don't you love...mirrors and chinoiserie

So while I was looking at mirrors the other day I came across this gorgeous bathroom (House & Leisure).  Romantic bathrooms are very much my thing.  If I ever manage to take a good photo of mine I will show you mine, its the one room in the house I like every time I walk into it.

And it drew me down a little chinoiserie hunt across the internet.  Rose pink silk chinoiserie wallpaper, love every one of those words so together its just heavenly (via Griffin and Wong) 

Butterfly botanical detail, detail of succulents and roses via Style Me Pretty.  Would love to work both chinoiserie and botanical images into my home.

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dreaming of order

I spent a frustrating weekend trying to force the elements of various IKEA storage units into the space I have in the playroom.  It can't be done.  I am a frustrating 20cm short.  The lovely Chinese cabinet with the TV has to move, I have no idea where, and the storage will need to be custom.  The storage we have is already bulging at the seams and Christmas is just around the corner.  I will have to take a leaf out of Melanie of You are My Fave's book, she said this week If you come to a point where the toys are greater than the amount of storage its time for a game of keep, donate, or trash.
So now all I need to know is how to persuade Miss E to divest herself of countless small treasures that each seem terribly important

Perhaps thats why this week I was drawn to these wonderfully styled adult spaces.  Clearly there are no toddlers to play with the arrangements of books and pebbles, play hide and seek with the neatly folded blanket, or take the flowers out of the vase to smell them better.  

But I am not swapping, give me the toy tripping, decor defying, mess making mish mash of motherhood any day.  A few years ago the family went away without me for a few days while I was working on a deadline.  The house was spotless and I came home to the same tidy space that I left, but it was quiet and lonely and I couldn't wait for them to come home, joyful messes and all.  How lucky I am to share my life with them.
From left: study in Michael Deperno's home via Elle Decor, simple bedroom, bedroom by Tricia Folie, butterflies 

This room in a Paris apartment reminds me of our living space.  Long space with white walls and black framed floor to ceiling windows, oak floors and a black wall at the back.  I love the black bookshelves on the black wall.  Need something like that at our place, imagine how much stuff it would both hide and display.  You can just never have to much storage!  

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