Friday at last, my friends… so happy. And this weekend I’m really excited to be heading to Gloucester, to the wedding of a very good friend whom I used to work with. My boyfriend and I are West Country-bound this evening – sushi for dinner at the station, a train ride, a stack of magazines and maybe a cheeky glass of white… it’s the simple pleasures in life! Sometimes the glamour in my life is overwhelming. Ahem.

So this week I got around to something that I have been meaning to do for aaaages. Pinterest. Finally I created my own boards, and if you think that just looking through the site is addictive, then having your own boards to tend to takes it to another level. The concept of Pinterest is a genius one, and if you’ve yet to visit it then it’s basically the online version of cutting and sticking pictures that inspire you, or you just plain fall in love with, into a scrapbook. Below are the eight boards I’ve created so far… I’ve only just starting pinning, so I’m sure they will grow and many more board ideas will spring to mind!
Are you a fan of Pinterest? What kind of images inspire you the most?

{click HERE to see my Pinterest boards}
To round off the week, my favourite look belongs to Rose Byrne, star of the movie Bridesmaids (which I’ve heard SO many good things about – need to see it asap). There were a lot of overly fussy looks on the red carpet this week (I think that Lively needs to tone it down a smidge – haha, as if she needs fashion guidance), but this Christian Cota dress appealed to me in its shape and simplicity, and it fits her to perfection. Finally, I’m finding myself (re)obsessed with chevron patterns, so this bathroom was the obvious choice for me. Loving the calming paint choice as well:

{images via prphotos & Design Indulgences}
I hope you have a fantastic weekend whatever you’re doing and wherever you may be…

I heart the blogosphere, I really do. I’m forever discovering amazing websites during my online travels, as was the case when I stumbled upon the work of photographer, Jamie Beck. She shoots beauty, fashion, lifestyle, travel and food, and her eye for detail and subtleties is breath-taking. Jamie recently shot the CFDA Fashion Awards in NYC (as seen here) and it’s fascinating to see all the candid moments that just aren’t shown on the pages of celeb mags. Anna Wintour cracking a smile… who knew?!
Anyway, after spending an inordinate amount of time on Jamie’s website I found this ‘at home’ shoot with fashion designer Katie Ermilio, at her Upper West Side apartment. And fell a little bit in (apartment) love. Katie is the granddaughter of Grace Kelly’s personal clothier, and has worked at Vogue and Women’s Wear Daily, so it’s safe to say she knows a thing or two about style… and boy, does it show. The interior of her home is unfussy, achingly chic and really tells a story about herself and her passions. As much as I do adore bright statement decor, sometimes I am won over to the nth degree with understated and feminine palettes such as this:

{images via From Me To You}
What do you think of this interior?

I had one of those days yesterday… nothing particularly drastic, it was just a combination of Monday blues, feeling a bit run down and full of a summer cold, and not really being on board with city life and its packed-in-like-sardines commute. I had a sudden craving for a quiet corner of the countryside with a book (I haven’t read a proper novel in about a year, which is quite frankly ridiculous) and the kind of peace you get when you’re miles away from the daily hustle and bustle. Someone almost knocked me over in their haste to get into the train carriage first, and I so very nearly pulled a Carrie Bradshaw, circa ‘the post-it’: “You’re soooo busy!”
Anyway, there is a point to this demi-rant. One of my favourite interior stylists, Lucyina Moodie, has the power to bring calm to a room, as seen in her gorgeous portfolio. And just looking through the pictures brought calm to me as well, with her use of muted palettes, delicate flower arrangements and white floorboards. Then the pièce de résistance… the most idyllic little beach house ever. I’m imagining some kind of Sauvignon Blanc/marinated olives/Jack Johnson combo to go with it, and that, my friends, is pure perfection:

{images via lucyina moodie}

Summer is really upon us now and I couldn’t be happier… in fact, the evenings are so light that last night I was in bed before it was even fully dark. Or maybe that’s just my old age. So welcome to the weekend everyone! I hope you’ve all got some lovely plans, whether you’re busy doing things or busy doing nothing. I have two birthdays to celebrate… my own (yep, still – I told you I have a fondness for ‘birthday months’) and one of my best friends, B. The rest of the time will be spent enjoying some of my presents – The King’s Speech, ‘Decorate’ by Holly Becker, and a bubble bath lit with my Diptyque ‘Mimosa’ candle. Not forgetting spending quality time with the new crop of magazines for this month. I’m easily pleased!

{images via pinterest}
This week’s most stylish look goes to Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester who looks radiant in this Vera Wang outfit at the Harrods launch of VW’s ‘Lovestruck’ perfume – the combination of sun-kissed skin, lightened hair and the nude pleated blouse really works for her. And as for this room, the white walls and the splash of colour is perfection… and I’m such a sucker for trunks at the moment. Lastly, that couch has ‘nap’ written all over it:

{images via prphotos & we heart it}
I hope you have a beautiful weekend whatever you’re doing and wherever you may be…

In my neck of the woods (South West London), 9 out of 10 residents seem to possess the following three items: a Mulberry Baywater, a Volvo 4×4 and plantation shutters. I have the Mulberry, but as an Oyster Card holder and a renter, it’ll be a good few years before I complete the set. I’m not sure when it happened, perhaps ten years ago, when plantation shutters became the thing to have in your smart SW London home. They spread like wildfire and seemingly overnight Putney turned into Charleston, South Carolina. I tend to go off trends when they become a bit saturated, but I still love how window shutters can transform a home. I adore the effect when light streams through them, or (not gonna lie) how the shutters can block light out if a midday nap is in order. Here are some examples of some very well-dressed windows:

{images via pinterest & we heart it}
And shutters are not just for windows… here are other ways they can be used to great effect (especially as headboards):

{images via pinterest & we heart it}