Black Friday Steals Under $50!

Happy Black Friday!  Did you all have a good Thanksgiving?  I hope so!  I ate wayyy too much and spent a lot of time relaxing with family, which is always nice.  If you're anything like me, the last thing you want to do on the day after such a chill holiday is to fight the shopping crowds.  What's much more appealing?  I'd say a movie marathon in your PJs.  Thankfully, with so many great shopping sites out there offering Black Friday deals, you can shop for yourself and for loved ones from the comfort of your laptop.  And, to be even more accommodating to you, I pulled together a few of my favorite gift ideas that are on sale during Black Friday under $50:

Shop My Black Friday Picks:

1.) Anne Klein Diamond Dial Bandle Bracelet $85 $34.99/2.) Fownes Brothers Tech Fingertip Leather & Knit Gloves $56 $41.98/3.) Crystal Cluster Statement Necklace $68 $27.20/4.) Fishtail Monogrammed Cocktail Napkins $32 with code MANYTHANKS at check out/5.) Structured Faux Leather Bag $23.90/6.) Leopard "Cassie" Smartphone Wristlet $48 $32.16/ 7.) J Crew Gold-Tone Crystal Earrings $37.50/8.) Jessica Simpson "Mekos" Cutout Sandal $88.95 $44.47/9.) Frenchi Tweed Skirt $22.80

-Design Darling recently began selling monogrammed cocktail napkins and dinner napkins, and I'm smitten with all the color and style options.  The cocktail napkins are $32 this weekend with code MANYTHANKS at checkout- and perfect for a close friend, hostess, or coworker!

-With holiday parties right around the corner, a blue statement heel or an emerald statement necklace would be the perfect addition to the LBD.

-Keep your hands warm and efficient with these chic Tech Fingertip Leather & Knit Gloves.  They come in a lot of color options, too!

Whatever you do today- enjoy your day, stay warm, and surround yourself with loved ones!  

XOXO,

Sam

Holiday Wishlist: Mimosa Lane

Happy Wednesday!  Are you all getting excited for Thanksgiving tomorrow?  Today I am traveling back home to Oklahoma City to visit my family for the holiday.  I also get to see my adorable niece Lily, which I couldn't be more thrilled about.  Today, I am excited to have Albertina of Mimosa Lane here to share her holiday gift guide with us, the second in my holiday guest post series (see the first here)!  I totally swooned when I saw these Tory Burch skimmer flats:

Shop Mimosa Lane's Gift Guide:

{dress | earrings | shoes | clutch | pillow | sweater | cape }

I'm so excited to be here at The Peak of Tres Chic sharing a few of the items on my wishlist.  Thanks so much Sam, for having me!  I really want to start off with this cape that is just stunning.  If this were my only gift under the tree I would be very happy!  I thought this Clover Canyon dress was so pretty, versatile and elegant.  The edgy earrings are really cool and would make a statement.  The shoes are fun and pretty much would go with everything in my closet. I love the tailored and manly feel of this clutch.  I am dying for a pair of these Le Tigre Scalamandre pillows (swoon!). And I saw this sweater in person and it is fabulous.  It would be a great option to dress up or down.

What are you currently dreaming of receiving during the Holidays?

Bedtime Chic

Now that I'm single (I'll elaborate more on that in the near future), I have come to love my nighttime ritual of a bubble bath, primping for bed, and then reading a bit before putting an end to the day.  It's so nice to finally be working through that long reading list I have been keeping.  Right now I am about halfway through Gone Girl and Tiny, Beautiful Things.  Both books are must-reads. My mom has always been very conscious of skincare, and I've seen a dermatologist and facialist enough to know how important it is to moisturize before bed.  I swear by Deep Sleep Bath Oil by It Works followed by SkinCeuticals Renew Overnight Dry moisturizer.   It also helps to sleep on a silk pillowcase, and the Branche silk charmeuse helps to reduce fine lines.  I'm also lusting after this silk pajama set from Anthropologie-

Shop This Board:

1.) Love Stories Framboise Sleep Shirt $55/2.) Love Stories Framboise Sleep Shorts $35/3.) Baies Noire Diptyque Candle $90/4.) Aromatherapy Polishing Body Brush $14/5.) Deep Sleep Bath Oil $148/6.) Elle Macpherson Wind Chime Lace Briefs $30/7.) Silk Pillowcase by Branche $95/8.) Serge Normant Avah Eau de Parfum $60/

Any favorite nighttime products?  Share in the comments!

