Friday Fun Nuggets and Some Chez V Love

Happy Friday!  So I have a few fun nuggets to share with you today. First, I promised you kind folks the great story about locating the elusive Ranarp sconces for my ORC bedroom.  If you will recall from this post, both Elizabeth from Little Black Door and myself were feverishly hunting for them as they were sold out EVERYWHERE. Well pretty please with sugar on top kindly head on over to Little Black Door for Fess Up Friday to hear our story about locating the coveted Ranarps through the kindness of strangers!

Next up, my ORC bedroom is being featured on a little house tour over at Julia Ryan, the brilliance formerly known as Pawley's Island Posh. Um, major!   Please go check it. 

Moving right along, the lovely Linda, blogger extraordinaire of Calling It Home and mastermind behind the One Room Challenge tagged me yesterday on one of those THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME kind of posts.  So I need to get on that pronto.  Maybe two posts in one day?!  Oh who am I kidding – all this love is going right to my big fat head.  Answers coming soon!

So, yes, I'm feeling pretty legit right about now with all this Chez V love because I have massive respect and admiration for these uber talented lady friends.  To be featured on their blogs is huge for little ol' Chez V. Forgive me the humble brag!  This ORC has been a lot like The Giving Tree, just keeps giving and giving.

And finally, to pass the love on, I was so happy to hear that Scot Meacham Wood is getting an editorial of his swoon-worthy home in the December issue of House Beautiful.  Seriously.  This man can layer a room like no other!  And that wall color!  Gah!  What a design talent!  So well deserved Scot!  Can not wait for mine to arrive in the mailbox!

So again, Happy Friday folks!  Go spread the love today!

kisses,  mrs. V

Little Details Tell a Larger Story

Alright.  We are just going to move right past the fact that I haven’t blogged in a few and get right to important things.  Details are on my brain - well, anyone who knows me well knows that details are always on my brain.  But right now, as I go back through my over large archive of magazines, poring over past holiday issues and devouring the new ones, my eye keeps returning to the little details that elevate a room.  Likewise, considered details caught my eye in the latest online releases of Matchbook and Lonny.  This is my take on what details worked and why...

The next few images hardly need an introduction.  Ever since the home of Mark D. Sikes first graced the cover of the Dec/Jan 2012 issue of House Beautiful, I have been a woman obsessed.  I will never tire seeing images of his West Hollywood home and Lonny’s most recent coverage does not disappoint.  This is one house that I could move right in and not change one single detail.  There is the right mix of everything that I adore:  natural elements, animal prints, Chinoiserie, stripes, masculine and feminine touches, gold, and copious amounts of blue and white.  His blog is equally perfect.

The considered casual elegance that Mark and his partner, Michael Griffin, have created no doubt make a guest feel immediately welcome, and in fact, probably feel right at home.

For me, the attention to detail is reminiscent of Scot Meacham Wood's home, seen below.    I imagine walking right in to Scot's to find a libation at the ready, and pick right up in the middle of a great and entertaining story. Who wouldn't feel right at home here, as well?  Don't ya just know that you would have a jolly good time.

In this regard, great design is less about design and more about the details that tell the larger story of the way in which we really live.

Image 1 & 2, Image 3-8, Image  9 & 10.

All layouts by mrs. V

kisses,  mrs. V

Thumbs Up or Down - Pinterest Manners

Thumbs Up or Down – Shoes, No Socks, No Service

I admire people who make fearless fashion choices.  Typically, they have a fearless personality to match.  I especially applaud men who have the confidence to rock some color or pattern mixing or shoes with no socks.

via

Nick Wooster via

Recently, I was a bystander in a cyber kerfuffle over the whole concept of men wearing shoes without socks.  I had no idea this was such a polarizing topic.  I wear shoes without socks all the time.  Loafers, high heels, ballet flats, chuck taylors etc.  Why is it generally accepted for women to wear shoes without socks but for men it is considered a no no?!

via

I love the look of a man wearing a slipper or brogues sans socks.  To me it shows a certain self-assured swagger.  An insouciant jauntiness that says, I don’t take life or myself too seriously.

Nick Wooster via

Scot Meacham Wood of SMW Design

But the point is not really about men wearing shoes without socks.  The point is about manners.  This little kerfuffle happened over on Pinterest.  Scot Meacham Wood, whose design skills, taste, and style I have long admired, was pinning these images of men sporting shoes without socks.  And men mixing prints and wearing bright colored pants.  I was surprised to see a bunch of negative comments posted about these pinned images.  At first, I thought perhaps these were close friends of his poking a little inside fun.  But that doesn’t seem to be the case, as he eventually had enough diplomacy to politely ask them to ‘unfollow’ his boards.

look at his drawing room!  so great.  via

Isn’t the intent of Pinterest to be a place to catalogue images that are important and meaningful to each of us?  And share them with like-minded folks - people who choose to 'follow' us based on similar tastes or aesthetics?  And if so, then why the need to be so nasty?

To be sure, I don’t like everything pinned by the people I follow.  I might even snicker a bit to myself – wondering what in the world you were thinking.  But I wouldn’t have the bad breeding to post snide comments.  Unless of course, you are my sister, in which case I would tell her she was being bonkers.    

Scot's wonderful red pants!  And that rug in his office! via

I follow Scot precisely for his vision and for his taste.  We are like-minded in our aesthetics but he has the added experience, confidence, and self-assurance to sport any of the looks that he has pinned.  And that is why I follow his boards and read his blog - The Adventures of Tartanscot.  He inspires me to push beyond my comfort zone.  And I haven't even touched on his amazing work.

his bedroom!  look at all the details.  via

a small sampling of his shoe collection.  dying over here.  via

Scot and his friends at home as featured in Rue Magazine

In an homage to Scot, I donned a bright and cheery outfit the other day complete with loafers sans socks. Scot, if we lived in the same city, I would give you a big momma hug for always displaying such style and grace.  Then I would squeal with delight over your red pants and not so subtly beg an invitation to your next holiday fete.  Who wouldn't want to be smashed in the middle of these jolly gents having a laugh?!

no socks!

If only I had a bright colored pant-yellow or minty green!
And why do I look possessed?!

Every time I try to photograph myself it ends
in peals of laughter over my ridiculous faces.
What is up with that dang eye?!

So, I say THUMBS DOWN to petty comments on Pinterest.  And I say THUMBS UP to men wearing shoes without socks AND women!  What do you say? Have you encountered any mean comments on your boards?

kisses,  mrs. V