Category — Design

I don’t even know where to begin.  This 2-bedroom cottage, owned by interior designer Berkley Vallone, is everything.  Built in 1985 on the lush grounds of a Moroccan-inspired 1920s resort hotel, the Scottsdale home started as Berkley’s bachelorette pad and turned into a labor of love for her growing little family (now three).  From a carved bust of Marie Antoinette to a bold velvet leopard print covered chair, a show-stopping graphic black and white laundry room (that you cannot miss), to a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk that doubles as a cocktail table with one great story [owners used to label their luggage with their initials so they could be easily identified in a bustling train station; and Berkley says, “I was meant to have it!”], every detail of this surprisingly snug cottage is carefully orchestrated and beautiful.

And though it’s typically my least favorite place, the laundry room in this incredible home might actual be my favorite room of the house.  If I had that laundry room, I might actually consider doing laundry.  Kidding.

(By the way, Traditional Home has all of the incredible details!)

Photographs by Colleen Duffley for Traditional Home

I recently stumbled upon a great article in Lucky Magazine all about spring cleaning, and I realized (much to my horror), that it had been ages since I had done a major overhaul/purge. And now, with the impending move to a new, and likely smaller place, it seems I may have to get serious about downsizing, organizing, and letting go of the beaded crop tops circa 1999 (yep, it’s that bad.)

I should start by sharing an important detail about the madness that is my storage situation:  I am a memory hoarder.  I can’t throw anything away.  And when I try to throw away, I find myself four hours in, sitting on the floor amidst piles of pictures, Rocket Dogs (yeah 90s shout-out), and his and hers high school class rings (oh yes, hubby and I have been together that long!)  So because it’s Spring – and long overdue, and because moving is on the agenda, I’m going to try to tackle the clutter, room by room.

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When crunching the dates recently, it occurred to me that I have been a blogger for three years. Three years! Wow. Time has flown and business is slowly picking up speed, but my dreams of a gorgeous office design got put on the back-burner as I filled the space formerly known as my office with boxes, products to be shot, cameras, a sewing machine I never get to use, and every craft imaginable. But in the next few weeks, hubby and I will be packing up the boxes and looking for a new place. I actually sort of love moving – it gives me the chance to re-envision, re-design, and create a space that suits the new me in that new place. One of my big goals for the new apartment – my very own, cherished, office space.

Along with Dyson, I’m looking for ways to upgrade my life and workspace in a clean, modern, and beautiful way. I want something crisp, elegant, with the edgier touches that speak to me and my aesthetic. Even if my new office space takes up not much more than a corner, I want a place to work, think, and dream up big ideas. Do you have your own home office space? What are your office space musts?

My office upgrade hopefuls:

Original Image Sources: The Decorista // Rue Mag // Erika Brechtel of Small Shop Studio

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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Dyson via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Dyson.

Creative executive and tastemaker, Aerin Lauder of Estée Lauder has the kind of Manhattan Headquarters most of us can only dream of (and pull plenty of inspiration from.)  The ultra chic setting is the base of her new home-furnishings- and-fashion company, Aerin.  As for the inspiration for her own lush new office space, “I grew up around color,” says Lauder, who has worked at the company her grandparents founded for the past 20 years. “{Her Grandmother} Estée always loved color—living with it, wearing it, entertaining with it—so I’ve never been afraid of it. I’ve always embraced it.”

Be sure to check out all of the fabulous details on Architectural Digest.

And get Aerin’s Stylized Office Look:

Images via Architectural Digest + World of Aerin