i'm listening to...

carla bruni's newest album no promises

i hope you all are having a wonderful, relaxing sunday. i'm actually being productive for a change and cleaning from top-to-bottom while also working on some projects i've been wanting to work on.

i love a productive sunday and then we'll finish it off with a fabulous dinner.

happy sunday!

i'm listening to...

the new st. vincent album, actor.

i love her soft voice and loud guitars.

bleu for you

one of the movies that i can watch over and over is bleu (actually, i can watch the whole trilogy over and over). it is such a beautiful film and the music is amazing.

when i was thinking of a title for my new blog, the trilogy came to mind and that's how it got the name rouge blanc noir.


if you haven't ever seen the movie, i hightly recommend it.


juliette binoche plays the character so well. her moments of silence in the film convey the sadness that she feels. even when she is somewhat happy, you still feel the sadness, the viewer experiences with her each and every emotion.


and god, isn't she just gorgeous? i love her classic french beauty.

feeling blue

you already know how i feel about red white and black but sometimes i want a little pop of color and i think robin's egg blue looks so great with my favorites. what do you think?


take your basic red white and black room and then just paint one accent wall blue.


a little dash of gold works with this palette, too.


how cool is this bathroom? needs a little more black, though.


taking a basic white kitchen and painting it blue completely changes the feel. i would kill for this chandelier in my dining room.

(images courtesy of domino)

i'm listening to...

tracks off the new charlotte gainsbourg and beck collaboration, irm.


charlotte's 5:55 is one of my favorite albums and while this new album with beck is very different (there is definitely a huge beck presence), it is still quintessentially charlotte.


i'm really looking forward to listening to the entire album.

hey repetto

i think living next to a ballet studio is rubbing off on me. no i'm not practicing my plie, i'm shopping for these fabulous ballet flats from repetto!


perhaps if i own a pair, i'll look like brigitte bardot.


oh, i'll take a pair in every color.


or i would be happy with this pair...


this pair...


and especially this pair with the little heel.

bathing beauty

so i'm bored to death with my apartment's decor and i needed some inspiration so i hopped on over to a few of my favorite decorating blogs to see if there was anything that could get me thinking about what to do.

my apartment is very eclectic with a lot of color and texture and leans toward a southwestern/french vibe (if you can imagine that blend). i grew up in the southwest and work for a company that specializes in southwestern designs but i really love the french style of decorating and my apartment itself looks very parisian--hardwood floors, great windows, high ceilings and pretty trim.

for quite a while now, i have wanted to decorate it in all red white and black (i know, go figure) but that requires starting over entirely which doesn't sound too appealing. i also have all of these critters, so a lot of white is not going to work, especially with furniture.

what i have decided to do is to tackle the task of changing my apartment over to what i really like but also keeping it animal friendly. i think the best way to go about this is to start with the bathroom. it's all white with hints of blue and green so i can just substitute some red and black in as an accent color. shouldn't be too hard. here's a few great ideas to get me started.


a red runner and bold artwork is so easy but brings in a whole new look.
desire to inspire


a great mirror painted white and diy artwork could quickly change the look of a basic white bathroom and make it more personal.
desire to inspire


graphic handpainted walls and a japanese lantern really funk up this bathroom. while my landlord probably would not go for painting the bathroom like this, a big piece of black and white artwork could do the trick and i already have a japanese lantern that could bring in the red.
desire to inspire


both of these bathrooms would be easy to do with temporary wallpaper, either black toile or red toile and then a bouquet of fresh flowers.


both looks apartment therapy

so here are a few ideas. i'll let you know which look i choose and post pictures. i hope to get this project started tonight!

a year in pictures

check out the year in pictures for lulu and hawthorne girl over on lucie's blog.

here's to a happy 2010 with many more posts to come!

joy luck

while on our recent roadtrip to the southwest, i wanted to take my family to one of my favorite restaurants in jerome, arizona called the house of joy. the house of joy is a defunct brothel dating back to the 1920s and for many years, housed a very good restaurant. i was disappointed to find out that the restaurant is no longer open. the owner had a terrible bicycle accident and running the restaurant was too difficult. i was happy, though, that it is now a little shop they have labelled as a "brothel boutique" with a very eclectic mix of wares. the shop was closed the day we were there but i look forward to checking it out next time i'm down south. if you ever make it to jerome (which i suggest you do because it's a very cute town), check out the house of joy and live your fantasy of yelling down the stairs "next!"


the cutest red brick facade. couldn't you just live here?


