Infusing grandeur into otherwise drab Monday mornings with five things/ideas/events for the week:

I.  Growing up, my mom decorated with a lot of porcelain garden stools in traditional Chinese prints.  With a minimalist contemporary bent, I never understood the utility or appreciated the aesthetic so I steered clear of the pieces.  Until now.  While scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed over the weekend, one of the pesky ads that I usually completely ignore caught my eye. The photograph featured dual stools used in lieu of a coffee table in a studio apartment.  The stools were topped with trays that could be removed for extra seating.  I immediately began searching for more uses for the stools, and found that several interior designers are using metallic versions in otherwise modern spaces like in the photograph above.  Another idea that I loved was placing them underneath a lucite console in an entryway or behind a sofa.  To replicate the look, here are affordable chrome and gold versions.

II.  On the topic of studio design, House Beautiful recently put together an amazing feature on how to decorate a tiny apartment using tips from Ralph Lauren window designer, Zach Motl.  Gather tips on both general home design and maximizing your space with furniture editing from “How to Fit 5 Rooms into 425 Square Feet” (plus gorgeous photographs of Motl’s actual Brooklyn apartment).

III.  With temperatures soaring into the nineties in many parts of the Bay Area this week, what better time to dust off your ice cream maker and whip up a batch of my twist on the iconic root beer float - Homemade Root Beer Ice Cream.  If you don’t already have one, I use the KitchenAid Ice Cream attachment to the stand mixer, but many friends have had great success with the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, which doesn’t require anything but the apparatus itself to churn out icy confections.

IV.  Feeling a bit devilish for posting this immediately after ice cream, but I am obsessed with the new Kate Moss for Topshop collection.  If you haven’t had a chance to check out the super model’s eponymous line, you must get over to Nordstrom before everything sells out.  I’m particularly smitten with the scalloped shorts and whimsical fringed leather jacket.

V.  Recently, I was honored by my appointment to the Rooms That Rock 4 Chemo young professionals board.  Through volunteers and donations, the amazing organization turns dreary hospital chemotherapy rooms into brighter spaces for patients battling cancer all over the world. We are launching the young professionals division on Tuesday, May 20th at Stock in Trade.  I hope that you will all join me for a few cocktails to learn more about this phenomenal cause!  Find out about the event here and the organization here.

Have a wonderful week!  xx tt