Author Archives: Mallory

Charm City – Baltimore

Posted in Beautiful Places, Life Stuff, Visual Eye Candy by

So this post is long overdue. I think my guilt caught up with me after Jefe and I had a marathon viewing of The Wire this weekend. I admittedly now feel schooled in the ways of the Baltimore inner-city projects so I figured it was time to indulge and share in the more opulent (and touristy) side of the city.  Please excuse the excessive use of Instagram/crappy iPhone photos – I was doing my best to not be attached to my phone the whole time, so the few quick snaps I took are all covered in hipster filters or *may* be a bit blurry…. a photographer I am not.

Jefe and I kicked off our summer vacation back in early August in Baltimore. The Sox were in town playing the Orioles (yes, it does always come back to baseball in our house), so Jefe insisted we bring the parents and check out Camden Yards as his dad had never been. And seeing as it was only a hop, skip, and a 90 minute drive from my hometown, my mom and stepdad came down to join us.

When in Baltimore, what better way than to start the day at Inner Harbor? It’s definitely become more of a tourist trap than I remember since the last time I visited a decade ago, but I still had fun.  The boys checked out the USS Constellation and the USS Torsk while my mom, Jefe’s mom Gloria and I walked around the water.

USS Constellation

USS Constellation

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USS Torsk

Thanks to a few recommendations from friends, I decided that crabs at Captain James Crab House was the most authentic option for lunch.  Eight hours later, we arrived via water taxi (I kid; it was only 45 minutes but felt like forever on an empty stomach).  It was quite the ride and although not everyone arrived at the restaurant with appetites thanks to some choppy water, it actually was a great way to see the entire harbor and cool off during an otherwise muggy day.

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Now let’s talk crabs. I may be from the east coast, and had my fair share of lobster growing up thanks to family vacations to Maine, but I am a bit of a crab-cracking novice. And I was the veteran of our group of 6.  Needless to say, the family was thankful we also ordered some corn on the cob… and a pizza.  Let’s just say that yanking out minuscule morsels of crustacean was not the family’s idea of fun.  We ordered a dozen medium sized ones for the table and this guy was still left.

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But I did not go down without a fight. I was definitely the last crab-eating woman standing as I was determined to prove them all wrong.  But I didn’t.  And I was still hungry.  Ce’st la vie.  We did get a great story out of the experience and had a great time despite things not going quite according to plan.  Here’s our obligatory shot of the fan:

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After my failed attempt at local cuisine, we headed back across the water so we could head to Camden Yards for the game. It drizzled off and on, but we kept dry for the most part. The only casualty may have been my mom’s hair.  Luckily we headed back to the hotel that night with two very happy Wells boys: the Sox won and they had an infamous story to tell.  Big Papi, the Red Sox designated hitter, was ejected from the game over a blown call by the home plate umpire that resulted in him destroying the dugout phone with his bat.  We were sitting about halfway up the stadium so we had no idea how crazy things got until we saw the replay on SportsCenter that night.

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One of the real highlights for me, though, besides the whole family bonding and baseball game thing was our hotel.  It was incredible.  Incredible in that “totally from another era, I want to go to there” kind of way.  Known as the B & O building, built in 1906, it was originally the home of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company.  You can find historic touches throughout, from the main hall entryway to black & white images of trains in the guest rooms.

So without further ado, I bring you the Monaco Hotel:

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The ground floor entryway, looking towards the elevator bank

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Looking immediately to your right, to the B & O Brasserie where we had a fabulous breakfast.

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The window detail behind and above you as you enter the ground floor.

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The right side of the incredible stairwell as you enter further in to the ground floor, before you reach the elevators.

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The left side of the entryway, with original lamps.

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Looking up!

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The stairwell from above.

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The incredible, open second floor above the stairwells.

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The 2nd floor hallway.

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The 2nd floor elevator bank.  Look at that marble!  The plaster detailing!  The CHANDELIER!

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Around the corner from the elevators.  I love these old, original touches, like the mail slot.

Walking further down the hall, you reach the front desk and the lobby area just off of that known as “The Living Room”.  They offer beverages throughout the day and offer a free cocktail hour that seemed like a steal.  We unfortunately didn’t get to participate, but here are a few gems from THE LIVING ROOM….

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Chess for two (and a viewer…)

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Looking directly in to the space and the incredible, double-sided fireplace.

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I got photobombed THROUGH the fire.

