double take: p.s. i love you.

No, I really do. ;) Kylie's back in action with another great double take to share with us! In case you're unfamiliar, Kylie from Bandelle brings us fabulous posts every other Wednesday entitled "Double Take," where she re-creates her favorite rooms from the big screen! Check out Kylie's former posts right here, and read on! This one's a goodie... [thanks, Kylie!]
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Talk about a tear jerker! I probably cried more while reading Cecelia Ahern's P.S. I Love You, but the screenwriters made enough changes to the story to keep me interested. And of course the apartment that Holly (Hilary Swank) and Gerry (Gerard Butler) fought over in the first scene was icing on the cake. We'll see what we can do to recreate the look...



The architectural details give this New York City apartment so much charm, with its extra-wide doorways taking your line of sight across the entire apartment, transom windows above those doorways, slender pillars, and exposed brick on the fireplace and bedroom walls. Now why were they fighting again? One of Holly and Gerry's discussions took place around a bedside lamp and although I haven't found a base, the mumm lampshade from Lights Up! is very similar. The Nantucket iron bed topped with the pick-stitch quilt would complement each other, accented by a pillow made from John Robshaw's plangi fabric. Wall decals are becoming quite popular and after seeing the sophia birds in Kylie's laundry of All Things Lovely, I knew that Elephannie's Etsy shop would be stocked with Holly-esque blossoms and birds.

The small-scale dean sofa in vick fabric could work quite well in the living room with a couple of Lindsay pillows from SCAD's Working Class Studio. A pair of mid-century modern Danish lounge chairs sit across from the sofa -- ebay could be end up being your best friend. A multi-colored crystal chandelier hangs above the seating area, similar to the schonbek gallia chandelier. I love the spectrum chandelier at Urban Outfitters even though it's not as close of a match but it would be much friendlier on our wallets. The walls are decorated with framed botanical prints. We don't have to look any further than groundwork, a beautiful Etsy shop filled with ink drawings by Danna Ray.



A couple of small touches make this apartment feel so real: a ribboned refrigerator door and a blossom painted dresser. I would imagine that these two DIY projects could easily be done at home (fingers crossed!). Just add double-sided tape to strips of wide ribbon, line them up on your refrigerator door, and then start pinning your favorite photos to your new photo board. As for the dresser, if you don't feel comfortable painting the flowers and patterns freehand, there are several stencil shops out there that have an array of designs just for that purpose. The Stencil Warehouse has a number of single blooms and About.com offers free stencils.



Now this is a little off the Double Take topic, but if you have seen the movie then you may have also loved Holly's vintage style dresses. Perhaps they were inspired by the Bette Davis and Judy Garland movies that she watches while cooped up in her apartment. I only wish I could find better pictures of her outfits. This must be a sign that we should stick to the sets. Hope you enjoyed it!

Image credits: Warner Bros., People, Screenrush, IMDb, MovieWeb, Design Public, American Iron Bed Company, John Robshaw Textiles, Elephannie, Room & Board, Pillows and Throws, eBay, Lamps Plus, Urban Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, & Pottery Barn.

double take: in her shoes.

Yay! Ms. Kylie's back with another Double Take! In case you're new around here, Kylie is the fabulous writer of Bandelle, a fantastic fashion/beauty/art blog that you simply MUST visit when you're twiddling your thumbs on a Sunday afternoon. Kylie joins us each week for Double Take: a glance into interior inspiration from the silver screen. Click here to visit the Double Take archives!

Today's movie mavens? The beauties behind In Her Shoes. Take it away, Kylie!
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After reading Jennifer Weiner's novel, In Her Shoes, I was looking forward to seeing how the struggles of sisterly love would be portrayed in the movie starring Toni Collette (Rose) and Cameron Diaz (Maggie). But as Maggie proceeded to take over Rose's apartment while her life crumbled around her, all I thought was, "can I force my way in as a roommate too?" Let's take a little tour of Rose's shabby chic meets contemporary bedroom and try to recreate the look...



In contrast to the more traditional living room, Rose's bedroom reflects the girly, shoe-loving side of her character. The antique white wrought iron bed sets the tone in this room and Ralph Lauren's american summer painted bed could do the same in yours. For a headboard only option, take a look at Horchow's iron cameo version. Now top the bed with Anthropologie's imperial silk quilt and you'll be sleeping in luxury.

