Updated Loft Tour - Chateau C'est La Vie 2019

So its been a minute, but the last time I posted an interior decorating related post was more than a year ago after selling our previous home and relocating to a new area and space. More on that here and here.

However, my love for Interiors almost equals my love and passion for photography, and after about a year and change,  I can finally say our new space feels like "home."

Please enjoy some captures of what we lovingly refer to as our cozy Chateau C'est La Vie. I will link some of the items below in case anyone is interested in creating a similar aesthetic in their own homes.

Mid Century Mod Inspired Sofa, Pillows and metal and mercury glass candles - West Elm
Side tables  - WayFair.com, Ottoman/coffe table fom Pier One.  Acrylic tray from Amazon Prime. 

Metal hanging  planter and pillows from West Elm. Cashmere throw from TJ Maxx.

I believe my style is best defined as classic meets contemporary. I love mixing consigned items like these old vintage inspired prints with more contemporary items like these gorgeous French cafe inspired gold brass stools from Restoration Hardware which I purchased at a mega sale price in their outlet store.

Items like the velvet stool with storage and the oval mirror are from Wayfair and Ross, respectively. The pillows on the bench are all from Amazon Prime, one of my favorite resources for stylish yet affordable decor accessories.

These vintage consigned mirrors are most definitely a focal point of our open concept space and I am a huge fan of  all the reflective surfaces and the light they bring into a space. The glass table and acrylic chairs are from Wayfair.Com. 

Table settings include round woven placemats and organic cotton dinner napkins from West Elm.

For window treatments I decided to keep them delicate, bright and airy by using sheer panels from Ikea. Accent chairs from Pier One, acrylic accent table from Home Goods.

Moving on to the Master Bedroom, it was important to keep it light, bright and as serene as possible . Lamps and crystal chandelier from Wayfair to  add just the right amount of sparkle.

Side tables and Hutch from Home Goods, quilted bedding from Overstock.com

Our office/guest room we kept more masculine with a black and white theme. Most of the items in this room were purchased from Ikea.Com and Wayfair.com. The large vintage airplane photograph on glass was indeed a statement piece and a great find at Home Goods, it was what set the tone for the entire room. 

Finally, some details from our bathroom decor, both we've kept very simple and minimalist. The guest bathroom has a few touches of black and white framed artwork from my Shop for  a personal touch.  The monogrammed Shower curtain is from Wayfair. Our on-suite bathroom has been kept light and bright with a few splashes of green, these particular prints are from our recent trip to Copenhagen and were purchased at the museum for Design, loved the art deco pattern. 

And that concludes our decor tour for now. I hope you have enjoyed. 

I will be back in the near future for more interior decorating updates as they come or as I make changes depending on my mood and the ambiance I want to create. 😉

xoxo,

Lyra G. 

Our humble abode - aka chateau c'est la vie - has experienced plenty of changes, upgrades, remodels and transitions throughout the years...

I have enjoyed every single minute of exploring my inner decorator whilst experimenting with many distinct phases and aesthetics.

Here are some recent takes of a space that will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

My Photo Art Wall never ceases to make me smile. 

Fresh picked Peonies from our yard. 

My living room has that "collected over time" feeling I created with vintage frames and books.

Some recent celebratory events I hosted for family and friends. I love to put together a simple, colorful but beautiful tablescape. using items I already own and some fresh flowers.

Hope you enjoyed this peak into our beloved "Maison." More updates and significant changes to come soon as we embark on a new journey as well as upcoming Summer Portrait Sessions I will be sharing. Stay tuned friends.

xo,

Lyra G.

A Classically Modern Bachelor Pad

Design Plan for: Bachelor Pad/ Living Room 

Client: Mr. EJ

(click to enlarge)

My most recent client Design plan is for a succesful bachelor who just moved back to the big city from the West Coast and needed a serious injection of style into his fabulous bare-bones apartment.

