nolita aerie

Tired bed

2009-12-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

So, I have been looking for a new bed set to refresh my bedroom. My bed serves me so well and I think it's time for a happy update. Wish such a modest, rented space compounded with such a short attention span, I find that updating my bed is the easiest way for me to fuel my addiction to the feeling of newness. While I do love my current Greek key monogrammed duvet set, which has been abused and washed down to ultimate softness, I only have that one set and have been exploring the idea of an update.

Option 1 - Restoration Hardware - Wentworth Crest Bedding

I am really loving the design and tone. Classic, simple, Parisian chic. I have a penchant for crests and their quiet, dignified symbolism of protection. It comes in this color, Linen (shown) and also Ivory, which reminds me of the old fashioned dish cloths they use as dinner napkins at Pastis. I also have a 5 year old rabbit who has become quite a bed wetter this year so I'm thinking that Ivory although beautiful, may not be the most practical choice for me. Cons: Linen. I have never had actual linen bed linens! I personally am not even a fan of linen clothing because of how it wrinkles and how rough it may sometimes feel. You sit down once and you have a permanent crease up your back. However, Restoration Hardware wouldn't sell rough, impractical bed linens.... would they? It says, "Neutral, washed linen will become softer with use, and time will enhance its rich texture and character."

Pro's: Aesthetic
Con's: Comfort level & shelf life of linen, not personalized

Duvet = $145 (on sale)
2 Standard Shams = $45 x 2 = $90
Total cost = $235

Option 2 - Pottery Barn - Woodland Organic Duvet Cover

A stark contrast to option 1, I love how this punches up the room and adds life. It sort of reminds me of a happy magical scene from Enchanted, (one of my favorite movies).

While the print is so splashy and playful, if you look closely in the second picture you also see that there is type randomly placed on some of the design indicating the technical color name which I think gives this sort of a hidden modern art aspect on the vintage-esque print. It's a simple 200 cotton percale and given my experience with Pottery Barn quality, it'll be easy to care for, served soft, only to improve with time.

Pro's: Fun factor, cost
Cons's: Short shelf life of a pattern

Duvet: $79
Shams: $24 x 2 = $48
Total Cost = $127

Option 3 - Pottery Barn - Grand Embroidered Duvet Cover & Sham - PINK!

How adorable is this? It's classic, has an option to monogram, the border is available in a light pink and is very affordable! I currently have a Pottery Barn bed set and it is very easy to care for and soft. Best of all, it's surprisingly affordable!

Pro's: Classic, easy to care for, monogram-able, affordable! WIN!
Con's: Nada

Duvet: $79
Standard Pillowcase set = $19
Total Cost = $98

Ordering now. Happy 2010!

Phase 1 - Complete!

2009-09-09T20:22:00.001-07:00

So it has been a while since I have posted and I apologize to my 3 readers. I have had a lot on my mind, and a lot on my calendar. As a grown girl, it's funny how summer has become almost stressful due to and overwhelming amount of options for entertainment. I have always resisted the compulsion of overbooking myself or planning things months in advance, but I have finally succumbed to it. While I sometimes stress as the dates approach, when things are scheduled too closely together, I have allowed myself to accept the fact that I always feel better afterwards having following through with my commitments and happy that I have seen everyone I love.

Between all the big events; my 30th birthday, a trip to the bahamas, a weekend in the Berkshires, heaps of friend dates, beach days and Finer Thing Club meetings... I found the time to FINALLY paint my wall.

I found a couple color chips from our color lab that reminded me of a very soft robin's egg and tropical ocean - I passed them to my aweomse cousin Bobo who works at Sherwin Williams and mixed up a few quarts of what he thought were close. Byte Blue hit my idea right on the nose, and one day after a particularly distressing day at work, I came home, threw on some shorts and a tank top, moved my bed away from the wall, threw down a drop cloth and went to town on my wall with rolling brush. It turned out spectactular. I even had enough time that night to walk down to Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles on Doyers Street to have dinner with Emily and come home to clean up and push my furniture back into place. I went to bed that night feeling so accomplished, tucked into my clean bed with everything right in place and with a freshly painted minty wall behin me.

