Design Masters : Betty Lou Phillips

My growing collection of inspiring design books lacks Betty Lou’s series of incredible French style interiors. What I love most about her design is the hotel-ish feeling experienced throughout the homes. I believe in implementing hotel like traits throughout a home, to make it as inviting and relaxing as possible.

The cover of Betty Lou’s latest book French Impressions is a photo of the lounge in her two story dressing room. A dream come true to be sure.

When entertaining guests, as done in hotels, newspaper bags are hung on the door handles of all rooms. That guest bath is to die for,with mosaic inset mats for a Monsieur and Madame.

The absolutely gorgeous kitchen with a La Cornue range and matching hood. Best feature in the kitchen is the sink backsplash and beautiful marble walls.

The designers super cute puppy dressed in Ralph Lauren, with his monogrammed bed linen. One of my favorite parts of the house, the laundry room. Each room has it’s own designated basket with a pressing table. I love how every detail is emphasized in the house, even the laundry room has a chandelier and a ceiling with paint effect.

The backyard with plenty of chairs, a lovely pool and beautifully trimmed greenery.

Find the rest of Betty Lou Phillips’ books here.

Image source: cote de texas, Betty Lou Phillips

Call me old fashioned

But I think digital cameras have robbed the beauty of photos. I miss the old days when a trip to anywhere meant carrying lots of rolls and limiting your photos to just the most memorable moments in order to save your roll.
Sure, digital photography has indeed made life so much easier, but I am beginning to think digitals should be kept for everyday not so important photos.
As for vacations and not to forget events, I would much rather stick to the good old 35mm rolls(even if it means it’ll take me a decade to take them to a studio).
So this is one of my 2011 {wow can’t believe its almost here} resolutions, lots of old fashioned photography+ video cams, & lots of love.

the infamous Jane Birkin 

Soul renewal

How often do you renew things around you? We rethink the handbags we carry, the cosmetics we use daily, the shoes we pick on our way out. But how often do you stop and think of how you can renew your soul? Have we become too consumed with the material world? Does sentiment or soul value mean anything to us anymore ?
This is the time of the year where we all get a chance to find out. I think Ramadhan is such a great lesson for our souls. For just one month, we get the chance to find out things about ourselves. In depriving ourselves from food that we gobble down everyday without a thought, we get a chance to appreciate things around us. We get a chance to think in silence and serenity, away from the everyday distractions of life. We get to put our patience and tolerance threshold to test. I hope we can all manage to learn what Ramadhan has to teach us. May Allah accept it from us. Ramadhan Kareem.

Tips on sprucing up your Iftar (refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan) table:

Use three tiered stands to carry the traditional iftar pastries(samboosa,kebab,spring rolls). On a longer table, two would be ideal. Small footed glass bowls carrying a few dates for every two plates looks very neat.
  
I’m a fan of fancy clear glass pitchers. Everything looks good in them. A pitcher of lemonade with a few slices of lime floating inside is very refreshing. Fill a clear glass container with a pretty lid with little mints.

 
Set a table aside for colorful desserts. Arrange it well with pretty flowers and the best dessert dishes. Of course our Ramadhan desserts look nothing like that, but you get the idea :)

Make the most of your time in Ramadhan everyone! x

image source country living

Oh Ann

If there’s one thing i know well about myself it’s that I love a well designed bathroom. My theory is you need to start your day with a heads up by powdering yourself up in pretty surroundings.
And what better surrounding could you been in if you had Ann Sacks extraordinary tiles.
My heart throbs whenever I go to the specialty stones section of the webpage. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in the bathroom world.
 
Art at it’s best. I would SO love to use these in my home one day.

images:ann sacks

before i take off

My mind gets all jumbled up the days before I leave for my summer vacation. I remind myself every day that
packing ahead is essential in order not to forget anything behind, but always end up leaving it to the last day.
This time I must stick to my plan though. Summer packing is fun and light, unlike heavy winter clothing. Sun
dresses and light airy tops paired with colorful flats and pretty belts. As hot as it is, I love summer. It’s got the
power to cheer you up every morning with it’s lovely bright sun.  
So this time i’m keeping myself under self-observation to pack light and only essential things. This is an art I
must learn to master. I’m super excited mr.H is joining us this summer! Here’s me making new plans everyday!!
So I bid you adieu, until i arrive at my destination.

Have a great summer vacation! x 

wunderful

One essential item every summer is a pair of fabulous shades. Do you use and abuse your shades? Or do you prefer to purchase a new one every once in a while?
Frankly, I try to stick to a certain style for a while until something dashing comes my way. I love quirky sunglasses.
My all time best however is my cartier classic rounded frame shades. They automatically transform you into a smart looking diva from the 30’s. My second best has got to be my cutler & gross’ i picked up off a mannequin in a  store in Vegas a few years back.

I heart Olivia’s wunderkind shades(left),Dita Von Teese style shades(right)

Holly golightly in the infamous RayBan Wayfarer style, they were a tad larger back in the days(left), Jackie O in a very linda farrow style shade(right)

Round and fab shades a la Jackie O(left), cutler & gross vintage style shades(right)

So grab your fav pair and protect your eyes, summer has arrived. x

image sources smallshoppingworld, cutlerandgross

some color-less beauties

 

 

Some things are best left uncolored. I am crazy over nude/sandy colored linen pants paired with a loose fitted blouse with a feminine touch. I’ll make sure I accessorize accordingly whenever I opt for this look this summer, as the risk of dulling it out is quite high. Vintage shades will always make it work.

images via polyvore, yasminlebon