Rooms on Film: Doctor WHO (Clara Oswald)

surprise: there's a t.a.r.d.i.s. in her bedroom

It’s the dream we all dream of - rollin’ with The Doctor - and Clara Oswald is living it to the fullest. At first she was reluctant to fall in with his epic brand of whimsy, but now she’s totally on board. So much so, that The Doctor regularly lands the T.A.R.D.I.S. in her postage stamp of a living room. (A couple times he even lands inside her bedroom, which makes no spatial sense.)

…Epic brand of whimsy, right?

Windows on the World: Lillian August

the view from west 20th street: why are my pics always slanted?

It's September in New York and global eclectic is on. The signs are all around us including this fabulous window at Lillian August's showroom in the Flatiron District. This staging stopped me in my tracks: it has glamour, exoticism, urban sophistication, rustic texture and many pops of bright color. Inviting, not overwhelming. 

A fabulous vignette. Of course, it's only in keeping with the general quality of their window displays...

Single-Girl Style: Moody Modern Luxury

home of di botha and athol moult featured in house & leisure south africa

This house near Cape Town, SA is nothing short of striking with its dramatic combination of dark walls and opulent colors. The interplay of modern lines and luxurious textures adds up to a riveting home. It's not so much welcoming as demanding. You feel required to be there right now, reveling in it's cozy, relaxing atmosphere for as long as possible before the owners kick you out. 

Single-Girl Style: Antique Comforts

soft and spacious, with a view to build a dream on

If you're going to have a country home, it's probably best to make sure it's as restful inside as outside. And also, centered in the midst of some magnificent natural scenery. I've never been to New Zealand, but clearly that little country has some wide open spaces of note.

Colorfully Eclectic: Yet Another Style Quiz

haven't changed a bit, so comforting to know

Have to admit that they are pretty correct though. I'd want to temper that white quite a bit. But otherwise, I feel well represented by this assessment. I've certainly been thinking a lot about inspiration rooms, with an eye toward polishing my own space a bit. 

Rooms on Film: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

star-crossed: dodge and penny meet mere days before the apocalypse

This is one of those movies I watch whenever I find it playing on cable. A quiet little story about two people who meet as the world is counting down the end of days. As society literally breaks down around them, giving way to despair and chaos on every level, neighbors Dodge and Penny meet and join forces to return to their loved ones before an oncoming asteriod extincts mankind.

While Dodge is the main character, mired in a tidy regret, this post is about flighty Penny's apartment. She's the life of this party...

Rooms on Film: How to Make it in America 2

rachel (lake bell) in her one bedroom palace eclectic

Okay, so it has been a year since my first post on this cancelled HBO series, but as promised, here is the second installment featuring my favorite of the show’s many homes! In season two of How to Make it in America, Rachel (Lake Bell) moves into an eclectic 1BR apartment. Designed by Kelly McGehee, the set has a typical prewar breadbox layout. The never-seen bathroom is just off the front door, the simple kitchen flows into the vibrant living room, followed by the sunny bedroom. The apartment also has lovely prewar bones, including French doors and a bay window…

Single-Girl Style: Downtown Decadence

now: nanette lepore's stunning bedroom

Six years ago, Elle Decor featured the Manhattan brownstone of fashion designer Nanette Lepore. It was one of those legendary shoots - eternally popular with shelter enthusiasts online. This is a family home, not a "single-girl's," but the styling is distinctly feminine. LIVINGetc just revisited Lepore's home with the launch of her homewares line... and it's still stunning.

Rooms on Film: Enough Said (Eva's House)

julia louis-dreyfus as eva in "enough said"

This is a lovely little 2013 film about a midlife divorcee who meets a new man and also meets a new friend/massage client at a party. Turns out the new man used to be married to the new friend/client, which our heroine discovers after having developed a serious girlcrush/envy on the new friend while listening to all her complaints about her ex - who our heroine has fallen in love with. One woman's shlub is another woman's teddy bear. 

Anyhoo, in the course of events both of these women have lovely girls-only homes that each shares with a teenage daughter. I see no reason for anyone to be jealous of anything given these two pretty boxes. But I'm a midlife woman in a studio apartment. Shall we? 

Color Texture Pattern: An Exotic Livingroom

home office/guest room from architectural digest india

This room is a dream, impressive in it's balance of elements which manage to be both eclectic and rich, colorful and serene, rustic and sharp. Everything is grounded on a brown/wooden base found in the architecture and case goods.