It's been almost 2 weeks where the wall itself has been a shining achievement to me and I am very anxious to get to the next step. Which is locating/borrowing a projector and outlining the world map onto the wall.

I am deciding between a few ways of marking my map.
- With small painted animals in the continents/areas they are indigenous to.
- With red strings extending out from NYC to the places I've been to, anchored by little map pins
- Basic topography markings

Ideas?

XO,
V

My beautiful chair... ouch!

2009-07-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

I love my clear, inspired by, Philippe Starck for Kartell Victoria Ghost Chair dearly. I have had it for a few months and always feel proud when I look at it.

It looks beautiful, makes me happy, and is just what I always wanted...but it really hurts my lower back! I'm sure that the soreness has something to do with the position of my wrists on my laptop, height of my desk, and height/plastic-ness of the chair, all creating a perfect trifecta of lower back soreness so I have to do something about this. I think it may be time for me to put my chair at the space by my bed, sit the basket with my hair dryer on it and use it as a beautiful display/table piece and then get an ergonomic desk chair.

I am not pleased about this notion. Especially with the way it looks. How awful is this? I think that I would look more attractive in this, than being 30 and in a motorized lark by the end of the year especially if I covered it in a nice, ivory and camel colored cashmere herringbone fabric that I scavenged from the Women's Jacket department discard box. With a borrowed staple gun, I think I can beautify this little R2D2.

With all my latest little projects which have required to sit me in front of a screen, playing with my new sewing machine, dilgently writing plans and lists in my green planning notebook - not to mention keeping up with my friends and my diary*, I need something to keep me focused at the task and project at hand, and not trying to figure out how many more minutes I can last before I have to lay on the ground, writhing like the elephant man.

All you have is your health! So I am on my plight to proudly ascertain this healthy chair.

*xoxo K

A home away from home

2009-06-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

When I was 3 I used to call Hong Kong, Honk Konk. Now that I'm 2 weeks shy of 30, I only call it that in my head. So I used to travel for work a couple times a year. It was great at first, being a rookie and feeling like I had finally made it far enough to be important enough to go away - and Hong Kong is pretty cool. After a few trips it got a little exhausting. I actually had to WORK... hard. I simultaneously also then realized that it wasn't that I was important... it was that I was a sucker for thinking it was a privilege. Anyway. I digress. That was before the recession of 2009. I haven't been back to Hong Kong since October 08 and that was a stopover en route to a family trip to Australia and I do miss it.

My favorite hotel in Hong Kong is the Intercontinental in KOWLOON. It's got the most amazing lobby in all of Hong Kong and I feel at home there except a happier, more motivated version of myself.

The rooms are really comfortable and I love the staff. I like to think the concierge knows me as well. They really helped me out the last time we were there in April 08 when we were desperately applying for our China & Vietnam visa's with literally 0 room for error and my anxiety level skyrocketing. (Let it be known that my anxiety level is inversely related to my patience level.)

Aside from the romantic, humbling view of neon lights across the waters of Kowloon Bay, the comfy bed, the giant deep tub (all to myself!), people occasionally calling me "Miss Wong" the delicious, delicious breakfasts which left me full of fruit, hash browns and gas, the part I miss the MOST about Hong Kong is the song the TV plays when I come back to my room after turndown service. It's the default channel 1 that just replays the same extended Intercontinental commerical that is the most soothing, relaxing song. I have been scouring the internet and beyond to find it, and I'm just about desperate enough to write a polite email to the hotel and asking where I could get it. There are wooden flutes involved, some fluttering sounds, and there there are scenes of an older non-Asian couple in Asia, who are being sold something by a happy Asian woman. Maybe a baby, maybe some herbs. Then, there is a woman taking a tai chi class outside at the pool at dawn with the same old tai chi instructor who taught me! That song is magic! For now, as I continue on my plight to locate this commercial so I can program my own TV to be playing this when I come home after work with the lights dimmed, I am going to have to settle for adding a soundmachine that plays rainforest sounds. I will return to you, my Intercontinental Hong Kong Hotel screen saver. XO, V

Robin's Egg

2009-06-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

I have not updated for a while, it's been quite a hectic month of May! That doesn't mean I haven't been thinking a lot though! So I decided against putting up the vintage classroom map that I prowled after on ebay. Now it's just leaning against the column next to my desk at work, taunting me everyday. I think I may export it to my dad's garage in CT for the day I move into a loft and have the space to put it up in a common area.

