New Orleans: Part Deux

Continuing my recap of New Orleans...

On Saturday I took the trolley down St. Charles, hopping off at First Street so I could walk through the Garden District to see the beautiful homes. Making my way to Magazine Street for some good interiors "research", I stumbled upon Perch.  It is a beautiful little shop set up in an old home with whimsical touches in every room.  If you are looking for a unique and fabulous chandelier, this is the place.  They also have a wonderful collection of accessories. Everywhere I turned, there was some item I was trying to figure out if I bought it, how I could fit it into my carry-on bag. 

Children's Ghost Chair, which was on my Top 10 list for 2011.

Loved these note cards and writing pads!  Alexa Pulitzer, out of New Orleans, designs them.  She features different animals accessorized with something unexpected.  Check out the gator with the crown!  She also does cocktail napkins and cups with her designs on them (pictured above).  I'm told her designs are also available at Bergdorf Goodman.

Lucky for you, Perch has a website where most of their items can be found.  http://www.perch-home.com/

My next stop was Villa Vici, a store more focused on upholstered items in relaxing neutral tones.  Actually, because I had to meet up with the other girls, these were the only two stops I had time for, but it was perfect because they were two very different places, but both amazing!

Featured the coffee table below in my Get The Look post last week!

I can honestly say that in all my years of design, I have never seen a sofa like this!

New Orleans: Part 1

I'm back from my weekend in New Orleans, which went way too quickly.  I covered a lot of ground over a short period of time, so I'm going to split up the coverage in two posts. 

It all began Friday when seven girls landed in The Big Easy from pretty much every part of the country for a dear friend's bachelorette weekend.  We all met at The Ritz Carlton in the French Quarter, which is where we called home for the weekend.  It was fabulous!  Such a beautiful hotel with great views of the city and just two short blocks from Bourbon Street.  Pictured below is one of our beautiful rooms.  Don't you just love the huge windows?

The combination of the fabric panel, painted headboard and neatly pressed linens is so luxurious.

Beautiful fountain at the entrance to The Spa

Friday night's dinner was at Herbsaint.  A friend of the bride, who lives in New Orleans, planned all of our dinners.  Her husband was a chef at Herbsaint, so she ordered for the table all of the best dishes for us to try. 

Excellent!

Note: I was not drinking 3 glasses of red wine at once on purpose.  I ordered the wine flight to try three delicious reds. 

Saturday night's dinner was truly special.  The same friend arranged for a private dinner in the Proteus Room at Antoine's.  While being escorted to our private dining room, we passed the Rex Room (pictured below).  We were all enamored with the opulent green of the room.  Lots of special dinners in there!

Pictures of past Mardi Gras Kings and Queens in the hall

Side Note: The friend who organized this special dinner for us was one of the Queens a couple Mardi Gras' ago. 

Below, some of the old Mardi Gras jewels and tiaras on display in our dining room.  Excuse the blurry camera phone picture. 

All the ladies in the Proteus Room!  Such a special evening!

Check back tomorrow for Part Deux!

GET THE LOOK

The living room image I'm featuring is a favorite of mine.  There are so many reasons to love it: the natural light, the glamour, the clean lines...  I also think it is a really simple look and design to achieve, so I thought I would put together a little "Get The Look" post.  Not because you should necessarily copy this exact arrangement, but because each piece in this space is so versatile that any of them would be great additions to a room in need of some refreshing. 

Get The Look!

Target Gold Pillar Holder, $13.60

http://www.target.com/p/Gold-Pillar-Holder-Tall-Antique-Gold/-/A-13666592

Wisteria Antiqued Art Deco Coffee Table, $649

http://www.wisteria.com/Antiqued-Art-Deco-Coffee-Table/productinfo/W6310/

OR

Try 2 of these mirrored cubes.  Such a good deal!  You could "antique" them yourself as a fun project.

Target Mirrored Cube, $99.99

http://www.target.com/p/Mirrored-Cube-Living-Room-Accent-Side-or-End-Table/-/A-13275347?reco=Rec|pdp|13275347|ClickCP|item_page.adjacency&lnk=Rec|pdp|ClickCP|item_page.adjacency

Stump Stool, $390

http://www.straydogdesigns.com/products/detail/stump_stool__accent_table/1

OR

Ballard Designs Lotus Garden Seat, $165

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/bd/194171?SourceCode=FROG07&cm_mmc=mer-_-cse-_-google-_-prod-feed&mr:trackingCode=A46C37B8-0419-E011-B31E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA

Restoration Hardware Shelter Arm sofa, starting at $1865

http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod100140

OR

Canterbury Sofa by CR Laine

http://crlaine.com/ViewDetail.asp?itemidx=9&pg=1&IsPrimary=1

Etsy, $28

http://www.etsy.com/listing/89465668/designer-decorative-greek-key-pillow?ref=&sref=

Doheny Wing Chair by Downtown

 http://www.downtown20.net/products.php?cat_id=3#

Jonathan Adler Pat Nixon rug, can be custom colored, $1550 for 6 x 9

http://www.jonathanadler.com/Pat-Nixon-6565/?cat=486&initial=

Don't forget the greyhound, or whatever your favorite dog may be!

Now, off to New Orleans for the weekend!  Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!   

How Does Your Garden Grow?

In preparation for the move to the new house, I'm working on a design for our new back yard.  It's not a huge area, so I'm wanting to do a courtyard or garden with a tall privacy fence.  Right now, it's just an open green space, so the options are endless.  Below are some of the ideas I'm loving.  It's a toss up on the style though.  I've always loved the idea of a secret garden with lush manicured greenery everywhere, but the clean lines of an urban landscape are so cosmopolitan chic. 

Which look would you go for? Urban courtyard or classic garden?

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy your yard, and I'm looking forward to completing this project so I can enjoy mine.  Before and After pictures coming soon!