julia's bedroom re-design...

My sister Catherine really liked the room I designed for her, so last night I got a text from my youngest sister asking me to design a room for her too.

Like Catherine, my 17 year old sister Julia also got all of her furniture from Ikea about 6 years ago (my family moved to the house we live in now 6 years ago and they shared a room in the old house which is why they got bedroom sets at the same time). Right now she has the same wicker bed that is shown in the re-design, she also has a very similar dresser to the one in the re-design. There is a desk in the room, but she wants to get rid of it--I don't think I have ever seen her use it. She also has a Papasan chair that she bought a few years ago from Pier 1.

The current color of the room is a really bright green, not like a neon like green, it's a bit cooler than that but it's still pretty bright. I think the room probably reminds her too much of when she was 11, and since she is going to be a senior in high school I think it's time she has a more updated and grown up feel--time to get rid of the stuffed animals Julia!! :)

You've probably had enough explaining, so without further ado, here is the re-design...

julia's bedroom re-do by tsmith86 on Polyvore.com

Like for my other sister, I also chose a gray tone for the walls, but for this room I'm thinking of a very light gray, even a little lighter than the sample shown. When I asked her if there were any colors that she wanted me to include she said yellow, so I used some subtle yellow accents around the room. I really like the way yellow and gray complement each other, but I also wanted to throw in some more colors and patterns. I like the way the West Elm Zigzag rug grounds the furniture and also adds a beachy and relaxed feeling. I also found a really fun yellow and pink fabric from Moda Fabrics for new drapes. For her room, like Catherine's, I'm not suggesting that she go out an buy all of these items, this is just more of a general idea of what patterns and colors she should look for at less expensive prices. I'm thinking Ikea, Ross, HomeGoods, Cost Plus World Market and Pier 1 would be great places to start.

Enjoy the room Julia!

bedroom re-do...

My younger sister Catherine has been wanting to paint her room and make it look a little more sophisticated since she will be 20 in July (i can't believe that btw, to me she is only 17). Right now her room has cool tan walls with a chair rail at about 7', above the chair rail the wall and ceiling are painted a light green. Her furniture is all from Ikea, which she got about 6 years ago.

She has this bed (which they no longer sell at Ikea)...

and this dresser, from the leksvik collection at Ikea, which they also do not sell anymore...

She has a few other pieces in the room, a matching leksvik nightstand and a leksvik corner armoire desk. She will be getting rid of the desk, but the rest of the furniture stays (she's in college and doesn't live at home during the school year so the desk doesn't get much use anymore).

Sooooo, with this information and the fact that I know my lovely sister so well I came up with this....

Catherine's Room Re-do by tsmith86 on Polyvore.com

I wanted her room to have a more relaxing and grown-up feeling, something that she can come home to when she's not in school that doesn't remind her so much of high school. The furniture in this vignette is obviously not the same that she has, because the polyvore "clipper" wasn't working for some reason. She will be using her current bed, dresser and nightstand. I think this just gives the overall feeling of how the room will look.

I really like what I came up with. She really didn't want another beige room and I think the gray-blue walls and crisp white bedding will look wonderful and relaxing with her current furniture. I know that she loves orange, so I threw in a pop of orange with the throw pillow.

What do you think? I would love some feedback!

update: ah, i lied. ikea does still sell the leksvik collection.

on "vacation" until monday...

...well, kind of.

I flew home to visit my family in Laguna Hills, CA.

Posting might be light for the rest of the week :)

my dining room and hallway...

I haven't posted any pictures of my dining room and hallway yet, so here it is...I found the table and chairs on craigslist. The chairs were originally stained a strange brown color that clashed with the table so I painted them a creamy off-white.

The chandelier is old and ugly, not to mention hung too high, but this is a rental and I didn't want to put too much time and money into changing it.

The buffet is a built-in and original to the 1922 house. It looks goo far away, but the buffet really needs to be sanded down and re-stained. It has been painted one too many times, the wood grain isn't even the real grain, it's faux wood grain....along with the rest of the "wood" molding, trim, and doors in the house.

