Decorating A Dude Room

i have a new project. 

and it's not decorating my own home and it's not everygirl-related. this is VERY exciting people. i don't even know the last time i took on a styling or decorating job just for fun. and the best part is it's a GUY'S room! i've written a few columns on men's style (part 1, 2, 3 and 4) and have dogeared dozens of pages in magazines (virtual and real) that feature men's homes. i always hoped one day some guy would want my help in making his space look good, and finally that day has come.

it's a bit of a challenge because it's a SUPER teeny, tiny, shouldn't-have-been-advertised-as-a-bedroom bedroom. 7' x 8' and no closet. so really it fits a queen bed, a nightstand, and not much else.

i probably wouldn't have been inspired had i not found this terrific item from cb2 only days before...

here it is. the cornerstone of the room. pun intended.

a brass and black corner hanging rod with enough space for a week's worth of clean, pressed shirts. and it's only $40!

i saw the bedroom and thought i know JUST the thing this room needs! so we went online and ordered it. and picked up another goodie as well...

there's about a foot of "room" or dare i call it "walking space" at the foot of the bed with just enough space to throw one of these bad boys in it. the perfect storage for folded sweaters and shoes. vintage locker room meets kindergarten cubbies with the right amount of industrial edge.

now that those two items have made it past the checkout page, i am feeling good about this project. i mean really, there's not a whole lot more we can fit into the teeny room. it definitely needs new bedding, a new nightstand, lighting (perhaps a wall sconce to save precious surface area), and wall decor. and we'll be painting the walls gray, of course.

wait, what's that? you want to see said tiny room? 

fine. here it is. in all it's glory.

the ikea malm bed was the roommate's and has since been removed. the jersey, other frames, and "curtain" will be coming down, as well.

it'll be a clean slate. a small slate, at that. but clean, small slate.

the cubby will go at the foot of the bed against the wall. a bed frame or headboard isn't really an option since it just takes up precious space. so what we need now is a new nightstand. 

my first stop for nightstand shopping is always west elm. i fell in love with these four styles, particularly the first. west elm has been killing it lately, bringing in one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted pieces made from reclaimed wood, all still for very reasonable price points: $250-400 range.

stria nightstand | lund nightstand | alexa reclaimed wood | mid-century

i researched some budget-friendlier options, as well, sourced from ikea and target.

malm | malm gray | mid-century | dark gray oak

i know he doesn't want to spend $400 on the favorite pick so we'll see... might have to dig out my dusty headlamp and delve deep into the digital caverns of craigslist for a suitable option.

then there's bedding.

while i toyed with the idea of plaid or hunter green, it looked a bit too collegiate when i put together my photoshop mock-up. i love the look but this guy's 28 and looking for something a bit more grown-up. the two styles above from crane and canopy are great - charcoal and black and white.

also like these urban outfitters options - gray arrow motif and double stripe. but maybe too young.

i'm a little worried the gray options will be too much gray with the light gray walls.

and this crane and canopy style is also available in a steel blue. so we'll add it to the list.

so here's what we're working with in terms of the room layout.
gray gray gray

steeeel blue. 

i like it.

as you can see from the before photos, the carpet has seen better days, so i think we'll cover it up. love this triangle patterned rug from my go-to resource, rugsusa.

in summation...

cubby | bedding | rug | nightstand | light | clock | pennant | floating shelves | hanging bar

but we shall see! all in good time. this will be fun watching it come along... i'll be updating on instagram also so follow there @alainakaz. and stay tuned for updates!

OTHER MEN'S STYLE POSTS:

Men's Style Part 1: Always Dress Like You're Going to Run Into Your Ex
Men's Style Part Deux: The Tie Clip
Men's Style Part 3: I have many leatherbound books.

Thoughts on Men's Fashion: Cuffed Jeans

 

See here: one proud owner of Mauviel copper pots!

If you dig deep into the archives of good ole' LCY, you'll find that in month 8 of blogging (that would be January 2010), I named French Mauviel copper pots as a dream wishlist item of mine.

Today, almost five years later, I began my collection.

Thanks once again to the wonderful offerings of Joss and Main, and no, they didn't pay me to say this, I was able to get three pieces for a fraction of the price of what Mauviel pots usually go for! I picked up a large saucepan, a medium sized stock pot (oh so pretty w/ it's gold handles!), and a small frying pan perfect for my morning eggs (only $69 down from $210).

Check out their Go Gourmet sale currently going on for the next four days. But hurry - stuff is selling out rather quickly! Above you'll see a few other favorites of mine, but I of course had to stop at the copper beauties (used up all of my credit in one oh-so-easy fell swoop). But the sale also has Staub and a number of amazing knife brands. Definitely worth checking out!

Visit the Joss and Main Go Gourmet sale here!

Bar Cart Sale on Joss and Main!

