Society Magazine Shoot September 2013

Hi everyone!

Here I'm sharing with you a spread I did for Society Magazine in September. My sister is in her second year of Fashion Design, and she got booked to do the styling for this shoot, together with my mum who was the styling assistant, so it was great having my family around for the day - we had lots of fun! 

Photographer: Fran Vaquero
MUA: Lena Tanevska
Clothes: Elle Morgan Boutique
Styling: Andrea Karoliina
Styling Assistant: Gema Díaz

Behind the scenes...

To read the full magazine, click here!

Love,

Dominique xx

Dreams can come true!

I can finally say that I'm back in the blogging scene after being absent for a while. But I promise I have a good reason! I have finally graduated from University, in Business Direction and Administration! 

Four years of hard studying never felt so good! I'm not going to lie, it wasn't easy, but when you achieve something by yourself, with your own sweat and tears, and knowing that no one can ever take it away from you, well, it makes you feel empowered. 

It's difficult to balance studying and having fun while in university, as there are parties every week, new people to meet and so many fun things to do, so it's important to stay focused and motivated. There were so many times when I felt like quitting, but I always reminded myself that education was something that I would value for the rest of my life. 

However, I will point out that I don't think that education equals success. I believe that education gives you the tools to succeed, but perseverance and working hard to follow your dreams are the most important assets of all.

So why did I choose Business? Well, I initially wasn't going to.

I've always loved art and design. As a young girl, I spent hours and hours sketching out floor plans, designing houses and turning them into homes with the most beautiful colours and furnishings. I loved observing my Father, who more often than not, was designing custom things for our home, always with a hint of his Scandinavian roots showing through. When I walked into a room, whether it was a friend's house or in my own home, I naturally would observe how furniture was placed, how it would look better, what colours would work in that room, and a long etcetera., leading to long periods of time spent daydreaming and making my ideas come alive - but only in my small wandering brain. Later on, I started working in the fashion world, which helped me strengthen my aesthetic taste in style, texture and colour. 
Sooner than later, I knew I had found my passion: Interior Design.

So when the time came of choosing a degree, Architecture seemed right for me. 
However, the Spanish economic recession motivated partly by the burst of the housing bubble did not predict a very clear future for upcoming architects. The fact that Chemistry and Physics were basic subjects did not fully persuade me to choose Architecture either. I knew that in one point of my life I would have to educate myself about how to run a business, especially if I wanted to become an Interior Designer. So, I had to decide between the specificity of Architecture or the versatility of Business. I ended up choosing the latter.

You might think that when getting a degree, you loose a lot of time studying subjects you'll never use, but the confidence, knowledge and self-accomplishment gained is priceless. The hours spent reading, thinking, writing and solving problems trains your brain on a daily basis, and this will improve your basic skills that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

So now starts a new chapter in my life - a chapter full of dreams, excitement and, more importantly, no more accountancy to study (yippee)!

To all of you who are studying or following your dreams, don't give up! The end result will be well worth it, I promise!

Do you also have dreams for the future? What do you think is the key to success? 

Love,

Dominique 

xoxo

Bedroom Inspiration Ideas

I have been planning the design of my bedroom for quite a while now, deciding on the colours, layout and theme. I knew that I wanted to keep purple in the room, as it is a very soothing colour and a colour I have always loved. However, I knew I had to be careful with choosing how to incorporate purple, as I am going for a sophisticated, modern look, and purple can easily end up looking like a girly girl's room (not that I'm not a girly-kind-of-girl!). 

Before going forth with choosing paint, textures, and all those goodies with no particular direction, it helps waaay more to do your research and find things you would love to incorporate into your future "nook". Design blogs, Google, Pinterest and home-decor/interior design magazines are an amazing source of inspiration and can really help you capture what you're visualizing in your head onto paper!

I love reading these sorts of magazines, and any time I find a clever idea that catches my eye, I cut it out and collect it together into a "Design Scrap Book", so I know where to look when running low on inspirational ideas. 

Inspiration can come from anywhere: furniture, flowers, fashion, traveling... The options are endless! For example, I was drawn to this beautiful image on Pinterest which can inspire in many different ways my bedroom design:

Source

So, here are some ideas I found on the Internet that caught my attention and thought I would share with you!

I was a bit sceptical with choosing this neutral colour which can come off as a "sad" colour, but look at the effect in this bedroom - who said grey was dull?! The secret is to add warm tones with accessories to give the room some life and make it more inviting!

A grand lamp can be a statement piece in any room. Just look at how majestic it makes this room feel!

A careful choice of bedding can make any bed more inviting and the cushions add personality and a hint of colour! I personally LOVE, white, fluffy bedding - makes me feel like I'm sleeping in just washed sheets every time! 

I've chosen the headboard to be the focal point of the room. Also, I love following simmetric lines with bedside tables and big statement lamps at either side.

