{inspiration board #74} An Elegant Affair

Many of my favorite things make up this wonderfully elegant board. I love the instance appearance and sense of grace when one wears a beautiful shoulder bearing dress, and anyone who has ever visited my humble blog knows that my preferred palette pleasers are pears and French macarons. I have a love of ornate and grand doors and recently I have thought myself a connoisseur of vintage doorknob. Could I have been influenced by the crystal doorknobs on every door in my childhood home? As a child, I thought very little of all those glistening doorknobs. Now, I wish I had every one of them.  And please tell me who does not love twinkle lights…all year long? They can make the dullest of rooms or gardens magical.

It’s funny how all of us have our “things” that make us happy and past memories that shape what we like and appreciate as adults. I sometimes wonder. of my online friends, what little everyday things fills their day with joy. What quirky things make you smile?

Dustjacket Attic, Call Me Cupcake, This Is Glamorous,

{color chronicles #2} Autumn’s Jewels

…in the crisp air of a Sunday autumn morning, dew kissed leaves take flight and land where they may to blanket the streets like a jewel toned tapestry. After breakfast in bed for two, an afternoon drive on winding country roads leads to the discovery of a magical place by the creek…

{color chronicles} Patina & Gold

…if a picture can truly tell a thousand words, how many beautiful pictures does it take to imagine a story?

Patina & Gold

A French Manor

As long as I can remember, and before I ever had the pleasure of visiting France, I knew that I would one day have a home there. It is the only place that I have ever said, at first blush, “I will live here one day”. It is not a dream it is living goal that I work at daily.

That dream now includes a French manor. I came upon this amazing French manor on Coco Cozy and had to find out more about this home and the photographer. It also helps that all of my favorite colors and hues have been used to paint the manor. The images are taken by Gilles Trillard and showcase the beauty of French décor, architect, and a finesse for placement that seems inherently French. How lovely would it be to have a home so beautifully appointed and so elegantly designed? I

I cannot help but love the color palette of this manor. Gray, pinks, and black…and of course  gold must be present. The decorative moldings on the doors are simply gorgeous not to mention a marble fireplace.

Pink walls, gray double doors and a black settee make the perfect “waiting room” adjacent to the formal living room. The iron light fixture is perfect.

A collection of hand mirrors decorated a bathroom wall.

I love painted wood floors. They are so unexpected.

Checkered tiles and wood floor, gray claw foot tub, and an architectural surprise perfectly placed to hold guest towels.

If you cannot have an all pink kitchen, opt for pretty details like an unexpected pink trash can. It is the perfect “accessory”.

The perfect place to take a break and sip a cup of tea while enjoying your favorite book.

{via Gilles Trillard}

{inspiration board # 72} The Gold Standard

Black, white, yellow, and my latest obsession, gold. As a child whenever my parents bought us jewelry it was always yellow gold. As an adult, I shied away from yellow gold and for many years white gold and platinum took its place. However, now as a grown up, there are times when I love the allure and the sophistication that gold brings to a palette. Whether it be white slacks, a black shirt, and an arm full of golden bangles or a simple necklace to dress up a white oxford shirt, gold continues to be the standard for many. Gold pairs beautifully with bright and bold colors, however I love gold paired with neutrals and a splash of yellow to make it a bit sunnier. I just love this palette, do you? Yellow or white gold which do you prefer?

{living room, bedroom, handbag, building, headband, dog, bike, stairs, perfume, camera}

{inspiration board # 71} Chic Rusticity

Contrary to what one may guess about this reformed city girl, a part of me absolutely loves the more rustic side of life and nature…especially around this time of the year. When our family left the city, we moved to a small town on Long Island, NY that was surrounded by woods, with tree lined street with old cape cod styled homes {I grew up in one} and lots of antique stores to forage for treasures. In these stores, these so-called “treasures” looked like someone’s old junk but once in the possession of my mother’s hands they were treasures once again. This inspiration board is about the things remembered and things that should never be forgotten…like the smell of your mom’s pumpkin pie baking in the oven.

