Life In Style

The Wright Stuff

At 5:05 today I set off to find a little shop that I have known of for some time and never seen.  Having poured through the Jonathan Wright and Company catalog for years and ordered specialty items over the phone long distance, it was heaven to spend a serene hour wandering through the carefully curated trove of papers, desktop baubles, gifts, and curiosities Mr. Wright and his associates have assembled.  The custom letterpress invitations are to die for and the "ready to wear" papers are marvelous.  I hope the June birthday girls like their cards, if I can part with them...    

Found!

After months of searching antique stores and debating the muted quality of Anthropologie's "not quite it" reproductions, these perfectly old fashioned, bohemian glasses landed right in front of my nose on the pages of March's House Beautiful magazine. 

Dear Easter Bunny, I'd like a set of ten in every color of the rainbow please. 

See the collection at Marston and Langiner.  Nest

The Electric Slide

They're un-throw-away-able...slides, that is.  Every person in America and England has their share of family slides hiding somewhere in a dusty carousel.  It's a shame that these wonderful relics of another time rarely see the light of day, or a projector.  For the modern nester, here is a new idea: The Slide Light.  In contemporary white powder-coated aluminum, the Slide Light uses an 18 watt fluorescent bulb to give your favorite family slides a second life.  It's a bit modern art gallery and a bit x-ray.  Very cool in the kitchen or the loo.  Nest 

From the gold mine known as The Conran Shop.

Steal the Magnolias

                   

                

Loving the shiny, lush magnolia leaves of the season's most elegant greens.  A refreshing change from the everywhere pine boughs and bay leaves - magnolia wreaths and garland are gorgeous on the stairwell or mantle, and even prettier as a wreath hanging on the front door.  Live magnolia will last a little over a week and then the leaves begin to curl and darken into a gorgeous auburn color.  Order from your local nursery or floral supply and accent with a little twinkly candlelight for Christmas dinner.

Check out The Magnolia Company to order.  Nest

'Tis the season

Monday Monday post holiday.  The worst.  The only sensible choice is to shift gears immediately from sweet potatoes and turkey feathers to peppermint stick wrapping paper and hot chocolate at home...a few things to get us in the mood.

Images courtesy of Martha Stewart and Tastespotting.  Nest.

There's A Place In France...

Some of us think that the window in our bathroom has force field properties.  We do the naked dance every day and ignore the fact that others could possibly be catching the show.  If you need a bit of privacy but don't want to sacrifice natural light, check out these adorable window films from the Swedish designer, Strossel.  The sweet graphics add a little charm to any window pane or shower door and the no commitment aspect makes it a no-brainer solution for those who rent.  Installation is easy (clean window, spray water on your window, place film and squeegee bubbles away) and removal is a snap.   People are really going to miss the naked dance.

More design options an ideas at Rare Device.  Nest

Wood Works

 

            

In the return to authenticity and a growing appreciation for natural resources, there seem to be more and more wooden accents making their way into fashion and decor.  Sleeker than you'd ever imagine, these wooden pieces add warmth and richness to any environment.  Nest

Boogala Boogala

A hilarious little Halloween card series from Argyle Academy.  A little boogala boogala for your pen pal...  Nest

Media Solutions

The one drawback to fantastic family room technology is the cords.  Yes, no matter how luxurious your 52 inch plasma flat screen is with Tivo, DVD player, satellite cable, etc.- the cords are a huge pain in the neck.  If you have the means to design a built-system to hide your outlets and hook ups, more power to you.  For everyone else - there is the Muro Media Storage panel from Design Within Reach.  This clever storage system delivers the look and function of a wall-mounted flat panel, but without the hassle of hardwiring.  It arrives unfinished, ready for paint or wallpaper.  Paint it the same color as your wall for a slick, streamlined look.  Equipped with a wall-mounted load-bearing frame, this structural panel has a universal system to hang a plasma or LCD television.  Between the fame and panel, there's a space that holds cables and hides them from view.  Gone are the days of dorky TV stands and mangled cords - hello Muro.

Check out the Muro Media Storage at www.dwr.com and have a longing look at the iconic Saarinen table that belongs in every home.  Nest

A Little Arm & Hammer

In an ongoing effort to simplify and get back to basics, take the old fashioned (and environmentally friendly) approach in your nest cleaning.  Get yourself to the pantry for a little yellow box of Arm  & Hammer Baking Soda.  Baking soda a sodium bicarbonate, a natural substance that maintains the pH balance and neutralizes both acids and bases which will eliminate odors, rather than cover them up.  Most likely you have already have some in the back of your fridge, but check out the crazy list of things that this little powder can do.  Mix it three to one with warm water and be amazed when you...

Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet, then vacuum it up to remove dirt, stains, and smells.

Add it to a sponge or dishrag to form a mildly abrasive scouring powder for counter tops, impossible stove tops, and even china and silver.

Sprinkle it on your toothbrush before adding toothpaste for fresher breath and gentle teeth whitening.

Add baking soda to a warm bath to keep skin soft, lessen eczema, and reduce swelling.

Baking soda paste will take the "ouch" of a bee sting, mosquito bites, and even chicken pox.