I needed a place to drop my keys when I walk up the stairs into my apartment so I made this cute little vignette. The artwork is from my grandparents house, I love it. They're old framed prints for "Godey's Fashion"....old clothing is totally my thing by the way. I was the dress-up queen.

Another view of my "key drop-off area". I love my hardwood floors, so pretty. They just don't make hardwood floors like they used to.

and now for the boring corner. Behind that awkwardly short half wall is the entry staircase where I have yet to put any artwork on the walls. I did build this replica of a Rietveld chair though....a few years ago for an architecture project. Yes, I am quite crafty...

This is the view from the back of the house to the front living room in the hallway.

and here is the opposite view from the living room to the back of the house.

urban outfitters in stockholm

Last year I studied abroad in Budapest, Hungary and traveled all around central Europe (never actually got to France, Spain or England). If anyone has ever traveled through central Europe you will know that "inexpensive" shopping is rather limited to the same few stores, H&M, Mango, and Zara. By the end of my trip I was a little sick or recognizing every piece of clothing from H&M and accidentally matching half of the women in Budapest.

That is why we were so excited to see an Urban Outfitters when we went to Stockholm....among the 200 H&M's that were also in Stockholm---ok, that is a bit of an exaggeration....or is it?

If any of you ever go to Stockholm, Sweden I highly recommend that you go to this Urban Outfitters because it's awesome. Why? Because it was an old theater that they converted into the store, stage and everything.

This was the front of the store, I had no idea it was a theater until I went inside...

...which is why were were so shocked when we saw this inside.

I loved the huge chandeliers!

You could walk around to almost every part of the theater, even the stage, which was converted into dressing rooms.

Definitely the coolest Urban Outfitters I have ever seen! I want to go back!

images: flickr, not my own pictures

happy saturday evening...

This was going to be my "happy friday" post, but I never got around to actually posting it. I actually went to see "The Hangover" last night with my boyfriend in Japantown. It was absolutely hilarious.

Anyways, yesterday I was finishing cleaning the house because my new roommates moved in today, well one out of the two has moved in so far.

I hate cleaning, by the way.

image: home sweet home

Sometimes I think there is something nice about an off-center chandelier. Whether it was intentional or not, things don't have to be symmetrical all the time, and I think this simple dining area would be a very nice place to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. On the white furniture....how do people keep rooms like this so spotless???

indoor/outdoor space...

A few days ago my boyfriend was explaining this great idea of what he would want in a house...

"I think it would be cool if the windows in the wall could open all the way and it would turn the room into a balcony"

--not a direct quote

After having him draw a picture of this idea, because I was confused about the whole "balcony" thing, I realized he was talking about indoor-outdoor spaces.

Anyways, I saw this picture the other day and I knew that my boyfriend would love this house...

image: home sweet home

new shoes!

After waiting more than a week, I finally got my new "Mercer" flats from Marais USA! I had been wanting a new pair of flats for months now but the stores never had any cute ones, all they had were sandals for summer....but we all know how summer in SF is.

I also didn't want to spend a lot on flats and I felt like the simple flats in stores were all around $80. These were $52....not Target cheap, but they're really cute and I will definitely get a lot of use out of them.

I had heard of this brand before from other blogs, but then I saw it last week on making it lovely and I decided that I had to have them.

Yay for graduation money!

Here they are in navy, so cute! I really like the nude though, very summery and they go with almost everything. These shoes run big so order a size smaller than you usually order. I am a size 7 but I ordered a size 6 and I'm glad I did. I still have to break in these shoes, I can tell that if I wore them immediately without tights or socks I would get some nasty blisters.
How cute are these mary-jane like shoes? If I didn't already have 2 pairs of black patent leather flats I would definitely get these.

...and last but not least, I think these cobalt blue "crosby" sandals are adorable!

images: marais usa

just some things i like today...

