dressing a daybed

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

As I'm making slow progress on unpacking, I'm left with a dilemma. I bought the daybed version of this bench. Originally it was for a guest room, now a nursery. So the question is, how to dress it?

Source: worldmarket.com via Ann on Pinterest


I'm debating on if it is possible to dress it well without covering the back detailing. It seems so many daybeds are beautiful because of the plethora of cushions but I just love the shape of this bed. Daybeds are not an oft discussed design feature on blogs (I tried researching!) and I will say, more often than not inspiration is not to my liking. Either underdone or overdone. I do know I find the following rooms beautiful, is it the daybed?



Source: cococozy.com via Ann on Pinterest











Source: designamour.com via Ann on Pinterest






Source: palmerweiss.com via Ann on Pinterest




Source: isuwannee.com via Ann on Pinterest

A couple others I've posted before. I know I'm not planning bed hangings but these are lovely rooms.


Source: elledecor.com via Ann on Pinterest



So what are your thoughts? Advice? I'm having four Euro covers done soon and two 18 inch pillows. I'm not sure how to arrange them but I wanted them for comfort at the very least.

And can you believe this makes 250 posts?


tanbo art

Sunday, August 26, 2012

In an attempt to escape unpacking I've been touring the local area with some new expat friends. One of our recent trips was to view tanbo art in Inakadate. 








Images by me, please credit if you share, thanks!

favorite shop

Monday, August 13, 2012

One of my favorite stores here in Japan is Muji. I had forgotten about it until I stopped in the other day. I don't even identify with their aesthetic but the utter completeness of it makes me want to buy kraft paper notebooks, red rain boots and blond wood furniture like it going out of style. I like to think of it as an enlightened Ikea.






I know there are a few shops in NYC and London as well as a handful of other cities. Beware, you'll find yourself buying a lot of things you don't need because, well they're pretty.

Images from Muji.com and here and here and here

irrational wants

Friday, August 3, 2012

Can anyone tell me if everyone becomes as truly irrational as me while they're expecting? I spent a week deliberating on buying these youth chairs that are only twenty inches tall. Mind you I have zero necessities and I wouldn't classify these as required. I finally decided to say goodbye to them, only because I can barely order a glass of water here in Japan (I'm working on it...) let alone find a re-finisher should there be lead. Trying to be rational and responsible but it is not fun. I had to let these darling chairs go.


Our things arrived this week just when my husband is working quite a bit. This means I have two options: a. unpack everything myself or b. live in a fort of boxes for two months. Hope you are all well and I hope to be back to enjoying design as soon as I can see the things I own, not just cardboard.

farmers market

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

These past couple weeks have been brutally hot here in Japan. Someone in Russia please send some cool winds my way! Many residential buildings, including our building, are not air conditioned in this area. AC really isn't required but for about a month every summer - it is unbearable. Everyone on the streets is walking with personal fans. I caved and bought mine at the drugstore. It is just too hot! Still waiting on our things and working with limited technology. Hopefully only another week or two to go. Until then I wanted to share this pretty garden at my local organic farmers market.

 I loved the verbena and lavender. They were in the process of replacing the center tree while we were there so you'll just have to visualize it entirely green...


This is not like any American market! They have a beautiful restaurant where the chef prepares whatever has come into market that day. But my absolute favorites are greenhouses of fresh strawberries, bananas, papayas and mangoes.They had the prettiest sitting area in the banana greenhouse.





And I'm a sucker for their petting zoo. The local children were so interested in feeding the goats, lambs, bunnies and this mini horse. And in case you are wondering, that's what it looks like when you drop an entire head of cabbage into a pen full of rabbits - whoops...