Wearing Your Party on Your Bikini

Aside from the phenomenon that has become her Reva ballet flats, Tory Burch is perhaps best known for her bright and fun prints and, more often than not, I'm completely in love with them (particularly her '60s-inspired prints and her ikats). For summer though, the divine Ms. Burch has come out with a red elephant print bikini and coordinating tote and towel and I'm thinking this is a big "miss" for Tory. Is it just me or is Tory trying to make a not-too-subtle political statement? In light of her associations with the country club set, she may just be trying to market to her audience. Political affiliations aside though, do you think this is cute -- or fug?

Cute or no, I can say with certainty that I'd be more concerned about snide comments from fellow beach-goers regarding my elephantine appearance in said bikini than someone confusing me for a Sarah Palin supporter.

But I'd like to hear your thoughts on this one.

poll by twiigs.com

Week Six: All Walled Up

A lot of progress was made on the new house this past week as the workmen laid the brick and hung the drywall. And I'm happy to report that, from the outside in particular, things are really starting to come together. {By the way, if you're new to Odi et Amo or afraid you've missed a week or two of the action, go HERE to view my weekly updates on the new house.}

Here's a view from the backyard. The covered porches are off the breakfast area (on the lower level) and the den (on the upper level). The wall of windows in the center is the family room, and the three windows jutting out from the facade are the master bedroom. My hope is that by next summer we'll have a nice garden for all these windows to look out on.

View from the front door. Now that the walls are up, it's so much easier for me to visualize the house. I love the archway under the stairs that separates the entryway from the family room. There's a small art niche on the right side of the arch. Unfortunately, I don't think I have a piece that is sized appropriately for the space, which means I'll have to go art shopping (I know, my life is so hard). I'll be on the lookout for something in London or Ireland, provided I can cart it back on the plane.

One of my favorite architectural features of this home is the staircase and, in particular, how it curves to mimic the curved wall. For the railings, I selected a rather spartan wrought-iron so as not to detract from the curvature. Although it would've been cost-prohibitive to do this (especially since I'm only using a "semi-custom" builder), spare and modern glass would have been an amazing option as well.

The living room as viewed from upstairs. I can't wait to see the granite surround I picked go up. I'm also very happy I decided to fill in the niches above the fireplace and over each of the other niches. It would've been way too many holes on one wall.

The kitchen (and my mom -- hi Mom!). It's not a huge space and I'm probably going to have less cupboard and counter space than I do at my current house, but it's large enough. I particularly love how it's right off the family room and the garage (which means no more carting all my groceries up a flight of stairs, yay!). There's also plenty of bar height counter to fit my four bar stools.

Forgive the totally crappy picture here (without electricity, it's hard to get the lighting right!), but I wanted to show y'all the breakfast area. My plan is [for Dave] to build a wraparound bench underneath that window and around the adjacent wall. Since the space isn't very large, a banquette will certainly seat more folks than the number of chairs I could comfortably cram into the space. Plus, I've always love a booth.

Here's a shot of the master bedroom's tray ceiling, which is one of the details I particularly liked about the house.

The master bathroom. The window next to the tub appears to be translucent rather than transparent for privacy's sake. I can't take if it's the protective plastic film on the the window or the glass itself, but it also appears to have that "rain drop" look so popular in shower doors from the '80s and '90s. If that's the case, we may be changing it out for simple frosted glass.

The hallway looking into the den (far left), guest room (straight ahead) and hallway to the other bedrooms (right). I like how wide and airy the upstairs hallway is and I'm very pleased with all the archways.

My window seat. {Love.} I also like how most of the rooms upstairs have various angles and slants around the ceilings -- so much more interesting than a simple box. Of course, when it comes time to paint the question will be, where does the wall begin and the ceiling end? We'll have to see but I'm thinking of painting the ceilings in some of these rooms a shade or two lighter than the wall color. In particular, I'd like to do something metallic and decorative inside the tray in the master bedroom. I'm just so tired of white ceilings.

I'm not quite sure what's on the "to do" list for this week, but I'm assuming they'll continue to tape, fill and prep the drywall as well as finish up what little brick work remains (both the back porch and front porch will have brick floors and these weren't done when we went by on Sunday). Regardless, I can't wait for all the finishing to begin -- I want to see my floors (and cabinets, and paint color....)!

Vacationing and The g.

