…I want to own certain things – pieces of furniture that I totally covet. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I harbor the fantasy that once I own these things, my life will be happy, my home will be complete, and I’ll appear 10lbs thinner. (I know. Such is the irrational power of good design over my state of mind.)  Sigh. Well, even if these things never make their way into my home, I’ll always have the web…..

A candy-colored inlaid chest:

Alinya

Both Graham and Green

Any wall in my home would be lucky to stand behind these chests (and how fab is the charcoal/blue wall behind the lavender with pops of fuscia?! Mental note!). Gorgeous, exotic and ‘Classic with a twist’. Love.

A Barcelona Chair (Toffee or White…can’t decide):

The picture in my head has me lounging on this design classic, stretching my mile-long legs in front of me and smoking a cigarette ala’ Mad Men. (I don’t have mile-long legs, and I don’t smoke…but the fantasy seems so glamorous… in an ignorance-is-bliss kind of way!)

A Moroccan Rug:

Both Attic Mag

I want to live barefoot 24/7, and bury my toes in these rugs at every opportunity. Decadent and luxe.

I change my hair all of the time, but every 4-5 years I return to my natural curls. Lots of you have asked how I style my hair when I wear it natural, so here’s the scoop:

As a Hairdresser in NYC, I was introduced to the Davines line of products. I fell in love with their ‘Love’ Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner - a bit expensive, but worth it (until I can develop my own line that’s easier on the pocket book – Oh, I’ve got plans, people!)

I used to adore Aveda’s Sap Moss line, but they discontinued it in the name of sustainability…which is actually very cool.

Once I’m all clean (I only wash my hair twice a week – curls are dry and stripped of moisture on their own, so I go easy), I squeeze out any excess moisture and apply about 2 tbls. of Aveda Universal Styling Creme from their ‘Brilliant’ line to my damp hair.

I then twist 1″ sections of hair around my finger, root to tip to set the curl. Once my whole head is done, I air dry (No touching! The biggest mistake people make about curls is touching them while they’re drying – that is a quick road to frizz) and then fluff it up at the roots once it’s completely dry.

And that’s it! Easy, and fairly quick. Hope this helps my fellow curly’s out there!

Many of you are fans of my show, and wonder where it is on HGTV. Here’s the deal: Myles of Style can always be caught in repeats (just check your local listings) as well as on iTunes and Hulu.com – so if you just can’t get enough of the good stuff, you can check it out any time day or night!  I’ll be back on HGTV this fall as the host of  America’s Biggest Yard Sale, and Holiday Battle on the Block, so keep you eyes peeled.  In the meantime, this blog is the best place to see what’s in my head, so enjoy and thanks for all of the love!

Oh, the miracle of the internet!

My high school friend Melissa (who is now an ass-kicking Tae Kwon Do black belt and Personal Trainer in San Fran) just sent me this old photo of myself:

Me at age 15. Can you believe the hair?! (I look like Slash’s long lost little sis!) And I totally remember those jeans – they’d belonged to my Grandfather, and I wore them to shreds. This was just too good not to share with you guys. (and PS, check out the little Mouse Lady chillen’ next to the fireplace – remember those?!)

(C-Train to Brooklyn.)

Well, it’s official. Today I’ve entered into my late 30′s! (I guess 36 was technically in the realm, but I still felt it was more ‘mid’.)  Anyway, I’m loving it. I know who I am, what I want, and I no longer suffer fools…or skinny jeans.

Here’s what I know for sure about my style/figure:

Fitted, tailored jackets are a must (J.Crew):

Flare/Bootcut jeans are the only way (AG Jeans- The ‘Club’ cut fits curves like a dream):

Dresses: V-necks/Cinched waists/Bright hues (Victoria’s Secret):

Every woman needs ‘A Good Bag’ (Kenneth Cole does ‘classic with a twist’ really well):

I should own stock in nude shoes with built-in platforms (L.A.M.B. shoes rock my world):

I’ve learned the hard way (and let me assure you, the camera is the hard way) that slavishly following trends does me no favors. Styles may come and go, but I remain the same: 5 feet tall, curvy and specific about what I want to present. The above uniform assures that I’ll never cringe if I catch myself while flipping channels, and it accepts and sets off all manner of crazy-unique accessories. Add my signature kooky haircuts (curly or straight, you’ll never catch me with boring hair!), and I’m good to go.

Here’s to being old enough to know what works!

As promised, it’s my own living and dining room for your viewing pleasure!

The space: 1940 cottage in L.A.

The mission: Take it from craptacular to spectacular.

Let’s start in my living room, shall we? (click the images to see larger versions). It all began with this:

Sad, sad, sad. (But the hubby is cute.)

It moved on to this:

The floors are the original oak, but I had them refurbished. This stain is custom (dove grey), and that’s 5 coats of poly.

Sofa: EQ3, coffee table: gift from my Mom, chair: belonged to my Grandfather, rug: Overstock.com

Now the fun part:

The (giant) inspiration item:

‘The Shootout’ by one of our favorite artists, Gabe Leonard. (It’s funny, Scott and I are rarely drawn to the same things visually, but this piece was love at first sight for both of us.) We saved to buy the original, and we love it more and more each day.  It’s the source palette for the entire space, and I concentrated on the rose, tangerine, and turquoise.

