Month: September 2012

Everyone knows that designing a house and making it feel like a home takes many long and exhausting months, if not years.  So when I realized that I would only have two months to plan, design, execute, anticipate the smallest details and to think about what we might be needing in the future, I know that in order to not go insanely crazy, I had to rely on things that were not too expensive and too valuable but still good looking.  I don’t know much about Sao Paulo yet, but I know that things tend to cost three times more.  So where did I go to for basic
things as art? right! Ikea.  I was planning to buy things such as a mattress for our little one, a foot step for his sink  and so on.  Imagine my surprise when walking around I found very good looking prints!  God, was I glad, there are an awful lot of empty walls in this house that will need to be filled. We got the second one below by Deborah Azzopardi for Lucas’s room, of which I will only tell you that it will have a bunch of stripes.  Yeah!

 

 The top is a motif by Amelia Lancaster.  Bellow, Ikea’s selection of Matisse motifs.   We also got one or two of those.

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“I do not want to die… until I have faithfully made the most of my
talent and cultivated the seed that was placed in me until the last
small twig has grown.”

Kathe Kollwitz

 

 

Images from interiors from Casa Vogue Brasil

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Above, my nails with a caviar effect.   I decided to do it only on two fingers, each on one hand to try for the first time.  I loved them!  Long gone are the days of plain and discrete traditional French manicure so are the days when bravery and boldness were only proven by the first explorers climbing Matchu Pitchu.  Leave it to the nails to show your inner adventure.  One of the things that caught my eyes in the runways lately were the decorative nails all over.  I can’t wait to try the reverse manicure, fist image below, top left.  Enjoy!

Clockwise from top left, reverse manicure, geometric nails done with Nail Art Pen by Sally Hansen, Adele’s nails with some glitter and caviar nails by Ciate can be purchased at Sephora.

Clockwise from top left, striped nails can be done with nail wraps by Nail Rock or Sally Hansen art pen, Kate Spade polka-dot nails, colorful French manicure and the latest one, velvet nails by Ciate.

 

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why you should keep a journal via belle vivir interior design blog
  photo above by me via my instagram

We finally moved in this past Saturday and still don’t have cable or Internet connection. Yeah!…so much fun! But God does not abandon a loyal blogger so after sniffing around every corner of our home for the past days in search of a few poor bars of connection, I finally found a pair of benevolent ones in a corner of my son’s room. I think it comes from the kid upstairs. These Net Generation kids and teens are selfless, good people and highly connected, which brings me back to the intention of this post and why we should all keep a journal. We’re living in a time where people don’t look up anymore, passing by the flowers and the friendly smiles without even noticing them. Parallel to all the distractions in the cyber world there is our real busy world as well, which render us with always something to do or think about and keeping us from being in the moment. I decided to keep a journal a few months ago and I’ve been trying to be diligent about writing as often as I can in an effort to keep it and read it later on in life in order to remember things that otherwise I will not remember.  If you want to tell your grandchildren good and interesting stories of your life in full color, go ahead and keep a journal.

why you should keep a journal via belle vivir interior design blog
 My hubby gave me this journal above from United Nations but you can find it here.
why you should keep a journal via belle vivir interior design blog
 Love this Ikat one ones, here.

 

why you should keep a journal via belle vivir interior design blog
why you should keep a journal via belle vivir interior design blog
here

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how to wear trench coat fashionably via belle vivir interior design blog
Having moved to Sao Paulo during the beginning of Spring has helped me skip all the heavy clothes and coats.  I’ve been relying on my trench coat for the evenings and lighter clothes during the days’ warmer hours.  Since many other ladies count on this iconic piece for Autumn on the other side of the hemisphere as well, it’s a good idea to show a few fashionable ways to use a trench coat.  I personally like to wear it with the collar up, like Jackie above; I think I invented this whole collar thing in my previous life. 😉 I also like to roll up my sleeves a bit and use the belt instead of buttoning up.   Whether you want to thank Pink Panther or Burberry for this fashion and classic stable, it’s one that, regardless of the very specific-look, can be worn in many different ways.  Below a few images show us how to wear trench coat fashionably.
how to wear trench coat fashionably via belle vivir interior design blog

 

how to wear trench coat fashionably via belle vivir interior design blog

 

how to wear trench coat fashionably via belle vivir interior design blog
Love this effortlessly chic way of carrying it, like above.  My mom used to wear her blazers as capes when young.  I like this too.

 

how to wear trench coat fashionably via belle vivir interior design blog

 

how to wear trench coat fashionably via belle vivir interior design blog
In a Spring mood with short and pastel colors.  Adore the photo below of those two cutie ones.  Get them ready for the world of fashion.  Yes, it’s important too.

 

how to wear trench coat fashionably via belle vivir interior design blog

 

how to wear trench coat fashionably via belle vivir interior design blog
wear it almost like a dress like Victoria Beckham.

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Lauren Santo Domingo paris apartment designed by Francois Catroux living room via belle vivir blog
This Parisian apartment and home belongs to Lauren Santo Domingo, socialite, business woman and co-founder of the online fashion retailer Moda Operandi.  The duplex was designed by the legendary Interior Designer Francois Catroux.  The rooms seem elegant but comfortable and airy.  I love the contrast of the parquet floor with the ornate walls.  “The architecture was beautiful; I didn’t want to change that,” Catroux told Vogue Magazine where the apartment was featured.  Catroux used different tones of grey and a mixture of sophisticated patterned fabric as the geometric Kubus fabric used for the windows made by Pierre Frey.  A mixture of modern art, classic furniture and sculptural lighting can be found throughout the impeccable designed apartment.

Lauren Santo Domingo paris apartment designed by Francois Catroux via belle vivir blog

A beautiful view of the enfilade of rooms.  Love how the Platner chair seems so in sink with the Louis XVI settee behind.  The selection of fabric for the furniture is as exquisite as it can be.  Nothing is plain yet everything seems harmoniously cohesive and balanced.  Not an easy task to achieve when designing spaces with such high ceiling like this apartment.
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