On My Radar

Wearing

What I wish I was wearing for fall, courtesy of Chloe's newest campaign.

What I'll really be wearing this fall, courtesy of J. Crew. (hint order a size up in the sweater for an oversized boyfriend look)

sweater // jeans

Reading 

I just finished Who Do You Love and found it to be a wonderfully endearing love story. I highly recommend it (although admittedly I would have wished the ending wasn't so rushed.) I just started All The Light We Cannot See and cannot put it down. 

Watching

The other night while searching for a movie, we stumbled upon People, Places, Things and it ended up being one of the best movies I've seen all year! It's so witty and absolutely adorable... even my husband really liked it. The only downside is that it will make you wish you had twin girls... badly. This week we also started watching the show Mr. Robot on USA and have pretty much burned through the entire season. At first I had my doubts but after the first episode I was hooked!

Plotting

After about a decade I think we are ready to upgrade to a new dining table and chairs. Right now I'm loving the combination of an oval marble tulip table with these awesome wishbone chairs. I've used them in two different projects for clients recently, and I think I'm going to need to take the plunge and get for our home. Like yesterday.

Loving 

Every single room in this house designed by Amber, of Amber Interiors. If there was ever a case for white + wood, this is most certainly it. You can bet I pinned every single image for our someday California home. 

Living In

My girlfriend Jaimie turned me on to this amazing intimate line Les Coquines a few years back, and during our shoot was raving about this triangle mesh bra. I picked one up for myself and haven't taken it off since (which says a lot when you are talking about a bra!) It's so incredibly comfortable, but also supportive. I've already decided that I need another since I absolutely can't imagine wearing another bra again!

I want to wish you all a wonderful weekend! I can't thank you enough for how supportive you've been in regards to my new fashion content! What you saw this week was just the tip of the iceberg, and I can't wait to share more over the coming weeks and months!

The Best Of Robin M. Anderson

 

Right now the boys and I are some 10,000 miles in the air, heading to California for our annual trip. Thursday, my husband had another surgery to help with his ongoing pain situation and while he's healing we figured it would be the perfect time to leave a quiet house. He is now happily at home, being doted on by his parents, while the boys and I are gearing up for a marathon two weeks at LegoLand California. I have to wonder if we can beat our 14 day streak from last year? It's good to have goals, right???

Given that I'm going to be flying solo for the next few weeks, I knew there was no way that I could devote the time needed to keep the blog running, so unfortunately I'm going to be on hiatus until August 20th. Rather than leave you all empty-handed I pulled together what I like it think of as my "best of."

These a few of my favorite posts from over the years.  I hope you enjoy reading through some of the archives!!!  If you'd like to follow our Cali trip, you can follow me on Instagram where I will still be posting.  See you all in a two weeks!!! xoxo

Our Home, Before & Afters

The boys' room
The Kitchen
The Master Bedroom
The Living Room
The Guest Room
The Bathrooms

Home & Design

Favorite wood consoles: a roundup

Affordable brass lighting: a roundup

Best marble accessories: a Roundup

Favorite gallery walls: a roundup

A hint of mint
Home lust: black exterior
Forever obsessed: palm leaf print
Barn light inspired pendants
Green with envy
A painted door
Bohemian inspired home decor
Surf inspired home decor
Banquette seating
On patterned tile
Flower Power

Wardrobe Essentials 

The trench
The fisherman sweater
The denim shirt
Striped tee
The blazer
The boyfriend jean
Army jacket
The silk blouse

Fashion & Style

The capsule wardrobe
Giving them the shoulder 
8 easy summer looks
Look I'mlLoving: monochromatic sunglasses and hair
Red + White+ Blue
The denim skirt
Jumpsuits for the win
Rainy day chic
Summer swimwear picks
Black, white and neutral all over
The turtleneck
Stacked
Summer whites

