paul kelly furniture

Paul Kelly's desks are blowing my mind right now! PK started out as a guitar maker but transitioned into becoming one of the top designers in the UK, having been commissioned by the likes of Fendi and Paul Smith. He is based out of Kent, England and you can see more of his work here. 

celine ss14 shoes

Yes. via Sight Unseen

the new natural

Still waiting to hear back about whether I'll be moving next month to Chelsea, but nonetheless I've been dreaming about decorating! I want to go for a very muted, natural look, no crazy splashes of colors, lots of plants and streamlined, comfortable furniture that will look lovely against the white-painted bricks. And of course a touch of French. (I don't really know what that means either.)

Here are some soft beautiful inspirational photos. All photo credits are on pinterest.

allied maker

Ryden Rizzo of Allied Maker is getting a ton of attention by making a truly beautiful and streamlined lighting collection. Check out his work here, and some of my favorites below. He'll be debuting his collection at the AD Home Design Show in NYC this March that I curated. If you're in the area get your tickets here!

jung lee selfish gift guide

I am too lazy with posting these days to do a formal gift guide, plus there are a ton of great ones out there and you're just going to get everyone soap this year so who cares. So, my 2013 official gift guide is stuff I want and I want it NOW from my new favorite store, Jung Lee.

Since my (hopefully) new apartment will consist of a mattress on the floor because I can't pull the trigger when buying furniture, what better way to make it look great than with some gorgeous accessories, and I'm finding that Jung Lee is incredibly well curated and not too expensive (sometimes). Check out my faves here.

Lombok Shell Necklace on a pedestal

Coco large oval mirror

Fast large porcelain vase

Feather clock by Maison Martin Margiela

Open Typical Trompe L'oeil Door Print (to stick on a door to help you forget that you're living in a 400 square foot box)

todd sanders of roadhouse relics

Todd's neon lights are a perfect combination of nostalgia and badassery (I haven't had coffee yet so my lexicon is extremely limited). His pieces run at about 15k, and he has a 6 month waiting list. I am trying to recruit him to join the AD Home Design Show (where I curate a section called MADE) because I know the people of NYC need this kind of awesome in their homes. Check out my favorites below (including Mechanical Bull which was the cover art for Kings of Leon's 6th album), and more of Todd's art here.

peg legs

Since we are on the topic of sad ikea purchases, take a look at some snazzy legs to make your (funny Swedish name) piece unique. 

My favorite resources are Pretty Pegs and Superfront, and check out some cute options from Pretty Pegs below.

small space inspiration on a budget

I might be moving into a studio soon, so of course with my typical behavior of counting my chickens before the hatch, I've already begin my planning!

Since this is NYC "home of the overpriced square foot", I decided on Ikea for the sofa and then slowly accumulating the rest. I can't decide which sofa offends me the least - the Karlstad for a midcentury look that can easily blend in when I start bringing in new furniture, or the Kivik collection which is more comfy and squishy looking (comfy and squishy needs to make a come back). Check out some inspiration, and floor plan below.

squishy tables

Check out these crazy ass tables by UK-based designer James Shaw. They are made by a plastic extruding gun that squishes out plastic in any color he chooses. I love how the blues fade from dark to light. 

Check out more here. 

thing Julia likes of the day

Oooh these are just so great. Soap is great, everyone loves soap, and everyone loves rocks (...), so the combination is perfect. This is the perfect gift for that mom/ sister/ friend that you just can't figure out around the gift-giving holidays. The ingredients are fancy too, so snobs like me will love it more. Find these and more at Beklina.

Paulette Tavormina Photography

Paulette Tavormina's still life photography (yes! photography) looks shockingly similar to the natura morta of the 17th century Dutch masters. Paulette, based out of NYC, photographs artwork for Sotheby's and has a background in prop and food styling in Hollywood. I love the rich colors against the dark background, and the morbid feeling of the rotting fruit. Yes I'm gross. Check out her work and bio here.

haha what

From the website of designers Dewi Van De Klomp:

The Soft Cabinet Small is the smallest cabinet of this collection. But that doesn't mean it is really the smallest. Place your tableware in this cabinet and let the small cabinet show you how strong he is, like a young boy who wants to show you that he is a real man.

eames-inspired bungalow phase two

And we're back. For my long-distance designing I helped a good friend re-furnish his Laurel Canyon Treehouse on the cheap. Here's the design plan I came up with that incorporated his awesome art collection and his Eames lounge handed down by his grandma (shop it here).

And here's how everything came out! Next up - fixing the kitchen cabinets and dining area. If you love his spot and need a place to crash in LA, check it out here on Air BnB.