Bloomsbury & Battle

a BIG little announcement

November 3, 2019

It’s with overwhelming happiness that I share with you, dear readers, a bit of news that I’ve been keeping quiet on recently. Jordan and I are expecting! That’s right – Baby Redella is making his or her debut in late January! The news has finally sunk in and we are pinching ourselves excited.

Full disclosure: It was QUITE the long and windy road to get here. Jordan and I went through the ringer over the past 2.5 years trying to make a baby… miscarriages, surgeries, and fertility treatments leading up to, finally, multiple rounds of IVF. It wasn’t easy. On a lot of days, it emotionally and physically SUCKED. There were days, especially during the (heavily medicated) IVF egg retrieval process, that I honestly didn’t know what the point of it all was – not just the point of having a baby but of life in general. Seriously Jordan deserves the Medal of Honor for dealing with my mood swings, irritability, anger and sadness over the past couple years.

I could go on about the hard times but this is a happy story – not just because of the pot of gold babe Redella at the end of the rainbow but because the journey to have a baby is teaching me so much about myself. It’s pushing me to look beyond the ‘perfect plan’ I have in my head for what my life should look like and when (married at 30, first baby at 31, etc.) and trust God’s timing instead. The time we’ve spent waiting for a baby’s allowed me to grow professionally and creatively… I never would have started Bloomsbury & Battle were it not for the extra time on my hands and the escape from reality it provides. I’ve met or grown closer to some of the most important people in my life during this season. Friends have turned into family and family has turned into an even stronger rock to lean on by opening up and sharing the hard stuff, the less-than-perfect side of myself. It sounds cliché but I know this journey has a purpose and is for good; I am exactly where I need to be and at just the right time.

I am going to write about some of the fun stuff in the next few posts – pregnancy fashion (or, honestly, the lack thereof!), baby and nursery gear I’m eyeing, that kinda thing. I hope you’ll follow along as Jordan and I get ready to meet our long-awaited addition! In the meantime, here are a few photos to have a peek at from my baby shower on a cozy, rainy morning in Atlanta a few weeks ago.

Lots of BIG Love

-Laura

B&B Favorite: Ingo Maurer Uchiwa Lighting

July 28, 2019

A few months back I went to a book signing for Martina Mondadori Sartogo’s Cabana Anthology. The book (and the magazine from which it is based) is TO DIE FOR but that is a story for another day. The book signing took place at a classic, Georgian house in Highland Park that, while pretty, was not all that remarkable from the outside. One step inside the front door, however, and – WHOOSH – a feeling of familiarity came over me.

I turned to my friend Leah and whispered “I know this house!”

Her casual reply: “Oh right, I think that designer you really like did it…”

Friends, I was standing in the foyer of this Tom Scheerer decorated dreamboat. I remembered it from House Beautiful and Tom’s book and it has always been a favorite. Seriously, click HERE and enjoy! The ivory lacquered living room radiated warmth, I ooo’d and ahhh’d over the Lyford Trellis wallpaper in the sunroom, and the whole place had Tom Scheerer’s famous JE NE SAIS QUOI. One element I was particularly taken with was a pair of Ingo Maurer Uchiwa pendant lights over the kitchen island.

my Dallas dream house w. Ingo Maurer pendant via House Beautiful

Ingo Maurer is a German lighting designer who released his Uchiwa series, inspired by Japanese fans, in the 1970s. They are super delicate, made of bamboo and lacquered rice paper, and as we know super delicate = super expensive. Sigh. Over the past few months I’ve seen vintage Uchiwa lighting in photos of other Tom Scheerer projects and, going full circle here, in Martina Mondadori Sartogo’s apartment. They are the epitome of laid-back, bohemian elegance and I can’t get enough. Maybe one day I will pull the trigger on a Uchiwa sconce or two but for now I will keep my fingers crossed that a 70s stoner has an estate sale and I can get lucky.

Martina Mondadori Sartogo’s London apt via AD

Populace Coffee inside Detroit’s Siren Hotel via ASH NYC

Fanning out

-Laura

high & wide

July 14, 2019

To acknowledge my five month hiatus in posting? That is the question.

I’ll get to an answer soon but for now – denim.

I am seeing a new denim silhouette pop up this summer and am majorly digging it. These jeans are high-waisted and, most notably, wide legged. They have kind of a retro, 1960s vibe with no stretch and a frayed hem or not. I say these guys are the perfect complement to strappy kitten heels and summer tops.

Here are a few of my faves:

Sayonara!

-Laura

strap fantastic

February 14, 2019

I’d say whe have 3-4 more weeks of major winter weather here in Dallas. Part of me wants another sweater or two to get through the rut that is February (save me from the d*mn repetition!) but I’m going to stand strong and hold out for warmer weather / spring shopping.

One of the first things on my spring shopping list is a pair of barely there strappy sandals. The kind I’m seeing are minimalist and oh-so-1990s. These strappy sandals will look just as good with jeans as they will with a midi dress for a spring wedding. The first redo of the 1990s strappy sandal came to us via The Row and, while they’re pretty much perfect, I can’t get past the price tag. Ouch. Luckily I found some less pricey options that I love just as much. Now all I need is a fresh pedi and some sun on my winter self and I’ll be baring all (of my feet that is!) come spring.

A few of my fave strappy sandals and inspiration pics are below.

happy n’ strappy!

-Laura

John Derian’s East Village Dream

January 31, 2019

…I’m back. Did you miss me? Life got in the way for a few weeks – I blinked and BAM, two weeks went by without posting. To be honest I wasn’t feeling like myself and needed R&R after work instead of B&B. Side note: If you’re looking to binge watch a yummy historical series, look no further than Vanity Fair on Netflix. Two words – Tom. Bateman. Look him up.

