Elements of Style Blog » lifestyle lust

Style Idol: Minnie Mortimer

Erin Gates — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:38:09 +0000

I was perusing Vogue’s APT with LSD feature and fell in love with Minnie Mortimer’s California home as well as her personal style.

I love how many books are in this place! I agree with her comment about how they serve as such interesting decoration as well as being wonderfully entertaining and educational.

Love the gallery wall and that blue tufted sofa!

This is so awesome, no? The dark built ins, the hint of pink, the old wood….the BOOKS!

Her Tiffany blue closet makes me way jealous. As goes that Goyard. And her clothes.

She keeps board games in vintage monogrammed suitcases! How clever! And I love the teepee for her daughter. I would have sold all my Barbies for a teepee. Wait, maybe not all of them.

Such a sunny, happy room!

I just love, love, love her look.

Her eponymous collection has some clean basics like this adorable stripe dress and belted shirt dress.

Photos via Vogue, Minnie Mortimer.

Shingles, Stripes and Salt

Erin Gates — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:55:11 +0000

Over the weekend Andrew and I drove 45 minutes to the water just so I could have a cup of coffee by the sea. There is nothing more soothing to my soul than looking at the ocean. And classic nautical style is no exception to the experience of being by the water. Faded shingled homes, rope details, sand feet, stripes, cranberry cocktails, the smell of sunscreen, chipping paint, the clang of sailboat bells and pink cheeks from too much time in the sun. Here’s a collection of images that bring me back to that feeling time and time again.

Images and products via Sperry, Scosha NYC, Kiel James Patrick, Pinterest, Elle Decor, JCrew, One Sydney Road, Chance

Antique Homes Magazine

Erin Gates — Thu, 12 May 2011 11:47:36 +0000

Other than Pinterest, my other favorite time vacuum is to look for real estate. Growing up taking “drives” with my Dad, which served the sole purpose and house gawking, I learned to appreciate architecture. We always hoped we end up at Dairy Queen or the mall, but as an adult I’m sure glad we didn’t. I really enjoy torturing myself by looking at homes in far flung locations, way out of my price range or fixer uppers that would doubtless result in a divorce or stay in a mental hospital. One of my favorite sources for house stalking is Antique Homes Magazine’s website. It’s chock full of only antique homes (my favorite) in the north east. It’s really like my version of Playgirl- instead of drooling over six packs I drool over molding and stone walls and outbuildings. Each to her own….

Whether a large farmhouse or tiny school house….

Or in the city like this town home in Providence, RI… are you SEEING those cabinets????

and that mural wallpaper??? And that kitchen??? FRICK. FRICK. FRICK.

Adore this little shingle cottage with that pale green door and fab interior woodwork!

And this much LARGER shingled home by the sea…

This brick beauty in Salem, MA has one of the most exquisite entrances….look at those windows!

And how about the living room? I like to imagine all the woodwork painted white, despite the horror it might inflict on historians.

Hi fireplace. I want to sit by you.

If I had an extra 9 mill I’d plunk it down on this stone house. Those beams alone are with it (and the 65 acres and horse barn it come with. I could finally get a miniature PONY!)

Note: Brimfield was great- tons of fabulous things, the most fabulous being taken by the peeps from J.Crew, Tommy Hilfiger and the like. But HOLY OVERPRICED. No one was dealing, which happens when you go the second da of the first show of the season. We got some pictures but the vendors are soooooo not welcoming towards shutterbugs for fear we’ll “take the images and have reproductions made in china”. Hmmmm, last I checked, you don’t own the rights over antiques by just owning them…. I digress.