Hawaiian Wedding

Hawaii week is coming to an end—I know, I know, it’s only Wednesday, but I’m leaving on a jet plane tomorrow! Since we’re going to Maui to celebrate my amazing friend and college roommate’s nuptials,  I thought it would be apropos to put together my dream Hawaiian wedding mood board. I’m sure her wedding is going to be ten times as beautiful as this board, but I sure wouldn’t mind this romantic tropical wedding, with weathered driftwood, floral crowns, umbrellaed cocktails and all. It also really makes me want to design some ethereal and tropical wedding invitations….

aisle / bride / driftwood / table setting / invitation / cocktail / watercolor

What’s your dream wedding?

Hawaii in Style

You can’t plan a Hawaiian vacation without thinking about what to wear! There’s nothing better than bright colors and breezy fabrics, and I am so ready for maxis, flip flops and floppy hats.

Admittedly I don’t own any of these items (except the Ray-Bans), but I love this look for day time. Colorful bikini, an adorable cover-up and comfortable maxi to throw on for lunches and shopping.

Maui Day by kclaytor featuring a bikini swimwear

Sperry Top Sider stripe dress
sperrytopsider.com

Cover up swimwear
underarmour.com

Mara Hoffman bikini swimwear
shoplesnouvelles.com

Chinese Laundry beige sandals
$63 – pret-a-beaute.com

Blue jewelry
$6.14 – chiarafashion.co.uk

Straw fedora
windsorstore.com

Ray-Ban RB 4105 710
$170 – misterspex.co.uk

And being that we’re headed to Maui for a very special occasion (my roommate’s wedding, of course!), this is my look for the wedding day. Again, I don’t own these clothes, but they’re close enough :)

Maui Night by kclaytor featuring lily jewelry

Mango dress
mango.com

Wedge heels
agacistore.com

Lele Sadoughi marble jewelry
anthropologie.com

Accessorize lily jewelry
accessorize.com

Collages and links courtesy of Polyvore

Aloha

It’s Hawaii week here at Design Bright. Why Hawaii week? Because I’m going to Maui on Thursday!!! So here’s too beautiful beaches, delicious cocktails and sunny sunshine.

aloha / pineapple / beach / ocean

Viva Las Vegas

I had mentioned that April was proving to be quite the jet-setting month. After last weekend’s trip to San Luis Obispo, we’re heading somewhere totally different this weekend. Cue the neon lights…..because we’re headed to Vegas!

And not just any Vegas trip. Bachelorette weekend. Pool parties, little black dresses and fruity cocktails. Jealous?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

San Luis Obispo

The month of April is a fun and busy one, full of lots of quick little weekend get aways and parties. 

This past weekend I was in beautiful San Luis Obispo. If you’ve never been, go immediately. Tell your boss you’ll be back next week, turn on your out-of-office email and go. Seriously. It’s the most beautiful place you’ll ever go, with the happiest people (Oprah said so, so it must be true). I thought it would be fun to put together a little mood board homage to this wonderful area. From farmers markets, to the beach, to wine tasting, you can’t go wrong. Doesn’t this make you want to go ever more?

Full disclosure: Some of these photos aren’t actually from SLO, but they might as well be… (and they do capture the vibe).

hills / farmers market / bike / maxi / vineyard / avila beach / downtown / mission

 

Desert Style

Sorry I’ve been MIA for a few days now. I was in Palm Desert visiting my grandpa over the long weekend.

The Palm Springs area is a beautiful place with such a unique style. Imagine lush palm trees and vegetation set in front of a backdrop of dry desert and mountains. It’s rare that you see such contrast in one location. I love contrast in design and think Palm Springs is lovely inspiration.

wedding ceremony / invitation / cactus / desert / painting / palm trees / hotel

On Display

Today, my hubby is taking me on a holiday date in to San Francisco. We are going to pick out ornaments to begin our collection at Gumps, have a lovely dinner and see a show! We are also on the hunt for a proper tree topper (because, sadly, the starfish tied to the top of our tree might not cut it much longer).

I’m so excited to see San Francisco all dolled up for the holidays. The past few winters I’ve been working downtown, so I was tired of the holiday cheer and Salvation Army bell by Thanksgiving. But this year, I’m not heading in to the city every day so I’m looking forward to experiencing the magic of the city during Christmas time.

It is always such a treat to see how the stores decorate for the holidays. There are some creative people who work all year to create the amazing displays. And who always does the most festive and charming seasonal displays? Anthropologie, of course!

Polar bears, a wall of ornaments, typographic snow and a tinsel explosion? I love it all.

Which is your favorite?

polar bear / ornaments / door / paper scene / tinsel / trees / typographic snow

Bringing France Home

Ah, France. It is a magical place. But we can’t all go to France, at least not as often as we might like. So why not bring a little French flair to your own home. Even a space that is mid-century modern, country, or contemporary will warm up a little with these French-inspired pieces. Kind of like sipping a cafe au lait at a sidewalk cafe.

These little plates are the perfect place to enjoy a madeline, while a poster of French cheeses might inspiring you to cook up a feast in your kitchen. I love the sophistication of the perfume bottle, even just as a decorative piece. The copper pots remind me of Julia Child and make me want to whip up some escargot! The vintage-inspired wine cork is a necessity for all the fabulous French wine (though, let’s be honest, I’d probably just finish the bottle…), and the Paris map tote is perfect for a trip to the farmers market.

I’m not sure if these items make me feel like I have a little piece of France at home, or if they just make me miss it more!

What’s your favorite?

The Magic of Paris

The last few months have been filled with weddings, travel and puppies, so I’m featuring those happy things on the blogs this week!

There have been so many highlights over the last few months, but one sparkling spot was definitely our time in Paris. There is just something so magical about Paris. Is it the lights? The architecture? The food? I think perhaps it is that special recipe of it all mixed together.

We were in Paris for only 5 days–never enough–staying in the St. Germain neighborhood. The location was incredible; we walked ALL over the city from our hotel door, or hopped on the metro a block away for the slightly farther trips. We ate more food than any person should ever eat, but it was worth it! There’s nothing else like a French pastry and glass of wine in the afternoon, or a little foi gras appetizer with an aperitif (sorry, geese!)

The weather wasn’t great, cold and a bit rainy. But Owen Wilson was right–Paris is even more magical and romantic in the rain!

How spectacular is this?

There is also something so amazing about the style in Paris. Everyone is so sophisticated! The look is effortless, chic and classic. This is what I wish I could have been wearing every day, to feel oh-so Parisian.

rain / eiffel tower / cafe / architecture / girl

shirt / pants / jacket / necklace / boots / earrings

J’Adore

For our honeymoon, we are heading to France! I’ve been spending the last couple of days looking at amazing hotels and sights and, with each gorgeous photo, I get more and more excited.

My future brother- and sister-in-law gave us a gift certificate to the famous bakery Laduree. So it felt like fate when one of the hotels we’re considering turned out to be on the same block! These macaroons are so gorgeous they are practically works of art. And apparently I wasn’t the only one too think so. How gorgeous would this be framed on a kitchen wall?

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