Virtual Vacation: Capri

Beth of the lovely and inspiring blogs Style Redux and Chinoiserie Chic sent me this photograph of the salon at the J.K. Capri hotel on the Island of Capri in Italy to show off a room painted in Farrow and Ball's Drawing Room Blue (a color I'd love to use in my next house). Intrigued, I dropped into J.K. Place's website and found photograph after gorgeous photograph of impeccably designed interiors. Coupled with stunning views of the Gulf of Naples, I'm seriously rethinking my summer plans. How amazing would it be to spend a few nights at the J.K. Place? Unfortunately, until I find my missing [read: nonexistent] trust fund and can afford the minimum $1000 per night rates, I'll have to content myself with a virtual vacation.

I just love all the beautiful Mediterranean blue and white in this salon, it's so refreshing. What makes this room interesting from a design standpoint is how easily the decorator managed to work contemporary furniture and accessories that convey an easy, beachy feel into a formal architectural setting. I think the classical sculpture placed throughout the room really helps bridge the gap between the Ionic columns and intricate mouldings, on the one hand, and the casual striped rug and contemporary white sofa, on the other.

Here are a few more shots of a few of the other public rooms (all equally gorgeous):

Fortunately, the private rooms are as nice well-appointed as the public ones:

Each of the hotel's suites has a unique personality and color scheme and yet all the rooms feel related and speak to each other because of their pale walls, classic architecture and understated furnishings. The rooms are also all similarly appointed with a canopy beds, comfortable sitting areas and magnificant views of the bay. While I love the classic orange fabric (which reappears in another room in its yellow colorway) in the first photo and the dramatic purple and white upholstered wingback chairs in the fourth photo, my favorite room is probably the second photo. I love how the large canopied bed is oriented towards the fireplace, which is flanked on either side by gloriously huge french doors. I'd like to imagine that those doors open out onto a long private terrace. Magnifico.

Of course, the island itself is really the star of the show:

I'd spend the first day or two of my arrival simply relaxing on their large deck, taking in all the glorious Mediterranean sun and snoozing off my jet lag. After some good R&R though, I'd be sure to hit the major tourist spots on the island: the Villa Jovis (the Roman Emperor Tiberius' villa) and the famous Blue Grotto.

Since Capri is just a 45-minute boat ride away from Naples, I'd also plan on spending lots of time both in Naples and neighboring coastal towns (like Sorrento). As a devotee of Roman history, my first stop on the mainland would inevitably be Pompeii, which is just on the other side of the Gulf of Naples from Naples itself. In the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii is without a doubt the most mystical, most beautiful and most fascinating place I've ever visited.

For me, at least, this vacation has everything: a luxury hotel with gorgeous interior design and stunning views of the ocean, mountains and the city within a stone's throw of major Roman archaeological sites as well as several vibrant and lovely Italian cities. I just couldn't ask for more. What's your idea of the perfect vacation destination?

Photographs courtesy of the J.K. Capri.

Happy Birthday Dave!

To my husband Dave:

I'll spare the world wide web an overdose on my mushy sentimentality and keep this short and sweet. You're my best friend, confidant, rock and the love of my life. Happy 28th Birthday!

Love,

A

My Marrakesh: The Perfect Rug for My New House?

Sometimes, just to torture myself, I surf around on all my favorite online stores "just to see" what's new, what's on sale, etc. Today, I clicked on over to Jonathan Adler's website and saw that his very cool navy and green Marrakesh rug is currently 20% off. Wouldn't this work just perfectly with the color scheme of my new house? I can just see it in my new dining room with its navy walls and white wainscotting. But for the facts that (a) I'm not really sure what size I'd need, (b) I have no place to put this until August or September and (c) it's an awfully pricey impulse purchase (even with the discount), I'd be whipping out my Discover card right now.

Must. Stay. Strong.

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm embarrassed to admit that at first glance I thought this cake depicted a badly drawn Texas longhorn. The reality though, is much, much funnier.

Photograph courtesy of Cake Wrecks.

Loving Ballard Designs' Quatrefoil Headboard

More often than not, I'm a bit bored by Ballard Designs. It's like the home decor equivalent of The Gap: Lots of nice basics in a multitude of pleasant (but rarely show-stopping) colors. And yet, much like The Gap, almost every season they come out with one or two pieces that are really spot-on and even a little bit special. From their summer collection, I love their new Quatrefoil headboard. It's good classic design, but the quatrefoil motif and nailhead trim are both experiencing "a moment", so this piece is both timeless and very "now". I also think this headboard is priced well, ranging from $449 to $887, depending on size and fabric choice.

