Stunning Set Designs

Nancy Meyers.
For those of you who love her films, you probably also love the houses her characters live in. Like so many of you, I walk away from each of her films wanting to live the life of her main characters mainly because, who wouldn't want to live in a breathtaking Hamptons Beach Home (Something's Gotta Give) or a charming cottage in Suri, England (The Holiday). For me, it all began with Father of The Bride. As a young girl, I would pause and rewind the first scene in the movie over and over again. Steve Martin drives his convertable down a gorgeous street, surrounded by beautiful green trees until he makes his way home. For many years, this was my dream home:

But then I saw 'Something's Gotta Give' and inevitably had a new 'dream home' (or shall I say, 'dream beach house')

Diane Keaton's Beach House 'Something's Gotta Give'

Below, are other set designs created by Jon Hutman, for Nancy Meyers' films:

Cameron Diaz's Mansion in 'The Holiday'

Kate Winslet's charming cottage in 'The Holiday'

Meryl Streep's Home in 'Its Complicated'

Jon Hutman is one of Hollywoods most saught-after set designers. Hutman's interiors can be seen in many of todays films, including 'Its Complicated', 'The Holiday', 'Something's Gotta Give', 'What Women Want' 'The Time Traveller's Wife' and 'My Sister's Keeper'. You can find a more extensive range of credits at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0404509/

Lovely Lilies

A few summers ago, I interned for an event planner in New York City called Sidekick Events. Ellen Kostman, founder of Sidekick Events, LLC http://www.sidekickevents.com/flash.html has created some of the most beautiful weddings in all of New York! It was so much fun spending my summer in the city and it was a great way to get a glimpse into the world of event design. One of my favourite parts of each event was seeing the floral arrangements. New York is home to some of the most talented florists in the world, including my personal favourite, Preston Bailey. His event decor is absolutely breathtaking but what I love most are his creative floral arrangements. Below are some fun creations he's made out of flowers. Take a look:

Be sure to check out Preston Bailey's Design books. They are absolutely stunning gifts and look great on tables. His latest book 'Celebrations' can be found at any Indigo or Chapters bookstore.

A little bit of love

My friends and I love hosting dinner parties- especially ones that include cocktails, cupcakes and cameras (yes, we love taking pictures but who doesn't, right?). Our last dinner party was at Emily's house over the holidays. To get in the festive spirit, we all prepared our favourite dishes for a potluck soiree. Jenna and I both love to cook so we decided to team up together to make mini grilled cheese appetizers and a chocolate layer cake with white chocolate shavings for dessert. For our grilled cheeses, we used gorgeous mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese. We also included roasted red peppers and basil. They were delicious! Mini grilled cheeses are definite must-haves and best of all, they almost look to cute to eat! Whether you are making a Valentines Day dinner party for your best buds or a special night in with the man in your life, why not start off with everyone's favourite finger food!?

Mini grilled cheese with a shot of tomato soup:       

 

Mini grilled cheese pops

 

If you happen to be foodies like us, check out http://www.foodgawker.com/.

Something Lovely's Started

The sls hotel. Have you heard of it? I was in LA this past August and stumbled upon something very lovely. The sls (short for something lovely's started) is the newest hot spot to hit LA. Designed by award winning industrial designer Phillipe Starck, this hotel is as quirky and whimsical as it is luxurious. A definite must see. Good news: The SLS Hotel is set to open their second location in Miami 2011. See you all there!
http://www.slshotels.com/.com/

 

 You must check out Jose Andre's Restaurant The Bazaar.  And for dessert, head over to The Patisserie for some homemade chocolates and cookies!

The Patisserie at the SLS hotel

All things grey

Welcome to Something Lovely! I have been a long time fan of all things design related and after many months of reading and being inspired by other design blogs, I have finally decided to make one of my own! It is here that I will post everything about anything and hopefully inspire all of you, like you have done for me! So sit back on that gorgeous chair of yours (okay, we can pretend it's gorgeous) and relax, because it is going to be a fun ride! I have yet to learn the ins and outs of blogging, but I hope to get better as I go and update my site often! If you have any advice for me please don't hesitate to comment!!


...And now, I will begin my first post with a topic about love affairs (not the kind you're thinking of) but rather, a love affair with colour. Do you ever go through obsessions with colour? A colour that you just can't get enough of? I've noticed just recently, that I have become overly obsessed with all things Grey. I actually think this affair began a few years back when Liv by Aut Lit (a beautiful design store in Toronto) opened up and used greys and whites as their dominant colour pallete. Whether its a simple grey with a hint of ice blue or a gorgeous, rich dark charcoal, there is just something about Grey that makes me smile!

The next few images are interiors from my favourite design store called Maxalto. It is originally from Europe, but you can also find it in Miami. Next time you are down south you must make your way to the design district and check out all the stunning stores (beginning with Maxalto, of course!) After you've done some credit card damage head on over to Michael's Genuine Food & Drink http://www.michaelsgenuine.com/ for a dinner that will blow you away (the must have dessert is the Banana Toffee Panini with a mini chocolate caramel sundae.) Go ahead, indulge!

Images from the Maxalto Catologue