Heureuse Nouvelle Année!

That's French for Happy New Year! Wishing each and every one of you a fantastic New Year's Eve, surrounded by friends and loved ones, with lots of bubbly and confetti to ring in 2011! Thank you for your love and support of belle maison over the last few years - it means the world to me. Cheers to an amazing year ahead of us! xoxo - Julie

IMAGE CREDITS: #1; #2; #3; #4; #5; #6; #7; #8

Just for Fun

Hello! I hope you're enjoying your week...especially if you have time off work :) Today I'm posting some photos of everything from fashion to food to interiors, just for fun! Enjoy and I'll be back tomorrow with the last post of 2010. Any plans for New Year's Eve?

IMAGE CREDITS: WE HEART IT; FFFFOUND; {#2, #4, #7, #11 BY ME}

{CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE FOR DETAILS}

Check out our exciting sale going on now at Modern Chic Home!

Quote of the Week

"Screens often confuse people. But they serve two purposes: to break up a space and to provide a backdrop with visual interest. They are devine for creating spatial separation without making a room seem squashed or overly compartmentalized. The also add a layer of decoration without blocking sight lines. And they're a helluva lot cheaper than a wall!"

- Jonathan Adler, Happy Chic Accessorizing

ALL IMAGES VIA DECORPAD

*****

I'm just popping in for a quick moment to say hello to my lovely blog readers! I'm taking time off work and blogging this week so my blog posts will be sparse until the new year...my brain needs to recharge from all of the holiday chaos! Did you enjoy your Christmas? Was Santa good to you this year?! I had a wonderful time celebrating with my husband and our families, who all live within 30 minutes from us, so no crazy holiday traveling for us. I'm having my niece and nephew (9 & 10) over for a couple days this week, which I'm looking forward to. They have about 50 requests of things they'd like to do with "Auntie Julie"...we'll see if we can accomplish at least half :) So much for relaxing this week, right?! Enjoy your time off (if you're enough lucky to have it) and I'll be seeing you around! xoxo - Julie

Fashion Inspired Interiors - Winter Ensembles

Merry Christmas Eve! I seriously CAN'T believe that Christmas is here! Is your shopping all done or are you out there doing some last-minute running around? I finished last night...talk about procrastination. Anyway, today's post is all about Winter 2010 / 2011 looks from the runway and how they can inspire interiors. I love matching outfits with rooms - so much fun!
I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for visiting belle maison, for leaving comments (or just browsing) and for being such an amazing support to me for nearly 3 years now. I love you all and continue blogging for you and our shared passion for interior design and all things beautiful. Enjoy this day and God bless! xoxo - Julie

IMAGE CREDITS: LOOK 1 - FST & DECORPAD; LOOK 2 - DECORPAD; LOOK 3 - FST & DECORPAD; LOOK 4 - FST & JONATHAN ADLER; LOOK 5 - HARPER'S BAZAAR & A BEDROOM DESIGN BY ME

A Peek Inside J.Lo's Home

Exclusive snapshots of Jennifer Lopez's Home, courtesy of the PR team over at Veranda magazine. Her home will be featured in their upcoming Jan/Feb issue and from the looks of these 3 photos, I can wait to see the rest of it! Designed by Michelle Workman, one of Hollywood's most sought-after interior designers.“It’s sort of Jennifer in a nutshell – she has a romantic streak,” says Workman of her multi-talented client.  “Jennifer wanted to go modern and streamlined but retain the sophistication and stylishness. It’s tastefully glamorous, like Jennifer herself.” I think Michelle did a fabulous job with the design, especially the bedroom. It's so romantic and feminine, without being too frou-frou. (Click on each image to enlarge for a better look) Enjoy! 

A closer look at her bedroom: How gorgeous is that chandelier?! And the tufted bench with Lucite legs is stunning.

A closer look at her dining room: Another fabulous chandelier - loving all of the strands of gold beads (click on image to enlarge). The whimsical detail on the cabinets is beautiful and so elegant.

IMAGE CREDITS: VERANDA MAGAZINE 

My Annual Christmas Dinner Party

As promised, today I'm sharing some snapshots from our Christmas party last Saturday night. We somehow managed to cram 24 people into our one-bedroom apartment, along with a 16 ft. dining table (3 tables pushed together)...it was cozy and just perfect! The color scheme I went with this year was black and gold with accents of fuchsia. 

I always keep the flowers simple - for this party I packed deep pink roses tightly into small vases and placed (3) arrangements down the table. The cranberry-pomegranate martinis were a big hit! And I was so pre-occupied with hosting, I didn't take any pictures of the food, except the beautiful caprese salad my friend Gina made. Yum!

The whole point of hosting this party every year is to gather everyone around one dining table. It's crowded but intimate and a great way for old friends and family to catch up over a delicious meal and good wine.

Me with my best girlfriends, my awesome husband Ryan, and toasting with Gina, my friend of 20 years.

Simple place settings - black table cloth, gold charger, Kate Spade dinner plate (china from our wedding), and a fuchsia cloth napkin. I purchased the gold snowflake ornaments from a local craft store, laced a black ribbon through the middle and tied it around the napkin. I forgot to make the placecards ahead of time (oops!) so I whipped them out about 30 mins. before the party on ivory card stock. Nothing fancy but they did the job!

One of my favorite pictures! Everyone toasting to a great evening with lots to celebrate. Cheers!

ALL IMAGE CREDITS VIA JULIE THIGPEN