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Stream of Consciousness

I'm still crushing on her style.
Art and paneling pretties.
My pick for prettiest woman alive.
Connecticut summers require a pool like this one. It. Is. Hot.
Different and gorgeous.
Packing is not this pretty in real life. I leave for San Francisco bright and early Saturday morning and I am stressed.
But I'm ready for the adventure. You?

Nantucket.

I'm spending a few days in our home on Nantucket with my family before my final week in Connecticut. After this, it's errands, interviews, packing, and — next Saturday — San Francisco!

And the winners are...

The two lucky winners of the Fabric & Handle bags of their choice are...
Entries #24, Taylor from It's The Little Things, and #43, Connie from Daydream in Color! Congratulations, ladies! Please email me so I can put you in touch with the lovely folks at Fabric & Handle. Thank you to everyone who entered!

White Floors

Love the one you're with. Work with what you've got. Make it work. But what if your plain concrete or wood floors really just aren't working? Paint them! I'm convinced there's nothing a fresh coat of white paint can't solve — and I'm using these interiors as proof.
{Blueprint Magazine}







Do you have any white floors in your home? It's a DIY project I'm dying to try at some point using this tutorial. According to Camila, it's a surprisingly easy and inexpensive project — right up my alley!

Wood Dressers

The search is on for the perfect wood dresser for a client's bedroom. She needs a darker piece to break up the white walls and I think any one of these pieces would do the trick.
Gorgeous, n'est-ce pas?

1 & 4 Lonny / 2 via Full House / 3 Anna Spiro

Fabric & Handle Tote Bag Giveaway!

Beach season is upon us and I'm certain this week's giveaway is just the ticket. Fabric & Handle's tote bags combine simplicity and style in a way that any design darling would appreciate.
Gingham never looked so good. Sur la plage or en route to work, Fabric & Handle totes are perfect for carrying your everyday necessities.
Call me boring, but I will forever love tan and bright white. Oh, and see those chic button straps? They're completely adjustable. Now that's a design I can get behind!
Want one to call your own? Good — because two of you will be winners! Fabric & Handle is kindly giving away two tote bags from their vast selection and the winners will be chosen randomly this Friday. All you have to do is become a Design Darling follower, check out their site, and leave a comment letting me know which tote you'd choose. Look at that... simple and stylish.

Cocoa & Hearts

As you may recall, one of the goals on my 101 in 1001 list is to invest in my first piece of original art. You can imagine my delight when Jen of Made By Girl announced the opening of her art site, Cocoa & Hearts. Her paintings are colorful, modern, and simple in the best way possible. While her larger pieces are a fantastic resource for large-scale decorating projects, I'm most drawn to her 10" x 8" canvases, which retail for $95.
What are your favorite sources for original art? 

Quote Du Jour

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life."
Charles Dederich

I'm resolving to look to the future as opposed to lamenting the end of this chapter. Yesterday's graduation marks the beginning of my next adventure and I could not be more optimistic about what the future has in store for me. No matter where you are in life or what mood you find yourself in at the moment, let's all remind ourselves that today is a new beginning and we can make of it absolutely anything we like. 

Graduation Weekend

My family arrives tomorrow to see me graduate from Bucknell on Sunday. Where oh where oh where did the time go? 

{Louis Monteiro for Tatler}

One More!


Today marks the end of senior week in Hilton Head as I'm en route back to Bucknell for graduation! In the spirit of yesterday's post, I'm redirecting you to Simplified Bee where three bloggers and I designed rooms around the same Jonathan Adler console. See you there!

Two Guest Posts!

I'm soaking up the last day of senior week in Hilton Head, South Carolina, but I planned ahead with a couple guest posts elsewhere! I'm sharing some of my favorite party ideas at College Prep (grosgrain and votives anyone?) and one of my favorite recent interiors over at Look Linger Love. Please stop by! 

Hair.

I'm granting you a reprieve from the vacation chatter with this: let's talk about hair. Mine is red. It's naturally curly and I always wanted it straight. So my freshman year of college, I had it chemically straightened for the first time. At first, I loved it. It was easy to manage and so much less maintenance than my natural texture. After a while, however, there were split ends and pieces that just felt fried no matter how well I conditioned them. Not to mention the fact that my hair grew in curly at the roots but remained straight everywhere else (not pretty). So then there was the cost of upkeep: we're talking $700+ every few months. Forget about it.
I resolved to stop getting my hair chemically straightened and get regular trims until it went back to its natural state. Eventually, however, the half curly and half straight look got to me and I had no choice but to chop it to just above my shoulders and let it all grow in curly. I let a stylist convince me to try the Brazilian keratin treatment to supposedly reverse the damage the chemical straightening had done and, while it felt great for a few weeks, there are still pieces that had more chemicals in them and are still straighter than the places where it's grown in curly. And again, $300 every few months to make it feel shiny and new? Not on my (non-existent) budget.
Now my hair is shoulder-length and mostly curly with the exception of a few pieces in the front where the stylist clearly doused my hair with chemicals to keep them straight longer. It's frizzy, especially in the summer humidity. I wear it in a sloppy bun in the daytime and occasionally curl the ends (while straightening the roots) when I go out at night. This might be as close to its original state as I'm going to get it, but still I'm not happy with the outcome.
I stumbled upon this picture on Pinterest the other day and instantly recognized it as what my hair would look like in a perfect world. I want my long hair back and I want it tame, frizz-free, and all other kinds of perfect. That's not too much to ask, right? Now clearly I need your help. Products, techniques, tools to make my crazy frizzy halo of hair look like the above. And if you have any similar stories, misery loves company. Ready, set, go!

