Shopping on Magazine Street: Julie Neill and Leontine Linens

After meeting Bryan Batt at the Garden District Bookstore, we headed back over to Magazine Street. Our next stop was Julie Neill’s gorgeous store. Julie has a blog, The Bayou Contessa and she designs incredibly beautiful lighting. The most impressive part is that everything is handmade in New Orleans by skilled artisans just a few doors down from the showroom. Fabian and I are both lighting aficionados and we were both extremely impressed by the gorgeous designs and craftsmanship.

{Beautiful Parisian-Style Chandeliers}

{Part of Julie’s Lovely Showroom}

{I think the Maria Sconce (top) may be one of my favorite designs.}

{These Arrow Sconces are rather handsome.}

{The Lovely Wreath Sconce}

{I am absolutely in love with this mirror! It shares curves similar to the Serena & Lily headboard I blogged about this morning.}

{More Beautiful Designs}

{I loved this cute table lamp.}

Leontine Linens is just down the street from Julie’s shop. Much to my dismay, it was closed despite the fact that it was early Saturday afternoon. I was really bummed that we were not able to go inside and see their beautiful work in person. Hopefully next time!

{I was literally window shopping here! Isn’t this ensemble gorgeous? It features two of my favorite colors.}

{Another Lovely Ensemble}

{lum is right next door. I have seen this shop featured in a few magazines and have been wanting to check out their variety of vintage lighting for some time now, but alas, they were also closed.}

 

Image Credit: Paloma Contreras for La Dolce Vita

I’ve loved you so long…

Can I just say how much I love Serena and Lily’s gorgeous Pondicherry headboard? It is absolutely perfect in my eyes! It is classic and elegant, yet completely dramatic. I have searched high and low for for a similar, more inexpensive version, but nothing comes close. Sure, there are plenty of lovely upholstered headboards out there, but none make the same statement that the gorgeous Pondicherry does.

Isn’t it fabulous? You can choose from several solid or patterned fabrics for a customized look. Personally, I think I’d opt for a solid, neutral fabric in order to let the lines of the headboard do the talking!

Shopping on Magazine Street: Perch

{The Entrance at Perch}

My favorite activity from our little weekend trip to New Orleans was spending Saturday afternoon exploring the beautiful Garden District and shopping on Magazine Street. We started off by going to brunch at Eat on Dumaine Street in the French Quarter. The restaurant is set in a cute, old house and the food is out of this world! I would highly recommend it for brunch if you are visiting New Orleans. After our scrumptious brunch, we drove up to the Garden District. Our first stop was the beautiful shop, Perch, which I had heard so much about and was dying to visit. It certainly did not disappoint!

{Valorie, who writes Visual Vamp works at Perch and has always been so sweet to me in the blogosphere, so it was incredibly nice to finally meet her in person! She is wonderfully warm and charming. We had so much fun visiting with her.}

{The store is set in a gorgeous 6,000 square foot one story house and is filled with the most amazing vignettes. How gorgeous is that mirror?}

{Antique and Reproduction Pieces Coexist Beautifully at Perch}

{Arguably my favorite room at Perch, though choosing a favorite is a nearly impossible task since everything is breathtaking.}

{Mr. Peacock on his Perch}

{I love this little sideboard. I didn’t touch it, but if it is galvanized steel, it would also look fantastic on one’s patio.}

{A Close-Up of the Table Setting}

{Another lovely room, this time in shades of green and peacock blue.}

{I love the juxtaposition of the Santo, antique mirror, and lucite furniture.}

{A Whimsical Tree Bed}

{I love the turquoise Venetian chandelier and pillows on the sofa in this room.}

  {Fun Dinnerware and Accessories}

{A Beautiful Secretary and an Array of Fabulous Chandeliers and Chairs in the Store’s Main Hallway}

{A Gorgeous Set of Old French Doors}

Perch was truly a delight! I could furnish my entire house with their lovely wares. After we left, we headed to the Garden District Bookstore, where I met Bryan Batt who plays Sal on Mad Men. He was there doing a discussion and signing of his new book, She Ain’t Heavy, She’s My Mother: A Memoir. We arrived shortly before his appearance was scheduled to begin, so I was able to chat with him one on one. Sadly, I didn’t take a picture with him. I didn’t think the people waiting in line for the book signing would have appreciated that too much. Bryan is super charming and sweet! It was such a treat to meet an actor from one of the most well-written shows on television. Tomorrow, we’ll continue down Magazine Street and visit Julie Neill’s amazing store.

 

Image Credit: Paloma Contreras for La Dolce Vita

10 Things I Can’t Live Without: Jennifer of Bits of Beauty

Jennifer Ortiz writes the inspiring blog, Bits of Beauty. She frequently shares beautiful images and reminders to seek out the beauty in the most ordinary things. From interior design to fashion, her lovely blog is filled with gorgeous images. I love the list she has put together for us and think you will enjoy it as well!

Over the past year, I've discovered there is plenty I can live without. I can live without cubicles or offices in general. I can live without shopping sprees and eating out all the time. I can live without a credit card. I can live without a boyfriend. I have no need for constantly updating {for the sake of novelty} the few gadgets I own. Goodness, I could go on and on. I've narrowed it down to the most important things in my life, half of which are not things that can be bought.

{hope, possibility, inspiration} Ok, so these are actually three things, but for me they go hand in hand. They each thrive off each other and simultaneously exist in my life. Without any of the three, the others would not be as meaningful to me. I'd dare say that I use the combination as a way to guide the direction of my life.

{Heels} I'm 5'2 and latina. Beyond that, I don't think this one needs much explanation.

