Scenes from the Savannah

As weekend plans heat up, I leave you with remarkable photographs courtesy of Wired from Zack Seckler's Botswana series. Zack's collection of bird's-eye photographs are thanks to an ultra-light aircraft, offering him breathtaking views of the country from 50 to 500 feet vertical from the African savannah. A majority of his photographs depict striking views of the Makgadikgadi Pans, one of the world's largest salt flats. Very few animals live here - the salt flat primarily serves as the home to a thin but abundent layer of blue-green algae.

Be sure to view more photographs from his collection here.

The Silver Thief

When I moved cross-country, I didn't bring much with me by means of furniture and home decor, but did tote with me my Father's and Grandparents' silver. I love the idea of integrating antique silver into any design scheme, particularly if it has any sentimental value. I get great joy from using my Dad's sailing trophies as jewelry troughs and bar accessories, and love serving my Pink Panty Punch in the same punch bowl my Great-Grandmother used for her parties in New Orleans. (Read more about the punch bowl's fruitful life, here). I look forward to one day flooding my home with their treasures as each one has a unique tale to accompany. I thought the recent story in Garden & Gun about the infamous "Silver Thief" was quite remarkable. Blane Nordahl, the man behind a long string of large-scale silver thefts in the south and beyond, has finally been charged after thirty years of suspected robberies. (Silver and the South often go hand-in-hand as it represented a new beginning after the Civil War. Because so much of it had been lost during the war, curating a new collection of silver post-war signaled that life would go on and people would prevail. I suppose Nordahl knew this all too well, too)...

Among other themes and takeaways, the article was a reminder to keep treasures like such under a watchful eye. Now I'm off to take inventory!

Read the full story here.

KATE

I loved her look at the annual amfAR Inspiration Gala. Her Saint Laurent sheer gown was the perfect blend of 70's boho meets evening elegance, a look Kate can do in her sleep. The girl can pull off anything.

Image via.

Bahama Mama

When I began constructing this post, I realized I had inadvertently created a theme I seemed to be following. I do have the itch to travel and find myself recently intrigued by island homes and the lifestyle that inevitably accompanies. (If you missed "The Good Life" post, you can get caught up here). There is something to be said about jetting off to a home-away-from-home to enjoy the simple pleasures you so adore. I loved reading about Alessandra Branca's Harbour Island getaway. The photographs that accompanied the piece made me love sick for pink skies, refreshing cocktails, afternoon island breezes and the ease that comes with such landscape. I particularly like that Alessandra, a Chicago based interior designer, chose a deep coral-red as one of the prominent colors in her designs. The color compliments the lush greenery and natural colored textural elements throughout the home, lending to a cohesive yet non-fussy look. See the feature in Architectural Digest here.