...neutral and calm spaces

images: home sweet home, a life's design, belle maison

rearranged bedroom...

Before

...and it's done, well not quite. I rearranged everything, but as you can see in the following pictures I am lacking artwork. I keep putting my bedroom on the back-burner when it comes to finishing it. The other thing about my bedroom is that when I moved in I was in a "shabby chic" phase, and now, not so much. What I would really love to do is get new furniture, more contemporary and less busy. That will have to wait for my next apartment...

After

Basically what I did was just move my bed to be in front of my second window. I put the bed against the wall on one side because I can't do random corners in bedrooms, I tend to throw things in hidden corners...which is what I did in the last arrangement. Until I have a house where the bedroom can just be a bedroom and not an office as well, dead corners will always be storage areas for me.

Temporary artwork= a few renderings for architecture projects

Isn't the black cable cord pretty against the yellow wall?

Here's the basic rundown of where I got the furniture...

1. Iron bed frame-Craigslist, $100

2. Antique white nightstand-Craigslist, $25

3. Desk-Target, $100

4. Dresser-Craigslist, $50

5. White wicker chair-Pier 1, clearance $30

6. 1960s desk chair-Garage sale, $1

7. Maine Cottage Pink side table-Craigslist....get ready for this one, retail $590, I got it for $30, perfect condition too

Total price of $336 for the furniture

goal for tomorrow...

Clean and rearrange room....will post pictures of before and after tomorrow or Tuesday.

I've already rearranged my room three times in less than two years of living here...is that bad? When it comes to bedrooms I can't ever make up my mind. I get too many ideas and then all of a sudden I will randomly decide that I have to change it all! Ha.

weekend chores and pretty rooms

Yay! It's Friday!! Now I actually have to get some stuff done, stuff that I have procrastinated about since Monday. For example, grocery shopping. I completely cleaned out my refrigerator on Monday, and let me tell you, it was disgusting. I can't believe I let it get that bad, well actually I can...

Excuse begins now: from 2008-2009 we had a constant rotation of sublets (my roommate and I both studied abroad different semesters). Because of all the people living in the house I never knew what food was good, who it originally belonged to, or if I could throw it away.

Well, finally I took the plunge and threw it ALL out. I filled up an entire garbage bag and a half with food. Afterwords, I took out all of the shelves and completely sanitized the inside. There were so many mystery goo stains, it was gross. After I finished I realized that I had no food, all I had was yogurt, cheese and a few veges. Sooo, off to Trader Joe's is where I'll be today, on a lovely grocery date with my boyfriend. How fun!

Besides grocery shopping, this weekend I really need to clean my house. It's not that messy or anything, things are just out of their place. I keep leaving my shoes all around the house, and I keep putting random things down on random surfaces. Why do I do that? It's so annoying.

OK, now that I have my weekend chores clearly described for you {full of excitement, I know}, here are some pretty pictures of some pretty rooms with some quirky features...

found here

I'm not usually a fan of this much yellow, but I think this shade is just right and with the neutral and rosy/red shades of upholstery, this room actually feels really calm and relaxing

found here

Monochromatic and kind of busy, I like it.

found here

Lots of patterns with pops of color. I am loving this colonial cottage style.

regarding old buildings...

Why don't we {architects} design like this anymore? By this, I am referring to awkward spaces and tiny, cubbyhole doors. I know it's not very practical, but I think there is just something really special about homes with weird plans and strange spaces. It makes a home feel more lived in, and shows how people made useful spaces out of awkward corners through the years, instead of having everything laid out in an organized way in plan before the house is even built. Spaces like this just remind me that people didn't used to automatically move when they wanted a bigger house, they would add spaces and rooms in attics or dormers, or add complete additions onto a house. People made their homes work for their specific needs and families often stayed in the home for generations. I love how these additions can tell a story about who lived there, how the family grew, and what was going on in history at that time.

source: home sweet home

I guess the point I'm getting at is that I think we need to take a better look at older buildings and realize that we don't always have to tear them down to build something that will be practical in the 21st century. I also think that when we do build new, we need to build better. We need to design flexible buildings, buildings that can be changed to better suit different needs over time. A house doesn't always have to be a house, and an industrial factory doesn't always have to be a factory.

