Luxe Report: August 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

The Nursery Diaries Part Eleven: A Glamorous Baby Girl's Nursery

With just about 2 weeks to go until my due date, the nursery is one item away from being finished!!! That means next week we will have the big reveal and wrap up The Nursery Diaries Series. What fun I've had sharing my progress with you along the way!

But before my baby boy's nursery reveal , I wanted to share with you a glamorous little girl's nursery that I came accross recently from fellow blogger, Lauren, at Rock Paper Scissors. This nursery is truly inspirational, and fits right along with our personal design asthetic of a simple color palette and lots of animal imagery.

Like me and I assume like most mothers-to-be, Lauren wanted to create a room for her daughter Piper that was peaceful and serene. She began to imagine a room of grays and white… a soft color palette without a commitment to a color that she would eventually tire of. (sound familiar?)

Lauren began to search for fabrics and quickly received responses of shock and confusion when she told people she wanted to use gray. Most assumed she was having a boy, and they imagined a harsh and dark color that would be depressing and dreary.

In addition, Lauren's desire for the room to be mainly white was met with the rolling of eyes and snickers that she “would eventually see the error of her ways”, that "white was a mistake for a baby", and that “clearly this was her first child”. She slowly began to doubt herself and wondered if she truly was going to be depriving her daughter of color?!

In the end, she went with her gut and is beyond thrilled with the end result. And we couldn't agree more! The gray and white color palette comes together so nicely with the pops of brass, creating such a chic nursery perfect for a little girl!

She used the baby animal prints from The Animal Print Shop that I debated using above our crib when I first got started. How adorable are they?!

Sources for the rest of her nursery:

Crib and Dresser: The New Traditionalist (in weathered maple and white)

Bookshelf: Serena & Lily (custom painted to match the white of the furniture)
Glider: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child
Bedding: Pom Pom at Home
Artwork: The Animal Print Shop
Drapery & Rods: Restoration Hardware
Owl Lamp: West Elm
Side Table: West Elm
Chandelier: Horchow
Giraffe Head: Z Gallerie
Tree Coat Rack: West Elm
Bassinet: Restoration Hardware Child and Baby
Cowhide: The Cowhide Store

A big thanks to Lauren for sharing her beautiful nursery! Stay tuned for my big reveal next week!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Luxe Entertaining: Lucite Cake Stand

As the final days before my wedding approached I felt confident that every detail was thoughtfully planned and ready for execution on our big day! I spent nearly a year deciding on the venue, hiring the band, picking the menu, choosing the flowers and designing the cake! But it was only a week before when I realized I hadn't even thought about a stand to display our beautiful wedding cake on! Oh, those little details that fall through the cracks!! There are some great options out there, like the more traditional silver cake stands, but I envisioned a simpler, sleeker, little more original look. I conjured up this idea of a lucite cake stand. Very simple...just two pieces of lucite stack together. I called a local resource and order a 16" square piece lucite and a 18" square piece, both 1" thick. Part of me doubted that this simple solution might not be as effective as I envisioned. But when I saw the final product on the day of our wedding, I couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome! It far exceeded my expectations! Our delicious four tiered, butter cream frosted cake, adorned with fresh peonies looked perfect on top of the lucite creation! Sometimes the simplest things can make a huge statement!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Luxe Fashion: The Belted Shirtdress Look for Less

For a super chic style that can easily go from day to night, Christin and I are big fans of the classic shirtdress. Especially belted in a great netural, blousy material:

image via my pinterest

We both scooped up the Harlow Dress by Patterson J. Kincaid last summer:

Harlow Dress

Harlow Dress via my pinterest

Christin wearing the Harlow Dress at our trip to the Louvre last summer.

Though the version we purchased last summer seems to be sold out everywhere (and retails for around $160), Forever21 is currently offering a great look for less!

Shirtdress

What a steal!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Luxe Decor: Leopard Rugs & Runners

Anyone that knows me, knows I love me some animal print! Whether it's in my wardrobe or my home, it's such a fun print to add a little personality and attitude! But just be aware, not all leopard prints are good and if not used correctly can be "very New Jersey housewives" (as said by my husband, Joe)! The exotic print can be easily incorporated in your home through pillows and upholstery, but currently we can't get enough of it on the floor...area rugs, wall to wall carpet or stair runners! For such a bold print, it really reads as a neutral. As you can see from the photos below, it can be used in any setting. It's a great statement regardless if your taste is more traditional or modern, laid back or formal!

Check out some of the great, affordable options on the market right now!

Ballard Designs Serengeti Leopard

Ballard Designs Indoor/Outdoor Rug

Overstock Rug & Runner

Rug USA Safavieh Paradise Cream Rug

Monday, August 27, 2012

Luxe Report Designs: First Birthday Party Concept

Recently a client approached us about helping her to create a concept for her daughter's first birthday party. What an exciting time! We had so much fun developing the concept, especially because the client wanted to follow a coral and green theme, a color palette we have been all about lately!

The menu had already been decided, so we were asked to design a concept focusing on the overall design and decor of the party. Other than coral and green, our client's main request was that the party not be "too baby," but have decor fitting for a tropical pool party.

Working within our client's budget, our first party must-have is balloons! We love adding lots of balloons to make a festive party, but have you seen these jumbo balloons?

image via my pinterest

Pretty amazing! Perfect for our client to tie to the chairs around the pool!

Picnic tables will also be set-up around the pool, using coral chevron table runners and fun tissue pineapple centerpieces that are over 3 feet tall! What a statement!

The birthday girl will have her own coral-iced cake with green striped and polka-dot candles for those priceless first birthday photos. Guests will have individual coral cupcakes with palm tree toppers.

Flamingo party favors tied with a birthday tag and coordinating cocktail napkins finish off the tropical look.

Balloons / Candles / Chevron Fabric / Pineapple Centerpiece / Cupcake Topppers / Flamingos / Green Bamboo Napkins / Coral Napkins

For more information about the different services we provide, please contact us at luxereportblog@gmail.com.

Friday, August 24, 2012

The Nursery Diaries Part Ten: The Beach on Society6

In one of the first Nursery Diaries posts, I shared with you the Coney Island Beach Print that I already had and decided to hang over our crib. The print is full of great colors, and the blurriness of the beach patrons provides a real abstract element to the photograph.

The print comes from the hip and affordable art site Society6, and the more I searched the site, I found it to be a great resource for beach photos. Again, such a great way to incorporate color and natural landscapes, and many of the photographs have a great vintage quality.