Decorating the Nest: Stained Glass

Stained glass, especially imitation Tiffany lamps, are a hot point of contention in the design sphere. Some despise them as outdated Grandma pieces. Let's hope for my sake that this just means that they stay affordable for the newlywed on a budget. 

Despite the popular image, stained glass isn't all soft florals and desk lamps. 

Fashion Crush Friday: Rebekah Mikaelson

We've got an Original in our midst! This vampire has been around for 2,000 years and seen a LOT of fashion (and... victims...) come and go.

Rebekah has made it through just about every fashion cycle from the Vikings to the Renaissance to the Victorian to the Flapper to the aughts. She missed a decade every now and again (of all people to stab and hide in a coffin for years, Klaus, really?) but when she's amongst the living, girl is on point.

Decorating the Nest: Paper Those Walls

Don't panic! I'm not advocating for a 90s resurgence and I don't have kitschy fruit borders on order for the kitchen. Wallpaper is coming back with a vengeance, whether it's sleek and modern or lushly detailed. 

Think about wallpaper as amping up an isolated room by applying your favorite artwork directly to the walls. Today's wallpaper makes a strong statement, so it's best used in small doses and with carefully coordinated accessories. That's why wallpaper has become a powder room favorite. Bathrooms offer a small, clearly delineated area that frequently has it's own theme and uses minimal decor pieces. 

Fashion Crush Friday: Once Upon a Time's Queen Regina

This fantastic chart exists for a reason. Regina is in many ways absolutely insane, but good Lord does that woman know how to make a statement!  Regina wears black, dark grey, medium grey, and every now and again a splash of red, plum or burgundy just to remind us that she can. The detailing and tailoring is always hard and severe without a trace of floaty, bohemian vibes.

When it comes to the OUAT world, the costume department does an absurdly talented job of differentiating their characters. In this case, the sugary sweet Mary Margaret/Snow White vs. her mortal enemy (and sometimes step-mother) Queen Regina. 

Spinning the Color Wheel: Blue & White

The dreaded ginger jars!

When people think of blue and white in home decor, they tend to think of Chinese Ginger Jars. There's a concern that these are a bit too traditional, a bit too overdone, a bit too Emily Gilmore on the terrace if you will. When you think something exists strictly to hold fake flowers in Colonial foyers, you stop appreciating it's design value.

Fashion Crush Friday: Elena Michaels

Bitten's Elena Michaels has a very limited fashion range and that's not a crack at Syfy's budget!  She has little interest in adventurous fashion and sticks with drab, utilitarian neutrals.  I know this sounds ominous but let me assure you, hot damn, does she make them look good. 

The Sampler: 4.14.16

In the interest of increasing the odds that something strikes your fancy, I've decide to go by category and throw more articles in here. Really, I just couldn't cut myself down to a handful this week! Let me know what you think about the going-ons, or give me a recommendation of your own!

Fashion:

Loubiton Offering Nude Shoes for Everyone- Who What Wear

We're way overdue for "nude" shoes that actually cover the spectrum of human pigment! This may not seem like a big deal if you're thinking to yourself that the average woman can't afford them anyway, but remember that fashion trends trickle down. This is a big win for inclusivity as it increases the odds that "nude to you" shoes will be available at more places!

Decorating the Nest: Subtle Signatures

Apartment Therapy did a book round up if you're interested!

Recently, I've been on a design book check out binge. Because I'm frugal already and working on my minimalism edge, I really can't justify buying a big coffee table book that isn't going to get read as a resource over and over again. Instead, I browse through options at the library and see what ideas stick from different books.

In this case, one of the ideas from Young House Love is burning my brain! I've been turning it over in my head for days and realized that finally someone has discovered how to bring soul and personality into your home without letting it become a haven for dust and clutter. I'm sick of design advice that really amounts to adding tchotchkes and knick-knacks left and right to "personalize"!

Fashion Crush Friday: Lydia Martin

We have a real chicken/egg question in today's Fashion Crush Friday. I couldn't tell you what came first, my girl crush on Holland Roden or my style crush on Lydia Martin. All that matters is that Lydia has game on a level that no true high school girl possesses.

Let's look at the best of Lydia.

Decorating the Nest: Chinese Screens

Oh hello there, Palm Beach!

We most commonly see decorative screens used as a privacy tool outdoors in place of more traditionally fencing, but they're actually a fabulous indoor tool as well for visually dividing spaces without long term commitment! With the open floor plan here to stay in the States, perhaps it's time to bring these magical visual dividers indoors. They train the eye to recognize a division in the purpose of a space without being as constricting and visually heavy as an actual wall or a true furniture piece like a bookcase. 

Tribute Tuesday: Arthur Rackham

People who will happily share their preferences in cable TV, overhyped podcasts, and sweet vs. savory crepes seem to predictably clam up when high culture topics come up. In my mind, I divide high culture from your typical culture by asking the simple question, "Can my opinion in what I thought was a matter of taste be publicly deemed wrong, and if it is, am I going to feel really ignorant?" 

When it comes to high culture, we're all carrying a lingering worry that our favorite artist is the worst kind of basic cliche, and our dislike for a certain style or painter just reveals that we aren't cultured enough to get it. 

Green Thumb: Beautiful Order in French Gardens

When it comes to gardens, the prevailing preference these days seems to be for the romantic, natural paradise of an English (or "Cottage") garden. I like a storybook tangle of ivy, miniature roses and endless blooms as much as the next girl, and a garden that can go to pieces just a bit before it's in an obvious state of chaos has serious attraction. Most of us don't have a staff gardener maintaining the lawn after all!

But I do wonder if a lack of exposure to more highly stylized designs is the real root of our cottage garden preference.  These days, we love walking mandalas and find a small labyrinth beautifully meditative, but a French garden makes people think that you must be wound just a little too tight. 

The Sampler: 4.2.16

In this week's edition of the Saturday Sampler I've got college, clutter, canines and coding on the brain. Hope you enjoy!

The Absurdity of College Admissions from The Atlantic

The types of teens who are awaiting college admissions letters this Spring will most likely live seven or eight full decades on this Earth. And  with that entire lifespan awaiting them, we've got them convinced that they can fundamentally succeed or fatally fail by their 18th birthday.  We turned college admissions into a blood sport and now we're surprised that the kids are most certainly not alright. As this article lays out, the huge widening in the pool of potential college applicants post-GI Bill radically altered who could even consider a college career. 

Fashion Crush Friday: Cate Blanchett

That Cate Blanchett was chosen to portray an Elven queen should surprise approximately no one. She practically screams regal intelligence with her strong brow, defined cheekbones and distinctly statuesque presence that commands the eye. 

All of which makes her distinctive red carpet style a fantastic surprise because no one does ethereal and intricate like Ms. Blanchett.