ROUND UP: KATE SPADE NEW YORK HOME

Stop the presses! Ring the bells and call the president and shout it from the rooftops! Kate Spade has officially entered the furniture design arena! I love me some Kate. From her stationary to her handbags to her cute as a button dresses, I’ve always loved her tailored, feminine, sassy aesthetic. I even have one of her very early, just-starting-stationary mailers from forever ago. Last week I attended a panel discussion with David Peck (Houston fashion designer extraordinaire) and he said his dream was to be a cross between Oprah, Martha Stewart, and Ralph Lauren – me? I think I’d go with a mix ofBeyonce (duh), Emily Henderson, and Kate Spade. I want to share some of my favorite pieces from her new home collection – pieces you definitely need if you want to bring home a little sassy (classy) New York flair. The collection is full of understated bows and clean lines and flashes of gold. The hardware is flawless and the upholstery is perfect – with moments that make you remember this is all coming from a designer who excels in the littlest details. View the entire collection here and keep reading for my favorites.

1 | Lets start big. She introduced two sofas but take a real close look at the Downing Sofa. At first glance it seems like any other mid-century inspired sofa, so much so that I honestly glanced right past it, but the best parts are in the details and I’m pretty much head over heels for the piping panel that wraps around the back. I honestly can’t get over it. If you had a situation where you needed to float your sofa in your room, this sofa is it. It would almost be a crime to put a console behind it.

2 | Probably my favorite piece in the entire furniture collection is the Georgia Bench. It looks like an entire black-tie event got turned into a bench by a fairy god mother. Benches are fantasic, flexible pieces: in entry ways, at the foot of your bed, as a window seat, or if youre lucky enough to have a closet that can fit furniture – in your closet.  The legs recall Kate’s favorite bow-tie motif and while Navy and Gold will always be BAE, I’ve been really feeling Black and Gold recently.

3 | This Ellery Sconce is adorable. And classic. And glam. And tailored. Use it in an entry way to flank a mirror in a thin gold frame (over that bench?), use them over a vanity, in a moody dark powder room...use them everywhere. 

4 | A little while back I posted a Best Of: White Desks. I was 110% sure I wanted a white desk. But then this beauty came along in all it's hand-painted glory and suddenly I have always needed a polka dot desk and didn't even know it. Click the link and check out the hardware details. OH MY.

5 | These accent chairs make my little heart sing – they come in two beautiful colors – teal and a charcoal gray. They could be mixed into any décor and would make wonderful dining chairs as well. And would you look at that: the back looks like a bow. Not so much that they scream “LITTLE GIRL” but enough that Kate’s signature quirk shines through.

Maybe you're not ready to commit to a whole couch, Kate's got plenty of little accents for you to drool over. That black, white, and gold motif still dominating:

You can never go wrong with a bold graphic statement pillow, a warm, white willow scented candle, and this Hampton Street Rosebowl vase is so perfect - I would need a constant supply of garden roses.

As if all of this wasn't enough, Kate Spade announced an athleisure collection with Beyond Yoga to be available this coming January. Y'all what a dream. So what are your favorite pieces? What do you think of the bolder colored pieces? Whats on your wishlist?

AN O-MAZING BEDROOM

 Image Andrew Larsen/Flickr

What did I learn in this weeks edition of Football Rooms (TM)? I learned that there is very little (if any) good duck art out there in the world. This one was a challenge, I honestly don't know too much about football culture in the pacific northwest so I had rely on colors and stereotypes. I guess thats what I've done with the other rooms, but those weren't stereotypes, they were truths! I know they are some serious football fans up there, but when I started thinking about an Oregon Ducks room this is what came to mind: the rainy, woodsy, outdoorys Pacific Northwest mixed with a solid dose of bohemian hipster. Everything started with the bed...and I hadn't done a bedroom yet so here we go, it's a wild green and yellow ride y'all.

1 - Pillows - Pillows make everything cozier and again are my favorite ways to layer color and pattern into a space. I picture Oregon as rainy and cold - but in the best way. The kind of way that makes you either want to stay in with a cup of (responsibly sourced and locally roasted) coffee or  to bundle up in your best rain gear and hit the trails. I'm sure it's sunny sometimes, but I would rather not think of it that way. H&M has great, affordable pillows in all the colors you could need to rep your favorite team too.

2. Art is a really great way to bring in some subtle school spirit and colors (without resorting to taxidermy ducks and mass produced paintings of feathers...both of which I very much almost did). If you went to the O you will definitely appreciate this print by Kate Quale for Minted.

3. The bed that started it all. It's WINGED. Ducks! (If you haven't picked up on the rule: I get at least one really bad pun per post. Doesn't make this bed less gorgeous.) Anthropologie is a gold mine for any type of beautiful velvet furniture. Can't you just feel yourself gazing out into the misty morning from within the loving arms of this bed?

4 - Keeping with the "O" theme from above this West Elm dresser's hardware is like a quietly quacking cheer each time you look at it. The beautiful wood tones and forms harken to Mid-century influences and I think a little bit craftsman too. Look at the details in the base...it almost looks like it's floating, dare I say flying? Like a duck? Eh?

5 - Now, if you're more of a "don't you dare put 1000 pillows on my bed" type person, this beautiful handcrafted pillow from The Citizenry is for you. This lovely long lady is hand woven in Oaxaca by a collective of women. Put a stunner like this on the bed and you can show off your bohemian vibe and your concern for companies with a goal for the greater global good. You citizen of the world you.

