monday musings: the forbidden black and navy

Dollfaces! Happy Monday. Did you all have a fab weekend? Mine was full of wine, a photo shoot, DIY, thrifting, reading the entire second book of the Shades of Gray series in one sitting (embarrassing) and a little girls night out with my Richmond besties Erin and Jules. It never seems long enough but thank you baby Jesus, we are heading to the beach this coming weekend with our family. It is early Monday morning and all I can think of is next weekend. Oy. 

Today I am talking about the once forbidden black and navy color combo.  People, black and blue is no longer only uttered when you order how you want your steak cooked. I got on this topic due to a rant I had last week when a co-worker foolishly talked about how the combination of navy and black was uncalled for and no one should do it. The things that get my blood boiling. The designer in me took the gloves off and started naming exceptions. She wasn't buying it. I put the "no navy and black" rule in the same category as the "no white before Memorial Day or after Labor Day" rule and the "no black and brown" rule. These fashion and design laws no longer apply in my opinion. And for those of you who know me, know that I live by the motto that "rules were made to be broken." Nice. I know. If things are accessorized properly, it totally works.

This room is too fabulous for words. I have to clean up the drool escaping the side of my mouth. Actually that headboard fabric is all too familiar, as I have my overstuffed chair covered in it. Great minds, my friends. Great minds. The fabulous blues present mixed with the blackcent accessories: black bed skirt and the black bolster are too much to take. 

{the decorista}

A lovely little den/living space that I have been gushing after. Let's please address the large blue lacquered elephant in the room. Shall we? It is fabulous. We have many tones of blue and black at play here and it more than works. 

{amanda nisbet}

I know this picture has been seen around the blogosphere on the reg, but it is the perfect illustration of black and blue playing well together. Ohhh and a little mint green, if you will. The space is absolutely perfect in every way. 

{house and garden}

Ummm so who doesn't adore a coffered ceiling? For reals. I love the bold statement the designer made here wallpapering the coffered ceiling in the once forbidden black and blue combo. All of the pattern and hue mixing and matching takes a girls breath away.

And a close up of this amazing ceiling. 

{veranda}

This moody den is too fabulous for words. It is quite apparent that the navy and black combo was intentional here and it is lovely. I know all of the people who are still stuck abiding by these "rules" are dying right now with the mixture of the brown draperies in the space. Black and brown and navy. Oh my. 

{via}

A great solution for those of us who have the dreaded paneled walls and do not want to get rid of them entirely. Paint them black! How striking is this? Add some navy accessorizing and we are black and blue all of the way. .

{sf girl by bay}

I love the permanence of rule breaking happening in this black and blue kitchen. Black walls and floor mixed with the navy cabinetry. This designer was confident in the bold statement being made. 

{via}

A lovely living space with obvious mixture of navy and black. The white backdrop of the space helps blend the two hues. I am dying over those matching gold filigree lamps with the black drum shades. I totally need to loot these....

{decorpad}

Just a last minute reminder. Today is the absolute LAST day you can enter into The Vault Giveaway. Remember, we are getting not one, but two fabulous pieces to add to your wardrobe. Consider an alias being made on my end. Loves!

Crispy Chicken Cobb Salad

Props to the weekend gods for making it the freaking weekend. I mean bravo. So since we are back into a serious heat wave my diet is consisting of salads and popsicles. Swear. I am not a big ice cream/popsicle craver, but while in the grocery store the other day, my internal radar directed me to the popsicle aisle in a magnetic way. One thing is for sure, I was not going home without some sugar free popsicles. So in addition to my dinner, I had 3 popsicles. Wowie. I blame my popsicle addiction on global warming. 

So on to my other dietary must, salads. I made a super traditional cobb salad the other day and let me tell ya, it was true blue and didn't disappoint. It was fast, fabulous and easy. I kind of changed up the "traditional cobb" and added some crispy chicken for the fun of it. Since I try to do the low carb thing, I substitute the normal breadcrumbs for dried parmesan cheese. You cook it just the same and I actually prefer that to the breadcrumbs. Call it delusional, but it works for me. 

Crispy Cobb Salad with Red Wine Lemon Vinaigrette

Adapted from Family Kitchen

Ingredients

Head of romaine or iceberg lettuce

2 chicken breasts, grilled or in my case crispy. Instead of breadcrumbs, I use dried parmesan cheese. 

