The World Is Your Oyster

I always find myself spending waaaaaay more time than I need to at the World Market that's close to where we live (dangerously close, let's just say! :)). It's one of those places that has the cutest things at super affordable prices.  Off late, I've been there a lot while sourcing for events, and inevitably I find myself in a section of the store I have no business being in!!  Like I'm testing out the comfort quotient of the butterfly chair, when actually I've come in for napkin rings, or I'm perusing through the curtain aisle admiring a pretty damask pattern, when I should be picking up those taper candles and getting out! The sheer variety of beautiful things in this shop, gets me every time.

I thought why not do a World Market cover on the blog?  Especially with the holiday sales they have going on right now.  Lots of GREAT finds in their home decor category. And some super stylish gifts for under $25 too! Think hostess gifts, co-worker gifts & stocking stuffers.

Fair warning - you just might go down the WM rabbit hole yourself after reading this! ;-)

1. lavender love seat / 2. faux fur throw pillow /  3.  A toss pillow in this Quadrille Potalla Black on Tint fabric would go oh-so-perfectly with the lavender and faux fur!   4. chunky woven throw / 5.  plaid vanilla-scented candle (extremely stylish & would make for a great co-worker gift!) / 6.  acrylic side tables  / 7.  zebra rug / 8.  velvet counter stools  

9. bindi block print headboard  / 10 wood cabinet with gold detailing (these would make for cute bedside tables too) / 11 beaded chandelier / 12.  woven rug / 13. slick gold candle holders / 14.  blue & white vases

15. white textured bowl / 16. vintage truck soap bar -  super cute, great stocking stuffer!  / 17. mercury glass LED decor / 18.  taupe marbled jar candle (these look amazing in person & smell delicious)  / 19 dinner napkin - chintz / 20  olive wood cheese board / 21 dinner napkin - oasis green / 22  hammered gold salt & pepper shakers / 23 chopsticks / 24 Meyer's lavendar soap (smells heavenly!) / 25 mirrored pouch  / 26 cake server / 27 acrylic mosaic tray / 28.  buddha candle holder / 29 party tumblers / 30  olive wood cheese knife set

Some fun picks from their bed & bath category!

Bright & beautiful bedding  - medallion quilt set

Sprightly towels to liven up the guest bathroom

Medallion orange & pink  /  Chateruse green

Love these textured toss pillows!  These would be perfect in an indoor / outdoor setting, paired with wicker furniture in beige or taupe upholstery.

floral embroidered  /  ivory lattice

I'm loving the copper kettles & might finally pull the trigger on getting one. And the tea tins are perfect gifts for tea lovers! World Market comes out with fresh designs every year. I bought a pair a few years ago ( mine were a pastel green floral print) and even gifted them out.  People loved them & I was glad to see them put to use! :)

copper kettles / tea tins 

My pastel green ones from a couple years ago, whaddya know they're still carrying them online!

floral tea tin

Let There Be Light

I wanted to sink my teeth into a good, juicy design post today! (pun intended ... I'm still recovering from turkey day).  I thought I'd share some GREAT lighting sources with you in today's post.

Lighting, as I've learned, can make or break a room. Whether you're trying to illuminate a space functionally or make a statement with standout fixtures - the way you light a room can really impact the mood and feel of  it. A lot of us, myself included, have made the mistake of under lighting a room!

There's so many great-looking and well-priced options on the market today. Here's a  round up of a few of my favorites! From  Shades of Light,  Pottery Barn, West Elm, Schoolhouse Electric, 1800Lighting, LampsPlus & a couple more.  While I love ALL of them, I'm definitely crushing on the pendants from Schoolhouse Electric (7,  11),  and the very fetching ribbed & gourd-shaped table lamps (3, 10) right now  - they're effortlessly stylish, available in a variety of colors, and they never go out of style!

Enjoy!

1 / 2 / 3 ( gourd lamps are an absolute favorite of mine right now - they are effortlessly stylish, available in a ton of colors & never go out of style!) /  4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18

Fall with Flair! My Event with The Pierce & Makers Market

Last weekend I had a ball doing 2 super fun Fall entertaining events! One with The Pierce in San Jose and the other at Makers Market on Santana Row.   At the events I shared ideas on creating fresh and vibrant table settings for the season and did a live demo on how you can bring flair, color and a story to your holiday entertaining this year.  Be it a cozy meal for 4 or a lively dinner for 20!

