Life Lately

Happy Friday!

I am sorry for the lack of blog posts this week here on Simply Elegant. As most of you know I was in New York for a few days working on setting up my first apartment. I was busy running all around from grocery stores to hardware stores, as well as catching up and grabbing meals with friends; life has been a bit hectic, but fun! It feels as though things are starting to come together in my apartment and I finally feel more organized. But of course, once everything seems to settle down, that is when things get crazy again. Just as I started to get into a routine in New York, I hopped back on a plane and flew home to Maine for the upcoming July 4th weekend. So from Florida last week, to New York, and now Maine...it has been a busy few weeks! But I am not complaining, it has been a blast to jump around and I am trying to take advantage of my freedom and open schedule before I start work full time in a few weeks.  

So with that, I thought I would share some updates with you all from the past two weeks. Images and some anecdotes from the past few days in Florida and New York. Keep scrolling to see what book I am reading and what restaurants I have been trying. 

Florida

A few updates in my bedroom at home in florida. As you can see the color scheme is purple, grey and white. My ceiling wallpaper and pillows are from Quadrille, the Lysette pattern from China Seas.  To complement the purple, my bedding is the Classic Chain style from Matouk. 

No trip to Florida is complete without a stop on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. My favorite stores that I always stop into are: Roberta Roller Rabbit, CJ Laing (be sure to check out their Nantucket locations this summer!) Leta Austin Foster and Stubbs & Wooton. 

my Jack Rogers sandals - all day, everyday. 

My current summer read is The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. I am only about 50 pages in but I am loving it so far.  On another note, I also always listen too books on Audible, right now I am listening to Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty; I have already read the novel before, andI loved it, so I thought I would listen to it again! If you have not read Big Little Lies, or any of Liane Moriarty's books I would highly suggest her work! At a recent trip to the bookstore, I picked up Erin Boyle's (from Reading My Tea Leaves) new book, Simple Matters. The book is right up my alley as it discusses how to live a simple but joyful life. From how to decorate your home to grocery shopping while being kind to the environment. 

next stop: 

New York 

I spent a lot of time exploring my new neighborhood and getting my bearings. I am beyond happy with the West Village! There seems to be a beautiful brownstone or cute coffee shop at every corner! 

Breakfast, coffee and snacks at all of my favorite spots! From The Standard in Meatpacking, to The Elk in the West Village, as well as Black Seed Bagels and Two Hands in Soho. 

Of course, I did spend a bit of time shopping, or more accurately window shopping. I made sure to stop in the new downtown Barney's location and ended up spotting this beautiful necklace. I also made an appointment for a shoe fitting at Margaux, a made to order, direct to consumer, ballet flat company. After getting my feet measured by Alexa, one of the founders, I ordered their classic flat in a beautiful grey color. I can't wait for them to arrive and I will be sure to share more once I have tried them out. 

The week was full of lots of great cocktails and meals. The image above is from a boozy brunch on Sunday at Dudleys in the lower east side.  I also ate at The Smile, a go-to classic and Fedora.  It was my first time at Fedora and I loved it, the menu is small but everything we had was delicious! But I would not expect anything less from the team behind a collection of wonderful restaurants in the west village, from Fedora to Bar Sardine and Jeffery's Grocery. 

And then the rest of my time in New York was mainly spent in my small apartment as I unpacked and worked to get the space organized. I spent time making my bed with my white sheets from Pine Cone Hill and John Robshaw pillows to unpacking new mugs from Farmhouse Pottery. 

And there you have it - a bit of a photo summary of the last few weeks. And now, I am home in Maine with my family to celebrate July 4th. I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday weekend, and check back tomorrow for our weekly installment of web links. Until then, follow along on instagram and snapchat (nan.philip) 

- all images by Nan Philip for Simply Elegant Blog -