a quick hello from paradise

Hey there my loves, long time no talk! I meant to write two days ago but I got caught up in packing and wrapping up work, and then yesterday I hoped I'd have a chance at the airport, but had apparently forgotten how much more security a stopover in the US involves. So I've been a bad bad blogger, all thought and no action.

Even now, I'm just stopping in to say hi, because, well, I think I found paradise.

I am here  . . .

... on my Belize adventure, and to be honest, I just don't feel like taking the time to fully check in. I will soon, but not now. Now I just want to keep swinging away in this hammock, listened to the breeze and the ocean and the birds, and remembering why 18 hrs of straight travel in one day (no joke) is always, always worth it. Especially when your heart needs the tlc even more than your body does.

So talk soon, k? I promise mucho pretty pictures and even some apartment updates (I bought that gorgeous desk and it's crazy good. You guys are so smart.) Til' then, love from the beach.

xoxoxo

style revelation: mandy milks

Ever have one of those experiences where you suddenly realize that a bunch of disparate spaces you absolutely adore are actually all from the same house? Well, that just happened to me - big time.

A couple of months ago I fell head over heels for a pair of bathrooms (created out of one old bathroom) in House & Home's March issue. I folded down the corners of each of the pages and even carried the feature around with me in my purse while helping my parents pick out tile. There was something about these spaces that really spoke to me more than any other bath I'd seen in a while.

Yesterday H&H finally posted pics of the bathrooms online, and I couldn't wait to share. Here's bath #1:

And bath #2:

Aren't they insanely good? The perfect balance of patina and polish, masculine and feminine.

A month later, H&H's special makeovers issue came out, and one of the kitchen transformations spoke to me in that same way. I decided it was the best kitchen reno I'd seen in a long, long time. I couldn't get enough of it.

It wasn't until last week that I finally realized that there was a reason for that same gut feeling: both spaces belong to one Mandy Milks, art director at H&H. She and her husband have been renovating an old house in Toronto room by room, and the result so clearly strikes a cord with me.

Unfortunately I could only find one really good pic of the kitchen, but it's linked to an awesome video showcasing the space.

I truly can't wait for H&H to feature the rest of Mandy's home (fingers crossed). There is nothing that I love more than old bones complimented by new hotness, and in Mandy's capable hands it's clearly a guaranteed home run. I'll definitely be watching this gal from now on ( and coveting her home like a mad person).

xoxoxo luvs

desks as nightstands - cute or cramped?

A couple of weekends ago the large desk in my "dressing room" got the old heave-ho, making way for my treadmill. The 'mill had been taking up way too much space in my living room, and of these two items that I wasn't using nearly enough, I decided it was the one I should keep lying to myself about.

The only downside to this, really, is that my desk chair was the spare for my dining table. The one I would pull out when I had people over for dinner or guests were visiting for the weekend. I should probably keep it, but the question is, where? Right now it's just looking awkward over in a corner, like me at a high school dance.

Well, the plot thickens. A couple of days ago I came across a gorgeous, rectangular marble topped bistro table on craigslist, and my mind immediately went here:

I've been looking to get a wider nightstand for a while now (to fill more of the awkward space between my bed and an archway) and this could help me kill two birds with one stone. The only thing is that it's not just wider, it's also a lot deeper. Add the chair and I'm worried that it'll be cramped city. Or that it will just end up looking messy - a catch all for everything from my water glass and alarm clock to my laptop and craft supplies.

For your reference, this is the table . . .

. . . and I managed to haggle the price down to a cool $80. The owner brought it with her when she moved here from France. 

So what do you think? Is it too good to pass up? Are you fans of the bedside desk look, or do they just scream "I have no other room"? Can they ever really look polished and be useful simultaneously? Should I just ditch the chair and be done with it? Your opinions are much needed my luvs!