Speaking of rest and relaxation, though, John Derian’s East Village apartment would be the chicest place to Netflix and chill on a snowy winter night. Featured in the February issue of AD, it’s everything a downtown New York apartment should be. Guys, if this was what my apt in New York looked like back in the day – with every inch decked out in wares from John Derian’s E. Vill shop – I would 1,000% still be living there. Jordan and Ina would be city folk too and the three of us would meander over to Abraço on E 7th for Saturday morning lattes.

I’ve been a fan of John Derian’s shop for years and adore his aesthetic – eclectic, relaxed, and collected not decorated. It’s just what I want my house to feel like.

Enjoy the pics below [all via Architectural Digest].

Meet me in the E.V., won’t you?

-Laura

girl with the pearl earrings

January 10, 2019

Did anyone else get a pair of pearl earrings when they were growing up? The pearl earring gift seems like a rite of passage, at least when you grow up in the south. I misplaced my circa 2000 pearl studs somewhere along the way [sorry mom!] but all isn’t lost – pearl earrings, and all pearl jewelry for that matter, are back and BETTER THAN EVER. These aren’t the stuffy solitaires of yore either. The pearl earrings I’m seeing are unusual and fresh, literally fresh using more organic looking freshwater pearls. I love that these earrings look vintage, like you swiped them from your mom’s high school jewelry drawer, but with a modern twist.

Below are a few of my favorite pearl doo-dads. I can’t wait to wear a pair with a striped tee and jeans or, even better, a bikini come summer.

Show off those pearls, girls!

-Laura

On the Radar: HORROR VACUI

January 4, 2019

I love the shopping site Matches. Whether I can afford half of what’s sold on there is beside the point. Matches carries so many up-and-coming designers, usually from Europe, that haven’t hit it big yet in the U.S. One line they carry that I haven’t seen elsewhere is HORROR VACUI. To tell you that I am in love with this brand doesn’t even begin to cover it. HORROR VACUI’s tops and dresses, created by German designer Anna Henrichs, check every box for me. Floral? Check. Feminine? Oh yeah. Unusual? Very. Versatile? Absolutely.

HORROR VACUI is a Latin phrase meaning the fear of emptiness. In psychology and art it relates to the human urge to decorate and fill empty spaces with detail. [Note: So me.] HORROR VACUI’s maximalist aesthetic is a sight for sore eyes: exciting colors, floral patterns, and elaborate sewing techniques abound. Henrichs is inspired by historical nightgowns and costume details found in old portrait paintings. A mix of old and new? That’s what Bloomsbury & Battle is all about. I hereby nominate HORROR VACUI for official blog uniform!

My favorite HORROR VACUI pieces are below (some on sale!) along with a pic of the top I snagged for myself.

In ruffles we trust!

-Laura

Musings on a New Year

December 31, 2018

In years past, the start of a new year either hasn’t registered on my emotional radar (likely due to too much NYE bubbly) or has made me a little sad thinking about time flying by. This year I feel different though. I feel happy and excited for 2019 in a way I can’t explain. True, every year has its ups and downs but the downs in 2018 were, I’m not going to lie, way down there and sometimes it felt like the ups were few and far between. On the bright side, this year I grew in ways I didn’t expect and for that I am grateful.

This pic of Loulou de la Falaise, muse and right hand (wo)man to Yves Saint Laurent, on her wedding day in the seventies sums up my outlook and aspirations for 2019. Here she is confident and content, creative and basking in the joy of being herself. I want my work on this blog (the unexpected baby I created in 2018) to be filled with as much creativity and confidence as Ms. Falaise exudes here. I hope my year, and yours too, is dripping with jewels, tied up in a turban, and downed with a glass of champagne.

Toast to a new year!

-Laura

with a bow on top

December 19, 2018

‘Tis the season for party after party after party. All this merry making requires some extra pizazz in the wardrobe dept! One style I am loving this holiday season? The tie neck aka pussy-bow blouse. We have Alessandro Michele of Gucci and his grandma glamour (see above pic) to thank for the current pussy-bow resurgence and I dig it.

For starters, you know I love a button down but I am particularly piqued by a button down with a bow. Pussy-bow blouses are v. elegant and can literally be worn with everything. Wear one under a blazer for your office Christmas party… pair one with straight leg jeans (these are the gold standard) and metallic heels for your last girls night of the year…leave one undone and opened low, maybe with a hint of this, for sexy, Kate Moss vibes. Anything goes, for real.

Now the only question is whether to splurge or save. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite pussy-bow blouses below.

Prrrfect!

-Laura

Isabel Lopez-Quesada: At Home

December 4, 2018

I like to add to my collection of art and design books by buying a book every month. I don’t notice the cost when I buy one at a time (1 book = 5 oat milk lattes) plus it helps me to stay on top of the latest and greatest so I know what book to buy next. I just ordered Isabel López-Quesada’s first book – Isabel López-Quesada: At Home – and can’t wait to study every page.

Isabel López-Quesada is a Spanish interior designer based in Madrid who’s worked on projects all over the world. She’s been published in pretty much every design magazine you can think of and is one of Architectural Digest’s prestigious AD100. Her look is all about the juxtaposition of contemporary and traditional with antiques and modern pieces side-by-side. It’s feminine but funky using lots of textures and subtle colors. Her rooms appear airy, light and infinitely livable.

I’ll post more pictures on Instagram once I’ve poured over my copy of Isabel López-Quesada: At Home but for now here are some of my favorite images of Isabel’s work.