Hey all! Signing on to share the good news that Joss and Main has a terrific bar cart sale going on right now–it's under the "Toast to Festive Style" sale. If I didn't already have one I loved from Society Social, I'd definitely be snatching up one of these beauties just in time for holiday entertaining and buckets of spiked cider.

I'd probably choose the top right brass style for $178. Which one is your favorite?

25% Off Paris-Inspired Fall Essentials

My recent trip to Paris confirmed one thing... everything I packed last fall worked again this year. With the exception of two new fall trends, slouchy pants and fancy sneakers (preferably Nike), Parisians are still rocking the black and white, classic silhouettes. I actually also noticed the men seem a bit more put together and accessorized while the women look extremely casual. More of a thrown-together look complete with messy hair and little make-up.

Fortunately for all of us, J.Crew does a pretty great job of designing these basics worth investing in and right now everything is 25% off with code #TGIFALL. So here's a list of my Paris-inspired 2014 Fall Fashion Essentials. And I'll be sharing photos from my trip this week and next! Stay tuned!

the accessories:
a great hat
a simple catch-all tote
barrette to pull your hair back
chunky jewelry to jazz up your simple clothes like this necklace and bracelet

hints of leopard like a belt and a scarf 

the clothes:
a collarless coat
sexy silk blouse to go with everything
classic white button-down
the perfect sweater
white vneck tee
black skinny pants
black slouchy pants

and the shoes are everything:
oxfords and sneakers are on trend this season
booties and tall leather boots are investments that never go out of style

GET 25% OFF EVERYTHING AT J.CREW USING CODE #TGIFALL
AND AN EXTRA 30% OFF FINAL SALE!

Silver or Gold?

More and more frequently I find myself tiring of the polished brass/shiny gold hardware and accents trend. 

Ok ok bold statement. Strike that from the record. Not tiring, per se, but let's just say that a year ago, any time I walked into a store (virtually or in person), I was all...

Now I find myself considering the polished nickel and sterling silver color swatches of an online or in-store purchase. I know. I don't even know myself anymore. 

For example. I was in want of a new desk lamp. 

Full story goes... we moved my Ikea task lamp upstairs because it wasn't providing enough light in our very dark first floor living area (lots of exposed brick, few light-colored surfaces to bounce the light around, you get the gist). As fate would have it, I received an email from the kind folks over at Lamps.com asking if I wanted to review a product. Um.. yes please! But let me tell you, the site has a vast, almost overwhelming selection. So many lovely options to choose from. To narrow it down, I filtered through to a brand I knew I liked, Hudson Valley Lighting, and there it was: the Thayer 1 Light Table Lamp.

I loved it. It was the size, color, and shape I wanted with a lovely white silk shade perfect for enhancing whatever wattage I put in it.

But there I found myself struggling with a decision I hadn't debated over in a while...

I loved both! I mean - that polished nickel is looking pretty shnazzy, is it not? And I found myself wondering if the brass was going to look out of style in a year or two. Which to get? Silver or gold? After a few days of pining, I made my choice. Old dog, I am. Anticlimatic end to this story, huh?

Well, it arrived. And I love it. And to my delight, it has a dimmer! It's like the gift that keeps on giving! (I'm a BIG believer in the importance of lighting options.)

But all of that being said, I want ya'll to weigh in. Which would you have chosen? Are you over the brass/gold trend? Or do you believe it's here to stay another decade?

SHOP MY DESK
lamp | mug | desk | notepad | pinboard | A letter object | magnifying glass

Pass It On Potluck with Le Creuset

My roomie signed on with Le Creuset to participate in a Pass It On Potluck and asked me to do it too. If I'm being honest, it brought back the best kind of nostalgia to simpler times... when people hand wrote mail and had pen pals in other states (sometimes even other countries! Oooo! Aaaahh!) and the only way you could get ahold of anyone was to pick up the phone and call (and risk long-distance charges) or send them a letter. Remember that? Anyone? No? Well, it was fun stuff.

Anywho back to the Potluck. Le Creuset is sponsoring the really fun concept of a Pass It On Potluck. It's really kind of awesome. This gorgeous Le Creuset Dutch oven in Lapis (that's the beautiful blue color you see on your screen) arrives at your doorstep eager for you to cook up something delightful in it! The only rules are you blog about it or document it in the journal that also comes with it, then pass it on to the next person (the brand will send you the shipping label to print)! So all you have to do is enjoy cooking!

Oh, and clean the pot.

Easy enough, right? Right.

Another truth. I've never cooked anything in a Dutch oven so this was 75% exciting, 25% scary. Fortunately the chilly weather in Chicago's been having has me all excited for fall so I opted to try a new recipe, something I've always wanted to do: a risotto. A baked mushroom risotto to be exact. With dried porcini mushrooms and cremini mushrooms and garlic and white wine... Mmm can you practically smell it? It was good stuff.

