April 2010

Sweet Obsessions Friday

April 30, 2010

Happy weekend!! It is beautiful here today (finally!) and I am planning on getting outside this afternoon for a walk with my camera, how about you? Also, tomorrow my sweetie and I will be celebrating our 5′th wedding anniversary :) I can’t believe it has been five years since we were married in the Santa Cruz mountains – happy anniversary, Benny!! I wish we were able to get away this weekend, but we have our last two birth classes to attend (since the instructor had to miss class a few weeks ago, boo!) so we will try and squeeze in a few fun dates instead. Do you have anything fun planned this weekend? If you are in the Providence area, you should definitely stop by the RISD Alumni Spring Art Sale tomorrow on Benefit Street – maybe I will see you there ;) Now please go grab a comfy pillow and a yummy beverage, and come back so I can share my seven finds from this week’s wanderings. Ready?

1. I spotted these gorgeous interior photos by Elouise on MadeByGirl, and fell in love with that wild pink wallpaper and porcelain dogs. It’s all just so over-the-top and happy – are you feeling it?

2. Aren’t the colors in this print by Christian Chaize amazing? I would love to hang this in my living room…or maybe in my bedroom. Or over my desk. I don’t know where it would go, I just want it.

3. I would like to step right into elseachelsea’s kitchen and bake a tray of blueberry muffins! It looks so cheerful and bright, and the tiny vases of flowers are just charming, no? Via sfgirlbybay.

4. Ez of Creature Comforts made a lovely gift for her sister’s birthday recently: a DIY gift wrapping kit! It’s filled with all sorts of goodies and treasures…and it is a great gift idea, but now I want one for myself!

5. If you are looking for an easy little DIY project to try over the weekend, what about painting the interior of old clear glass vases to turn them milky and wonderful? Ish & Chi did a lovely job of it, you can see more from Ish & Chi here.

6. And oh my, have you seen Victoria’s new place? I was catching up on my sfgirlbybay reading, and my jaw dropped to the floor when I saw what Victoria has done with her new breakfast nook – stunning!

7. And finally, I was so excited to hear via Smitten Kitchen’s facebook page that Knopf will be publishing a Smitten Kitchen Cookbook!! Go Deb! Unfortunately we will have to wait until 2012 to see it in print, but still…so exciting! And if you would like a Smitten Kitchen fix to hold you over, how about trying these homemade pop tarts? Allow me to say that again: Homemade. Pop. Tarts. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

Well, that it it for today, friends! I hope you have a really lovely weekend, and if you are just catching up on your blog reading be sure to check out my basement, kitchen, and nursery progress – a lot has been happening around here, and I would love to hear what you think!

{images: linked to individual sources above}

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Nursery Updates + Inspiration

April 29, 2010

in My Home

Well, the sun finally peeked out today and I was able to take some photos of our freshly painted nursery! Even with the walls painted, the crib built and a few other key pieces of furniture in place, there is still quite a bit of work to be done before it is ready to welcome baby – but we are getting there! But before I show you the nursery, I thought I would share the inspiration image that I have had in mind while planning the nursery design…

This comes from a Design*Sponge sneak peek of floral designer Nicolette Owen’s home in Brooklyn – it is an image I had saved because I love every inch of her apartment, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized this is the sort of look and feel I want in the nursery. Not your usual baby’s room inspiration, I know! But the soft blue walls, natural materials and Moroccan accents seem peaceful and adaptable well beyond the baby-years. I am trying to avoid buying too many things that we won’t be able to use a few years down the road, so I really like the idea of basing the room on a few well-made, classic pieces that can grow with our child, or eventually be moved to another room in our house.

I chose a wall color lighter that the one in Nicolette’s home (“Pool” from Serena & Lily) and a natural birch crib. We left the trim white and the wood venetian blinds on the windows, but I will be layering on long, sheer white curtains to give a more diffuse light when we want it.

I already had the silver mirror, Ikea Expedit bookcase and vintage buffet, so I feel really good that we didn’t have to start completely from scratch. We will be filling about 1/2 the cubbies in the shelving unit with baskets, leaving 1/2 open for attractive toys and books, and the buffet will get a little makeover with white paint and a changing pad on top and a floating shelf above to turn it into a changing table. We still need a new light fixture (the existing one is an ugly old fan that doesn’t work very well), a comfortable glider and footstool, and an area rug. If money were no object (ha!) here is what I would pick out:

Now, the pendant lamp and sheepskin rug I think we will be getting, but there is no way I am shelling out the big bucks for that exact glider or leather pouf, so I will need to find substitutes! Any of you know of a secret source for affordable gliders or Moroccan leather poufs? Please share if you do :) This predicament reminds me of how important it is to at least begin by dreaming about what you really want. You can always forgo something that doesn’t fit your budget, hold off until you can save up the money, or find a creative substitute that has the same look – but if you set the bar too low from the beginning, it will never be as you envisioned it!

West Elm short drum pendant
Serena & Lily presidio glider
Moroccan wedding pillow featured on decor8 (but I can’t seem to find the shop it came from now – maybe it has closed down or moved?)
Serena & Lily white Moroccan leather pouf
West Elm sheepskin rug (I want the round one!)

