well, it’s that time of year when we take a little bit of time off here and replenish and recharge our creativity. it’s been a year for a lot of changes and not all of them were easy, to say the least. so i’m feeling nostalgic for Christmases gone by — with family and silly traditions like christmas crackers and often much simpler times than we’re experiencing right now. as the saying goes, sometimes i really do miss my pre-internet brain, even though this blog brings me so much happiness to put out there for you. sometimes, you just want it all — instagram, facebook, twitter, all of it to stop. so that’s what i’m aiming for this holiday — a lot of time off to explore, wander and wonder. to read books and see good movies. and most importantly to spend time with good friends who are now my family. i wish you the same — lots of intimate moments, laughter you don’t want to stop, and a holiday filled with as much innocent inspiration you can locate. lots of love to you all, thank you so much for always being here and we’ll see you back on january 7th.

xo, victoria

1. the editors at remodelista shared these pretty ornaments from abc carpet & home and i’m loving the simple but pretty glow they’d add to any tree.
2. we used to go the hollywood christmas parade on occassion, all bundled up to wait for santa claus to appear. does your town have a holiday parade? kinda corny, but sometimes we need that, right?
3. old-fashioned bunting says christmas to me. hung from the fireplace mantel with my mum’s handmade stockings is right outta my childhood and this Meri Meri Gold-Flecked Garland is just vintage-looking enough to remind me.
4. vintage ornaments all the way for me. they just don’t make them like they used to and if you like them too, check your local flea markets and even etsy — i’ve gotten tons from both places. if you’re in L.A. check out this sunday’s melrose trading post and i’ll bet you’ll find lots!
5. i love this snowy image of Central Park, New York City, on a winter night in the 1930’s. photographed by Paul Woolf, i found it on @lostinhistorypics — a wonderfully nostalgic instagram feed you might enjoy.
6. i’m never going to get over coco & kelly’s whimsical holiday table from a year or so back. it’s just so merry and bright and perfect in every way!
7. i quite like this rather kitschy Mini Pink Christmas Tree i found online. it’s just silly enough to be adorable and again, very vintage looking.
8. once again this year @zilverblauw has shared her beautiful collection of Christmas tree toppers and i definitely have ornament-envy. have a peek at her feed for more and then get the heck off the internet and off your phone! happy holidays one and all!

this time around, i’ve actually made it to this week’s wear this there destination! we’re headed to lisbon, portugal — one of my very favorite cities and popping into prado. we were taken here by some bonifide foodies we met in lisbon and were not disappointed. prado celebrates the best that Portugal has to offer, from land to sea and all their dishes are based on national, seasonal and fresh ingredients. Basically, if it is not of the season, it doesn’t make it to your table. and their wines are exclusively organic, biodynamic and natural. prado is part of a renovation in the area — a former 19th-century factory and because it was left abandoned for over 20 years, the interiors got covered by vegetation. Facing this reality the owners decided to create a farm-to-table restaurant and interior designers arkstudio brought the idea to life with prado, which means meadow. they’ve also got a gorgeous market which we visited last week when we took a look at arkstudio who also designed the marketplace. since i recall hiking up a rather steep street to the restaurant, let’s get casual with jeans and boots, but top it off with some fun green gear like a camouflage scarf, socks and a beanie to get us in the mood for prado’s beautiful canopy of plants. if you want to read up about eating fresh, we suggest Gwyneth Paltrow’s latest book The Clean Plate: Eat, Reset, Heal.

wear this there: Stelen Stella Rib Knit Turtleneck Sweater in Black; anthropologie Aviator Faux Leather Coat; Levi’s High Rise Crop Flare Jean in Indigo; anthropologie Janie Lucite-Handled Tote Bag in moss; Margaret Howell MHL Chunky Wool Beanie in Citrus; JINsoon Nail Polish in Epidote; read this there The Clean Plate: Eat, Reset, Heal by Gwyneth Paltrow; anthropologie Camo Cashmere Scarf; MILK MAKEUP KUSH Lip Balm in clear; pixie market leopard print socks in olive; Intentionally Blank CC Patent Chelsea Boot in Black; Ray-Ban Round Sunglasses.

• photography courtesy of prado and arkstudio.

y’all really seemed to enjoy my guest room look, but the trouble was twofold — one being i really missed having an at-home office space to inspire me and stash all my art accouterment, and two honestly, i just get bored and need a new room to decorate now and then. call me crazy, but i really enjoy transforming one room’s purpose into another. so with a completely fresh look in mind, i’ve partnered with a few of my favorite brands* to give the old guest room a whole new life as my office.

my desk is the Muuto 70/70 Table from yliving — a simple, but lovely and functional white desk i really like working at. and, from ylighting are their Clemente Wall Sconces By AERIN — they also come in brass and black finishes and are just beautiful. the fabulous petite coffee table is the Mag Table By Eric Pfeiffer from yliving — also quite functional because i can display some of my favorite magazines, but not too large to overtake the small space.

something that really pulls the room together is the very soft, playful and graphic dream rug from MINNA. i love what MINNA’s got going on and this cozy rug is handwoven by a co-op in Momostenago, Guatemala. check out their shop for loads of lovely textiles and homewares. also super playful and adds a dash of color is my vintage yellow chair — a gift from a friend in france that we brought back on the last container for super marché.

on my wishlist for an awfully long time has been modernica’s case study bentwood daybed. it’s light and airy looking in the natural stain base and fedora light grey upholstery, and very comfortable so it provides me with a sublime looking spot to relax or to invite guests to meet with me. in a pinch, i think guests could sleep here, too — add some cozy comforters and pillows and voilà —  you’ve got a bit of extra sleeping space.

next up — some storage! i found this vintage industrial metal cabinet on chairish from seller laura f, who has lots of great finds in her shop. it’s the ideal spot to store my favorite design books and art supplies, which i keep in vintage boxes i’ve collected over the years. i also repurposed my rolling kitchen cart (originally from west elm but i don’t see it in stock) and i added IKEA’s streamlined looking KVISSLE magazine files (I have tons of magazines i just can’t seem to part with!) and KUGGIS bins which are great for stashing away unsightlies like tech cords and more of my art supplies, gift tags, and cards, tools, etc. on my desk i’ve also got the MOPPE mini storage chest which is great for tiny office supplies, washi tape, paperclips etc. oh, that little paper lantern is from ikea, too.

the art in the new office you may have seen about the house — cuz i like to move things around. the print above the rolling cart is an old photograph i found at the flea market of a woman in her rose garden with her cat and had blown up when i lived in san francisco at the blow up lab. the whimsical print above the case study sofa is from fine little day — i love it because it reminds me to have fun and be playful again. it’s shot by elisabeth dunker and is called vera. the fruit trip print is by nathaniel russell which i bought in marfa, texas is also just really fun. the off-white linen bulletin boards i found on amazon — four of them that i hung together to create one big inspiration board — something that brings me a lot of joy to add to — these little wood pushpins i found i love, too. oh, i also use vintage metal inboxes that i found on etsy — great for temporarily stashing bills and important papers until they’re ready to be dealt with. it all turned out just as i hoped — an inspiring, light-filled place to get my work done!

* This is a sponsored post in trade partnership with some of the products linked to in this post: modernica; yliving and ylighting; and MINNA. all words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep sfgirlbybay going with fresh content every day.