Hair & Beauty

Pink hair: really don't care
4 short hair style tips
Summer hair care
The easy trick for platinum blonde hair
Do or dont? Nail art
On mascara
Winter Beauty
Skin part I
Skin part II
Genius trick for thin eyebrows
My favorite beauty products 
What's in my makeup bag


My Sister's Wedding

The cake
The linens
The bridesmaid dress
The invitations
The venue
The flowers
My little sister got married
Save the date cards

Weddings

An elopement to remember
Do or don't non-traditional wedding dresses

Food & Drink

The perfect drink for summer

6 favorite side dishes

8 favorite kale recipes

6 favorite fish recipes

6 favorite vegetarian pasta recipes

7 asian inspired dinners

8 favorite one pot meals

9 favorite breakfast (for dinner, or lunch, or desert) recipe

7 favorite summer recipes

7 popsicle Recipes 

Vegetarian Bolognese 

The weekly dinner drag

Motherhood & Family

In the picture
The end of and era
It was bound to happen
Free
Lucky
Toned Down Christmases 
Pretty in pink
Little Man, not so little
The time my kid went to overnight camp

Fertility

Here's the thing
It's going to happen
A faker
2 week wait
Back to the drawing board
The little embryo that could
Taking a month off
Back to the drawing board
It's going to happen
Chicken
Cautiously optimistic 
Pregnancy update
Maternity portraits part 2

Travel

New Orleans; the time of my life
Costa Rica travel advice
Costa Rica Summer 2015 here, here, and here
Costa Rica Summer 2014
A week in NYC
My favorite Boston and NYC restaurants
The paris itinerary 
Northern California coast
Big Sur
Fiji here, here, here, here, here
Maui

What I'm Reading

July 2015
March 2015
April 2014

My Feature On Epson's Blueprints Blog

A few weeks back, I was incredibly honored to be featured on Epson's Small Business Blog Blueprints. You can read the piece in its entirety here. (While you are at it make sure you check out the one prior about one of my favorite designers Emily Henderson).

We hear stories over and over about how big corporations are always stomping out the little guys, and it's really great when the script is flipped and small businesses like me (an army of one) are able to reach a broader audience with the help of these established, larger companies.

Along with the piece (as if that wasn't enough) I was gifted an awesome printer/scanner/ copier/fax and it has really been a game changer for me.* Having such a powerful machine really has been like gaining a home office, without having to dedicate the space to one. I really thought this was something we didn't need in our home, and now I can't imagine running my business without it. You can see below how awesome the color is, and giving a client to something tangible (and color accurate) has been a welcome addition to my design services.

Again, a huge thank you to Brian and the whole team at Epson for the write up.  I can't even begin to say how appreciative I am that I was given this opportunity!

* I promise they aren't paying me to say that ;)

My Little Sister Got Married

I know, I said I'd be posting while in NYC but after an unexpected delay on our flight back, and a marathon four days, I have to admit I was a little relieved to find that in my haste I had forgotten my laptop back home. I'm now back in Boston, and I'm so excited to share with you all a few pictures from my sister's wedding. The incredible husband and wife team that my sister hired to shoot the day are still working on the professional pictures (which you know I will be sharing as soon as I get my hands on them... in multiple posts) but for now I couldn't be happier to show you some shots from the night that can be summed up in one word; magical. 

The whole day, from beginning to end was more than I could have ever dreamed of, and while there were times that I definitely questioned what on earth I was thinking planning a wedding on top of everything else we had going on, I could not have been more proud of how the event turned out. It was truly the best gift I could give to my little sister, and when I looked around at people laughing, dancing, and drinking the night away, I knew that we had truly succeeded in our goal of making the perfect evening. From the music, to the food, and even the weather (which thankfully decided to cooperate at the last minute) the night was so special and I know it's one that everyone who was there will remember forever. 

Here are a few pictures from the night that was.

