The Art of Fresco

Yesterday I had a conversation with a designer friend who was telling me about his office cleanse in which his assistant urged him to toss any magazines he hadn't read in a year. Horrified at the thought, I started flipping through my own endless collection of magazines today as some sort of subconscious justification for keeping them. The justification continued as I came across this photo of the Tuscan estate of Leonardo Ferragamo and his wife, Maria Beatrice in the March 2009 issue of Elle Decor. This living room tells me one thing - we don't use the art of fresco near enough these days. The life that these fresco painted walls bring to the room is overwhelming.

Keri Russel's Brooklyn Brownstone

The WB show Felicity came out when I was in high school and my sisters, friends, and I would watch it religiously. I continued to not miss an episode until the show ended my junior year of college. Every relationship problem I have ever had (and there have been many) can be linked back to a Felicity episode. Through the four year series, J.J. Abrams seemed to cover it all in a sincere and realistically comical way, which made it so relatable to me. (The cute boys didn't hurt either.)

I've been a huge Keri Russel fan ever since and was delighted to read about her home on Elle Decor's website. 

She decided on a brownstone in Brooklyn and did a complete remodel under the convenient direction of her contractor husband. (Maybe I should look in to getting one of those.) The house is adorned in reclaimed wood cabinets and side tables and other creatively repurposed materials.

Get the full scoop here.

Elle Decor Showhouse Virtual Tour

Any weekend I spend in San Francisco is a good weekend. Even when my car window got shattered after sitting out on the street Saturday night, we just swept the glass off my seat and enjoyed a very brisk drive over to the Elle Decor Showhouse.

I didn't bother taking photos because I knew Elle Decor already posted a 360 degree virtual tour online. It's not quite as good as being there in person, but if you weren't able to make it, it's definitely the next best thing. If you click on the pink dots in each room, it will tell you the specs for the item. Learning the resources that certain designers use is one of the best parts of visiting a showhouse for me. I love knowing whether it's a $30,000 antique chandelier, or a bargain from Pottery Barn.

The St. Francis Wood neighborhood where the house was located is beautiful, and I really liked that Elle Decor mostly chose designers who haven't been overly published, but still have amazing style. I was like a giddy school girl the whole tour and loved every minute.

2010 Legends of La Cienega

Tour the streets May 6 through 8 as ELLE DECOR and La Cienega Design Quarter honor Hollywood’s legacy of sensational style.


Get down to La Cienega Blvd. this Friday - Sunday and...
• Get inspired by vignettes that salute the silver screen—created by star interior designers and set decorators

• Meet style icons at exclusive events, from glamorous dinners to lively lectures

• Explore more than 50 chic shops and gorgeous galleries in the trendsetting La Cienega Design Quarter

Read more here, and check out the panel of speakers here.

Pink and Blue

After all the buzz about Eddie Ross' window design for Bloomingdale's "Big Window Challenge" I've been really into pink and blue rooms. Not really pastels, but more bold shades. Here is a little sampling of Eddie Ross' window design (read more about the process on Eddie's blog, here), along with some other pink and blue rooms that I really love.

{Eddie's window design.}


{Not sure who the designer is, but I love the eclectic vibe and the large pattern on the pink and white pillows.}


{Krista Ewart's dining room, as featured in Domino magazine. I dig that painting and the pom pom trim on the stool.}


{Vignette from House Beautiful. Bringing in pops of pink with flowers is never a bad idea.}


{Ashley Whitaker's killer dining room, also from House Beautiful. Love it!}