Floral Surroundings

For some reason, I've always considered wallpaper to be a little antiquated, something that peeled on the edges and paled in comparison to the bold color of paints. This might be because my parents literally stripped all of the wallpaper from our house a few years ago. Not that I'm pointing any fingers. (But I am).

Not anymore! I was researching Cynthia Rowley (naturally) and came across this wallpaper she designed for her apartment. I liked it. We fell in love. (It may not have been mutual...). Then, I found the floral paper (beneath)—it's just so perfect for a little girl's room. Florals with a graphic touch don't have the saccharine or even stuffy feel of the traditional patterns.

I'm jonesing for this quirky, graphic floral wallpaper from Flavor Paper (below):

When I get my own apartment and/or do not rent and/or have an expendable budget, playful floral walls will be mine. And there will be flowers everywhere. Obviously. And a Philippe Starck Louis Ghost armchair. Did I mention an expendable budget will have happened by this point?


[photo cred to Elle Decor and here]

Summer Business

I keep listening to Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea" and imagine sitting on the dock of my Westhampton beach house, my feet all tangled in the seaweed and the sunlight glittering on the bay.

But I have my two internships to speed through until I get there every weekend, and so I've been trying to find ways to punch it up. How? By looking cute. Naturally, I've been haunting Cynthia Rowley and Frock! by Tracy Reese websites to find bright, airy dresses that still qualify as work appropriate. These two picks by Frock! might make the cut:

$275, Frock! $215, Frock!

Yes, they're a little short for work. I manage to rationalize this surprisingly well by assuming that the model is a foot taller than me. But the sweet necklines, intricate fabric detail, and boldly colored patterns just thrill me so much that I'd wear them to work and then to bed. I suppose this shows that "business professional" does not at all translate into my personal fashion language. Plus, there's that whole part where I drooled over Cynthia Rowley's line for Roxy, which the high school part of me would give my right arm for (there is a 100% chance I'm going to blog about it in the near future).

What do you wear to work in the summer (assuming blazers and pantsuits are too warm for the weather)?