Williams-Sonoma Grand Opening

Photographs by Sean Gin

Dear Chuck Williams,

I grew up being dragged to Williams-Sonoma constantly by my mother, who has an addiction to buying kitchen gadgets and beautiful linens. And tea towels. And basically everything else your company sells. I love going into Williams-Sonoma stores now, because it reminds me of all the time I spent there with my mom, learning things like what a lemon-zester was, and why we needed one. Thus, you can imagine my delight when Williams-Sonoma invited me to visit their freshly-opened store at South Coast Plaza, which is distinct amongst Williams-Sonoma stores because it features the Williams-Sonoma Home Line. I love the home line and was glad to have a place to see some of the pieces in real life.

The store is beautiful and bright and looks like the dream kitchen I’d l0ve to install in the house I don’t have. And don’t you think all people deserve to have a hood with a giant gold medallion on it? I do.

Hey! Red jacket lady! Stand there next to that red tabletop decor!

The store was decked out for the holidays with lots of beautiful tableware that I wanted to take home with me. Especially that bundt cake in a glamourous glass cloche.

Have you tried Peppermint Bark? It’s pretty much the only thing I’d like to eat until 2015. At which point I’m going to fat camp.

These soaps/lotions/home cleaners are the best. Part of me wants a giant wall like this just to display them rainbow-style like they are have the in the store. I picked up the sumptuous French Lavender Hand Wash and Lotion in honor of my sumptuous French boyfriend.

The South Coast Plaza Williams-Sonoma is a great place to visit for inspiration. I love those large-scale pendants hanging above that island. Oversize lighting can make a BIG difference in the kitchen. Get it? I hate myself.

I found myself obsessing over this Crystal Block Vase. Which I didn’t want to put down. As I ogled it, another customer came to check it out and it took everything I had not to turn around and scream “MINE!”

Williams-Sonoma Home is killing it with their home decor items, including this life-changing Glass Sphere, which I used to pretend I was David Bowie from ‘Labyrinth.’ But seriously, everyone needs one of these. It’s like the most versatile accessory ever.

I’m a huge fan of white flowers lately. A)  Because they’re great for wintry tablescapes and B) Because they feel slightly more at home in masculine spaces. Oh, and look, there’s that Glass Sphere again. Glass Sphere is literally everywhere I wanna be.

I had fun caressing this glamorous large-scale Pen Shell Tray. I worked in retail throughout high school and college so now whenever I go into a store I find myself re-arranging everything  and straitening up. I love that Williams-Sonoma has obviously hired some geniuses to do their visuals. Geniuses who know the value of putting pinecones in bowls so that people can stare at them forever and ever.

I was pretty obsessed with this geometric pendant, which is equal parts classic-traditional and sleek-modern.

The home section of the store, which is bright and filled with windows, is a visual wonderland for anyone who loves home decor. Or anyone with eyeballs and a brain.

See how happy that lady is? That could be you if you were shopping with me.

Everyone knows I love palm prints, so this palm fabric in the upholstery section had me foaming at the mouth for joy.

I love the Abstract Brushstrokes Art and the beautiful horn accessories (especially the little Horn Object on a Stand that looks like a happy bananaphone).

This angular coffee table kind of makes me want to time travel, move to New York in the 80s, buy a loft in SoHo, and put it next to my modern Italian sofa. Then I’d host after parties for Warhol’s factorypeople and we’d all act like weirdos and make really boring black and white films where nothing happens but we look really cool.

Here’s me, pretending the store is my house and luxuriating on glamorous white bedding.

Check out some of my favorite finds from my visit to Williams-Sonoma South Coast Plaza here:

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”460023″]

Important Tip: If you’re thinking about heading to check out the new Williams-Sonoma store at South Coast Plaza, you should definitely try to go December 19th at 6 PM, when obnoxiously attractive designer Jeffrey Alan Marks will be doing a glamorous book signing.

Love,
Orlando

This is a sponsored post, made possible by the generosity of Williams-Sonoma