Room and Board

I did some window shopping at Room & Board today in Soho. And every time I go there, I love it a little more. Their customer service is superb and the design and quality of their furniture is fantastic (I know first-hand because we own their Orson couch). And the best part is that their price point is often lower than Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel.


For example, this lamp is priced at $169 while Crate and Barrel has a similar accent floor lamp but it is priced at $229. I'm still undecided on which one I like better (which one do you like?) but it's just nice to have another great option in addition to C&B and PB.



I guess I'm always surprised at their price points because their showroom is stunning and very upscale. Plus it's always a trip down memory lane because I used to work in this building when it used to be Knoll*. I worked there as a sales assistant and it was my very first job out of college. I was always running around the showroom like a mad woman!





You can visit their NYC showroom at:

105 Wooster Street
New York, NY 10012
212.334.4343


You won't be disappointed!


* On an unrelated note, I've noticed that my mug shot is still in Knoll's Chadwick Chair brochure. If you download the Chadwick Product Guide you can see me on page 6. Yup, they must have been trying to save money that year by using their employees as models!

Nicole's Wedding Invitation Labels

A few months ago, my friend Nicole approached me with a question about her wedding invitation labels. She was ordering her invitations from Wedding Paper Divas but wanted to incorporate more color into the inner and outer envelope labels but wasn't sure how to go about it. Instead of using colored envelopes, we decided to go with a colorful printed label for both. I incorporated the same font and created a design that complimented the original design of the invitation. This way there was a seamless transition between envelopes and invitations.

The actual invitation design.

My take on bringing the invitation design to the outer address label.

Inner envelope label

The happy couple


Congratulations Nicole and Enayet!

Navy Friday

I'm picking Navy up today from summer camp and this is how he'll probably look the whole ride back. Conked out from all the fun!


Happy Friday everyone! See you Monday!

Pittsburgh

Earlier this week I made a trip out to Pittsburgh to visit my friend Erin. We had a great time hitting up the Strip District downtown. I'll admit that I knew very little about Pittsburgh and I was pleasantly surprised by this little pocket of the city. It has my favorite combination of unique, old architecture, delectable food shops and restaurants, and great shopping. Here are some of the highlights:

We found an awesome donut shop that sells fresh donuts.

They make every donut fresh, right in front of you.

Fresh donut, maple glaze, bacon crumbles. Can we take a moment here to savor the magnitude of this?

This donut has the right combination of sweet and salty and just melts in your mouth.

Still giddy from our maple bacon donut high.

A trip to Pittsburgh wouldn't be complete without a visit to Primanti Brothers, the restaurant famous for their coleslaw and fries on the sandwich.

We also stumbled across an amazing home goods store called Hot, Haute, Hot.

The vibe was vintage, a little rustic with lots of French inspiration... totally my style.

I couldn't pass up this awesome inspirational sign. It still has yet to be hung but it will be a great daily reminder to enjoy the present.

I highly recommend a jaunt out to Pittsburgh... it's a fabulous city!

F. Scott Fitzgerald Collection

Penguin Classics has done it again. Senior cover designer, Coralie Bickford-Smith, has designed a stunning collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald book covers. I absolutely love the art deco influences and the gorgeous color schemes. Check out the rest at TheDieline.

Navy Friday

In the words of Rachel Zoe, "I die."

Navy's been spending the last few days at summer camp with his breeder, Lynn. For the most part I think he's living the life, except the other day Lynn made him take swimming lessons and he was not too happy. Don't worry, there was parental supervision at all times because Frenchies aren't really inclined towards water sports but it was a good way to cool the little guy off too. However, the sheer look of terror on his face is priceless.

Ahh, much better.

Have a great weekend everyone! See you Monday!

Gilly Hicks' Bag

I recently discovered Gilly Hicks at one of my old haunts in Connecticut, the Westfarms Mall. It's coined as Abercrombie & Fitch's cheeky cousin. While I'm slightly uncomfortable with the fact that I went shopping at an intimate apparel store aimed towards teenagers, I can appreciate good design and branding. And I love their shopping bag! I feel like so many stores don't take advantage of the free advertising that bags can convey. Literally, I saw some women (okay, I'll admit it, they were teens) walking around the mall with the shopping bag but I was just so intrigued with the bag that I had to see the store.

It's a great, high quality shopping bag with a knit handle that is super soft and comfortable to carry.

Look, the bag matches their website! Hellooo there.

Warby Parker

I've been searching high and low for a pair of glasses that I really like. You see, I'm a contacts girl and I never take out my contacts. Literally. I don't even own a pair of glasses and I tend to keep my contacts in for a month! But I'm trying to be more responsible and take better care of my eyes so I desperately need a new pair of glasses. However, the search has been exhausting... everything that I like is $700+ for frames and lenses and I don't want to spend that much on glasses that I'll only wear occasionally. Right now I'm looking for the "nerdy" glasses that are a little bit trendy and in the know Liana suggested I check out Warby Parker.



It's an online glasses company that sells the frames and the lenses for $95! Not only that but with every pair of glasses you purchase they donate a pair of glasses to someone in need. Check out their noteworthy mission statement:

A collaboration between four close friends, Warby Parker was conceived as an alternative to the overpriced and bland eyewear available today. Prescription eyewear simply should not cost $300+. The industry is controlled by a few large companies that have kept prices artificially high, reaping huge profits from consumers who have no other options. By circumventing traditional channels and engaging with our customers directly through our website, Warby Parker is able to provide higher-quality, better looking prescription eyewear for under $100.

We believe that everyone has the right to see. Unfortunately, millions of people around the world today don’t have access to proper vision care. To help address this problem, Warby Parker partners with renowned non-profits, such as RestoringVision.org, to deliver one pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair that we sell. In doing so, we enable you to share the gift of vision with someone who can’t see today and give them the opportunity to read, to work and to live a fuller life.

It's a pretty remarkable company! So I'm thinking about purchasing these:



Or maybe these:




Heck, for that price maybe I can get both. I'll let you know how they turn out!

Ippudo

I had the most amazing lunch today at Ippudo in the East Village. Thanks to my foodie friend Liana who is in the know, my life in NYC will never be the same. Ramen and pork buns will definitely be a weekly occurrence.

Ramen bowls decorate the wall.

Interior of Ippudo, large booths and communal seating.

Melt in your mouth pork buns.

Symphony in a bowl. Now I completely understand the craze for Ramen.

Slurping utensils.

Navy Friday

Have a great weekend everyone! See you Monday!

Can this really be breakfast?

Last week my bestie Margaret sent me some chocolate covered strawberries from Edible Arrangements. They were soo delicious! I was on such a chocolate covered strawberry kick that I sliced some up and added them to my rice krispies. Heaven I tell you, heaven.

GOOP

Have you been to Gwyneth Paltrow's newsletter website, GOOP? It has been around for a while but occasionally I like to see what's going on in "Gwyneth" world.



And while we're stalking her, take a trip down memory lane and visit Gwyneth's Hamptons home from 2007 via Habitually Chic.



It's a great way to get those envy juices flowing.