One of my first big vacations was to Morocco: I stayed a week, shuffling between Marrakech and Essaouira (a small fishing and surfing community on the coast) taking in the incredible sounds, sights, smells, and tastes. We spent our days riding camels and our evenings in the most beautiful riads (or sketchiest hostels depending on which night) sipping sweet mint tea. I’ve traveled quite a bit, but no place has struck me quite like the bustling Djemaa el Fna Square at dusk. And thus born my obsession with all things related. I can’t wait to get my hands on a Moroccan wedding blanket: It’ll be the perfect way to satiate the travel bug.

wanderlusting hardcore: dreaming about moracco, l-r: ADLER + CO. MOROCCAN TEA GLASSES, $8.00, available at Adler + Co.; ROUND MOROCCAN STYLE LANTERN, $171.66, available at Bellacor.

I’ve always been pretty fixated on paint chips (you’ll find one in almost any book I’m reading), which is why I went to Home Depot last weekend to get gray stair paint for our new apartment and emerged with a formidable stack of color cards instead. While sitting on our dining room floor, with the myriad options fanned out around me (currently, our only piece of furniture is a 24-pack of paper towels), it occurred to me that in lieu of gray, I could gradate the stairs. Somehow, Rob agreed. 23 Behr samples ($3.94 each), one tub of sealer, and a handful of hours later, and I made the following happen:

I know I should sit back and let the stairs be the major gradated color story in our apartment, but now I want this handmade “paint chip” quilt, and this ombre rug, too.

clockwise, l-r: BEHR PAINT IN COOL MELON, YOUTHFUL CORAL, LIPSTICK, RED TOMATO, LICORICE STICK, GRENADINE, $3.94 each, Home Depot;BEHR PAINT IN ICE FLOWER, NEVADA SKY, WATER FLOW, LIQUID BLUE, BRILLIANT SEA, HAVASU, BLUE LUXURY, $3.94 each, Home Depot; OMBRE AREA RUG, $125.00, Rugs USA; PAINT CHIP QUILT IN ORANGE NO. 2, $400.00, Etsy.

If you haven’t yet noticed, I’m obsessed with a lot of stores (if you were to read behind the lines, you’d come to understand that I really just want to own one). One such fixation that finally went online is Brimfield, just north of Chicago in Andersonville. It’s like the love child of Ralph Lauren, The Hudson Bay Company, and some strange antiques shop buried in the English countryside, and I would pretty happy if I could ultimately just move right in. (Note: They have an awesome blog.) Everything makes my heart beat just a little bit faster. I’m trying to convince my husband that we need the Hudson Bay chair (we do, we do!), but in the interim, I will be tiding myself over with these smaller, more shippable tokens.

clockwise, l-r: NIAGARA PENNANT PILLOW, $175.00, Brimfield; SWISS ARMY PILLOW, $75.00, Brimfield; PLAID BLANKET, $45.00, Brimfield,WOODEN CRATE, $45.00, Brimfield.

Whether you call it a knock-off, replica, or imitation, I’m in the market for it. It’s a dirty word, but someone’s gotta say it, because I want new chairs in my apartment. There are four very famous styles I love (but can’t afford the real McCoy), so color me ecstatic to find decently priced look-alikes. I’m considering either the Louis Ghost Chair or Eames Plywood for my office, and the Eero Saarinen Tulip Chair or Wassily Chair for the living room. I’m excited!

l-r clockwise: Louis Ghost Chair Replica, $147.00, Amazon Marketplace; Eero Saarinen Tulip Chair Replica, $189.00, Rex Kelly Mid-Century; Eames Plywood Lounge Chair Replica, $149.00, Rex Kelly Mid-Century; Marcel Breuer Wassily Style Chair, $299.00, Amazon Marketplace.

What makes a good coaster, good?  I was working from home today (reasons to be explained in a future post) and set down my cup on my glass top sawhorse desk. Naturally, after a few minutes, it started to sweat and so I got up to get a coaster. Which got me thinking about the utilitarian nature of coasters.

I’ve had my share of trial and error when purchasing them.  For example, I bought these slate coasters (during my dorm room days); I bought ceramic coasters (when I was into teak décor), but inevitably, water would collect on top of the coaster. They protected my furniture—if the water didn’t dribble off—but I always had to dry them off, which rendered them a bit useless. It wasn’t until I wandered into a little boutique in Brentwood, The Brentwood General Store, that I found a functional yet equally adorable and organic solution: jute naturally soaks up moisture, they’re eco-friendly, and they work with my now nautical, beach meets traditional style.  I have found the exact woven ones here.  Don’t make the same mistake!

coasters:  ORGANIC JUTE SUN COASTERS: $13.99 set of 4, amazon.com.

Is it odd that I don’t own a set of wine glasses?  Mind you, I am in my early 30s … I think so too. Inevitably when friends stop by, and I pull that cork and go fishing for my glasses, I always hear, “Where are your wine glasses?”  I love my everyday recycled glasses that I purchased from Crate & Barrel, but lately I’ve been on the hunt for some great, not-so-common vessels for vino.  I’m on the fence with these two options. Thoughts?

wine glasses l-r: FOUR MOROCCAN TEA GLASSES: $60.00, Horchow; BODEGA VINO GLASS: $14.00, Anthropologie.

school supplies (for grown-ups) l-f:  NO SLIDE TAPE DISPENSER: $17.99, Pop Deluxe; SLIM CALCULATOR: $35.00 -$25.00, The Ghostly Store; POSTALCO NOTEBOOKS: $14-$26, Brook Farm; COLORED MARKER PENS: $34 for box of 12, Brook Farm; PINWHEEL PUSH PINS: $15.00, Anthropologie; PERFECT MINI PLANNER: $10.00, Pocketo.

outdoor entertaining l-r:  Cloth Napkins; $1.95 – $29.00; Damask Print Rice Paper Candle Holders, $3.50 at Luna Bazaar; Table Cutlery Set of 30, $30.00 at Modern Lola; Mint Julep Cups, $5.75 at Beau-coup Favors.

We love shopping for home candle scents because there is always a new fragrance to discover.  When choosing a scented candle for your home, consider which room you will be using the candle, and the mood you want to set.  Our favorites lean towards bold floral scents to the crisp aroma of citrus.  Remember to keep wicks trimmed to about 1/4″ to keep it from smoking (unsightly black cloud) and for maximum burn.

TOP PICKS:

1. L’Occitane White Flowers Scented Candle, $18.00 at L’Occitane
2. Votivo Prairie Sage Terracotta Candle, $18.00 at Sweet Amber
3. Trish McEvoy Candle Orange Ginger, $17.50 at Saks Fifth Avenue (featured)
4. Fresh Citron de Vigne, $48 at Beauty.com
5. Jo Malone Red Roses, $65.00 at Jo Malone (featured)

Happy Mother’s Day to all you lucky mamas out there!  We hope your day is filled with love and sunshine.  And because our mothers always make us think of elegant ladies with impeccably furnished homes, we’d like to celebrate with a selection of settees.  A settee is a fancy name for a sofa for two, but it’s definitely a word only our mother would use.  For more Mother’s Day fun, check out Joanna Goddard’s Gift Guide for New Mamas and our gorgeous new Babies & Kids Section on Beso.

Fiona Settee Carolina Accents, $465.00

Maui Settee by Vico Magistretti for Kartell, $530.00

Biedermeier Settee (White Wood), $372.99

Paisley Settee, $1,499.00

Stein World Chocolate Swirl Settee, $656.99 $524.99 (20% off)