EJ asked to select something that was masculine, simple yet swanky. He also asked me to choose furniture pieces that would be functional but stylish enough to entertain family and friends. Aside from this he allowed me free reign on the design (always a plus:) I had a lot of fun  going to work making this space one that would reflect his personality and provide a very cool space to come home to.

I decided right off the bat that I would go with a classic color scheme. There is nothing more timeless than black/white juxtaposed with a rich accent color. As a newly renovated apartment with pristine wood floors and freshly painted walls, I decided all this living room would need as far as weall treatment would be a statement-making accent wall with these horizontal black and white stripes. For the balck paint, my go to brand, as always is  - Benjamin Moore, the paint color is Black - 2132,

As for art work, nothing reflects a cool NYC city bachelor pad than classic art prints in black and white of this fabulous city. I chose two from my own Photography Art Shop that I know will work stunningly with that accent wall when framed in a rich copper colored frame to tie in the same colored wood floors.

New York City Classic Black and White in 8x12 

Empire State Classic Black and White 8x10 

EJ was very happy with the design and cannot wait to begin implementing it, I cannot wait to see the final result!

Here is the Before Pic of the space:

In need of transforming your own space on a budget? Please fill out my Design and Style Evaluation here or email me @ cestlavie.events@gmail.com and visit my Facebook Business Page 

Next up stay tuned for a Destination Wedding Photography Shoot, Engagement Session and plenty more...

xoxo,

Ly

Scandinavian Chic and none-too-Shabby

Design Plan for: Living and Dining Rooms (Open Concept)
Clients:  Viv and Bernd

(click to enlarge)
Dining Room

Living Room

My most recent client Design plan is for a vivacious modern couple and their three growing boys. This family will soon be completely re-modeling their living and dining rooms with fresh new walls, floors and design aesthetic. They asked me to help them determine their decor preferences, select a new color palette, textiles and some furniture pieces to transform their home into a stylish, classic and cozy space.  Inspired by pictures of the idyllic natural settings of the city this family calls home -  Bergen, Noway - I went to work creating a design I call Scandinavian Chic.

Using feedback from Viv and her husband, I began with determining a color palette for these spaces.  I chose colors that were neutral but not boring, a cohesive combination of pale grays and whites, set off by royal and navy blues and charcoal as accents, which worked beautifully with some of their already-existing warm wood furniture pieces for an earthy contrast.  I wanted to combine their existing furniture pieces that are contemporary in nature, with some vintage-inspired pieces for an added layer of softness and visual interest. Finally, I chose textiles such as the curtains, rugs, and runner in interesting Herringbone and Chevron patterns with a modern color twist.

I built the design plan around the following fundamentals:

1) Three basic paint colors for the walls of these two rooms:  an overall pale gray to tie and unify the space and two gorgeous accent walls, one for the dining, one for the living that will set all the other elements beautifully;  Benjamin Moore's Titanium, Sherwin Wiliam's Loyal Blue and Valspar's Ocean Storm. 

2) Classic, Contemporary and Vintage inspired furniture pieces. That are both stylish and functional.

3) Textile and fabric patterns that bring interest, contrast and layered texture all while keeping with a neutral color palette.

4) Accessories that are light, functional, organic and vintage inspired. For artwork- I suggested framed family portraits which are always meaningful and personalized, or unique and original photography black&white or sepia toned prints found in my C'est La Vie Art Shop. 

Viv and her husband were incredibly pleased with the design concepts and cannot wait to begin the big re-model. I cannot wait to see pictures of the final result!!!

Here are some Before pics:

In need of transforming your own space on a budget? Please fill out my Design and Style Evaluation here or email me @ cestlavie.events@gmail.com.

My Design Picks - Falabella Argentina

This post has been a long time in the making. While on Holiday this past August in Argentina, I had a serendipitous encounter with a fabulous home decor department store in Buenos Aires called Falabella.
 I excitedly convinced the hubs to accompany me on a little exploration through their design department properly called Decohogar.  I found so many covet-able accessories at amazingly discounted prices that had it not been for the need to have to wear clothing through the remainder of our trip, I would of dumped out said clothes and stuffed my luggage with these gorgeous and whimsical finds that I will share below.

