eco sleeve
genius solution to an environmentally friendly alternative to that seemingly wasteful - but necessary! - cardboard sleeve around your hot cup of joe-to-go…
(image via the city sage)
sofa v sectional
you guys, i have something difficult to admit. here it goes… gulp.
i kind of hate my couch.
i know, i know - hate is a strong word. especially when directed at an innocent piece of furniture, one i so excitedly picked out only two years ago, my first big, self financed, grown up purchase. i mean, the amount of research (or lack thereof) i did about shopping for a couch is now, in retrospect, a little preposterous - so you can’t really place all the blame on the poor couch. i had my sights set on this one long before i pulled the trigger - comp shopping (foolishly) seemed like a waste of time… and don’t get me wrong, it served my initial purposes well - fitting perfectly into my old apartment’s smaller living room space, looking totally chic in the midst of some other mid century and assorted hand-me-down pieces. and i do still love my upholstery selection.
BUT. (and this is a big but.) it’s. just. not. that. comfy. like not at all. kind of a key let down, don’t you think? the bizarrely firm seat actually rejects you as you try to settle in - and the two cushioned layout means you are always sort of unintentionally sliding towards the middle (especially awkward when you are sharing the supposedly three-seater sofa with two other people). and now, in the larger space of my new apartment, the somewhat diminutive size looks a little out of proportion (see below). and though my signature impulse trial and error design tactic is still sometimes hard to reign in, i’m really trying to be better at fully thinking things through before blindly diving in. seriously.
so. with that said, here is what i am contemplating anew these days…
this is the current set up of my living room in its (unintentionally long-term) temporary staging:
that corner bookshelf is a super crummy oldie - a relic from hold everything (remember that store?!) that i used in my college apartment way back when. so yeah, that thing is DEFINITELY a placeholder. for what? 9 months later, i still haven’t figured that out yet. and speaking of placeholders, that dining chair and vintage needle point footstool combo in the foreground have been long time stand-ins for what i had previously envisioned to be small leather club chair and ottoman (small being the operative word - not as easy to track down as you might think!). and don’t get me started on the lighting situation, the dark wood oval coffee table, and that gallery wall which i just can’t seem to figure out. it all just seems like so much STUFF. it was starting to give me a bit of an anxiety attack…
and then! it hit me. what about scrapping the original “vision” and consider… a sectional?! whoa! consolidating w/out losing seating space?! a more comfy perch to take a load off? it might very well be the answer to all of my conundrums! i could reposition the two chairs against the wall to the the opposite side of the seating configuration, move the design books in the corner to the bookshelf in the dining room, and perhaps move the gallery wall to the perpendicular wall…?! coffee table/lighting issues - still to be worked out - but that is not dampening my excitement over this new development. (but don’t worry, i promise to do my due research this time.) some inspiring ideas:
cb2:
dwell studio (of course it’s my favorite and double the price of the other two. natch.):
feeling for…
… navy booties for spring!
some leather ones from rag and bone:
an interpretation in suede from madewell:
and my personal faves, these canvas beauties from kurt geiger:
packing purchase…
with a china work trip on the horizon, i have been mentally obsessing over my packing strategy for the last couple of days. in previous gigs, when trips like this were practically a once a month occurrence, i not only had my passport number memorized - i could also pack for a two week trip in five minutes! (seriously. i did that one time. and i DEFINITELY don’t recommend it.) anyway, while i am trying to work with what is already in my (very messy and disorganized in its in-between seasons’ state) closet, i did convince myself that i “needed” a new alternative to my ubiquitous cardigan or ancient jean jacket. i think this guy is going to be PERFECT.
sunday supper
it’s been a whirlwind last two weeks - hence the blogging absence - with stops in LA, vegas, and boston along the way. back home yesterday, though exhausted, i vowed to pull together a home-cooked dinner for the first time in, like, 10 days. i managed to quickly whip up this filling, easy, delish soup - with some modifications (i added more chicken, used plain crushed tomatos and threw in some red pepper flakes, doubled the lime juice recommendation) - a recipe i’ve had pinned on my new recipe board for a while (i am a total sucker for cilantro, in case you can’t tell…). anyway, i’ve got leftovers for lunch and i am already counting down the minutes till noon!
totes amaze
so i am kind of obsessed this am with these stunning, gender-neutral, made in the USA (CT!), oversized, leather tote bags. new-to-me brand, lotuff leathers, embodies the timeless, simple but well designed style (no non-functioning hardware! no logos! only veg tanned leathers!) that always gets my heart racing. from one member of the lotuff team:
“what i like about the new england aesthetic is that it’s comfortable. the minute you try too hard it becomes a ‘style.’ then you lose the stoic nature of new england.”
the stoic new england aesthetic - now that’s a concept i can get behind!
another day, another quinoa recipe
even though my office “biggest loser” competition wraps on friday, i am kind of inclined to continue on with this whole eating healthy and exercising regularly thing. it kind of feels good… imagine that? i might steer clear of hardboiled egg whites for a while (my filling but low cal snack secret) but i am definitely keeping the quinoa component in my meal rotation. my latest discovery? these DEEElish black bean quinoa tacos. you are welcome.
time after time…
how cute are these clocks! and what coincidental timing coming across them - now that my cable box is hidden in the “fauxdenza” - i am in desperate need of a visible, chic timepiece for the living room…
just grand
NPR had some great stories last week relating to the 100th anniversary of the opening of grand central station (did you know the famed oyster bar has been in existence since the beginning as well?). grand central has played an important role in my life as a new yorker - especially when my folks still lived in CT. it was my portal to fresh air, free laundry, home cooked meals, a pool! and every time i find myself within the grim confines of penn station (shudder) - staring up at that giant track board along with a zillion other zombies, impatiently waiting for our train info to be posted - i am ever more appreciative of how glorious and civil the scene is just a couple of blocks a way. i have some vague memories of grand central in its pre-1998-renovation state - which makes the modern incarnation that much more special. i think this poster, designed to commemorate the centennial and highlight one of the station’s most majestic features, is so lovely - and a great reminder for the next time i am hurrying for my train to spare a few seconds and look up.
(discovered via design crush)
