The Covers

It’s not a new idea, but I’ve long been a fan of using vintage magazine covers as artwork. Even though so much work and manpower goes into the cover shoots of today’s modern magazine, it’s still pretty incredible to imagine the many artists who were commissioned to create unique illustrations for all the publications throughout the early part of the 20th century, before covers were photographed.

It had been a while since I’d browsed Conde Nast’s online shop of magazine covers, and I was surprised to find how much they’ve beefed it up. Just a few years ago, I feel like the selection wasn’t nearly as good. Though the prints are pricey, I loved looking through the covers by decade, to see how the art direction, the tone, and of course, the fashion changes throughout the years.

Do you have any vintage magazine covers in your home? Which one is your favorite?

GOOP does Maison & Objet

Have you heard of the Maison & Objet trade show, which takes place in Paris? I hadn’t until a friend forwarded me Gwyneth’s latest GOOP newsletter, highlighting her visit to the event. It seems like it would be the most fun, tiring, but inspiring day ever.

Gwyneth spent the day roaming the ginormous exhibition center at M&O with her new buyer Sarah. I would like to know how one gets that gig. Shopping with Gwyneth Paltrow for the day at a huge interiors trade show outside of Paris. Sign me up.

Here are some shots from the newsletter, for those of you who don’t subscribe (I actually don’t either…thanks, S, for sending it my way!)

Astier de Villatte of course has a booth there, complete with their line of candles and gorgeous ceramics. Want, want, want.

How fun are these poufs?? They’re not the typical shape and color of pouf you see everywhere these days, and I kind of like that.

These last two shots are from the M&O website. Who wants to plan a trip? The next show is in September!

{Image Credits: GOOP, Maison & Objet}

I’m Loving…

1. Burt’s Bees Lemon Cuticle Creme — I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m one of those unkempt girls who doesn’t get manicures very often. This cuticle balm keeps things from getting too out of control. When I got engaged, I started adding it to my nails double time.

2. J.Crew Tillary Tote – Inspired by the Celine luggage tote? Maybe. Still effortlessly stylish and a probable classic for years to come? Definitely.

3. Madewell Film Noir Pump – I’m loving the punchy jade green color on these shoes! PS — they also come in leopard. This is one thing I’ll miss about an office job. Clothing purchases are much less justifiable.

4. Almond oil — I’ve discovered my favorite hair oil treatment ever. And surprise, surprise, it’s natural! I comb about a tablespoon or so of almond oil through my hair, put it up in a bun, and let it hang out. I’ll clean the house, cook dinner — whatever. Wash it out (sometimes it takes two shampoos), condition as usual. When I blow it out and iron it, it’s frizz free and super moisturized. Note: my hair type is thick, wavy, slightly prone to frizz.

5. Spider Mums — I bought a couple bunches of these two weeks ago, and they look as fresh as the day I got them. Here’s to flowers that are inexpensive, interesting looking, and last forever!

6. Diamante Boxes from Plantation — I purchased the larger size of these boxes from my local Plantation store last year. It’s floated around my apartment a bit, and had recently been living on my cubicle desk at the office. This week, as I re-configured and re-organized my home office (a mini-clean out was in order!), I decided to put this box front and center on my desk. It’s got a whole new lease on life!

You know what else I’m loving? The new layout changes here on the blog. They’re all thanks to the wonderful Lisa from Elembee Creative. She was so easy to work with, put in extra hours over the weekend to help me get things up and running, and answered every little question I had. If you’re in the market for some graphic or web design work, be sure to check her out (she blogs too)!

A lot of the impetus behind the changes was to begin a sponsorship program. If you’re interested in having your brand featured here on vmac+cheese, stay tuned — advertising info will be available soon!

Happy Monday, everyone!

{Image Credit: Spider Mums from Martha Stewart

 

Design Impact: The Rug

We were in the car the other day and Joe was letting me ramble on about decorating ideas I have, including those that could be accomplished in a rented space. I mentioned how I wished it was easier to replace light fixtures in a rental, then wondered aloud whether a great light fixture had the biggest impact on taking a room from okay to WOW.

