Ladyplace: The "Office"

Well the peekaboo shelf arrived faster than a Jimmy John's sandwich. And it's perfect! Just what I needed for storage, a place to stow the printer, and some extra surface area (for paperwork and the like).

So I figured I'd snap a few good photos not with a camera phone to better paint the picture of how this space is coming together...

 

Not too shabby!

Not entirely sure what I want to do with my desk chair. If I keep it I desperately have to re-cushion and recover the seat. It feels like I'm sitting on a piece of plywood for 10 hours a day. Also not sure I want to keep the pink in the office area or just go completely neutral in these rooms (entry, living, work, and dining). I'm thinking neutral. Also not sure if I want to even attempt to hide the kitchen floor. The tile is pretty grimy... I was thinking a gold speckled hide. Or something soft in color like this one from Lulu and Georgia. But I'm worried it'll be too many rugs at the point. And I'm not sure how comfortable I'd really be having animal skin. Faux hides exist right? I need to look into that.

That's all for now, folks!

GET THE LOOK:

Belle: Vote on (pink!) lighting for my bedroom!

Because we all have SO much fun voting on my decor (chairs for dining room, art for living room)... let's throw another poll your way!

Here is what my bedroom has been looking like. Off-black walls (Farrow and Ball), grey upholstered headboard, Serena and Lily duvet that I'm mildly obsessed with, Jonathan Adler Lust Pillow... awesome awesome awesome. I've since added white velvet drapes - super luxe, cozy, and overall fantastic, and a sweet, inspiring little print above my headboard. I realized it needed that finishing touch, however, to tie it all together. And what's better than a lil' pink?!

I was choosing between two pink lamps by Robert Abbey available through Euro Style Lighting: the classic Gourd and the edgy Delta. I may or may not have already decided on said lamps, but I would looove to hear what you think.

Also obsessed with the white mid-century nightstand from West Elm. Methinks a set of these would be perrrrfect against the black backdrop.

VOTE IN THE COMMENTS: gourd or delta?!

styling makes me happy: the west elm parsons desk three ways

you KNOW i love a good styling project. these "how to style three ways" features for the everygirl really take it outta me... but they are so worth it in the end. since everyone and their mother has this white lacquered desks, yours truly included, danielle and i had been talking about this project for the better part of a year. well, thanks to the help of furbish studio, lulu and georgia, design darling, see jane work, junkyard lighting, and of course, west elm, it finally came together! i present "how to style the west elm parsons desk" three ways.

sleek and neutral

west elm parsons desk, west elm shelves (no longer available - similar style here), eurostylelighting chair, lulu and georgia pouf, see jane work calendar, see jane work test tube thingys, junkard light lamp, dayna decker gold candle (it crackles like a fireplace!), sarah and bendrix print, alicia bock paris photo, my own eiffel tower print

glam, pink & gold

west elm parsons desk, lulu and georgia rug, restoration hardware chair, land of nod lamp, furbish studio marbled box, sferra linen napkin (coaster)

 

colorful and bold

 west elm parsons desk, jc penney lamp (no longer available), two penny blue blazer, jonathan adler boxes (no longer available), jonathan adler iphone dock, furbish studio color pencils, biscuit home coaster, lulu and georgia picture frame, jessica durrant illustrations, pencil cup is vintage

there's a WHOLE lot more where those came from. check it out! 

which one is your favorite? i can't decide...

photos by danielle moss for the evergirl

styling by alaina kaczmarski for the everygirl

Belle: The Living Room Rug Debacle

Behold, the transformation of my living room. I am aware trying three different rugs in the matter of a few months is ridiculous and I don't advise anyone do this. But I'm not crazy. I had my reasons. The good news is I love the way this room has come together. And it's nearly finished...

Above you can see the apartment before moving in. A whole lot of beige going on.

You may recall the beige plague was remedied rather quickly. The room transformed with Behr's Classic Silver.

With furniture and art. It's better... I suppose. When I moved in the summer, I brought my living room rug with me, an 8x10 graphic Moroccan flatweave from West Elm that is no longer in stores (see similar style here). I love this rug, but it was just too dark given the sofa and wall colors.

So I perused West Elm for other options and decided on this light, bright, ultra cozy Fair Isle style. Only silly me assumed my brown rug was a 9x12, so that's what I ordered, only to realize my brown rug was in fact an 8x10 and this new fair isle rug was ginormous. Fortunately, so is the room, so I was going to make it work. And I loved how it brightened the room. Tucker agreed.

Then long story short, things kind of went awry, I thought I was going to have to move, and I came to the realization that the ginormous 9x12 fair isle rug would never fit into any other apartment, so I returned it. Only to realize I would not be moving... cool. Doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't be here forever and as I said, the rug was so big it wouldn't fit anywhere else. So I looked to my other favorite rug source, the online retailer RugsUSA. I was debating between a few graphic options, but ultimately decided on this twist of a chevron pattern. I kept my colorblock Stone Textile pillows, added in a fun spotted pillow from Furbish, switched out the art for my simple European prints, and added in a crazy pouf that has a sort of southwestern vibe from Lulu and Georgia... things are finally coming along! Totally neutral but still feminine thanks to the mirrored sconces.

So we have a winner.

SOURCES:
sofa // colorblock pillows // spotted pillow // coffee table // rug // lamp // graphic pouf // art // tray
 // mirrored sconces, candle hurricane, and jute pouf were West Elm but are no longer available

And so you know you'll eventually see my full home tour, complete with sources and beautiful photography, on The Everygirl. Probably in late February! Get excited.

quite possibly the best weekend of the year (birthday recap!)

the birthday festivities technically began thursday evening when these polka dotted delights arrived on my doorstep! thank you, papa bear! shown here on my striped rug from layla grayce.

then on friday, october 5 (officially my 27th bday), my best friend lauren took me out to lunch at my favorite mexican restaurant - uncle julio's hacienda. surprise sopapillas! it was a rainy day so i sported my ali ro anorak, of course (i'm obsessed).

