Morning Sun

I love weekends because it means I don't have to get up early, I can lounge in my bed as long as I want, and I get to enjoy a slow morning at home having breakfast in the morning sunlight. On a normal work day I rush around getting ready without a second to spare, and don't eat breakfast until I get to work, so a relaxing morning at home is always a welcome change. Taking my time to start the day on a positive note is always a good first step to an enjoyable day. 

I haven't done a tour of my Astoria apartment yet, but I wanted to share this pretty corner where I like to sit at breakfast sometimes. This old wooden folding table was painted a crisp white with golden faux handles to go with our apartment decor, including the gold framed mirror hanging just above it. It looks so pretty in the clear morning sunlight. As you may notice taking a look around my blog, I certainly love color... and my decor aesthetic usually involves clean white surfaces with pops of bright color and accents of gold. Even my dishes tend to be colorful and fun!

This weekend I enjoyed a bowl full of berries and a soothing tea while my coffee steeped in the french press. The only thing missing? Some pancakes to fill up my plate... :) 

Mug and dish towel: anthropologie.

xoxo, CC

Dream Closet

I have always enjoyed the styling and color coordinating that goes into home decor, which is very similar to fashion in those ways, and my recent job has me thinking about interior design on the daily. Sometimes I like to daydream about how I would decorate my future home, going through specific rooms in my mind and looking through Pinterest boards for inspiration. Of course I have always dreamed of having a walk in closet, and right now Arhaus has me imagining about how my dream closet would look fully decorated. In my imagination it would be a large walk in with plenty of hanging and shelf space for storing all my clothes and shoes, plus room for a little decor too.

My taste tends to be for bright white spaces peppered with fun colors, like hot pinks or pale blues, and always accents of gold. My ideal dressing room would have lots of light, plentiful mirrors, and a few comfy seats. I've always wanted to have a nice way to store and display my shoes, so a glass front shoe shelf or pretty shoe storage racks would be essential. I like to think of my favorite shoes as works of art that should be displayed and not hidden away in boxes! I love the idea of incorporating pretty pairs of heels into the decor, or lining them up on glass-encased shelves. 

I am a huge advocate for natural light, so I think even a walk in closet should have a window allowing light into the space. So many closets are dim and windowless, which makes it hard to get dressed and see how your outfits and colors will really look in daylight! Of course lighting fixtures are essential in the room too, so a fun geometric chandelier from Arhaus in a gold finish to match the decor is the perfect touch. My style tends to be bold and girly with distinct lines and plenty of color, so this fun angular chandelier fits right in. Colorfully framed mirrors and a bright pink chair would also be ideal in this fun, feminine space and would help me feel inspired as I put together outfits every day.

My current set up (see a peek here) is an exposed clothing rack in my bedroom, which doesn't have nearly the amount of space I would like, so dreaming of a big walk in closet is only natural. I like to keep my current closet rack color coordinated since it looks so much more appealing and organized that way, and helps my room to look clean and crisp. I would continue this color coordination even in a full walk in, since it creates such an organized look, and I'm sure we all know how cluttered closets can get!
Have you thought of how you would design your dream closet? It's so fun to "window shop" online and create inspiration boards that outline your dream!

xoxo, CC

Kate Spade Home Pop-Up Store in NYC

Last week I mentioned that I made a trip downtown to see the kate spade home pop-up store! It was incredible, so I wanted to share some photos for anyone who is curious. The store is set up to look like you are stepping into an apartment, with two living room spaces, a dining area, kitchen, and bedroom each set up as though they were someone's home. I fell absolutely in love with everything in the store, every corner was thoughtfully decorated with clever touches creating the most inviting space.

The displays were so detailed with with cute little surprises in every room and fun touches to make it look like the space is actually lived in, such as a pair of shoes that look like they've just been kicked off, or a pen laid just so across a notebook as if someone had been there writing. There were even trays of real candy and macarons, and glasses filled with faux ice cubes and a straw to create the illusion that they are in use. These details really make you feel right at home and envision how the pieces would fit into your home. I wanted every piece of it... major home decor inspiration! Some of my favorite pieces are the floral rug and blue couch combo above, the polka dot dining chairs, and the owl printed throw pillow and matching curtains. What catches your eye?


If you live in New York City and love kate spade, you have to go see it. The store is only open until May 31st, so hurry!

411 West Broadway
New York, NY

xoxo, CC

Monochromatic Pink

One of the recent projects for my certificate course was to create an editorial-style photoshoot using an iPhone to experiment with different filters and techniques. Starting with some inspiration searching and creating a mood board I came up with the idea of a monochromatic look with a bold and playful vibe. Being both the photographer and model can be super tricky so I decided to shoot the photos in my apartment using my pink couch as the color inspiration. The arch lamp and brick background make this an interesting dynamic space for a photoshoot.

I found some deep pink pieces in my closet to go with the couch and create a monochromatic look. I wanted a playful vibe so I put my hair up in a high bun and added layers of jewelry and a bold pink lipstick. Then I experimented with using different filters in my iPhone camera and trying different poses. While the photo quality is nothing close to usable for an actual editorial, I had fun with the project and learned about the camera settings on my iPhone camera. For this shoot I ended up liking the "Fade" and "Chrome" filters best because of how they played with the colors and saturation.

These are a few of my favorites photos from the project!

