she likes cherries

the first apartment

It was a teeny-tiny apartment in my favorite neighborhood, a lively part of Sao Paulo that has countless restaurants, bars, art studios, movie theatres, craft shops. The idea that hubby and I were actually buying our first place together was too exciting to bear. But we were, and we did, almost eight years ago.

We painted the walls ourselves with the craziest colors we could find on the pallette, to the dismay of some family members. The living room was painted not in one, not in two, but in THREE tones of purple; the office was so orange it could burn your eyes if you stared at it for too long; the bedroom was very green indeed. The kitchen and the bathroon were tiled up in white so we painted the ceilings yellow and red, respectively.

We also had a small balcony where it was possible to see the greatness of the city (it was the fourteenth floor afterall) and where I planted some of my favorite greeneries, including fragant flowers. I still remember the warm nights, and oh there were many warm nights, when we opened the balcony sliding door and could smell jasmine.

In the bedroom we decided to do these two thick and glossy stripes across the walls. It sounded easy but the varnish was runny and so smelly. I also remember making the huge art piece on the living room wall. We purchased the wooden board, glued vintage magazine pages all over it, painted it with a mixture of white paint and water, did the semi-circles and star. We had so much fun.

I lived three blocks away from my best friend. Friends who didn't live that close were also around. The phone would ring and someone would say "I'm coming by!". The front door was always opened. Fridays were videgame and pizza nights, but when we got tired of pizza and videogame, we would just walk up to any bar or restaurant or coffee house nearby. The apartment is rented since we moved, and I hope whoever is living there is keeping that place full of life.

When I was a child and dreamed about my first home, I always thought it would be special. It was.

my favorite corner

This is another new feature around here and to be honest it's the one I'm more excited about! 'My favorite corner' will feature guests talking about the favorite corner on their homes. I love peaking at people's home decor, so I'm pretty much in heaven. I hope you like it too!

My first guest could be no other than Flavia Pegorin -- talented jornalist and writer, amazing mother, and my bestest friend. The apartment building where Flavia lives with her husband and two daughters is located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and was built in the 50s. It is colorful, spacious, and all over magical. But which corner is her favorite?

Why did you choose this corner as your favorite?
Because I see this corner as my window to the world. Working from home can make you feel distant sometimes, from the people you love, from co-workers, and from everything you would like to have around you. My desk brings it all together -- even if virtually -- and also carries some of my favorite objects. I get inspired just by looking at them.

What is your favorite object? Where does it come from?
It's hard to pick only one because here is where I keep some of my favorite things together. But if I had to choose, I'd choose Veruca, my first Blythe doll. She was a gift from my best friend three years ago. I really wanted a Blythe doll and when 'my sister from another mother' found out, she sent me this one. I was really touched. This friend of mine is that kind of friend that knows us better than we do. Wonder who she is? *wink*. After Veruca, I got two more Blythe dolls, Violet e Janis. Oh, can I have a second option? It would be the toy piano that my mom had when she was a child. It's 60 years-old and it is not properly restored yet, but it still works and it is magical.

Which object you would like to have in this corner but still don't have?

A new family picture with my new baby girl, Olivia. We will do a proper portrait soon and I already know which frame I'll get. It's a carved wood frame I spotted in a neighborhood shop.

If you could change anything in this corner, what would it be?

I would love to open a real window right in front of my virtual one. It would be great. Unfortunatelly, if I opened a rectangular hole on that wall, I would see my bathroom...

In your opinion, what makes a corner a favorite corner?
I think a favorite corner is a place where we feel inspired to create, to let the mind fly, to dream. But keeping both feet comfortably on a cute antique wooden floor.

Thank you dear Flavia for showing us around! I love you and miss you daily. ♥

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If you would like to participate in this feauture, please drop me a note: shelikescherries[at]gmail[dot]com. I would love to see your favorite corner!

the hutch

One day, a couple of years ago, while looking at midcentury furniture for sale on Craigslist, I stumbled upon this:

And I knew right away it had to be mine. 

So I contacted the seller, begged her not to sell it to anyone else and jumped in my car so I could go see it with my own eyes.

It was, of course, love. I then spent the next several months looking for the perfect items to display (and had incredible fun doing it).

Now the hutch is part of my favorite corner in the apartment. Everytime I look at it, I smile. Hey, isn't it what home decor is all about?

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Mondays will be the official home decor days here on the blog. Next week I'll debut a new feature that I'm really excited about. So if you like looking at pretty and inpiring homes, stay tuned! ;-)

(don't) stop telephoning me

Two of my favorite vintage finds are my old, heavy and colorful telephones. I love them. And I do use them. They are both in working condition and if you call my house they will ring that old-fashioned ring that is so loud and melodic.

(I strongly believe that pre-loved items must be enjoyed. For this reason, I use all my vintage objects without hesitation. I don't want them to gather dust sitting pretty as museum pieces. They still have a mission, you know?)

Back to my phones. They are not the best option for someone who has family and friends living in a different country. Every time I try to call Brazil my index finger hurts from the amount of numbers I have to dial. Plus, people tell me I sound like I'm calling from the island of "Lost". Oh, and there's also this constant white noise during the call.

So they might not be perfect. But they sure are pretty. And they make me feel pretty whenever I'm using them. If I close my eyes I can almost envision myself like this:

Almost.