Tassels Part 2: Casual Cotton

Today's tassel post focuses on a more casual style- more cotton and less shine.  These more everyday styles are are right up my alley as our apartment is more relaxed.  I think these styles add just the right amount of detail- what do you think?

{Masseria: The Italian Farmhouses of Puglia via Design*Sponge}

{West Elm Chunky Tassel Throw}

{1} West Elm Honeycomb Tassel Hand Towel {2} Bathroom with white tassel towels

Check out more casual tassels after the break- as well a link for how to make your own tassels.

Friday's Dramatic Sky

Last Friday started out dreary and rainy, but turned into a beautiful day.  In our new office we have a great view of the water and the Williamsburg Bridge.  The sky was so dramatic that I had to share these photos taken throughout the day.  I hope you enjoy!

Click to read more and see the dramatic finish.

Tassels Part 1: Elegant Tradition

Tassels have been all over the runways the past few seasons, but before that I have to admit I mainly associated them with 'decorated' homes and men's loafers.  While I love reading home magazines, interior design books, and lifestyle blogs, 'decorator' style doesn't fit into my life.  It calls to mind stiff formal rooms that go unused most of the year.  Rooms that are too perfect to live in.  With all of the amazing tassels in fashion I've realized it's time for my to re-evaluate my view on tassels in the home.  I'll be sharing my thoughts on this throughout the week.  First up, I thought we should start looking at tassels as a way of adding a bit of luxury to a room.  I think one of the best ways to do it is to find a statement tassel that you love and hang it on the wall, a door, or in the window.  

{Ann Demeulemeester Spring 2012}

{1} Tassels and Chains {2} Blind pulls featured in 'Undecorate: The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design'

There was recently an article in Australian Vogue Living (one of my favorite magazines) about Robbie Spina and Joe Zitto.  They hand make all of their tassels and trim.  Pretty amazing.  I love the scale of the one below on the end of the beautiful wooden bed.  The dip-dyed ones are also incredible with their subtle shift in color.  See more of their tassels on their website.

 {Image from Australian Vogue Living}

{Image from Australian Vogue Living}

Weekend Bits

I hope you all had a good weekend.  Mine was pretty relaxing.  Saturday I lounged around and was reading up on blogging and what you need to know.  My sister Grace has had some great advice and her posts have been really helpful.  I'm keeping a list of things I need to ask her when we next get together.  I've also been blown away by all of the great recaps and advice being posted recently from bloggers who went to Alt.  Victoria from vmac & cheese has had some extremely helpful posts on her Mini-Alt Week series, and I would highly suggest checking them out!  They have been so informative!! I am still feeling a bit overwhelmed after reading all of this but it's really great.  I would also recommend Meg Birim's Alt Summit: Information Re-cap + Permalinks.  

I also received the new J. Crew catalogue, along with my Spring rewards! It definitely has me longing for Spring- and getting some color into my wardrobe again!  I tend to get into a rut this time of year wearing clothes that are comfortable and warm, but definitely lack style.  I'm not a big pink person but have to admit I loved the looks J. Crew had pulled together below.  I think adding in red gives it a little needed edge.  I'm always a fan of navy and really love the dress below with the fans print on it.  I think it's time to start thinking about some Spring pieces that I can wear now.

{images from new J. Crew Catalogue and their Spring Rewards mailer}

Sunday I ran a few errands and went to yoga again.  I really enjoying this class and getting back in tune with my body.  This week I'm aiming to bring my lunch more so I can save a bit of money and start eating healthier.  I'm going to make kale chips tonight from the recipe I found over on Breakfast at Toast.

Leaves

Drawings of leaves from my old sketchbook.

Zebras

I just saw this zebra pillow by Dwell Studio on Design*Sponge and love this print!  It's so cute, and reminds me of a wallpaper by Scalamandre (and often used by Kate Spade) shown below.

{Dwell Studio featured on Design*Sponge}

{Kate Spade's Bathroom}

{Scalamandre Zebras}

Friday Photo

Part of this week I was working from home.  We had a nice sunny day on Tuesday and I had to take some pictures of the shadows on the floors and walls.

Lauren Manoogian: Leather Bracelets

I love these leather bracelets by Lauren Manoogian.  They're neutral, so can be worn with many things- and have a little bit of an edge.  The triangle ones are my favorite.

  {image source}

 {image source}

Designer Love: Marni

Today I wanted to share another one of my favorite designers- Marni.

Agnes Martin

Agnes Martin (1912-2004) is another one of my favorite painters.  While photographs can never capture the effect her work has on the viewer, I wanted to share her work as I have been thinking about it recently.  I remember standing at Dia Beacon looking at one of her paintings and being enveloped into the world of subtle color.  The noticeable traces her hand left when creating grids and stripes adds to the subtle vibration of her work.  I find them to be very powerful pieces- and they remind me about the power of simplicity when there is authenticity.

{image source}

 {image source}

{image source}

Designer Love: Dries Van Noten

Visiting stores in London reminded me of how much I love Dries Van Noten.  The stores were all having sales so there was a mix of old and new product.  The print mixing is unmatched, and the colors are lust worthy.  I managed to snap a picture of this amazing stripe.

How amazing is the tomato red dress on the left?  The print splicing is fantastic- just love the bottom section.

{Images via Style.com}

Frankfurt

This is the last post from my recent work trip.  I didn't see much of Frankfurt - mostly the inside of a convention center! To be honest I wasn't too inspired by my visit there, but I do have a few photos to share.

 

Check out a few more after the break.