Hello my darls, how are you? Its about 11:45pm and we just got back from beautiful Aspen. Have you been enjoying the lovely guests here on mochatini? I am so thankful to charlotte and lana for keeping you company while i was away.
We had a fantastic trip that included lots of relaxing at the spa and hot tub, lovely dinners, great skiing (and apres skiing), window shopping and quality time with loved ones. While it is hard to leave the comforts and amenities of the ritz carlton, I am so happy to be back to our lil casa. Cant wait to share more about it all.
Its late and Im a bit tired from traveling all day. So, Ill see you in the morning.
ps: its also awesome that tom is friday which means weekend. and not just any weekend- its oscar weekend!! Of course you can expect a happy {oscar} weekend post tom.
xo
images: carter smith for zara 2006 catalog
I am so excited to introduce today’s guest blogger, Lana Kenny from the blog lanalou style. Lana lives in Cape Town, South Africa, works in the decor field, loves to decorate cupcakes and is an aspiring photographer. You must hop on over to her blog where in addition to decor, design, interiors and more she also shares her own photographs and finds from south africa.
Hi, I’m Lana and it’s so lovely to be a guest here on the always gorgeous Mochatini! Today I thought I’d share some of my favourite things, a few essentials that I just can’t be without.
Beautiful fresh flowers for instant cheer and occasional tasty treats that put a smile on your face. Books are an absolute necessity, whether it’s just a fun read or an inspiring interiors book, I like to be surrounded by them at all times! I love adding a vintage touch to everything and I absolutely love colour. And lastly, stepping out into nature keeps me in touch with what’s really important and gives me endless inspiration. I hope you enjoy these pics, thank you for having me here, Manvi!
images: lana kenny
Hi sweets. I promised to supply you with tons of inspiration while I am on a little vacation in aspen and inspiration is just what you will find in today’s guest post by Charlotta Ward. Charlotta, from the blog space for inspiration is an artist, design and interior stylist for children. Orginally from Sweden, she has lived in several corners of the world and currently calls Sydney, Australia her home. She is an amazingly warm and courageous mother of two lovely children and I am proud to call her my blogging friend. She also authors a second blog charlotta ward. So, without anymore from me, here is charlotta -
Tropical Bliss
Hello everyone, my name is Charlotta and I am delighted to be here and write this guest post for the gorgeous Manvi!
My heritage is Swedish but for the last 11 years I have lived in Sydney, Australia. As my blog ‘Space for Inspiration‘ spills over with design impressions from the motherland, I thought I would devote this guest post to life in the tropics.
Though I have country-hopped for over 20 years (‘Euro-trash’) the transition from the old world sophistication of Europe to the exotic and casual lifestyle of tropical Australia was a little overwhelming.
Packing my bikini next to my laptop each morning and leaping from a boardroom meeting straight to the beach for an early evening swim seemed too good to be true at first. Actually it took me a couple of years to stop pinching myself..
The actual pace of living is different and it is true that with a warmer climate comes a more relaxed attitude to life in general.
Being ‘comfortable’ and ‘at ease’ are much higher rated than being ‘correct’ or ‘formally stylish’, and this may be the key difference between Stockholm & Sydney. (Just try suggesting a ‘no-worries-mate’ kind of attitude to a Stockholmer in mid -November…)
When in Australia I find myself wanting to spend most of my time outside – be that in on the beach, in a deck chair under a (spider free..) tree or sipping a cold drink by the pool. As such a stylish hammock, fabulous cushions for the garden chairs and a brilliant lantern for the porch become much more important than that designer rug for the guest-room. I find this very refreshing, especially after my 8 years in London where the (read: ‘my’) focus was on chic and sober sophistication. Comfort came second to looking fabulous and living stylishly.
That said, the basic approach to design here is very similar to that of my beloved Scandinavia (I was quite surprised..) – simplicity, comfort and practicality are key and I find that the base for most environments here, like in Sweden, is white.
Decor accents tend to be stronger however, and the hot weather and colourful surroundings inspire bolder decor moves. Suddenly feel it is OK to choose the bright red cushions rather than the more elegant (and sensible) muted ones..
Though my Swedish heart still beats for the frosty North, I love life in this tropical paradise and I could go on forever about the bliss of life here. I will however love & leave you now with promise to be more generous with tropical inspiration in my own blog from here on.
