Friday Love{s}: More Miscellany

by Samantha James


Hey guys! School's still out of session for Lou, so I think we'll go on an adventure this afternoon. I hear the holiday window displays at Saks Fifth Avenue are enchanting for the fairy tale-obsessed set, so maybe we'll roam up there. In the meantime, I wanted to share a few things we're thinking about and working on this weekend.

  • Organizing. It is the new year, so I'd be missing out if I wasn't vowing to overhaul my entire life and streamline it into three simple systems. Or something. But really: I think we're approaching stage two of organizing over here, meaning I'll move from just having found a spot for something to finding the best spot for it, and generally refine the systems we've put in place.
Not my entry way. Via Pottery Barn.

Not my entry way. Via Pottery Barn.

  • Instituting. I am finally getting ready to install some sort of landing area in our front hallway. The current system - walk in and dump everything on the floor - is not working out that well. Have you guys seen the Gabrielle system from Pottery Barn (pictured above). It's sick. I'm not a huge PB fan, but I have to admit that this is clever and I want to make something similar.I bought a runner, got a coat rack for Christmas, and was ready with a quart of paint to make it all happen, until I started thinking wallpaper. This morning. Stay tuned!
Not my family room.

Not my family room.

  • Decorating. The master, family and dining rooms are all on the list for the next couple of weeks. The family room, predictably, looks nothing like the mood board above. Shocked, I say. But I'm still digging the direction in which we're headed, and I think you will, too. Now that the big pieces are in place, it's down to stuff like bookshelf styling, art hanging, pillow arranging - the elements of home decorating that for me are alternatingly the most fun and the most frustrating. 
  • Reading. Two blogs I just stumbled upon that I'm digging: Manhattan Nest and Amber Interiors. Manhattan Nest is, for me, a joy to read - he's fun and lighthearted and writes well. His serious creativity in improving his rental space in Brooklyn is downright inspiring; the longer-term renovations he's doing are just fun to look at. Amber from Amber Interiors nails the boho chic, California eclectic aesthetic perfectly. Looking at her photos makes me want to raid a textile factory.

So here are three photos of what's not happening at my house, but hey - inspiration is a good thing right? Have any great plans for the weekend? Other than a trip uptown, we've got Nothing Planned. I love it. See you Monday!