I painted the wall behind it, as well some insta-wainscoting in Behr’s ‘Delicate Rose’. (And for those who wonder if the hubby minds pink, the answer is no. In fact, he loves it. He’s a Graphic Designer, and consequently quite open to most palettes.)

(Scott took this shot — he thinks it’s my best angle.)

And now:

I’m thrilled. It’s totally yummy and warm, and features an unexpected mix of mid-century and ethnic influences. Storage cabinets: Ikea, sunburst mirrors: HomeGoods, radio: Scott’s Grandfather’s, lamps: West Elm, shades: custom covered in black leather by your’s truly.

On to the Dining Room…

The paneling covered what would turn out to be the first layer of wallpaper. We found 4 layers total, and we did all the stripping, patching, painting, and baseboards ourselves. (FYI: The guest house in the background is about to become my office — I’ve got BIG plans…and they don’t include a metal security door.)

And now:

Mirror: Salvation Army (Hell’s Kitchen-NYC), storage benches: Overstock.com, dining table: Hotel Liquidators, mid-century chairs: Salvation Army (North Hollywood) ($5 each! – some paint and new upholstery and they were good to go), curtains: Ikea, barstools: vintage mid-century, bar braces: Anthropology, art: 2 paintings by Scott’s aunt, a photo by his Dad, Don Myles, and a sketch of the Brooklyn Bridge, because you can take the girl out of New York, but….)

I’m still hunting for 2 more ‘perfect’ chairs (or stools) to cap the dining table, but otherwise I’m a happy girl.

I’m thinking of painting a gigantic floor to ceiling/wall to wall map on the big blank wall in my bathroom. It’s currently ‘Luster’ (white with a hint of pink), and I plan on doing the graphic in my new favorite ‘Delicate Rose’ by Behr. Kind of like so…

via Living Etc.

via Urban Outfitters

I’ll let you know how it goes….

First, about our little cottage: Built in 1930, and had received NO love since around 1962. We got a deal in the neighborhood of our dreams, but it required insane amounts of work . To date, we’ve refinished the floors, stripped/rebuilt the original plaster walls, re-wired the whole damn thing, gutted/rebuilt the bathroom, and added insulation as well as central heat/AC. But the mutha’ of all projects? The kitchen. My goal: keep it humble (it’s a teeny cottage after all), functional, simple (so that I can develop it over time), and avoid going into debt.

It all began when we bought this:

Urine walls (and ceiling!), and bad paneling in every room (which when pulled revealed bad wallpaper in every room).

I painted in order to avoid retching each time I walked in, but the layout was still awful. (Check the fugly brick/tile backsplash. Scott loved it, me...not so much.)

And now….

Stove is centered, new windows, and I have a hood! No more setting off the fire alarms when I cook. (I realize what this says about my cooking.)

Bad, bad and bad some more. (Note: this was as 'closed' as the cabinets could get. This drove me batshit.)

Now…

Wall o' pantry! We'll upgrade the appliances to counter depth down the road, but I'll still stick to white (I prefer it's look to stainless). I mixed my cabinetry finishes in order to flow with that, and I went with Ikea to save $ (Nexus Brown and Abstrakt White).

I wanted to include personalized displays, and open shelving allowed me to do this while letting the space breath. (Oats for the mornings, and a pink bin full of delightful tea - a must now that we're off the coffee. Thanks, Don and Lois! xo)

This breakfast bar was bizarre on the kitchen side, so we flipped it to the dining room. Talk about wasted space!.

Now…

Butcher block prep-counter. The two tall cabinets house the trash and recycling. The bar is now Ceasarstone (Absolute Noir) like the rest of the kitchen, and in the background you see the dining room -- next up on my decorating/blogging project list. (We're stripping the wood beam over the bar, hence the plastic.)

The sink (and dishwasher!): losing the door allowed me to use all of the walls - thanks for the suggestion, Ruth! (Note: I want to mount the paper towels under the shelf on the right, but Scott's opposed.)

I've been slowly collecting turquoise glass for 15 years, and it all started with the tall one on the left. It's been in the family since I was 8, and when my Mom didn't want it I caught the collecting bug.

Scott requested that we keep bowls of produce out, to be replenished regularly. I'm into it - we eat a lot more fruit and veggies this way.

So there it is, folks. The basics are done, and though I still want to develop/tweak it with art, accessories (and a floor upgrade – it’s currently vinyl, but you do what you can when the whole house needs love), I’m thrilled with how it turned out!

Happy weekend, and I’ll see you Monday! XO K

I’ve been dreaming of curtains for my living room (or dining room) with a wide diagonal stripe, and coming up bupkis finding material that I like. Enter ‘High Heel Foot in the Door’ with her brilliant and inspired blog detailing how to make striped curtains yourself! I’m on it, and I’ll let you know how it goes….

via High heel foot in the door (The colors are on acid, but I'm LOVING this project!)

I'll go diagonal like so, but I still need to pick the palette...