Needing, Wanting, Loving: Bold Walls

I've always admired a room that didn't play it safe.  Juxtaposing bold, lacquered walls with chinoiserie wallpaper, adding an ironic piece of art, or simply mixing and layering contrasting patterns can create life and energy to a space.  Today I wanted to discuss the power and drama of painting a room's walls in a bold color.  One option is to do the hallways of a home a bright, unexpected hue, like this deep green, while keeping the main living spaces a more subtle color:

{Ruthie Sommers}

And nothing says sexy quite like a dark black wall and an antiqued mirror in a bedroom-

Tilton Fenwick lacquered this bookshelf as well as the adjoining walls in a delicious teal.

{Tilton Finwick}

{House & Home}

Talk about a sultry office- this charcoal grasscloth office paired with a sexy photograph and a wall of mirrors makes for an inspiring work space:

Chocolate brown walls?  Yes please.  I also love the graphic carpet:

{Christina Murphy Interiors}

The kelly green shown in a graphic wallpapered ceiling works perfectly with the wall color in this Hamptons home:

{Lonny Mag}

Would you be brave enough to slather your walls in a bold hue?  

What would be your go-to color?

Holiday Wishlist: Designs by Katy

With only 6 weeks left til Christmas (I just broke out in a panic sweat), I thought it'd be fun to feature a few of my favorite bloggers and see what's on their wishlist this holiday.  I sometimes get so caught up in my to-do list and focusing on work and school projects that I forget to look around for inspiration.  Obviously, one of my favorite things to do is go through my blogroll and see what my favorite people are up to.  But often that is a luxury that I just don't have time for.  So, I thought I'd have them guest post for me so I can see what's caught their eye!  Each Wednesday in the coming weeks, I'll be featuring a different blogger.  First up is Katy of Designs by Katy- my favorite Denver designer!  I have had the privilege of meeting this sweetheart in person, and am constantly amazed by her work.

Hello Peak of Tres Chic readers! It's Katy Byrne from Designs By Katy. I'm honored to be here today to share my holiday gift guide.  Gift giving is my love language and it's hard not to get excited at Christmas time.  This year I am loving all the of usual suspects: over the knee boots, chic earrings and a touch of plaid. If you haven't tried the Keurig Rivo, it is a a game changer.  We got one this fall and it's like having your own Starbucks in your kitchen.  It whips up frothy lattes within minutes.  What's on the top of your list this year?

 Thanks again for having me, Sam!

 Come visit my interior design blog, DBK. 

Shop this post:

shoes, coffee maker, coat, antelope bag, earrings, blouse, book, scarf, aviators, over the knee boots, smartphone wristlet

Honoring the Greats: Billy Baldwin

"No matter how taste may change, the basics of good decorating remain the same: We're talking about someplace people live in, surrounded by things they like and that make them comfortable.  It's as simple as that." -Billy Baldwin

For the second installment of "Honoring the Greats", I am profiling New York City decorator, Billy Baldwin.  Known for a simple, refined palette, Baldwin decorated for some of the most well-known ladies in Manhattan during the mid 1900s, including Diana Vreeland and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. He was a firm believer in surrounding yourself with things you love and he detested what he called, "the sterility of perfection"- saying that if you think you can spot a Billy Baldwin room, then it wasn't his. 

The living room above displays his iconic slipper chair style. Other Baldwin staples were cotton (he was, he claimed, one of its "most active promoters since World War II"); plain draperies, white plaster lamps; off-white and plaid rugs; pattern on pattern; geometrics; corner banquettes; dark walls (his legendary one-room Manhattan apartment was lacquered a style-setting high-gloss brown); Parsons tables wrapped with wicker (I certainly made a lady out of wicker", he once quipped); and straw, rattan, and bamboo. 

  

{Baldwin in his fabulous one-room Manhattan apartment}

Baldwin generally disdained the florid, Baroque and Rococo in favor of the clean-cut, hard-edged and pared-down.  Among his early influences were Frances Elkins, perhaps the most sophisticated decorator of her day, and Jean-Michel Frank, whom he described categorically as "the last genius of French furniture."

Baldwin's timeless triumph (he, too, considered it to be the coronet on his career) remains Cole Porter's Waldorf Towers apartment, with its decisive library of Directoire-inspired tubular brass floor-to-ceiling bookcase-etageres arrayed against lacquered tortoiseshell-vinyl walls:

More of these fabulous Directoire-style etageres flanked the walls in his Manhattan apartment:

Billy Baldwin was deeply inspired by Matisse's bold use of color.  In fact, he took inspiration from the Matisse painting hanging above the sofa below to design an expressive fabric called l'Arbre de Matisse.

