the ultimate kitchen accessory

  
Is a Kitchen Aid stand mixer in a metallic satin copper finish.
It’s beautiful, I would buy it just to display it on a kitchen counter. I’m not much of a baking queen myself, but this beauty would definitely drag me to the kitchen from time to time.

1953 style revived

A few days ago, I watched Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell’s Gentlemen prefer blondes for the first time. Dorothy and Lorelei and their adventure was just hilarious.
What I loved about the movie most however was there fabulous sense of style. I just love how feminine and classy fashion was during that era of time. Although the movie was originally black and white I’m assuming someone must have colored the movie and so the dress colors are not so accurate. Still however, I was in love.

 

 
This was my favorite costume of all. I just love how the scarf is tied around her shoulders and extends all the way to the back. I couldn’t find a picture of the costume from the back, but that scarf height is just lovely.

 
This color is just so luscious i love it.I definitely intend to add this periwinkle-ish color to my wardrobe. I love how simple the dress is with the twist that the color gives it.
'I just love finding new places to wear diamonds': Lorelei (Marilyn Monroe) tries on a tiara.
 
‘You know I think you're the only girl in the world who can stand on a stage with a spotlight in her eye and still see a diamond inside a man's pocket.’ Dorothy (Jane Russell)

Tommy Hilfiger’s Plaza Apartment

As if it wasn’t enough to wake up in the morning and have the stunning views outside your window, Tommy and Dee Hilfiger’s NYC apartment at the Plaza has stunning interiors.

  
Tommy and Dee, both dressed in Hilfiger design.Love the gigantic vase in the back of the staircase. Living room alcove holds a Warhol Elizabeth Taylor.

The French Renaissance style lounge area with murals and a brick vault in the ceiling. I love how they’ve somehow brought in the Alice in Wonderland dwarfed feeling in this room, with a large teapot shaped plant and extremely high ceiling
 
Love the moldings and chandeliers in the master bedroom, you can’t miss the monogrammed DHT pillows either. Dee soaking up in an oh so lovely tub, in love with the antiquated mirror tub backsplash

Sebastian Hilfiger in his nautical theme bedroom, and the girls bedroom to the right with monogrammed pillows again

The dining room with mixed chandeliers and a gorgeous dining set, but the star of the whole place is the terrace with the center teapot shaped plant. The Alice theme comes up again here with the checkered floor. Just imagine what a wonderful afternoon tea you could have here, facing Central Park.

photo courtesy: harpers bazaar

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

thorny situations

Have you ever been in a thorny situation? No matter how you try to get yourself out of it, you’re just sure that thorn’s coming up. I’m making it sound too poetic, aren’t I? Well I got myself into a huge thorny situation earlier today when an idea sparked in a cloud above my head as I passed by my grandma’s gardener throwing out the excess branches from old trees. I’ve been wanting to find something interesting for that corner in my room, something with a little bit of height to it. That’s when i decided to experiment and asked him to leave out a few branches on the side for me.


well obviously our branches don’t blossom around this side of the world,sadly. But you get the idea.

So I got started. I picked out the right size and color of branches, shed off the leaves and cut out the excess side branches. If you ever try this, make sure you wear gloves as it is a very thorny situation.

I brought out a few vases to fit them in. I found the one with the wider opening carried more and gave them a more natural drop. We then washed them out to bring out the beautiful natural reddish wood color. I left them out for a while to dry.

meanwhile, I went out to Sia and grabbed a few artificial flowers. How I wish our climate allowed us to grow lovely hydrangeas and colorful roses in our gardens to decorate vases with on a daily basis. But for now, faux flowers will do the job.

I picked an odd count of three roses and just a little shrub to finish it off. I think I might need another shrub for the other end to give it a complete look.
lit up my diptyque candle and enjoyed the view.
Recommended if you’ve got some extra time on your hands and a corner to fill.

images via the much missed dominomag, ahamodernliving.