While looking for examples of rooms for yesterday’s projectors post, I stumbled across this home owned by event designer Alexandre de Betak on the island of Majorca and had to share. I couldn’t stop staring at the photos. Somehow, the home manages to be chic, playful and practical all at the same time.
And yes, that is an ash tray modeled to look like R2D2 from Star Wars below. If my brother smoked, he would freak out over that one.
The entire home is decked out in vintage military linen that’s easy to wash, making the home a worry-free space. How smart.
To see the entire feature on the home, visit the New York Time’s T Magazine. There’s a short video about the home, and if you watch closely, you’ll see a ridiculously awesome bathtub chiseled out of stone.
Our TV-centric lives pose an all-too-common problem. Where do you put the sofa? Facing the fireplace — or windows — or facing the TV? Hands down, the TV always wins. What can we say? We’re suckers for sitcoms.
But that doesn’t mean we always want to see the TV. We only want to see it when it’s on. When it’s off, we wish it would disappear. In fact, our urge to hide our TVs is so intense, we’ve created custom lifts and doors and an entire furniture genre — the entertainment center — just to conceal it.
But there’s a better way. A much, much better way. And with it you can do something you could never do with your standard TV: face your sofa toward your windows without blocking the view. I know. Incredible.
So what’s this magic device? The projector.
I realize, just the sound of that word may bring up horrible flashes of painfully boring science class ameba films. But I assure you, projectors aren’t what they used to be.
For the past 6 months, Brent and I test drove a pocket-sized, portable projector — the Qumi. To put it in perspective, that projector is the Honda Civic of projectors. Nothing fancy. No special bells or whistles. But it gets the job done. So well in fact, we’d never want to go back to an ordinary TV.
With a projector, you get a movie-esq experience. The picture size is huge. And when it’s off, you’d never know it was there. Simply put your screen up, and voila, no TV. It’s the best of both worlds.
The one downside to projectors is for the lower-end models the room must be completely dark for you to be able to see the picture. But if you’re willing to invest in a nicer screen and model — or blackout blinds — that’s not an issue.
Above and below you can check out different projector set-ups. If you decide to get a portable projector like us, you get the added bonus of being able to have movie nights outside under the stars. Talk about awesome.
Side Note: I’m not 100% sure the above photo is of a projector; however, if you have plain white walls, you don’t have to get a screen. You can project straight on to them.
I’ve been feeling under the weather the past few days and have finally decided to call in a sick day. And when you’re sick, there is nothing worse than being uncomfortable, which is why I wish I had these super comfortable finds to crawl into — or sip.
1. A pima cotton robe from Donna Karan. Honestly, anytime you find something in pima cotton, get it. Pima cotton is deliciously soft. I can’t rave about it enough.
3. Menswear PJs from Eberjey. I ordered one thing from this company and now want to try everything they sell.
4. A fun ikat mug from C. Wonder. You must stay hydrated when sick, and it doesn’t hurt if it makes you smile at the same time.
5. Harney & Sons tea. Before I discovered I had food allergies, tea was all I drank when sick, and if I still could, these fine teas would definitely be top on my list.
Growing up, my family never owned a photo album. All of our photos were stored in a wooden dresser in our entrance hall. And if you went down to my Granny’s house, hers were stored the same exact way. Just as I’m sure my Great Granny’s were. But with our wedding just one month away, I’m thinking about bucking our family tradition and investing in a luxury photo album.
For one, a hall chest isn’t exactly the best storage method for photos. If you want to keep photos looking sharp, they should always be stored in archival quality materials — whether that be a box or photo album. Two, I like the idea of special photos getting special treatment. It feels like they deserve it. And three, photo albums make it so much easier to flip through photos, and when you spend as much as you do on wedding photos, they should be enjoyed. Often.
So, I’ve rounded up a bunch of retailers offering luxury photo albums. Unfortunately, my favorite is no longer available.
1. Cypress Albums. Offers handmade, custom photo albums made out of the finest quality archival fabric, ribbon and paper.
2. Aspinal of London. Offers handmade leather, linen and satin photo albums made of the highest quality archival materials.
3. Photograph Albums. Offers fine Italian leather photo albums.
4. Epica. Offers handmade Italian leather and wood photo albums.
5. Jenni Bick. Offers a variety of leather, velvet and paper photo albums.
6. Nicole Anderson. Offers handmade, custom fabric photo albums using the finest materials.
7. Graphic Image. Offers a variety of brightly colored leather photo albums.
8. Smythson. Offers the creme de la creme of leather goods including a variety of luxury leather photo albums.
It’s never too late to invest in a luxury photo album. They make wonderful presents for yourself or someone else. Years ago my mom and dad organized all of my Grandmother’s — not to be confused with my Granny from above — photos into photo albums and it was one of her all-time favorite presents. So even if you don’t have a special occasion coming up, you may want to consider picking up a fine photo album to display your favorite photos.
I stumbled across this photo (above) yesterday and was stopped in my tracks by the painted baskets. So simple. So inexpensive. And so chic. All you need is a basket and a can of spray paint, and you can create a beachy bohemian look perfectly coordinated with your decor. Or if you want to achieve the half-painted look below, a bucket filled with paint to dip your basket in.
If you’re feeling extra creative, you could tape out and paint a pattern. Stripes. Checks. Chevron. Polka dots. Can you imagine? I may have to give that a try. What do you think?
