danish dessert

this is called procrastination

2011-03-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is another post about online shelter magazines. Rue, to be specific.

I should be packing...but I'm easily distracted. My *plan* is to pack up my entire bedroom and the majority of my knick knacks to take down to my parent's house when I leave Sunday. I'll be back at the end of April to pack up the rest of the apartment, but I'm subletting my bedroom while I travel to Paraguay in a few weeks so that room needs to be completely emptied minus the furniture. We'll see how the *plan* goes....

Just writing the prior paragraph reminded me about the tremendous amount of work that needs to get done and how I am seriously procrastinating so onto less stressful things...

I like the way Rue styles the interiors they shoot, I also like the way they lay them out in the magazine. There's something about them that just feels really nice. I think it's the simplicity of the pages that really helps showcase the photography. To me, Rue is full of eye candy. And I like eye candy...

rue

fresh start, fresh spaces

2011-03-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

I realize it's been over a year since my last post...ha. I did a few things in the last year too, traveled to Europe with my middle sister, watched my youngest sister graduate from high school, watched her leave on a gap year to Paraguay, celebrated 6 years of being with my boyfriend, turned another year older, work, work, work, quit my job (something I should have done a long time ago), and now I'm moving back down to Southern California to re-focus my life and figure out what I really want to do. Blogging may or may not be one of those things....but you never know, maybe I will feel more inspired now that I'm on to new and exciting things. Or rather, let's hope I'm feeling more inspired because the past eight months at my old job have been anything but inspiring!

Today I just felt like posting some pictures that do inspire me. I'm a little behind on my online magazine reading so these pictures aren't new, but they were new and pretty to me!

lonny, rue

design can be fun....

2010-02-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

I always love it when I can finally put a name to a room that I've seen all over blogland...

Case in point, Summer Thornton. I posted the picture below ages ago, but I didn't actually know who the designer was (probably the biggest problem in the blogging community) until today! How sad!

Anyways, I was browsing her portfolio and really like her approach to design....in her own words "Summer Thornton Design was established to make the design process unpretentious, fun, and fresh. Mixing high and low, rough and polished, classic and irreverent, her designs utilize contrast to engage the senses"

....How can you not like that mission statement?? I love designers that take the more untraditional "interior design" route and make design accessible and most importantly, fun!

I think it's great that good design is becoming more obtainable these days. Whether it's through blogs, designers, stylists, magazines, etc, people are sharing resources and ideas and the design world is becoming less mysterious. Besides, was it ever fair that only the wealthy could have designer homes?

I think not!

Anyways, on to more images of Summer Thornton's fun and original take on design (except for Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis.....I kid, I kid, there was a time when it wasn't overused!)

Summer Thornton Design

missing the pest....

2010-02-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

I know I've mentioned it before on my blog, but I lived in Budapest, Hungary for 6 months in 2008. I lived on the Pest side (the "s" in Hungarian is pronounced "sh", unless it's followed by a "z", in that case it sounds like "s"). Budapest should actually be pronounced as "Budapesht"....and that is probably the only Hungarian lesson I can give you because it's a VERY difficult language to learn. I only know basic phrases, and most importantly, how to ask for a beer, using my thumbs-up signal to mean 1.

Anyways, to get to the point, I miss Budapest! I had an amazing semester there and was able to travel all over central Europe, and I really just miss traveling! I've been having some serious Budapest withdrawals so I cannot wait to go back in May with my sister who is in Barcelona right now. I also seriously need to re-take a TON of pictures that I lost from my semester abroad when my computer crashed--that was a very sad day.

I was reading Made by Girl's post today which featured the beautiful home of Hungarian blogger Noémi. After clicking through to her blog I found a few cool Hungarian design sites, I only wish I could actually read them! I did, however, find some beautiful Hungarian interiors that I thought I would share....

Otthon.hu

And now for a treat {mostly for me}, my only remaining photos of my Budapest apartment via Facebook....

Please excuse the mess, these were taken when we fist moved in (January 2008). We rented this apartment through a vacation rental agency so all the furniture was already there...

Our living room, you can see one of my roommates on the couch!

I miss those high ceilings and tall doors...

View into one of the bedrooms

This was my room for the first couple of months, we switched around a lot...

Our tiny kitchen, it actually doesn't look that tiny in this picture but it was really narrow.

Our apartment building.

Our beautiful courtyard!

i'm alive!

2010-02-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

Sooooo, after almost a three month hiatus from blogging, I'M BACK!

