The Lovely Side

Hello, lovelies! As the holidays approach, I want to share this extra special guest post from Monica Hunasikatti, on behalf of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, a non-profit on a mission to save leftover food from being wasted and provide for those in need. So without further ado... 
The holiday season puts everyone in a glorious mood. It’s truly a time to celebrate the joyous wonders that captivate our everyday lives. However, not everyone this holiday season will be able to cozy up in a fluffy sweater and sit down to eat at a delicious home-cooked meal with their loved ones. The United States has an incredibly high population of poverty-stricken individuals, especially for a developed nation. Many of these human beings are hungry, or are unable to know for sure when their next meal will be.

I recently posted about the plan to paint my bedroom charcoal or black. Well, I picked out the paint color, which will be revealed soon. For now, I whipped up a quick inspiration board to guide me in curating and decorating my bedroom once it's repainted.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are reuniting (yay!) for the upcoming film SISTERS, which hits theatres on December 18.And thanks to Universal Pictures, I have the pleasure of giving away a special party pack to celebrate the movie's release! 
One (1) lucky The Lovely Side reader will receive:
ban.do Giant Gem SpeakerSISTERS Sweatshirt, T-shirt, and party cup

Sometimes I feel like all I ever get done doing is rearranging furniture and rooms. And I'm pretty sure it's hereditary in my family. Haha. (Looking at you, Grandma.) Anyway, I decided to move my office into the front room, which is painted coral. Except for the Birth of Venus folding screen that hides Dahlia's litter box, a coat tree, and a small table by the door, this room has sat mostly empty the year time I've lived here. And that's a shame because it's a big open room with beautiful windows.
Pictured above is a little inspiration board I put together to help guiding me in curating and decorating the space. I want a nice blend of bright turquoise and coral balanced out by black, white, and gray. And since this is the first room I come into, I want to integrate my coat tree, boot tray, and entry table into the space in a way that looks natural and fitting.

Pantone just announced their color - errr, colors - of the year for 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity... a gentle pink and airy sky blue. And the design world is all a flurry! I find it funny that people are upset that the colors remind them of gendered baby stuff. (Rolling my eyes.) For the me, the colors are reminiscent of the colors used in my grandma's wedding or (a bit less sentimental) Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, which is one of my most favorite movies ever.

What do you think of this dresser from West Elm? I love the clean lines and the combination of natural wood tones against crisp white. I'm not so much a fan of the hardware and drawer pulls - something metallic or eclectic would be more my style. But I'm contemplating making over my own mid-century modern dresser to look like this West Elm beauty.

Whether she's an apartment renter or dorm dweller, she can't paint and yet can't live without color. Pack a pretty wire basket full of home items in her favorite hue - like a coaster set, throw pillow, fragrant candle, and cozy blanket. Then, top it off with the Ohuhu® Ocean Wave Night Light Projector and Music Player. I have one of these and love it! The small, white projector blends into any decor as discreetly as a vase, but when you turn it on... hello, light show! It projects a variety of colors up to the ceiling and around the room. In a white room, it would give a much-needed dose of color. I like to use the soothing blue while I write - and the multi-color setting would be perfect for a party. Plus, you can plug your phone in to take advantage of the built-in speaker.

I love wood jewelry and watches for two reasons. 1) Wood is such a gorgeous and unique alternative to metals. And 2) I'm allergic to a lot of metals, so the less I can expose myself to whatever makes me red, itchy, and scratchy, the better! In the last few years, I've accumulated a little collection of wooden necklaces, bracelets, and rings, but I was missing one key piece: a watch!
JORD is a company that hand-makes luxury, wood watches. When they offered to send me one of their timepieces to review on the blog, I picked out the Sully model in red sandalwood. I love my watches to be either tiny and dainty or big and bulky. The Sully model is a big, eye-catching watch and the red sandalwood color is a rich, auburn-toned hue. (If big watches aren't your thing, JORD offers smaller watches, too.)

When I first moved into my Victorian duplex apartment (about a year ago), one of the first rooms to get painted was the yellow room. I painted the office a vibrant chartreuse called Pollination from PPG. It's a gorgeous color that worked great with accents of gray, turquoise, white, and black. However, due to some re-arranging in my place... I swapped the bedroom and office. The bedroom got moved into the Pollination room and the office moved into the gray room. This arrangement really works best, so I won't be swapping back.
(Though, that picture above is almost enough to make me consider moving my office back into the front room. But it just doesn't work best for the flow of the apartment.)