Mike came back from work with the most beautiful (and huge!) arrangement of flowers for me!
(the pink rug is from rugsUSA.com - I'm obsessed and always get asked about it!)

and Mike's family had this tasty dozen delivered to my home! vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet from sprinkles. so thoughtful! these were a hit at my game night!

romantical dinner date for two at one of my favorite French restaurants - Mon Ami Gabi in Lincoln Park. get the filet with red wine reduction. melts in your mouth.

followed by game night at my place! it was a large group so instead of my favorite board games, we played celebrity and drank a lot of wine. for those wondering, the striped flats are madewell.

it was the first time many of my friends were seeing our new place, so i wanted to create a nice ambiance! i decorated with gourds, pumpkins, yellow flowers, and candlelight. it was cozy and lovely. my new antler candlesticks from west elm were a perfect addition.

saturday my girlfriends and i headed to new buffalo, michigan for some r&r - if you've never been, it's a charming lake town just an hour and some change outside chicago. a little wine tasting at tabor hill, a hearty dinner, late night cocktails and chit chat. work often gets in the way of me hanging out, so it was great fun catching up and spending quality time with my best friends.

how beautiful is this winery? it's called round barn and we arrived just as they were closing, so we are planning on heading back w/ all the boys around christmas when it looks extra beautiful!

sunday i returned home and settled in on the couch with mike for a long day of football and fall ambiance! obsessed with this pumpkin souffle candle - a gift from danielle! and note i took the two oversized white hydrangea (i swear they must have been on steroids) out of the huge bouquet mike gave me and created a separate arrangement. two for one. awesome.

monday morning. back to work but not without a hot treat. loving my new crossbody bag from k.slademade and fair isle glittens i picked up in michigan.

Birthday Weekend Loot

Kate Spade ball hat / Kate Spade glitter bow belt / Kate Spade leather gloves / pumpkin souffle candle by Lumin Candles / k.slademade crossover bag in brown / wee heart ring in rose gold from Anthropologie / tippi sweater in shocking pink Paris in Color book  / Cupcake chardonnay / antler candlestick holders from West Elm / Kate Spade polka dot pumps 

Quite possibly the best weekend of the year. Thank you to everyone who made it so special!

LCY/The Everygirl, West Elm & Etsy Event TOMORROW!

Be sure to stop by the West Elm store at North and Sheffield tomorrow from 1-6pm. I'll be there along with thirteen of my favorite Chicago-based Etsy sellers! To get a sneak peek at what's in store, click here!

Otherwise, I'll see you tomorrow! Be sure to say Hello!

LCY Curates the West Elm & Etsy Event on 2/25

When West Elm asked if I'd curate an Etsy sale at their Chicago location, I jumped at the opportunity! There are so many great Chicago artisans on the site, and it's a wonderful collaboration for West Elm to bring these merchants into the local store. So join me and the thirteen Etsy shop owners on Saturday, February 25 from 1pm to 6pm! It should be a great time with music, snacks, and mingling!

 Laura Lombardi Jewelry

Bees'Netta handbags

Up in the Air Somewhere pottery

Yellow Lion prints

One Honey

Red Bird Vintage Home pillows

Mary Wells

Megan Lee Designs tshirts

Tracey Capone photography

Steel Petal Press

Allison Mooney Jewelry Design

My Heart Beats Art paintings

To read more about the event, click here.

To RSVP, click here!

LCY Home Tour: Sources

Several times a week I'll get a message from a reader asking where an item in my home is from. Nine times out of ten, they're asking about the rug in my living room or the paint color on the walls. Silly me had not list the sources in any one place. Hopefully this will remedy that!

For starters, the living room rug is by West Elm. However, I bought it barely used on Craigslist a couple years ago, and I am sad to say West Elm no longer offers this style. They do have many other similar geometric patterns, including the Andalusia which comes in the same brown and cream colors. Otherwise, Jill Rosenwald sells a similar style in chocolate brown (my mom has the grey version).

Many of these items are no longer available as I purchased most everything two years ago when I moved into my apartment. As you can see, I'm a big believer in making a comfortable, pretty home even if you don't have a huge budget. Just be patient. Collect pieces you love over time. Expect to invest a little extra in the larger pieces like a couch or bed. And I highly recommend looking at thrift stores and flea markets for dressers (and other wooden furniture items: desk, dining table and chairs, coffee tables, media stands, etc). I remember when I was searching for a dresser, the cheapest option I found was $300-400 from Ikea, and it looked so generic. I ended up finding this 1950s dresser at my favorite local thrift store - the Brown Elephant on Halsted - for $45 and I painted it white. The drawers are deep, the wood is solid, the details are unique. I love it.

If you have any other questions about details and accessories, feel free to email me at alaina.lcy@gmail.com.

Hope this helps!

West Elm's Summer Kitchen

Is it just me or does West Elm get better every season? This summer, they are expanding their kitchen line, adding industrial-looking furniture pieces that include the rustic acacia stool ($199), the adjustable stool ($169), and the acacia and steel kitchen island ($499). Other new accessories include the flow stoneware collection and the Scandinavian pop collection. The former offers organic-looking, glazed ceramics while the items from the latter collection add splashes of color to your countertops. Two of my favorite new items, both shown above, are the wire drink caddy and the test tube spice rack. The last time I saw a test tube was my tenth grade chem lab. Talk about bringing charm and whimsy back into the kitchen this summer. Hats off to you, West Elm.