THE LIBRARY: CELERIE KEMBLE.

A perfect little package arrived to my doorstep yesterday, and in it was a well-awaited Christmas gift that I've been overly anxious to delve into.  Celerie Kemble ranks iconic in my design book, so of course I had to add Black & White (and a bit in between) to my design library shelves.  For those of you that lust over powerful, intuitive, bound-breaking interiors like I do, I'd highly recommend the glossy, drool-worthy pages of Celerie's published brilliance:

There's a little sneak peek to wet your design book appetite.
And, a bonus (as I'm notorious for discarding busy book sleeves): the hard-printed cover is to die for.

HAPPY THURSDAY.

THE STAR.

My words of wisdom (or maybe not at all...) for the day.
Along with my favorite latte...from my favorite Hope and Union.

Hope your Wednesday is as warm, sunny...and inspiring as mine.
And filled with dear friends, an amazing lunch, delicious coffee...and open windows.

xoxo.

HAVE YOU SEEN: SOUS STYLE?

Let me introduce you to all of its well-curated wonder:

Not only is Sous Style an eye-candy laden site that boasts the very best round-up of interiors (categorized and easily navigated by room, I might add), it's very much like an online magazine, providing design-minded readers with gorgeous food photos, recipes, the very best big-city eateries...and clever content like Room Anatomy, Cook for Me, and House Hunter.

Take a peek:

Launched by Pippa Lord, a Melbourne-native-turned-Brooklyn-transplant (and photo director for ELLE, I might add) Sous Style is brimming with some serious inspiration. And perhaps what I love most about SS?  Their admiration for the "imperfectly perfect," as if they're a young, cool Martha Stewart for an entirely new and progressive generation of well-versed homemakers.

But don't take my word for it...check out Sous Style yourself.
:)

BLACK AND WHITE

 My two favorite colors. 

HAPPY MONDAY.

DESIGN ICON: BERTOIA

I have a faint (or rather large) infatuation with this brilliant little chair.  Produced by Knoll, the Bertoi chair is the mastermind of mid-century, italian-born, artist, sculptor (and design icon) Harry Bertoia. Much like a ghost chair, I adore them for their versatility. No matter the style, era, or color of its surroundings, this minimalistic, low-profile chair will slide right in to most any design scheme and make a stunning addition without warranting too much attention. I love the idea of juxtaposing its modern, hard frame with contrasting lines, textures, styles, and materials. Throw it into an uber-traditional room for an interesting spin...quickly and easily ground an overly-feminine room with a black-framed, somewhat gritty Bertoia...compliment a kiddo's room with a super fun color...even dress up your outdoor space with a hardwearing set. The options are endless, and the result always superior.

See?

[ photos sourced on my pinterest ]

Interested in an iconic Bertoia for your own space? Design Within Reach sells them. Yes, they're an investment--but also a classic. They'll forever be held in the highest regards amongst the design world!

And...they're super comfy despite their deceiving hard lines, but my favorite softening tricks include throwing a square pillow in the seat, or draping an ikea sheepskin over the entire frame.  DWR also sells fitted seat cushions!

So there you have it: a forever-favorited design icon of mine. Feel free to email me if you have any Bertoia questions, or if you're seeking design advice on how to incorporate one (or many) into your own space!

Until next time...
HAPPY READING.

BACK IN THE STATES.

But my heart sure isn't:

Nope...it was left in Colombia, and I'm sure to be spending all my thoughts, hopes, dreams, and hours trying to plot my route back to that country.  Email, iphones, traffic lights, paved roads, Walmart, and Starbucks have never seemed so repulsive...


Until tomorrow...(when maybe I'll be more motivated).
xoxo

the district

greetings from DC!

i am so happy to fill in for hannah while she is jet-setting around, living the fabulous life while the rest of us are left with nothing to do but look at pictures of asian babies and french bulldog puppies on the internet.

I’ll admit I was a bit rusty…unfortunately, my blog fell victim to this annoying thing called getting a job where i am required to work at work and at least fourteen hours a week of law and order: svu. Now all my spare time is devoted to pinterest and the fine detective work of the 16^th precinct. I can’t imagine what my nineteen followers are doing now…

where are they getting their daily dose of anorexic supermodels in indian headdresses hard-hitting journalism and current events? 

... 

anyway—enough about me! I’m doing a post about washington, dc because it’s a cool city and a post about clothes was taken. 

 

(i mean, just look at this picture...)

 
i am always surprised when people tell me they’ve never been to dc. i’ll spare you the guilt trip about how IMPORTANT it is to visit the CAPITOL of your NATION where you LIVE and how PROUD you should be of this truly AMAZING place—and focus on some other cool things about the city. 

 

Most of the pics are of Georgetown because I happen to believe Georgetown is one of the coolest areas in the district and that’s where I live and my boyfriend wouldn’t take me anywhere.

 

 m st. 

when my parents first dropped young intern-emily off in dc, they made the mistake of driving straight down m st. in georgetown. unfortunate because traffic is  m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e on m st. no matter what time of day and because once I saw the cobble-stone streets and the j crew that looked like monsieur defarge's wine-shop—

I was never going to leave.

i’ve since graduated from j crew—but I haven’t lost my appreciation for the architecture and charm of georgetown. not unlike charleston, a lot of homes and storefronts in georgetown are regulated by an architectural preservation board and have to adhere to specific and stringent building guideliZzzzzzz…oh my god I’m sorry, I fell asleep.

Anyway—if you are interested, you can read about how the super awesome apple store in Georgetown was rejected by the Old Georgetown Board five times here.

   

Below are a few more georgetown gems...

 

dean and deluca, m st. 

   

sweetgreen, salad and tangy yogurt shop 

started by a group of young georgetown grads

 

 

sweetgreen storefront outside 

 

sweetgreen storefront inside

 

sweetlife advice

   

watch out...dc now has a pinkberry

   

pizzeria paradiso, m st. 

(also, good--two amys pizza)

 

mr smiths piano bar on m st.

   

of course...georgetown cupcake...

    

okay, yes the cupcakes are good--but aren't all cupcakes good?

there are few things in life i'll wait in line for (for hours) and a cupcake is not one of them...to each his own

   

this i just couldn't RESIST...

a place, dear reader, that is very special to someone you may know.

one of my favorites and new to georgetown, all-saints & spitafields. 

perfect for georgetown.

 

the shopping has vastly improved even in just the last year...rag & bone, madewell, all-saints, barbour, diesel, calvin klein, betsey johnson,and loulou lemon have all recently come to georgetown joining standy-bys such as cusp, intermix, barney's co-op, rugby...


a few other shops worth checking out in georgetown:
urban chic, lost boys, hu's shoes, hu's wear, annie creamcheese, blue mercury, charm, m29.... 

 

another newbie...paul's on wisconsin ave. super cute and chic little bakery.

 

aaaaand below are a few more dc highlights....

 

cherry blossoms in foxhall village

 

blacksalt fish market and restaurant in the palisades

  

and little further out of the hood...

eastern market, capitol hill

eastern market, capitol hill

   

eastern market, capitol hill

   

inside eastern market, capitol hill

   

eastern market, capitol hill

   

stained glass at the national cathedral

   

and lastly, one of my favorite pictures of dc. the dupont circle hangover. 

i could go on and on with this spotlight on dc but detective stabler is up to something and i just have to get to the bottom of it.

come visit!