Marble is never going out of style, which means I can write about it for years to come! Hooray!
For today’s pair, I’m sharing two smaller marble-look items. First is this simple tumbler with marble base.
The second item is this marble-look coffee maker. I know it would look great on my counter (as if I really need another coffee maker though!), and maybe it would make a great gift for someone in your life!
I recently learned that November 11th is Singles’ Day. The holiday seems to have started with young people in China who use this day to celebrate the pride they have in being single (so Wikipedia tells me). The date – 11/11 – has four single ones in it, and the number one represents a single individual. Not only are singles celebrating, but they’re also shopping! Apparently singles’ day has become the largest offline and online shopping day in the world.
Today I’m sharing a collection of great things that come in ones. We have one heart and one brain, so we should be taking excellent care of both! Dressing is easy when you opt for a one-piece dress or ski suit. A chair is great for an individual. Goggles may be plural, but it’s one piece of plastic to keep your eyes clear under water. Speaking of water, a single pitcher is great for holding a lot of liquid to serve to friends. People generally where one watch to keep track of time even if they may stack it with a collection of bangles (like I usually do). Finally, a unicycle is great for a one-person show!
1. Educated by Tara Westover. This is a true story of Westover’s upbringing as a Morman in a mountain village in Idaho. She stepped into her first classroom at age 17 after growing up isolated and working on her father’s junk yard.
It was excellent. It was engaging and interesting, and I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to learn more and hear more of Tara’s stories. I read a few more stories about her online, including this article where she had this to say about education:
“Education is discovery—it’s your mind growing, taking responsibility, letting go, and holding tight. It’s all of those things. It’s having enough knowledge and empathy for yourself and for other people to make decisions so that you can do well with the things you need to do. It’s that ability to have many different perspectives and different points of view.” (Oprah mag)
2. The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht. Have I already mentioned this one? I can no longer remember. It was long but engaging. It was fantastical and interesting. I didn’t love it as much as everyone else seemed to have loved it, but I liked it, and it’s worth reading.
3. Inland by Téa Obreht. After The Tiger’s Wife, I added Inland to my audiobook queue. I really tried to get into it, but I couldn’t. I actually forced myself to finish it. I feel bad not finishing books. I just couldn’t get attached to the story or the characters.
4. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. It was excellent. It was hard to press stop on this one as I wanted to keep listening to learn how the story unfolded. This is a story about a family’s life in Alaska and the challenging and traumatic interactions between family members
5. Sula by Toni Morrison. I finished Sula this week and enjoyed it. This was the first Toni Morrison novel I have read/listened to, and I’m glad I did. It’s a story of friendship – and betrayal. The story had a nice pace and character development. I have a few other Morrison books in my queue, and I look forward to reading them.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Have you followed the One Room Challenge this fall? This is an event where featured designers and guests renovate/redo/remake a room (or more!) over a six week period. The room reveals happened this week, and I thought I’d share a few of the rooms that caught my attention.
Tim (Design Maze) worked on Chris’ office and bathroom. I followed the progress in real life and listened to Tim’s plans for wallpaper, oak, and fabric. He’s a talented designer, and I love that these spaces are calm, but show off Tim’s ridiculously amazing attention to detail and pattern mixing. The millwork is beautiful in the photos and in real life.
Jen (Rambling Renovators) made such good use of the space in her guest bedroom. The room is inviting and warm. I really like the Jen’s use of large art over the desk.
Thalita (The Learner Observer) also included a desk/vanity in her master bedroom. It’s a calm and serene scene.
I like so much of the art in the bedroom makeover by Oscar Bravo Home. Everywhere you look, it seems there’s a beautiful piece of art waiting for you!
The wallpaper in This Life I Styled‘s laundry room (through an open passage area) caught my eye instantly. I like the thought that went into smaller details, too, like the baskets, handrail, and lighting
I never tire of a simple, white bathroom. This small bathroom by Designed Simple was done on a budget, and I think it looks great.
The before and after comparison of I Spy DIY‘s bathroom is jaw-dropping. This bathroom was a disaster zone pre-makeover.
Surprisingly, I also like a lot of the loud, colourful spaces from the designers. The Rath Project‘s dining room and sitting area has colourful art and fabrics (and paint, too!). Similarly, At Charlotte’s House used a lot of colour and a large mural in the dining room and living room makeover. The colours are definitely bold. And MSV Design‘s little boy’s room is sweet and the colour mixing is fun. Nicole (Making It Lovely) designed a new bedroom for her daughter, and I just love it. I really like the pattern mixing and the use of shades of pink.
There are a lot of reveals that include a lot of black paint and brown wood. Place of My Taste installed a dark, moody shower, and I love the large tiled floor. Clark and Aldine have a dark fireplace and plenty of warm, brown wood in the living room. Hommeboys, too, have a dramatic reveal of several spaces. The entryway is all black which is definitely moody
Did you follow along the One Room Challenge event this fall? Any favourites? What rooms do you like to see the most from designers?
Do you ever find yourself scrolling through 1stDibs and drooling over all the incredible, innovative, unique designs of years past? Yes? Great! I’m not alone. Recently, I was scrolling through the chairs, and I rounded up nine beautiful pieces. These are pricey, let me warn you. But they’re also not any chairs you’ll be finding at Ikea or CB2. These are investment pieces and works of art.
What do you think of these nine chairs? Is there one that you’d buy if money wasn’t an issue? I’d take the Alvar Aalto (bottom right) without hesitation!
