October's Arrival

The green has yet to disappear from the leaves outside my window, but the crisp, fall air has certainly settled into the city. When I walked out this morning, the cool breeze immediately enveloped my body, and it felt so good, as if the fresh season brought a certain calmness along with it. I adore this time of year, and now that October is here (and wow, it snuck up on me), I'm ready to unpack my sweaters and blankets and get the hot apple cider on the stove. 

 

I'm also itching to get to the Farmer's Market and pick up some autumnal blooms, and these two beautiful arrangements from Saipua are especially inspiring. I can't wait to start celebrating this new season, a true favorite of mine.

Images via Saipua.

Great Reads | Bringing Nature Home

I'm currently devouring Bringing Nature Home, a fantastic book about organic flower arrangements authored by Nicolette Owen of the Little Flower School, lifestyle photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo, and Deborah Needleman, WSJ Magazine editor and Domino founding editor.

The book presents a bevy of gorgeous arrangements - including the one above, which also graces the cover - organized by season. There is a helpful how-to section, as well as a focus on unique vessels and presentations of your flowers. The inspirational pictures will all have you swooning. It makes me want to run right out to the farmer's market and start playing with all the great summer flowers in bloom!

Image from Bringing Nature Home. 

Summer Garden Party

Fresh off the happy news of our engagement, a few lovely lessons at Haven's Kitchen, and a class with the Little Flower School, I left last Wednesday for Berlin, where I spent a quick, great three days for a work trip. The weather there was magical - sunny and cloudless with temperatures in the mid-seventies each day. On Saturday, I flew to Florida for a party hosted by Mr. V's family in Palm Beach, where it was so nice to celebrate his brother's graduation, his parents' anniversary, and our engagement all in one weekend. I'm finally back in New York, but only for a short spell, as Mr. V and I leave Friday for a friend's wedding on Martha's Vineyard...

Neither Mr. V nor I have ever been to the island, and thinking about this weekend has me dreaming about an outdoor party under the sun...A rustic and casual affair filled with salty air and bountiful flower arrangements, a bit like these fantastic blooms that completely transform the landscape. How gorgeous! I can't wait to spend the weekend exploring the Vineyard and toasting to our friends' wedding.

Image one via Heartbeatoz; Image two via The Sweet Occasion; Image three via My Favorite and My Best. 

The Perfect Course | Class with the Little Flower School

Last night's class with the Little Flower School was so much fun! Sarah and Nicolette are quite talented, and they perfectly balance being informative and suggestive while allowing all the students to make very individual arrangements. We had a beautiful bounty of blossoms and plants to choose from, and it was great being able to explore and work with several flowers that I never had previously...And it encouraged me to be more adventurous at the market!

I was most inspired by the young blueberries, chive blossoms, and lamb's ear, so I built my arrangement around those three elements. And, I had to add ranunculus blooms and peonies, two of my all-time favorites. (The purple color of my flowers in the image from class is much more true to the hue of the blossoms - the lighting in my apartment makes the arrangement appear much more pink than it is.) Flower class was fantastic, and I'm soaking up every bit of enjoyment out of this arrangement. I can't wait to try it again soon!

Image by me, taken with my iPhone.  

Florals and Voyages

Tonight is an event I've been looking forward to for quite some time...I'm taking a flower arranging class with the Little Flower School! Arranging Spring's Bounty is hosted at the New York Botanical Garden's midtown space, and focuses on some of my favorite blooms, such as peonies, irises, and lilacs.

I can't wait to get my hands on the beautiful flowers and learn a few new tricks to arranging them! However, I only get one night to enjoy my floral creation, as I leave for Berlin tomorrow for a work trip, and then am heading straight to Miami to meet Mr. V for a family celebration in Palm Beach. It'll be a busy Memorial Day weekend - what a great start to summer!

Image via That Inspirational Girl. 

Fabulous Florals | Saipua

I've spent the past few days fawning over these gorgeous flowers, which Saipua designed for an event I was working on last Wednesday. From the moment they delivered these fourteen arrangements, which dotted round tables at a seated dinner party, I haven't been able to stop admiring their beauty... 