You may or may not have noticed the new widget I added to my sidebar the other day, but it's a countdown clock for my upcoming vacation to London, Dublin and Galway. To say I'm excited is a gross understatement. Dave and I haven't had a vacation in over two years. And, for the record, I don't count attending weddings, bachelorette parties, in-law visits etc. as vacations -- not because they aren't fun (they often are), but because they're often obligatory and rarely where I would've chosen to spend my precious few days off. I also haven't taken more than a week off at a time (and I've done this only three times in the past three years) since I graduated from law school in 2006.

But enough justification. The short story is that a vacation was long overdue and Dave and I decided to do it big this time and go abroad. Since Dave's only trip to Europe was a work trip to Paris last year, I thought the UK/Ireland was a good place to begin his international travels, especially since both of us are of primarily English, Irish (and Scottish) descent. Besides, while I've been to London/Southern England several times over the years, I have not yet visited Ireland and am excited to see the Emerald Isle.

One thing my husband absolutely does not understand is my love for gorgeous (and inevitably pricey) boutique hotels -- Frette linens and designer style just isn't worth the price tag to him. So this time we compromised. While in London, we'll be staying at the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum London at a steal of a price we got courtesy of Hotwire (a great option if you know the location you want to stay in, but are less picky about the exact hotel). Yes, the location is central and Kensington is one of the best neighborhoods in The City, but it's still a Holiday Inn -- no matter how many words you add to the end of the name. But once we get to Galway, we'll be spending three nights at The g. And if the reviews and photos are any indication, this place is going to be spectacular.

The g was designed by Galway-native and couture milliner Philip Treacy (whose probably most famous in the States for designing the towering green hat Sarah Jessica Parker donned at The Sex and the City movie premiere in London). If you look closely, many of the rooms at The g showcase the undulating, gravity-defying sculptural shapes that Treacy's hats are famous for.

The bespoke concierge desk in particular looks a lot like an oversized version of one of Treacy's hats. The desk is covered in white Venetian plaster, and is reminiscent of a giant seashell, which is a subtle theme that Treacy plays with throughout the hotel as a nod to Galway's location on Ireland's wild and woolly west coast. The walls and floor are black glass, allowing the desk-turned-art installation to take center stage.

The g's [in]famous Pink Salon. Yes it's crazy and something you'd never want in your own home, but it's also undeniably fabulous. With its Andy Warhol-inspired pink camouflage print chairs and black and white vortex rug, it's a contemporary reimagining of the psychedelic 60's. Admittedly a subtle detail in a not-so-subtle room, the white coral mirror is a standout here for me design-wise. In fact, I'd love to have an identical mirror in my new dining room (how great would that look against the Drawing Room Blue?).

The more formal of the two lounges, this second lounge's demure and modern color palette of creams and metallics keeps the serious furniture from looking too staid. The plush velvets and silks, combined with the mirrored tables and metallic-leafed woods make this room utterly sophisticated. The huge installation of large silver balls manages to accomplish two dueling purposes by both highlighting the dramatically high ceilings and visually filling in all that space to create a more intimate setting for quiet conversations over cocktails. This is an adult room, but one that doesn't take itself too seriously.

The bar and adjoining Blue Lounge are probably my favorite rooms in the hotel. With its dark blue walls, plush velvet chairs, gilt trimwork and stunning mirrored bar, it feels a bit old Hollywood Regency meets modern glam -- very Kelly Wearstler-esque, don't you think? I plan on spending some time here sipping on a cocktail while waiting on our table at The g's acclaimed Italian restaurant, the Matz at The g.

The guest rooms themselves are a lot more understated than the public spaces, which is a good thing, I think, if you're trying to get some rest after a day of touring. Despite the muted palette, the rooms still have Treacy's signature quirkiness -- just look at those space-age lamps (that again look rather like hats)!

Of course, there's so much to explore in Galway outside of the hotel, so I plan on taking full advantage of its burgeoning arts' scene (though, alas, we'll just miss the start of the annual Galway Arts Festival) as well as its proximity to the Aran Islands (which is a "can't miss" according to my law school roommate) and Kylemore Abbey (which looks more like a fairytale castle than a nunnery). You can be sure I'll be taking a ton of pictures to share with everyone when I get back, but for now, I'll just have to content myself with planning our trip until we leave July 2 (don't worry though, I'm going to start stockpiling posts to go up while I'm gone!).

Danke Schoen!

I've debated with myself all day on whether or not to post on this, but ultimately I decided it would be remiss of me not to thank the Washington Post publicly for including me today in its weekly "Blog Watch" feature (see HERE). Thanks to Ms. Terri Sapienza, my blog traffic has gone through the roof and I feel a bit like dancing in the street (hold the tracht). Sometimes blogging can feel like talking to yourself in outer space -- does anyone hear you or are you just shouting into the darkness? Today feels like confirmation that folks are indeed listening, and for that I am both humbled and grateful. For my own part, I promise to do my best to hold your attention and keep on saying (or writing) things worth hearing (or reading). So danke schoen, Ms. Sapienza and the rest of the folks at WP ! I am truly honored.

