Advertising is creepily powerful. Even though I have zero interest in flowing kimono jackets, super-cropped tops, and wide-brimmed hats, the styling of this photo is so good that I feel like I need this outfit, now. I’m not even doing a good job of talking myself out of it—every time I look at the model’s smooth skin and perfect eyebrows, I have to ask myself, “Wait, why don’t I want a kimono?”

Well played, Urban Outfitters.

If I had to choose a favorite fashion designer—and I’m not sure that I could—it would probably be Alberta Ferretti. Her collections are always colorful, feminine, and simply make me happy. Her spring line was no exception. Before the show, Ferretti herself cited, “Positive energy, the joy of living.” This attitude probably has everything to do with why her clothes resonate with me.

I just want to pull one of these dresses off a hanger and wear it to a fabulous summer party, complete with cascading braid, swinging earrings, and bright orange shoes.

I only recently discovered Grow House Grow, a Brooklyn-based company that designs wallpaper and more. For their Chicago : Mexico City wallpaper, they combined notable design motifs from these two sister cities—Midwestern Prairie School meets geometric Aztec. The result is stellar and would look awesome in an Art Deco-inspired bathroom or entryway.

My parents’ 1976 house has been, for lack of a better word, unmaintained. Though they have earnestly displayed all of their trinkets and treasures from around the world, the outdated backdrop imparts a sense of melancholy from wall to wall.

It has been an ongoing dream of mine to take it all down and start over, and the upstairs office has always seemed like a decent place to start.

Because the room is south-facing, the afternoon light is brilliant. Even on gray days, the room fills with light, more than other rooms in the house. I like pale blue walls in a room like that, because a south-facing room can handle cooler colors.

My mom likes a certain softness in décor. She has always been partial to pastels, lace, and florals. Picture frames are gold and ornate, and rugs are always traditional.

I think I’ve finally figured out how to decorate her office for her taste, while keeping it in this decade. It goes something like this:

I like how the light fixture adds a little ‘70s flair while the daybed and throw pillows are more modern. Still, everything works together. So… who wants to help me tear down the laminate-paneled walls?

I love this spunky, short hairstyle I grabbed from luckymag.com. I have always wanted to try short hair, but every hairstylist of my past and present has strongly advised against it. Apparently it doesn’t match my face? Sigh! Round cheeks sure do get in the way of spontaneous hair-chopping.

These images from the June 2014 issue of Lonny really blow me away. They have a kind of rustic-outdoors thing going, but with elegance. And the combination of cognac-colored furnishings with azure accents is pretty magnificent.

From Lonny: “In keeping with the restful mood, interiors feel residential rather than commercial, with period antiques, designer fabrics, and artwork curated in collaboration with Dallas designer Julio Quiñones. ‘Someone once told me that it felt like visiting an old aunt’s lake house—and that’s exactly what we were going for,’ says McAdams.”

When it was *Natalie’s turn to tie the knot, we took a completely different approach from her sister’s. For Natalie, we went softer, prettier, and used the lavender plant as our theme. I like how it turned out. Design doesn’t always have to elaborate to be good.

*Names have been changed.

Yowza. Anna Kendrick, who is everyone’s favorite celebrity on social media, killed it in this poolside photo for the July 2014 cover of Elle. Smart, hilarious, and gorgeous? You bet.

I’ve been fantasizing about a dress like this over the last couple of days. Soft, stretchy bodice with long, lean sleeves, and a band across the low-cut front. In contrast, the tulle skirt is big and wild and begs for a twirl! I want it in my closet for a fancy night out.

Wow, it’s been almost two years since I last posted one of these. Shame, since designs are floating in my head constantly.

I can’t stop staring at Matt Carollo’s one-bedroom rental in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. I finally figured out why it’s so arresting, apart from the layers upon layers of beautiful antiques: it’s the warm golds set against a backdrop of cool, charcoal gray—what a color combination! It’s like intermittent rays of sunlight emanating through thick, dark clouds, where you truly need one to appreciate the other.

The kitchen is painted in the same charcoal gray, Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe, to match the living room. I really like how Carollo painted the interior back wall of the weathered cabinet to create a seamless transition with the room’s décor.

Carollo, an assistant buyer, is only twenty-five years old but his aesthetic is incredibly mature. Look at how the only white-walled area of his apartment (remember—a rental) blends so well with the other rooms. Clearly, he knows what he likes! I’m older than him yet nowhere near as confident in my choices.

Lastly, there’s the bedroom, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Chalkboard Paint (not coincidentally, the same color Jenna Lyons used in her Brooklyn brownstone). Carollo is very, very good at combining the sleek and the aged. Lonny magazine described his sensibility as “dignitary meets magpie,” and I can see it in every inch.

*All images from the June 2014 issue of Lonny magazine.