What I'm Reading

Everything I Never Told You

Set in the 70's, Everything I Never Told You is a gorgeously written novel that follows the Lee family after the tragic death of their eldest daughter. The book is the most unexpected and insightful exploration of the family dynamic, and this is a story about the culture during the 50's to the late 70's more than it is about the grieving family itself (there's some of that too.) I expected this to be more of whodunit, and was pleasantly surprised to find a book is the exact opposite of that and it has absolutely cemented itself in my top ten for what I imagine is a long time to come. It's that good. 

Forever Obsessed: Palm Leaf Print

Perhaps it's because I've been living in an actual jungle the past three weeks, or because I will always have a place in my heart for what I like to refer to as "Golden Girls chic," but whatever the case I have a palm leaf print obsession that just won't quit and every few months I find myself dreaming of wallpapering a room in my house in the iconic print.

Next house, next house, next house...

Trend I'm Loving: Barn Light Inspired Pendants

 

The above image is probably my favorite thing on the internet right now.

I swear I've probably re-pinned it about a dozen times, and when dreaming of California real estate I pretty much only consider homes with arches for the sole purpose of recreating this look. Yes, the architecture is completely my jam, but I've realized it's those lights that really have me drooling. Right now barn light inspired pendants are having a moment, and I have to say I'm not angry about this at all. Not only do they completely make a space with their simple beauty, but they are also incredibly inexpensive (easily under 150 dollars from a number of retailers.) They come in every color in the rainbow... and then some. Right now I'm hoping to use this style pendant in black for a ski house I'm currently working on, and you know I'm just dying to find a space for an emerald set. Any takers? ;)

My Sister's Wedding: The Invitations

I can't believe it, but this is my last post on my sister's wedding before the big day. It seemed like only yesterday I wrote about our inspiration for the affair, and now here we are over a year later with everything decided, down to the the littlest detail. It feels so good to know that we don't have to really think about anything wedding related, but I can already tell that I'm going to miss obsessing over all the pieces that are going into the big event... mostly because those discussions were done on the weekend, and usually while having one too many cocktails with my sister. Okay, the truth is I'm not going to miss the planning as much as the time I got to spend with my sis, but I'm sure I can still convince her to come visit me every once in a while ;)

A Hint of Mint

Ever since I painted our upstairs bedroom mint, I just can't get the color out of my head. I recently worked on a mint and fuchsia room for a little girl and I'm telling you, I think mint has become my go-to color for any space that calls for a little fun.

Favorite Wood Consoles: A Roundup

After the sofa, the first piece of furniture that I advise clients to invest in is the sideboard/ console table. The thing about the console is that it pulls double duty as being incredibly functional (I store stem-wear and serving dishes in one side and board games in the other) but it also really anchors a room giving a home to art (or the TV) and styling accessories. No matter what your design aesthetic is, there is guaranteed to be a console to go with it and for me it has truly become a must have for any living space.

New In The Shop: The RBG

 

After months of anticipation, I'm thrilled to announce that "THE RBG" is now available for purchase in the shop!!! When thinking about who should be next in our #BOSSLADIES series, RBG became the obvious choice considering that the benchmarks of her career have been championing women's rights and equally for all. As a former attorney, I couldn't be more proud to have her on our roster and given her unique and personal style she embodies everything the #BOSSLADIES brand is about; strong women who remain true to the themselves.

Like "THE JENNA" she retails for $35 dollars and ships anywhere for free. We care about the environment and these reusable totes are made from recycled cotton which complies with all fair wage and fair labor standards. All totes are machine washable on cold, and should be hung to dry.

Here she is next to our first #BOSSLADY! I can't even begin to tell you how awesome she is in person, and as I've been carrying her this week I've been stopped about 100 times by people asking where they can get their own! Remember each of our #BOSSLADIES totes are limited editions, so make sure to get your boss before she's gone!

I want to thank you all for your support of these tote bags. This has been such an incredible endeavor and I can't wait to keep adding to the series! 

To get your own RBG or Jenna (we have a handful left) head on over to the shop now!

