West Elm – Page 4 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Snapshots August 12, 2013

Tour de Texas

Sasha was in Austin all last week for class, so I drove to meet him on Thursday. We spent Friday eating breakfast at Kerbey Lane, working from the AT&T Conference Center (where we were staying), then getting lunch at the flagship Whole Foods, going paddle boarding on Town Lake (so much fun!!!), getting drinks at Abel’s on the Lake, then cleaning up and meeting some of my favorite people for dinner at G’Raj Mahal (amazing). After dinner, Sasha and I walked back to Town Lake to watch the sunset on a dock, then trekked across downtown Austin to go back to the hotel (via the Capitol and TCBY, naturally).

On Saturday, we were back at Kerbey Lane for breakfast (it’s that good), then headed to San Marcos to visit one of Sasha’s fraternity brothers. They live on this amazing 100 acre ranch with the most gorgeous Restoration Hardware inspired house. They have two gorgeous blonde girls of their own and have adopted three beautiful kids from Africa. I honestly did not want to leave.

Afterward, we went to Gruene for lunch at the famous Gristmill restaurant, next to Gruene Hall (Texas’ oldest dance hall). We walked around this quaint Texas town after, then got in the car and drove to San Antonio (hence, the Tour de Texas post name). I met two of Sasha’s high school friends and their precious three kids – a newborn who I didn’t want to put down. We went to eat at Scenic Loop Cafe and Bar, which was delicious – great outdoor dining spot with live music and gorgeous strung lights.

We woke up early on Sunday and headed back to Houston. We arrived home to the West Elm storage bench we ordered ages ago. Hoorah! Not many more pieces to go until The Manor is complete. The busy weekend ended with family dinner at Indika (one of my favorites, as expressed in my ‘Best of Houston: Restaurants and Coffee‘ post). It’s Houston Restaurant Weeks – my favorite time of the year.

Happy Monday!

Décor March 11, 2013

Weekend Update: A Couch + Parties + 3D TV

The weekend started off on Friday with the delivery of our first Maxwell couch (so excited). Afterward, I went to West Elm to get new bedding for one of the guest bedrooms (see above). Following came a glass of St. Germain and club soda at Benjy’s with two of my best friends, Paola and Patrick – i.e. I was one happy camper on Friday by 6pm. I went to the other Benjy’s in Rice Village for a friend’s birthday dinner, then went to bed reasonably early because I had a 10k in the morning. After running errands all morning, I realized I had locked myself out of the house and had to drive to the Medical Center, where Sasha was in class, to get a key (I’m losing my marbles). I had a slew of visitors come and see the house (thank you, Jess, for my lovely gifts!), then went to James’ 2nd birthday party, followed by a trip to Katy to meet one of Sasha’s best friends who lives with his sweet wife in Minneapolis. They recently had a baby girl, Ava, who was already sleeping when we arrived. Sunday began with church at Bayou City Fellowship, then HEB, lunch, and my least favorite task of the weekend – taking pictures of Sasha’s old furniture that I did not want to keep. I listed 15 items on Craigslist – what a crazy site. Hopefully most will be gone soon! My dad and sister and Sasha’s dad and stepmom came over to see the house, and we gave the 3D TV a spin – it’s incredible. Golf has never been so exciting! We finished the weekend with a dinner at Barnaby’s with two friends – capping Sunday off with falafel cannot be beat. Hope you had a wonderful weekend as well!

Décor March 8, 2013

The Manor: Almost There

If you’ve been reading for the past few months, you are well aware of the renovation of our new home, nicknamed “The Manor” (related to the street name). Sasha surprised me with the house as part of his proposal (read the story here), and we’ve been doing major renovations since early November (think walls being added, moved, etc.): Demolition post, Progress post, Further Progress post, A Lick of Paint post. While we still have work to do – i.e. moving the furniture from my apartment into the house, buying blinds, yard work, buying accessories for the two guest rooms – it’s almost there. I see the finish line! Below are a ton of pictures – I’m dying for the other Maxwell couch to arrive! I’m in love.

The Front

The Study

Waiting on my futon + lots of books + desk accessories – also want to do a gallery wall above my desk! Need to find the perfect prints…

The Living Room and Entryway

Waiting on the second Maxwell Couch + Paintings/Hanging Pictures

The Bar

Waiting on new glasses!

*The gold lions above are amazing – I bought them on Etsy here.

Guest Bathroom + Bedrooms

Waiting on… lots.

Kitchen

Master Bedroom + Bathroom + Closet

Waiting on a new rug, accent chair and more clothes

Décor February 11, 2013

Little Decorative Details

I had another busy house-decorating-weekend filled with multiple trips to Target, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, West Elm and Anthroplogie. We had the Bluestone Console and Coffee Tables delivered on Saturday and bought chairs to go with the bench and Emmerson dining table that we ordered last week at West Elm. Lots of little decorative pieces were also purchased, and the new garage door was finally installed.The Manor will be completely finished on Wednesday, and we’re having a cleaning crew come in to scrub the place down on Thursday. I am so excited for all of the work to be done so that we can begin putting everything together. Almost there! Seems like ages ago that we were here.

PS Have you seen a Nest yet? It’s Sasha’s favorite little toy. Coolest thermostat ever.

1) Willoughy Dining Chair from West Elm, 2) Porter Leather Dining Chair from West Elm, 3) Jade King Shams and Mosaic King Pillowcases from Crate & Barrel, 4) Nest Thermostat, 5) Pottery Barn Malta Lantern, 6) Scroll Tile Runner Rug (2.5×9) from Pottery Barn

Décor February 4, 2013

Bathroom Countertop Decor

I’m decorating one room at a time (in an attempt to stay sane!). I finally purchased the entryway and dining room furniture this weekend – which was exhausting as I ran between Crate and Barrel, Restoration Hardware, Anthropologie, West Elm, Z Gallerie, The Container Store, and IKEA (a nightmare). I decided to focus on the half and guest bathrooms (which look like this) first, so I purchased the following items (as inspired by Emily Schuman and Samantha Hutchinson). I still need to buy a cute little basket, but have lots of good coffee table books to use!1) Glass Melon Knobs from Anthopologie, 2) Voluspa Japonica Mini Candle from Anthropologie, 3) Barr-Co Soap Bar from Anthropologie, 4) Provence Perfume Bottles from Anthropologie, 5) Square Lacquer Tray from West Elm