{happy feet}

It is no secret that ballet is my favorite art form. I often channel my inner ballerina by wearing a bateau neck top or a pair of ballet flats. French shoe company Repetto makes the most beautiful pair of ballet flats you have ever seen. The company was started in 1947 when Rose Repetto, whose tiny workshop was located next to the Paris Opera House, created the first pair of ballet shoes for her son, a ballet dancer and choreographer. The company grew slowly and locally until 1956, when Brigitte Bardot donned a pair of Repettos in the film "And God Created Woman." After this Repetto started making "petites ballerines" created for street wear, and thus glamorized the style for the masses.

A few years after Bardot's film debuted, Rose opened her first store on the Rue de la Paix in Paris, which remains the flagship boutique to this day. The company has stayed true to its historical roots, making each pair by hand in Repetto's atelier in the Drodogne region.

I have long wanted a pair of Repetto's to call my own, but with the ballet flat trend still so en vogue there are many other brands that offer a similar look for a fraction of the price. In addition, outside of New York City and L.A., Repetto's are quite hard to come by.

The other day I was walking through Saks Fifth Avenue and found this elegant gray pair on sale in my size. Packaged in the most lovely black box with a pink satin ribbon, these shoes live up to their reputation. My feet feel graceful and light!

{images: 1- via kirna zabete; 2- via easy fashion}

{weary but wonderful}

Sorry for the lack of posts of late. We have returned from our whirlwind trip to the mountains. We enjoyed the cool mountain air, the abundance of beautiful flowers, and fun times with our friends and family. On our way home we drove through Charlotte, NC to see family and I had the opportunity to explore much of the wonderful shopping the city has to offer (more on that later). Since we have returned we have purchased a new home (more on that later too!) and I have been working fastidiously on preparing for my sister's shower this weekend. She is expecting twins, a boy and a girl, in October and I couldn't be more excited. A family friend is hosting the shower but I am in charge of the decor, which of course, is fun for me! I am taking inspiration from the chic blue, white and pink baby shower that Mary McDonald hosted several years ago.

I found these fabulous blue and white table cloths from World Market. I plan to accent the table with pink flowers in blue and white Chinoiserie vases. I will try to take some pictures once I have the table set this weekend. I also have been working on a special gift for the babies that I will share after the shower is over. Much more to come...

{images via style court and sarah bartholomew}

{mary mcdonald's new site}

Today I went to look find something on Mary McDonald's website and was pleasantly surprised to find that her entire site has been re-vamped and upgraded. Her new site is easy to navigate and filled with new photographs of her beautiful interiors. McDonald, a Domino Magazine darling, has long been one of my favorite designers. Her style is glamorous and sophisticated yet classic and understated. Be sure to check out her new site here.

{weekend in the woods}

I am headed out of town to Blue Ridge Mountains mountains for a few days. The weather is supposed to be lovely. I won't be looking this glamorous with four children in tow, but a girl can always dream. Have a beautiful weekend everyone...

{image: via miss at la playa}

{lovely lavender}

As a young girl, purple was my favorite color. I will never forget my purple clogs and matching purse that my aunt gave me for my 4th birthday. Since those early days, I have gravitated away from this complex hue. The design world has been awash in purple for the last year and a walk through your local department store will remind you that this violet isn't shrinking anytime soon. While I am still not ready to embrace the shade, I am starting to think a gray-tinged lilac or a rich aubergine here and there could be pretty...

{images: 1- via town and country, august 2009; 2- design by hal williamson via house beautiful; 3- via the sartorialist; 4- via architectural digest; 5- design my emma jane pilkington via elle decor}

{best of bilhuber}

Jeffrey Bilhuber has long been a favorite designer of mine. Several years ago he was named as one of America's best designers by Vogue Magazine (along with Miles Redd, David Netto, Kelly Wearstler and Gerrie Bremermann.) His books, Jeffrey Bilhuber's Design Basics and Defining Luxury, not only showcase his amazing talent, but they are also incredibly educational. Bilhuber is a master of layering and mixing prints and colors in a way that is endlessly interesting and at the same time cohesive and simple.


I love this room's soft colors and perfectly executed upholstery. The mix of window treatment styles adds interest to the room.

This room balances florals and plaids perfectly. I want to curl up and read on one of those chaise lounges!

As you can see, Bilhuber's use of varied drapery styles within the same room is a signature look of his. It gives average architecture an interesting feel. Here the center draperies frame the beautiful bathtub that sits in the back of the bedroom.

The feminine scallops and tailored inverted pleats along the window seat make this elegant, airy sun room one of my all-time Bilhuber favorites. The sheer cafe curtains soften the space while allowing the natural light to pour in.

This room competes with the one above for the top spot in my book. The scallops, featured here on the the backs and bottoms of the slipper chairs, are divine. Bilhuber's disciplined approach to design manages to add feminine details to rooms while still maintaining a tailored, simple feel.

In this Hampton's home guest bedroom, Bilhuber mixes a quilt from Calypso Home with a bed skirt in Michael Devine's Petite Fleur linen. The pop of red in the quilt gives this subdued room such character. Here again, the sheer cafe curtains give the room a light airy feel.

Bilhuber is well educated when it comes to historical design. This sophisticated indigo room was inspired by a color used at Mount Vernon. The marble trim around the door is stunning.