I have a good reason for not putting this map up... it just didn't feel right. It seems like a very permanent thing to install in my rental apartment, especially over a brick wall. Everything seemed very committed about it - the friend who was going to expend his time and energy installing it for me, carrying it home for me, putting holes in my brick wall... I felt like I would have no freedom of choice to like it, considering the guilt I'd feel after a friend helped me with it, and also, if there is something that is almost as bad as getting seriously injured by a falling metal map weighing 30 lbs, it would be forcing myself to like something that I just didn't. I am a terrible faker. In addition to all this, the map is really bright. It would be quite the focal point of my room and I wasn't sure I wanted that. I want my bedroom to be a relaxing happy space where I can daydream, work, and read peacefully.

So. I decided to paint the wall behind my bed a very pale hue of Robin's Egg Blue. Then I will outline the world in silver (or gold?) - That way, I kill all these birds with one stone.

- color
- texture
- saving myself the cost of 1 wall of art/mirrors
- no danger of being killed in my sleep by falling art/mirrors
- geography

And if I hate it, I'll just paint over it. At least I wouldn't feel guilty about that. This is the front door of designer Miles Redd that I saw in Domino Magazine that I just loved. I will probably go the same hue but in a lighter shade.

I have many silver accessories/frames/lamps in my room so I am really leaning towards the silver outline of the world.

Now where can I get a projector for me to trace the world on?

Desk Lamp

2009-04-30T20:09:00.001-07:00

I am considering a new task lamp for my desk. It may be time for me to graduate from my translucent plastic Target desk lamp. And from calling it a desk lamp, to a "task lamp."

Option A - Maxwell Desk Lamp, Pottery Barn, $99.99 (on sale!)

Option B.) Classic Bankers Lamp, Target , Currently Unavailable (which makes me WANT IT)

Option C.) I'm going to the Brimfield Antique Show in a couple weeks so I'm hoping I can find something there.

So I have a problem with photo 2 of the Maxwell Desk Lamp spread, no one can work at that desk. Well, I couldn't. It is like, clutter o-rama. I think this is one of the reasons why I have such disdain towards Pottery Barn sometimes. They typically do a lovely job of creating this classic American home and you can imagine the family that lives there; beautiful, happy and candid. But then they have to go ahead and take it overboard. You know what does it for me in this one? That leaf that is tacked against that cork railing. That family just became a bit strange.

Home Orifice

2009-04-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

One of my goals is to create a think tank is condusive to writing and brainstorming. Seriously, I need to. I'm going to be 30 in June and I need to incubate my brilliant ideas rather than letting them blow away like a dandelion puff.

I don't have a lot of room to work with since I also have a keyboard and a very large rabbit cage for Pickles & Milly and they need their space. Those two things alone up every last bit of wall space I have. I'd love to create a little alcove or something. But nothing enclosed enough that would impede air conditioner flow in the summer or more importantly, be something that I could imagine an extra-terrestrial creeping behind when I wake up for water at 4 a.m.

So I reviewed with some of my most hip and tasteful co-workers today... and we decided it would be very beautiful to hang my map on a brick wall across from my bed. I'm very excited about it because as an honest pal pointed out, he hates the idea of something hanging over his head while he sleeps because it gives him the anxiety of it falling on him. Well noted.

