A Visit to NYC

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for me. I had been away from home for two weeks. First, I spent ten days house sitting on Balboa Island in Newport Beach and then straight from there I flew to NYC last Monday, where I spent the past week. Haven't quite been able to keep up with blogging as much lately. Prior to leaving I was busy preparing to leave - prioritizing work that needed to be done, organizing for the time spent away, never mind packing for the beach and the wintry east coast all in one. Now, just happy to be home but much to catch up on! I am sure many of you know what it's like!

Unfortunately, I do not have much to report on design wise from my trip to NYC. I did share a few highlights last year, but this year I really decided to take a break from design and just enjoy the trip which included mostly walking around and really seeing the city. Of course, everywhere you look is a monument of some type of architecture - whether a museum, a skyscraper, a bridge, or an installation in the park.

So with my iPhone in hand, I took picture after picture...

Just arriving in the city on Monday evening, took this picture from the taxi.

Monday night dinner at Ed's Chowder House

Central Park

Brunch at Jean-Georges at 1 Central Park West

Central Park

Central Park

Central Park

Central Park

Central Park

The Loeb Boathouse in Central Park

Alice in Wonderland

Belvedere Castle

View from Belvedere Castle

Central Park

Museum of Natural History

Museum of Natural History

Upper West Side

Lincoln Center

Radio City Music Hall

Times Square

View from dinner at Porter House New York, in the Time Warner Center

{all photos by me...and the iPhone}

Thomas Paul Lighting

In addition to accessories, pillows, and rugs - check out these fun Thomas Paul lighting selections. (They all come in an array of color & fabric choices too! Click on the links for more options.)

Bridgett Pendant Lamp

Nevin Pendant Lamp

Shea Pendant Lamp

Thor Pendant Lamp

{*I love this one!}

Vic Pendant Lamp

And sconces too:

June Sconce

Pierce Sconce

Eloise Sconce

Pink & Chic Rooms

Happy Valentine's Day!

{Here are some rooms that are pink, chic, and inspiring for a romantic day!}

From the Land Down Under...

...comes a beautiful selection of bedding that are all made of natural fibers and kind to the earth.

The company happens to be called "lazybones" from Australia. I was fortunate to have been introduced to these lovely quilts and duvets through a client of mine. It just so happens that I am currently working on a work/live loft space for an Australian who represents the line in the states through her showroom the "Rose Showroom."

Tracy Hocking is the owner and designer for lazybones. Her love of clothing and fabric design from the 1920's-1950's has been the inspiration for the bedlinens (and also the line of sleepwear and clothing collections) that she designs.

The line is also sold at Anthropolgie stores nationwide.

{Pink white smocked quilt}

{Dove smocked quilt}

{Grey marle quilt}

{Lace charcoal pillow case}

{Rosette organic}

{Smocked quilt pillows}

{Smocked quilt white and tan}

*The Rosette Lazybones quilts in Plum, Heather, Natural, Charcoal and soon to be Navy and Raisin are available at Anthropologie. For all other designs, please go to www.lazybones.com.au.

Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills

If you haven't already heard of Villa Blanca Restaurant, you may soon start hearing a lot more about this restaurant located in Beverly Hills.

The owners are Lisa Vanderpump Todd and her husband, Ken Todd. Lisa happens to be one of the real housewives slated for the upcoming Bravo TV show, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." Not only is she a former actress and restaurateur, but she also designed the interiors of Villa Blanca.

Lisa says she wanted the decor to be "sexy, white, clean, comfortable and inspired…gorgeous art, stylish furnishings and creative music selections will bring life and style to the space. The ambiance will be extremely important to the experience of eating at Villa Blanca—flowers, lighting, chairs, staff—every aspect will look great. If the ambiance isn’t great, you might as well stay home and order take-out."

Fabulous flower arrangements are in integral part of the decor at Villa Blanca.

Villa Blanca is located at 9601 Brighton Way in Beverly Hills