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One of the many sitting areas next to the fireplace.

Unfortunately we were so busy that I didn’t get to truly document the hotel, including our room, in all of it’s glory.  But their website has some great examples:

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The next morning, we met up with one of my oldest friends for brunch at Miss Shirley’s, which was amazing.  Then we headed out, fighting off a monsoon on our way to Spring Lake, NJ.  You can check out my post on this gorgeous town HERE.  It was so relaxing to spend a few days in this beautiful place.  Jefe and I even got back in to running.  When you’re staring at this, who wouldn’t want to?!

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I Got Purple, I Got Grape

Posted in Beautiful Places, Design Challenges, Visual Eye Candy by

For my latest design project, I’m venturing in to some new, very bright territory.  My client/friend is going through a bit of a life change and wanted to revamp her bedroom with a serious injection of tranquility and COLOR.  The combination of the two has been a bit challenging to say the least.  Per her request, I’ve been doing some serious research on purple rooms.

As I’m still working on the finishing touches of the mood board and overall plan for her room, I thought I’d share some of my inspiration as the color choice can be very tricky to work with.

So for today’s post, I bring you the PURPLE ROOM ROUND-UP!

Crate & Barrel

This was our initial inspiration to kick off the project.  A purple throw quickly turned in to purple walls….

Purple & Teal

Luckily we’re not taking it quite this extreme, but sometimes you have to go too big and edit, than to play it too safe from the start.

Feminine Purple

A more feminine, softer take on the color.

Neutral Purple

A neutral, more organic feel.

Elle Decor 4

Deep, rich, and a little moody.  Perfect for a bedroom.

House to Home 1

Loving the juxtaposition of feminine colors with the more masculine, modern lines of the paint treatment.

Purple Grasscloth

I just want to pet grasscloth.  I’ve loved it since the first time I saw it in the home of a wealthy friend of my grandmother.  And in such a fun color, you can’t go wrong.  It’s such a hip take on a traditional design tool.

Dark Purple

Bold and girlie.

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Soft, simple and relaxing.

Elle Decor 1

Upscale meets young and funky.

Elle Decor 2

Tranquil and fresh when combined with crisp white cabinetry.

Purple Chaise Room

Probably the closest in feel to where we’ll actually end up…

I’ve found that I’m most drawn to the shades of purple with grey and blue undertones while my friend loves the shades verging on pink and red.  So what do you guys think?  Would you ever paint a room purple?  I can honestly say that I can knock that off my list of design firsts; as a kid, my stepmom painted over the rose stenciling of my childhood bedroom, with a bright purple for my teen years.  I naturally chose a vibrant teal for the trim.  Gotta love those 90’s color palettes…

August Lust List

Posted in Lust List by

I skipped July. I know. You all were waiting with bated breath, and here we are 2/3 of the way through August and I haven’t given you a list of glorious finds to lust after in MONTHS. What can I say? I’m doing the work of 3 people at my day job and that doesn’t leave much time for blogging. Plus I kind of like to see Jefe for 5 minutes before we literally collapse into bed every night from exhaustion.

ANYWAYS, without further ado, I bring you August’s Lust List!

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1) Pacific & Rose Table Runner: Last week I hit up the Rose Bowl Flea Market again and this stand is the first thing you see to the right when you walk in. Every time I go, I’m always drawn to the block-print textiles. They’re not *quite* Jefe’s style, but I’m obsessed with them nonetheless because they’re so beautiful. The patterns are very Pottery Barn meets India.  Thinking I may have to snag a blue & yellow one for Momma Sny’s dining room.

2) JCrew PJ’s: I used to be the queen of pajamas back in high school and college. Remember Joe Boxer? Yeah, I was his #1 fan. But lately, my pajama drawer has been leaving much to be desired. After being introduced to Amber Interiors thanks to a “behind the blog” feature on Style Me Pretty Living, I was scrolling Amber’s blog and came across her post on Maison Du Soir.   Although I can’t quite afford Maison’s prices, I’m loving the idea of wearing more than a battered t-shirt and some old sweatpants to bed.  Besides, I really need something cute to wear while I’m watching Jefe cook me eggs on the weekend… what can I say?  The man knows his way around a frying pan.

3) H&M Home Tray: It’s black, it’s white, and it’s New York all over.  For these prices, I’ll take the set.  H&M Home has quickly become my newest budget friendly obsession.  If only it was a few inches slimmer, I’d have the perfect spot on my bathroom counter.

