Re-Styling: Round Two

Re-styling round two!  So the interior styling class I took (taught by Justina Blakeney) is over, but I've kept working and rounding up pics to document the re-styling I did during the class. It's weird, on the one hand I feel like I didn't change much, but on the other I feel like things look a lot better and that it was a lot of work! I'm dead set on continuing throughout the rest of our house. Here's our old and improved coffee table, record console, and couch.

One of the things that struck me about a lot of the 'after' spaces was that there was more stuff than before and yet it always looked so much better. Like others whose 'before' pics were barren of stuff, I'd been assuming that less was more, but instead of looking artfully minimal a lot of the spaces just looked bare. More can be more, if it's the right combination put together in the right way.

I'm completely deluded about how much time I can spend reading. My stack of hoarded New Yorkers and fashion magazines stretched too far back to mention. It's so hard to admit you can't read everything! I'm hoping our more organized, less anxiety-inducing spaces keep me to a more edited collection, or that I find those 3 missing hours in the day.

Pants! He loves this linen throw — it's a lot comfier than the Swiss army blanket we were using. Also, I'm so glad we sprang for these kilim pillows as part of our wedding decor because I knew they would also look great on our couch. This was one area though where less did turn out to be more— too many pillows was no bueno.

Until the next room!

Letterheady

Philippe Apeloig / Frank Lloyd Wright 

Have you seen Letterheady? I heard about it from a friend with an extensive paper collection and expert letterpress friends at VoltaPress. It's a totally fascinating, seemingly endless collection of the letterhead designs of famous people and companies (and a clever neologism: adj. overcome by a strong emotion due to a letterhead design). If you love fonts, paper, stationery, or glimpses into the private effects of notables, head over there and get ready to scroll for hours. It's cool to see how letterhead itself can be funny, artful, striking, unexpected, professional, irreverent, and how it reflects the persona of the person who writes on it. Some favorites:

 Charles & Diana / Van Halen 

Warhol / Monroe 

McQueen / Bowie 

Nudie's Rodeo Tailors / Gene Autry 

Tennessee Williams / Ethyl Color & Chemical Co.

Mouvement Dada / Roy Lichtenstein 

Queen / Steve Martin 

The Muppets / Neil Diamond

All images from Letterheady.

Cherry Blossom Shag

These blossoms appear just outside our house right on schedule every March. I've been working a lot in our front room lately, looking out the window, watching people walk down our street all day. I can't tell you how many of them have stopped in their tracks under this tree. It made me smile every time to see someone indulge in a moment of reverie underneath the fluffy canopy of blossoms. They're already gone, but they did the job of announcing false spring, and even though the weather's getting nicer, I'll still have plenty of opportunities to wear my favorite new shaggy sweater until summer hits in October.

You wouldn't think it, but this sweater has the most perfect, cozy knit pockets. Unexpected pockets (especially in dresses) are the best.

I love sharks and am irrationally fond of this vintage shirt I stole from my husband when we got engaged.  Maybe some day we'll make it to Montauk.

Spring Re-Styling

I signed up for an online interior styling class by Justina Blakeney to get a jumpstart on spring reorganization and restyling. It's been a great motivator to dive into projects and think of ways to breathe new life into our place. Even if you have a knack for styling, Justina's principles really break down the elements of a successfully styled space in such a way that you can put your finger on what might be missing from a room or vignette. My classmates have a lot of great spaces and ideas, too! Here's my first installment: closet office before and after.

It's not totally different, and yet it's so much better. I don't think it's 100% there yet, but we're definitely way happier with this version of the office. What do you think? Up next: coffee table and sofa!