We have a new gallery space!

When we started our business we were meeting our wonderful clients at coffee shops, venue lobbies or at their homes. And while we love a good cup of Joe just as much as the next person, being able to meet our clients in our gallery space is fabulous! Not only does it make our clients feel a lot more comfortable, but I get to have that pristine and beautiful modern living room I can’t have at home with a 3-year old and a 5-year old! :)

Sticking to the tried and true approach of clean and neutral color, we chose a beautiful slate gray for the walls and then used onyx black for the trim. Love this look….the black works great with our sofas and helps frame the room nicely. And the neutral gray on the walls makes our artwork and the wood floors POP! Here’s our front door. I found this absolutely gorgeous gun metal fabric that I had made into curtains.

Astrid and Rene Photography

 

There wasn’t a wide variety of modern furniture here in Naples. But there were two fab stores! Denmark Interiors has some absolutely AMAZING stuff. We bought an awesome Euro Style bungee office chair, which rocks by the way! Totally comfortable and totally fun to sit in!

Then there is Roche Bobois! Walking around in this store is like walking into a time machine which transported you into the not-so-distant future sans the cheese and with all the mouth-watering furniture you could want! When I went in one day to get some ideas, I happened to walk in during the last three hours of their 3-day moving sale. Man! Talk about bad timing. Needless to say and much to my great sadness, they had pretty much nothing left on the showroom. The end of Roche Bobois? That thought alone left me feeling empty. But not so. The store was just moving to the IDC in Fort Myers! Yay! Oh, and if you’ve never been to the I.D.C., do yourself a favor. Grab your best-est friend, leave the kids and the husband at home, wear comfy shoes and bring your iPhone to take pix of all the FABULOUS design inspirations that abound!

Astrid and Rene

 

Some of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook may have heard my late night rantings concerning said glass table that I had been trying to acquire for centuries it seemed. Well, millenia later, my beloved glass table did arrive! I am not usually a ‘have to have it’ type girl, but for some reason, this table just did it to me! Sculpted out of one sheet of glass, the lines and curves on this table have to be seen in person (hint hint) :) Here’s my pride and joy at the gallery courtesy of 2bmod.

Astrid and Rene

 

Another view! And yep. That curved in space serves as a great place to hold magazines etc.

Astrid and Rene

 

And last but not least, our goodies room. The landlord owns a business that creates high-end cabinetry (some absolutely gorgeous stuff) and this room was a showroom of one of the closets and add-ons they could build. When we moved in, the landlord asked me if I wanted to leave it, well yeah! What else can a gal ask for other than custom built cabinetry and storage for her products? Recessed lighting complete with crown molding and gorgeous craftsmanship really made it super easy for us to move right on in!

Make sure to give us a call if you’re in the area! We’d love to have you over for that cup of Joe or glass or wine!

Astrid and Rene

just a tease: samantha + erick :)

All of my brides are so patient and for that I applaud them. I know I would be antsy waiting on my images! I just wanted to put up this teaser of Sam and Erick’s wedding. WOW is really all I can muster at this point. Samantha looked absolutely stunning in every picture, so naturally, that’s what I wanted to share for now. Samantha, your wait is almost over! :) Enjoy these! They were a pleasure for me to create….and you made my work super-duper easy!!

Sam and Erick at the Pink Shell Resort

Florida wedding photographer

baby boy love

Finally! Hayden’s 6-month portraits are getting some air on the blog. What a little guy! Happy. Fun. Curious and not a single tear. That’s what I call a real camera trooper. Thanks to Hayden and his family for letting us capture this super-cute little baby!

Check out my favorite pattern: Toile de Jouy! It’s invading my house!

Astrid and Rene Family Portraits

 

Astrid and Rene Photography

 

Can you tell I love pattern and texture?

Astrid

 

Naples wedding Photography

 

Maternity naples Photography

 

Ok, can we say cute overload?

Naples, Florida

paradise found

Living in Naples for most of my life, I sometimes take it for granted just what a beautiful area this really is. I was recently at the beach on a family outing and as usual, we brought home a pail full of lovely shell beauties. It got me thinking that this is really what destination weddings are all about. Something different, something beautiful and something that inspires feelings. A lot of my brides come down here ready to enjoy the beach-themed wedding and often ask me for ideas on gifts for their maids of honor or bridesmaids. They often times say that they want something unique and something that will remind the recipient of that very special day. So I went hunting at some of my favorite little shops on 5th Avenue here in Naples and had to post this!

These little treasure seascape pyramids are handmade right here in the USA by Pam Smith and are filled with, you guessed it, sand and shells! All of these little yummies are encased in beveled glass. When I saw these I thought, how beautiful and unique! They would make the perfect little gift to thank that special bridesmaid or family member for all their help. And think of the memories they would conjure up later on. Fabulous! Find them at Random Acts of Art on 5th avenue, Naples, Florida! And if you’re a mom, check out Pam’s water prisms! Fill them up with water and hang thme up in your kid’s room and let the sun shine through for the most amazing prism rainbows ever!

Seaside pyramids at Random Acts of Art

 

Seaside pyramids at Random Acts of Art

 

Seaside pyramids at Random Acts of Art

 

Rani, the fantabulous owner of Random Acts of Art, also showed me these beautiful little ‘flower pillows’ made by Evan & Kyanne Livingston. These small vessels are glazed on the inside so that you can fill them with water, place flowers in them and voila! Beautiful and unique flower holders. Wouldn’t these be a great way to say thank you!

Flower pillows

 

Flower pillows

 

If you are visiting Naples, make sure to stop in and visit Random Acts of Art for some truly unique and fun handcrafted art! Not in the area? Visit the website for online ordering. On Twitter or Facebook? Follow Rani and become a fan! :)

Flower pillows