Lust List.

I just read Erin Gates’ “Elements of Style: Designing a Home & a Life” cover to cover in the equivalent of one sitting.  If you haven’t been privy to Erin’s blog of the same title, you are in for a treat.  She has an unbelievable eye for design and a hilarious, dramatic, candid persona that tells it like it is.  Enjoy, and then follow my lead and order her gorgeous book.  It’s a lovely visual addition to a coffee table or styled shelf situation, and the writing is moving, real, and easy to fly through.

This book had me jotting down notes and adding to my ever-growing list of interior design “musts” and home improvement projects.  It’s full of practical advice (“never have a rug island — you should always have at least two feet of a piece of furniture on the rug to anchor it”) and gorgeous pictures.  The book obviously led to a series of “nest” items (as listed below), but first, the cover reminded me of this chic little carry-all I’ve been eyeing (Splendid, $128):

Also coveting some high-end bath linens ($60+ per item) from the ever-chic Leontine Linens.

How chic would these look with the quirky Jonathan Adler shower curtain (on sale for $48) in the basement off of Mr. Magpie’s man cave?

Also love this dramatic-looking candle ($40) from Byredo to scent the space and this bathroom set ($52) to add to the look:

Love this masculine armchair ($499) with a cheeky pillow (very Ron Swanson — I like it. — $34) and a zebra rug ($395):

These Hermes paperweights made me stop in my tracks (and so did their prices…$370+ depending on color):

Mr. Magpie and I are planning to design and install built-in bookshelves in the basement because we have so.many.books and other items (games, baseball card collections, etc., etc.) that are currently living in piles or mismatched shelving sets.  In the meantime, we’re making do with stop-gaps like this chic basket ($34):

Lastly, I am dying over this greyhound sketch ($50+ depending on size):