Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

Baseball, Cronuts and Shopping … Oh My!

Hello friends!

I’m just back from a whirlwind trip to New York City with hubby.  Saturday was kind of business for him … a client of his invited us to their sky box for a Cubs Mets game …

 
 
 
… and Sunday was kind of business for me, as I was able to visit one of my all time favorite stores … truly a designer’s mecca …
 
 
Yay!!!!
 
But first, a little breakfast at Mercer Kitchen in Soho where we were staying  …
 
 
The Mercer Hotel in and of itself is the epitome of urban chic …
 

 
I kind of love how the books are grouped in color blocks ….

 
… and the painted white brick in the lobby.
 
Ok, so this is completely off-topic, but have any of you heard of a Cronut?
 
It’s a cross between a Croissant and a Donut, and apparently it is the hottest thing in town.
 
 
My mom told me to try to find them after she heard Kelly Ripa and Jerry Seinfeld talking about them last week when he was the cohost on her show. Turns out they are only sold at tiny little bakery that was a couple blocks from our hotel in Soho.
 
 
 
When we walked in to get a couple, the girl behind the counter just laughed.  “Um, I’m sorry but they always sell out within the first 30 minutes we open. And there are people waiting outside at 6 am.”
 
Dang! Now we really wanted one!
 
I had to google Cronut to look into this further. Apparently, it is the brainchild of pastry chef Dominique Ansel, named one of the “Top 10 Pastry Chefs in the United States” and is only sold at his namesake bakery in Soho for $5 each, with a 6-cronut limit per person!
Now cronuts are being scalped on Craigslist for up to eight times their original retail price!  And in New York City fashion, they’re available for delivery by scalpers in Manhattan ($20 each), Queens ($30 each), and Brooklyn $40 each).
If you do your own internet search, you’ll come across headlines such as:
 
 
 
 
and
 
 
 
There’s Jerry and Andy Cohen toasting with their cronuts, lucky dogs.
 
Anyway, to be honest, even if I had known, we would never have been in line at 6 am … sleeping in, in a dark luxurious hotel room with no kiddos waking you up (or sleeping in your bed) is far more delicious than any pastry. Um, I think.
 
 
(That’s us looking a little bleary-eyed as we walked out into the sunlight!)
 
 
Ok … back to the shopping.
 
 
Seriously, if I lived anywhere near New York City, I think I could furnish my entire house in this one store.
 
Six swoon-worthy floors of home décor bliss.
 
 
 
Each floor, an amazing loft-space with goodies as far as the eye can see …
 
 
rugs,
 
 
pillows,

 
lighting,

 
 
And the most unique and amazing furniture. I LOVED, this extra long table available in many sizes and finishes.
 
 
 
Or this rustic one with these funky red chairs.
 
 
Another beauty …
 
 
Check out the detail …

 
 
An incredible coffee table wrapped in the softest leather …
 
 
Gorgeous poufs in block-print fabrics …
 
 
And I’m officially adding one of these deep curvy couches to my wishlist:

 
 
I loved how they hung these John Derian trays on the wall for fun artwork …
 
 
 
And I seriously want at least one of these cool industrial-meets-farmhouse pendants …
 

 
Also love the more glam chandeliers … how about this amazing one?
 
 
I noticed that they used these cool round bulbs in almost all of their chandeliers … I really kind of like how it gives a more modern look to a traditional chandelier.
 
I also loved this HUGE old clock (and so did someone else … it had a SOLD sign on it.)  What a dramatic way to fill a big wall …( and I kind of have a thing for clocks.)
 
 
So kiddie-corner to ABC Home is another great little shop called Fishs Eddy.
 
 
 Walking into this Flatiron spot feels as if you’ve just stumbled upon the best stall at the flea market. Worn-wood shelves support stack upon stack of assorted rainbow-colored dishes, mismatched vintage china, toile teapots and other kitschy kitchenwares.
 
 
 
 
 
Quirky or creepy …. hmmmm.

What a great place to stock up on glassware …

These gorgeous milk glass cake stands make me want to bake a bunch of cakes and have a party!

 
 

So pretty and colorful …

 
It’s kind of like a candy shop for people who love their kitchens …

 
After that we headed back down to Soho … I was thrilled to stumble upon this gorgeous Ochre Lighting store …
 
 
I am so in love with Ochre’s chandeliers … I wrote a post about it awhile back (you can read it here) … so I was a little giddy as I stepped inside.
 
Swoon! I was greet by my favorite …
 
 
How killer is it? Seriously …
 
I would even settle for the smaller version …

 
Amazing over a dining room table …

 
And I loved this little back room painted a murky, moody blue …

 
Lest you think all I did was look at design shops … oh no, no, no. What girl can resist the little boutiques of Soho?
 
I might have brought home a new dress, some strappy sandals, and a pair of cute summer shorts …
 
I was especially excited to see this sign on Wooster St.
 

 
 
Have you all shopped their website? I love Piperlime, but I had no idea they had an actual bricks and mortar store.
 
Turns out, the only one is in NYC … and it is just adorable …
 
 
(and so are the clothes)

 
We commented that for a lazy summer Sunday, the streets of Soho were as crowded and busy as Michigan Ave in the weeks before Christmas! 
 
All too soon, it was time to head back to the airport … but not before one more quick stop.
 
 
So while we couldn’t try a Cronut … I can say their French Macaroons are delish!
 
 A perfect little snack for the plane ride home.
 
Until next time New York …
 
 
 
 

A Nook out of Nothing

There’s a little wall in my breakfast room that I wasn’t sure what to do with.  For a long time, one of our 6 kitchen table chairs sat there because we had pulled up my son’s Stokke Trip Trap High Chair to the table.  Now that we have the chair back at the table the space just felt kind of bare.  We have a large black wall clock there which I love, but it just felt like we needed something underneath it to balance it out.

The space is not big at all, and it’s a high traffic area, so I needed something very thin. Yet in order to balance out the huge clock it still had to have some weight and height to it.  Most of the pieces I saw and liked were just too deep. And then one day a couple weeks ago I was walking through Target and saw the perfect little black table. The half moon shape meant no sharp corners and even though it is 11 inches deep in the middle, the sides are just 8 inches deep which is exactly the length of the little wall it tucks in next to.

I filled it with things I already had, only now they seem a little more special because they have their own little table.  And earlier this week I found the little breadboard/chalkboard and added that. 

I also found a cute little “catalog of garden seeds” …

I’m so happy with the results! I feel like it’s a lot of bang for the buck and it really transformed the space from nothing to a nice little visual nook.

What do you think?  Do you have an empty little “nothing” space or wall in your house that you could transform?

***

On Sunday, I’ll be changing the message on the chalkboard to read “Happy Birthday Kyle!” as my first “baby” turns 7!  We’ve got a busy and fun weekend ahead! I think I’m (almost) just as excited as he is, although I guarantee I’ll be shedding a tear or two! For some reason seven sounds so much older than six!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!