My Friends are More Talented Than Your Friends (Unless They are the Same Friends)

Thanks so much for the kind birthday wishes yesterday! They took my mind off crows feet and liver spots for at least a few minutes, and that is priceless. Today I have the pleasure of sharing my bud Naomi of Design Manifest's super stupendous renovations of two rooms for a brother/sister tween team. If you haven't already checked out Naomi's blog, you need to head on over there and hire her to redo your entire house.

This is why:

Have you ever been more jealous of two tweens? I mean, other than Victoria Justice's legs, that blue bathroom is pretty much the thing I want most in this world. And the vanity with Swan lake wallpaper is totally the Bieber's knees.

Go see the rest of the transformation as well as Naomi's other stellar projects here.

I'm off to find an air conditioned place to do laps. Gotta get this baby out.

Laters!

Team Wipeable

I'm taking a break from my own decor drama to give a shout out to my bud Naomi of Design Manifest, who has a splendiferous article about Mona Ross Berman in the latest issue of Trad Home. The best thing about the article (besides Naomi's mad writing skills) was reading about how the designer dealt with a kid and pet friendly household, which is something near and dear to my heart (and furniture). Now if someone were to gift me with a yard of Scalamandre's infamously expensive Le Tigre or Leopardo velvet, I would of course grab it... and hide it. Far, far away from Ike and the baby and my heinous vomity cat.

This is a spectacularly gorgeous, totally hostile environment for children. I might as well move to Jupiter.

I know that a lot of people have expensive textiles and white couches, and somehow manage to impose something called "rules" on their kids and pets that magically keep expensive stuff clean. But I'm dealing with a stable of wild animals and it's really important to me that our house be livable. Wipeable.

Cue Naomi and her article on Ms. Berman.

No carpet underfoot and leather chairs make this dining room as approachable for children as adults. May I also point out the lilac walls and Sarfatti chandy? Kids can't ruin that unless they bust out a ladder and get really maniacal (I guess it could happen).

The banquette is covered in LAMINATED Duralee fabric. Brillz.

Ha! Just try to destroy this, children.

There goes one of the little buggers now -- looking for trouble, no doubt.

Mom and dad have subverted midnight rotovirus attacks by using washable velvet fabrics throughout the master bedroom.

Keeping breakables in cabinets away from tiny hands is always a good idea.

As long as no one mistakes the walls for a coloring book, everything should be fine here.

So what do you think? Would you rather have your lovely delicates on full display and train your brood of pets and children accordingly, or are you on Team Wipeable?

Should we just call this debate Fabric vs Leather?

[Trad Home]

Blue Period

All these peachy pink walls are giving me the blues, but not in a weepy wimpy way. More in a, I must have cobalt blue velvet stat, kind of way.

Case in point:

This fabulous vintage tufted sofa with brand new blue velvet upholstery just popped up at a local dealer's shop. Sadly, I know this particular dealer will be charging 1st Dibs prices. Double sadly, that upholstery in my house would go from pristine to a jelly smeared nightmare in 3.2 seconds.

But look how good FloLo makes peacocky blue look with a juicy pink palette. Delish.

Almost as good as my girl Naomi Stein's fabulous Klein blue and pantone pink office nook. Genius, no?

Go check out the rest of her amazing apartment reveal over at Design Sponge.

And then please report back to let me know where I can get an amazing kid friendly blue sofa.