bottega louie

Goorin Bros Hat, striped hat, Bottega Louie, brunch My little sister Maggie had an extended stay/internship with me recently, and although we worked very hard and didn't have much time to play, I still endeavored to introduce her to all of my favorite Los Angeles haunts. One particular Saturday morning we had to awaken quite early to do the delivery and installation of an event for one of my celebrity clients, and afterwards we were famished. So we found ourselves at one of my all-time favorite brunch spots, Bottega Louie.

Goorin Bros Hat, striped hat, Bottega Louie, brunch

Maggie had purchased her hat at Goorin Bros. the night before (I'll leave hats for another post- but I'm obsessed!), and she looked darling and so cheerful despite the amount of work she had to do. I can, however, venture to say that it is highly unlikely she will be going into a career in floral design or the wedding industry. ;-)

Bottega Louie, bar, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

Bottega Louie is a favorite of mine because it really does feel like stepping into a parisian restaurant. It's the closest experience I've had (stateside) to Laduree, -- and while it would be blasphemy to actually compare it to Laduree, it's still a charming spot with a very parisian vibe.

Bottega Louie, menu, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

Bottega Louie, coffee, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

Bottega Louie, pancakes, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

The coffee is always perfection, and the lemon ricotta pancakes or salmon benedict are just a few of the delicious menu choices for brunch.

Bottega Louie, eggs benedict, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

Bottega Louie, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

Bottega Louie, bakery, macroons, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

Bottega Louie, bakery, macroons, french macrons, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

Bottega Louie, bakery, french macarons, macaroons, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

But of course, the crowning glory, the element you cannot leave with out.... French Macarons, of course! They melt in your month. They are utterly delicious. They are.... heaven.

Bottega Louie, bakery, macaroons, french macarons, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

Bottega Louie, bakery, macaroons, french macarons, gardenia, brunch, downtown Los Angeles

And bringing a pretty box of macarons to share with friends? Well, between Maggie & myself and our friends John & Paul, we managed to consume a dozen macarons with amazing speed, while still relishing every wonderful, unusual flavor.

Bottega Louie 700 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90017 213.802.1470 Hours: 10:30a-11p M-F, 9a-11p S-Su

Images | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

serene setting

Calligraphy, Victoria Hoke Lane, spider mums, tulips, green, orange, pink, luncheon, tablescape, candles My Mum (Calligrapher Victoria Hoke Lane, designer of my logo!) has a new website coming soon (get excited!) and I've been sending over images of her work to her designer (Josh Berman, who designed my site- he's the best!). I came across this little luncheon that we designed together and realized that I never blogged it. Oops. Coming soon!

Calligraphy | Hand-painted Cookies by Victoria Hoke Lane. Image | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

paradis ice cream

A new ice-cream shop has opened in my favorite neighborhood, Los Feliz Village. When I lived one block away from this little strip, I spent time every single day on Vermont- eating, watching movies, browsing the bookstore, and picking up my mail. I still maintain a post office box at the Los Feliz station, but now I only visit it every week or two. It was on a recent trip to the post office that I noticed the Paradis Ice Cream shop (where a Pinkberry used to be- hmmm?), and when my {lovah} and I had an ice cream craving shortly thereafter, we decided to drop by Paradis to give it a try!

While I'm usually partial to gelato, this ice cream was smooth and creamy and utterly delicious. There was a nice array of flavors, and I tried several of them before settling on Hazelnut. Mmmmmmm. Two thumbs up!

Paradis Fresh Ice Cream Made Daily 1726 N. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90027 818-248-1004 Hours: 12-10 M-Th, 12-11 F-Sa, 12-10 Su

Images by Lauryl Lane.

intro to pretty

It's been an intense summer wedding season for me and I apologize that I haven't had the time to blog much lately. But I am finally getting some posts scheduled out, so I'll be sharing two beautiful weddings next week and more in the weeks to come! Stay tuned!

Image by Lauryl Lane.

broome st general

Just a couple weeks ago, a sweet new coffee shop popped up on my street, just three blocks away! My friend Bonnie alerted me to the opening of Broome St General, she never fails to know what's new and happening in L.A.! I've now been to Broome St at least half a dozen times, but here are a few photos from a recent birthday luncheon I shared there with my girls Bonnie, Summer and Megan...

Summer always looks so breezy and cool. She has the most impeccable style. And her styling obviously extends to gift wrapping, as well.

Broome St General Store is first and foremost a coffee shop. But they also have delicious sandwiches and salads and other yummy munchies, brought in from Heirloom L.A. and other local vendors. The first time I was there, I saw a Lavender Hot Chocolate made for a customer. So the next time I went in for a morning coffee, I asked if they could make me a Lavender Coffee (I am a lavender fiend!!!). Voila! Lavender Mocha. TO DIE FOR. They also have a darling collection of well-curated items for the home and kitchen.

Megan looks so posh in her bright pink lipstick. Hot stuff! And Bonnie is always so serene and lovely. I seriously love these ladies so much. They are incredible friends and tremendous "office-mates." We keep each other sane as small, creative business owners.

Broome St. General Store 2912 Rowena Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90039 323-570-0405 Hours: 8-8 M-Sa, 9-6 Su

Images | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

style me pretty {l+d}

Laura and David's stunning wedding at Highland Springs Ranch was featured this morning on Style Me Pretty! I can't rave enough about this couple who traveled from New York City to have their wedding in Southern California. I will share all about the wedding and lots of lovely details soon! In the meantime, enjoy Desi Baytan's images on the SMP post- aren't they just perfection???

peony heaven

Peony season is here, and I'm in heaven. They are such gorgeous blooms, aren't they? I've got tons of them in my house right now... white, pink, and hot pink. They are seriously the prettiest things ever. If you live near a Trader Joe's, you're in luck-- the peony bunches at TJ's are high quality, long-lasting, and about a third of the cost of the peonies I get from my floral wholesalers. Go buy some now!!!

Image | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.

checking in and some clematis

Hello! Hello! Big changes happening here in the studio and I'm busy-busy-busy. I have lots of pretty weddings and events and other fun photos to share, but just haven't had the time to sit down and write the posts. My baby sister (aka 15 going on 25) Maggie will be interning for me this summer and I can hardly WAIT to have her help. She asked how much the internship pays and I said "room and board." Apparently she doesn't quite understand the concept of an internship yet. She will by the time it's over!  ;-) She arrives in just two weeks and I've got MAJOR PLANS for the weeks she'll be with me. Hopefully you'll get to see the fruits of our labor, I might even teach her how to do some blog posting... you never know. You'll get to hear about our time together, regardless!

I've been thinking of some regular features that I'd like to add here to the blog, but in the meantime, please excuse me, posts will be sporadic at best... but enjoy these images of gorgeous clematis!

Images | Florals | Styling by Lauryl Lane.