For any of my readers who are still around, I swear a won't completely abandon this blog again!

Like most people, I just got really busy around the holidays, and since then I just got too used to not blogging. I was also feeling a bit uninspired with lots of things recently.....I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do exactly, but I think I finally have an idea....

In other news, I'm planning a month long trip to Europe! My younger sister is studying abroad in Barcelona right now, and since I am super jealous of her {even though I already studied abroad in Budapest, yes I want to go again!} I am going to visit her and travel with her for a month in May! I. Cannot. Wait. So far, were planning to go to Paris, Budapest--of course!, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, and possibly Milan to visit our Italian exchange student my family hosted last year. I've already been to all of these cities, except Paris, but since my computer crashed and I lost ALL of my pictures I want to go back and replace them....plus, those were my favorite cities!

Anyways, on to the pretty stuff.....I thought I would give you a design overdose to make up {or try to....} for my extra long blogging break....

all of the above...Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

skona hem

little birthday present for myself...

2009-11-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I bought myself a little pre-birthday present! Notice what it is? Yes, that is the 3rd lamp to sit on this table in a matter of 2 months....

$30 at TJ Maxx......yes please! It's the perfect cream color for my living room. The lamp with the black shade will eventually go into my bedroom when it's painted....yes, I still haven't painted it. I still have that gray blotch on my wall that reminds me every day that "maybe I should paint my room sometime".
Another glamour shot...okay not really, I took these very quickly this morning before work.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a wonderful day! I will be "celebrating" my 23rd birthday at work by setting up for Dining by Design, after all, what says a little birthday fun other than a little manual labor?

designer love...

2009-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Again with the designer love....

Today I'm loving SF/Seattle/LA based Massucco Warner Miller Interior Design. Love their bold use of graphic patterns, their mixing of classic and contemporary pieces seamlessly, and color!

Way too tired from painting to add in my own commentary, so I'm making you do all the work.....

But before the pictures, remember the boots I ordered? Well there was actually a different pair that I was obsessed with, but they cost too much. The day after I ordered the ones that I showed you guys I found the boots I REALLY wanted on Endless Shoes for $109! (originally $169, and I think they were the last pair in black, not on website anymore)...still with free overnight shipping. Long story short, I quickly snatched them up and this morning they arrived, and they're amazing! Soooo, now I have 2 pairs of boots, need to return the other ones or I might give them to my sister for a hefty discount.

Okay, okay, okay....somehow I had energy to tell you about the boots, and no energy to give some commentary on the pictures. Believe it or not, I'm not really a shoe person, but on the occasion that I am it's because I've found a pair of shoes that for some reason I feel I cannot live without and would be a great addition to my life, and that's the way I rationalize it. I do this with other things too, like lamps, tables, pillows, miscellaneous deco items etc.....

Massuco Warner Miller

another busy week ahead...

2009-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

By the end of this week I will become the stenciling queen of San Francisco...

With Dining by Design just around the corner (like next week!!) I have been working on painting these wood panels that will become folding screens. On Friday I painted them a metallic gold paint, and today I started stenciling them with a bright orange paint. I got 9 our of 13 done today! Back will be sore tomorrow...
Once they're all stenciled I will go over the orange with a brown glaze so they'll look more "antiqued" and less, well, bright orange. It's kind of hard to tell in the picture, but the gold is actually shiny and metallic.

So this is basically my week right now! Painting and stenciling, all day everyday! Very relaxing, but tiring!

Can't wait to share the whole setup when it's put together next week for the actual Dining by Design!

i love working for a designer...

2009-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

...especially when I get free furniture. On Friday I was getting ready to paint some wooden screens for Dining by Design when my boss asked me if I wanted this cute little table that had been sitting in her garage. Ummm, yes please!

It's the cutest little table, vintage from the 1940s, with wood inlay on the top. The top opens like a lid, and it has a really cute little key that goes with it. Is this not an adorable table or what?
Other small projects in my home...

On Saturday I finally got around to hanging those cute gilt sconces (bought at a garage sale) in my living room...

I also hung some pictures. The two in the middle were already there, but the wall needed more so I added 2 smaller ones. Oh and I know the lamp is blocking the sconces. The lamp will go in my room when it's painted, the lamp that I usually have here is much smaller and will look great with the sconces.