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 avocado

1/4 red onion, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

Blue cheese

Salt and pepper

1/4 lb bacon, chopped and cooked crisp (I omitted this part because we have a bacon hater in the house. I will give you a hint it is not me. It is not Stella. It is not Billie. The girls are baconators.)

Dressing 

1 t lemon zest

Juice of 1 lemon

3 T red wine vinegar

2 T agave syrup

1/4 C olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Cook bacon until crisp. Reserve bacon fat to cook chicken in if desired. 

Add lettuce to a large bowl. Top with chicken, bacon (if you are lucky), chopped hard boiled eggs, avocados, onion, tomatoes and cheese.

Combine lemon zest, red wine vinegar and agave syrup for salad dressing into a bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Add salt and pepper and a salad you shall have.

What are you all into this weekend? I am planning on some major thrifting and some major work catch up. I will be sunning myself on the beach with some of my favorite people next week so I have to get myself in gear. Loves!

Bungalow Packin' Heat Bag Review

So I was recently contacted by Bungalow Co who is behind the brand of Scout. Scout has items all across the spectrum from travel gear to area rugs. Diversification is their game. I mean what is not to love, obviously we are sister sites with dog silhouettes as our logos. They have good taste. Obviously. When they mentioned they wanted to send me a special something I was beyond thrilled as I was in desperation for a new makeup bag. Desperado. I am the kind of girl who foolishly acquires expensive non-washable materials to house my darkest and messiest of makeup. I would say nine times out of ten, I am sticking my hand into a bottomless pit of a smokey glittery catastrophe. It is risky to quite risky. 

Naturally I picked out a piece that looked to be durable, washable and most importantly fashionable. Ohhh and another one of my key requirements? Monogramable. This is a word. We all know I am a whore for anything monogrammed. Which led me to the Packin' Heat Travel Bag. They had a fabulous reptile print with the option of a pink monogram. Sold and sold. Here she is. In all of her glory. And such generous sizing here to serve as my new dumping ground for products. 

And a peek into her undercarriage. 

Don't we adore her? The water resistant material is going to serve me well. I just know it. These pieces would make awesome gifts for bridesmaids, birthdays or just because. My only suggestion is that I think they should revise their logo to some Stella and Billie silhouette action.  Go get you some. 

Let me remind you of The Vault Giveaway

Must I remind you people about everything???? Just kidding my darlings. I would do anything for you! Do not forget about the amazeballs giveaway happening from The Vault Files. Do not forget the treasures to be won here. Two Charlotte Necklaces in the color your heart desires. Let's look at the possible loot. Shall we? 

This is just two of the bajillion colors my Gaby has to offer. Enter. Now. 

To enter:

You must be a follower of S+S {if you already are, thanks! If not, just click the little follow button over near the top right column} Visit The Vault Jewels and come back here to comment, leave your email address and let me know your favorite item in Gaby's shop. 

For additional entries you can:

• Like Gaby on Facebook
• Like Sadie + Stella on Facebook
• Follow Gaby on Twitter
• Follow Sadie + Stella on Twitter
• Tell your Facebook friends about the giveaway and link to this post
• Blog about the giveaway and link back to this post 
• You can also tweet about the giveaway, mentioning @sadieandstella and link to this post in your tweet!

 *Be sure to leave a comment each time you do one of the above! 

This giveaway ends Monday July 23rd at midnight.

Favorite Room Feature: Matters of Style

TGIT up in here. Today we have a super duper long time favorite of mine, Sarah from Matters of Style. She will be sharing her all time favorite room, her master bedroom. I don't know if it is the lack of coffee or my desperate need for a weekend but I totally want to take a nap in here, now. It is so serene and so peaceful. In addition to Sarah's fabulous designs and style, she also has a shop on her site where she sells one of a kind pieces. Every time I log on to her site I am severely tempted by her treasures. Just call me a gypsy. Anyway! So excited to have one of my long time favorites share her space. Take it away Sarah!

Hi!! It’s Sarah from Matters of Style! Lindsay is one of my favorite bloggers- I first fell in love with Sadie + Stella when I read about Lindsay finding a fabulous coral spray paint color. To this day, I am constantly inspired by her creativity and love of color. I am delighted to be here on Sadie + Stella today, sharing my master bedroom with you. Like every room in my house, it is always a work in progress.