And the Life In Style favorite...mix with water to form a light paste to gently exfoliate on your face and skin that will lift the last traces of summer self tans, back flare ups, and deliver the smallest pores in America- just in time for the new Fall Face. 

Tips courtesy of Superwoman, F.A. Pappas.  Nest

Litter-ally

For those of you who share your nest with pets, you know that this co-habitation comes with strings.  But for true animal lovers, keeping the house free from hair, stains, and smells is a small price to pay for uncomplicated companionship and a friendly face at the door after a long day.  An insider tip from someone who knows...

Litter-ally 

by Ellen Shanman

Let’s talk about this once and then we never have to mention it again: the litter box. It can be a stinky, unpleasant place, I know, but it no longer has to be. Our household has just converted to the aptly named the World's Best Cat Litter. Recommended by our pet store, the litter lives up to its name; it’s made from corn and is truly flushable and biodegradable. Which means you don’t have to worry about your feline friend ingesting that nasty silica dust or tracking it through the house. And on a purely selfish note, it smells better than any other litter I’ve encountered. Truly, man and beast can live in harmony.

Nest

Grafiti Artists

Innovative nesters will love this one. Wonderful Graffiti offers a breath of fresh air in the over saturated no-commitment vinyl wall decal market.  These whimsical designs adhere to walls, doors, floors, furniture...anything that will hold still.  Custom monograms, succinct quotations, and quirky motifs are a perfect way to add personality for a special occasion, holiday, or everyday  in that hard to fit space. Choose from one of their options or create your own with their very cool design program.  Go ahead.  Write on the wall.  Nest

Color Me Beautiful

If you are in the market for a little home improvement this weekend and have been agonizing over paint chips and color schemes...get excited.  House Beautiful Magazine and Benjamin Moore Paints have come together to make the "what color should we do the bathroom" decision process a little easier, and a lot more fun.  Go online to play with their new Paint Brush tool and experiment with the thousands of gorgeous shades that could bring new life to that old wall.  You can choose from a variety of decor styles and rooms in a kaleidescope of colors- sure to keep you mixing and matching for hours on end.  It's nintendo for the decorating set...outstanding.

Visit http://www.housebeautiful.com/colors/paint-colors/ and let the fun begin.  Nest.

When One Door Closes...

Couldn't your front door benefit from a bold choice?  Don't forget to lend your sparkling personality and charm to the exterior of your home as welll.  Maybe a new color, a hardware upgrade, or a new lighting concept is in order for a little va-va curb appeal.  First impressions and all that...

Nest.

There's No Place Like Home

On the way home for a visit...everything's up to date in Kansas City.  Have a great weekend everyone!

A New Shade

As you lift your head up from your annual spring cleaning, you may look around your home and think: stale.  You've been looking at the same pictures, the same books, the same everything all winter long, and you feel that it's time for a spring face lift on your nest.  Don't fight it.  It's probably true. Here's hoping that the government is sending you a generous tax return next week, and if so- haul off and buy the Philippe Starck Ghost chair or the leaning wall mirror that you've lusted after for three years.  You have earned it. 

But if your spring budget only allows for a few minor upgrades, choose wisely.  Use what you've got to get what you want - start by swapping out all the pictures in your frames and relocating your wall pieces to mix it up. Make the evolutionary leap from 20's to 30's by putting your DVD collection away.  Really, how often do you really watch those movies?  They can live in an attractive, functional container somewhere out of sight. 

Once you've done the big edit that Martha, Oprah, and Real Simple are begging you to do, take a quiet moment in each room and get a feeling for what isn't working for you anymore.  Most likely there is one aspect of each room that is interfering with your perfect chi. 

If your chi radar is blocked, start here: choose a fresh duvet for your bed or upgrade the area rug in your living room.  New towels in the bathroom are like new white t-shirts in the summer.  And the biggest bang for your buck:  new lampshades.  Replace your dusty and worn white linen shade with a sophisticated black paper shade lined in gold.  It's instant oomph for your pad and it casts a highly flattering glow on the sparkly people who make your house a home.  Sometimes your house just needs a new lipstick.  This spring, try a new shade.

Nest.

Why we do it

For Friday, let's take a minute to remember what we're all working so hard for- a unique vision of our own well-lived life.  In my version of the good life, this is the backyard of my summer house and my dearest friends are huddled around that circle of Adirondack chairs after dinner.  On a cool spring evening, we laugh and talk over a bottle of wine and the world rights itself.  This week was good and I feel a little closer to that life.

Nest.

No one likes to buy a nightstand

Why are nightstands so expensive?  The beautiful bed and magic sleep inducing mattresses have left me house poor...and yet, my guest room needs a bedside table.  I am inspired (as always) by the wizards at Martha Stewart who are watching out for my need for aesthetic composition and my pocketbook. This is the answer for space-saving, cost-conscious nesters everywhere.  The possibilities are endless!  It could be vintage chic (distressed wood in a soft cream), modern chic (frosted glass with pop hardware), renewable chic (bamboo), perhaps even a mirrored top doubling as a ladies vanity.  Get me to Lowe's this weekend!

Image courtesy of Martha Stewart Living.  Nest.