Organization and HomeGoods $150 Gift Card Giveaway

Hi readers it has been a while, how are you?! I went off the grid online for a bit and took a long blogging/technology break (the longest ever in 5+ years) it was refreshing and gave me some perspective, but today I'm back to share with you some fun travel inspired kitchen container organization and a fun giveaway. Also, if you have emailed me (blackeiffel@gmail.com) in the last bit (or 2012 -- haha) please try again one of my goals for 2013 is to keep on top of email.

HomeGoods currently has a fun quiz on their website called Stylescope that can help you discover your style personality. They contacted me about it and I am honored to have Black Eiffel classified as “The Traveler Style”. Take the quick quiz, I’d love to hear what style you are!

They engaged me to put together a little project with them with a Traveler twist. While in the store perusing, I wandered into one of my favorite areas the kitchen and food section, which I really think they excel at as a store. I came across some cool and modern simple containers imported from Italy and France and since I’m kind of an organizational nut, I audibly gasped and got excited! Instantly the shot of Emerson Fry’s sweet pantry that I have long been inspired by popped into my mind.

Here is what I came up with for our space. Right now we don’t currently have a pantry in our rental, so rearranging cupboards it is! Most everything in this photo was purchased from HomeGoods except for some of the bulk food items. Although even some of the bulk items are from HomeGoods. Their gourmet and international foods section is stellar, definitely a place to look behind a few bottles and explore. Over the years I have discovered gems including specialty cooking oils and salts directly imported from France, my favorite McClure’s pickles, Ginger Ale, and gourmet vanilla bean paste at a fraction of the price. Also for you designers and packaging lovers out there it is a haven. Last visit I was delighted to come across some Louise Fili designs!

When I came across more pretty smaller Italian jars I evaluated our small powdered, dried goods and spice area. It was a bit of a mess. Tons of bulk baggies huddled together squashed up in a bin, not good people, not good. Along with those I picked up some pretty new exotic and foreign spices that I really look forward to trying out and also using the containers for the future.

HomeGoods was kind enough to provide me with a gift card to tackle this project, but now it is your turn. I have a $150 HomeGoods gift cards to share with one of you readers! To enter, leave a comment below by Tuesday, January 21st and I will randomly select a winner. What fun Stylescope inspired project do you want to tackle in your space for 2013?!

Giveaway Closed. WINNER : (randomly selected with random.org) - Erica Herold 

// photo 1 :  black lidded containers imported from Italy, white bowl from Portugal, French tea kettle.

//photo 2 : stainless steel lidded containers imported from Italy, spices with stainless lids are Victoria’s Gourmet.

Modern Farmhouse

Move me in to this lovely beauty! Clean lined modern farmhouse style with those marble counters, le sigh. From the architecture, and great light to the simple modern furnishing most everything about this home is spot on. See the rest of the shots here. What a gorgeous space.

// photos by the talented Michael Graydon in Canadian House and Home Oct 2012. (found via Joslyn)

Vincent Van Duysen's Antwerp Home

World-renowned Architect Vincent Van Duysen's home in Antwerp caught my eye (again) this morning. The simple lines of this space, the huge windows full of impecable light and character, timeless. Timeless in the fact that you would this space and decor is from 2012, but nope. It was actually this year! See more photos here and you can also see the home shot by Manolo Yllera.



photos // from Vincent Van Duysen by Martyn Thompson

Inspiration Boards

Do you keep a pinboard / inspiration offline? I just tore down all the content off of my inspiration boards in my office (which I do about every season) and am rethinking what I want to put on them this go around. I've always been kind of obsessed with looking at various cool inspiration boards, and came across these two that I really love. Now to decide whether to go more orderly, or more messy! What is your flavor?

1: Elle Decor - Ellen Rakieten's space.
2: Refinery 23 - Linda Rodin's space.

Inside Nature : Illumination

Images : 1: Fireflies 2: Outdoor Lighting by Bruce Munro

Parties in a box

Want to send some snail mail to a friend or loved one? Melanie from You Are My Fave has the best 'Parties in a Box' ideas, seriously Paris in a Box?! Love. A Saint Patrick's Day one, fantastic. She has definitely inspired my brain.

(All photos from You Are My Fave)

Spring Blossoms

Signs of Spring have been all around, the trees in my area have been in full blossom for weeks (I love that about sunny California!) and I am thinking about bringing some branches indoors. I popped over to Terrain's website today looking for vases and was happy to see that you can actually pick up branches from their site, a really cool thing if you don't have easy access to blooming branches in your area. Do you bring spring inside?

