{happy weekend : cream in your coffee}

Happy Saturday beautiful ladies, its been a little while since I've managed to squeeze in a little happy weekend post, things have been so crazy around here with both work and play; more birthdays than I can remember and more friends to catch up with than I have time to call..

Its my lovely little Mam (northern dialect; see 'mother'... sorry I'm not sorry) 's birthday today so we have an exciting weekend ahead, plenty of celebrations and champagne are in order but first - the boy and I have some very exciting things to sort for ourselves...

{two beautiful things : winter whites & cozy nights}

So its January, its minus two outside, and bleaching down with snow. Nothing seems more appealing tonight than to curl up in front of the fire with my current read (The Perks of being a Wallflower, should you care) with only the pooch and a Thai take out for company. May even indulge in a glass of bubbles in a bubble bath, simply because I bloody can - and there has been a bottle calling my name for too long from the fridge. 

Something has to cheer up dull January nights, right? Its either that or I attempt solo sledging... 

{happy weekend : ponytails & unmade beds}

More than a little excited for this weekend; although the pleasantly mild weather I mentioned last week has been predicted to be replaced with an intense 'cold snap' as the weatherman likes to call it - the boy has the weekend off too and we'll be spending the majority of it entwined in duvets and blankets, with perhaps a spot of shopping, lunch, too much wine?

Happy Weekend: Warm Winter Whites

As far as I'm concerned; the holiday season simply gets better and better. Parties, cocktails, Christmas shopping, mulled wine, tree decorating and snuggling up in front of the fire while sheets of snow fall outside have been highlights of this past week...

The weekend has been as perfect as this past week; Christmas shopping is all now but done, family meals and special time spent with the boy, festive coffee and more mulled wine while snuggling on the sofa watching (my future husband) Jahmene wipe the floor with the other contestants on the X Factor..

Monday, Monday.. and Late Weekend Links

My name is Rachel, and I'm a bad blogger. Hope you didn't miss me too much, last week was just a haze of craziness and deadlines, awkward situations and a heavy and unwelcome dose of cold. Not ideal blogging situations. Hope your week was better than mine, but a Friday night date-night with flowers and plenty of champagne, Saturday afternoon brunch followed by a crazy night out with my favourite ladies (one of whom was dressed as a pumpkin.. no, really) and a lazy Sunday in bed with more food and films than you can imagine has me in a far better state of mind this morning...

Happy Weekend: Exotic Details

this week has been a crazy one; there has been everything from tension to relief, late night dinners and early starts, hospital visits and shopping trips, champagne and cocktails and champagne cocktails and of course - the hangover that follows. I'm exhausted (and still relatively rough from Thursday nights antics..) and so really looking forward to a laid-back, lazy & leisurely weekend.

Inspired Interior: Eco Chic

My somewhat unhealthy obsession with this glamorous Arkansas space, which interior designers Chris & Anne Laidler call home, is sort of justified with the fact the building materials & furtnire were all sourced locally or made domestically. Items that they didn't need were donated to Habitat for Humanity. The results? A home that is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum-certified yet still looks stylish. Obsessed.

Places to Stay: Riad Meriem, Marrakesh | Morocco

I adore Morocco. Its one of my favorite counties, when in Marrakesh I love nothing more than soaking up the strong North African sunshine and completely losing myself in the romance of the city and Moroccan culture.

Ex-pats doing up riads has been an ongoing trend in Marrakech for years now, and the sunning Riad Meriem is the creation of New York interior designer Thomas Hays. Inside the riad, dappled sunlight lands on oriental rugs and doorways lead into secret hallways. But it’s not all archways, polished plaster and filigree lanterns, there are modern touches, too, such as dramatic fine art, photography and custom-made lighting. You can book one of the five rooms and stay a deux, or rent the whole place, and take it over for exclusive use – the managers are experienced event planners from London and can organise special meals and even belly dancing.

Fashion Inspiration: Print & Pattern

 

I may be a little late to this party, but I somehow (probably on Pinterest) managed to stumble across the seneca rising spring 2011 lookbook, and of course, fell in love with the motion of the shots, the soft colour palette and beautiful mix of prints & patterns.

At Home With: Sam Allen

Homes of interior designers are always bloody good, aren't they? Sam Allen has this incredible knack of combining bold colours & patterns and throwing them together that creates breathtakingly beautiful spaces. Okay, pink walls and ikat-print rugs mightn't inspire each of you to paint your hallway like this, but you must admire, even if it is just from afar.

My Happy List { № 2 } : Morning Cuddles

. . . there are few greater pleasures in life than snuggling up on a weekend morning with the boy, the pooch and your first cup of coffee. Just lying there, nowhere to be, nothing to do but relax and enjoy eachothers company in the morning sunlight from the comfort of crisp white sheets. Perfection. rachel xo

Places to Stay: Five Favourites | Britain's Sexiest Hotels

t h e  g r o s v e n o r  ,  l o n d o n  . . .

The Cora Pearl Suite at London's Grosvnor Hotel is named after a famous courtesan, at one point the toast of Paris with several wealthy lovers. In the 1870s she visited London and booked a suite at The Grovesnor (we won't say who she was visiting, but Buckingham Palace is very close by). The hotel refused her entry. They've made up for it now though, the suite that bears Cora's name has a beautiful free-standing bath, a chaise lounge and is decorated to look like a boudoir. The Cora Pearl Package, including cocktails and a seven-course dinner, is priced at £1862 for two people over two nights.

l e  m a n o i r  ,  g r e a t  m i l t o n  . . .

Raymond Blanc is best known as a chef but he's also dished up seriously sexy hotel rooms at his Oxfordshire hotel and restaurant, Le Manoir. Each room was created by French-born Blanc, who counts the Opium Suite, pictured, among his personal favourites. Le Manoir, Great Milton, double rooms from £515 per night.

At Home With: Kelee Katillac

Interior designer, Kelee Katillac, dressed up each room in this 1915 Missouri Building in Kansas by installig dramatic chandeliers, beautiful custom-made and vintage pieces in chic pastel colours with decadent wood and white panels. This is a life-sized Barbie dreamhouse I need to live in. 

Places: Wythe Hotel, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Its easy to fall into the routine of always staying on the island when visiting New York, but the gilded mirrors and retro-modern style of the wythe hotel on the Brooklyn waterfront may convince us otherwise - not to mention the rooms with views of the Manhattan skyline...

Two Beautiful Things: Pillows & Pugs

A very quick good afternoon & happy Thursday as I quickly run from meeting to meeting to meeting, before a quick powder-room change to head to dinner with the boy to a horribly fancy steak restaurant overlooking  the river to enjoy my first piece of meat in what I'm realising has been over a week... and breathe... and remember your punctuation Rachel! Have an excellent Thursday evening whatever you beauties have planned, rachel xo

p r e v i o u s  t w o  b e a u t i f u l  t h i n g s  . . .
monochrome perfection | monday morning coffee 

ps; what could be more beautiful than freshly laundered bed linen in white silk and pink chiffon, or a charming pug dressed in more bling than Rachel Zoe? . . .