Julie & Ev Launches Signature Linen Collection

Beautifully designed by Julie Paulino, our hand block printed linen collection is made to celebrate being together again.

Our Floret linen collection as seen here in Villa Mahal in the Turkish Riviera.

It’s been a long time coming and our Julie & Ev signature linen collection is finally available. Our hand block tablecloths, placemats, and napkins are printed on 100% cotton by artisans in Jaipur, India. With three different design styles that range from blue and white to pink and neutrals, Julie & Ev hand block print linen collection is sure to delight everyone around the table.

At the table is when we pass our values to our children, share with them our most valuable advice, and celebrate our joyous moments. This linen collection was made to celebrate amongst our loved ones and friends. Whether it is a promptus Sunday brunch, a formal dinner, or a solo dine-in at home, the designs of this Julie & Ev new linen collection is an appreciation of good life.

06Apr

Boho-Chic Clothes Stylish Travelers Prefer

Nothing says summer chic more precisely than embroidered cotton with the right perfect patterns. There is something about its ethnic elements that gives the wearer a sense of traveling and relaxation. It screams vacation ready… I love to see a boho-chic top combined with a pair of jeans and stilettos… This type of bohemian chic dressing is not for everyone but its style certainly has its own cult of aficionados. Their patterns are usually inspired by Middle Eastern architecture, interior design, and heritage tiles. Dodo Bar Or is the most popular brand representing this type of boho-chic clothes and ever since its launch on 2014 has cultivated a strong following due the beautiful fabrics and embroidery which are designed and made especially for the brand.

“Dodo adorns the fabric with lace, studs, eyelets, and embroidery that creates a rich luxury authentic feel to the fabric and makes the pieces very unique to the language of Dodo Bar Or. This is combined with flowing feminine patterns that is draped to extenuate a women’s body. The printed silk fabric is a mix of unexpected clashing colours and patterns, the quilted patterns and colors create a new juxtaposition of prints and colours and the hidden prints in the pleats creates a whole new story.” DDO

boho-chic clothes belle vivir

04Apr

8 Architectural Wonders of the Fashion World And More Interesting Links

Milan is one of my favorite cities in Italy. It’s artistic, modern and the architecture is beautiful. No wonder it is Italy’s fashion capital. One of my favorite places was hands down Fundazione Prada. The architecture of the Founzione feels like an otherworldly place emanating from the past. Everything feels pretty surreal, especially its restaurant that resembles a Wes Anderson movie. Fashion houses are leaving their marks in more forms than just fashion, commissioning amazing architectures that represent their brands to house their foundations. This article lists 8 Architectural Wonders of the Fashion World. It’s inspiring to see these fashion-forward structures.

8 Architectural Wonders of the Fashion World belle vivir

Louis Vuitton Store at Place Vendome

Even when I don’t consider myself Catholic anymore ( I am more spiritual than anything else), there are certain teachings that I still live by very strongly. One of them is to not eat any animal that is considered impure. So no crickets, or snake or anything of that is “considered” not good for our bodies. When I read this article about foods nutritionist won’t eat I felt more confident about my choices on food. I steer away from everything artificial. Growing up I used to love coffee mate until I found out that nothing but absolutely nothing in a coffee mate is made or derived from nature. Every single ingredient is made in a laboratory. So since I stopped consuming coffee mate with my expresso, I’ve been using almond milk instead.

Steven Volpe Design

If you are remodeling your home, chances are you might have encountered one or two unscrupulous contractors. Read here about how to find the good ones, how to choose one, what you should stipulate in the contract and if things go south, how to file a complaint. Learn more about how to avoid remodeling nightmares.

Success is liking yourself,

liking what you do,

and liking how you do it.

Maya Angelou

03Apr

Unconventional Kitchens: 6 Unique Kitchens That Are Also Beautiful

When some people think of unique kitchens their first response is one of skepticism. Unconventional kitchens are usually expected to be anything but beautiful. In the worst cases, the excess of inventive details and mixtures of ideas become to feel so unfamiliar that it yields a feeling far from pleasant. These unorthodox kitchens are not only unique but also beautiful. There is a way to have it both ways when it comes to being unique in designing any room in your home. My philosophy is that whatever it is you are designing should depart from the classics.

As in our kitchen, for example, I combined a modern classic element like stainless steel cabinets with more classic cabinets to juxtapose the sleek and the matte, the always-look-as-new feel of the stainless steel with the traditional painted cabinets in the rest of the kitchen. Francois Catroux still has the very innovative stainless steel fireplace mantel since the late 60’s in his Paris apartment. This latter innovation is perhaps what set him apart from the rest. It pays to be unique and innovative but it is more important to do it in a way that makes you happy. Use in your home what you love and make you happy and go from there. How can the world be innovative and exited if everyone designs in the same fashion or even wear the same clothes? Below, some of the most recent unique and unconventional kitchens I’ve seen.

unique kitchens, unconventional kitchens, monique-gibson-kitchen-bellevivir

Love everything in this unique kitchen by Monique Gibson, currently featured in Architectural Digest. This is Monique’s kitchen in New York City where she also works. The table made by an Israeli furniture maker functions as a desk/meeting table/ kitchen table. Now that’s clever.

unique kitchens, unconventional kitchens, ryan white kitchen belle vivir

A small kitchen that would take anyone by surprise. It looks more like an entry to a small apartment than an actual kitchen. In a small space or an open concept floor plan is a good idea to treat the kitchen as part of the rest of the home decor.

