Color of the Day: White + Texture

I love the pairing of a stark white wall (or stark white furniture) with visually interesting textiles:

I love the rug that managed to position itself in the foreground of this picture (and have been searching for a similar one -- in black and white -- for my entry).

Love this room. Those curtains are to die for.

Those throw pillows + that graphic rug = perfect.

(All images via decorpad. Second image via decorpad via Lonny Magazine.)

Mad Men Does Snack Bowls

Did anyone else notice the *adorable* snack bowls (my official term for them) perched on the SCDP conference room table during Don's disastrous Life cereal presentation on Sunday night's episode* of Mad Men? As disarmingly drunken as Don's presentation was, I still managed to be distracted by those beautiful bowls (filled with nuts? pretzels?). Anyone know more about these bowls? Anthropologie's ikat bowls (shown below in green) are the closest I've been able to find so far:

* I DVRed Sunday night's episode and watched it immediately after watching the Emmys -- congratulations to Mad Men the best show on television on its Emmy three-peat!

Color of the Day: Chalkboard Gray

I've been entertaining the idea of using chalkboard paint in my apartment ever since I moved in (nearly two years ago). I still haven't worked up the courage to do it, but I have found a ton of inspiration images online:

This is the entry in Vancouver resident Tracy Falk's studio apartment. Tracy's apartment is marvelous, and has been featured on several design blogs. And p.s. -- how great is that lamp? (Image via Apartment Therapy)

image via decorpad

image via decorpad

image via decorpad

image via flickr (Handmade Evolution)

Color of the Day: Seafoam Green

As summer begins to draw to a close (summer never seems to last long enough), I find myself making plans to make at least one more trip to the beach before it's time to carve pumpkins and get started on my holiday shopping (gasp!). Perhaps that's why I have seafoam green on the brain:

(All images via decorpad)

Jane Sterling: Stealth Interior Designer?

Apart from the California scene in which Don Draper Dick Whitman touches up a wall in Anna Draper's living room with a few fresh coats of a pretty shade of Sherwin-Williams blue paint, Sunday night's episode of Mad Men was relatively light on design (however, the last 20 minutes or so were heavy on debauchery, courtesy of Don Draper and Lane Pryce, of all people). So, for this post, I decided to revisit something that I noticed during last week's episode: Jane Sterling has an eye for design! Last week, we learned that Jane had a hand in decorating Roger Sterling's new office. Jane may not know how to choose a husband (or maybe she does?), but she certainly knows how to choose beautiful office furniture. Beautiful Saarinen office furniture. I definitely spotted a tulip table and chairs in Roger's "Italian Hospital" office.

In honor of the new Mrs. Sterling's good taste, here's a little eye candy:

Saarinen Tulip Chair

(image via dwr.com)

Color of the Day: Purple

Today's color of the day is purple. For the first 18 years of my life, I claimed purple as my favorite color. According to the experts, purple signifies power, ambition and royalty! Fancy.

Another summer weekend is upon us, and I couldn't be more excited -- I'm planning to spend some time outdoors and to catch up on some rest. I'll be back on Sunday, of course, for a Mad Men design re-cap. Until then, enjoy the color of the day, and have a great weekend!

Love: Matt Bernson and Kate Spade Clutches

Everyday objects can be a perfect (in that totally unintentional way) source of design inspiration. In my apartment, I've tried to capture a bit of that spirit by decorating with everyday objects, like books with colorful spines and vintage cameras.

So what happens when an ordinary (or, in the case of the gold bar, maybe extraordinary) object is re-imagined, re-worked and then revealed to the design-obsessed among us? Magic is what happens. Cases-in-point: the Matt Bernson Gold Bar Clutch and Kate Spade's new line of book clutches. How fabulous are these little numbers?

images via mattbernson.com

image via katespade.com

At $99, the Matt Bernson clutch, handcrafted from one piece of molten leather, is a steal (and much more affordable than the vintage Chanel gold bar clutch). A Kate Spade book clutch will set you back a cool $325, but, as with most good design, it just might be worth the investment. Looking for a more wallet-friendly option? Download a free desktop wallpaper inspired by the Kate Spade book clutches.

Colors of the Day: Every Color that the Marvy LePen Comes In

Marvy's LePen is, hands down, my favorite pen. It's sleek, it writes smoothly, and it comes in a wide variety of beautiful colors, each of which is an honorary Color of the Day:

I keep a supply of these at work and at home. They're sold in many stationery and craft stores (I've seen them at Michael's and at Kate's Paperie), as well as on Amazon and at Lytha Studios, a Virgina-based, family-run business with an online shop (I ordered my most recent set of LePens from Lytha Studios and was very pleased with the service).

I'm sure it sounds like I've been paid to endorse Marvy's LePen. I have not. It's just that I really love these pens (and those colors!).

Color of the Day: Blue

Up today is blue, which (according to the experts) evokes feelings of tranquility, harmony and protection.

All images via decorpad.

Helvetica, Meet Mad Men.

I loved tonight's episode of Mad Men -- Don Draper and his perfectly messy personal life are back -- and I love every bit of it. (Is that wrong??) I also loved the copy of this Helvetica poster that I spotted in Peggy's office:

My mission to learn the story behind this poster is currently underway (and if anyone has any leads, please let me know!)