I found the recipe at The Kitchn, and it ended up being really easy! I opted to forgo the caramelized onions and craime freche on top like the recipe suggests - it tasted good enough as is. Will definitely be making this again come colder weather. Cozy up on the sofa with a blanket, a glass of Pinot Noir, and all the new fall shows.

SHOP THIS POST

Dutch oven | polka dot towel | gold flatware | white dishware | diamond napkin

Are you going to sign up for the Pass It On Potluck? What would you cook?

photography by Danielle Moss

LCY Yard Sale: Pottery Barn English roll arm sofa - only $600!

Hey gang! I am selling my Pottery Barn English roll arm sofa. I bought it almost 2 years ago for $1800 plus shipping and am selling for $600 or best offer, cash and carry! It will be available in mid-late September. The only reason I am selling is because I have a new sofa (that The Everygirl designed with Chicago-based Interior Define) arriving next month! See more product details here and on PB's site here.

Email me at alaina.lcy@gmail.com if interested with subject line ENGLISH ROLL ARM!

The Everygirl and Birchbox, sitting in a tree!

We are so excited to have teamed up with Birchbox this month to offer an Everygirl box, which will contain five Affordable Luxuries - our favorite beauty products priced under $35.

We can't believe that within an hour, 7500 already-subscribers ALREADY signed up to get this box in August; and now it's only available to new subscribers. So click over and sign up for only $10 to get this sweet deal delivered to your door step in August!

And Danielle and I answered a short q&a with Birchbox about launching The Everygirl, our beauty routine, and the products we chose - check it out here!

photo by Stoffer Photography

#DAcoachhouse: a plan for the bedroom

I absolutely loved how my bedroom turned out in the last apartment. The custom patterned headboard, the pink lamps, the Eiffel Tower "Alaina" bedding. It was girly to the umpteenth degree and just what I needed in that home. I would have kept everything the same if my job wasn't what it is; but of course, Danielle and I plan on featuring our new place somewhere (fingers crossed a favorite home decor mag, but we'll see), which means I have to mix it up. Magazines and decor sites don't want to publish something that's already made the Pinterest rounds. "Old news" so to speak.

Before showing ya'll the plan, I like to recap how I got to where I currently am so maybe you'll better understand where I hope to go... (so profound)

my bedroom on move-in day

Once I was bit more settled - clearly needed a rug and curtains. Problem is the ceilings on our second floor are crazy low, hanging curtains would look a bit goofy. And all of the curtains I own are hella long from the high ceilings in my last apartments. So curtains and brass rods are sitting in a closet. Sad.

Then I rearranged... I really didn't like how the dresser covered one of the windows. AND I ordered my dream mirror from Wisteria that I've been wanting for forever, and I didn't think leaning it in front of the window would work. I kept the room like this for a couple of weeks and I quickly learned I preferred having access on and off the bed from both sides, and walking in and seeing a big blank wall was just not cutting it. 

I developed a plan to put a gallery wall there and went to Minted.com to curate a black and white look. Did you know Minted sold art? Neither did I! I saw an ad in Domino Magazine. Hmm turns out advertising does work!

It's pretty brilliant actually. You can favorite whatever items you like and then create a mock-up of what your gallery wall will look like. Pretty fun. I knew I wanted a mixture of photography and paintings/drawings. See below:

The prints I ended up choosing were (clockwise from top left):

Landing by Neeta Sawhney

Almond Milk by Carolyn Maclaren (because almond milk is my favorite)

Desert Diptych by Annie Clark

Construction by Becky Nimoy

Embrace by R Studio

You can also add custom framing, which was relatively inexpensive compared to most custom frames.

I also found this brilliant work of art and new it was meant for the bedroom. I love things that are a little cheeky.

Moving right along... I knew the bed would have to go back against the wall it was originally on, so I moved it back a couple of days ago. Sometimes I just wake up motivated and make things happen. In an effort to keep the ball rolling in the room redesign, I went to West Elm and picked up their Jute Boucle rug in their lightest color, Ivory, to see how it would look. (It's been a favorite for years; it looks great with any style and you can't beat the price point.)

I came home, laid it out, and it turns out, I love it in the room. The rug looks perfect, actually. (This photo doesn't do it justice.) It brightens the whole space and makes it much cozier.

 So here's the new plan (which I didn't mention, I put together back before I even rearranged the room to begin with). I am embracing this neutral-only apartment (my roommate/business partner is adverse to color). And because I didn't really ge to appreciate the bar area in my last apartment (I put it together three days before having to pack it up and move out - solely for the purpose of a photo shoot!), I wanted to recreate something similar. Blacks, whites, gold, a smidge of gray, big gallery wall. Sleek, contemporary,  sophisticated, lived-in, and cozy at the same time. Or at least that's the goal.

