Destination: Les Toiles Du Soleil

This weekend, I happened to be in New York City for some family events (including helping to pack up the house that my stepmom, little brothers and Dad lived in for nearly two decades).  Luckily, on the way down to the city I had been perusing the June issue of Martha Stewart Living and came across a mention of Les Toiles du Soleil -- a French company that has produced bright, sophisticated striped cotton canvas for more than 150 years -- which had opened its first U.S. boutique last winter.  I've had a fascination with this fabric ever since I gave my bridesmaids a tote and cosmetic bag made from it from the now defunct Martha Stewart catalog (oh, how I miss that!), so I was determined to find a slice of time to get there.  Saturday afternoon, with a window of just 90 minutes, my aunts and I hightailed it on the A train down to Chelsea, and Les Toiles du Soleil did not disappoint.  Combine the cheery surroundings with the equally cheery and hip store owner Sandrine, and I was instantly smitten.  The store was a visual feast -- bolts of fabric hanging on racks and piled up on top of each other, blackboards displaying prices, neat stacks of tables linens, cosmetic bags and fabric-covered notebooks, and galvanized tubs filled with pillows -- I felt instantly transported to a little shop in France (not that I've ever been there, but I have a good imagination, and Sandrine's charming accent helped).  But what really struck me was how, well, affordable everything seemed.  For $58, you can score a yard of the many classic 72" striped canvas choices, and just $20 more buys you a yard of the water-resistant Sunbrella ones.  They also have an in-store seamstress who can make nearly anything you imagine(curtains, table cloths, deck chairs, roller shades, totes, you name it).  The thing I've been stuck on since I've left though is the shop's incredible oilcloth (this is not your grandmother's red and white check picnic table covering).  For just under $100, I'm going to transform an old IKEA table into an easy-to-clean candy-striped art space.  Yum.

Les Toiles Du Soleil, 261 West 19th Street, New York.  Purchases can be made over the phone or by visiting the shop...don't miss it if you find yourself  in New York!

Muting the Mayhem with Music

Although decorating is primarily an exercise in changing the visual of a room, I believe the rest of the senses play an equally important role.  The sounds, smells, and tactile experiences of a space can drastically enhance or detract from the way a space, and your activity in it, feels. Case in point:  For a long stretch a few months ago, I was finding that our family’s evening rush (leave work-pick up kids-make dinner-get to bed-mayhem) was really getting me down.  I was stressed, the kids were acting out on that stress, there was crying (from all parties involved), and it was ugly.  Then one night, when I just had it with my hungry and tired kids fighting in the playroom, and my hungry and tired self trying to cook up a healthy dinner in three minutes, our Bose SoundDock caught my eye.  I popped in my iPod, cranked up the volume, and starting rocking out to Fleetwood Mac.  Before I knew it, my little guys were in the kitchen with me, setting up a “drum set” using chairs and their tambourines.  The vibe of the evening changed instantly and we laughed through dinner, singing, dancing and being totally goofy. 

These days when I get home, I head straight for the music before even putting on water to boil.  Sometimes it’s Zanes and sometimes it’s Zeppelin, but either way, it makes everyone feel better at the end of a long day.

Some of my recommendations for amazing sound and a small profile include the Bose SoundDock (for iPods) and the Tivoli Model One Radio (Radio only). 

Image credit: Bose

SoWa Sundays Begin!

Eight years ago, when I moved back to Boston from New York, I was surprised to find that there wasn't an open-air art market (like the ones that you can find every weekend in nearly every Manhattan neighborhood) anywhere to be found.  But just a few years later, the SoWa Open Market began to fill that void, pitching tents in Boston's South End and filling them with local vendors offering everything from original art to handmade accessories to fresh-off-the-farm produce.  This weekend, the brains behind Open Market launch their newest addition to the SoWa family -- the SoWa Antiques Market, housed in the historic Trolley Barn.  Dealers offering antique and vintage pottery, furniture, textiles, collectibles, glassware and more, promise to be a great addition to this Boston institution-in-the-making.  And if I weren't away this weekend I would be angling for some child-free time to roam the aisles...    SoWa Open Market, Antiques Market and Produce Market, Sundays through October; opening weekend only open Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17; 540 Harrison Avenue, South End, Boston.

Image credit:  SoWa Open Market

C'mon Lilly, Light My Fire

Everybody needs a little Lilly.  In my heyday as a pink-and-green-blooded prepster, I used to pull off the whole Lilly look -- patchwork shift, Jack Rogers sandals, patent headband.  But even though my personal style has evolved, I can still have a little of that classic Lilly Pulitzer fruit punch-drunk color in my life with her new matchbooks.  At $4.50 a box, I might fill up a little vessel in my pink-tiled bathroom... Lilly Pulitzer Strike It Hot Matches first spotted in the June issue of Country Living, available online at Preppy Princess.

Image credit: Preppy Princess

The Well-Appointed Guest Room

We have guests regularly, but for about 18 months after we moved in, our guest room/office/magazine storage facility was in really bad shape (white walls, hardwood floors, unpacked moving boxes as a bedside table, roller shades that fell down if you tugged too hard).  Finally this winter, after my stepmom had put up with our spartan accomodations more than she probably wanted, she suggested sincerely -- maybe you could get a reading lamp? Really, she assured us, that's all the room needs. Fast forward, and although it is still not the ideal space, we're a little bit closer to creating a cozy spot for guests to relax, store their stuff and catch some zzz's (warm walls with art, rug, proper bedside table, functional and pretty curtains from previous post).  So when I came across this great checklist from the May issue of House Beautiul, I did a quick scan to be sure I was covering all the bases:

Guest Room Essentials (from Tom Scheerer, Interior Designer)  

• Bath and hand towels, washcloths
• Fresh soap
• Shampoo
• Bath oil or foam (hmm...I'd replace this suggestion with a tube of 30 spf sunscreen)  
• A unisex XL terry robe
• A hair dryer
• A refillable water vessel and glass
• A pad and pencil
• An alarm clock
• A range of magazines (!)
• A range of hangers
• Luggage rack
• Bedside nosegay or single blossom
• An orange or apple

I love this list because it seems so, well, normal.  I've seen lists like this before that include suggestions for city maps, a list of telephone numbers for services (dry cleaner, taxi), extra toothbrushes and other items that make it feel like we should be running one-room hotels rather than providing the essentials that make a guest feel at home.

Of course, there's one thing missing from Mr. Scheerer's list: a reading lamp.

For Tom's list and 15 other expert checklists of "The Essentials," ranging from Kitchen to Barware to Fashion, visit House Beautiful or pick up the May issue (or both!).

Image credit: Women's Lightweight Calf-length Terry Robe at Lands' End