Joe patiently listened and said “Uh huh” in all the right places, but when I thought about it a little more (welcome to the inner wanderings of my mind), I realized that I should stop worrying about lighting because honestly? I think rugs have the biggest design impact.

Take the above. I adore the living room on the right. I mean, the floors are gorgeous. It feels fresh, clean, and oh-so-simple. But the room on the left has a similar aesthetic and color scheme, but with the use of (two!) rugs, the feel of the space is totally different. Cozy. Warm. Textured.

Then there are these two photos, which Naomi posted a while back but which illustrate the point perfectly:

Room on the top — no rug. Exact same room WITH rug below. Crazy, right?

Are you with me? Do you think rugs are the quickest way to impact the design of the room? Paint is obviously up there too — though it’s not so quick or easy! What are your tips for making a room feel totally different when you’re on a budget or in a rental?

{Image Credits: French by Design via Savvy Home, photograph by Jean Marc Palisse; Flourish Design + Style via This is Glamorous; Laura Resen Photography via Design Manifest}

Finale in LA

We made it to LA around lunchtime on Friday and already had plans to meet up with a friend. When we drove up to our hotel, Mr. C, I was a bit apprehensive. One, because the name of the hotel makes it sound like it’s a carnival funhouse, and two, if I’m totally honest, we booked it last minute while we were still in Santa Barbara!

I didn’t need to worry. Mr. C is the first hotel offshoot of the Cipriani brand, and it opened in LA this past June. You may know Cipriani’s from their many restaurants in NYC, Harry’s Bar in Venice, and of course the fact that Cindy was supposed to take Sonja there on one episode of Real Housewives of NYC, except her dentures fell out or something. Anyway.

The hotel is technically located in Beverly Hills, though in reality it’s much closer to Century City. Perfect location if you’re planning on doing stuff in west LA! Here are some more shots of our room and the hotel in general. I’m mixing in professional shots because we had less than 24 hours in LA, and I didn’t have much time to take pictures!

The front of the hotel. The valet service was ridiculously good. So accommodating, and they even gave us a bunch of waters for the road when we left on Saturday. Was it obvious we had had too much to drink the night before?

I walked into the hotel lobby and pretty much had a heart attack. It was sooooo good. At Mr. C, they don’t have you check in (what are you, an animal?). Instead, you are escorted up to that there bar and offered a complimentary peach bellini. I was hesitant to take it, but it was one of the best bellinis I think I’ve ever had. While you sit there and sip, a concierge person walks around to the front desk and checks you in. By the time you’re done with your drink, they come get you and escort you up to your room. Every hotel check in experience should be like this.

Check out those Eames chairs!

This is what our room looked like. The color scheme of the rooms alternates by floors, so on odd floors there’s this rich tobacco colored leather; on even, everything is white, like this:

I was a huge fan of the darker leather and I’m glad that’s what ended up with. I’ve come to realize I kind of dig the masculine vibe.

The dresser in the room was like an oversized steamer trunk and had a full bar setup on top of it. Way to know what’s hip, Mr. C! I thought the leather pulls were great. The lighting throughout the room was also amaaaazing.

One of my favorite features were these two huge sliding glass doors that opened out onto a veranda. Our room also featured a big chesterfield sofa. Love, love, love.

This is a good hotel bathroom. Take note, hotel designers. For such a small space, they got in a lot of great features. Double sinks and a rain shower. I was a happy girl. I’ve decided I want sink fixtures like that in my dream house.

Also, excuse the gratuitous self-portrait. I ran out of vertical photos to use in the series.

After we settled in and I stopped freaking out about the hotel room, we headed out for a late lunch. Cocktails at the hotel’s lobby bar followed. Dinner followed that. Beers at a local pub followed that. Me passing out followed that. It was a good end to the weeklong road trip.