Shopping at The Grove

Hello LA! Landed here yesterday and I am in shopping heaven. I desperately wanted to check out the famous Grove and Farmers Market so I spent a lot of time there yesterday browsing, trying on, contemplating why a tank top was $300 and eating caramel corn while lamenting not fitting into a size 2! Haha but seriously it was a beautiful day and the highlight of my shopping experience were these black lace shorts in the Guess by Marciano store. I loved that the sales girl threw together an adorable outfit for me from head to toe in about 5 seconds–complete with the most adorable pair of wedges ever! Sadly I was in between sizes but I can’t stop thinking about them so I might head back today and just buy the smaller size and use them as my “summer goal pants.” Sounds like a smashing idea to me!

I included some highlights in the pic below: MK chain sneakers, some pretty dresses from Madewell (yep, I think this is a new favorite store!), and me and Tambe in front of the fountain at The Grove (it was filled with huge, beautiful Koi fish, too!).

I hope you all are having a wonderful start to your Memorial Day weekend! As always, thanks for reading! XOXO I’m off to Disney in a bit and I am excited like a little kid!

Outdoor Style

Image courtesy of Lushome.com

My favorite place to be in the summer, before it gets disgustingly humid in DC, is outside. Since I don’t have a pool or yard of my own (hellooooo rental!) I can at least dream and offer some suggestions on outdoor style for you! If you like anything you see here and have a pool or a yard, please invite me over I will help you decorate and/or BBQ!

First on my list is the Boyd Kidney Style Ottoman, $599, from Room & Board. It’s plywood covered in Sunbrella fabric, which is amazing and comes in a ton of different colors like Ocean Blue, below.

Ocean Blue Boyd Kidney Ottoman, Room & Board

If you’re looking for something a little less modern and you’re not afraid of mixing patterns, check out this porch swing by MacKenzie-Childs, $2,950.

MacKenzie-Childs porch swing

If you don’t want to spend $3k on just one swing (even though it is awesome), you can head over to Home Depot and get something pretty modern for a lot less like the Atlantic Bellagio six piece sectional set with bright orange cushions for $2,499.

Atlantic Bellagio set, Home Depot

If you’ve read my blog before you know I sort of have a crush on all things West Elm, so it’s probably no surprise that I would include one of their outdoor pieces. The Tillary outdoor sofa (up to $1,439) looks so elegant and I love it in white because you can switch out your pillows to freshen up the look year after year.

Tillary outdoor sofa, West Elm

No room is complete without a rug, right?! Outdoor rugs have gotten so much better over the years and now you can find them practically in any color/pattern/style. I love this whole little setup that I found on Grandin Road which highlights their Emma rug, $129-$579:

Emma Outdoor Rug, Grandin Road

This Tulip Chair and Table, $299-$399, would be just as perfect on a balcony as it would be in this beautiful ocean setting (also available at Grandin Road).

Tulip Chair and Table, Grandin Road

As always, thanks for stopping by and checking out A Fresh Coat! XOXO

An Intimate Evening With Wacoal at The Monaco

It’s so much fun when I’m included in blogger events in the DC-area, and I was so excited to be a guest of Wacoal last night! They hosted an amazing little soiree with local bloggers and members of the press at the Monaco Hotel, one of my fav Kimpton hotels in DC (they were even a feature post last year–who doesn’t love a custom-made puzzle mirror?!). We were introduced to some of their new styles, including the b.tempt’d line which has the prettiest lace bras, features bright neon colors and has a sexy flare for when you’re feeling like it’s a “time to match my bra and panties” kind of night! The bright yellow Ciao Bella balconette bra was probably my favorite out of the line. I was most excited though to get a proper fitting because ever since I’ve lost some weight I haven’t been sure exactly what size I should be buying! A Wacoal expert fitted us all one-by-one in the gorgeous Majestic Suite and then we each got to choose a bra of our liking. I ended up going with the T-back convertible bra because, like most things I purchase living in a small space, I like them to have more than one function! I wish I had a huge bureau to house my endless collection of lingerie and clothes but that just isn’t the case so I’ll take my double duty items anywhere I can get them haha! This bra is great because I will be able to wear it with racer-back tanks that I seem to be getting more and more into and the back has a pretty lace detail–but you can also completely remove the straps and wear it as a strapless. Genius! I’ve included a little gallery of the evening below for your viewing pleasure!

