{favourite five: rachel ashwell}

Rachel Ashwell is the designer who turned shabby into chic, and comfortable into classy, and she did it all with the help of perfectly ruffled pillows, floral printed fabrics, romantic chandeliers, and pastel tufted cushions.

In 1989, Rachel, a former movie set designer and stylist, generated a worldwide phenomenon when she created the Shabby Chic brand, showing that there is an elegance in time-worn objects and that interior spaces can be simple and relaxed, while still beautifully sophisticated and refined.

Since then, Rachel has created a successful brand that has grown into three distinct lines: Shabby Chic, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture and Simply Shabby Chic, with flagship stores located in three glamorous cities: Santa Monica, New York City and London; Ashwell has also written a series of design books and most recently, launched a new stationery line.





The daughter of a restorer of antique dolls and a rare book dealer, Rachel’s love for flea markets and antique stores began as a young girl. She spent her days learning how to appreciate and recognize the beauty of vintage items. Because of this we could not possibly imagine anyone better to tell us her:

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{five favourite flea markets around the world}

1. Round Top in Texas
I love everything about this flea market, so much so that I even bought a ranch/bed & breakfast there. I love the people, love the way the aisles and parking/pickup is organized, and the finishes on the furniture -- lots of authentic crackled paint in their palettes, lovely tables and cabinets.

2. Brimfield in Massachusetts
I am always guaranteed to come away with an eclectic mix of large furniture pieces from Brimfield and love the great accessories such as lamps, mirrors and dinnerware; there is also lots of lovely art -- many portraits and landscapes.

3. Remnants of the Past in Santa Barbara
Have only been there once, but for sure it will be a annual stop for me -- a wonderfully curated collection of fab dealers, and while there isn't "junk" to wade through, there are still well-priced items displayed in an eye candy way.

4. Kempton Park in London
Often shopping in the rain, so my focus is on wonderful English "tat". Bits and bobs of textiles, art, dinnerware, glassware, enabling me to embrace the "its all in the details" part of my aesthetic.

5. Alameda in San Francisco
Close enough for a pleasant drive, but far away enough from LA that it attracts vendors from further afield; lots of diversity of products and styles, but a professional group of vendors.

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{p.s.} previous favourite fives:
* fashion muse, chloë sevigny
* nyc florist, denise porcaro

~ laily

{décor inspiration: unapologetically pretty}

. . . whether a perfectly pink & gracefully gilded chair, a gold & glamorous tray of be-ribboned silverware or a delicate bouquet of the palest roses, unapologetically pretty details add beautiful layers of luxurious elegance and refinement to any room, and -- best of all -- a little romance to the everyday . . .

{p.s.} isn't that the most wonderful chair ever? quite obsessed with it and tempted to paint all the walls that very shade of pink . . .

{also} more unapologetically pretty {pink} things:
* petal pink & french grey
* glimpses of pink
* ruffles & lace
* bits of gold & palest pink
* endless possibilites
* tea rose & roman coffee
* glamorous gold
* monday, monday
* the colour of cherry blossoms
* august sunrise & bits of gold
* a london flat
* floods of sunlight
* of cultured pearls & marble

{images: photography by dusty lu via dreamy whites}

{at home with: rachel ashwell}

. . . a late hazy august morning, sipping coffee and falling in love with the soft, understated elegance of rachel ashwell's london flat, where every room feels like a dreamy and languid late-summer's afternoon enveloped in a soft and delicate light and the warmth of shades of palest pink and bits of gold . . .

{p.s.} also: august sunrise

{images: via lonny}

{happy monday + a give-away}

. . . hello! monday, monday and beautifully exhausted after a summer weekend away, lavender-laden thoughts still lingering . . . and while wonderful to get away, always lovely to return home again to a new week filled with a million brilliant things: to do, to see, to plan, to accomplish, to dream . . .

hope you had a spectacular weekend & wishing you a perfect start to the week,
xo

{p.s.} new & lovely things you may have missed:
* colour inspiration: shades of citron
* in the bedroom: crisp summer whites

{images: 1 - shabby chic via decorology; 2 - scan by this is glamorous, photography by jeff macnamara for victoria october 2001; 3 - style me pretty}

{in the bedroom: summer whites}

. . . the sultry days of summer have arrived and it has been hot, hot, hot and positively living in pretty summer dresses and upswept hair, and in the evenings, the duvet with its lovely lacy trim becoming far too heavy and we're dreaming, dreaming, of draping everything in romantic mosquito netting and saturating the bermuda teal walls in enchanting shades of crisp summer white . . .

{p.s.} don't you just adore the crochet bedcover?

{images: stylist susanna vento via the style files; 2 & 4 - cyrus, home hotel firenze via apartment therapy; 3 - shabby chic via decorology}

{morning light + smokey violet}

good monday morning! must confess that it still feels like the weekend as sun-drenched memories still linger and things are moving along at a perfectly leisurely pace . . .

beautiful things and exciting news for this week and the next, but for now, hope your week is off is to a wonderful start,
xo

{images: 1 - shabby chic interiors: my rooms, treasures, and trinkets via brabourne farm; 2 - a perfect gray; 3 & 4 - photography by amy neunsinger for shabby chic interiors: my rooms, treasures, and trinkets by rachel ashwell via haute design}

{monday, monday . . .}

good {late} morning! an enchanting weekend that went by far too quickly, but another beautifully sunny day today and nearly overwhelmed by all of this stunning spring-like weather; bit of a late start due to all the whirlwind activities, but shall return a little later with a few lovely things . . .

wishing you a perfect start to the week,
xo

{p.s.} like a fairytale

{image: shabby chic via lovely clusters}

{two lovely things: ruffles + lace}

{two lovely things:} another pretty in pink and tufted sofa with ruffled cushions . . . and pink gathered sleeves, wisps of tulle & bits of lace . . .

{images: first, shabby chic; both via rachel}

{inspiration: birds of a feather}

Feathers, feathers everywhere -- ostrich on evening gowns, in vases on fireplace mantels and in pretty up-swept hair -- but best of all, atop four-poster beds all draped in French fabrics, as if awaking on a magical, misty morning in le château de Versailles . . .







{p.s.} more feathers

{images: mary kate by margo silver, you magazine june 2007; clockwise from top left, desire to inspire; selina lake; desire to inspire;shabby chic via daisy pink cupcake; hervé pierre's manhattan apartment, tig scan from house & garden, november 2002, photography by james waddell, also seen at moodboard; style bytes; art partner; entryway - domino; flickr, siri tollerod by cedric buchet for v magazine december 2008; mon chou; domino; a glamorous little side project}