Cocktails and Couture

This past Saturday I attended COCKTAILS & COUTURE: a Designer and Vintage Style Event, hosted in the Varick Room at Tribeca Cinemas. The event was full of amazing fashion, timeless vintage, fantastically friendly designers and yummy drinks while a live DJ filled the room with amazing music.

Check out some of the amazing Designers featured at the event. They all brought truly inspired and lovely pieces. I walked out of there with my new favorite vintage brass triangle bracelet for $6. I saw a similar one at Anthropoli-something for a whole lot more. I feel good about supporting a local designer and vintage supplier.

BUISandWHISTLES / Syd & Pia NYC / BC Design by DG / Visantine Collective

Palate, Palette, and Pallet Gardens

The weather's warm and the sun is shining, get outdoors and start that garden you always wanted. A Pallet Garden is inexpensive and a great up-cycle project. If you have limited space, a Pallet Garden allows you to go vertical with your planting.

This video is simple to follow and will help you get started on your Pallet Garden:

Now get going and get creative. Here are some amazing Pallet Gardens to inspire your green thumb. Feed your palate by planting edibles and feed your eyes by planting a palette of colors.

Four Walls and a Bunch of New Ideas

Put away the painter's tape, rollers and trays because its a mess and so last year. Anyone who knows me, knows I Hate (with a purposeful capital 'H') painting! So I'm always on the hunt for great ways to transform walls with big impact and without the headache of time consuming painting. Here are a few of my favorite wall finishes.

TEMPAPER

Imagine Tempaper like a really big sticker, its that simple to install. To take it off, peel up the corner and let 'er rip. Doesn't get easier then that. Ps- Tempaper works on any flat surface, so get covering.

GRAHAM & BROWN

Get up close and personal with your wallpaper. Frames by Graham & Brown is completely interactive and can be whatever you want it to be: scrapbook of memories, color by numbers, workspace inspiration board

THE PAINTED HOUSE

Ok, get the roller and tray back out. This is probably the only time I'd put the 'H' away and say Love this technique. Perhaps its because with the patterned roller in just one coat you get this fantastic effect! My suggestion, don't just stop with your walls... let that roller roll, over furniture, frames, wrapping paper...

Clerkenwell Design Week

Last week in London, May 21-23, was the annual Clerkenwell Design Week. Showrooms throughout Clerkenwell were opened for tours, hosted talks and activities. The Farmiloe Building was the main hub, exhibitors ranged from furnishings and finishes to accessories and lighting. Emerging designers were found at the House of Detention while the Order of St. John was the location to find design luxury.

In my opinion, those exhibitors who utilized the unique qualities of each location were the most successful in displaying an exceptional product. The product theme which most caught my eye was LIGHTING.

FARMILOE
 

Foscarini / Holloways of Ludlows / Workhouse / Luminosity

HOUSE of DETENTION
 

Donna Bates / Fred & Juul / Philippe Malouin for W Hotels / Fellicia

ORDER of ST. JOHN
 

Ochre / Louis Henri

Saatchi Gallery

My new favorite gallery in London is the Saatchi, and it's free to the public. Located in posh Chelsea next to Sloane Square, the Saatchi Gallery is housed in the Duke of York HQ Building on King's Road. It's an impressive blend of old and new contruction with it's grand exterior and light-filled and spatial interior. My favorite aspect of this gallery is that there are no ropes, barriers or guards keeping you from getting up close with the art, in my opinion the best way to experience an exhibition (but hands off, respectfully). The gallery's exhibitions are a mere sampling of Charles Saatchi's extensive personal collection. This multi-millionaire is a self proclaimed 'Artaholic', thankfully he likes to share.
'The Saatchi Gallery aims to provide an innovative forum for contemporary art, presenting work by largely unseen young artists or by international artists whose work has been rarely or never exhibited in the UK.'

50 Shades of Grey

Walking down Portobello Rd. Market in Notting Hill you can't help but to gaze up at the wonderful Victorian style row houses dressed in lovely shades of pastels. This color choice was no accident when you see them against the typical grey British sky. The grey almost gives the houses a luminous quality on a cloudy day. Clever way to add interest and color to a usual gloomy background.

David Bowie is...

...at the V&A till August 11th and completely worth the visit. The exhibition is a concert of his life full of amazing visuals including costumes, video clips and album covers all playing to the soundtrack of his life's greatest hits.
At one moment during the exhibition you come to an open space with two enormous screens playing live concerts from the 70s and another wall full of stacked boxes each housing a Bowie mannequin wearing an icon costume. Each box lights up in beat with the music. The experience is absolutely engulfing and amazing.

Whether you're a fan of David Bowie's or not, after experiencing the exhibition you cannot deny his powerful influence on music, art, fashion and pop culture for decades.