Below is probably the tiniest project ever hehe. I hung that tiny little picture above the TV, and yes it took about 2 seconds to hang and is probably not worth sharing with everyone, but I wanted to show the cabinet that my TV is on...
I don't think I've ever put a picture of it on my blog before. It's a family heirloom (like a lot of my furniture), from my maternal grandfathers parents. We think it's from the 1920s or 30s when they built their home in Forest Hill Gardens in Long Island. I love the funky geometric shapes, and it reminds me of my childhood when it used to be in my parents bedroom. I used to lay on the carpet and trace the shapes with my fingers, somehow this seemed to entertain me for quite a while...

By the way, you've probably notice a lot of electrical cords in my house. We seem to have a little problem with outlets in my home. There are absolutely zero outlets down the center of my house. Therefore any lamps or electronics in those places need extension cords. The one for the TV had to be run around the door frame and stapled to the wall, but I guess that's the price for choosing style over function...
As you can see in my home, I kind of a have a mish mash of decor. I would love to have a house with an ongoing color theme, but it just doesn't work for me. I have a lot of family heirlooms in many different colors, and to me having things that are special and mean something to me is better than having a house full of perfectly matching decor. I think it shows my personality more. I decorate with what I have, and I think it all seems to work out nicely. People come over and tell me that my house really feels like a home, and I think that is the best compliment ever. It's a little bit quirky, fun, colorful, and most of all it's me!

What do you think? How do you tend to decorate? Do family heirlooms make an impact on your decorating style?

i love good deals...

2009-11-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

So I really, really needed a new black pair of boots. I have a cute pair, but they are completely flat and can't ever be dressed up. I didn't want too high of a heel because I want to be able to actually wear them.

After browsing about 10 online stores, I stumbled across these pretties on Endless Shoes & Handbags...

I got a pretty good deal on them too. Originally $158, but they have a special promotion right now with free overnight shipping, and I also got $25 off! Not too bad!

I know, I know, $133 is still kind of a lot, but I don't mind spending it on a nice pair of boots. I still have boots that I bought well over 2 years ago.

The only pair of boots that probably weren't worth paying over $100 for were a pair of really cute gray boots I bought in Budapest (I studied abroad there in Spring of 2008). The boots were very well made, but cobblestone streets can be extremely destructive on shoes! I'm so glad I realized this pretty fast so I only destroyed one pair of boots. I can't even wear them when it's raining because water seeps in through the sole. Too bad, they were really cute!

The boots are supposed to arrive on Tuesday, can't wait!!

On a completely different note, my sister's bedroom transformation was featured on the blog Better After last Thursday!

Check it out here.

designer love...

2009-11-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

I think I am in love with these interiors by SF interior designer Palmer Weiss.

Here are some of my favorites....

Fantastic mix of timeless and modern pieces in this living room, love the ghost table!

Love this simple yet beautiful stair hall with the unexpected pop of the zebra runner. Definitely adds some much needed fun in a very typical SF Victorian.

Where is this wallpaper from?? I swear I've seen it in a showroom.

Love the saturated emerald green sofa...

What a fun girls room! Sophisticated, but not the typical "child's' room"!

While she doesn't seem to use much wall color, there is definitely no lack of color in these rooms.

This might possibly be my dream dining room, casual but still elegant with an eclectic mix of antique and modern pieces. (I have been known to change my mind quite often though...)

I've recently noticed that I have a thing for oversized lanterns in dining rooms.

Gorgeous armoire!

a little teaser...

2009-11-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

The firm I work at is participating in SF's Dining by Design event this month (this is our third year!) so today we had a photo shoot at the design center and we mocked up a vignette of our table for this year. This has to be one of my favorite events of the year. Always a lot of prep work and stress, but we work so well as a team that it's always fun and we are always happy with the final product!

Below is our table from 2008's DBD...

Obviously the theme here was "Breakfast at Tiffany's". I loved the retro feel of this design. By the way, my boss custom designed those lovely folding screens which I then painted an gilded (I actually like painting, so it wasn't that bad at all and she helped me gild too). I think there were 14 all-together! My boss even threw in a "Special Thank You" to me on our page in the brochure for the event, so sweet!

Below (and not the best picture, but I couldn't find another one) is our table from 2007. The theme was, oddly enough, the 1960s version of the "The Prisoner", notice the numbered place cards on the table (Number 6: "I am not a number, I am a free man"). What can I say, apparently we were ahead of our time on pop culture trends, we had no idea they would re-make the original 1960s show two years later. I have a feeling if we had chosen this theme this year A LOT more people would know what it was than 2 years ago.

