There’s really nothing better than a luscious pink bloom, is there? Like most women who devour shelter and style blogs and magazines, I adore peonies. They can be hard to find in San Francisco, but Trader Joe’s, that epic grocery store full of many things you didn’t know you wanted to eat until you see them, glistening on the shelf, is now stocking them. And being TJs, they’re of course at a very reasonable price.

Aren’t they beautiful?

Here’s the list:

Lunch In Paris: A Love Story, With Recipes: An American journalist married to a Frenchman and living in Paris, chronicles her life and love through food. I can’t wait to dive into the story and the snacks! I was a huge fan of “The Anglo Files“, a dissection of England by an American journalists living in London (the chapter on dentistry is at once true and depressing.) So I can’t wait to read another’s experience of living abroad. Perhaps I’ll get some inspiration for my own book one day…

The Family Chef: A recipe book from Jewels and Jill Elmore, personal chefs to Jennifer Aniston. Apparently, they can be credited with weaning our Jen off a lifetime of bland diet food and protein bars, and the recipes look delicious. Fresh fish, lots of produce and delicious flavor, including one of my favorite things about living in the US, Mexican food.

30-something and Over It: Hmmm, this isn’t really me, but that title kinda grabs you doesn’t it? I’m intrigued to read this one, the real story of a 30-something executive that woke up one day. And. Just. Didn’t. Want. To. Go. To. Work. Anymore. Of course, it helps that she’s probably a naturally talented writer that managed to parlay her frustration with corporate living into a cushy book deal. I’m interested to read it. But I’m not sure I’ll like her very much. We’ll see.

All Over The Map: I loved this author, Laura Fraser’s, previous book, An Italian Affair, about a woman dealing with the aftermath of a failed relationship by traveling in Italy. (yes, very Eat, Pray, Love, except this time, the protagonist was the unwilling victim of a break-up, not the instigator.) So, i’m excited to read this take on finding love and adventure all over the world.

Cheap Chic: Affordable Ideas For a Relaxed Home: I’d love to start exploring the world of interior design a bit more. So i’m hoping that this book might serve as a great entry-point for some do-able and affordable ideas. Has to be easy and cheap my friends!

However, rather than struggle against the crowds, think i’ll just do a little couch surfing this time around, inspired by these images:

But the next few weeks and months will see us start the endless process of ‘tweaking’. Now that everything is in place, we now need to make everything look great.

For inspiration, i turned to a very stylish pair of friends, Jess and Tim, who have managed to capture their diverse styles and eclectic tastes together into a cohesive whole in their London apartment.

I hope they don’t mind me sharing some of the design elements that make their space so cool, and won’t mind when Rick and I start ‘reflecting’ them in our own place! Flattery guys, flattery!

Even so, there are just some things I can’t bear to part with. My piles of classic magazines are one of them! I know it’s not eco-friendly, and that I won’t necessarily do anything with them, but there’s something very comforting about knowing the recipe for a perfect margarita, details on the ultimate romantic get-away, or a guide to writing your first novel (while still looking stylish!) is just moments away once I dive into the pages. Unrealistic to think a magazine can tell you how to live? Sure! But I still enjoy the conceit that one day, I just might do some of the things they advise for life enhancement!

My favorite magazine by far is Red (a UK publication, which i buy from the lovely Smoke Signals on Polk Street), but i have (or to be accurate, had) an equal addiction to the sadly now defunct Domino magazine. This was the perfect magazine for design and interiors inspiration, and catered to those who had the ideas, but not necessarily the piles of cash, to turn their decor dreams into reality (i.e. most of us). As we pack everything up, I’ve found quite a few old copies of Domino, and even though I can see Rick pleading with me, silently, to start throwing these stacks of glossy bound paper away, i just can’t. One day, I will design the perfect living room with crafty salvage finds from the flea market and a few savvy purchases at Target! One day it will happen!

I wish the publishers, Conde Nast, would bring it back. It’s hard to believe they can’t find the ad revenues when the magazine targets one of the most valuable demographics: women who love to shop! I’m waiting for someone to start their own version of the mag, but until then, i’m making do with this great Flickr Domino Magazine pool, which houses images from the magazine over the years. How about these for design inspiration?

(Thanks to the Flickr Magazine Files pool for these images from Apartment102, Annesage82 and coco+kelley)

Nonetheless, we have found somewhere new, and the excitement is (slowly) starting to creep in! One of the fun things about moving so often is that you get the opportunity to re-decorate, and can have some fun with it. Hopefully, we’ll be able to stay in the new place a bit longer this time, so will have the chance to actually follow through on some of our interior design plans. Hard to believe, but we still have some pictures we never unpacked from last time, so the golden rule has to be ‘speed of decision making’ in the new place. I tend to agonize over things like rug choices, furniture placement for far too long, when the sane thing to do is probably just make a few ‘good’ decisions, and hope that a few of them turn out to be ‘great’. Here are a few other rules i should listen to when we move:

• Move quickly and make decisions – most things can always be undone, and anything is better than piles of unpacked boxes!
• Go with your gut feel – I’ve learnt that any decor scheme that looks ‘planned’ often lacks a special something that can make a home really sing. If you have even somewhat of a taste level, then you can probably throw things together and still have them look great. And it’s more fun that way!
• Make a few risky choices – linked to the points above, if you’re renting, you can get away with a few choices that might not work out in the long term. But if they make you happy while you live in a certain place, then it’s probably worth it
• Hold onto the good stuff – if you’re lucky enough to own a few good pieces of furniture, they’re bound to look good anywhere, so keep them wherever you go. I have a great vintage, mirrored vanity that’s just too large for our current place, so we took the mirrors off and converted it to a TV stand. Works perfectly, and is so much nicer than the bog standard ones
• Don’t hoard – take it from me, a reformed hoarder. When you’ve moved every one or two years for the past 6 years, you’ll want to keep things light. I moved out to San Francisco with two massive suitcases, and one framed Audrey Hepburn print, and it didn’t do me any harm! I have a lot more stuff now of course, but Rick and I still plan to purge and give away to the Goodwill.

Let’s see how Rick and I do following our own rules! Meantime, here’s a snap of our latest design inspiration – enjoy!

The white type of inspiration

(Photo credit: Apartment Therapy SF)