A personal announcement, and beautiful pictures from Barcelona

Hi all - so for those following my Europe trip, this will be the last post for Spain. I have many more countries to share with you, and next up will be Italy! But first, lets say goodbye to Spain with a hodgepodge of images from beautiful Barcelona.

And my personal announcement? On Feb. 14th I am leaving for Spain to live with my boyfriend until the end of June! Don't worry though, I will still be blogging with the same consistency, just 6 hours ahead of you guys on the east coast. After June, depending on where/if boyfriend goes to grad school, I will announce my new home, which will probably be somewhere on the east coast.

Okay, here's a little review of the 9 weeks I spent backpacking through Europe. I've now covered Spain in previous posts.

(click for a larger version of the map)
The countries we visited include Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

Here is a round up of posts from my travels throughout Spain

•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
• Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
• Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
• Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
• Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
• Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
• Bilbao and San Sebastian
• Beautiful Barcelona
• The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
• Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona


Now for saying goodbye to Spain with the last of my Barcelona images -


The colorful, delicious markets...

The work of Gaudi everywhere, such as the Casa Amatiller


Stunning ceiling


Reminds me of Morocco!



In Park Guell, you can tour the house where Gaudi lived. Gaudi did not design this house, it was originally owned by his father.



What a humble bedroom!


Most of the house is used to showcase his hardware and furniture design, which you'll see below

LOVE this door know.



Do you have a favorite place in Spain - or a place you've always wanted to see?

Here's that list again of all my posts from our travels in Spain -

•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
• Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
• Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
• Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
• Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
• Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
• Bilbao and San Sebastian
• Beautiful Barcelona
• The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
• Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona


So stay tuned for more Europe pics - next post will be featuring the breathtaking Cinque Terre on the Mediteranean coast of Italy.

Read More

Apartment 2 from "2 very chic apartments.."

Now enter sister Victoria's apartment. As you can tell, she's very influenced by the glamor of the 50s and 60s, but with a clean traditional feel as well. I really like her color palettes.


love the chair
a gorgeous renovation for this small but great kitchen



This shot is so pretty - the narrow drawers and the hydrangea and mirror.





It's all so pretty!

Click the image above to read Victoria's design tips...
via Lonny Magazine

Read More

2 VERY chic apartments, 2 sisters

This post will be in two parts, one today and one tomorrow. I have to give these two sisters credit for both being so talented. Both of their spaces are beautiful, while showing off each sister's identity.

The two worked together to decorate and renovate each other's apartments. Antonia moved in first, so they worked on her place first. Both apartments needed completely renovated bathrooms. Both kitchens were also gutted as they were poorly laid out, and did not utilize space to the max. As you can see, and will see more tomorrow, both sisters are great navigators of flea markets, and you'll see there tips below.








I really want a tiny set of library steps like these - does anyone know if/what there formal name is?



click the image below for a larger version of the Thompson sister's tips for navigating flea markets.


Come back tomorrow for Victoria's apartment.

via Lonny

Read More

Gorgeous European Interiors

Lots of prettiness for you this morning! I've collected some images that I feel are particularly sensual. I feel like they focus a lot more on patina and texture in France - thoughts?


I love the juxtaposition of this rusic table with the elegant pink walls and gold accents





Love the composition on the mantle


I really love the chest of drawers against the wall - what a great piece for organizing

check out the wall! It looks like a detail of a Monet!

via Marie Claire Maison

Read More