iris apfel - the woman, the myth, the legend

i recently watched iris (on netflix), and it. was. fascinating! i really did not know anything about her; i only recognized her by her maximalist fashion sense, and of course, her oversized glasses. honestly, i could have sworn that she was in an old navy commercial in the 90's..but that wasn't her. and apparently, i'm not the only person who mistakenly thinks that. 

i arranged a few photos from architectural digest, textiles from her company, old world weavers, and various other snapshots showcasing her mad interior design skills. i highly recommend watching the documentary, or at least reading this article. she is most certainly one inspiring lady! 

sources: collage - iris' living room, 'Ponte di Fiori' Lampas, photo 2 - iris' manhattan apartment, collage - Beachcomber in Papaya, Iris' home, photo 4 - Old World Weavers Ad, photo 5 - the first painting iris ever bought, collage - shoes, glorious shoes, 'Piccolo' leopardskin velvet - quotes from AD 

actual + aspirational

okkkkkk i'm officially in love with the powers of photoshop and the ladies behind blogshop. i gave my site a facelift, and i put together my first ever moodboard that doesn't look totally cheesy. excuse me while i toot my horn for a second - but i friggin' love this collection of things(!!!). in fact, i love the pillow, table lamp, and paint color so much that i actually brought them into the mix of my own living room, and i couldn't be happier. the pillow is so reminiscent of this chair, no?

if you follow me on instagram, you'll see that i just painted my kitchen peninsula (i have a love/hate relationship with that word) hague blue from farrow and ball. what amazing paint to work with! then, because i had so much free time this week with my boyfriend out of town, i also painted my bedroom door stone blue to match my deck stairs i painted a while back. alas, this painting spree must come to an end before i totally jeopardize the security deposit. ugg. some day i will own a house and then i'm going to paint every wall and ceiling, and nobody is going to stop me! oh, and wallpaper too. can't forget about wallpaper.

sources, clockwise: pillow, folding screen, sofa, painting by jenny andrews anderson (aka my hero), paint, wall sconce, butler tray, party hat lamp

merry christmas to all

oh, hey guys! merry christmas! i hope that everyone had a happy and healthy one. i hung out with my cat all day, and i worked on checking something off my 2015 goal list - online blogshop! i took ten trillion notes, and i'm continuing the class tomorrow. i'm so happy that i'm sneaking it in before it is gone forever (december 31st is the last day the program will be offered, sadly).

i'm riding high on new photoshop knowledge, so take this with a grain of salt, but i want to kick it up a notch with this blog for 2016. i have it all planned out in my head. i'm buying a coffee maker, and i am going to make coffee at home and start a new morning routine. i am going to try blogging in the morning, ladies and gentlemen. it's the only it's going to happen, since the evenings are so busy. so if i can't do it this way, i don't really think i can do it at all. so, fingers crossed!

anywho, i'll probably see you all tomorrow, since i will once again be soaring on a blogshop high.

image via

pleated lampshades!

drum lampshades are SO over, amiright? ok, probably not. and i currently have two drum lampshades in my apartment, and they aren't going anywhere because they are fine and functional and new-ish. but, i am in need of a small table lamp to go next to my sofa, and i am married to the idea of a beautiful, colorful, pleated lampshade. but these suckers are hard to find in the united states! i'm sure all i need to do is go to john derian, but in terms of ordering one online, they are hard to find. 

here is what i found: irving and morrison is the mothership of pleated lampshades, and although they are based in the uk, they will ship internationally. oka has great options, and they have a us website. lamps plus has boring plain ones. 

thoughts? are you into them also, or do you find them too granny? 

photos via: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

monday vibes

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

rockstar pillows

one of my favorite online shops is Burkelman - and today i discovered that they have several pillows named after iconic musicians. fun, right? then you can have a pillow fight with stevie nicks, mick jagger, and prince!

this is stevie

this is rod stuart

this one is Mick Jagger

and this one is Prince

they also carry many other delicious pillows here !! go collect them all!

matching your lampshades to your walls - do or do?

that was a trick question the answer is DO.

some more evidence here.

photos via my favorite website ever

lemon drop

did anyone else notice that last month the print on nearly every single shelter magazine cover was lemon yellow? this color must be on the verge of popularity because i've been noticing it more lately. yellow is known as such a happy color, but it can be a little jarring, which is why i prefer the images above where it is paired with dark grey or mauve. it's also super cool in giambattista valli's apartment in image 8 (second from the bottom). but, of course it would be!

images sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

this kitchen had me at hello

this kitchen is what my dreams are made of. it happens to belong to the extremely talented designer, michelle smith. i have a "quirky" kitchen with white painted cabinets, and i found this kitchen while researching possible paint colors. it's benjamin moore woodlawn blue, and i think it's "THE ONE." yes, i am thinking of marrying this paint color. that's how much i love it. 

i am also coincidentally on the hunt for some cool antique spongeware...i've been searching on etsy, but sadly, my favorite is actually this one from tory burch. i say "sadly" because i'd rather keep hunting for an authentic antique one. but...she really hit the nail on the head with her entire spongeware collection, so....

top image via lonny, and bottom image via rip and tan. and then go ahead and treat yoself to a few minutes of clicking through michelle smith's online portfolio. it is monday after all. 

airplane windows

 

aren't these airplane window paintings by jim darling so COOL??! 

a little gallery

in my search for a place to purchase prints from Anna Ullman, i discovered the site artfully walls, and it is AWESOME, so naturally i wanted to share! they have beautiful prints from around 100 different artists such as (the aforementioned) anna ullman, ashley woodson bailey, giulia bianchi, lisa golightly, and satsuki shibuya. i made a little mock gallery wall with a few of my favorite pieces - this arrangement would be perfect for a bachelorette pad, no? i'm super duper loving the painting of the figs - the colors are delish! 

gallery wall prints going clockwise: 1. 2. 3. 4.
wallpaper: farrow & ball sofa: OKL lamp: dwell studio 

this house tour gave me goosebumps

i am a HUGE fan of elizabeth roberts design / ensemble architecture, so i check their website for new projects every so often. this prospect park townhouse literally took my breath away and gave me goosebumps (this happens when i see things i l o v e or when i listen to broadway show music...does this happen to anyone else?). everything from the wood paneling and door frames to the hermes wallpaper is incredible, and CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE BLUE AND WHITE TILES IN THE BATHROOM. if i could live in this bathroom, i would. you can see more images of this fantastic home here. enjoy!