Currently this is how my desk area across from my bed looks
:
Cluttered. Also, if you saw my desk you might guess a pre-pubescent Asian girl lives there with the prevalence of Hello Kitty. Everyone keeps giving me Hello Kitty stuff! INCLUDING Bank of America who have generously sent me 3 Hello Kitty debit cards, insisting that I activate them although I've told them I changed my mind. The gesture sort of reminds of the earnest women behind the makeup counter in Asia who are a little too eager to try skin lightening products on me like I'm some sun-roasted rice paddy tending vagabond.

So the map can be hung from right below the ceiling and basically take up the entire white square above my desk and the bottom will end up being right at eye level when sitting down so I think it may be ideal.

Nagging feeling: What if the map looks totally weird and weirdly placed because it won't be horizontally centered on the wall? I hope this works out.

Half Dressed

2009-04-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

I have always had a hard time deciding on wall decor. As an 11 year old, I deliberated for weeks and weeks over the same bin of posters when my mom would shop the rest of the store and I'd try to mentally assort them on my walls at home. "You see how picky I am about my shoes and they only go on my feet!." (Cher, Clueless, in case you are completely unfamiliar with key figures in US history) Still so poignant and relevant.

From about 6th grade-12th grade, I ended up with the following:

Kate Moss in Gucci Shoes - Landscape above closet
Ace Ventura, Pet Detective - Portrait behind bedroom door
Simpsons Group Shot - Over my bed Lisa Simpson rendition of The Scream - Across from my bed
Murals & Murals scattered, leaning on dressers so I could be surrounded by the smiles of my friends.

Overall Feel: Honest, literal, indicative of a blooming wit, mostly embarrassing.

My brother has since taken over my bedroom at home, and he doesn't even stay in there. I think he might be bothered by all the googly eyed Simpsons characters boring their eyes into him. Either that or because my window frame has a gap in it now and it feels like an evil spirit dominates that space now. But I digress.

So I have had 2 great walls (1 in the living room and one in the bedroom) that have been mostly bare since October. It will be May on Friday! A couple months ago I got this great antique mirror on ebay that I miraculously hung by myself with the advice of my friend Elena's boyfriend, Eric. I am super proud of it. Proud of my mirror antiquing skills, the acquisition, and especially the feat of performing the task of HANGING a heavy mirror without it shattering all over my life. This is my living room. Taken from the corner of my kitchen.

I really love the mirror where it is. But it needs something. A series of (3) 8"x10" prints framed in a row below it, parallel to the couch? I have some great prints my very talented friend Matt shot that I could put there. Check out his website. It's amazing. http://bissonic.smugmug.com/

Anyway, if you know me at all you will know I have serious commitment issues with inanimate objects. It takes me FOREVER to decide if I want something. I know that because its inanimate, if I decide I hate it later, the issue is with me. So I like to be absolutely certain when making the commitment to acquire something, especially if it means I have to look at it everyday and if I take it down, there will be holes I have to look at everyday, reminding me of my lapse in judgement and fluctuation in taste. I'm not sure why I have such a high, non negotiable expectation of remaining consistent but that is another issue (and website.) Long story short... this is the other blank wall. Where the magic happens. Or no magic happens. You know, short of me inviting you into my life and surroundings, I'll thank you for staying out of my personal affairs. That was Ace Ventura. Also, it was acting. Thank you.

No, the glass vase is not a fire hazard although it is a shatter hazard. But I don't care, its pretty. In fact, a homeless man gave that bouquet of iris to me on my way home from ballet class yesterday. I accepted it like I was Miss Connecticut and carried it home, nestled in my arms like a baby and when I arrived home, a moth flew out.
So see that large, void space over my bed? Eric, is going to come to my aid tomorrow and hang my latest ebay acquisition for me. An authentic Rand McNally classroom map! I love maps.

I'm afraid it might be too much. Too much color for a really serene space. I want to be able to actually play with this map... it has all the 5 (land) continents represented so my friends and I have some vibrant visuals when we are trying to decide where to go on the next big group adventure.

The 09 Safari in Africa...

Purrhaps a weekend jaunt through Barcelona...

