Month: January 2014

Anna Mavridis via belle vivir

I drool over Anna Mavridis’s Instagram account where her love of color and her chic unique style is evident.  She is Swedish and lives half of the year in Germany and the other half in Santorini where she and her husband own a restaurant and bar.  It’s a delight to get to see her feminine and classic sense of fashion.  Check out her blog for more.

Anna Mavridis via belle vivir

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Have you guys seen the beautiful Chicago home designed by Steven Gambrel in the latest issue of House Beautiful? The interior design of he home is full of layers of color and texture. My favorite room is the library which is painted in a custom high lacquered blue. I love this home because it has that sense of glam and comfort in a very livable way.  Also the touches of brass throughout makes me want it even more.  As a trained Architect, Gambrel’s interiors always have exceptional craftsmanship. One of his design staples is the use of contrasting color application on moldings and walls.  A technique that in his hands, always yields a great result.

Steven Gambrel interior design blue library belle vivir blog

An elegant degradation of the color blue in this beautiful home library.  Below, the entrance of the house has a beautiful black and white octagon stone floor.

Steven Gambrel interior design entry way via belle vivir blog

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10 unique ways to use a Hermes scarf
If you sometimes find yourself wondering what else is there to do with a Hermes scarf besides using it around your neck or head, then you are not the only one.  I do it too.  You probably have seen them being framed and displayed as art which is an instant pop of color, but have you considered using them on your closet doors behind a glass or to cover your chandelier chain or as the fabric for your kids teepee?
10 unique ways to use a Hermes scarf
Via Marie Claire

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At some point in our life we all need a work space at home, a home office.  From teenagers to do their home work to adults who need to do more office-related work.  At the moment I’m dusting off our home office in an attempt to combine the business side with my jewelry studio.  Luckily I have an entire room to work with which offers me a decent amount of space and more room to be creative.  But home offices don’t necessarily require a separate room, all it needs is a space for a computer desk and a space for storage.  As these images show there is really no limit to what a home office can be.
home office via belle vivir blog
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Yesterday while going through my daily morning reads I came across this article with the title The Gorgeous Brain, Beauty is a spiritual obligation written by Dr. Billi Gordon, Ph.D., stroking my attention.  I thought it would be good to stop the regular Sunday Quotes post today and dive a little deeper into the human battle with so-so standards of beauty, performance and acceptance.  Here are a few highlights from the article.  To read the full article click here.

Beauty is a spiritual obligation via belle vivir
 Aimee Mullins

…..We live in a “sizeocracy.”  You cannot be too short if you are a man, too tall if you are woman, and nobody can be overweight, especially women.  War is ugly, not people.  The time we spend laughing is too short, not people.  The walls we build to exclude each other are too tall, not people.  People are, and beauty is……

…..Beauty and ugliness are capacities we all have.   Like all things human, there are individual biases.  When it comes to beauty, it is a matter of two things: knowing you are beautiful, and knowing how to present it…….

….we become who we believe we are.  That is because the human brain has a tremendous amount of cognitive load and does not like searching for conclusions.  Hence, it welcomes cues on what a person is, from how the person treats his or her self, and how others treat the person…….The human brain always finds what it is looking for…..

…..It is also important to remember that since the first prokaryote appeared in the primordial sea, until the last star in the Universe sputters and falls into eternal blackness, there will have been only one you……Read more here.

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 Caroline Sieber street style red outfit

Caroline Sieber is an Austrian stylist and Chanel ambassador who is always put together and sophisticated.  Her wedding dress, in last two pictures, is one of the most beautiful and romantic I’ve seen but of course the dress was custom made by Chanel Haute Couture.  I love all of her style choices but my favorites are when the outlook is more casual chic.

 Caroline Sieber street style

Caroline Sieber street style pink skirt blue sweater

 

Caroline Sieber street style chanel ambassador

 

Caroline Sieber street style

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caroline Sieber and fritz von westenholz wedding dress
Caroline Sieber and fritz von westenholz wedding day in Vienna, Austria
Caroline Sieber and fritz von westenholz wedding dress

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