SEMERKAND SUZANI: BAZAAR SHOPPING

Although it's been a couple of months since our trip to Turkey, I wanted to showcase one of my favorite stores from the Grand Bazaar.  My mom had told tales of visiting the Grand Bazaar in the 70's, stories of bartering for leather jackets and antique crafts. Now, it seemed like most of the bazaar had been cleaned up, selling pashmina scarves made in China alongside fake Prada purses. The Grand Bazaar is definitely still an adventure, but it has been tamed. 

Somehow I expected more grime, more antiques, and more authenticity. But, looking closer and wandering deeper into the winding alleyways, and slices of "old Turkey"could still be found.  The "old book" alley was a fun place to poke around for ancient gilded manuscripts, as was the carpet alley in the heart of the bazaar.

We visited the Bazaar several times, getting slightly lost in the crossing corridors, each time with a different focus. One day we looked for rugs, another day for lamps. I always looked for Suzanis.

Even the first time we wandered into it's hallowed hills, I spotted a shop with amazing, and authentic, products from far away. This shop had a unique mix of vintage textiles sewn into modern quilted pillows. I immediately loved the patterns and colors which were literally spilling out of the shop.

See other posts about Istanbul shopping here and here

BLACK CROW STUDIOS: WALLPAPER AS ART

I came across Black Crow Studios on Pinterest and was blown away by the insanely bold approach to wallpaper. I've been trying to find the perfect pattern to decorate my home office, and haven't ever seen anything quite this vibrant and organic. Black Crow Studios is a custom wallpaper company that pushes the traditional idea of wallpaper into the realm of Art. The liquid forms transform a wall into a colorful painted world, working well within a modern or traditional space. The fluid forms feel like a painting suspended in time. 

Photos courtesy of Black Crow Studios

ANTHROPOLOGIE: SPRING BLOOMS

Anthropologie is always a colorful place to pop into and get inspired. We had the chance to visit the Beverly Hills shop last Saturday, and it was fun to see the new spring florals. The bold prints were anything but dainty, mixing large blooms with stripes and watercolor textures. The deeper color palettes feel fresh but not too sweet. 

SUNNY SPOT: RETRO BRUNCH

One of our favorite places to enjoy a delicious Sunday brunch, Sunny Spot, happens to be right in my backyard. Despite the delicious proximity, I somehow always end up sweating in Pilates rather than savoring a plate of Caribbean pancakes. Luckily, my friend's birthday brunch proved to be the perfect opportunity to sleep in, relax, and enjoy the flavors of the islands. The only challenge that morning was choosing which entree to start with. And, the colorful retro interior was the icing on the plantains. 

PLATFORM EXPERIMENT: GLOBAL ART

The Platform Experiment is one of my favorite reasons to leave the comfort of the westside. The shop offers an innovative, multicultural mix of art and craft. I first visited this shop a few months ago (See the intial visit here and here) and was happy to be back last week to attend the collage workshop. Somehow the shop has expanded with even more inspiring objects, including jewelry, textile art, and home decor.