For a little light reading before the night passes, the brentwood brushed steel lamp with a beige shade will provide a soft glow. And there is no doubt in my mind that these will stand handsomely on the donnatella cube from Jayson Home & Garden (I know, they don't have drawers but I couldn't resist).

Perch yourself at the foot of the bed on the echo bench, upholstered in a steel blue. The floral jacquard rug from the Kathryn M. Ireland collection in a neutral tone will complement it beautifully. As for artwork, Rose has several framed art exhibition posters around her apartment. You could easily do the same by picking up a print on your next art crawl or searching on Rare Posters for a previous exhibit. Brett Whitely is one of my favorite Australian painters so his framed posters would be up on my wall.



Now we couldn't leave without talking about Rose's fabulous shoe closet. I'll be very impressed if you already store your shoes in clear boxes. I can't say that I do but I found these clear boxes from Shoebby if you are interested. And I love Rose's jewelry display on her dresser, which you could replicate with a handmade stoneware platter from Red Potter. I could see Blueprint's china jewelry storage inside the dresser as another option for Rose, because she could tuck her jewelry neatly away just as she does for her shoes.

Do I hear more roommate requests?

Image credits: 20th Century Fox, Amazon, Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie, Lamps Plus, Jayson Home & Garden, Ethan Allen, Elson Company, Art Gallery of NSW, Shoebby, Red Potter, & Blueprint

double take: carrie's closet from sex and the city.

Dear Kylie has done it again! She's joining us today with yet another fabulous edition of Double Take, where we bring you silver screen style RIGHT to your home! Take it away, Kylie!...

Will Carrie return to her bachelorette apartment in the new Sex And The City movie? With all of the hype about the long-awaited film that’s due to be released on May 30 (can May please come sooner!), I thought we could have a little fun trying to recreate the look of the famous apartment that we all grew to love. Carrie’s home felt so real, so New York, and so lived-in by a 30-something social butterfly. Fashion, or should I just say shoes, definitely took a higher priority than the domestic life. But can I please have her movie star closet?

Carrie’s one-bedroom Upper East Side apartment has the familiar flea market feel, with each piece of furniture infusing the Carrie personality. A great wall of bookshelves holding hundreds of Vogue, Madamoiselle, and New Yorker magazines greets you at the entryway. All we have to do is grab a couple of stained expedit bookcases, natural magazine files, and all of those magazines you have hidden under your bed…and voilà!
Carrie’s living room is a little sparse but has two important pieces: Aidan’s leather chair and the triangular-legged coffee table. This piece reminds me of the bradshaw cocktail table at Room & Board and it looks like some readers on Apartment Therapy had the same idea. Don’t forget the Manolo Blahnik volumes (try out Blahnik by Boman and Manolo Blahnik Drawings) that the set designers purposely left laying around.

I’ve always been a fan of the comfort of Carrie’s bedroom. Twinkle Living’s rose lavender duvet cover is similar to Carrie’s purple duvet while the marblehead table from Feather & Black is not too far off from her bedside table. For artwork, try finding original black & white photography on Etsy that reflects your personality, then take it to your local framer and request large mats with brushed silver frames. If you are looking for a quick solution, art.com is a great resource. And don’t forget the rustic chair beside Carrie’s bed. Anthropologie’s madeline chair would be a grown up substitute.

Jeremy Conway, production designer for the HBO series, was the mastermind behind the interior design of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha’s homes. His crew “employed a particular color theory for each of them that helped in identifying character and personality. The idea is to be able to look at a room and say, ‘Now that’s very Carrie.’” As Paloma noted on her lovely blog, this couldn’t be more true for Carrie’s closet. The gorgeous deep teal-grey-blue of the walls and shelves makes this room the most glamourous in the entire apartment. And why shouldn’t it be when it’s the home of thousands of dollars worth of shoes and vintage clothes. Benjamin Moore’s normandy would be a good place to start if you are thinking of transforming your own closet with a coat of paint.

We’ll just have to wait for the Sex And The City movie to see where our dear Carrie ends up living. But until then, check out your local flea market for individual furniture pieces that will give your place a more “authentic Carrie pre-phase 4 of Mr. Big” look.

Image credits: HBO, Vogue, IKEA, The Container Store, Room & Board, Amazon.com, Twinkle Living, Feather & Black, Art.com, & Anthroplogie.