Ottomans as tables.

We've been ordering items lately for our new living room.  One, in particular, was the below Gavin Leather Ottoman from Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams.  This fashionable and well-made furniture brand had a lovely sale on Gilt.com.  We were able to grab this beauty at a third of the retail price!

We'll also be able to place these wonderful wooden trays, which we received as wedding gifts, on top to make it double as the coffee table.

Now, I just need to find some side tables.  Oh, and lamps - because there's no overhead lighting in the living room. Gotta love houses from 1925!  Stay tuned for the finished room sometime in December (hopefully!)...

Music Mondays | The Head and The Heart

Heard this group for the first time last week, and I really enjoy their melodic sound.  The Head and The Heart, despite what might be a semi-corny band name, have put out a really enjoyable album with bits of piano and bluegrass thrown in.  It's become a quick favorite!

Check out 'Lost in My Mind' from their self-titled debut album below...

  The Head and the Heart - Lost In My Mind by subpop

Baby Shower Bliss

A friend of mine posted photos from this baby shower she went to in Nashville.  It was so classy and creative, I just had to share.  All photos are from EBW Photography.  Click over for more!

And the house is just to die for!  Really inspiring as we're decorating our first house right now...

Happy Friday!

Music Mondays | Mayer Hawthorne

I discovered Mayer Hawthorne a week or two ago.  Maybe I'm a little behind the curve on this one, but his albums are a blast!  I thoroughly enjoy his brand new album How Do You Do, as well as his 2009 album A Strange Arrangement.

He's a nice mix of soul without being to serious in his lyrics.  His music will take you back, just like this video:

A Long Time - Mayer Hawthorne from MayerHawthorne on Vimeo.

Warby Parker + Paste

Two of my favorite brands are getting together for an event in Brooklyn.  Annnd you should go.

Gah!  I need to find a wormhole between KC and BK. Pronto. Also, if you've never heard of Warby Parker or Paste Magazine, you should get on that.

Berry Lipstick

So, I finally took the plunge this weekend, and I purchased some berry lipstick for Fall.  I ended up with Dior's Hypnotic Red, which is a deep eggplant color. 

Here's a fun photo of my friend Amanda and me with the new shade on!  It's a little scary at first, but I love the look of it.  Lipstick might be the new eyeshadow, dare I say.

Music Mondays | Lana Del Rey

Now that I've made the transition out of the music industry, I still need to keep myself engaged and up-to-speed on new music.  Hence... "Music Mondays."  A totally cliche name, but whatever. It gets the point across.  I've done plenty of music posts here, and now it's time for consistency.

First up, Lana Del Rey.  I can't get away from friend recommendations and blog reviews about her current singles.  Looks like she's had a somewhat perfect storm of buzz and opportunity.  Here's her new video for her song 'Blue Jeans' - and rumor is there should be a whole album of this chick by January!

Also, here is the video for 'Video Games' that first got me hooked:

We'll miss you, Steve.

{design credit: jonathan mak)

Having grown up with a father in the computer business, and now transitioning into the tech world myself, I feel compelled to write about the loss of Steve Jobs yesterday.  He was a modern visionary, and I think the world is more interesting and connected because of the products he created.  We'll miss you, Steve.

Shufflin'

Ok, now I really can't get this silly song out of my head...

King of kings.

So, since moving into the new house, we've been carefully deciding how we want to "attack" (for lack of a better word) each room.  We are starting with the master bedroom - it's this huge attic space that's been redone beautifully.  Well, despite the Toile wallpaper overload, it's been done beautifully ;).

This weekend, we purchased the Asher Bed from Crate and Barrel in a KING size.  Yes, a King! From what I hear, there's no turning back....

So, now that we are going to have a new King bed and mattress, I had to go on a quest for proper bedding.  I'm such a stickler for bedding.... I think it's sometimes the hardest thing to make a decision on.  It's a rather big investment (for the good stuff), and you need to love it.  Here are a few I was looking at:

Organic Circles Duvet, West Elm

Organic Chevron Duvet, West Elm

Parachute Duvet, West Elm (with those striped sheets!)

Georgina Bedding, Anthropologie

Rivulets Bedding, Anthropologie

Batavia Dove Duvet Collection, DwellStudio

I loved a lot of the DwellStudio bedding sets, and ultimately I ended up going with a duvet of theirs that I've been in love with for, oh, about a year now.  I first saw it at my friend's shop here in Kansas City - Urban Dwellings Design.  It's pretty bold, but I think our master bedroom is big enough to carry it off.  Plus, I like bold. So, without further delay, the winner is....

Peacock Citrine Duvet Collection, DwellStudio

This patterns comes in a greyish-blue hue for those of you looking for more muted bedding, FYI.  I'll post pictures once everything is set up and the red toile wallpaper is GONE.

PS - I mean no offense to the Toile lovers out there. I love it too. There is just way too much of it in this house for any one person (especially my hubby).