Currently Coveting

Just when I was about to buy a perfectly good Moroccan wedding blanket, only to have it cut up and made into pillows, I found these beauties!  Seriously, I just can't get enough of the accessories available at Anthropologie right now. Every time they add something new to their site I add something new to my wish list.  It's becoming a real problem. I think I might order the cream Amalia Tufts pillow, along with the beautiful Turquoise Sparkler Pillow, oh and maybe the plum one too...

Plum Sparkler pillow, $118   /  Amalia Tufts pillow, $148   /  Amalia Stripes pillow, $148  /  Turquoise Sparkler pillow, $118  /  Pink Sparkler pillow, $118  /  Glasshouse pillow, $198

James Nares for Less?

And speaking of inspiration...I can't help but wonder if  Mark Elverson, 2010 Massachusetts College of Art graduate, looked to James Nares' iconic oil paintings for inspiration when creating his Smoke series. The fluid movement of these colorful photographs bear a striking resemblance to Nares' large-scale paintings but lucky for us, they're a fraction of the price!  You can find the photographs pictured above and many more inspiring student works at UGallery, an online gallery that "provides art enthusiasts access to affordable original artwork while offering young trained artists a platform to launch their careers." I searched through the site last night and so far Mark's work is my favorite but who knows, any one of the artists could turn out to be the next Picasso so be sure to let me know if you find any other great pieces!

(Images 1/2/3/4)

Inspired by Cy

My love for Tom Delavan, former editor at Domino and current editorial director at Gilt Home, has officially resurfaced!  Over the weekend I was combing through the features section of the recently relaunched Gilt Home and I must say, the editorial content shines under Tom's direction!  The site is filled with interesting pieces on entertaining and trends but “Inspired by Cy”, Tom's piece about how the 1966 Horst photo of Cy Twombly’s Rome apartment influenced the design of his living room, really struck a cord with me.  In the feature, Tom walks the reader through his process of translating inspiration into reality.

"The image that became my obsession featured Twombly’s son Alessandro and his dog in front of a huge painting entitled “The Triumph of Galatea.” I loved how this glorious piece of art was leaning casually against the wall—it was sophisticated yet informal; the perfect mix of art and life. This family was really living with this piece, evidenced by the dog and child. I wanted that for my own home. Placing the 3-year-old in front of the painting seemed to be Horst’s tongue-in-cheek way of acknowledging the most common criticism of Abstract Expressionism by the uninitiated: “My child could paint that!” And, as far as the piece itself—well, I’m still enamored of it to this day. To me it is the perfect balance of color and whiteness, of scribbles and negative space, of spontaneity and mindfulness."

Knowing he wasn’t going to be able to afford a Twombly painting anytime soon, he thought about what really inspired him about the photo, and realized that he could replicate his favorite elements. Tom went for the tonal look in the photo of Cy sitting back and mimicked the general whiteness punctuated with dabs of color.  For the furnishings Delavan used classic pieces of furniture such as 18^th-century chairs and a traditional English sofa, but placed them casually, as he imagined Cy would have done.  The resulting room feels inspired, not copied -- it captures the mood and slouchy elegance of Cy's without replicating every detail.  I guess this room is proof that creating an effortless, airy look actually takes a little effort and a vision!

So I must ask, where do you look for inspiration?

(Images Gilt Home and NYT)