My Sister's Wedding: The Venue

I'm scared to even write this for fear that I will jinx myself, but I think my sister's wedding is completely planned. As in done and done. I leave on Saturday and return about 18 hours before the big event, so obviously this was the idea, but I have to admit there were times that I thought we may not meet our early deadline.

Favorite Gallery Walls: A Roundup

 

Hi! My name is Robin and I have gallery wall obsession. 

Whew, I said it. 

I've been reading that gallery walls may be heading the same way as the accent wall, as in becoming outdated, but I swear that I will never give in to such nonsense and plan on becoming an old lady surrounded by my gallery walls. I say walls as a plural because yes, I have more than one, and yes, I want more than I currently have. 

Here's the thing about the gallery wall. I have kids, I have a past, and I like pretty things. I'm not alone in this and I find that if you want to display your personal and beloved objects, art, and photos you have two options. The first is buy a bunch of little frames and display them on every flat surface in your home. The second is to put them up on the wall and create a gallery display out of them. One can make your adult home look like your dorm room, and the second can make such a beautiful impact that you can't believe how empty your walls looked before. Trust me on this. I spent the first 33 years of my life with option one, and the last three with option two... I'm not going back!

I think my main hesitation in creating a gallery wall was that I just had no idea where to start. We had a bunch of random frames (most of which were white) and not that much small art. Sure, we had more photographs of the kids than we knew what to do with, but could I really make a bunch of pictures of my kids look aesthetically pleasing? I wasn't so sure. 

Style Crush: Amber Interiors

Once again my husband is talking about moving to California and as I've mentioned here before this is pretty much a cycle in our marriage. Every 3-4 years the topic comes up, we argue, we look at houses, we argue some more, we stay in Boston. I'm not saying we will never switch coasts but right now three out of the four of us are incredibly happy where we are, and unless its for work, we're not moving anytime soon. 

That being said, it's always fun to dream and even though part of the fun will be designing our own home (hopefully from the studs up) so I won't be hiring an interior decorator, BUT if I were, I can say with 100% certainty that the designer of my dreams is Amber, of Amber Interiors. 

My Sister's Wedding: The Linens Part 2

Remember back when I was at a loss regarding what to do for the linens for my sister's July wedding? If not, you can read the full post here but the short version is that we had learned the hard way that 1) linens are expensive, and 2) what we were envisioning wasn't really out there in the rental market. After I posted about our dilemma one of my readers commented that she would be up for the challenge and I'm happy to report that we finally have a plan for the linens! (Reason 1,000,000 why I love this blog!)

A few weeks ago we touched base, and at the time I was debating runners vs full tablecloths. There were pros and cons to both. The pro of the runner was that it would use less fabric (read: be less expensive) but the con was that we were dealing with smaller circular tablecloths and I was having a hard time envisioning if in the end we would be getting the effect we were looking for. The pro of the full tablecloth would be that result would be exactly what we were looking for, but con was that we would need a TON of fabric, and it would be impossible to do the whole table without a seam in the middle. I was torn between the two and was really hoping that Susan would have another idea. Well, the stars aligned and after talking it through she suggested that maybe we should do a square tablecloth on the round tables. After a quick google search to see what this would look like I was sold!

Susan mentioned that because the fabric was a little stiff, it might be good to tie something to the corners and when the idea of tassels came up I pretty much lost my mind (in an incredibly good way!) After a little back and forth we had our plan and we tracked down these affordable tassels from etsy!  I wanted to bring some mint into the wedding after picking up some of these lanterns to use as decor and we figured the tassels were the perfect way to do this! My sister had ordered some cocktail napkins with gold in them, so I knew I wanted to incorporate that as well.

Up until yesterday this whole thing was just a vision in our head, so imagine my delight when I received these pictures via text last night.

Never did I think that I would get so excited about a piece of fabric and a tassel but just getting a sneak peak of the final product is so exciting and I am more confident than ever that we absolutely went the right direction by having these custom made. The icing on the cake is that all in, this custom job is actually going to be $200-$250 cheaper than it would have been for the rentals! The caterer is providing the white tablecloths to go under our custom ones (for free) and I think they will look great with our bright fabric choice. 

