Hot Down, Summer In The City....

NYC has been pretty sweltering recently, and with this weeks real feel temperatures hitting 100 degrees, I'm thanking the heavens for A/C's, iced coffee's and sunglasses!

Of course, hot august nyc days always make me think of this beloved classic... ohhh yeaaa!!!!! ;)

Cool Classic White Living... Real Estate!

I know, I have been completely awful in updating my blog for too many weeks now... But! I do have a reaaally good excuse... i just can't tell you what it is yet... sorry :( But I will when I can!!! ;)

Okay... soo! Of course, real estate... I've been keeping this beauty to show you for a while now too! (seeee... I have been thinking about posting!!)

This absolute beauty is on the Upper West Side in NYC, right on Central Park. This building landed twice in the top ten best co-ops in the city!

This 2,000 sq.ft. pre-war co-op apartment with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, also boasts 66 foot landscaped (and oh so gorgeous) sun filled terrace which stretches the entire length of the apartment just flooding in sunlight.

This apartment is completely renovated, and really nicely done too! I am loving the white white white, it accentuates the architectural features just beautifully!!

And the interior design nerd in me can spot and name all the plumbing fixtures, recognize the furniture and appliances!! Haha! ;)

Now, how much would I love to be relaxing on that terrace right now, gazing over Central Park? Yesss pleaassee..... just need to find that cool $4 million... ahem....

New York Real Estate!

It seems I'm on a real estate hunt these days! And also on that note, I realized I have done very little hunting in this city! So off I went to find a little nook of NY that I wouldn't mind calling my own!

Of course then (like I always do) I imagine how I would redecorate it! This time, I searched my seemingly millions of images for what I thought would be just the right fit for this property... which was wayyy too much fun!!!

And so, above is the apartment, located in Greenwich Village on Jane street (a gorgeous tree lined street!) between West 4th and Hudson St. I love the WOOD BURNING fireplace! The wood floors, the layout and the gorgeous little kitchen oozing potential! This one bedroom apartment has a ton of exposed brickwork, 10 foot ceilings, as well as a southern exposure (so there will be sunlight coming in all throughout the day!). For the full listing, click here!

I would of course, keep all the features I love, but brighten it up with whites, light creams, earth tones, and add splashes of deep blues and grey tones! The kitchen, although recently renovated, I would brighten from top to bottom with cool blue paint on the cabinets, open shelving, but treasure the already existing farmhouse sink!

The bedroom need a redecoration overhaul with a dose a character, and the navy blue striped headboard below does the trick perfectly. By making it a plush, clean and cosy room, without making it feel small, it's miles better then the odd and cold layout it currently has.

Although I don't know what the current bathroom looks like, I'm thinking a navy accent wall, vintage tiles, crisp and sparkling in this small space with what unfortunately looks like no window...

In the living room, I want the walls and fireplace to hold their own, and not be cluttered by too many patterns which could end up making the space look small and messy. Instead textures and neutral tones will lead the way! A deep cosy white sofa, a leather armchair, a textured rug, baskets, cushions and repainting the fireplace mantle white should do the trick perfectly!

All pulled together to turn into a gorgeous NYC sanctuary, to relax, to enjoy, it's fresh and inviting...

Some Like It Hot...

It's a hot hot NYC today, kicking out a summer like 90 degrees.. and I can't say I'm quite ready for this kind of weather yet! (what happened to spring?! I swear, in ny that happens for only one week!)
Well, while the fan whirs near me, and I drink about 20 glasses of water, I dream of cold and delicious ice cream... because what else does a girl crave on a day like today?!

I hope you're all keeping cool, and enjoying the weather wherever you are!!

Bright is Better!

This weekend in NYC was perhaps the first really hot one of the year, and my gosh was gorgeous! Today, finally, I was able to pull out all of my beautiful, floating, feminine, bright and patterned summer dresses!!! I adore wearing them, so bold and beautiful, the bright patterns and colors are so much fun for me to wear... ohh, roll on summer!