As with all Ballard Design upholstered pieces, the headboard comes in an array of pre-selected fabrics or, you can even send in your own fabric for a truly customized look. I would go with a solid color, to really let the quatrefoil cut-out and nailhead trim stand out, but the one thing I'm torn on is whether or not it'd look better in a neutral linen (like the Danish linen pictured first) or in a bold jewel tone (like the paprika linen). With the first, I could see it in a calm, beachy bedroom, full of bleached-out wood, luxurious white linens and accents of blue and green sea glass. On the other hand, the bolder paprika color would really pop against white walls and would put the focus squarely on the cut-out. I'd pair the orange with lots of white and navy, which would provide amble contrast, but not be too loud for a bedroom.

Since I'm torn, I'll put it to a vote:

poll by twiigs.com

Week Two: The Foundation

UPDATE:

My mom drove by the new house today and it looks like framing is well underway. It's completely astounding how much visual progress can get made in just a few days, particularly in the early stages of construction. Can't wait to see it myself on Saturday!

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On Sunday Dave and I drove out to the 'burbs to take a peak at the process on the new house. Despite the heavy rains we had earlier in the week, they managed to complete the underground plumbing and pour the foundation. I know this must be some sort of optical illusion, but the footprint of the house feels so tiny (in stark contrast to the immense driveway). I've been in a completed house with a nearly identical floor plan so I know that the house is, in fact, far from tiny. I'm excited to swing by this weekend (which will mark the end of week two of construction) to see if they've managed to frame the house. It'll be so much easier for me to visualize our new home once it has a third dimension.

I was pleasantly surprised to see though that the area leftover for what will become our backyard [read the red dirt above] is actually quite spacious. A good thing since it was a priority for Dave to have more yard this time around. In fact, compared to the tiny urban garden we have now, it's positively huge. Olivia and Clio won't know what to do with all the space. I also like that our backyard fence is a 7-foot high brick fence (which we get because the house abuts a street rather than another lot). It'll be so much more private (and much sturdier) than the standard-issue 6' foot fence.

Black & White Kitchen

I'm not one normally to obsess over hardware, but ever since I saw the Simplice Faucet in Matte Black ($389) from Kohler in last month's Metropolitan Home, I can't get it out of my head. You know that silly Kohler commercial where the rich couple demands that the high-end architecture firm design an entire house around a faucet? Well, I wouldn't consider it ridiculous to design an entire kitchen around this.

To keep the focus on the amazing faucet, I'd keep the countertops a cool white (like Silestone's White Zeus). For maximum sleekness, I'd go with an integrated sink to create a seamless transition. For backsplash, I'd go with simple glazed white subway tiles. Cabinetry would be white beadboard, with a combination of glass-fronted and solid door upper cabinets. Inside the glass-doored cabinets, I'd keep all my colorful dishes or glassware for an interchangeable pop of color. Walls not tiled or covered by cabinetry would be painted a soft gray, like Sherwin-Williams' Aloof Gray (pictured above).

To coordinate with the faucet, I'd go with a similar matte black finish on the hardware. Lowes' has some great options to choose from, but I'm partial to the Gatehouse black egg knob ($2.57) for the upper cabinets and the Gatehouse black cup pull ($3.36) for the lower cabinets. On white beadboard cabinets, these knobs and pulls would really pop, and together would give the kitchen a modern cottage look.

For the floors, I'd go for something a bit more retro to play off the very modern counters and play up the timeless cabinetry. Michael S. Smith mosaic tile from Ann Sacks has a lovely basketweave motif and the black and white floors would help ground all the white counters and cabinetry without making the kitchen feel bottom-heavy. For lighting, I'd go with Mod white pendant lighting from Jonathan Adler to play up the modern aspects of this kitchen.

With the basics in place, I'd bring in colorful accessories to add warmth and some fun to the kitchen. Colorful glassware like these new Pop Glasses ($18-$22) from Jonathan Adler would be a great anecdote to all the black and white. Colorful kitchen utensils and dishtowels would complete the look.