Oh, Lizzie....

She's done it again! Not only is Lizzie Fortunato's fall/winter line amazing but she now has pieces available through Urban Outfitters - I'm so happy this trend of designers creating less expensive options is still popular, thank you Isaac Mizrahi. The line is called Hope Marian and not only are the pieces obviously unique and interesting but they are still very well made, despite the price reduction. You can see that the same care to detail and construction were taken and while they may not feature vintage African glass beads they will certainly serve my craving for a statement necklace from her for this fall. I also was told that she's done jewelry for the Sping and Fall 09 VPL fashion shows so checked it out on her website and sure enough not only is the collection fabulous but its available for purchase! So far I've only seen the bangles in person but they were enough to make me want to see it all.

Images via Urban Outfitters.

Sorry!

I've been playing hard to get... In truth what I do from 9 to 5 has been pretty hectic so please accept my sincerest apologies and don't give up on me yet I have PLENTY of things to share. In the meantime here are a couple of desks I would LOVE to spend my days sitting at.

xoxo

A lucite desk, in Bergdorf's? Fine.


Love! This is Aerin Lauder's (heir of Estee Lauder) lovely desk featured in Elle Decor

Need I say more?

Images via Home Accents Today, Elle Decor, and New York Magazine

"Success & Happiness"

I guess I'm a little behind the curve on this one because the exhibit left over a month ago but I just had to share this artist I found and have fallen for. Her name is Kelly Sherman and her show Success and Happiness was at the Barbara Krakow Gallery on Newbury Street here in Boston. Sherman is a conceptual artist and her works certainly make a statement. One of her shows was a collection of various wish lists taken from the Internet which was featured at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and won their 2006 James and Audrey Foster Prize. My favorite work of hers is a collection of portrayals of brides. She used real ads from bridal magazines but painted over the silhouette of the actual bride with white enamel creating a very crisp, modern, and somewhat eerie scene. Her work takes aim at how we express our wants and desires especially in relation to consumerism but I must say I don't think I've seen such a serious question posed so beautifully!

Images courtesy of Barbara Krakow Gallery
From top to bottom: Bride #26 2009, Bride #3 2009, Bride #25 2009

Lovely Lucite

I've always loved vanity tables and when I moved into a new place this year decided that I needed one so the hunt began, and in looking for the perfect vanity through old magazines, blogs, books, etc. I also discovered my obsession with all things Lucite. This vanity is what I was pining away for but alas it was out of my price range (a common dilemma these days) but at least it served as inspiration. The Lucite vanity in this picture lead me to discover the famous Waterfall Table shape which was perfect. I found that CB2 had a great and affordable line of Lucite products and now I want to use them all! I ended up getting this one that they show as a bar table and then hanging the mirror-framed mirror from West Elm above it and it turned out surprisingly well! Now my next territory to conquer with these wonderfully neutral pieces is the living room. One of the great things about Lucite is since it's clear it doesn't appear to take up much room keeping smaller areas looking less cluttered. I'd love to get a few of these boxes as well (also from CB2) to fill with pretty books and back-issues of Domino (RIP.) I have also been on the hunt for a cute lucite stool or vanity seat to upholster - I love how Lucite mixes well with all types of patterns and fabrics also. Obviously it goes well with anything mod but looks really great with florals and toiles as well to somewhat contrast the modern feel it gives - the vanity above from Domino is a good example with the antiqued mirror.

Images via Domino Magazine and CB2

The Countdown is On!

To keep you all up to date with my life - my lovely sister, Katherine (to the right of me in the picture), is getting married in September...as in next month! Now, as I'm sure you could tell from my previous post my mother is very talented in terms of design so she's really taken the lead on this wedding which is happening at our house - very Father of the Bride. Almost everything is done actually, this little collage will give you a taste of the colors and everything - obviously I can't include Katherine's dress for fear of Peter (her fiance) seeing it but take my word, it's gorgeous.
The border is taken from their invitations which were done by Peabody Papers in Columbus, they came out beautifully. The bouquet is actually from an old issue of New York Magazine's Wedding edition and served as the inspiration for her bouquet and colors. The tie is Hermes, but this one was actually vetoed by my mom because apparently monkeys are bad luck (don't ask) - we made quite the scene in Bergdorfs figuring that out, but we found another option that is the same color. And my favorite part - the dress and shoes are what I'll be wearing in the wedding! I'm so happy (and honored) that Kat decided to just keep her wedding party to me, which worked out well because her fiance has a younger brother as well so it will be nice and small. So over the next month or so as I reference "the wedding" now you'll know what I'm talking about and be able to contribute!

