Top Five

I was given advice from a friend in the industry to keep a binder of magazine clippings, or tear sheets, of things that you see and love so that you can keep a collection and watch how your style evolves. I think it's a great idea, because I seem to be constantly finding stuff that I'd love to work with (or have myself...). I'm glad shopping is a part of this job!

Of course, I often wander off when I'm searching new things online, typically ending up on a clothing website where I want just about everything. But the more design blogs I visit, the more I realize how related fashion and design are. Typically the fashion industry marks the beginning of trends for interior design, so I like to think my shopping habits are ALL work related. It's professional development. Sourcing. Finding a competitive edge.

I thought I'd do something a little different for this post. Here are five things I'm loving right now. It's a bit of everything, fashion included (excuse the tiny photos!).

1. All things embroidered.
Osborne and Little have beautiful fabrics in general, but I especially love their bright boho textiles! Clarence House is also amazing. It's nice to see bright colours used in such a delicate application. I'm dreaming of toss cushions.

2. Architect tables.

A few posts ago, I mentioned the Restoration Hardware TV easel and I've continued to admire all technical and bare-boned furniture. I love these architect tables, whether they're in glass, wood or nickel. Gorgeous.


One of my favourite stores Stacaro carries a few varieties shown here, and IKEA offers the VIKA system where you can mix and match bases and table tops!

3. Metropolitan Home Glamour book
I ordered this a few weeks ago and I love it! Its mostly pictures (my kind of book) and it looks at different ways to interpret glamour in a space. There's a nice mix of modern and traditional in the book, so I feel like this is a resource I will hold onto for a long time.

4. All Saints
This European clothing store has all neutral, slouchy clothing that has a bit of a goth feel, but I really like it! All of their pieces are unique, and you can see that they've put a lot of effort into tailoring and detailing each piece. It's probably a blessing in disguise that they don't ship to Canada.

5. Nie Nie Dialogues

A series of blogs connected me to Nie Nie Dialogues one day, and I discovered that she's incredibly popular and a great blogger. Tragically, Stephanie was in a plane crash that has made for a difficult and painful recovery, but her appreciation for life and her family are still at the forefront of all her posts. It's really inspiring to read her blog.

So there you have it....my top 5!