I don't know what the best solution is, but I feel like a lot of architects only think about new construction and all of the crazy things we can do with technology and engineering. I also think that to become a more sustainable country we need to make better use of the existing buildings that we already have before we build brand new "green" buildings. Did I mention that I HATE the word "green". So annoying, it's become such a trend. Not that I don't follow any trends, because I definitely do {aka blogging, among other things} but the word green has become just another brand. I hate seeing ads or commercials when they basically say "buy this, it's green!" or "fill-in-the-blank has gone GREEN!". Sustainability is definitely important, in fact, I think it needs to be a top priority for everyone, but I don't think this "green" trend is really teaching anyone what it's really all about. Not to say that I am living the "green" life to its fullest (I think I just cringed as I wrote that using the word green), but hey, at least I don't drive a hybrid Escalade and I think I'm saving the world just for buying it....

artwork without artwork

How creative....I like this idea of using wallpaper a piece of artwork without having it cover an entire wall. It adds a punch of color without having actual framed artwork, which can be expensive to collect--unless you already have an awesome collection. This would be great if you have high ceilings and you're not sure how to create a cozy look without cluttering up the wall with artwork. Even if you don't already have decorative molding on walls, it's pretty inexpensive and easy to do and you can achieve the same look.

As for the ottoman...is anyone else getting sick of Kelly Wearstler's "Imperial Trellis" pattern? Don't get me wrong, I like it, but it has been a little over used.

source: home sweet home

re: summertime in san francisco

I spoke too soon, about an hour after I wrote my last post the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Thank you San Francisco! Definitely put me in a better mood today, and I wore sandals so that was a plus.

Side note: Can I please lay on this daybed (actually I think it's a sofa), regardless, I want to be in this bright sun room right now.

source: skona hem via decorology

Summertime in San Francisco...

This foggy/cloudy/cold weather is getting a little old. I've never had such a strong desire to wear sandals before. I usually love the foggy San Francisco weather, but it has now been cloudy every single day for 2 weeks! I even think the fog has been getting worse every day. The most annoying thing about it is that right now stores are only selling summer clothes and sandals and I want a new pair of flats, but no, they don't sell flats now, and they wont sell them until at least August. It's torture, reminding me everyday that I can't wear a dress with sandals, nope, I have to wear long sleeves and a sweater.

Sorry for the rant, but I haven't seen the sun in 2 weeks! OK...Now that were done with that, here are some nice pictures of summery places....definitely not of the bay area.

Sources: Home Sweet Home, Decorno

I'm back! With a diploma too!

The fam. Ryan, me, dad, mom, Catherine, Julia

I am now, officially, a COLLEGE GRADUATE! With a degree in architecture and everything! I actually graduated May 22nd, but I took last week off and lived up my vacation by doing absolutely nothing....and it was great!

...and the job hunt begins! Well I actually started well over a month ago, and so far all of this private school tuition has gotten me nothing but a bunch of emails saying "sorry, but we are not currently hiring at the moment". Thanks college!

But really, I'm still pretty optimistic. I know there are jobs out there, I just have to find them. One thing I have learned, architecture firms are DEFINITELY NOT HIRING. Or, at least the ones I have applied to aren't.

Anyways...I posted some pictures from graduation. Enjoy.

My friend Whitney and me...we saw each other everyday until she moved back to San Jose. sad.

Apparently we like brightly colored shoes.

Ryanator and me. Boyfriend, not brother. Some people think we look alike.

My dad, Ryan and me

They must have been bored. Ryan, Julia, and our Italian exchange student Lodo

My dad likes to take as many pictures as possible and that is my sister Julia on the left giving my dad the "are you seriously taking a picture right now?" look.