{grey skies + crimson leaves}

. . . lovely to be back again after a few days away and a weekend of afternoon drives and old stone houses, arched bridges and horses, leafy footpaths and misty waterfalls . . .

hope you're having a beautiful week so far,
xo

{p.s.} new and captivating things to make up for lost time:
* fall collection: lyell + backstage
* inspiration: paris in black & white








{missed from last week, a few lovely links:}
* before + after: table to desk
* new book: nick knight
* DIY: monogram wreath
* vintage: chiffon + cashmere
* bottega louie: cupcakes in gold foil
* falling falling. . .

{images: elisabeth toll; tori golub interior design for metropolitan home via desire to inspire; lucinda symons via desire to inspire; 4 + 8 - peter margonelli via apartment therapy; trees - ffffound; danske; citrus hearts via scoutie girl + design lovely; remodelista via fondly seen}

{inspiration: tim walker + polka dots}

. . . fun, fun, fun with polka dots and appointments, photo shoots, to-do lists, dinner reservations, and answering thought-provoking questions about design -- and later, a stunningly pretty give-away . . .

{image: tim walker for vogue italia via starbucks & jane austen + julia}

{two lovely things: mirrors & chandeliers}

. . . there is nothing quite like a glittering chandelier or sparkling mirrors to add luxe and glamour to any space, and always a fondness for mirrored vanities in particular and have fallen for this incredible dressing table {wouldn't it also be lovely as a desk?} and the beautiful way it is paired with a charmingly rustic mirror for a wonderfully informal, yet stunningly elegant place for favourite photographs, pearls and perfume and, of course, to prepare for a new day . . .

{p.s.} more mirrors:
* warm & romantic
* cool & modern

{images: natasha & country living via decorololgy}

{décor inspiration: a sense of grandeur}

. . . adore the idea of enveloping the walls of a small space in deep charcoal hues and positively filling every corner with perfectly ornate and beautifully embellished details -- chandeliers and velvet, walk-in closets and wine cellars, silk curtains and tufted headboards and wonderful french antiques -- to create a certain romance, an old-world charm with a luxurious sense of grandeur . . .

{1,000 square foot bungalow of designer & stylist lizzie carney; photography by bjorn wallander for country living, scans by shelter}

{architect: diana kellogg}

. . . the leaves have already begun to fall and am increasingly drawn to warm and woodsy places, especially when paired with crisp whites, glittering chandeliers and dramatically dark accents . . .


{images: diana kellogg via desire to inspire}

{colour inspiration: late-summer pink}

. . . the last day of august and how it has arrived so quickly is a mystery, and while the early morning air has become a little cooler, the sun still shines warmly and whether it's ribbons or tulle, stripes on a chair or a soft cashmere sweater, whether in shades of monticello or azalea, somehow, the last days of summer always feels like pink . . .

{p.s.} today is also p's birthday and we're off to lose ourselves in beautiful things . . . à bientôt & hope your week is off to a perfect start xo

{images: photography by jose villa via follow studio; absolutely beautiful things; t.i.g. scan, martha stewart weddings; peonies: photography by sarah tucker via ada & darcy; t.i.g. scan, photography by tom leighton, styling by ali brown and kate french for homes & gardens july 2010; t.i.g. scan, j.crew august 2009}

{in the bedroom: only sweet dreams}

. . . positively mesmerized by the beauty of this grand & impossibly romantic room, a part of a beautiful apartment available for rent{!} in provence, on the ground floor of an hôtel particulier, {an urban "private house" of a grand sort, or a very grand town house}, dating from the renaissance that was once home to members of the family of the king of france . . . already astonishing with a pier fireplace and solid oak herringbone floors, but it’s the bedroom, complete with an extravagantly handpainted and vaulted ceiling, a glimmering and glamorous chandelier, and most of all, a gilded coronet bed drape {or crown canopy} in shades of the softest lilac that inspires a place where there can only be sweet dreams . . .