A big area rug is a beautiful way to add detail and colour to your room, as well as warmth and comfort to your feet on those cold Winter days! Bringing in the accent colours onto the curtains is also a great way to make everything work together beautifully, in an effortless way!

These are just some of the ideas I have in mind for my bedroom. I may even be doing some DIY projects to personalize the space up some more! Not that I'm much of a "handy-girl", as you have already noticed with my baking! (to read more about that, click here), but everything is worth a try and I'm always up for a challenge! 

Hopefully you got some ideas for decorating your spaces too! 

Love,

Dominique xxxx

Apple Crumble Recipe

I had been thinking for quite a while what to gift a family member who's birthday was last week (eek!)... Typical me :'(. I thought I could have a go at baking something, as I know that he likes apples! I wondered what to make which would require no extroardinary skills in the kitchen, as I have absolutely NO experience baking (yes, only someone as silly as me can think I can pull it off).

As I wondered, I remembered the yummy deserts I so longingly crave from England... And then it came to me...

APPLE CRUMBLE!

So here is my attempt to make apple crumble for the very first time! Here is what I'll be needing:

• 5-6 large green apples (preferably Golden apples)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 200 g butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

Before starting, remember to preheat oven at 180 ºC! 

Also, inviting a family member (in this case, my mum!) or a friend over to spend a "different kind of afternoon" always is a plus - helping hands will make the process much quicker... and laughs are guaranteed!

Prepare to be photo-bombed with some out-of-focus, orangey images... You have been warned! So here we go!

To make the apple mix:

1. Peel and slice apples into 2 cm cubes roughly.

2. Place apples in large saucepan and add water. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes on medium-high with lid on, but don't boil, until apples are tender.

3. Drain apples and place in a bowl.

4. Mix white sugar and cinnamon, then toss through the apples until they are evenly coated. 

To make the crumble mix:

1. Mix in a large bowl: flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.

2. Use butter at room temperature cut into small cubes, and add vanilla essence.

3. Add butter mix to dry ingredients and mix well using a fork or your fingers. The mixture should have a crumbly texture.

Baking time!

1. Place apple mix evenly in medium sized oven dish.

2. Spread crumble mix over the apples, until they are well coated.

3. Bake at 180 ºC until crumble topping is slightly browned (20-30 minutes).

Add your favourite topping (mine is vanilla ice-cream) and enjoy your homemade dessert made with love! 

I think it's great to have a go at trying something different as a birthday present! If I can do it, then you definetly can do it as well!!

Now I might just have a nibble off the corner to see if it tastes good... Don't worry about the missing part though, I'll just say it got squashed in the back seat of the car ;-)

Love,

Dominique xxx

Fashion Show: Polo Club - Behind the Scenes

Fashionvilla @ Santa María Polo Club, Sotogrande

Last Saturday, Fashionvilla hosted a fashion show in the Santa María Polo Club in Sotogrande! In case you didn't know, Fashionvilla is a unique luxury boutique in Marbella - you can visit the website clicking here.

http://www.santamariapoloclub.com

It was a beautiful setting, and although the day was a bit gloomy, I couldn't take my eyes off the stunning horses and this fascinating sport. I've always loved horses although I have only ridden one maybe twice in my life. That's one of the things I most love about modeling - you have the chance to go to lovely places!

Belinda & Dominique @ Polo Club, Sotogrande.

Before a fashion show, normally the backstage is very hectic with last minute fittings and pinnings! I am always seduced to see the exotic fabrics we'll be wearing, as well as getting to know the latest trends for the up-coming season! 

The fashion show was a great success and, before we knew it, clients were rushing backstage to grab a piece of their favourite outfits! 

http://www.sotograndedigital.com

Here are some group pictures with the beautiful girls after the show, with some colourful dresses made especially for catwalks - the detailing on the dresses are fabulous and wearing one makes me feel like a princess!

Cristina, Ana, Diana, Dominique, Julia & Belinda.

Julia, Ana & Diana.

Dominique & Belinda

And here I am with Julia, the heart and soul of Fashionvilla!

Dominique & Julia Rep, owner of Fashionvilla.

So sorry I don't have any shots from the actual fashion show! So here are a few pictures of past collections by Fashionvilla in catwalks and showrooms! (Kind of feels wrong to look back at these captions with this sad rainy weather in April... Summer, WHERE ARE YOU?!)

Meet my sister, Andrea:

It's always fun getting to do shows together!

Hope you enjoyed and thank you for coming by!

Love,

Dominique xx

My first post!

Welcome to my blog! 

All about my love for interior designing, decorating, fashion, traveling, cooking and everything in between! 

I hope you enjoy exploring fields of my life that are a source of inspiration and joy for me - I hope in some way for you too! Maybe you can even learn some tips along the way - it's all about having fun! 

I would love to hear your thoughts and share some of your ideas too!

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy this "blogging" journey as much as I will!

Love,

Dominique xxxx