When I chose colors for our bedroom, I knew I wanted it to be serene and peaceful with a touch of glamour. I read somewhere that you sleep better in a clean bedroom with a soothing color palette, and I think it is true. I always love blues and greens, so the modern geometric fabric from Thibaut on my duvet cover sets the color palette for the bedroom.

On the curtains and the x-benches, I used a green bird and bamboo fabric. The x-benches are from Ballard Designs and are such a good value- $179 each, and you can send them your own material. As much as I would have loved vintage X benches, they couldn’t compete with this price. The benches make a great place to sit to put on my shoes (or a place to pile clothes, let’s be honest).

The white Dorothy Draper Espana chest is an eBay find. I actually drove to the other side of Asheville to pick it up, because I didn’t trust the shippers not to damage it. It is one of my all-time favorite pieces of furniture. I chose a dresser in a light color to balance out the darker-toned headboard. I also have a white faux bamboo dresser on the other side of the bed- its proportions compliment the Draper chest, so it makes the space feel unified and symmetrical even though the dressers aren’t a matching pair.

.

I was debating whether or not to do an upholstered headboard when I stumbled upon this Chinese Chippendale style bed from Century. It is a unique statement piece, and it really anchors the room. It is mahogany and has fretwork detailing on the headboard and legs. I decided not to use a bedskirt with it, since the legs have such fabulous fretwork details.

The rug is light blue wool with ivory medallions from Safavieh. I generally go as large as possible with rugs, as larger rugs make a room feel spacious and cohesive.

It is so nice to have a seating area in a bedroom.  I used an antique Persian rug from my grandparents to create the feeling of a separate area in the room.  Since this photo was taken, I have added an upholstered armchair, so it's a nice place to sit with a book.

For lighting, I have a pair of coral vintage tole tulip lamps. A dear friend found them for me at Scott’s. They are so glamorous and feminine and perfect for a bedroom. If there is one room in the house that can be more feminine than the rest, it is the master bedroom.

On my nightstands you will find my everyday jewelry in a Florentine tray, pictures of my babies, Beckett and Sally, and some Herend pretties.

So now you have seen where I lay my head each night! Lindsay, thank you so much for having me! I am so honored to be able to share my home with your readers!

One Room Challenge: Week Four

How quickly the ORC Week Four has arrived. It's like here I am, minding my own business and suddenly I have to have some HUGE update to report for week four. Well folks, I hate to tell you but I just have a minor update to report today. Ok minor but also pivotal, ok? I got a new rug for the space. You, and my clients, are fully aware of my obsession with kilim rugs. So naturally, go kilim or go home in my office space. So this is what happened...

Remember where we were before...blah blah blah. 

And how far we have come. I have to say, I am digging the pink kilim rug. It is sooo me. And Stella mentioned it is also soooo her. Stella has quite the obsession with kilims as well. Girl won't leave this rug and she insists on rolling all over it to cover it in her scent. Maybe she is trying to conceal some goat aroma from a far away land. I mean you never know with Stella. She is secretly protecting the family at all times. 

So the desk is in atrocious shape right now, loves. But I am keeping it real. It is what I will tackle next. Organization can be the prettiest. 

You know the drill. Check out my equally crazy peers that are plugging along with me in this challenge. When you guys hear "challenge," does anyone else's mind go directly to the Cosby Show with Bill Cosby challenging Rudy's tap instructor to a tap off? If you do not know what I am talking about, you should. Fine, I will indulge you. You twisted my arm. I am Bill Cosby in this scenario. About 4:30 into the video is where I am at right now. You're welcome. 

Beth - Chinoiserie Chic/Lauren - The Cottage Mix/Sherry - Design Indulgence/Lindsay - Everything LEB/Barbara - Hodge:Podge/Janet - House Four/Kim - Kim Macumber Interiors/Lisa - Lisa Mende Design/Tiffany - Living Savvy/Jessie - Mix & Chic/Linda - My Crafty Home Life /Alison - My Little Happy Place/Danylle - Nana Moon/Nicole - Nicole Scott Designs/Julia - Pawley's Island Posh/ Jennifer - The Pink Pagoda/Bethany-Powell Brower/ Lindsay - The Pursuit of Style/Emily - Rue de Emily/Lisa - Trapped in North Jersey

A living room design AND randoms

Love muffins! It has been less than 24 hours and I already miss you terribly. Was your Monday tolerable? Today I am sharing random projects, additions and discoveries with you. The new segment should be called "PAD." I won't do that to you though. 