Saipua used a variety of red, orange, and pink blooms, which included peonies, anemones, ranunculus, lucedendrons, azaleas, roses, and fringed tulips. Each bouquet was so organic and multidimensional - they really looked amazing, and lit up the white room with their bold color. I photographed the same vase of flowers from four different sides, and it looks like four separate arrangements...

These fantastic arrangements have been truly enjoyable to look at each day, and it's reinforced how much I love living and working with fresh flowers nearby. I hope you enjoy them through these pictures as well!

Flowers by Saipua; Images taken by me, with my iPhone. 

Monday Musings

Today was an especially lovely one, as my parents are in town visiting, and my Mom and I went to one of the final tapings of The Martha Stewart Show this morning. It was so much fun - the super talented Michael Smith was one of her guests! We also had two delicious meals today, brunch at Meme and dinner at Móle, which have left us all feeling happy and full.

Martha did a great segment on flowers, focusing on vertical gardening and planting succulents...It made me want to run out and buy a bevy of terra cotta pots and beautiful spring flowers. I currently have a beautiful bunch of ranunculus on my dining table that makes me smile each morning...Fresh blooms are  the most wonderful addition to any house!

Image via Camille Styles.

Happy Weekend!

This simple and festive table, set under the bright setting sun, has me really yearning to eat a meal outside. With the current warm weather in New York, that could actually be in the cards this weekend! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting Saipua and meeting with Sarah, the co-owner, as we decided on floral arrangements for an upcoming event I'm helping coordinate. I can't wait to see her beautiful creations - she'll be using red charm peonies, red azaleas, coral sweet peas, and red ranunculus...All favorites of mine! After leaving Saipua's charming space, I popped over to browse antique jewelry at Erie Basin, a store I had long-wanted to visit (after many trips to their blog), and I'm now obsessing over a vintage ring that I would love to own (a danger of window shopping)! I'm off to start my weekend, and I hope you all have a fantastic couple days filled with lots of rest & relaxation. Here a few of of my favorite links from the week to enjoy...

It would be fun to be able to buy produce at this green grocer.

Have you ever had pressed sushi? I haven't, but I'd like to try it here.

These chairs from the new collaboration from Canvas and Jason Wu would be a fantastic addition to any dining room table...

I'm looking forward to seeing this Ernesto Neto exhibit.

Obama prefers Jay-Z to Kanye.

A delicious champagne, mint and lemon cocktail to enjoy on these warmer days.

Slipping away for a weekend at this Palm Desert home would be the ideal escape...

Image from this Maui wedding via Style Me Pretty, Photographer: Gina Meola.

Fabulous Florals | Saipua

Today, my colleague Lisa introduced me to the flower designs of Saipua, a Brooklyn-based florist and soap maker, and I can't stop pouring over their beautiful designs, such as this one...

Saipua specializes in the most exquisite creations, each of which have a wonderfully organic look. Sarah Ryhanen, the shop's owner and a former art curator, also runs the Little Flower School with Nicolette Owen, who used to work for Domino. The duo was the subject of a feature in The New York Times in 2010 about flower arranging coming back into fashion as a younger, hipper art form - and it's certainly true! It's a skill I would love to master, and I definitely plan on signing up for a class at the Little Flower School in the near future.

Image via Saipua.

Details, Details, Details

As I have previously mentioned (here, here, and here), Eddie Ross is a master of design. Decorator Celerie Kemple has featured the wonderful home of Eddie and his partner Jaithan in her new book, Black & White (and a bit in between). I adore the mix of black and white details in their bedroom - in particular, the toile curtain fabric, the upholstered headboard (it looks similar to Brunschwig & Fils' Les Touches pattern), as well as the graphic bedspread.

It's a lovely use of the classic color scheme without being too literal or expected - the woods of the window frame and picture frames also add a warm touch to the space. Additionally, the silver vessel holding the bouquet of calla lilies provides a cheerful, unexpected punch to the overall decor. The attention to detail in this room is supreme! I love it.

Images via Eddie Ross.