H
i guys, just taking a moment to check in from Mexico City! With the exception of a jetlagged first day, the trip has been beautiful and super inspiring, everything I’d hoped it would be! Mexico City is such a vibrant place, and its been wonderful discovering everything from the food to the culture, the architecture, the museums, the tropical plants… Here are some impressions from the first days of our trip, more on my Instagram and my boyfriend‘s (or under the hashtag #ngngmexico) L 
Since then, I have always wanted to visit Monet’s home and gardens but somehow it never happened even though Giverny is about a 4 hour drive from Antwerp, so you can imagine that I was pretty happy to finally be there after 15 years. And I must say that even though it was pretty crowded (and I do not like crowds), it was so beautiful and lived up to all my expectations. I was very much looking forward to the wisteria above the Japanese bridge being in full bloom in the water garden. The flower garden was equally beautiful, bursting with colours from different kinds of flowers, but in my opinion the tulips in front of the house were the most beautiful part here.
A
while back I wrote this post reuniting my love for movies and interior, and it certainly had me craving for more. There’s something really satisfying about analyzing the design of a movie and translating it to 2015. To me, at least, I guess I’m just nerdy like that. Because it can’t be all Wes Anderson all the time (can it?), I thought I’d focus on one of my other favorite directors of all time: Baz Luhrmann. And the movie that made me fall in love with his work and Leonardo DiCaprio as a pre-teen: Romeo + Juliet.
W
hen I was still blogging on Ella & Louise, some of my favorite posts were focussed around color moodboards (like here and here). I recently dove back into my archives and realized that since I’ve been focussed more on creating content myself, I don’t really do this anymore, but I still like the idea. Our Cuba pictures seemed like a great place to reboot this type of visual inspiration posts again. So here you have it: Cuba in pink.
I
n general, Amber Lewis designs interiors that are right up my alley, and this California bungalow is definitely one of my favorites. The bright rooms with eclectic accents, the great balance of midcentury and modern elements, the natural elements, the bohemian feel… It all just feels so homely and cosy. I especially like the black and white bathroom with gold and wood accents (and I’d love it even more if the faucet handles were placed straight). Lovely.
A
s I’m writing this, I’m still in full denial, watching Dirty Dancing Havana Nights but grabbing George for cuddles every time I have the chance and yelling CUBA! We just got back from little over 3 weeks on the island, and the place was as magical and weird and beautiful as I’d imagined.So I thought I’d go trough the 2000+ pictures we took on our journey to make a small selection to share and ended up with almost 60. But the thing with Cuba is, that even when things are “ugly”, they are actually still beautiful. Have a look!
Oh Pinterest, you make me discover all sorts of pretty things and I love you so. Like these pictures by Ward Roberts of various sports fields called “Courts”. So random, pure beauty! Check out Roberts’ entire set of pictures and other work here.
Now that the Big Move is coming closer, the decorating game has begun! The boyfriend is somewhat of a marble addict (exhibit A) and I have to say that I’ve also started to love the idea of integrating marble in our home. In my humble opinion, yes it can be a little tacky, but if you use it right, it’s just such a luxurious and amazing material. There’s a big chance we’ll be using it in our office and maybe our bathroom will fall prey to this recent addiction as well. I love the idea of big chunks of marble on the walls and floors, but if your not planning a renovation soon or are on a tight budget, it is obviously easier to start with some objects. Mighty time for some inspiration, no?
1. Julia Kostreva day planner, $24
2. Marble wallpaper from Ferm Living, $103,50 via All Modern
3. Bookends from Field
4. Marble candle holder, $59,95 via House & Hold
5. Pillow by Ferm living, €54 via Mister Design
6. ‘Tuamotu’ Marble gas cooktop by Food Work
7. Marble Art Print, $18 via Society 6
8. Marble light fixture by Studio Vit
9. Marble print chopping board, $35 via Kollekt
10. ‘Elementare’ by Opinion Ciatti
Image sources: Source unknow, found here, Source unknown, found here, House of Philia, Glitter inc, Petra Bindel, Unknown Marble light fixture by Studio Vit , ‘Elementare’ by Opinion Ciatti, ‘Tuamotu’ Marble gas cooktop by Food Work
PS: If you’re looking for a marble tray Hay has some in different sizes!
In the spirit of new beginnings, I’ve decided to rename “On my mind” “All the small things”. Because that’s essentially what I want to share here: the small things in life that make me happy! Plus it’s a chance to name something after a Blink 182 song. This is what’s been making me smile lately.
1. Lily and the Lady pops up at Snip.Snip
On sunday, my online shop turned into an offline one for a day last sunday at Snip.Snip! I had so much fun and it was a real success, I’m still buzzing a bit! You can find more pictures here!
Pictures (c) Nathalie De Schepper
2. The cute cups Cara gave me
My dear friend Cara is the queen of Vintage, as I already told you here. For my birthday, she gave me some vintage teacups that are both futuristic and nostalgic. Makes drinking coffee even better!
3. New Essie nail polish
You rarely catch me without nail polish, but the past few weeks I thought I give my nails a break. This weekend I “rewarded” myself with a bright new Essie polish called “Rosebowl”. Luurv.
4. Castello Cavalcanti
I already posted this one on my facebook page but I thought it deserved another mention: the new Wes Anderson for Prada Fashion Film is amazing.
5. Tablebooker app
One of the things I loved about living in London when we went out for dinner, was the fact that you could make a reservation online for nearly every restaurant. We would even book a table up to an hour before, jump on the bus and go. No fuss, you immediately know if there’s room for you or not. Since I’ve moved to Antwerp, I’ve noticed that this has gotten a lot harder. Try getting a reservation for a small group of people just a few days in advance: you end up calling restaurants for 45 minutes (been there). No fun. Enter Tablebooker, a new iPhone app that immediately shows you which restaurants still have room to seat you and your party. Tablebooker is the first Belgian app for realtime reservations, and you can even let the restaurant know in the comments that you have food restrictions. What a blessing for people like me!
The launch of this app was celebrated at Brasserie Wouter with a traditional and very yummy Belgian meal. Hope to go back there sometime soon!
Nathalie approves!
P.S. The android version of the app is coming, but in the meantime, Tablebooker has a good responsive site (Believe me, I checked :))
I used to think trench coats weren’t for me. That was before I found a great vintage Burberry one in a vintage shop in Barcelona three years ago. The silhouette of my favorite trench is quite long with rounded shoulders, and I love to cinch the waist with a nice leather belt. Not long after my first purchase, I scooped up a double breasted budget version. This one is much more classic, but I feel it suits me less.
I think that’s the basic thing: find the take on this classic that suits you, and it will be one of your go to pieces, that you can wear season after season.
My advice for finding the perfect trench:
1. Go for quality, it shows and it will last you a long time. This is definitely a piece that doesn’t go out of style, so no harm in investing.
2. Think about the general “rules” that apply to your figure: The double breasted trench makes me look a lot heavier than the first one, with hidden buttons. By cinching the waist and not butonning it up, I create a deep V that suits my figure much more.
3. If you’re not sure beige suits you, choose another color like the heavenly soft blue pictured above, or a dark blue if you want something more neutral.
And now, the inspiration!
Jeanne Damas // Breakfast at Tiffany’s// Blushing ambition // Elisa Nalin via Stylesight // Alexa chung via Vogue.com // Modern girls and old fashioned men // Cape Cod collegiate // We the people style
Hi I'm Patricia, this is my blog about deco, design and style. Follow me for adventures in home renovation and design inspiration.
Connect