This just goes to show that when you can't find what your really want, a little help and a lot of creativity can go a long way!

The Moorings Hotel & Spa: I Want To Stay There

Have you all watched the Netflix series Bloodline? It took us a little while to get into it, but now we are completely hooked! Actually, it took my husband a while to get into it, most likely because throughout the first few episodes I would yell out "that house!" every 5 minutes in regards to the fictional inn that is central to every episode. It has always been a secret dream of mine to run away and open a bed and breakfast and I can think of no place better than the Florida Keys to make that dream come true. With lazy days, white sand beaches and ample supplies of margaritas, I keep telling my husband I would die to stay in a place like the one featured in the show. Oh, and don't even get me started on the hammock that hangs at the end of the pier... let's just put a "reserved for Robin sign on that one."

Well, it turns out that the fictional inn is actually a real inn and you can bet I want to stay there! With multiple cabanas and an insane main house I can't think of a better place to escape winter than the Moorings Hotel and Spa. I did a little digging into the hotel and I am absolutely in love with every inch of the property. Throw in a Kyle Chandler sighting and I really can't think of a more perfect vacation. For those of you who aren't familiar with the setting, here is a little taste of the Rayburn House err Moorings Hotel.

A Desk In The Boys' Room

If you had asked me at the beginning of the year what the LM would be most excited about in first grade, I most definitely would have said science or sports... and not necessarily in that order. As the year is quickly coming to a close it turns out that his true passion is actually art and writing. My husband and I are still kind of floored by this, and more and more the LM is retreating to his room to create comic books, or since they studied French impressionists at school, trying to recreate a famous work of art from that period. Obviously I am thrilled about this, and to be honest I'd be happy if he was doing anything other than asking for the iPad, so after seeing him hunched over on the floor the other day I asked if he would like to have a desk in his room. The kid was so excited you would have thought I'd asked if he wanted to go to Disneyland! He hasn't really started getting that much homework yet, and when he does he works at the kitchen table, but with a chatty three year old brother I can tell that he is starting to want a place where he can sit and think a little bit. I figured we would get a desk for their room down the road, but after getting this picture from his friend's mom who took him to a skate park over the weekend, I figured the time was now, and quickly picked out a sweet little desk for this room. 

Green With Envy

You all know that if there is one common theme in our home it's that I love decorating with navy blue. I don't really do it intentionally, and even when I try to infuse another color like black, I always find myself circling back to the my safe and beautiful navy. It's not that I don't still love blue, which is good considering that our home is covered in it, but I have to say sometimes when I dream of our next home I wonder if I could actually decorate in a different color pallet and still love it just as much.

What color you ask?

My Sister's Wedding: The Cake

It's hard to believe it but we are now in the final stages of planning my little sister's wedding and I'm thrilled to report that we figured out the linen situation thanks to one of you lovely readers! I will post on what we decided to do once they come in, but let me just say that they are going to be more amazing than I ever dreamed of! We've experienced very few hiccups during this whole process (knock on wood) and the main one involved the wedding cake. Originally we both wanted to a do a macaroon cake for guests, and in addition the groom's cousin offered to do a small cake for the couple to cut in to. While sourcing macaroons we found that 1) they are very expensive, and 2) don't do well in heat and humidity. Considering the wedding is on the water in July, one of the hottest months of the year, we quickly discarded that idea given that I could think of nothing worse at a wedding than presenting an expensive cake of deflated macaroons. 

On My Radar

Reading

Right now I'm reading this book and Can't.Put.It.Down! You thought Amy from Gone Girl was maniacal? Just get ready!

Listening 
I don't know why I am incapable of finding new music to listen to, but as a 90's child my heart lies in that decade and that decade alone. Right now I have this best of compilation from my former idol playing on repeat right now. The cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is worth the download price alone.