{This living room also graces the cover of one of his coffee table books, Billy Baldwin Decorates}

{L'Arbe de Matisse gracing the walls in this powder bath}

{L'Arbe de Matisse featured in Tory Burch's NY Home}

For Baldwin, who was partial to plump deep-seated sofas and chairs, the ultimate luxury was comfort.  "First and foremost, furniture must be comfortable," he decreed.   "That is the original purpose of it, after all."  In addition to decorating, Baldwin also designed a line of furniture.  His furniture collection can be purchased through Ventry Ltd.  I love his studio sofa for it's versatility.  At one time it was considered large and luxurious, but by today's standards it's rather normal- 36"D x 84"W x 33"H:

See the complete Billy Baldwin furniture collection here.

Read more about Baldwin's life here.

Read the first installment of "Honoring the Greats," featuring Tommi Parzinger, here.

Color Crush: Emerald 2.0

  I mentioned in my Friday worthy links post that emerald will always be my favorite color to wear around the holidays.  It's such a rich, deep color that really makes a statement amongst all the black we're accustomed to seeing in the colder months.  You may recall a few seasons ago, emerald was all the rage.  I even wrote this post and this post before sharing my own personal love for the hue.  That's why I named the post "Emerald 2.0" - because I feel the color is still so chic!  Case in point-

 

{Domaine Home}

Here are a few of my favorite emerald picks-

Shop My Emerald Picks:

1.) Shashi Classique Watch $88/2.) Lancome Artliner Bold Color Precision $30.50/3.) Maykool Romper Jumpsuit $25/4.) Paige Verdugo Coated Ankle Emerald Jeans $199/5.) Green Leopard Square Tray $230/6.) JINsoon Nail Lacquer $18/7.) Tory Burch York Smartphone Wristlet $155/8.) Kate Spade New York Emerald Cut Studs $38/9.) DVF 440 Mini Embossed Croc Combo Leather Handbag $348/

Friday's Worthy Links

TGIF!  Another week is wrapped up and in the books.  Was it a good one for you?  I hope so!  Before signing off for the weekend, I wanted to leave you with a few noteworthy and/or inspiring things I found around the web this week-

-This post and this pin reminds me why emerald green will always be my favorite holiday color to sport.

-I now look even more forward to Friday mornings to listen to the new Serial podcast.  Are you guys following the Serial series?  I find it utterly fascinating.  The narrator, Sarah Koenig, investigates a 1999 homicide in Baltimore, Maryland.  The teen convicted of the murder, Adnan Syed, is now in prison for life- yet there are so many holes in the case.  Each week, Sarah discusses another element of the case, while probing witnesses and talking to the murderer himself.  We are now on episode 8, but if you want to get caught up, I suggest binge listening from episode 1 this weekend!

-Call me crazy, but I've always wanted to have a gallery wall of women smoking.  Remember my post here? I know, I know.  Smoking is horrible for you.  But I just want to commemorate some of the chic women from the past who made it look effortless.  I think I'll start my collection with this wildly popular sketch by Garance Dore.

-This Netflix documentary "Somm" has me itching to become a master sommelier.  With graduation right around the corner for me (yay for a BFA in Interior Design!) I will need a new night-time project.  And what better than "studying" wines? ;)

{bedroom above designed by Tom Scheerer}

Adorable Kid's Rooms

I recently came across a new-to-me coffee table book, Room for Children,

and got so inspired by the gorgeous, innovative kid's rooms.  I know we often think about and spend a lot of time decorating a child's nursery, but what about the room that comes afterward- the room the child will grow up in?  Of course it needs to be functional first, providing a space for play, but that doesn't mean it can't be tailored and chic in it's own unique way.  Here are a few children's rooms I just love:

 {Joanna Fischer Interiors}

 Twin beds framed by a circus-like tent add a unique twist to the standard canopy.  And how beautiful is the millwork framing these built-in twin beds?  The space inside the nook allows for book storage and appropriate reading light.

{Lars Bolander}

{Apartment Therapy}

 

This young girl's room would be a dream come true.  Antelope carpet and a variation of pinks would be just fine with me- even at 26!

 

{Avrea Wagner}

The use of stripes + canary yellow in this bedroom is the perfect dose of prep.  And how brilliant are the storage drawers underneath?  They remind me of a steamer trunk.

 

 A bright, wallpapered ceiling is perfect for a child's room.

{Project Nursery}

 

 And how precious is this daybed (and the little tot posing on it)?!

 {Nursery Notions}

See more of my favorite children's rooms here on my Pinterest.

Sweater Weather

I was happy to finally pull out sweaters and riding boots this past weekend! My standard winter uniform includes leggings, boots, and oversized sweaters.  To me, it's the perfect mix of comfort and style.  Whether it be a sweater jacket or shawl, or just a plain sweater paired with jeans- I think every girl needs a few great options to have in her winter rotation.

{Atlantic-Pacific}

{Glam Bistro}

{Pink Peonies}

A cherry apple red loose option like the style above is now on my Christmas wish list.  Isn't the color great?!

Here are a few of my favorite sweater options :

'