As always, thanks for reading A Fresh Coat! You can find me on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter, too! XOXO

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“Fashion isn’t just in NY and LA,” said

MD-Native Jewelry Designer, Alexandra Samit

I was recently introduced to Alexandra Beth Designs and they had me the instant I saw their “Love” necklace. As a Philly girl at heart, I do enjoy a good iconic Love piece and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to share the site with all my readers! The icing on the cake is that the designer (Alexandra Samit) is a Maryland native and it’s always nice to support someone local! I also really liked the leather bracelets because they come in such fun colors that are perfect for spring!

Below I’ve posted my favorite pieces and if you are in the DMV area you can even check them out in person at B Scene or Susan Koehn, both located in Potomac, MD. 

As always, thanks for reading A Fresh Coat and be sure to visit our Facebook page and give us a “Like” if you can! XOXO

 

Washington DC International Design Festival

image courtesy of Artisphere.com

So, I may be a little late on this one but I am happy to share with you news of DC’s International Design Festival that is happening through May 19th! It’s free-yay!-and you can check out a very cool exhibit at Artisphere in Arlington called “The Next Wave: Industrial Design Innovation in the 21st Century.” It is a 4,000 square-foot collaboration from Apartment Zero‘s co-owner, Douglas Burton, and Artisphere, showcasing over 100 objects (lighting, furniture, eco-friendly products, textiles, etc.) and celebrating designs from all over the globe. There will even be a small retail shop where some of the items on display will be available for purchase.

One of the reasons I’m so excited about this exhibit is because there was a time when I thought I wanted to move to Holland and go to school for Industrial Design (check out the Design Academy in Eindhoven)–it just fascinates me and if I had no bills to pay and could do whatever I want, I think I’d do it! Of course, this was during a time when I had just been laid off and the world was my oyster…now I’m back to the 9-5 grind but you never know…design school isn’t going anywhere!

If you decide to check it out let me know what you think! Here a few cool, free events you can check out as well (I am thinking I will def go to the May 15th one!):

OH SAY CAN’T YOU SEE: What Happened to American Design? 
Sat April 20 / 5–6:30pm; Q&A and reception to follow / Free / Dome Theatre 

ROBERTO PALOMBA: Italian Industrial Designer 
Wed May 15 / 6pm; Talk + tour with reception to follow / Free / Terrace Gallery 

As always, thanks for reading A Fresh Coat! XOXO

Chevron Trays

This warmer weather has me thinking about entertaining! For my birthday this year my best friend got me a really nice beverage dispenser and some other “party-ware.” Needless to say, I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to be able to use them! I already have a few sangria recipes in mind but in the midst of planning a beverage I trailed off and started looking at serving trays online. Serving trays make everything look more put together and also serve a purpose! Love when something stylish is also functional!

I’ve been slightly obsessed with chevron for the last year and came across a few trays that I adored and wanted to share with you: 

1. Set of two chevron trays from Teroforma, $58 (on sale now for 20% off with code THANKJEEVES)

 

2. Chevron tray from Crate & Barrel, $19.95 (hello, nice price!)

 

3. Melamine chevron tray, $42, custom-made from The Pink Monogram 

 

4. Good old Etsy! Chevron lucite tray from Tilly Maison, $120 (steep but it’s big and awesome!)

5. Z Gallerie has a tray ($39.95) and coaster set ($16.95) in gold

 

 

I hope you liked these as much as I do! As always, thanks for reading A Fresh Coat! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! XOXO

 

Perfect Patio Style!

Hi everyone! When I saw this table I immediately wished I had a little outdoor space at my tiny apartment so I could set this baby up! I’d like to introduce you to the Bend Dining Table from West Elm ($797 for table and chairs). The yellow is so cheery and it sort of reminds me of the Eiffel Tower with all of the lines from the wires. I can envision myself enjoying a nice cold iced coffee in the morning out here…ahh. The design is by Bend, which was founded by Gaurav Nanda who sounds like a pretty cool guy if you ask me. Apparently, he used to have a T-shirt business, was one of the inventors of the Clocky (the alarm clock that runs away beeping) and lives in L.A. which automatically makes him interesting in my book (I am planning a trip there in May and I am so excited as I have never been to CA before!).

I hope this helps inspire you to start thinking about dining al fresco once the weather starts to warm up! In my mind I am already in dresses and sandals! As always, thanks for reading and enjoy your day! XOXO