Or a relaxing week in the Soviet Union...

So its a little out of date... that I don't mind. But is it too much color? Is it too much for the bedroom? I wish I had an office. Maybe this goes into my Dad's garage for a while. TBC......

Another clear thing

2009-04-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about trying to bring a little bit of luxury to my small space. I have great light and bright walls so it does possess airiness when I'm not hiding from the world behind my gray velvet curtains. This is a crystal lamp that I saw at Homegoods in Westport, CT for $130.

The base is about a foot tall and there is a good reason why I did not include the shade in this photograph; it's terrible. But luckily, I live a block away from a store that sells just lampshades. In case you're interested, its called www.justshadesny.com.

I'm trying to decide whether or not this crystal lamp would fit in, in my home. I love the idea of crystal, and its cheeky one dimensional impression of a vintage trophy (okay or urn) that differentiates it from the typical sentiment that crystal expresses. Stodginess... a stuffy UES apartment with faded wall paper way past its hayday.

I couldn't visualize it's place so I didn't buy it immediately and I have a rule about buying things spontaneously only when I have that gut instinct upon sight. I hate the idea of living in a space or with items that I don't absolutely love and feel inspired by when I look at them. I've had this picture in my blackberry for at least 3 weeks and have thought about it dozens of times. Maybe its time for me to go back and if it is still there, it may be meant to be.

So. What do I place it on? I'm also in the market for small side table for the lamp to rest on.

I'm thinking about possibly going to go glam with a mirrored side table - or find something like a chipped dark mahogany and enjoy the irony of a modern polished piece of crystal sitting on it. But where do I find a chipped dark mahogany side table of just the perfect size that can be delivered to me for a reasonable cost? I'm all for instant gratification and physically exerting myself as little as possible when it comes to schlepping furniture through Manhattan. The rewards of locating that perfect vintage dark chipped table might be a losing battle to the free shipping and neatly packaged mirrored table from Target. (Venetian Mirror Table, $109.99)

I imagine the lamp sitting on it with a low bowl of fresh peonies in front of it. I love it. Sold. I love mirrors.

Ideal Bathroom Sink

2009-04-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

Wow. So indulgent. And so ideal for someone who fixates on the telly the way I do. Maybe one day...but here's the problem I might have with this arrangement. If I'm at the point in my life where I have a screen set into the mirror, that would only be secondary to having a tv in front of the tub. So would that mean I would have 2 TV's in the bathroom? That just seems offensively excessive. Also, that wood doesn't look very special to me. That's what she said.

Whenever I walk by this store on the way home and see this set up, I think of the scene that might take place in a bathroom as such... my special someone is watching important news and ticker stuff on that tv, and we're romantically brushing our teeth together, I nuzzle him as I draw the outline of a Chanel bag on the fog around the screen with my fingertip and smile at him through through my foam. These are the kinds of daydreams that help me sleep at night.

Grande Central Showroom, 19 Bond Street. Price: Too expensive.

My current bathroom is generous enough, for my amended standards after living in an apartment without a bathtub for a few months; I am not complaining. But its definitely not something I'm going to photograph and share for a couple reasons.
a.) It needs to be cleaned.
b.) The b/w tile trim around the room embarrasses me more than the fact that it isn't clean.
c.) I am drawing a blank on how to enhance it, other than optimizing window shelf space, which currently looks like this:

I know what you are thinking. Chaos. I'm not offended. I agree with you. Help me, help myself. These are the best creative storage solutions I've conjured up thus far.

A hanging fruit basket from Sur La Table to hang from the ceiling. (but it might hang too high up, and I think the fact that something filled with stuff that teeters might give me anxiety.)
A vintage cake stand (cake anything doesn't sound right in a girls bathroom.)
One of those chrome tiered standing bathroom caddies meant for inside the shower and putting it in this little alcove.

To be continued.......... someday.