Color Story: Vibrant Luxury

photo: john huba for town & country

Layers of sophistication. That's what this room has, floor to ceiling. African mudcloth, wool drapes, woven throws, silk pillows, velvet seating, handcarved and weathered wooden furnishings and glossy surfaces. Hardwood floors laid in a chevron pattern.

And then there's the color...

In Print: Bold Color

eye-popping graphics, adore home (feb 2012)

Much gratitude to the overseas online magazines out there. While we're shivering through deep winter (shrieking, when the wind is fierce), they are serving up gorgeous summer rooms and bright, uplifting color. I'm thinking of making "it's summer somewhere" my new catchphrase.

Color Texture Pattern: Jewel Tones

rich indian bedroom with boldly painted walls

I gravitate toward warmer colors in my home choices. Even my teals tend to have warmer undertones. But there's nothing like some jewel tones for luxurious intensity that doesn't burn your retinas.

Single-Girl Style: Studio Living

photo: ngoc minh ngo

For the umpteenth time I was considering this delightful room that has been floating around Pinterest for months. How beautifully the colors blend with the patterns and textures. Yellows, reds and pinks grounded by whites and tans. Wools, silks, canvas and crackled ceramics. Paisleys, swirls, dots, geometric florals and African mixes against stripes. Wouldn't it be nice to see the entire room?

And then it hit me. We already have.

Rooms on Film: Before Sunset

behind-the-scenes of before sunset

This is in celebration of the upcoming sequel, Before Midnight! All my feelings on the subject of a third chapter in the 'Ballad of Jesse & Celine' are spelled out in this post. Before Sunrise was all dialogue about who these people thought they were and what they thought life is about. Before Sunset was the same with the noted exception that it showed us not only a lovely European city, but also the intimate space of one of the lovers. 

Single-Girl Style: A Place for My Stuff

welcome to my home

So, awhile back I promised a tour of my humble digs. Funny how time gets away from you (and yet this summer seems to have slipped through my fingers like silt). Among other things, it became clear that all of my storage is so full of stuff that stuff is piling up out in the open. Which prompted me to pull out all the stored stuff and start selling it off. That left Chez Moi in a quite a bit of upheaval. But recently I had to squirrel everything away again for company. So here are the (crappy iPhone) pics I managed to take before hauling everything back out. (And, yes, this is what passes for neat in my life.) 

Single-Girl Style: Chill in Kuala Lumpur

kuala lumpur home of an van daele [source: ruemag.com]

A wonderful summer room! Cool floors, airy furnishings, bright windows, soothing color scheme. Eclectic, global, casual. I love the rice basket on top of the modern entertainment console. The two pillows are a must for such glossy, cool floors. The table has lots of surface area without being heavy or obtrusive. And the spare wall art is painted in soul-soothing shades that complement the few hits of color in the room. Wonderful mix of textures: shiny, smooth, plush, nubby, worn and rough. 

All good things.

Rooms on Film: Cracks 2009

rockstar teacher miss g's private room

Sometimes I can't do a simple Rooms on Film post, because there is so much more going on than set design. Cracks is such a production. Starring Eva Green (Dark Shadows, The Dreamers) as a captivating, modern instructor at a 1930s private girls school, Cracks is really one of those treats of costuming and design. Take a beautiful actress, build a gorgeous setting and clothe her in cutting-edge style. Then turn her loose to perform while the audience falls back, mesmerized by the dashing shapes and silhouettes all this amounts to as the story unfolds. SO, this will be the first of two posts: one centering on the sets, the second focusing on the wardrobe.

Single-Girl Style: Dynamic Brooklyn

The latest issue of Lonny features a very cool little apartment in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Kelley Carter is an editor at Real Simple who's apartment is loaded with color, texture and pattern. The total effect is a fresh, vibrant, dynamic and glam home.

Rooms on Film: In America

thrifty chic in hell's kitchen, nyc

In keeping with my recent post about the insanity of New York City apartments and the lengths people will take to live here, I'm profiling a marvelous 2002 movie that got a fair amount of recognition for an indie. In America follows an Irish family as they relocate to the U.S. (via Niagara Falls) and set up house in a huge old building in Hell's Kitchen, following the death of the one of the children.