4) West Elm Braided Cable Knit Pillow:  India ink is totally my jam.  So much so that we already bought this.  And anything cable knit just reminds me of a crisp fall day back home.  Jefe has been jonesing to add some blue to our otherwise fall-themed living room so I quickly said yes  on our most recent trip to West Elm.  I promised him we were just window shopping…. we left with a large shopping bag. 😉

5) West Elm Zigzag Shower Curtain: Every since Jefe and I picked up this print and these photos, we’ve been wanting a little less modern feel.  So while we were on the aforementioned West Elm trip picking up our cable knit pillow, we grabbed this puppy too.

6) Goyard Classic Tote:  I’ve seen these all over the place lately.  They’re classic in terms of structure and style but now they’re selling them in such bright, modern and fun colors like this blue.  It’s the perfect travel bag for an overnight in Santa Barbara wine country or as your carry-on when making those 48 hour trips to NY on the weekends (or is that just me….)

7) Old Navy Zip-Front Military Jacket: I’ve been lusting after one for these for quite some time.  Now they’re finally back in style and with a vengeance.  Lucky for me, Old Navy has a bunch of them at a fabulous price.  Perfect for those cool, desert nights in LA.

8) Gold Charm Necklace by Mei Elizabeth: Found this incredible jewelry stand at the Rose Bowl last weekend.  The stand had a TON of beautiful gold necklaces.  I had my eye on one just list this, except the charm was a wishbone.  Had I $49 in cash on me, I’d be wearing it right now.  And unfortunately she doesn’t have that particular charm on her Esty site.  Guess I’ll have to go back next month with enough cash.  Live and learn.

So there you have it.  This month’s Lust List.  What have you all been lusting after?  Any new home decor?  Maybe a special piece of jewelry?

Isn’t It Revealing?

Posted in Before & After, Design Challenges, Redecorating, Renovation by

Yesterday after a great brunch with Jefe’s family, we FINALLY tackled some finishing touches to his parents’ place that were long overdue.

First we started in the office.  A few frames from Aaron Brothers and 3 college pennants later, and we’ve got a wall of artwork.  We choose a few long, skinny frames that were meant for 3 photos.  We ditched the precut mat, attached the pennants to the white backing with a little painters tape, and closed them up.  These 3 pre-made frames cost us a LOT less than the custom ones and they seemed to work just fine.  The pennants happen to represent the alma maters of Jefe, his father, and his brother so it makes it all the more meaningful.  What do you think?!  (Please excuse the bad lighting as I wasn’t planning to blog about this quite yet, but couldn’t hold in the incredible results….)

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Next we moved to the right, in the area above the desk.  Luckily, Jefe’s dad already had some great, classy artwork already framed that we popped up there.  It’s a print commemorating when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004.    Just around the corner to the right, Jefe found this stellar metal sign – an old ad with Ted Williams.  It’s got great coloring, has vintage style and is sports-themed (Have I mentioned this is a die-hard Red Sox family?!)

Last week we relocated a plant from their dining room to really it give it an old-school library feel.  And that sucker has THRIVED.  It’s grown at least 6 inches in the last week, thanks to the direct sunlight.

And without further ado, the big picture, literally:

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We haven’t tackled the artwork on the accent wall yet as we’re waiting to get a large poster custom framed.  Once that’s up, we’ll finish it off with Jefe’s dad’s diploma and a small gallery wall of Sox themed artwork above the globe.

Moving down the hall to the guest room, we finally tackled hanging the great Target mirror we ordered.  Much to our surprise, it was much lighter than anticipated.  It was also NOT painted red – it was the perfect shade of wood to match the bed frame.  Go figure.  So that was quite the happy accident.  And in the spirit of using what you’ve got, we hung a great picture of Golden Gate Bridge that Jefe’s parents already had up on the wall above the bookshelf.

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We still have a few more to things to go in this room including his mother’s rug and painting from Ecuador as well as a planned family photo gallery wall.

But here’s the **almost** finished product:

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More to come soon as we’ve got our momentum going to really get this project finished.  And yes, I’ve recently become obsessed with the iPhone’s panoramic option.  It really is a quick and dirty way to get wide-angle shots in VERY tight spaces – an overworked blogger’s dream.

Are any of you trying to wrap up any unfinished projects?  How did you find your motivation?