Weekend Moments

While Costa Rica has a vast diversity of flora and fauna, one thing it lacks are coffee shops, there are some, but rarely like the ones I'm used to from my times in college towns (Berkely and Durham). You know? Those coffee shops with perfect dim lighting, where you can sit down for hours doing work, sipping a nice warm drink and no waiter or staff comes around every 10 minutes asking if you want to order something else... well, those kind of coffee shops are rare here in San Jose. Fortunetely I found just the place this weekend and it was a specially nice surprise when I headed out after working quietly for two and half hours the owner stopped me and say "wait, I want to give you a little gift", and she wrapped one of their amazing muffins for me. Free. 

This little moment reminded me of a quote from Tortilla Curtain :

Here is some pictorial evidence of this little surprise plus a little more from the weekend.

I have been reading "Just Kids" by Patti Smith, a Christmas gift from my bff (Dyan) who knows my reading likes so well, and I must say I simply love it. Highly recommend it!

Cheers to small acts of kindness.

xoxo,
Pilar

Weekend Moments

As planned, this weekend was a pretty quiet and relaxing one, yet I still managed to do some exploring and admiring the simple things that surround me.

From top to bottom: a stroll through the parks of downtown San Jose, along with peace doves featured around the city. Sunday dim-sum brunch and some picture taking around my beautiful yard. I love that bougainvillea grows naturally and the wood burning oven recently finished by my landlady's son, so crafty!

How was your weekend?

xoxo,
Pilar

DIY and Awards

I can hardly believe it's November already! However, I must say the month has started in a positive note as I managed to accomplish a small DIY project. As a renter, I have to struggle with decorating without causing major damage to walls, so hanging pictures with the least amount of whole-making was on my to-do list. Over the weekend I bought some cable-string, small hooks, paper clips and picked some of my favorite pictures....

Materials....

...final product

I also wanted to thank Lisa Marie (Amarillo and Crema) and Starlet (Can You Come Home) for giving me an award.

The award calls for the recipient to:

1. Thank the presenter(s) with a linking post 
2. Dish 7 things (or more) about yourself 
3. Share the award with bloggers

So here are seven things you may not know about me:

1. My favorite flowers are poppies...

2. .... and my favorite herb is basil.

3. I love  am obsessed with soccer (Spanish national team and F.C Barcelona. woot!)

4. I was born in Madrid.

5. I am a coffee lover addict.

6. I really, really want a blood hound, they are seriously the cutest dogs!

7. Nina Simone may just be my favorite female artist of all time.

And now passing on the award to the following 7 blogs, for always being inspirational and lovely to read:

1. Village

2. Fashion Capuccino

3. Whimsy Being

4. Bohemian Twilight

5. Katie Belle

6. Dancing Branflake

7. Hearted Girl

Thanks again for the awards Lisa and Starlet!

xoxo,

Pilar

Guest Post: Truly Inspired Rooms by Design Shuffle

Well, as promised, here is the first guest post of this little blog. The very talented ladies at Design Shuffle contacted me a little while back and asked if I would like to "host" them in my blog, of course I was delighted... So without further ado here is Susi from Design Shuffle. 

Enjoy!

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Hi, everyone, I’m Susi and I write as guest blogger for Design Shuffle, a fabulous online community of design lovers, professionals and amateurs, where you can share project and find inspiration. For inspiration, I also love visiting amazing design blogs like Wander.Lust. I'm so happy to be guest blogging here today about truly inspired rooms and decorating ideas we can find in designs. Where do you find your inspiration? Here are some inspired rooms that get their design inspiration from some unique sources. Hope you enjoy! I had fun visiting!

This gorgeous Moroccan inspired room takes the inspiration literally with Moroccan lighting and patterns. Some inspired rooms can be less literal.

Inspiration can be a launching point that is hard to recognize in the finished design. This living room was inspired by peacocks. Can you see it now? Beautiful!

Love the over the top design of this home office. Balloon chairs in zebra make a bold statement in this eclectic design. Dark walls add drama while brass shelves add sparkle.

Be inspired by where you live. This living room in Chicago gives a nod to Frank Lloyd Wright in the glass piece above the sofa.

Using art as inspiration is a great way to create an inspired interior design. Pick up patterns and colors from your favorite piece of art and build a room off of that. This can be great for any living room design!

Okay, so this isn't really a room but the design is so inspired I had to include it. This “painted” staircase is actually made with vinyl tape! So clever.

Leave it to an artist to create a room inspired by Andy Warhol that is pink. This is the home of visual artist Cary Leibowitz in Harlem.

This room is so over the top. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland (see the teacups on the ceiling) it is from a restaurant in Japan. Restaurants and hotels often push the edge of interior design and are great sources for inspiration.

Images [ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 ]

Thank you Wander Lust for allowing Susi to visit! For more, take a look at Design Shuffle, where you can share ideas and connect with interior designers, including Boston interior designers, San Francisco interior designers and more!

Sunday's Best: Make it pretty

Little over a month ago I decided to extend my contract and stay in Costa Rica for another year meaning that my apartment will remain my home for another twelve-months. And lately, I have been thinking of how to make it more "me". While I love the place -with its lovely pool and glorious vegetation, the open floor plan and light- as it may happen with most furnished places, it lacks some of my own personal aesthetic. So this week Sunday's Best features some decorating ideas that I stumbled upon on the internet to help make four walls pretty and make it home.

I love the prints from this etsy store... (specially the one pictured above)

...as well as these whimsical prints from English Muffin, and although they are intended for children's rooms I certainly wouldn't mind owning a few of them.

This article from Elle Decor really opened my eyes to wall paper and wall stickers, yes these are chic and beautiful, nothing like those often seen on college dorm rooms. My favorites here and here. 

