happy new year!

{here's to sweet things & new vistas in 2011}

Champagne cupcakes with Champagne buttercream & spun sugar

Hanmers cottage at Lundy Island

setting the bar

It's almost time to bid farewell to 2010 (yikes)! As the years go by, I'm more and more inclined to stay home and enjoy a serve-yourself bar (or, just old movies...) on New Year's Eve. If I ever do emerge from my square-ness and host a New Year's gathering, I envision a setup like these easygoing yet stylish drink stations.

Top: In designer Thom Filicia's lake house, an antique work bench holds the liquor plus a few conversation pieces (Domino). Note: Old workbenches make great kitchen islands, too, as they often have spaces for utensils; and, since they're already worn in, stains and scratches blend without a worry. Bottom: An industrial rolling cart is the right size for an easy, elegant display, and can move with the party. 

Other fun options for bar service? A wicker tea cart, an antique sewing table, a clawfoot tub (for icing beer), or your built-in bookshelves...just relocate one shelf of books for the evening. If space is limited or if you're just gathering around a coffee table, use a large tray for drinks. Unique trays like these could feature one snazzy, signature cocktail, ready to pass:

c. 1890 tole tray, Bond & Bowery

Free-form carved wood serving trays, Pearl River

19th-century lacquered tray, Antique Swan

Italian pewter tray, Match

places for books



A booklover's space in a coastal South Carolina home (Daniel Ravenel).

A second-hand bookshop in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, aka "the town of books" (photo: Nufkin).

Lively green shelves and a yellow windsor chair (Gridley + Graves).

merry christmas!

recipe for a lovely holiday:

a {figurative} open door

+

{spiked!} Mexican hot chocolate

photo via Red

bathroom(s) of the week

Three charming half-bathrooms with winning wallpaper and wainscot (say that three times fast!) combinations. Top: The pattern also covers the ceiling to open up an attic space (photo: Francesco Lagnese). Middle: A classic marbleized pattern is trimmed and complements brass fittings and a 1940s mirror (photo: Simon Watson). Bottom: A big design with a diminutive sink (photo: John Kernick). See these baths and more here and here.

marvelously minimal

The entry hall in the home of actress Cholë Sevigny is sparse but bold. "Imperial Trellis" wallpaper by Kelly Wearstler.

Extra-tall brass candlesticks, an unassuming china collection, and a painting of muted colors all make for a unique dining alcove (photo: Huntley Hedworth for Red).

An all-white nook is dressed in mostly subdued pinks....bench seating is perfect for cozy conversations. Just a few interesting touches (model boat, vintage latch, artsy chandelier) complete the space. I love the "secret corner" feeling of this room!

designtripper

Designtripper is the perfect blog for those who love travel and design...and especially for those who enjoy the occasional daydream vacation. You'll find lovely images and stories of haciendas, for-rent homes, hostels, hotels, villas, and the undefined. 

A Designtripper sampling (from top): The Balinderry Park House (Ireland); coastal Maine farmhouse; Camp Wandawega (Wisconsin); La Classe (Belgium); Catskills farmhouse; Jura Lodge (Scotland).

holiday florals

Nos. 1 & 2: Saipua; No. 3: Sunset; No. 4: VivaTerra via StyleLush

rustic + refined

A French mirror finds an unexpected home against pine paneling (photo: Roger Davies).

A dramatic rustic element (a Japanese Maple!) tempers the formal moldings and millwork in this foyer (photo: Michael Graydon).

Swedish antiques, stripped floors, and a coral collection come together in a serene dining room.

bathroom of the week

This Bay Harbor, Michigan, bath (by Chicago design firm Soucie Horner via Cloth & Kind) is full of texture and interest. The mirror, from Downtown, is handmade with pine cone scales! If you like the fingertip towels, you might also like:

Vintage appliquéd hand towels from Decades of Vintage

Vintage feather motif fingertip towels from Wild Oak Designs

Set of vintage tea towels from The Rick Rack

façade fix

No need for a major construction project to upgrade your front (or back or side) door. Try an install-it-yourself, aged-steel canopy and, perhaps, a couple of matching trellis panels. In fact, the trellis panels are a nice (and more affordable) alternative to side glass windows. Add some greenery to the mix and in no time you've created a grand entrance! Get started at Garden Requisites.

just add pillows

I love this entryway for many reasons: the sweet cane-backed settee; the natural woven runner and black stair treads; the contrasting black screen door...but most of all I love it for its timeless feel (read: no need to redecorate for a looong time!). Since I tend toward neutral palettes but want to use more color, I like a flexible backdrop like this one where I can simply add a bright, patterned pillow (or throw rug) to the scene. Easy peasy! Check out these affordable pillow covers from ModDiva—perfect pops of color priced from $12.95 to $21.95:

Top photo: Angus McRitchie for H&H

a nordic holiday

Here is the home of interior designer Edie Van Breems, decorated with wonderful Nordic flair for the holidays (photos: Lisa Hubbard for Country Living). My favorite touches: dried wheat used in the garland and window wreath; a little white tree in a copper pot; and the casual stockings-on-a-string look (below).

Van Breems and Rhonda Eleish are co-authors of Swedish Interiors and Swedish Country Interiors; they're also the proprietors of Eleish Van Breems, a Swedish antiques shop and design firm. Here's a peek at some of the shop's unique offerings:

19th-century Swedish brass chocolate pot

  

c. 1848 letter box

19th-century Swedish Gustavian pine bench/bed

Old sleigh bells