If you’re planning on celebrating with a little champagne tomorrow night for New Year’s, might I suggest the coco+kelley cocktail? This incredibly cheesy photo is of me on my birthday a few months ago in Seattle at Barolo (psst – you have to visit their site to see the rest of the gorgeous decor and [...]
Just wanted to wish you all the best for the holidays before I disappeared for a bit. I go home to Seattle tomorrow morning to be with my family and friends for nearly a week, and I am SO looking forward to it! I may post a few things while I’m there, but will be [...]
Anonymous Just a note to tell you that I stumbled across your blog and love it! Adding you to my faves…
Happy New Year!
Anonymous Happy New Year! XO Abbey
Anonymous Stopping in to wish you a ver Happy New Year! I look forward to many visits in 2008!
Anonymous thanks to all of you!! i will be stopping by your blog more too, katie!!
Whenever possible, I always believe it’s best to support artists and designers by purchasing their goods directly from them… well, now you can add one more designer to that list – Eva Zeisel. Some of you loyal readers may remember me blogging about this gorgeous coffee table from the talented Eva months ago. Well, thanks [...]
Anonymous nice, i love the cofee table 
I did it! I found myself with some time to spare around 4:30 in the afternoon today, after finally finishing up all my Christmas shopping, and I decided to do a little hunting around the neighborhood for branches… a harder task than I thought it would be since I live in a concrete jungle, but [...]
I’m not quite sure what it is about this room… but I absolutely love every little piece of it. It has a sense of calmness and simplicity that I need in a bedroom, with gorgeous details. I love the chandelier – how it was placed so low, off-centered, but perfect somehow. I have a thing [...]
Anonymous Beautiful room with a view I imagine! Love the location of that chandelier.
Happy Holidays!
~Kate
Anonymous i love the big wide dresser, the architecture of the room and the windows are wow!
Anonymous I love this room — the dresser is amazing — I too love little drawers like that. And the light! Yum. Thanks for sharing.
The NY Times recently published this article about how the accessibility of design has become a challenge and annoyance to designers, editors, and bloggers alike. It’s so hard to be original when once something gets picked up a few times in a decor mag (and then a blog… and then all over the internet), it [...]
Anonymous I don’t view zebra rugs as being trendy in the manner of say antlers, skulls or decals. But like those items, they can now be had at a much more accessible price range. One can nab a zebra print on cowhide on ebay for $250 shipped, I mean, that’s the price of a good sized sisal rug some places… not bad at all. I think the overall accessibility is good though. It forces people to constantly be seeking and creating the new. Besides, items should have to justify their cost beyond their brand.
Anonymous thank you! I’m trying to limit my blog exposure for this very reason, but you will be a daily read for 08.
Also, I’m done with new pedestal bathroom sinks. I want to store some stuff in my bathroom, is that so worng?
Anonymous garrett, you made some REALLY excellent points, especially how items should have to justify their cost beyond their brand. AGREED! there is reason some pieces are so coveted, and it’s usually because of WHAT they are, not WHO made them… at least in theory 
Anonymous anon – i LOVE your point about pedestal sinks! they’re nice buuuut… how about a cupboard? unless you happen to have a bathroom with loads of storage
Anonymous oh, hmmmm….i am a sucker for many of the trends.
I have always loved ethnic embroideries. Suzanis are huge and I love them and have them and plan to have them and am a bit worried that they will be out, even though they are still in for me – and everyone will say that I am a has been, when they see them around my house. I still love ikat and am all about wearing it, too. Esp scarves.
I used to live in Namibia and so have had zebra for years – it’s still gorgeous and stunning and I love it. And I don’t think it ever goes out.
I adore lacquer and am having it made into vanities for our bathrooms at Peacock Pavilions. If it goes out of fashion, well, it will still be in fashion at our place.
Oh dear, and I do still find the bird trend winsome and darling and have not tired of it yet.
Anonymous oh maryam! you are a girl after my own heart – i still love the ethnic prints too, and don’t think they will be ‘out’ even when they do go out… my parents always used tradiational native american and african prints in our home, and i’ve never thought of them as stylish or unstylish. there are some things that are too personal to ever go out of our lives!
and in case you haven’t noticed, i am absolutely in love with birds still as well. wait until you see my christmas ‘tree’ post!
Anonymous See? Now That’s Bad Ass. Glad I got some before the end of the year!!!
As for trends I hate? Anything big fluffy and furry.
Bags, Shoes, Rugs, Pillows and Bedspreads should not have a hairy look. It’s almost pornographic.
And although played out I LOVE baroque fabric and wallpaper. Happy holidays (again!)
Anonymous I’m dreadfully tired of the acid/ apple/ chartreuse green colour that’s been everywhere the past few years.
The Kelly W. lemon yellow with black still looks sharp in Palm Beach or LA but has had it’s day in northern climes.