Of course, a more economical and less permanent way to bring something light and pretty to your home is through flowers, let the home decor queen teach you some tips for gorgeous flower arrangements. 

And lastly, why not share something pretty with a friend and surprise them a hand-written card? Papermash has cards for very special occasions, but also to say a simple: Bonjour! 

Any easy decorating ideas or inspiration you want to share?

xoxo,
Pilar

(images here and here)

Summer's End...

... as the summer draws to a close, a little nostalgia set in and I was reminded of those stress-free, summers of my childhood. For three years I went to an amazing summer camp in the north of Spain, where activities included hiking, cooking and sailing classes, so finding out about the Surf Shack truly brought those memories back.

The idea behind the Chandelier's Surf Shack is pretty simple, create a beautiful space for friends and family to gather, a escape from all the stress and a reminder of our summer camp days.

I love everything at the Shack, from the small details...

...to the humor in the decor...

... the influence of nature throughout the place...

...and the kitschy 1970's surfer decoration style...

... but the best part has to be the amazing outdoor space.

Want to know what the Shack's yard has? A cushiony dock: check!

...wonderful bench sitting for outdoor dinners: check!

aaaanddd... teepees (or tipis, as you wish)!

... plus a BBQ pit to make the perfect S'mores.

This place is like every kid's - and grown-up kid's- dream, right?

xoxo,
Pilar

(all images here and here)

Happy Friday: Now Lets Celebrate With Color-Blocking

I had a short work week this week, thanks to Mother's Day celebration here in Costa Rica. So another week of August has flown by. Lately, I have been drawn back to one of this year's biggest fashion trends: color blocking outfits. And color blocking is not only reserved for your closet, it can be a great way to add some edge to a house or outdoors space.

 This outfit comes from J.Crew's fall collection and the house images from the Nate's blog.

I also like the idea of small pops of color, whether in a bright chair, bases or an eye-catching patterned top (images here and here).

Have a colorful Friday and even better weekend!

xoxo,
Pilar

Sunday's Best: My lazy weekend edition

After a grueling week at work, I did not have much time to explore the internet and start collecting links for my Sunday's post. Then, when Friday and Saturday came around all I wanted to do was be a bum. So instead of the usual array of links, I bring you a pictorial overview of a deliciously lazy weekend.

This image perfectly captures my Saturday (and Sunday) morning: no alarm clock, waking up at 8:00 and deciding that's entirely too early, re-waking at 9:30 and still feeling it was too early... Finally rolling out of bed at some point between 10:30 and 11:00!

Once out of bed I treated myself to a super deluxe breakfast, a sweet one on Saturday...

...and a savory one on Sunday.

Afternoons spent pool side enjoying the Costa Rican Summer...

... and as the evening rolled around, I curled up with a book and a cup of coffee at my favorite coffee shop.

How was your weekend? Hope you managed to wind down, relax, and recharge your batteries before another Monday morning.

And just so I won't leave without sharing a little something, here is a wonderful recipe for a slightly different grilled-cheese sandwich (wine, cheese and bread? yes please!) and a book recommendation: Infections and Inequalities by Paul Farmer.... truly amazing!

xoxo,
Pilar

(images 1 through 4 from here and image 5 here)

Sunday's Best: Home & Garden Edition

This week I found myself pouring over the NYT style section, while their homes section pretty much always features insanely expensive properties, furniture etc., I still like perusing it and daydreaming about living in one of those fantasy homes. And maybe, since this past Thursday I moved to a new place I was specially motivated to look for decorating inspiration. So this Sunday enjoy some gorgeous homes and gardens!

- I kind of have a love affair with Buenos Aires, even though I have never been! It just seems to have all the things I love: wonderful food, even better wine, passion (hello tango!) and a rich history, yet it lacks that stuffy quality of older European capitals. This house in B.A is pretty much a dream come true... the owners renovated the place, which had been uninhabited for a decade, yet kept many of it's old elements.... Oooh, and that staircase!

-If a contemporary look is more your style, this bright and airy home in Quito, Ecuador, might be the perfect spot. I love how much light comes into the home and how, although decorated in a modern style, it is still feels welcoming thanks to the rich colors and beautiful touches such as flowers, and lots of photographs throughout the house.

- A post about fantasy homes and locations, could not be complete without mentioning a chic Parisian apartment and this renovated 17th century apartment in the Left Bank near the Saint Germain des Prés quarter, "famous for its intellectual and cultural history as well as its bistros, cafes, bookshops and galleries" is quintessentially Parisian-chic with a wonderful mix of comfort and modernity.

-Although Iceland does not instantly pop into my head when pondering home locations, the fantastic views and interesting architectural elements of this water-front town house have me thinking otherwise! It would be the perfect snowy-retreat, no?

- Lastly, for the garden portion of this post, I just had to share this most amazing roof-top garden. It just looks like the most magical, secret garden, right?

Do any of these places seem like an ideal home to you? Are you more drawn to classic decor, modern, country chic... or something else?

xoxo,

Pilar

Dream Garden.

After a weekend where 90% of my time was spent outdoors, I was reminded of what a soothing effect nature can have and that got me thinking about my "dream garden"... not just the perfect garden, but a dream garden.

There would be wildflowers everywhere.

And an extra large hammock to share with friends.

My dream garden would also have the perfect play house...

....filled with lush pillows, for a quick nap or a girls' sleep over!

And at night, tens of candles would adorn the entire place.

In short, it would be the perfect place to escape to and remember all your dreams.

What would your dream garden, room, or place be like?

Happy Tuesday,

xoxo

Pilar

(all images here)