G’day & Hejdå all – hope to see you over at mine soon.
x Charlotta
Hop over and say hello to Charlotta on her blog space for inspiration.
images: supplied by charlotta ward
Happy Holi and hello march. hope you all had a lovely weekend.
i’m off to do some window shopping in aspen. wish you a great week ahead. xo
image: matt armendariz
Dears, arent we all glad its friday? I dont know about you but I had a tough tough week. without going into much detail, ill just say, it involved me injuring myself. am fine now and cant wait to start the weekend. What do you have planned? May I suggest a lot of fun?
We are off to spend a few days skiing in Aspen. Cant wait! Have yourselves a fantastic weekend. ps: special thoughts to charlotte. hope everything works out asap.
I will see you on monday!
xo
After this and this post last week, you probably thought I was done with the blue posts for a while. I thought I was too. Until I came across la plage by ralph lauren.
The nautical, saturated blues paired with golds, tans and other neutrals had me going again…
This palette not only beckons summer but it is also really versatile. Glam it up with gold or go casual with tans. Or bring them all together for an urban chic look.
images: ralph lauren home, emmasdesignblog, marthastewart, jcrew dress via oh joy!
I mentioned to you my husband and I are looking to partition a third of our bedroom to design a walk in closet with a his and her section. I want to take my time to plan and design my dream closet so I continue to collect images of organized, glamorous and chic closets. I thought you might like a peek into my inspiration folder.
I also shared more of my closet inspiration over at lovely clusters blog a while back.
images: canadian house and home, and unknown.
Hello dears, today’s guest post is by the newly married Jen Ramos of Made by Girl. Congrats Jen!
Jen is the owner of Made By Girl, and Im sure you must have seen her pretty LOVE and BLOGS and COFFEE posters. Jen recently gave her home office a fantastic makeover that she, like me, shares it with her husband. I am always on the look out for spaces that are not only stylish but also work for a couple, which is why I knew I had to ask her to talk to us about it.
Here is a before pic -
So without further delay, here is jen talking about her office makeover.
Home office makeover
Hello, im Jen Ramos… Author of Made By Girl blog. I’m currently the owner of an online shop called Made By Girl. There you will find a fun & colorful collection of cards & screen prints to send to your friends or decorate your home! Feel free to visit my blog for the most inspirational interior spaces, my DIY projects and so much more!
The reason I decided to re-do my office was because I felt it wasn’t as inspirational to me or my work anymore.
I really needed to accentuate the large windows in my office and getting the curtains helped do just that. It looks & feels brighter making the outside appear as though it were indoors.
My inspiration came from various work spaces I saw on blogs.
I gathered about 10 photos of work spaces that inspired me & just headed in that direction with the renovation. Paying attention to every detail, like how many shelves would be just enough for my books, the placement of my inspiration board as well as which direction the desks would be facing.
I even drew everything out on piece of paper (prior to the renovation) to get a better feel of where each item would be placed & how it would fit together.
My goal was to accomplish a brighter, more stylish and roomier space……I think I’ve achieved that & am extremely happy with the results!
Jen’s blog| shop
See more before pics here.
images: jen ramos.
list of sources for Jen’s office makeover –
parson’s desk and lamp – west elm
macintosh rose wallpaper by graham and brown
curtains – west elm
storage unit and containers – west elm
If you can’t already tell, Im into collages these days. Especially spring/ summer inspired ones…
The sun is out today and Im feeling great! Its going to be a busy day as I have to pack for my upcoming trip, run errands, and other misc stuff..
I’ll be back in a bit with a guestpost.
xo
images: mary ruffle, tumblr, jeisa chinimazzo, house beautiful
Some of you might have seen the work of burham designs, an interior design firm based in Los Angeles, in the latest issue of Lonny Magazine. Burnham design is headed by Betsy Burnham who confesses she is addicted to accessories, loves menswear-inspired fabrics and fervently believes in mixing thrift with couture. Just the kind of style I am into.
I thought you might like to see a few stylish interiors from their portfolio.
a bit on the darker side for me, i like the chandelier in this home office.
mmm. i’d love a tiny flat screen in my bathroom
Love the color palette and style of this room. and doesnt that little pop of red from the chandelier add that ooomph?
If you’re shopping for design/ decor help, check out instant/space. Instant/space is an alternative service from burnham design, which offers clients do-it-yourself custom-designed spaces for a reasonable fee.
images: burnham designs