Top: Old Navy. Jeans: BDG at Urban Outfitters (similar). Sneakers: Keds. Earrings: Banana Republic. Lip: BareMinerals "Risk It All"

These are a few of the images that inspired my project.
(images from pinterest)

xoxo CC

Always Room for Dessert...

"There is always room for a another pair of shoes like there is always room for dessert!"

This cute little tag came with a pair of silver sandals that I ordered for a friend's wedding, and I had to save the tag because it is just too funny! You could say shoes and dessert are some of my favorite things.... and there is always room for dessert. 

I switched bedrooms in my apartment this month and have been spending most of my free moments trying to get my new room organized and put together. The new room has big sunny windows, but came at the sacrifice of a decent closet so I added a hanging clothes rack to my room. The bottom shelf of the rack has proved a handy space to store shoes, don't you think!? I like that it is a nice way to organize and display my shoes so they can inspire me to put together coordinating outfits. Between my small closet, under-bed storage, and this new space there is certainly room for another pair of shoes any time.....
Right?

Tag and silver sandals: Chocolate Schubar. L to R, Booties: Ralph Lauren via TJMaxx. Black sandals: Ellen Tracy via Century 21. Flower sandals: Poetic License. Nude Heels: Steve Madden. Pattern Sandals: Coconuts by Matisse. Floral Espadrilles: Lilly Pulitzer for Target.
Calendar: Metropolitan Museum of Art.

xoxo CC

On Trend: The Pink Couch

Photo on the left is my apartment, photo on the right is the Kate Spade store on Madison Ave. 

When I moved into my new apartment I went with a bold couch choice: pink! The color adds a touch of playful brightness and femininity to the living space, but it can be hard to match accent without getting too eclectic. So, I knew instantly that I wanted to do graphic black and white accent pillows against the pink. 

Flash forward to last weekend, shopping at the Kate Spade store on Madison ave: Lo and behold they have hot pink plush couches throughout the store (that I am in love with by the way)! Incidentally they took the same approach to styling the pink couchs, piling them with whimsical black and white pillows featuring cute sayings! I'm tempted to add some pillows from their collection to my decor too.... 

Anyway, I was super excited when I realized how trendy my decorating instincts were. If Kate Spade does it, you know I'll love it! (lol)

What do you think of the pink couch trend? How would you style it?

Cozy at Home

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of this blog? Well, this is pretty much it: cozy clothes, curled up on the bed with my laptop as I edit photos and write, with a snack or some warm tea at hand. While many people like to sit at a desk to work, I prefer to curl up on the couch or bed where I am comfortable as I type away. Being in my colorful room also keeps me cheerful and the inspiration flowing. When I am relaxing at home I am usually sporting something casual like this leggings, teeshirt, and sweater combo. Fun socks add a little necessary color to the outfit! Cozy socks are such an essential in the winter, and I'm obsessed with how cute they usually are too!

A little story behind this adorable mug: I've always thought squirrels are cute, and my friends in college used to tease me about watching them out the window instead of doing my homework. I picked this up at chateau Vaux le Vicompte in France, whose original family coat of arms included a squirrel. The gift shop was full of adorable squirrel collectables, but I love how the print on this mug creates heart shapes with the squirrels' tails!

Sweater: Target (almost identical at UO). Hi-lo tee: Z Supply. Leggings: Garage. Socks: J. Crew (similar). Necklace: similar 1/2/3. Mug (similar 1/2/3/4)

xoxo, CC

Colorful Cozy Winter

I showed you my apartment decor a few months ago, but a quick update seems in order with a few little changes made for the winter weather. I've swapped out my pastel quilt for a brightly colored comforter that not only keeps me warm but keeps my room cheerful in the darker colder days of the year. The bright colors and whimsical print go perfectly with the rest of the decorations and furniture in my room. 

A new planner for the new year is also an exciting addition each winter. I was so excited to sit down with a warm mug of tea and fill in my schedule on the crisp new pages. 

Duvet cover: Urban Outfitters (similar: 1/2/3/4). Pillows: Pier 1 Imports. Sheepskin rug: Ikea ($13!). Owl artwork: by my mom.
Sweaters: American Eagle, Wooden Ships, H&M (similar 1/2/3).
Planner: Lilly Pulitzer. Mug: Kate Spade via Marshalls. Slippers: J. Crew.

xo, CC

Home Sweet Apartment

The other week I shared some of my apartment decor with you, and I thought it would be fun to show you our living room too, since it is the other space I had fun decorating! Luckily my roommates were ok with going for a girly punch of pink in the living room with a raspberry colored couch. Talk about a statement! I love that the geometric black & white pillows keep the look mod, and the arch lamp adds an edge of luxury. As my brother says, "they use arch lamps like that on HGTV whenever they want to make a room look expensive," so, it was a fun sophisticated piece to add to the room. We definitely have a colorful eclectic theme in the living room, mixing some furniture I already had with some new pieces. The fun colorful rug just rounds it all out, and keeps in line with the warm tones of the brick wall. We were so excited to get an apartment with exposed brick! It adds so much character to the room. Now that we actually have furniture our shared space is a wonderful cozy room to hang out in. How have you decorated a small space?

Couch: Ikea. Pillows: Ikea. Clock: Ikea. Rug: Overstock.com. Arch lamp: Overstock. Coffee table: Old, spray-painted. Coasters: from the Metropolitan Museum of Art gift shop.

xoxo, CC