Photograph courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Ideas for the Dining Room

When it comes to planning how I want to decorate the new house, I find myself focusing on the dining room. Perhaps it's because it's right off the entryway, so it's one of the first spaces you see when you enter the house. Perhaps it's because I don't currently have a formal dining area, so I get to start from scratch, unrestrained by existing pieces that have to be incorporated. And perhaps it's just because I've already picked a paint color -- Farrow & Ball's Drawing Room Blue -- and that choice has given me something to decorate around. Since the room has wainscoting around its three walls that will be painted out white, I think the dark cobalt will really pop against all that trim work.

Regardless of the reason, and with only a cursory nod to my actual budget (that will either force me to select more modestly priced items or purchase one piece at a time for the next few years), I've designed a mood board of what I'm currently thinking would work in the space. Since the dining room is not particularly large, with one side open onto the entryway and another side taken up with two large windows, I tried to select pieces that would make an impact but not overwhelm the room. Accordingly, I went with a more minimal and classic aesthetic for the larger pieces in the hopes that they wouldn't take up too much physical and visual space, and selected more dramatic accessories to really give the space some personality.

So here's the breakdown (clockwise from top left):

1. Marrakesh rug by Jonathan Adler (9' x 12', $1995, but currently on sale for $1596). While I would live in fear of spillage, the infrequency with which I would probably use a formal dining space would make the occasional stressout during dinner parties worth the joy of looking at this on a daily basis. Besides, Oxyclean does wonders.

2. Kate table lamp from Circa Lighting ($336). I'd put one of these stunners on either end of the buffet. The geometric Greek key design would work well with the very linear buffet and pick up on the finishes in the chandelier.

3. Flower mirror white from High Fashion Home ($695). I love the idea of a really graphic white mirror against the dark blue walls. The more feminine shape would also create some nice tension with the linear Kate lamps and yet still relate to the curvy Ava dining chairs.

4. Logan buffet from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams ($1245). I like the simplicity of this piece as well as the fact that it's not too big since the room itself will be largely taken up by the table.

5. Bowmont chandelier from Circa Lighting ($1050). This piece reminds me of champagne glasses so it feels right for a room that I hope to do a good bit of celebrating in.

6. Logan dining table from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams ($1495). The Parsons shape of this table won't compete with the chairs, which rightfully deserve to be the stars.

7. Ava's Chair from Calico Corners ($795). Alas, at this price, I'd have to purchase one at a time, but I absolutely love the shape. I'd cover the seats in Tala Citrus from Annie Selkie ($24.64/yard) to carry through the green in the rug. Since the pattern is much smaller in scale than that of the rug, it shouldn't compete too much with it.

8. Foo dogs from ZGallerie ($119.90/pair). Just because I always love just a touch of Chinoiserie and the white would really pop against the deep cobalt blue walls.

9. Large Olas Tibor from Emilia Ceramics ($128 ). A pair of these would fit nicely underneath the buffet and bring a little more pattern and fun into the space.

Now, what I'd love from you, dear reader, is some serious opinions on what works here, what doesn't, what's missing, and where I might find similar items for less. Since I haven't purchased anything for this space yet (and don't plan on doing so until we move), my wallet can take the criticism.

A doxie by Jonathan Adler = Love at First Sight

Should a certain husband still be on the look out for a birthday present for his devoted wife, might I ever so subtly suggest that this might just be the perfect gift? You'll find it here -- and if you order now, you just might get it in time for said devoted wife's birthday. There. Was that (un)subtle enough?

For those of you who AREN'T my husband, I still highly recommend checking out the latest and greatest on Adler's website. His new salt & pepper shakers are beyond adorable. At $48 a set, they're a great option for birthdays, hostess gifts -- or just a treat for yourself. I find the Garden of Eden set (shown above) particularly tempting. Other offerings include napkin rings (the owl is my favorite, though the $18 a pop price tag is a little silly), place card holders (be still my heart, more dachshunds, but again, $28 apiece is ludicrous), and a whole lot more lacquer.

Happy shopping!

