Faux Tortoise

Back from Thanksgiving after a nice break from realities of the real world.  We went down to Seaside, Florida and had a nice, relaxing time. We even caught some rays for a Thanksgiving tan and made it to the outlet mall in Destin for Black Friday.  J.Crew had some good deals and I'm kinda sad that I didn't stock up on more threads.

Turkey Day sunset with my turkey :) We have a lot to be thankful for! 

While I was away I caught up on some mags, blogs, and some website/etsy browsing.  Which is how I came up with today's post about tortoise shell.  I've been seeing it more and more lately.  It first started with jewelry, like this Michael Kors' watch, but then I noticed it in home design.

My friend "G" and I have seen multiple occasional tables like the one below at Scott's Antique in Tortoise Shell finish and it's really grown on us.

While I was watching Episode 1 of this season's Million Dollar Decorators I noticed Mary McDonald (who I love) used Tortoise Shell Furniture in 2 rooms she was designing.  Love these tables but when I saw the bedside table (far right) I knew I was hooked for the long run...

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I think I love Tortoise Shell Furniture because it's so versatile, it goes with black, browns, creams, color, basically everything! Almost like the perfect tan handbag that looks great with almost every outfit!

I started to do some diggin' and find rooms that incorporated this look and it wasn't an easy task.  Often times I think we see it more than we realize but we just do notice which makes me believe the tortoise look can be somewhat neutral similar to a good, calm/classic animal print.

I started to do good 'ole fashioned round up off all think turtle shell inspired, so here's a few:

Tortoise Serving Utensils, tossing that salad will look so much more stylish with this pair.

Eye Spy: Karen Walker Tortoise Sunnies:

Alexander McQueen, not only did he make Pipa Middleton's bum look good but he made this turtle of a clutch look pretty darn cute too! 

I'm drooling over these Old Fashioned Tortoiseshell glasses, they need to be in my cocktail cabinet (Santa). 

Believe it or not, these Bistro chairs are from Kirklands and they cost next to nothing, well done Kirklands, well done.

 Asian inspired accent table with a tortoise finish. 

Love this desk with a similar finish.

 Another faux tortoise table that could be used in many ways.

 This Bachelor's Chest end table is certainly handsome...

I love Campaign Chest but a tortoise campaign chest is even better!

How about this Hollywood Regency Bar Cart? 

As you can see faux tortoise is in more places than we realize and it gives such a classy, preppy look to things. Whether it's your tableware, accents, or furniture it's a nice addition that layers a new look or texture into the room.