I have been working with a client who's home is currently under construction for a complete renovation. Can we say blank slate? There is no better way. We are working on two spaces but this is the first installment. The living room. This is more of a parents only space so we wanted to make a marriage between adult masculine and feminine pieces. The client also uses this space for work from time to time, so a desk type setting was a must. Instead of having a normal old desk set up, we decided to use a console table that will mirror the back of the sofa and will double as decor, but also a desk when you pull up a chair. Multi-functional? I love it. There are elements that are not seen her on this board that will be included. I cannot wait to share the after with you!

So I have been on the hunt for carbs and new artists lately. If you aren't out there looking for new talent, it is passin' you by. Know what I'm saying? Here are some new artists I have discovered.


Ok. So Birdaria. Let me take a seat for this one as my obsession might get the best of me. Birdaria offers punchy colors and patterns by way of canvas to jazz up the walls in any space of your home. I am telling you. The pieces are unique and conversational. If I don't get one of these ASAP I am totally going to pull a Britney Spears post Kevin Federline. See.

{pegasus}

{marble manor}

You know I love me some abstract. I just came across the piece recently and I cannot get it out of my mind. I must use it in some space. Doesn't it kind of remind you of black eyed peas?  Maybe I am the outcast here. Nonetheless, it is lovely and peaceful. 

{Jessica Torrant}

Adore this in your face glam painting by Sabrina Cabada. All of her pieces have this same flair. This is pretty much me every morning only I resemble a hot mess before my coffee is consumed. Maybe this girl is post coffee, as well...

{sabrina cabada}

So I was the winner of an AMAZING giveaway. I won a set of personalized stationery by Ashley Brooke Designs. Ok so she was so much fun to work with and the process was great. I obviously provided a picture of myself and then also images of clothing and accessories that I wanted to incorporate. Then, Ashley worked her magic. I am blown away by the results. What a great gift for someone. Do we love?

{Ashley Brooke Designs}

Needing your design input. I have a bathroom that desperately needs a rug. As desperate as Katie Holmes was for a new parking spot. Supposedly. I have tried a few options in there, but all in all they were too busy. Back to the drawing board. So. I have narrowed down my final choices to two rugs. It is going to be one or the other. Help me choose! 

Will it be the suzani border:

Or the classic tailored border look?

What do we think loves? You help me decide. I hope you have a fabulous Tuesday and thank you for sharing (ahem tolerating) my random thoughts with me this morning. Loves!

Giveaway Time...The Vault Jewels

Dolls. To make Monday a bit more tolerable, Gaby from The Vault Files and I have a huge surprise in store for your neck. Gaby and her fabulous shop The Vault Jewels is offering one of you, two, I repeat TWO, of her Charlotte Chain Necklace in any colors of your choosing.  Again. Not one but two. I still cannot believe it. Gaby is the fashionable and fabulous infomercial girl that is offering you that "but wait, there is more" tag line. That Gaby and her to die for offers. Can you believe her? Look at the colors you could add to your already bangin' wardrobe. 

Are you already planning on accessorizing? Me too. Look what else Gaby has up her decorative little sleeve. 

Nina

Sienna

Chantal

Nina

So how bad do you want it? How cute is Gaby? Let's do this.

To enter:

You must be a follower of S+S {if you already are, thanks! If not, just click the little follow button over near the top right column} Visit The Vault Jewels and come back here to comment, leave your email address and let me know your favorite item in Gaby's shop. 

For additional entries you can:

• Like Gaby on Facebook
• Like Sadie + Stella on Facebook
• Follow Gaby on Twitter
• Follow Sadie + Stella on Twitter
• Tell your Facebook friends about the giveaway and link to this post
• Blog about the giveaway and link back to this post 
• You can also tweet about the giveaway, mentioning @sadieandstella and link to this post in your tweet!

 *Be sure to leave a comment each time you do one of the above! 

This giveaway ends Monday July 23rd at midnight.