{Dresses} I'm very girly, but I've also got serious lazy bum syndrome. Dresses are so easy to throw on and run out the door. When I was a little girl, I hated wearing jeans. I've gotten much better about it, but I still hate to feel constricted by any sort of pant. I'd rather just float around in a relaxed maxi or a prim, pretty full skirt. {It's also ridiculously hot where I live, which makes wearing a dress ideal.}

{Travel} I love to travel. It's a chance to explore, which is something I rarely ever turn down. Experiencing a different culture is always exciting to me, but one can learn a lot about the self through travel. I wouldn't regret it if I never married or bought a house, but if I didn't travel extensively in my life, I surely would regret it.

{Books} I've said it time and again, but I'd be shocked if it ever changed. Every good book holds between its covers a world to be shared from the author to you. It's a shared creation between your mind and the author's.

{Amazing People} Every person is a new landscape to explore, a story to unfold. From family to friends to strangers who become new acquaintances, I'm always looking for what makes a person extraordinary. I believe in living extraordinarily you will attract extraordinary people, but that you must also be looking for the best in each person you meet. I'm fortunate to have a long list of wonderful people in my life that are absolutely inspiring.

{Macbook} I'm a freelancer working in CMS, social media, and writing. All of my work is done on my macbook. It's my library, office, filing cabinet, playground, and then some. I'd be in a pickle if anything happened to it. Note that I didn't say my computer. PC's and I don't get along. I have the absolute worst luck with them, so when I finally got a macbook a couple years ago, I was ecstatic. I'll never go back.

{Quiet time} Whether it be found in the practice of yoga, doing laundry, or while gazing out the window eating breakfast in the morning, I cherish every quiet moment I'm blessed with.

{Challenges} I adore a good challenge. In fact, I'm absurdly bored without one. I need a challenge like I need air. I don't like to be too comfortable or to rest on my laurels. To keep growing, we have to do our best to live fearlessly and keep going beyond our comfort zone. I remind myself of that every day.

{Senses} I'm a sensualist, so I'd hate to live without any of my senses. I like to surround myself {and the people around me} with something lovely to look at and listen to, delicious scents, and scrumptious edibles.

 

images: 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

LDV Weekend in New Orleans: The W Hotel

{Jackson Square and the St.Louis Cathedral}

We’re back! Our weekend trip to New Orleans was short and sweet. We had a wonderful time and got a little taste of New Orleans. I have to admit, I was ready to come home on Sunday after walking in the heat and humidity for a few days, but I have a newfound desire to learn as much as I can about this fascinating city. I received a plethora of recommendations from blog readers and friends and we just didn’t have time to fit everything in, but that gives us a reason to go back. We had wonderful food everywhere we went, took in the interesting architecture, and visited some fabulous shops on Magazine Street. I was fortunate enough to meet and chat with Valorie of Visual Vamp and Bryan Batt of Mad Men! I’ll share more about them and the fantastic shopping in the Garden District soon.

I really struggled with where to stay while planning our trip to New Orleans. There are so many historic properties, but I cannot deal with chintzy interiors. I just can’t do it. I knew that we wanted to stay in the Quarter since it was our first time visiting NOLA, but the challenge was in staying off of Canal Street and keeping some distance from the raucous Bourbon Street. By the way, Bourbon Street was so not our scene! We walked down there in the late afternoon on Friday and were literally grossed out by it. There are drunk people everywhere, strippers who look underage in the doorways of their clubs, and a lot of unsavory characters. We even had a guy do the “I bet I can tell you where you got your shoes” bit on us. Ugh! We did however, enjoy drinks at Pat O’Brien’s on St. Peter Street that evening. It had the “New Orleans Institution” atmosphere without the sleaziness. Anyway, back to the hotel search. I know that I asked for hotel recommendations on La Dolce Vita and so many of you suggested the W Hotel in the French Quarter, that we decided to book it.

We absolutely loved the W! The service was outstanding, the location on Chartres Street was excellent, and our room was very stylish and comfortable.

{The lovely courtyard is perfect for drinks or surfing the internet on the free Wi-Fi.}

{Glamorous Elevator Area}

{Our “Spectacular Room” featured its own balcony overlooking Conti Street.The bed and pillows were both super comfortable!}

{Nightstand Vignette featuring an iPod Dock}

{The spacious bathroom featured a large slate shower, Bliss Spa toiletries, and carrera marble counters.}

{Opposite the sink and shower, there was an open space and large carrera marble vanity. It was wonderful to be able to lay out all of my toiletries.}

 

{Our Balcony}

{As I said before, the service at the W Hotel New Orleans French Quarter was incredibly attentive. They even sent up a handwritten note and some delicious handmade pralines from Southern Candymakers to welcome us!}

{The hotel features a wonderful Italian restaurant, Bacco, which is owned by the renowned Brennan family. We had planned on keeping our meals mostly casual, but wanted to have at least one nice dinner. It poured on Saturday night, so we were quite lucky to be able to go right next door for a fantastic dinner while staying out of the downpour. Chef Chris Montero’s menu is Northern Italian with Creole influences. For the first course, I had the Mista salad with goat cheese and pine nuts and Fabian had the Crab Bisque, both of which were excellent. For the main course, we both decided on the house specialty of handmade Maine lobster and shrimp ravioli in a champagne butter sauce, topped with caviar. It was out of this world! For our third course, we each had the Lemon Ice Box Pie which was as delicious and refreshing as it sounds. The food at Bacco was excellent and the service was very attentive. I would higly recommend it if you are planning a trip to New Orleans.}

 

In the coming days, I will share more of our trip including New Orleans architecture and visits to the fabulous shops on Magazine Street, so stay tuned!