My love for clear things

2009-04-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

You'll probably start recognizing this pattern. I love things that are clear. (Also, shiny mirrored things.) I love, love, love this little polycarbonate table and the little setup. I found this at Dovecote in Westport, CT, $500. Aside from being in a boutique on Main Street in Westport, I wonder why it's so expensive. I have deep appreciation for the technical and creative process that goes into making things, especially beautiful things.

My latest clear acquisition (possibly for a long while) is the Ghost Chair and it is romanced as "single mold injection polycarbonate." I have been STALKING this chair for the last year or so and I think most of my friends were pretty sick of hearing me talk about it. But it was $330 retail and while I have no problem buying nice things for myself, my rule is that I only buy if I think its is what worth it it's value to me. And to me, as beautiful and cool as it was, it still seemed like a plastic chair that cost the same amount as my keyboard. So I found it on ebay at a lesser cost and I LOVE it so. However, now I think I have to get my desk elevated for it to be the marriage. Behold... (MoMaStore.org, $330.)

I was really curious about the production process and difference between all the things that I feel like are the same thing: Lucite, Polycarbonate, Acrylic, Plastic; So I did some research.

Lucite: Acrylic is the generic term used to describe the clear hard material we all know as Plexiglas or Lucite. Lucite is the brand name of DuPont's acrylic material. In other words, Lucite IS plastic, just one of the many types.

Polycarbonate: Polycarbonate is a versatile, tough plastic used for a variety of applications, from bulletproof windows to compact disks (CDs). The main advantage of over other types of plastic is unbeatable strength combined with light weight. While acrylic is 17% stronger than glass, is nearly unbreakable. Bulletproof windows and enclosures as seen inside banks or at drive-throughs are often made of . Add to this the advantage that is just one-third the weight of acrylic, or one-sixth as heavy as glass, and the only drawback is that it is more expensive than either acrylic or glass. (Wow.) Add to this the advantage that polycarbonate is just one-third the weight of acrylic, or one-sixth as heavy as glass, and the only drawback is that it is more expensive than either acrylic or glass.

Acrylic: Acrylic is the clearest of plastics, about 8 times clearer than glass. It has good strength but is breakable. Acrylic is fairly rigid, as plastics go but will flex much more than glass.

Plexiglas: A brand name for Acrylic, often used as an alternative to glass, and in competition with polycarbonate (PC). It is often preferred because of its moderate properties, easy handling and processing, and low cost, but behaves in a brittle manner when loaded, especially under an impact force.

Plastic: The generic name for the above mentioned materials. Directly pertains to certain synthetic or semisynthetic materials that can be molded or extruded into objects or films or filaments or used for making e.g. coatings and adhesives

Good to know that my Ghost chair isn't likely to shatter under my weight.

2 rabbits, 1 girl, 1 400 sq foot nest.

2009-04-18T22:48:00.001-07:00

I dedicate this blog to two little sweethearts, Pickles & Milly; The two little bunnies who I raise in my little abode on Spring Street. I've spent the larger portion of my life focusing on my first love, fashion. Since moving out and moving on and feeling settled with what my own style is, I've been working on fine tuning my home decor taste and trying to make tasteful acquisitions to "make nicer my home," (As Magda would say.) If there was a level before novice, I'd say that is where I am starting. I grew up in a pragmatic/functional home where design always came second, third, last or never. Euphamism for: jossie grossie.

I've listed some things which I really love and inspire me, some subjects of which could not contradict each other more, so its very possible my 400 sq. foot Manhattan apartment could result in a schizophrenic mess, but I'm hoping that some kind of tasteful concoction emerges. I'm going to be posting my finds, ideas, and any interesting resources I come across.

Fairfield County beach houses. Boat knots, monogrammed sheets, monogrammed everything, spotlights.
I'm not sure what to classify this as, but the combination of: Polycarbonate, mirrors, tiffany blue, gold accents, reproductions of coral.
Old historical pieces like letterpress kits, metal lighting, maps, typography related items.
Preppyness. Photographs of Jackie O & John, pennants, vintage school jewelry, monogrammed everything.
ANIMALS. Especially sea animals.

xo xo V