For his own 17th-century Long Island home, featured in this month's Vogue magazine, Bilhuber consulted with curators from Monticello and Mount Vernon to ensure that he used historically accurate paint colors and formulas.

The curtains in Bilhuber's living room are none other than the timeless "Le Lac" glazed chintz by Brunschwig and Fils. The mix of pattern, furniture style, and color certainly gives this room some some zip!

The Quadrille "Climbing Hydrangea" wallpaper is gorgeous. Bilhuber seamlessly mixes colors in this space.

This smart looking playroom was created using chairs covered in charcoal "Chester" gingham from Sonia's Place and an ottoman upholstered in Bennison Fabric's "Bird and Basket" linen. My children would appreciate the pictures hung around the room at their eye level.

I am sure we will be seeing more of Bilhuber in the years to come. His talent seems to get better with time. If you have the chance, pick up a copy of the latest Vogue at your local newsstand or head over the the bookstore to get a more in-depth look at Bilhuber's lovely interiors.

{water color}

I am not at the beach this week, but I wish I were. These images bring back floods of memories of childhood summers spent swimming in the turquoise waters of Laguna Beach. Have a beautiful day wherever you are...

{images: 1- town and country, august 2009; 2- unkown; moa maria via flickr; 3- via this is glamorous; 4- emma jane pilkington via patricia gray; 5- via brabouune farm}

{turkish delight}

While I am weary of the overdone ikat craze, I think a touch of the eclectic, well traveled , global chic style is always in style. Why not let the alluring patterns and colors of India, Central Asia and Turkey give your home and wardrobe a well traveled, summertime vibe?

windsor smith living room via style court
blue and turqoise napkins from roberta roller rabbit


gold block print pillow from john robshaw

aqua journal from john robshaw



kurta from roberta roller rabbit


irving and fine tunics via the devine life



martin lawrence bullard candle


porcelian and bronze lamp from anthropologie

woodstock pillow from ankasa

patmos stripe fabric from carolina irving textiles

peter dunham samarkand fabric

madeline weinrib blue thistle fabric

{forever young}

I will be spending the next few days enjoying the simple pleasures of summer with my family. I anticipate lots of popsicles, swinging and sunshine. I hope you have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

{image via flora and henri catalog}

{Spitzmiller's Seconds}

For those of you who are unaware, Christopher Spitzmiller is selling ceramic lamps with slight imperfections at incredible discounts. What a great opportunity to own one of these beautiful lamps at a reasonable price. If you want to place and order and don't live in the NYC area, you can call 212.563.1144. I wish I could go to the sale in person!

{big boys}

katie leede

I have two boys of my own and up until now, decorating their room has been low on my priority list. It's not for lack of desire that their room has been neglected but rather it is just that other rooms have just taken priority in the time an budget categories. Recently, my seven year old son, Sam, asked me to "re-decorate" his room.


Children's rooms, espeically boys', can be tricky. You want something that they will appreciate and enjoy today as well as suit them for years to come. As children get older they tend to have opinions of their own as to what they do and do not like. While I will have the final say in our home (no, we can't have Star Wars bedding), I do want my boy's opinions on things like color scheme, fabric, wall hangings and accesories. Afterall, in the end I want the room to reflect the essence of who my boy's are.

A classic blue white and red pallete is a perennial favorite among designers. These colors seem to say "boy" and are not ones you or they will tire of easily. This patriotic classic room, with drum chandeir would best be suited for a young boy who is ready to move out of his nursery.

Anna Spiro, of Absolutely Beautiful Things recently did a beautiful job re-decorating her elementary school-aged son's room. She stuck with the classic pallette and gave it her own flair with vintage, nautical accessories. I think this is a room he will enjoy for many years to come.

Steven Gambrel always creates refreshing rooms for boys. His clean, classic, elegant sensiblities are perfect for a project like this. His rooms always look youthful, but do not come across as juvenile or cute. I am inspired use of neutral colored maps as wall coverings in the room above. Surrounding children with maps gives them a bigger sense of the world in which they live and hopefully will give them a desire to travel and explore.

Bunk beds are a necessity in our home. With four little ones and friends who come to spend the night the more beds the better. One of my all time favorite boy's rooms comes from Tory Burch's Manhattan apartment. We recently purchased a bunk bed similar to Burch's. It has simple lines that remind me of old school camp bunks. The ticking stripes on the wall combined with the nautical ship lights complete the look.

Aerin Lauder's sons' rooms offer vibrant, coloful, contemporary examples of boys' decor. The first bedroom is swathed in Quadrille's iconic Alan Campbell Zig-Zag fabric and is accesorized with a colorful vintage movie poster as well a yellow surfboard which co-ordinates with the traditional Leontine Linens bedding. The cobalt blue room is a great example of how great design can incorporate our children's toys and special collectibles. The Blu Dot table at the foot of the bed (which I might just have to purchase!) displays a toy Yoda and Incredible Hulk as well as other keepsakes that her son holds dear. Often we think of our children's toys as distractions to great design but in this case I think it only enhances it.

Hopefully this weekend, Sam and I can find some special time to pour over these and other great boys' rooms. It will be fun to hear what he does and does not like. I will be sure to keep you posted...


{images: 1- katie leede via habitually chic; 2- steven gambrel; 3 &4- anna spiro via absolutely beautiful things; 5,6 &7- steven gambrel; 8- photo from Vogue; 9 & 10 - photographed by simon upton for elle decor}