I had a blast sharing design ideas and styling secrets with the lovely ladies that came! For intros, I asked everyone to bring / share something from their home that they absolutely love, and it was great seeing people's favorites - from an iridescent blue Buddha statue given as a gift,  to a vintage Moroccan armoire passed on from mother to daughter!

I had the best time designing and creating this festive, layered table setting. Here's a glimpse into it and some of the ideas I shared! The pictures are a mix from both days.

The perfect setting for our get together - under a canopy of trees!

A standout table starts with a vibrant table cloth! You can get totally creative with your tablecloths - go with fabrics that inspire you. This here is a modified duvet cover. I loved the deep Hermes orange and the pattern, and felt that it had great potential for a fall table.

Next, I added a pair of turquoise candles on vintage brass candlesticks.  Candles are SUCH an easy way to bring fresh color to your table. Experimenting with offbeat colors like turquoise, lilac, lavender, a deep pink, or even black brings that extra something to the setting.

You can change the look of your table with small adjustments! For instance, I switched the place setting on this table to take it from modern to country. I switched the pleated white plates & ruffle soup bowl from Crate & Barrel,  with vintage Perkin Hammer country-style salad plates & beautiful turquoise dinner plates!

Going from country to a more formal, luxe look: These vintage Italian salad plates that I found at an estate sale looked amazing and totally complemented the setting.  Starburst napkin rings bring in an extra element of festive luxury  (found these super pretty ones at Z Gallerie for an amazing price!)

The idea here is to MIX. Mixing a treasured vintage find with a newer purchase. Pairing brass flatware with silver or lucite napkin rings

It's all in the details!
- adding something fun & offbeat to your table makes it uniquely yours! I added this elegant Chinese figure playing an instrument that I'd found at a vintage shop. 
- little favor boxes for your guests with a delicious truffle in it? :)
- footed candy bowls to reinforce color & also have something for your guests to munch on. Fill 'em with little pieces of candy or fruits and nuts.
- glitter pine cone place cards bring in a personal touch & some seasonal charm!

Some more place card ideas... a dandy turkey place card or small white pumpkins with the initials of your guests !   

Acrylic napkin rings are great when you want a contemporary feel.

Speaking of something unique for the table, these candles that I found at Makers Market, are made from recycled bottles. I was told that the makers can make a personalized momento too, say using a bottle from your wedding. How cool is that!

The winner of our "bring your favorite thing!" contest - wonderful Schanelle. She brought this beautiful iridescent blue buddha which was given to her as a going away gift and as a harbinger of good luck. She won the footed candy bowls! :)

Me concentrating as I set and test it all out on day 1. Also, can I just say - I LOVED the lobby of The Pierce. It was open and bright and well lit.  The framed art on the walls were the original plans for Firestone Tire's first tire center from the early 1900s - which is what this building was many years ago. How cool is that!!

We got super lucky with our location on day 2 as well. At the last minute we had a snafu and couldn't do it in our original spot. But then we ended up HERE!  This gorgeous urban oasis style setting in the midst of Santana Row. A huge shout out to the generous manager at EMC for making this happen. We ladies had a blast!

And that's a wrap!

Drop me a comment below and let me know if you enjoyed that!   Anyone else getting creative during the holidays? How?!

Inside the San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show!

This week I got to be a part of the prestigious Fall Art & Antiques Show that's happening at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Marsh & Clark designed the booth for the fantastic Butchoff Antiques  at this year's show, and we've been hustlin' to bring it all together and create some magic in time for opening day, which was this past Wednesday!  Butchoff Antiques specializes in 18th and 19th century English & continental antiques which means I got to ogle over some absolutely stunning pieces for 2 days straight.

I wanted to give you an insider view into the whole thing. Top arts and antiques dealers from around the world come together for this event and it was a real thrill to be a part of it and play a role in making it come alive!

Here's a peak into the behind-the-scenes, and I'll share some of my favorites from the show as well.
What a fantastic opportunity to educate the eye!  I spent a good 2 hours soaking up the antiques, speaking with exhibitors and also making notes on booth designs. A lot of creativity under one roof!!  Check.it.out.

First up, the Butchoff booth. Setting the stage...cascading laser cut flowers by artist Elan Evans make for an elegant backdrop for the antiques.

And here's the reveal of what it looks like after everything was set up!

This is it. A beautiful 19th century folio cabinet that had me at hello. Love the brass strapwork and  the family crest, a Bull's Head.