02Apr

Items for Sale: For all tastes and styles

The items for sale on this special deals of the week are completely unrelated to each other in the sense that they don’t represent a theme or style. They are intended to appeal to anyone and everyone who is looking to complement their own style. Isn’t it great when you find out that what you’ve been wanting to buy is on sale. I love that feeling. In this roundup, there is something to use indoor, outdoor, your office along with a fashion item that is to die for. Those crystal-embellished shoes with 70% off are so dazzling, aren’t they? They would spruce up any outfit. The lavender set comes as a result of my garden plans or I should say future garden since right now it is a mere backyard. I know for a fact that I want to plant lavender or something that looks like lavender. Before I started learning about gardening I had very little understanding about planting hardiness zones and the limitations that entails when it comes to choosing plants. Since the facade of our home is of stone, it reminds me of Provence and lavender would be a perfect complement. Now I just need to find out if lavender thrives in this zone… Gardening or landscaping is a whole different world…

items for sale belle vivir blog

I love paperweights in my office. If you choose them carefully, they can lighten up your day. Pillows provide one of the easiest ways to change any decor. Replace them every season with something weather-appropriate and you set your home with a different mood. Besides, I think everyone needs some vitamin sea by now. If you prefer a neutral decor as all the gorgeous pieces in this gift guide, a table lamp like the one below would complement such hues… And lastly, the mirror is for traditional-decor aficionados.

30Mar

The Best Jeans and Denim Pieces this Spring

If trends rotate through the years or even decades, much so with denim. The popular fabric is a classic that will never go out of style and essentially everyone has had something denim in their closet. They can be flattering and stylish when combined with a silk blouse or worn under a long coat or they can even be daring when worn under a dress. One of the latest denim trends is to wear a jean under a dress, hey I’m not here to judge. To each it’s own… But one thing for sure, denim seems to work on every body type and it’s a staple in every modern woman’s wardrobe. The chambray shirt is a perfect example of a closet item that goes with almost everything. I have even spotted a few wearing a chambray shirt with a sequined skirt, Alexa Chung knows how to do that just right, and the result is pretty fashion forward and unexpected. Some people prefer their jeans tight and with little stretching room in order for the pants to not lose their fitting. I, on the other hand, prefer them soft and a bit elastic, because I’m all for comfort and I like to feel at ease when I sit wearing my jeans. I know they get a little saggy over time, but they usually get back in shape after a wash. If you prefer your jeans tight and with always good fitting, the secret is to buy them with the most cotton fabric as possible. If you can find 100% cotton, better yet.

denim, jeans, denim fashion, bellevivir

28Mar

From Wine Apps to Spring Cocktail Recipes: Weekly Links

If you are like me, you discover a new favorite wine only to forget the name the next time you want to buy it. What if I told you there are wine apps that do that job for you. Vivino app allows you to either scan or take a photo of the bottle label to find out the rating and price average. With Delectable you can learn about any wine and get expert opinions by also taking a photo of the bottle. Although I always prefer a cocktail to a glass of wine, my favorite wine is Riesling and at the moment I’m obsessed with Fetzer Gewurztraminer. It took me a while to spell it. Its name looks a lot like algebra to me, but after seeing it often I learned it. Lol. Try to pronounce it and it’ll only get worst. Fetzer is a sustainable winemaker from California. You can find this Reisling basically anywhere but the wine industry and culture have changed and modernized so much that you can find good wine in unexpected places.

wine apps, spring cocktail recipes, Fetzer-via belle vivir

Cocktails can miraculously convert any grump into a happy smoochy human being. Once the weather becomes more enjoyable I’m planning to try one of these Spring cocktail recipes.

Alcohol and sleep don’t match. The first one hinders the latter. Tha’s why I keep drinks to a maximum of three to four per month. I’ve always had trouble sleeping, either waking up in the middle of the night – always around 3:00 AM and can’t fall back asleep. Evren, my husband is always suggesting me to go see a sleep doctor. Until I wrap my head around being observed while sleeping, sounds freaky, doesn’t it… I’ll look into these suggestions about how to have happier dreams. Its effectiveness in my difficult case remains to be seen.

A couple of weeks ago my sister got a very scary call from a useless individual who claimed to have kidnapped her son. I’m just glad I learned about the scary call hours after. Thank God it turned out to be a Phone scam. Learn more about these Phone scams and how these jobless people can steal your money, so you are prepared in case it happens to you.

I’m reading three books at the moment. One on Audible for when I’m on the road, one before going to bed, and one that I read during the day whenever I have a chance. I’m always looking for new interesting books to add to my library and this Spring there are a bunch of interesting ones I can’t wait to start reading. This list of the 10 of the most anticipated books of Spring 2018 sounds like a good place to start.