Amanda Nisbet's Back Porch

Perhaps it's just the fact that it's summer or maybe it's that I'm getting really excited at the prospect of having a covered porch, but lately I find myself saving photo after photo of beautiful outdoor porches. My favorite by far though has to be this gorgeous covered porch that design guru Amanda Nisbet created for the Hampton Designer Showhouse back in 2006. But then again, I'm a sucker for bold graphic prints, just the right shade of purple (on the ceiling!), and artful topiaries.

For all its many wonderful elements, I think the star of this wraparound porch is the purple ceiling, which is such a great counterpoint to all the pale wood finishes in the floor, furniture and even shingled walls. I also love the fat globe topiaries in the woven baskets, which add loads of texture and visual interest -- and some necessary greenery -- we are outside, afterall! Large silver hurricanes and a modern candelabra add ambient lighting at dusk (my favorite time of day).

While I love the look Amanda created by hanging oval mirrors from shipping rope, I can't help but think that in the "real world", you wouldn't want to obscure the view with large mirrors. Besides, don't you want to hang the mirrors so that you're reflecting views of the outdoor landscape? Though of course, if your back porch faces a high fence or another building, oversize mirrors may be just the ticket for not only hiding the ugly view, but expanding cramped quarters.

Art outdoors is always a little tricky'; after all, you hardly want to expose anything expensive or delicate to sun and rain. Amanda's solution here is particularly creative; by hanging bits of coral in grass-cloth shadow boxes salon style, Amanda proves that inexpensive, found objects can make a huge impact. Since I'm reluctant to buy real coral (since you can never be sure of its source), I'd go with artificial pieces instead of the real deal unless you're lucky enough to live near the beach and are able collect bits of dead coral that have washed ashore. Also, note the great detailing in these pillows; I particularly love the purple piping on the larger pillow (which is in the same fun, graphic fabric as the curtains).

Yet another display of coral-turned-art in the second seating area. I love the translucent purple tops on the skinny metal tables. By staying away from matching teak and selecting more modern and industrial tables, Nisbet creates a more interesting and unique look and breaks up all that wood. The metal legs also relate to the large scale silver hurricanes hung like sconces around the porch.

Here, an artfully arranged vignette of seaside ephemera keep the space from looking overly styled and too perfect. I might forgo the large waterfowl though in favor of other nautical nods.

While this gorgeous round mirror (framed in what looks like upcycled metal shingles) is slightly too large for both the wall space and for the console table beneath it, the large scale vase and sunflowers balance it out and make it work. And let's not forget that stunning nautilus chair -- it's practically a piece of art in itself.

Inspired by Amanda's design, I put together a mood board of pieces that could help you achieve a similar look on your own covered porch.

I'd start out by painting the ceiling a similar shade of purple. Crocus Petal Purple by Benjamin Moore, shown in the background in the mood board above, looks like a pretty good match to me. Solid teak benches and chairs like the ones in Amanda's design can be found at most major retailers and come at very reasonable price points. I like these from Target for their solid teak construction and generous proportions. I'd dress them up with custom pillows from Rubie Green and Mod Green Pod. While neither of these organic cotton fabrics is really made for the outdoors, since pillows are easily pulled inside during inclement weather (and would be protected by much of it by the overhang anyway), I figured there's no reason to be restricted by outdoor fabrics here.

On the other hand, I would highly recommend going for outdoor fabrics when selecting curtains since it's unlikely you'll want to be pulling them down and hauling them inside every time there's a storm. Crate&Barrel's simple ivory panels are well priced and will help balance the bright purple ceiling and colorful fabrics. Taking a cue from Amanda's oceanic accessories, I'd group several starfish together in inexpensive shadow boxes and hang them on the walls. One or two playful crustaceans perched alongside a few vases full of hydrangeas and sunflowers on the modern teak and steel coffee table would lend an element of beachy playfulness without putting you in danger of coming off theme-y.

Clockwise, from top left:

Ceramic crustaceans from Ballard Designs, $45

Indoor/Outdoor curtain panel from Crate&Barrel, $79-$109

Ann fabric by Rubie Green ($90/yard)

Grand jubilee fabric in chocolate by Mod Green Pod ($39.75/yard)

Ibiza pedestal table from Smith and Hawken, $279

Carved mango wood stool from ZGallerie, $189.95

Teak Glaser Armchair from Target, $299.99

Teak Glaser 5' Bench from Target, $499.99

Round Dura wicker planter from Target, $24.99

Ivy globe topiary (20' diameter) from Fresh Topiary, $210.37

Set of 15 starfish from ZGallerie, $15.95

Coir boat bumper from Ballard Designs, $45

Arched Metal Lantern from West Elm, $39 & $103