I’m a couple of days late with this post …..

This year I’m going to post a look at my Instagram photos at the end of every month as part of my Living La Belle Vie series. As I mentioned when I introduced the series, to me the good life means appreciating the everyday and this is what I try to capture everyday in pictures.

I also mentioned I would be sharing how I try to live la belle vie very day and one way I’ll be doing that is through photos. My hope is that these images may inspire you to slow down, to add a little beauty into your daily routine and to enjoy all the small moments that make up la belle vie.

(If you aren’t familiar with Instagram, it’s an iPhone app that lets you take photos, apply filters and share them with others.) If you are on it and want to follow me, my user name is AllyFTRB. If you are not but want to see my pics, you can always see a daily photo in the sidebar to the right (over there —>) if you scroll down a little. The photos also get posted on Twitter and Followgram if you follow me there. And if you aren’t on any of those, I’ll be doing these monthly posts with the highlights!

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoy taking them!

Alright so this is totally random but I’m going to leave you with this video for the weekend. It really saddened me to hear that Don Cornelius, the creator and host of Soul Train, took his own life this week. For all you youngun’s wondering what the hell I’m talking about: it was just the coolest show in the history of television is all.  Anyway, I grew up watching the show and to this day, the Soul Train dance line is the grooviest thing I have ever seen.

You can see Don Cornelius at the beginning of the clip – his hair, glasses, outfit, voice …… everything about him was smooth. And the dancers? Now, that’s what you call style. I tell you nothing makes me happier than watching people get down. You have to watch the guy at 1:07. Oh my god, he slays me! I’ve watched it like 10 times already.

Love, peace and soul to you, Don Cornelius.

See you all Monday!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

This article originally appeared on www.fromtherightbank.com.
©2012 FROM THE RIGHT BANK. All Rights Reserved.

It’s indoor/outdoor and I think it could be cool in the garden too. I think it’s the same one I spotted in Lonny:

The other one that I like a lot is the Bolero Accent Table from Crate and Barrel:

What I like about both of these is how sculptural they are. But I can’t seem to make up my mind. (Oh, really? How unlike me.) What do you think?

I’ve gathered some other round tables that I’ve been considering in my monthly Ideabook for Houzz:

If you’ve seen any other round side tables that you think I might like, do tell!

This article originally appeared on www.fromtherightbank.com.
©2012 FROM THE RIGHT BANK. All Rights Reserved.

There was an article in the New York Times two weeks ago about how all the fashion people are trading in St. Barts for Tulum, Mexico. Mexico is one of my favorite places (and I always thought Tulum was one of its jewels) so I started browsing the web for some of the places mentioned in the article and I came across this spread in the Selby. That Todd Selby is always up on these things. He apparently shot Nicolas Malleville and Francesca Bonato’s place/hotel/spa/shop in Tulum a while back. Have a look:

They created a really sophisticated but relaxed atmosphere while retaining all the local flavor. That’s not a combination easy to achieve and they totally nailed it.

(Photos: the Selby)

This article originally appeared on www.fromtherightbank.com.
©2012 FROM THE RIGHT BANK. All Rights Reserved.

It’s been a while since I did an art wall roundup and I’m not sure why since I still have so many in my files. Here are some of my favorite type (mix of art and frames) that I’ve saved recently.

In adding the photo credits, I realized that these six spaces are from six different countries. Art walls are universal!

(Photos: 1.C Magazine 2.Avotakka 3.Bolig 4.Ideat 5.Skona Hem 6.House and Home)

This article originally appeared on www.fromtherightbank.com.
©2012 FROM THE RIGHT BANK. All Rights Reserved.

I have no words. I mean really.

(Hey, J, if you’re reading: you can almost reach out and touch your old apartment from here!)

I’m just going to quietly file this away under When I Move Back to Paris. Oh and in case you’re wondering, it’s for sale (price upon request of course).

(Photos: Christie’s Real Estate)

This article originally appeared on www.fromtherightbank.com.
©2012 FROM THE RIGHT BANK. All Rights Reserved.

For the second installment in my Living La Belle Vie (the Good Life) series I’d like to talk about all the stuff in our lives. I think it’s fair to say most of us have way more stuff than we need and we’re constantly bombarded with messages to acquire even more.  As a design blogger, I’m well aware that I’m responsible for some of this myself!  You also know I love my share of pretty things so I’m clearly not here to preach about an ascetic lifestyle or anything like that. But. I do believe that one way to live la belle vie is to buy and use only the best quality that you can afford. This is another observation I made while living in Paris and even though I’m not all the way there, I have been trying to embrace this approach more fully.

This can apply to so many areas of our lives from our homes to our wardrobes to what we eat to how we spend our free time. For example, how many of you “save” certain clothes because you’re afraid of ruining them? I know I used to do that.  Most of us also save things around the house that we consider “good” or “fancy” for special occasions and ninety percent of the time we use something else. But what if we only lived with the best and got rid of everything else? Think of how luxurious it would feel to love everything we used every day not to mention how much less clutter we would have. Wouldn’t each day feel just a little nicer?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

Thanks for another fun week of blogging and all the kind comments. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you Monday!

(Photos: 1.by Polly Wreford 2.by Richard Powers, from Sarah Kaye)

This article originally appeared on www.fromtherightbank.com.
©2012 FROM THE RIGHT BANK. All Rights Reserved.

On Wednesday I went to a press preview of the Inspiration House which is part of the annual Cathedral Antiques Show and Tour of Homes here in Atlanta. It was a great night meeting the designers and viewing the house they designed so beautifully. Here are some highlights I was able to snap before the light faded.

Magenta and blue library! So hot. I’ve been eyeing that Tony Duquette fixture for a while now and loved seeing it in this space:

(by Lindsey Coral Harper)

Gorgeous feminine bedroom in lavender and coral:

(by Elisabeth Jordan)

It was so refreshing to see a living room that isn’t traditional:

(by Rick Anthony Bonner)

Dark blue walls, brass etagere and Platner chair? Yes please:

(by Tom Williams & Jason Bailey)

I believe this wallpaper is hand painted and along with the velvet fabrics, completely luxe:

(by Brooke Merrill)

These are just the highlights so if you’re in the area, I highly recommend seeing the house for yourself. Starting this weekend, there are also parties, receptions, lectures and other events as well as a tour of some exquisite private homes designed by renowned architects and designers. You can get all the details and purchase tickets here. The entire event benefits All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD) which has been providing support to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families since 1956. So a win-win!

If you visit, let me know what you think!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

This article originally appeared on www.fromtherightbank.com.
©2012 FROM THE RIGHT BANK. All Rights Reserved.