Beyond the big pieces and other necessities, I also want to bring in a few beautiful framed prints from some of my favorite Etsy artists, healthy potted plants, a handmade mobile (I like the ones from Madeleine Sargent), cozy crib bedding, and a few items from nature like driftwood or large seashells.

What do you think so far? I would love to hear your thoughts on the direction this is going – and if you have any favorite shops or sources to share, that would be much appreciated!

{images: nursery photos Laura Gaskill; others linked to individual sources above}

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House Beautiful: My Favorite Article This Month

April 28, 2010

in Design & Decor

Have you gotten your hands on the May issue of House Beautiful yet? It’s the “Big Advice” issue, and I have been enjoying it cover-to-cover – but one article stood out to me, and that was the apartment of designer Melissa Warner of Massucco Warner Miller Interior Design. Lately I have been craving fun, color and a bit of glamour, and Melissa Warner’s apartment has these in spades. Also, as she lives in a rental (and it’s not huge, either!), this space has tons of great ideas to steal for personalizing a rental apartment and making the most of a small space.

I love how the tufted sofa, mirrored coffee table and floral print ottoman are glam and feminine, yet it stops short of being too frou frou. Doesn’t this spot look so comfy and cozy? I can picture myself curling up here with a stack of fresh magazines and a pot of tea…

And be still my heart, the dining room! I think it is the unique shapes of the chairs that make this room so fresh and exciting – of course, I love that buffet, the giant photo print, and the lantern, too! Don’t you wish Melissa would invite us all over for tea and cupcakes?

In the second bedroom, Melissa wanted an office but the closet came with standard-issue mirrored sliding doors. Her solution? Turn them around so the mirrors are facing in, and wallpaper them! When she moves out, she can remove the wallpaper and flip the doors back around, ta-da! I also love how using the Lucite chair and glass top on the desk helps open up the small space.

Okay, I think I am going to have to steal this idea: frame photos of one of your fashion icons, and hang them in your closet for inspiration! Genius, right?

You can check out the rest of the article on the House Beautiful website, and do go pick up a copy of the issue to see these images full-size! Also, if you would like to learn more about the super-talented Melissa Warner, check out Massucco Warner Miller, the Interior Design and Decoration biz Melissa founded with two other designers in San Francisco (they have since expanded to L.A. and Seattle). And Melissa, I am here if you ever need a house sitter! ;)

Would you try any of these ideas at home?

{images: Victoria Pearson for House Beautiful Magazine}

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My Gray Kitchen!

April 27, 2010

in My Home

Oh my goodness, the weather and light were not cooperating with me today! It has been dreary and dark here all day long, but I was finally able to take a few halfway-decent pictures to share with you for now :) As I mentioned, last weekend Benny and I painted our basement on Saturday…and then on Sunday B’s sister and Dad came over and helped paint our kitchen! Let’s see if you recall the color it was before:

Now, while I have nothing against this color, it just wasn’t doing it for me. I wanted something that would tie in the colors of the granite counters, and look crisp with the white trim. After testing dozens of colors we settled on Quahog from C2 Paint, which is a warm, putty-like gray. Would you like to see how it turned out?

I love it. It is very easy to live with, not too cool or too warm, but just right ;) And do you see the picture hanging on the wall in the stairwell above? That is an elevation and floor plan of our house that my soon-to-be brother in-law made for us this Christmas (he’s an architect), and I think the gray makes a perfect backdrop for it! Yay! Now I would just like to swap out a few small items like dish towels and add an art print, a small chalkboard, and potted herbs in the windowsill.

What do you think? What would you go with as an accent color in this kitchen? And would you change the drawer pulls and things, or leave it as is? Do tell!

{images: Laura Gaskill}

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Inspiring Century City Office

April 26, 2010

in Design & Decor

Happy Monday! After a very busy flurry of painting (more pictures to come this week!) and family visiting, I am just now settling back into a routine. I feel really good about the changes we have been making around our home, and now that we have many of the foundation pieces in place (paint color, major furniture pieces), I am excited to get to the fun bits – the little extras that will pull together each room. This morning I was flipping through the online portfolio of Vanessa De Vargas, L.A.-based interior designer and owner of Turquoise, and I felt so inspired by her work – especially this Century City office, which I will share with you here…

Lots of white and a very pale blue on the walls, punched up with bright yellow, blues and greens, and even a hit of hot pink. This would be such a fun office to come to work in, don’t you think? And I am crazy about the framed panels of fancy wallpaper! Let’s see more:

The drama of this space brings back memories of visiting my sister when she lived in L.A. and soaking in the fun, vibrant interiors of the shops and restaurants in Culver City, Venice, and Santa Monica. It reminds me that design is really meant to be fun, and that our homes and workspaces should uplift and inspire us!

Plus, I am having a bit of a thing for yellow at the moment – remember the bedspread and lamps in my basement? Well, this office space is fueling my imagination and giving me a few ideas that I would potentially like to incorporate into my own home. See more of Vanessa De Vargas’s work on the Turquoise website, keep up with her latest projects on her blog, and if you love her work but do not live in the L.A. area, Vanessa also does E-Decorating!

I hope you had some fun over the weekend, and are ready for a fresh new week – I know I am! I will see you back here tomorrow with more pictures of the painting progress.

{images: Turquoise Interior Design, Vanessa De Vargas}