SHOP THIS LOOK:

Mirror: Wisteria

Lamp: LampsPlus

Dresser: Kathy Kuo Home

Pouf: Joss and Main

Rug: West Elm

Roman shade: Pottery Barn

Nightstand: West Elm

Wall Sconce: Schoolhouse Electric

Antlers: Kathy Kuo Home

Art: (see above)

Headboard: Kathy Kuo Home

Throw pillows: Eskayel (these are sold out but I am OBSESSED and want something similar)

Blanket: Schoolhouse Electric

Sheets: Crane and Canopy

Duvet: Serena and Lily

I love so many different styles... contemporary, graphic, cozy, rustic, frilly and feminine, French country, glam, relaxed beachy country... It's really kinda crazy actually. So I'm attempting to kind of throw it all together in this space and just embrace it. Hence the plaid throw and antlers, paired w/ a gold gilt mirror refined dresser, and sleek wall sconces with graphic photography.

Most of the gallery wall is up. I'm still waiting on the headboard and wall sconces. But so far I love it! Here are a few sneak peeks.

After I started to hang the gallery wall, I quickly ran out of black and white art. So I flipped through an old issue of Vogue, last year's issue w/ Tina Fey, and ripped out a favorite snapshot of one of my favorite role models. I think she works well on the wall!

And then there's this grouping, which I lovelovelove.

All Adventurous Women Do needlepoint art from Furbish

Antler trio very reasonably priced compared to others I've seen from Kathy Kuo Home

So that's that! I unfortunately won't be able to show photos of the finished product until it's photographed and "published," which likely won't be for a long while (hoping next winter).  But I'm always posting sneak peeks on my instagram, @alainakaz! Just follow the hashtag #DAcoachhouse to see snapshots of the whole place.

Thoughts?!

2 Dresses for $50? That's what I like to hear.

And I just hit "Purchase."

I told you I like to buy the same thing in multiple colors - especially when that thing is $25. I'll be bringing these comfy frocks with me to Europe in October!

Everything in J.Crew's final sale section is an additional 50% off right now. USE CODE TODAYONLY at checkout Hop to it!

Here's a few favorites:
This jacket that everyone owns and looks great in (including Claire Dumphey)
These too-perfect-for-summer shoes
Would love to wear this to a summer wedding
And a few favorite accessories like this, this, and these dazzlers

Romp Around

I love rompers (and maxis and sundresses) so much that I asked our fashion editors at The Everygirl to do a story on these brilliant one-piece wonders. I got my first and only romper from Splendid last year, and it's become a staple in my summer wardrobe. I realize I probably should have included it in My 10 Summer Essentials post. They just make getting ready so easy; no worrying about what to wear with what and if this top matches these bottoms. And if I'm being honest, I feel a skosh more fashionable when I wear it.

A few of the more stylish women I know rocking rompers...

 

So I used some leftover Shopbop credit and picked up these bebes hoping at least one works out (for anyone who doesn't know, Shopbop offers free shipping and returns. It's awesome.). Yes, that is technically a jumpsuit in there. I absolutely love the look and wanted to try it out. I think it looks tres sophisticated.

striped romper | black | magenta | multi pattern

Are you a fan of the romper?

image sources: black jumpsuit via With Love from Kat // floral romper via Gal Meets Glam // plant romper via Sequins and Stripes // striped romper image via The Everygirl // black romper via Kendi Everyday

The 10 Items Getting Me Through Summer 2014

Anyone who knows me and sees me often enough can attest I wear the same things on repeat with vigor. No shame in it. I find my favorites, I love them, they love me, and I get my money's use. I usually will buy a piece that fits well in multiple colors because, well, why not? If I'm not mixing up the style, at least I can change up the color. These are the ten items I've been wearing on repeat all summer.

Side note: Danielle always asks me how can I wear pants in the summer? Don't I get hot? Well, yes, but I am hot either way. And I'd rather not have the back of my thighs stick to whatever surface I'm sitting on, so light-weight pants are the preferable option (or a dress).

SHOP MY FAVORITES

1. Henry and Belle light-weight denim* $184
2. J Brand white jeans $172
3. Strappy sundresses: pineapple dress $41.50 and blue dress $39.50
4. J.Crew Factory peplum tops $32.99
5. Madewell linen tees $35.50
6. Strappy leather sandals: brown $59.50 and gold $175
7. J.Crew heeled sandals $158
8. Ray-ban blue aviators $170
9. Coach white handbag $219
10. BaubleBar dazzly earrings $34

*These light blue jeans are by a local Chicago brand, Henry and Belle, and are hands-down the most comfortable jeans I've ever worn. They're are so light-weight and stretchy, dare I say they're almost as comfy as yoga pants?

SHOP MORE GREAT OPTIONS

What are your go-to pieces this summer?

Happy 4th of July Weekend!