Not Your Average Picnic

Is the beachy undertone driving you crazy yet? I hope you'll let me indulge in one more vacation reverie: the beach picnic. Ours on Nantucket usually consist of beach towels, sandwiches, and a cooler full of Arnold Palmers. In short, nothing like this...
Isn't it striking? These pictures were featured on Style Me Pretty as part of someone's wedding but I think it's a fun party idea no matter what the occasion. (With the obvious exception of senior week!) 
Drive out with a coffee table, a few floor pillows, and some fancy place settings for an unforgettable evening that's definitely a step up from your run-of-the-mill picnic. And don't forget a bouquet of fresh flowers and a lantern or two for when the sun goes down! 

Beach Day.

Good morning, everyone! I'm having the time in my life down in Hilton Head, soaking up the sun and every last moment with my housemates and friends. No complaints here! How was your weekend? 

Pattern Play


I made a bold attempt at combining leopard print, polka dots, and stripes — red pout and statement necklace optional. The subtle combination of black and navy feels very modern to me these days. Would you dare?!

Road Trip!

Today my friends and I are road tripping down to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for Bucknell's senior week. We'll drive ten hours until we reach our hotel for the night, then wake up and drive three more to our house on the beach. I'm looking forward to warm weather, good friends, and one last hurrah before graduation!

Kimberly Lewis Wallpaper

I'm excited to announce that my friend Kimberly has designed and launched her own collection of wallpaper! I met Kimberly at a Rue event in January and was so inspired by her entrepreneurial undertaking. Now that her collection has made its debut (just last week!), I'm equally impressed by her design savvy. I mean, look at this:
Fabulous, right? I'd love to see it in a powder room or walk-in closet. Kimberly offers her papers by the roll or as samples so you can test the look before you commit! Be sure to check out the rest of her collection here. Congratulations, Kimberly!

The Design Dialogues {Will Taylor}

The man needs no introduction: Will Taylor of Bright Bazaar is hands down the loveliest chap in the blogosphere. His blog is brimming with colorful inspiration and he is even more charming in real life. I had the pleasure of meeting Will at the Rue party in September and cherish the memory of bonding over funny accents and our love of blogging. He is an inspiration and a true friend. Without further ado, Will Taylor!

{Clocks styled by Will. His understanding of color and composition is unrivaled!}

Who you are:
Will Taylor

What you do:
Freelance prop stylist

Where you do it:
London, UK

{How could I not love Will when we share a design icon?}


Five words to describe yourself... 
Bubbly, empathetic, indefatigable, impatient, approachable

How do you define your aesthetic? 
Colour, pattern and a healthy dash of prep.

Who are your style icons? 
Jonathan Adler, Tom Ford, Chace Crawford. All three dress impeccably.


Favorite destination: 
Greek islands.

Favorite quote: 
"Dare to be remarkable" - Jane Gentry

Favorite site: 
Totally and utterly hooked on Pinterest.

{I must stop by Jack Spade the next time I'm in New York!}

Favorite store: 
I love Jonathan Adler's stores. Jack Spade in SoHo, New York, is pretty special, too.

Favorite thing to read: 
Martha Stewart Living has been publishing some top notch issues recently.

Favorite thing to watch: 
Brothers & Sisters. I love it and have watched from the very start. I love Nora Walker's home.

Favorite thing to wear: 
Breton stripes.

{Office supplies styled by Will. I told you he knows color!}

How did you decide that designing/styling/writing is what you wanted to do? 
One cold winter's day, when I was about twelve years old, I snuck out on my bike and rode to the local store to buy chocolate. And there it was, the plastic wrapper glinting under the clinical strip lighting of the store: my first ever issue of Livingetc, complete with a free foldout fabric wardrobe organiser(!). Pennies handed over, and magazine hidden away in my rucksack, I hurriedly cycled back home. I still remember that night when I hid under the covers with a torch and read the whole issue, cover-to-cover. From then on, each month I would look forward to slipping into its pages. This was my time to dive headfirst into what I've come to love; back then I never thought it would turn out to shape who I am today!

What is the most glamorous aspect of your work? 
Getting to work with gorgeous products and inspiring creatives.

And the least glamorous aspect? 
Tidying up after a shoot - it takes ages!

What is the best advice you’ve ever received? 
Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.

And the advice you’d offer aspiring creatives? 
Trust your instinct and roll with it; making mistakes and learning from them is what makes our work that much better over time.

What's next for you and your career? 
There are some potential projects in the pipeline, all of which I am keeping my fingers crossed for!

{I have no doubt Will will pick up floristry as seamlessly as he did styling!}

Three tasks on your to do list. 
1. Finish the art wall in our dining area. 
2. Read at least two books this month. 
3. Write to my grandmother.


Three items on your wishlist.
 1. Nathalie Lete plates from Anthropologie. 
2. Linens from the Brook Farm General Store
3. Bright blue shorts from H&M.

{Please come this summer!}


Three tasks on your bucket list. 
1. Visit San Francisco and cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge. 
2. Learn how to sew properly. 
3. Take a floristry class.

- - - 

Thank you so much for joining us, Will! Everyone do stop by Bright Bazaar to say hello and explore. I'm certain you will fall in love!