A tear sheet with a sketch of the antiques that we printed on vellum, to display on the cabinet. This lovely sketch was done by the talented Chiya Ewald at Marsh & Clark!

This section of the booth turned out beauuuutiful. Love the French plaque against the flowers.

Beautiful Fall colors - flowers marking the entryway to the Festival Pavilion..

It's all the details!  Love this greek key trim on lavendar walls that one of the exhibitors had done for their booth.

These statuesque Italian urns were love at first sight. The handles coming up around the sides make them so unique. Love love love. 

Loved the framing around these paintings. What a great choice! The tortoise shell frames bring just the right amount of contemporary to these beautiful vintage paintings.

Oriental Peter Pap rugs

One of my favorite exhibitors at the show was Carlton Hobbs. Their pieces are extremely unique. Like nothing I'd seen before!

For instance, this set of 12 watercolor paintings of ceramic plates. I thought these were amazing. The way they've been painted and framed, gives them so much depth that they look real!   The shadows are painted and the circular plates have been cut and stuck on top. All adding to the depth. All of this pointed out and explained to me by their very gracious managing director, Stefania Rinza.

Also at Carlton Hobbs, these inlaid salon chairs from the 1800s,favored by Napolean's Court

And I COULD NOT take my eyes off this stunning beauty. From the Arts and Crafts period. I absolutely love the carvings and the way the chair has been painted to highlight the carvings. It looks practically regal. 

Coming to something more recent with a little bit of glam thrown in, these Piero Fornasetti plates from the 1950s, at the Earl D Vandekar booth.  A malachite base with gold paintings of all things food and drink.

A pair of graceful gilt wood arm chairs from the late 18th century. At the Roberto Freitas booth. 

Another exhibitor I was really drawn to was Epoca. They had some cool pieces like this geometric bottle form lamp (Italian) & these super stylish wood stools (Morrocan). Love the animal print ! 

This octagonal table from the 19th century was such a stunner. There's something about octagonal tables that just gets me. So much style for a small footprint!

Beautiful urn at Daniel Stein

And a rustic Fall floral bouquet

Onto some art!

I forgot to make note of the artist here, but I quite loved this abstract.

A slew of framed 1920s swimwear at American Garage.

Acrylic on canvas, a Van Gough homage by Craig Alan

Horse art and sculpture...

left - a Han Dynasty sculpture placed between 206 B.C to 220 A.D . I'm bowing down to the archaeologists that discovered and preserved this!

Open mouthed  Eva Ziesel syrup pitchers... which instantly made me think of a fancy breakfast brunch I needed to be at!

And finally, book-ending with this striking image which for me symbolizes the show. One-of-a-kind.

The show runs until Sunday, Oct 29th at Fort Mason. It's totally worth going to and a great place to educate the eye!! And the exhibitors are super friendly too.

Recreating a Serene Dining Room

I came across this beautiful dining room situation in BHG's Septemper issue and instantly fell in love with it. I looove the stormy cloud wallpaper by Cole & Son ( Nuvolette Black & White). It really sets the tone for the entire room. The cherry on the cake is the dramatic lighting. I need to find out who it's by, but I found a very similar glass globes, tiered chandelier at Pottery Barn. The room feels serene & atmospheric, and at the same time luxurious.  I wouldn't mind eating a meal or two in here! 

This is a look one could easily recreate in your own home...

Here's how:

wallpaper - pearl cloud   (I found a similar pearl cloud wallpaper at Home Depot! It's not as nuanced as the original, but could totally work)  / paint - Benjamin Moore - rocky coast gray (for window trims, door trims, ceiling)  or you could go with these cool grey  curtains/  chandelier / concrete top table / Spanish style dining chairs  with nailhead trim - side/ slipcover chairs - head/  chinoiserie jars / smal black urns with pink roses / bordered greek key rug 

And there you have it.  Keeping it short & sweet this week since it's been a busy few days!  Will be back next week with some Fall inspired fun. It's officially Fall... but when I look outside my window it's an entirely different story. fellow Bay Area residents will relate! Well, here's to pumpkin spice having it's comeback moment soon! :)


p.s. I love hearing from ya!   Got a decor question or comment? If you're looking for ideas for a room, trying to tackle a "problem area" or dreaming up ideas for an upcoming occasion, let me know. If you'd like me to cover a specific topic in a future post,  let me know in the comments or shoot me an email!