Oxford Exchange

Downtown Tampa's newest hang out. And bookstore, coffee shop, resturant, gift shop and tea house. A one of a kind space, the Oxford exchange is located across the street from the University of Tampa and was originaly built as a stable for the Plant Hotel in 1891. Over the past 120 years, the space has seen its share of uses; shops, an insurance company, dentist office, photography studio, etc. Created by Blake Casper, the new renovation started as a book store. Blake's vision and ideas grew to what the Oxford Exchange is today, housing a multitude of spaces.

 

 

As mentioned, the first floor of the building is open to the public with the resturant, book store and shop. The second floor holds the Commerce Club; a flexible business resourse, the club features private offices, conference rooms and a shared environment that can be reserved daily.

 

 

I recently attended a tour of the Oxford Exchange given by Blake himself. I could go on for hours about every interior finish used, the flooring, walls, where it all came from and how it was shipped on site. I will not bore you with all of those details but do want to point out a few elements that caught my eye.

 

The black and white marble floors are throughout the book store and first floor seating area. The stunning pattern stands out amoungst the adjacent wood tones.

 

 

 

The restuarant features a solarium and centralized water feature for an outdoor dining experience. The glass ceiling feature was brought in from Switzerland and is retractable (that's right, retractable).

 

 

Keep an eye out for the natural light that is brought into every space, including the restrooms.

 

Make an excuse to stop by. Grab a coffee or tea. You will not regret that you did.

Kravitz

Who knew Lenny Kravitz founded Kravitz Design Inc., a commercial and residential design firm?

One of my tile represenatives recently introduced me to a tile series designed by Kravitz Design. Edgy, dramatic and impressive; seems to match Lenny perfectly. Two of the designs manufactured by Lea Ceramiche are photographed below but you can check out his firm and products here.

 

 

Lea Ceramiche has another series called Paillettes that I adore. Sophisted with a huge touch of glamour; would love to use this one day in a bathroom. Stunning.

 

 

What do you think of Lea's the floral pattern design?



Happy New Year with YHL

It is 2013 and I am hoping to get back to my blog. With all the chaos from December out of the way, I am ready to get back to my schedule and find some time to spend with my readers.

 

Starting off the year with a fresh post from my favorite bloggers Young House Love, Sherry and John. The pair teamed up with Shades of Light to design a lighting collection that caters to the residential home. The collection is casual, playful, happy and the best part are their prices! Every fixture designed by Young House Love is under $99. Love it.

 

These are a few of my favorite fixtures:

 

 

Check out the full collection here.

Focal Point

I am a slacker. Blog-slacker that is. 

This past month has been jammed packed with events, work, family and friends. And I am not complaining. The holidays are amazing.

Over the past couple days I was in beautiful Chicago visiting the Focal Point lighting headquarters and showroom. Focal Point is a family owned architectural lighting company and sells one of the best luminaire products available. Before visiting their manufacturing plant and showroom I was already familiar with their products but was blown away by the process. Impressed with the start-to-finish production of each fixture; the detail and hands on attention each lamp receives is amazing. And even more amazing, each fixture has a five to ten day lead time. Unheard of in the commercial world of lighting. 

A few of my favorite products that Focal Point offers I am showing in the installation photos below.

For more information visit Focal Point.

I cannot believe it's November

Even though today's date is the 8th, I still cannot believe that we are in the month of November. I guess the holiday lights, ornaments and ribbons hanging from the mall ceiling yesterday was a reminder that I need to start thinking about my holiday shopping. One of my neighbors even has a Christmas wreath on her front door.

 

 

Needless to say I am more interested in holiday decor shopping! And a popular decor item that you can find practically anywhere is the antler. I came across two beautiful white washed antlers at one of my favorite antique shops last month and deeply regret not purchasing them. I love the idea of using antlers during the holiday season and all year long.

 

Indoor/Outdoor Pillow from Pottery Barn

 

Antler Wreath from Restoration Hardware

Antler Candle Holders from West Elm

 

The Painted House

Clare Bosanquet stumbled across a great invention in Romania and has developed it into a simple technique. Apparently the Romanians have been using this process for the last 100 years as an alternative to wallpaper. And I think it is genius.

Using Clare's paper and wall applicator you can acheive a stunning wall detail using any paint color imaginable. Plus the roller can be used to update old fabric, a lamp shade or even your closet. Check out all her designs and applicators at her Etsy shop here.

Rojo - Sarah Part II

In the spirit of Fall, I wanted to share a warm and cozy room by Sarah Richardson. This is a continuation of "the suburb" home she recently decked-out and room II I wanted to share with my readers (find part I here of the entry and main living room).

I recently helped a friend move-in and decorate a rental home that has a few red accent walls. Sarah's basement/fun living space was fantastic inspiration and a great example of how to incorprate red accents throughout a space without going overboard. And of course this can be acheived with any dark or dramatic paint color.

This room makes me want a mug of hot chocolate and big fuzzy socks on.


Nate for Target

If you haven't already passed by the new collection at Target by Nate Berkus, you should make a trip to see it. I came across a stunning zig-zag patterned bath rug, coordinating towels and shower curtain while shopping for a friends home a couple days ago. Once I came out of my target-shopping-coma (readers, you know what I am talking about), I realized that I was standing at a Nate Berkus home display. And then the drooling began...

I love Nate's simple designs, bold color choices and easy accessories that allow the inexperienced to put together an amazing space. Plus he is such a cutie. 

Have you seen some of Nate's Collection? What do you think?

Skulls

Since Halloween is right around the corner I have had skulls on my mind (heehee). I am a bit of a skull-collector and love the subtle placement of them throughout a space. Plus the month of October is always an excuse to use them in your decor.

 

Happy Fall and Happy Halloween.

 

 

Dipped

Dipped legs are in. And I keep seeing them more and more lately. I love the look and it seems to be a simple way to dress up just about any stool, table or chair.

 

One of my favorite blogs recently posted a tutorial on "dipping" a stool from Ikea. Check out the full post here.

 

 

And of course, a few more ideas and inspiration below. Some are dipped and others are not...