

Lauren

artist addiction: dale chihuly

I’ve had a long time obsession with glass- abstract, functional and decorative.  Dale Chihuly, one of my favorite living artists and glass artist extraordinaire currently has a large exhibit at the MFA, Boston so I jumped at the first chance I got to check it out with my mom.  It was beyond anything I could have imagined or expected from this master of molten manipulation.  Each room,  each installation was more fantastical than the last and I was going over board snapping hundreds of photos with my iPhone, trying to capture what I was experiencing.  I now have tons of incredible photos but I just need to decide what to do with them.  The pops of electric colors and abstract, sea-form shapes are so amazing I am having the hardest time choosing which photos to display and how- I’m thinking of having a few of the prints blown up and framed in a series which I’ll hang in one of my hallway’s to add a fresh pop of color just in time for summer.  Looking for something to do this weekend?  The cost of admission to the Chihuly exhibit is less than $30 and even if you’ve seen his work before this exhibit was so inspiring and large-scale it’s really worth checking out (and it will be around through mid-August.)  For more information, please visit here.

xo,

Lauren

lovesit: backyard bling

Even during the daytime, how fabulous and creative is this little backyard chandelier?  My friends and I came across this unexpected piece of decor at a Napa winery while touring the owner’s backyard.  I can only imagine how romantic it would be in full effect, lit up under the stars providing the perfect outdoor dinner party ambiance.

 

 

 

xo,

Lauren

sparkle is my favorite color

Ever since I can remember sparkle has always been my favorite ‘color,’ so you can bet I tend to gravitate toward jewelry designers who are heavy-handed with the bling.  I’ve shown the amazing creations of Dara Ettinger in a previous post here, but I had to bring her up again because she continues to create really gorgeous jewelry I just cannot get enough of.  I love the natural element of agate and geode jewelry; the fact that all stones are unique in color in size so you’re really getting an individual piece no matter how many of the same style are produced.  Another jewelry designer I’ve been a long time fan and customer of is Alexis Bittar.  Bittar is last year’s CFDA’s accessory designer of the year award winner, who’s high-profile clientele includes Michelle Obama and Lady Gaga.  His jewelry is unmistakeably modern and each season’s collection offer’s bracelets, necklaces and earrings created in so many different mediums.  From lucite (my personal favorite), to semi precious stones dipped in gold and silver, explosions of swarovski crystals in abstract and clean-cut designs, there really is something available for everyone no matter their personal style.  Here are some of my favorite pieces from Ettinger and Bittar’s current collections.  Enjoy.

All the Ettinger pieces shown below are available here:

All the Bittar pieces shown below are available here:

     

   

xo,

Lauren

lovesit: Theyskens’ Theory design collaboration

I love anything Theory, so obviously I was an instant fan of the pieces created by the collaboration of designer Olivier Theyskens and Theory.  Beyond their initial collection, they continue to churn out gorgeous pieces with sharp, imaginative tailoring giving the traditional minimalistic Theory brand clothing and accessories an edgy feel.

Talking editors through Theyskens’ Theory, Theyskens explains some pieces are lingerie-like, dressed in prints based on his own paintings; and there was a wide array of denim, silk and leather pants from high-waisted flares to cropped jeans specially treated to look permanently wrinkled.

Most of the blazers are designed with a triangle cut from the back of the collar. “It’s what I do to mine,” says Theyskens, explaining that he likes the look of jackets with shoulders shrugged forward. Hems, too, cut away, and shirts with splices up the side seams so they can be worn with the front tucked in and the back pulled out.

Here are some of my current favorite pieces from Theyskens’ Theory (available here), in my favorite shade of clothing- black.  The following pieces are both graceful and artful but not overly designed.

 

And pair any of the pieces or looks above with the following two items for instant, timeless glamour:

 

Here are some highlights from the Theyskens Theory Fall 2011 RTW Collection:

 

 

xo,

Lauren

lovesit: parisian street style – get the look

I am so in love with this timeless menswear inspired, minimalist look captured on the streets of Paris courtesy of The Satorialist.  These strappy lace-up booties add an edge of chic sexiness while the clutch adds a yummy pop of muted color.  Nothing is more feminine and chic than menswear separates tailored down to fit a woman’s frame paired with the right accessories.

 Here are some suggestions to recreate the look:

               

xo,

Lauren

the gift of love in a bottle

While recently vacationing in Napa with some girlfriends, I got to enjoy some of my favorite guilty pleasures - wine, wine and more wine, the spa, lounging and laughing with friends and amazing food in one of the most gorgeous and serene destinations.  It was hard leaving all this behind, but the idea of enjoying my favorite wines back home through wine of the month clubs was pretty exciting- plus, who doesn’t love getting packages in the mail.  There is no doubt that anyone who enjoys wine in the slightest would love getting such a gift for a special occasion.  However, no wine of the month club could compare to the creative and romantic gift idea I came  across while at my favorite vineyard, O’Brien Estates, which combines love and of course, wine. 

One of the unique elements O’Brien Estate offers their guests is a set of wines which tell a story of a deepening relationship between 2 people.  The story is told through the names of each wine and the poetry on the back of each label written by either Bart or Barb O’Brien.

Barb and Bart decided to tell a story of a deepening relationship between 2 people by naming a series of wines after different phases of a relationship.  They took turns writing poetry for the back labels.  These wines are packaged in a 3 bottle gift set called the Romantic Trio and a 5 bottle set called the Romantic Portfolio.  

“Our goal is to touch your heart before the wine touches your lips…”

 

Here is some of the poetry from our Romantic Portfolio of wines:

Attraction
Chardonnay

(when you actually meet your love)
When our eyes met
My heart said hello
Are you the one for whom I long?
Are you?

Each Romantic Profile wine set comes with a plaque you can engrave with the recipients names, date and small note, making this a perfect wedding gift when you want to give something memorable and creative.  These gift sets start at $249 and are available for purchase here.

xo,

Lauren

lovesit decor: glass and wood accent pieces

I really love blending texture, print and materials when it comes to picking items to adorn my apartment.  West Elm has always been a favorite go-to of mine (previously mentioned here) and their most recent catalog’s decorative offerings was no exception.  I was really impressed with many of the objects available because not only are they perfect accent pieces but they look like legit pieces of art and are all so affordable.  Here are some of my favorite items, all currently available  at westelm.com

1. I LOVE these recycled Spanish glass vases and jars- this color palate reminds me of sea glass and these items would look fantastic alone or mixed and matched together.

 

2.  There is nothing I love more in an apartment or house than lots of wood; furniture, floors, exposed beam ceilings and of course accent pieces.

  

3.  The following two items are both functional and decorative:

These glass perfume bottles are so fun and chic I’d love to have them both on my nightstand table or bathroom counter -  and the glass shadow boxes offer a unique and charming way to display your favorite keepsake items or jewelry (tip: mount them on the wall and use the canvas liner backing to hold your earrings.) 

 

xo,

Lauren

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