When it comes to interiors few things impress me more than well-curated homes filled with memories of a life well-traveled. Which is why I couldn’t sign-off for the weekend without this healthy dose of eclectic-global spaces.
PS this is little peek of a new series I am starting on mochatini called TAKE ME AWAY. If you are interested in contributing/ participating email me {mochatiniblog at gmail dot com} and I’ll send you all the details.
As much as I love Summer, I love Fall even more. The weather is much nicer, there are fewer mosquitoes here in DC and I love the bright colors of leaves.
Over at Bright Bazaar I spotted 6 beautiful Fall party themes created by the immensely talented creative team of stylists over at BHLDN. These tablescapes got me instantly excited for Fall entertaining. Each features several quirky, whimsical and pretty party supplies which you can mix and match to create a totally unique look for your party.
While they are all lovely, dreamy and sure to put any guest in good spirits, I was especially drawn to these three themes.
PAPER MOON = SWOON!!
A real party starter, this look brings out the romantic bookworm in me. Easy to create too. Buy vintage/old hard cover books from thrift stores, I get them as low as 10 cents, and tear pages to create one of a kind placemats, menu cards and more. Add glitter + sparkles and voila!
Arent these favors adorable? I do something very similar with my business cards: insert into clear velum sleeves and ink stamp them with pretty designs. Once, for a client I used these sleeves to insert recipe cards as favors.
Dont forget to create a sip station. Guests feel instantly at home when they can help themselves to beverages. How fun are these chalkboard planters? I would love to use these at a sip station to jot down the name of cocktail and fill with herbs (such as mint) that are part of the recipe.
I hesitated before doing another post featuring interiors from house beautiful but just couldnt help myself! The September issue is filled with such charming lived-in spaces decorated by talented designers, including two of my favs barry dixon and martyn lawrence bullard, that it would be criminal not to. There are so many elements in each of these spaces that appeal to my design sensibilities.
This settee is oodles of sexy, love the fabric print, and works so well under the large oval mirror. the basket next to it is both stylish and practical for storage in a Capitol hill (DC) entryway.
The pops of blue in this Frech chandelier…I DIE!!
This corner sofa with that nailhead detail and coffee table and zebra rug = global sophisticate
This dining room had me at the dark wood flooring. And I love how no other element in this space clashes with it.
Perfect work table!! WANT WANT WANT.
Love how bright this bathroom is..and the mirrors make it even more so. The sheepskin bench is divine!
When in doubt go with classic black and white…
Now you see why I simply HAD to share these with you? Trust me I had a hard time editing them down.
I plan on spending most of this weekend outdoors making the most of what’s left of Summer. Its absolutely gorgeous out right now and hope it stays that way.
Typing this as a put together a playlist (any suggestions? what kind of music do you like for parties) for a last min backyard soiree that we are hosting tonight. Nothing fancy, just an intimate group of friends getting together for laughs, burgers and blueberry-petron margaritas. Served in these practical and stylish zebra-print melamine plates, and these tumblers by Jonathan Adler , which, by the way, are on sale so stock up!! Lots to do.. so I better get going.
Have a great weekend friends and thank you so much for your continued support. xo
Last week I was in Las Vegas which is why I was missing from here. A few bloggers were invited to attend Las Vegas Market. And so to market, to market we went………
The design elements that stood out to me: global-inspired handcrafted designs made with natural materials, weaves, reclaimed wood, and bold colors! Would you like to peek at designs that caught my eye?
This woven chair is hands down my FAVORITE piece. A more sophisticated version of office chairs in northern India. I’d use this as a vanity chair though would look equally impressive as dining chairs. Wouldnt this throw pillow (below) look gorgeous on it?
I’m imagining this teal Indian-inspired bench in a master bedroom softened up with tons of graphic pillows. Love how it has storage under the seat.
This wing chair had me at zebra-print + nailhead trim!
Outdoor chairs: this shade of orange is YUMMY!!
You might have seen this slated wood chair before. I forgot to take a pic of the side which is really where you see most of the design.
Bikes repurposed as bar stools. Such an original, creative and FUN idea ! And no the pedals dont move though WE all agreed it would awesome if they did.
The style of this settee has had a special place in my heart for a long time so I just had to include it here.
Every queen needs a throne in her castle.
the NEW Round Mirrors:
SIMPLY in LOVE with this cabinet, the spinning wheel and oh that scalloped metal mirror frame is just so global-chic! WANT!!!
The wood mirror + cabinet details took my breath away.
This metallic mirror reminded me of a wild urchiny sea-creature. And love the finish on the console table which would add visual drama to any hallway or entry.
The new cocktail-party table: Quirky, colorful and fun I’d arrange several of these to function as cocktail tables at a party.
This bar cart is super sexy! It opens up for storage underneath and foldout to longer counter. And it’s on wheels which makes a HUGE difference when hosting parties.
If the furniture and accessories {+keynote speech by Bill Clinton} alone wasnt enough to make any decorista happy, we were invited to attend a live session of Ahead of the Curve: a panel discussion moderated by Style guru and “Today” show contributor Susanna Salk , and a video presentation featuring panelists’ Jeffrey Alan Marks and Nathan Turner along with designer Anthony Baratta discussing top trends from Market. A live in-studio audience and webcast viewers from around the globe, gave the world a chance to watch top design stars reveal their favorite discoveries. You can see some of my live-tweets about the trends here.
Watch these three designers talk about their top trends in their videos which we got to see during the session.
Nathan Turner
Design trends: Red Hots: Hot red combines well with chocolate, gray, navy and white
Au Natural: Natural, unfinished materials that incorporate hand craftsmanship do not have to be exclusively rustic. They can be sexy!
Basketweave: Bring the outside in. LOVE!!
Jefffery Alan Marks
Small Scale: Small scale pieces provide a more tailored, sweet look. McMansions are out and people want to decorate their homes using pieces that ooze personality.
Swivel: Pieces that swivel bring life and movement to a room while saving space and great for entertaining.
Pop of Color: Dress up your neutrals with a jolt of color to accentuate contrast between the hard, rough edges and a smooth, modern finish.
Anthony Baratta
Retro Redefined: with modern, crisp finishes.
Black and White: give a room a whole other dimension.
Chrome in the Home: Chrome adds sparkle and gives any piece a clean, fresh look.
The session was a super informative design chat and meeting Jeffrey Alan Marks, Nathan Turner and Anthony Baratta was such an honor!
{ps: going to update this post with a link to the webcast if I can find one}
Had such a nice time meeting and connecting with lovely bloggers! Here’s (most of) us after Ahead of the Curve and before we had to say goodbyes. Hope we get to bump into each other soon.
Cassandra LaValle: Coco + Kelley, Marisa Marcantonio: StyleBeat, Elise Marshall Jones: Here In This House, Raina Kattelson: A Stylist’s Life, Carrie Anna Hansen: Studio C Interior Design & Snuggery Style, Carmen Christensen: Time2Design, Nicole Abbott: @ChicCheapNrsery, Susan Serra: the kitchen designer
Missing Emily Anderson: Good With Style
Hi there. I am Manvi Drona-Hidalgo, a DC-based freelance interior stylist, decorator and digital marketing consultant. Mochatini is my visual journal. Thank you for stopping by.
