Perfect Pair: White + Fretwork

Fretwork, latticework, trellis... call it what you want, but this look is HOT.  Starting centuries ago in the 'Far East,' migrating to the 'West' through Chippendale and working it's way up to modern day via Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis fabric, fretwork isn't going anywhere soon.  The best way to update this motif for your contemporary home?  Pair it with some white glossy paint... and maybe a metallic accent here or there...

Words cannot describe how much I adore these cabinets!

{images via PiecesInc, 1stDibs & OneKingsLane}

Desk Lust List

I'm on the lookout for the perfect white desk for my living room and while a white Parsons desk is perfect in every way (clean, timeless, functional, plays well with others, etc.) I can't help but have a roaming eye for some other beauties on the market.  I may have more than a slight crush over these pieces.  Here is my lust list of hottie-patatty desks (there no budget in my dreams!!):

5. Lilly Pulizter for Horchow

 Polish with a little glam glitz.

4. Barbara Barry for Henredon

Tradition with an Art Deco vibe.

3. Jonathan Adler's Channing Desk

Retro-chic personified in a desk.

2. Milo Baughman Vintage 1960-70s Desk

Milo Baughman. 'Nuff said.

1. Vintage 1960's Campaign Desk

The definition of high style and design.

Sigh.... one day....

{images via Horchow, Barbara Barry, Jonathan Adler & 1st Dibs}

Baxter Urban Electrical Company

Is it wrong I find this exterior light from Urban Electric Company to be one of the most beautiful objects I've ever seen?

From the polished white finish with blue trim to the Edison style bulb, it's basically amazing
(as it should be for $3K+!!!).

The Baxter light... so hot.

P.S.  The Modern Sophisticate 
is now optimized for your mobile device! 

Pull out that smart phone of yours to view the new layout.

{images via Urban Electric Company}

White Kitchens

While I can totally see the appeal of a kitchen with rich, dark woods my own personal preference leans towards the white, bright and transitionally modern. My current cabinets are latte-hued and hand-antiqued, but I know that in my next home (which we hope to find soon, after quite a lengthy search!) I would love a white kitchen.

I adore the style of this kitchen from KraftMaid:

I love that this kitchen manages to feel airy and luxe all at once.  The pearlized backsplash and ornate light fixture really adds an element of glamour, which would make the mundane tasks of cooking and washing up all the more fun.  The only thing I would change are the glass doors on the island -- just seems a magnet for little fingers, and one of the things I love about white kitchens is that they're so much easier to maintain than dark ones.  Extra fingerprints are not in the plan.

Another white kitchen that I fell in love with is this one by Selba Kitchens, which was created for a cancer charity sweepstakes show home.

Some other great white kitchens...

 

     A design by Marin Kitchen Co.

Alla Prossima