First a little history on Falabella via Wikipedia, for anyone interested:

"Falabella department stores can be found in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru.  Falabella Department stores sell a wide variety of merchandise including apparel, home furnishings, electronics and sporting goods.
The company was founded by Salvatore Falabella, an Italian Chilean immigrant, in 1889. In its original form, it was a tailor shop but today has become one of the largest retailers in South America."

And now for the goodies and some of my personal design picks.
(excuse the poor quality of the pictures, all were taken with my Blackberry.)

These vintage, Parisian inspired dress forms had me at "hello." So many incredible possibilities for these in master bedroom  (the organic color is is gender-neutral), a shabby-chic inspired living or dining room or even a large bathroom. Divine. Simply Divine.

I then found these patterned dress forms that are admittedly very feminine and soft, and would make the perfect accessory for a girl's room, or a soft and soothing bachelorete pad.

and as if you I wasn't already in-love with the above dress-forms and trying to conceive ideas on how to stuff them into my carry-on-size luggage, I found color-coded groupings of even more delicious mini-forms and other whimsical accessories at amazingly low prices ($15 U.S. and below.)

More Yuminess, in soft nuetral whites and grays....

and vintage blues and browns (my enthusiasm is palatable at this point by this blurry pic, I was walking around in awe just snapping away without much thought:)

next up,  I found some lovely dinnerware and table accessories that I very vocally drooled about. This cake stand is divine and could be used far beyond the Dining room or kitchen.

loved these dainty French-Country inspired dinnerware sets....

as well as these art-deco inspired cups and saucers in a lovely pale green and gold trimmed combo...

And for the more contemporary, avant-garde tastes there was a plethora of colorful artwork and accessories as well.

This is just a sampling of all of the adorable items found in this department store, that was a fusion of Pier One Imports, Home Goods at Ikea Prices. They are located in Argentina, Chile and Colombia, if any of you happen to be traveling there anytime soon, but I recently found out they also deliver internationally. Go check their website out, if nothing but to oogle eye-candy:)

Hope you enjoyed this version of my Design Picks,  I will be back with plenty of more blog content very soon.

P.S. Looking for beautiful, one-of-a-kind original art-work?  Then Please stop by my Fine Art ETSY shop and browse the more than 40 listings, you might find the perfect print for that empty wall or as the ideal unique  present for a loved-one.  Click here, or select theBlog tab labeled - Shop with us C'est La Vie Art.

Merci Mon Amis...

A Kitchen Re-Model

Design Plan for: Kitchen
Clients:  Nick and Gio

(click to enlarge)

My most recent Design plan is for a dynamic, young-at-heart couple who have become empty nesters. They  are looking to soon sell their beautiful antique home and move into something smaller, more modern and that requires less maintenance than the vintage home they currently own.

To increase their appraisal value and potential re-sell costs, they realized their slightly out dated kitchen had seen better days. They commissioned me to design a contemporary, functional kitchen that would tie into the classic age of the house while keeping to their strict budget.  I set out to do just that and came up with something neutral, fresh and appealing to many potential buyers.

I built the design plan around three fundamentals:

1) A warm an inviting neutral white, that would read crisp, but not sterile. Benjamin Moore's Linen White was the perfect fit.

2) Classic designed wood cabinetry that contrasted with the warm linen colored walls and dark wood floor will read clean, crisp and contemporary.

3) Dark Wood Laminate floors treated with a special stain-and-traffic resistance finish that will be perfect for this new kitchen.

The rest of the items I selected will take this kitchen from super to spectacular!!!!

When I revealed the Design Plan to Nick and Gio, their enthusiasm could not be contained,they cannot wait to begin the Demo and implement the Re-Model!!!  I was so excited to have met their expectations and cannot wait to see the Big Reveal.

In need of transforming your own space on a budget? Please fill out my Design and Style Evaluation here or email me @ cestlavie.events@gmail.com.