the same sign has adorned the house of joy for many years. check out those red lights.


stop, don't come any closer.


yard art a la the house of joy.

the house of joy is at 416 hull ave jerome, arizona 928.634.5339

soundtrack: love will tear us apart joy division

mooning

i'm mooning over these cute store windows i came across in atlanta at this little store called moon cake. it's located in a very charming shopping district called virginia highlands.

i often travel to atlanta for work and when i tell people this, they always make a face like "eew". i'm not sure why, maybe because the downtown area leaves a lot to be desired but once you get out of downtown, atlanta is beautiful. i love all of the old houses and lots of brick. i had hoped to take more pictures but it was really cold last week and very grey. i'll be back in july so hopefully i can get some good pics. but if you're heading to atlanta, just 10 minutes out of downtown are some great little neighborhoods so check them out.


i love the winter white on white.


moon cake is at 1019 virginia ave ne 404.892.8043

soundtrack: moonshadow cat stevens

black out

someday, when i'm no longer renting, i would love some black walls in my house. i think it would be really cool in the dining room, particularly, but it could work in a kitchen also. here are a few black walls courtesy of marie claire maison.


this one is my favorite. i love that the walls look almost charred black. i could handle this bedroom!


chalkboard paint in the kitchen is a good way to go. you could use it for grocery lists and menus. i always like the cafes that go this route for their menus.


for a dining room, i'm partial to this glossy black look.


this is a cool black lounge. i would definitely hang out here drinking red wine or cocktails with little asian umbrellas.


black on black. even the trim is black, an alternative to the white trim we most often see paired with black walls.


a black wall in a children's room would work, especially if it were the chalkboard paint. that way they could draw on the walls to their heart's content and nobody gets in trouble.

what do you think? could you do black walls in your house and if so, where?

soundtrack: paint it black by the stones

red and white and black all over

a while back i saved these perfect interior shots with my favorite colors. i've been meaning to post them for quite some time but just now came across them again.


i want to get a new bed and i've seriously been thinking about an upholstered headboard. i love this red velvet one. what do you think, should i ditch the old iron frame for this look?


or do i stick with my old favorite, the iron bed and invest in a nice hermes throw instead?


oh this chandelier is amazing. it would be perfect in my dining room.

it's been so long since i saved these photos that i don't know where i originally found them so i apologize for the lack of proper credits.

foreva

another french beauty that i can't get enough of is the gorgeous, eva green. i saw her first in "the dreamers" and just really loved how beautiful and real she looked. she was very pale with lots and lots of freckles, fiery red hair and an amazing voluptuous body a la sophia loren. we see so many similar looks in films and she stands out as a true original. i just wish i could find her in more films!


i love this classic look with the red lips and leopard coat. not to mention the best accessory of all, a pooch.


persian blue cat eyes.


always looking fierce.


amazing little black dress.

listening to the dreamers soundtrack

i'm listening to...

the gorgeous jesse sykes.


a haunting performer in the realm of june carter and marianne faithfull.

seeing hearts

bonjour friends! i just wanted to say how much i've missed you all this past week. i had to go out of town for a business trip and i did not have time to get any posts up before i left. however, i'm happy to say that i had a really great, inspiring trip and i'm looking forward to continuing with my newest blog.

i'd like to wish you all a happy new year and i look forward to spending much more time with you all!

(photo courtesy of dieversa)

i would really love...

a bmw bavaria

lorenzo and i were on the highway today talking about all of the different cars and it got me to thinking about my dream car. i've always wanted one of these and just missed the opportunity to buy one that i had been eyeing several years ago. it's just not practical for me to have this as my primary vehicle but when the days comes that i can have a second car, this would be it.

did you know jackie o drove one? so cool!

now i'm listening to...

i'm trying to get ready for my upcoming work trip so i need something to get me going. this is definitely working.

i'm listening to...

right now i'm listening to the amazing yael naim. it's a quiet overcast sunday. i have my critters here with me and we are planning our day. lorenzo wants to go have sushi. i can always go for sushi! afterwards, i hope to get out to take a few pictures. we're having a very relaxing long weekend here in portland. how are you doing? did you enjoy your new year's fete and 3 day weekend? happy sunday!

cherry blossom girl

one of my favorite things about the blogging world is discovering a new blog. there are so many amazing people out there doing some really cool things and this girl is one of them. she's parisian, gorgeous and talented. her still life photos are inspiring me to get to work at home on my interior styling projects. she also has amazing fashion sense. check out the cherry blossom girl.