Oversized drum-shade chandeliers: I thought we’d seen the last of them a few years ago but they’re still around and I hope they will disappear for a while.
Robin’s egg blue and chocloate brown. Please make it stop!
http://www.dominomag.com/galleries/paint/slideshow_paintpalette?slide=20
Overall, I’m thrilled that we the consumers have more design choice than ever, and at better prices. Access is no longer just for the rich… surely style democratization is a good thing?
Anonymous wow, i have to say that i’m loving having some thoughtful input here…
anon, i will agree with you on the chocolate brown/baby blue combo… although if you throw in some other colors i can still buy into it sometimes.
and, MAds! thanks for chiming in – gald you thought it was worthy of the ‘bad ass’ seal of approval!
Anonymous Trend or not, I say who is? To tell you what your suppose to like and think it’s tasteful and cool. If you know yourself then what you like is what makes you happy, then go for it! Just don’t be mediocre. You can follow the trend faithfully or start your own. I personally don’t like bright neon color in my furniture (although I love graphic lines, like your eva tables), so I think Kelly W. maybe a trend because of her status and exposure (you know the husband being a hotelier and rich plus being skinny and beautiful herself, she is a transvestite’s wet dream). Plus, I don’t know about everyone else, I just went through her book about her home. Give me a break! I always hang around my home in a evening gown pruning trees! I like her trellis print but not really in my home. When was it so PC to hang dead animal heads? have you seen a real one. I have, and it’s really sad. Fake or real I guess because I’m Asian and we don’t really hunt much, I never thought the antler thing and skin rugs where cool.
Anonymous Love this post… my biggest complaint about the year in decor is simply that things have been so overdesigned. The Wearstler look (and Adler too, in his cheaper & less refined way) are great for what they are, but the whole year was nothing but Hollywood Regency knock-off rooms and Miles Redd-ish rooms/homage-to-late-great-designers where the rooms were just stuffed to the gills trying sooooo hard. It’s not to say that any of this doesn’t work… it was just a hard year on the eyes. So. Much. Design.
I think it was, however, a good year for consumers. Blogland let out a collective groan when the NY Times published its article about trends that are “over.” Consumers snear at the fashion and design world because they keep playing a shell game with us… moving around trends, demanding we spend to keep up, then suddenly declaring something is over so we will move onto the next thing. And the design cycle is just way too fast now. I think a lot of us (me included) are just folding our arms, shaking our heads dismissively and standing with feet firmly planted on our zebra rugs thinking, “Give me a break. *I’ll* be the judge of when my little zebra fetish is over and done with.”
PS – You should rant more. I love blog that start a good, healthy debate!
Buy me, buy me!! I just found this little treasure on ebay and I am dying to have it! It’s so sweet with its little green rhinestone eyes, and get this… The top comes off to reveal these miniature tongs that attach to a magnet (so smart!). The listing says it’s a pill box… I [...]
Anonymous Ok, that is really fabulous.
We must both have treasures on the brain… I just posted this:
http://decorno.blogspot.com/2007/12/living-vicariously-through-you-dear.html
life is in the details. style accordingly.
It looks like you had a great time! Happy belated! I’m going to have to check this place out next time I am in Seattle. Where is it? It looks like something cool you might see in Belltown?
it’s actually downtown just by pacific place, but on westlake – a totally random location, but more convenient than it sounds! i definitely recommend it!
Cassie,
Happy New Year! Vickie
Nice story and that place is just fabulous….the picture of you is cute.
Happy new year!!
Jen Ramos
‘Earth Friendly DESIGNER Cards’
http://www.madebygirl.com
What a gorgeous place and how cool to have your own cocktail!!!
Ps did you take these photos?!! I’m impressed!
Ahh I see they’re from the site – what a fab restaurant! And – I must say – you looked beautiful for the occasion
I know exactly where that is…I’m going to have to put it on my list for my trip in March. My husband and I use to go very often but now its about twice a year. I love Seattle and always looking for great new places…thanks.
thanks for the sweet comment, bright & beautiful!
and if anyone ever needs recommendations on places in seattle to wine and dine – i’m full of them!
This restaurant look gorgeous and I love their private dining area! The chandeliers are so glamorous, very fun!
oh and the ring you are wearing in your pic is beautiful, was it a local find?
Happy 2008 Julieann
I hope the food matched the decor, so often the place is beautiful but the food so-so.
I love places that go the extra mile in terms of creating an experience!!
PS: I wish I looked as good as you when in my cheesy photo’s!!
Looks like you had a fabulous time! Thanks for your comments at Christmas and Happy, Happy New Year! Cheers to a wonderful 2008.
Pretty ring (pretty picture!) I love the sleek black chairs paired with that rugged table. So glad you had fun!
you are all going to laugh when i tell you… the ring is from Forever 21. total impulse purchase at the register. gotta love that place!