{p.s.}
* another stunning coronet: crisp linens & scalloped edges
* further reading: a brief history of bed canopies

{image: la madone via pinterest}

{have a gorgeous summer weekend}

. . . another few leisurely days and it's away, away again, out of the city and to the countryside, guests from out of town and saturday morning flower markets, champagne and the last of the world cup matches, wild strawberries and late dinners in the garden, and a little shopping & sunday morning lattes . . .

wishing you an extraordinarily wonderful weekend, and hope it's beautiful where you are,
xo

{a few lovely links:}
* travel: london, paris, copenhagen and stockholm
* beautiful rebranding: petite alma
* for dessert: jeweled macarons
* sequins: shorts & ponytail
* for wood nymphs: amazing tree houses {via lynn}
* a countryside picnic: here & here
* lovely, lovely: music box ballerinas
* summer inspiration: lake house

{as always, a few things you may have missed:}
* room inspiration: always de gournay
* shoes, shoes, shoes: sergio rossi
* hello: & a few things
* storage inspiration: pretty jewelry display
* two lovely things: mirror, mirror
* wedding inspiration: little white dresses

{new for the weekend:}
* in the bedroom: summer whites
* colour inspiration: shades of citron

{one last thing:}
. . . in the event you're arriving here for the first time, this week's glamorous give-away: a herman miller eames chair!

*** click here *** to enter xo

{image: a previous post}

{room inspiration: always de gournay}

. . . perhaps white linen for the cushions on the settee and balloon shades in place of the roman blinds above, but all in all, adore everything about this stunning and summery nate berkus designed room featured in elle decor -- the utterly romantic and beautifully draped campaign bed, the crisp white linens and perfectly pretty floral glass sputnik chandelier, and most of all, the always enchanting de gournay wallpaper . . .

{image: room design by nate berkus, elle decor via apartment therapy}

{hello + a few things}

. . . french doors and a velvet tufted settee, wood floors and another stunning chandelier -- there is something about each of these things that adds such glamour and elegance to a room -- and all intermingled in one place, sheer perfection . . .

{p.s.} hello! things around here are rather sporadic on the best of days, but this week, more so than usual, so if you've just arrived, a list of the new & lovely things this week so far:

* hazy summer days: play of light & shadow
* lace bangle set give-away: and the winner is . . .
* blog inspiration: linen & lavender
* a new week: happy monday!
* first day of summer: italian silk & manicured gardens

{image: design is mine; more chandeliers here}

{blog inspiration: linen + lavender}

. . . completely over heels for this stunning room -- the incredibly elegant chandelier, the soft greys and crisp linens . . .

. . . and always exciting to discover new & wonderful blogs positively filled with beautiful things, such as linen + lavender, {here & here} a place that have been visiting nearly obsessively for the past little while and a place absolutely made for wandering about, getting hopelessly caught up and utterly lost in . . .

{p.s.} previous blog inspiration: bardot in blue

{also new today:}
* summertime, summertime
* happy monday

{this image, linen+lavender via beautiful things to share}

{colour inspiration: olive & dusky taupe}

. . . summertime always reminds me of warm & woodsy earth tones, shades of chardonnay and riverside moss, mediterranean olive and dusky taupe, and the colour of early morning mist, lush and languid and perfect complements for crashing waves and sunkissed skin . . .

{images: 1 - greige; 2 - photography by chris benton via aubrey road; 3 - photography by peo eriksson for world of interiors via natural history; 4 - definitely golden}

{blog inspiration: bardot in blue}

. . . when there's a moment, always love to search for new blogs in the comments section of posts, which often leads to happy discoveries and sometimes, even to falling, falling into a beautiful new world, such as the one seen through the eyes of bardot in blue, a world of macarons and afternoons spent at cafés, manicured gardens and cocktail dinners on the seine . . . but by far the most favourite are the days tinged in a mesmerizing and dreamy blue . . .

{images: photography by bardot in blue}