Carmel by the sea

We had a lovely weekend in Carmel and I was impressed with a lot of the homes along our beach walk so I decided to take some photos to catalog ideas for our future beach dream house. Here are a few we wouldn't mind moving into, it is fun to daydream, eh? Wouldn't it be surreal to have the ocean as your backyard like the home above?

Or a glass staircase to the sky with incredible ocean views?!

Or a Italian modern style villa?

Inside Nature: Repetition

1: Pine cone photo by Cobalt123
2: Crimean Pinecone Lamp by Pavel Eekra

"Nature is an endless combination and repetition of a very few laws. She hums the old well-known air through innumerable variations." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Inside Nature: Smooth

1: Livingstones
2: River Rocks Photo by John Walkenbach

"All smooth rocks were once rough around the edges." - Ashok Aggarwal

Pretty Closets

Some closet eye candy that has me inspired.

Elle Decoration No. 205 by Yves Duronsoy via Haute Design
Ms. Moth's Closet 

Wardrobe Essentials : #1 The Trench

One of my goals this year is to build a closet full of wardrobe essentials. My desire is to seek out lasting stylish staple pieces that I adore. Funny thing is, I am not the biggest shopper so this will be a bit of a challenge for me. My bleak closet is seriously ready for a mindful fashion transformation. I hope to highlight a variety of key pieces throughout the year at various affordable and sometimes dreamy price points.

First up is 'the trench'. I will start off by saying that I have never owned a khaki trench and it is about time. The stylish girls above look fantastic and I love how you can pair it with everything from sparkles to heals or converse and it looks amazing. Now the guessing game comes in... looking below can you tell which ones are luxe and which ones are budget savvy? The prices range from under $80 to over $1800 isn't that wild! What is your favorite or do you already have one in your closet you love?

Trench Coats : A B C D E F G H I
Photo sources : 1 Jcrew / 2 & 3 Fash n Chips / 4 Sterling Style  / 5 Blushing Ambition

Inside Nature : Light

1: Eric Cahan Sky Series Photo
2: Navette Lamp Ensemble

What is true by lamplight is not always true by sunlight.  ~Joseph Joubert

Cool Clay Gift Tags

It is a little early for me to start talking about gift tags but I came across these beauties by M Stetson on their blog and ordered a batch right up this morning. I think they are very simple and lovely. Find all types of their cool tags here.

Photos from M Stetson

Emily Henderson Style

Emily Henderson is all kinds of amazing, I dig her style and wit. Above are some shots from her portfolio that I am inspired by and boy am I looking for some serious ideas as I work on our new space. I still find it crazy random how I caught her season of Design Star a while back because I don't watch tv too often. I was rooting for her the whole time and am happy to see her continuing success. I hope to catch up on episodes of her show 'Secrets From a Stylist' online here.

(All photos from Emily Henderson's portfolio)

Francisco Cali

A nice living space designed by Francisco Cali. (via Casa Vogue)

Sponsor Highlight : Moop

Moop's variety of beloved bags are not only impressive at first glace when it comes to their cool minimal design, but when I learned that they are handmade with care in their Pittsburgh studio by a small group of mindful people including the owner Wendy, I was amazed and delighted. I am putting some of these lovelies on my wish list for sure. The problem I am having is picking just one, they are all so gorgeous. I also really like that they have great options for men, my husband really does need a great new 'man purse' and I've got to show him these.

Which bags do you fancy?

Here are my top three favorites, but they all are awesome:

The Letter Bag $191
The Porter $91
The Messenger $187

(photos from Moop)

Take a Nap on the Moon...

Korean designer Lily Suh @ Zoono of I3lab (link jammed at the moment) created the 'full moon odyseey' floor mattress. Now wouldn't that be such a great place to take a nap!

(via designboom)

Sponsor Highlight : Public Bikes

Public Bikes are incredibly cool. Not only are they beautifully designed but these European-inspired bikes also come 99% assembled to your door ready to ride! What I also think is really great is that they have some awesome accessories to snazzy up your wheels in style. I give Public Bikes major props for really thinking things through with a design-based vision. It makes me smile... real big. Way to go Public and welcome as a sponsor.

 *If you are interested in advertising on Black Eiffel - email blackeiffel@gmail.com for rates.

Sleek Space

The clean sleek lines and big open light of this renovated duplex apartment in the East Village is a modern well-designed beauty. A couple of my favorite features include the shallow reflecting pool dual purposed to capture water droplets from the garden wall, and to hold a variety of colorful goldfish!  I also love the Mondrian reference they refer to with the wall-panels which have hidden awesome pops of color. This residence is designed by Pulltab Design who does brilliant work.

Photos : Elizabeth Felicella // via you are the river