Many Thanks

I just wanted to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the lovely Camila for helping me get my high-heel foot in the door so to speak. Her blog is really what inspired me to finally take the plunge and do something about my obsession and her blog has been such a resource, inspiration, motivator, and so much more. I thought it would only be appropriate to thank her with a Kate Spade thank you note as I know she is a big fan and this one is just so adorable. So, Camila - thank you so much, I honestly can't say it enough. I thought I had struck gold when I found Daniela and I really was tempted to then sound like a creepy guy and ask 'Do you have a sister?' - little did I know!

Image via Kate Spade

Paper, Paper, on the Wall!

I blame my mother for my fascination with wallpaper, and believe me she set the bar pretty high! Just in the last few years she updated our dining room at home which was quite the process. She discovered Zuber wallpaper in a coffee-table book she has about Jackie O's redecorating of the White House. She used Zuber's Vue de l'Amérique du Nord scenic wallpaper from 1834 to decorate the Diplomatic Room on the ground floor of the White House and what it can do to transform a room is honestly unbelievable. The trick now was to find out how she could get this particular Zuber in our house. The Frensh company is the only factory remaining in the world that still produces woodblock printed papers and furnishing fabrics. So you can imagine it's quite cost-prohibitive to get Zuber custom installed in your home. Leave it to my impressive mother to find a way around that! She found an old house in our small Ohio town that wanted to get rid of their Zuber (unthinkable, I know) so she had the panels removed from their home and reinstalled in our dining room. You can see below a little bit of how it looks now in this picture of me and some of my girlfriends form high school before a wedding...

Diplomatic Room image via the White House Museum website

Patio Please!

On a beautiful summer Friday what's better than a refreshing cocktail, a nice patio, and some good people. I can't think of anything really. It's finally summer in Boston and all I want is delicious sangria and a roof deck. Sangria is so refreshing and so easy to make. I'm an admittedly bad cook but when it comes to side dishes and beverages, I'm your girl! This recipe is easy and delicious, courtesy Martha Stewart:
1/4 c Brandy
1/4 c Sugar
2 firm ripe peaches, sliced
1/2 honeydew melon, sliced
1 bottle of white wine (I prefer to use a Sauvignon Blanc)
1 can of club soda

Now that beverages are taken care of I'd like to fantasize about what sort of roof I'd love to be sitting on and the first one comes that comes to mind is, well, in Rome....so a bit out of the way for this weekend but I can dream. It's called the Hotel Eden and it has a beautiful roof top bar that my parents spent a good deal of their honeymoon in so on our last trip to Europe they shared it with my sister and I. A picture doesn't do it justice, so if you ever have the chance go at sunset - you won't regret it, Ciao!

Images via Martha Stewart and Hotel Eden

Layla, my love

So why not start off with something I've been obsessing over for months now. I visit her usually twice a week, sometimes I actually go in and try her on, other times I just walk by the window and stare longingly. Her name is Layla. This necklace is one of the most beautiful things to ever catch my eye and I've been trying to raise funds, rationalize, and talk myself into buying her but I just haven't gotten there yet. It's made by Lizzie Fortunato Jewels - a jewelry and accessory designer made up of 2 sisters; Elizabeth & Kathryn (another reason I love them, because my sister and I are also Elizabeth & Katherine) and I spotted her at Looc Boutiqe in Boston's South End. It's made with hand-knotted Liberty fabric, Amethyst, and glass beads - as if that's not enough it has a leather buckle for the closure in the back, I'm really a sucker for a nice leather buckle as it always reminds me of Hermes. Well, I certainly feel like this was a good start because I'm smiling now!

Image courtesy of Lizzie Fortunato Jewels (lizziefortunatojewels.com)

Bonjour! Let me introduce myself, my name is Elizabeth and I live in Boston by way of Ohio. Raised for the most part in the Midwest I appreciate a needlepoint Ohio State pillow just as much as the next Buckeye but over the past few years my obsession with all things design has really grown and I decided I needed an outlet for it. That's where Midwest Modern comes in. One thing that I've found through my addiction to blogs and online shopping is that I can't hone down my taste to one genre - which I like to think isn't a bad thing! Anyway, here you'll find my musings on design, fashion, food, culture, and who knows what else so please stay tuned, enjoy, and share you comments I'd love to hear them.
Cheers!
-E