Monday, March 7, 2011

San Francisco Inspiration

Some San Francisco inspiration for the SLP: the beautiful (no pun intended) CocoaBella chocolate boutique.  Just what part of the boutique was the most beautiful?  All of it.  No joke.  Every part of their design, straight down to the furniture legs at the bottom of their cash wrap had me swooning.

Don't let these pieces of art fool you, they're just as delicious as they are gorgeous.  My favorite?  The Venezuelan Spice by Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates-- definitely the perfect balance of chili pepper, cinnamon and vanilla. I ate ummmm... about ten more than one :-)

{via}
{via}






Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Sabon Sabon Sabon!

The last few months have been such a whirlwind of once in a lifetime opportunities, some of which have taken me to my favorite cities.  I've had a blast visiting new storefronts and shops, gleaming as much inspiration as I can for the Spice Loft.

One of the biggest sources of inspiration for my storefront is Sabon, one of the best soap and bath product retailers in the world.  The pictures below are from storefronts in Rome, Tokyo, Chicago and New York.


What intrigues me about this shop is how they've managed to blend "old world" with "new and modern."  I find their displays breathtaking and neat, always impressive, and truly appealing enough to have someone just walking by take a long detour into their store.  That's the whole point on business interior design with commodity retailers, and Sabon writes the book!


Love these cabinets and the chandelier!










And what better way to try bath products than an old stone fountain sink in the middle of the store:



 {photos via coloribus.com and sabonlover}


Monday, February 28, 2011

A new week and new look!

 I'm back, renewed and refreshed!  I have a lot of new things happening in my life, and I can't wait to share them with you!
 
The most obvious change is happening here on this very blog... this beau-ti-ful facelift is courtesy of the very talented, patient, and hardworking Alaina Kaczmarki of Live Creating Yourself and LCY Graphics.  Alaina was able to take all the jumbled thoughts and inspiration pictures I sent her, and create exactly what I was envisioning for my blog and logo.  She's equal parts amazing blogger, talented designer, and patient mind-reader/magicianista extraordinaire!

I'm clicking my heels with the new look and logo design.  More exciting things to come!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Taking the Long Way, Taking the Long Way Around...

The crickets have been a'churping on the SLP for the past few weeks.  Just takin' the long way around...  coming back in the next few days, recharged and revived.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Loft Lovely

I don't know where I found this picture, but I love this cafe..  The vibe is totally low key, creative, with just a hint of the industrial loft feel.  Love it!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Happy Friday

Just an interesting perspective to think about over the weekend.  Happy Friday!
 

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

What I Want Wednesday: A Summer in Paris

Dreaming of a summer in Paris...


where I would eat these...

while drinking this...



after admiring this...
 

and waking up here...

 I can't wait!