So I thought I'd pull together some pics of some dresses I wouldn't mind adding to my collection! Starting clockwise from the top left.... though I can't remember where this first one came from!! So next, Just Cavalli, Zenboho.com, and last but not least, a most beautiful dress from Matthew Williamson's 2009 Summer line for H&M! Paired with a few of my Jimmy Choo kitten heel sandals, I'm all set! Now it's just time to get some organic sunblock!!

Rain With A Side Of Cheese...

New York City in the rain

A thunderstorm is rolling it's way across New York City (NY doesn't even do April Showers by halves!) And so what's a girl to do on such a soggy Monday evening? Well...

I think I few key things are needed here...

1) tea, of course (I'm British after all). 

2) a comfy fluffed sofa with cushions, blankets and other such cosy accessories. 

3) pj's, because every girl wears a pair of pj's on an evening like today. 

Images from House to Home and Domino Magazine (so sad you're gone Domino!)

And finally, 

4) large amounts of cheese in the form of that 1986 classic 'Top Gun'... yup my dears, think fighter pilots and classic one liners that you just love to hate and make you laugh! I haven't 'lost that lovin' feeling' for this one!!! (even though I don't like Tom Cruise at all!! ha!)

Cheese, wonderful cheese!

Ah, Maverick and Goose! Here's one quote I just had to share!!... A plate of cheese coming right up! Love it!! haha!!

Maverick: Jesus Christ, and you think I'm reckless? When I fly, I'll have you know that my crew and my plane come first. 

Charlie: Well, I am going to finish my sentence, Lieutenant. My review of your flight performance was right on. 

Maverick: Is that right? 

Charlie: That is right, but I held something back. I see some real genius in your flying, Maverick, but I can't say that in there. I was afraid that everyone in the tax trailer would see right through me, and I just don't want anyone to know that I've fallen for you. 

Update - Empire State Building!!

Ah, at the top of the Empire State Building!

It was my very good friend Kara's Birthday a few days ago, and she'd never been to the top of the Empire State Building, so at her request, we shot up there to finally tick off one of those NYC things most tourists hold high on their lists of things to do! As locals, it was quite fun to 'act the tourist' for a few hours!! 

The last time I was up there, I was about 13 years old and with my Sister, Brother and Dad on a trip to the city. I remember being up there and calling my Mum in England from a cell phone you could purchase for a few minutes to make a call anywhere you wanted - and in those days, cell phones were no where near as prevalent as they are today!! It was like a huge novelty item back then!!

So returning once again, put a touch of perspective on my life, and made me think back to all thats happened in the last 'few'(!) years!!! Back then, I never had a clue I would be living in this city now, or how far I've come... sometimes life plays those funny tricks on you!

We had a great time, and of course, as one could imagine the city looked somewhat beautiful from so high, all sparkly lights and the rows of streets and avenues that stretch out below you.

And as a local, there are of course parts of the city one tends to avoid, one of those for me is Times Square. I hate it! Too much tourist bustle, flashy lights and not enough NYC for what it really is (sorry tourists!! - I'm sure you think the same of me when in your towns and cities!!).

At any rate - from the top of the Empire State Building, Times Square looks better than one could hope.. and even possibly quite pretty with it's glowing lights rising in between the buildings! Check out the above left pic!

Above right, and below right, are some pics of the streets to the east and west, and in the below left picture is the view all the way downtown! Bridges, avenues and all - I live down there!!!

Let It Snow!

nyc

So I hear NYC is in for a big dump of snow this weekend, and well, I can't wait! I looovveee the snow... but maybe you've heard me say that before!

I love these photos! They're from the 2006 snow storm which hit New York hard (as I'm sure you can see!). Now although, I'm not expecting this kind of turn out, I'll enjoy the sprinkle of that ol' white stuff all the same!

    
Bryant Park '06 The Classic NYC Yellow Cab - buried! '06