Incorporating various gold and brown tones into a creamy vanilla palette will create a warm and inviting palette, perfect for this time of the year.

I hope you had a great Halloween and I hope that your memories of your childhood town are as wonderful as mine are.

{door, tree, violin, frame, bunting, pie, girl, invitations, horse, sign, washtub, file cabinet}

p.s. I cannot wait until the launch of my new site…the inspiration boards will be a bit larger and there will be so many new things to share with you! Yay for change!

{inspiration board # 69} Splendor

Often times the event designer in me, struggles with weddings that are already designed from start to finish by the couple. Not because they cannot. That is not the case at all. Besides the smile on the face of a bride about to walk down the aisle, event design is my favorite part of my job. I love when couples bring twenty dog-eared magazines with the pages falling out of images they love from the various publications, only to ask, “Do you think we can do something like this? Does this even go with our style? Can we make it work?” Besides creating a mean timeline, design is where I shine. My décor background coupled with my insatiable appetite for texture and all things related to  décor and design keeps me up into wee hours of the morning until I get it just right and ready to present to clients.

About four months ago I was hired by the father of a bride to help his daughter not only plan but design her wedding. The entire family and I, especially the bride, hit it off immediately which helps when you are starting from scratch. After finding out at a later date the couples likes and dislikes {no blue, they love warm colors, something vibrant but sophisticated, and it has to be young fresh, and fashionable… of course it does she live in LA!}, I asked her if she had any pictures to share with me. The images were warm and very fall like {which I love} but it still was not quite what I had in mind for this beautiful raven-haired bride. Then I came across this image…

Vera Wang

BINGO! Fresh young, vibrant, regal, and sophisticated with colors not commonly used in weddings outside of a “faux shoot”. A bit nervous,  I decided to create a board and present it to them anyway. I asked the bride a few more questions, sent her a few more images, and after a few minor tweaks I created  this board for their wedding day inspiration…

celebrities, dress, place setting, cheese, ceremony, cloche, shoes

Inspiration board #69 was a total hit! I am so excited to be working on this wedding. I love all the weddings I coordinate but this one is pushing the limit and allowing me to create exactly what the bride and groom wanted. I cannot wait to share with you the actual wedding day images…be patient…October is right around the corner. When creating for a new client what inspires you?

{guest post} Hey Gorgeous!

Still travelling but I have one of my favorite bloggers filling in for me today…Rhiannon from Hey Gorgeous!

Hi Guys! My name is Rhi and I blog over at Hey Gorg. When I’m not blogging you can find me planning and styling weddings for brides across the Midwest; or drinking too many iced vanilla lattes but either way I am completely enamoured with pretty things and events where the attention to detail is in a league of its own. I’m super honoured to be guest blogging on Naomi’s blog and thought today I’d share some photos I’ve compiled together for one of my brides. She will be getting married next September in Chicago’s Newberry Library and we’ve settled on a colour palette of dark purple, lavender accents, charcoal and gold. And let’s just say the two of us are already totally obsessed. These colours were made for one another!

What do you guys think so far? What immediately comes to your mind when you think of these hues? XO

Thank you Rhiannon!

{inspiration board # 60} Eternal Love

The Taj Mahal is a constant reminder, to the world, of how one man loved a woman. Thankfully, you do not have to make such an opulent and grand gesture to show your love. Building a shrine in your heart is good enough for most. What story will your love tell one hundred years from now? It is never too late to begin.

{source}

{inspiration board # 58} Honey Child

Spring will be here soon and I cannot wait.To me, the sun shines brighter in spring than any other season; it’s almost golden. Maybe it’s because we long for it after a cold a dreary winter. The feeling of this board is warm and bright with a touch of sweetness…like honey.

Gold works well with most neutrals and compliments griege and earth tones perfectly. Don’t be afraid to mix similar golden tones together. Gold is best used as a an accent color however it’s such a feel good color you may want to use it as a primary color in your palette. Gold also It helps bring life to a more muted palette.

{bed, ring, gift box, rolls, wagon, room, girl, vineyard, room, pillow}