6 - Always need a rug. I love the faded, worn look of this one. To me it looks like fog or rain clouds. Or those crazy gray, pixellated, trippy, wing-shouldered uniforms!

7 - Another gorgeous print of what Oregon looks like in my dreams (From Minted for West Elm). Maybe I'm off the mark and if you actually live in Oregon you would want to be surrounded by yellows and bright colors and heat lamps to combat the rampant Seasonal Affective Disorder. But perhaps this Ducks fan moved to Texas, and it's hot and not at all beautifully and magically forested and this print would always remind them of home!

8 - I had to throw something in from this ridiculously artistic state. I stumbled across this adorable little shop while looking around online. Canoe is a brick and mortar in Portland, but they have a pretty extensive online shop as well with a tab just for things made in Oregon! These ephemeral water color glass vases hand crafted by Lynn Read would add the perfect touch of Oregon artistry to any bedside table. How beautiful do they look in the good ol' ducky green and yellow?

9. Hey West Elm, I love you and your affordability and your good style. West Elm revamped the Martini Side Table to be two toned. A glint of gold and white brings some much needed lightness to this dark and cozy room.

10 - Finally, every good bedroom needs a place to sit that isn't the bed. Anthro knocks it out of the park again in a warm grey linen. Celebrate a rainy home game win my snuggling up in here with some cider or a home-brewed coffee stout.

Y'all be kind, this room was tough for me but please let me know what you think! Did you go to University of Oregon? I would love to hear from you! Have a great weekend y'all, should be a great one for us football fans!

ROUND UP: MODERN FALL DECOR

I have a serious confession to make...I don't think I like Halloween. I know. Even I'm confused, because I love fall. I mean, LOVE. Like want to marry it love. Theres just something about black and orange and skeletons and the fact that I don't really like candy and that finding a Halloween costume is inevitably anxiety filled and I'm always left feeling inadequate next to the person in the full dinosaur suit who takes it way more seriously than me. And don't even get me started on food that looks like body parts. Nope. My ideal version of Halloween? My couch, a double feature of Hocus Pocus and Double, Double, Toil and Trouble, and a bottle of Merlot. None of that Nightmare Before Christmas stuff. I'm a wimp. I don't do scary and that movie scares the pants off me. (I even thought I wanted to listen to that one song - This is Halloween - and I got like 27 seconds in and had to turn it off *shiver*).

In that (not at all spooky) spirit, lets take a look at some of my favorite modern Autumn decor. I totally respect (and even maybe envy a little) the person who crafts a spider web the size of their house and a giant spider the size of a buick to go with it. I love seeing people go all out because what are the holidays without spirit? As for me and my delicate nerves though, I prefer my decor a little more subtle. If I put a skeleton climbing up my drain pipe - the only person who will end up terrified is me every time I catch a glimpse of it out the window and I can't live like that! And if the decor lasts from Halloween through Thanksgiving it's even better - decorating twice? Ain't nobody got time for that. As a bonus, at the end I'm sharing my fall bucket list, how many will you check off?

Successful Autumn decor is all about natural and cozy elements: pumpkins, apples, and gourds, cable knit blankets, fall leaves, antlers and fur, layers of textiles, warm browns and tans mixed with some dusty greens.

1. Fluffy, Cuddly Pillows - The fastest way to change up a look of a room is with throw pillows. The couch, the bed, side chairs. All the pillows. These three are from Target, West Elm, and Zazzle. I do love me some buffalo check in the fall, and that cable knit pillow could definitely carry you through the winter holidays too!

2. Plaid Tray - Target is seriously killing it with the plaid this fall. I want so much of what they have, including their entire collaboration with Adam Lippes. This tray could hold all the fixins for Hot Toddys on your bar cart or it could corral some fun decor on your coffee table - or even host a cozy breakfast in bed. I love trays. 

3. Gold Antlers - Another decor piece that could carry you through Christmas. I love the gold on these from the Manor, but natural antlers work too. I found an unmounted pair at a resale shop - keep an eye out and you can find them from time to time. I love that antlers add a natural element while still being sculptural and abstract at the same time.

4. Plaid Mug - Target again. These mugs are great for some of those chilly mornings on the porch or hot cocoa around the fireplace or backyard bonfire. The tall shape is ideal for wrapping your cold little hands around and the glint of gold made them an immediate favorite for me. (I personally need more coffee mugs like I need a hole in the head, but if you're in the market...)

5. Velvet Pumpkins - I've been obsessed with these little babies since I saw them on The Manor's instagram account some time in September. They come in all sorts of gorgeous colors and are pumpkins that would actually last (who hasn't found a collapsed and decaying mini-pumpkin at the bottom of their Halloween decor box? Never again.) I think I need one in ever size and color! How fantastic are those real stems? 

And if you just HAVE TO have a little more scary in your decor I think I could tolerate some of these:

Clockwise from Top Left: Paper bats - I know Martha Stewart makes some that I got at Hobby Lobby - just stick and go!, Floating witches hats - Target has some witch hats in their $1 sections RIGHT. NOW, this gold skull from Manor might be as scary as I can handle (and it's a BANK so you can start saving for Christmas!), and these skeleton flamingos are silly and amazing - party stores carry them or try your hand at making your own!

So, are you more of an Autumn decor person or do you like to make your house a living nightmare...or do you fall somewhere in between? Hopefully this guide gets you decorated in time to still do all the best fall activities. As I promised heres my bucket list...which ones are you going to try?