If you're wondering what I painted for this DBD, do you see the checkerboard grass? Well, you can't really see the awesomeness of it, but yes, I painted the checkerboard on it and it was quite a tedious process.

busy busy busy...

2009-11-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

There has been a lack of posting again....

I've been really busy at work lately because we have a few events and deadlines coming up so I've been neglecting the blog. I did, however, do a couple fun things last week!

On Wednesday I went to the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show Gala Preview Party with my co-workers. So so sooooo much fun! Loved it. It was basically a preview cocktail party for the Fall Antiques Show which opened to the public the next day. I had no idea that it was supposedly the kick-off party for the wealthy social scene in SF. Lots of Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, I was hoping no one noticed my Target shoes ;)

Interesting fact about the Fall Antiques Show according to 7x7 Magazine... "Every year, this party has the largest single-night caviar consumption in the continental United States".

Damn, I should have eaten some caviar, it was free! But I think I was too intimidated by the the crowds of women with giant diamonds on their fingers hounding the caviar tables--not to mention, I had chipped fingernail polish, heaven forbid! (I have taken plenty of mental notes if I attend next year).

Anyways, it was awesome. And the people watching was even better.

On Saturday I went back to the Antiques Show with my good friend to see a lecture given by legendary San Francisco designer Suzanne Tucker of Tucker & Marks. It was such a good lecture. She was very laid back and seems like a very personable person for the amount of success she has had. Not stuffy at all!

While her work is VERY, and I mean VERY, high end, she has a very classic and timeless aesthetic. She has a wonderful eye for mixing antiques and contemporary pieces. You can't tell from the pictures, but during the lecture she explained a lot of her projects and her work really embodies the lifestyle and personalities of her clients.

Enough with the chit chat, here are some of my favorites....

Tucker & Marks

i have started my bedroom transformation...

2009-10-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

The painting has begun...

...a splotch that is, now I have to finish.

I can't wait for my room to go from baby yellow....

desire to inspire

...to gorgeous charcoal! (can I have the dogs too?)

Original inspiration board here.

new lamp and an anniversary...

2009-10-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

I promised I would show you a picture of my new lamp...

I love it so much! I will eventually put it in my bedroom when I paint it, but for now it's out in the living room. Doesn't really match the room decor, but it's okay with its black shade for Halloween.

And yes, that is a black cat tealight holder. I love Halloween decorations.

I actually meant to share this with you a while ago, but never got around to taking a picture. I bought those nesting tables from Ikea for $50! The set of three was on sale for 3 days in September and I had to have them. They're a little too big for this nook (I think it looks a little busy) but for now this is their place. This area tends to be my catch-all for miscellaneous decor that I move from other places in the house so it's kind of a mish-mash, but whatever. Notice the obvious "dorm style" lamp....what can I say, I think I can still use being "a recent college grad" as an excuse (even though I haven't lived in a dorm for 2 years)! Actually, the new lamp in the previous pictures is my first "adult" buy because it's not a Target lamp, dorm left-over, or hand-me-down.

If you were wondering what this nook looked like before, here it is above in all its boring glory. Even though it's a bit more cluttered now, I think it really makes this space look and feel warmer, not to mention feel like an actual space.

On to other things...

Today was a beautiful day here in San Francisco...

Perfect day for a picnic in Golden Gate Park...

My boyfriend and I actually planned this over a week ago, so we were lucky that the weather was so nice, because we had a monsoon on Monday :)

The occasion for our picnic was our 5 year anniversary, which was actually last Friday the 16th. His parents were in town last weekend so we held off our little celebration. Obviously from the pictures you can see that we had tacos! I love Mexican food, makes me happy. I made the easiest taco meat for it too. Crockpot is my savior. Tri-tip steak with a jar of spicy salsa in the crockpot, cook on low for 10-12 hours, shred the meat when it's done and you have the perfect tender and juicy taco meat. I cooked it while I slept and woke up to the smell of cooked meat, yum? (but I knew it would taste so good later so I didn't mind!).

For a light and healthy dessert we ate some fresh pomegranate. Mmmm.

Last but not least, the person I celebrated 5 years with! Isn't he a cutie?

And just for fun, below is a picture of us at our senior prom in 2005....

back in action...

2009-10-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dismissed from jury duty! Yay!

Now back to the real world...

It's been an exhausting week and I haven't felt very creative or inspired, that is until I came home yesterday to 2 packages on my front stoop!

Remember the lamp I ordered from One Kings Lane (my very first purchase)?

Now it's mine! I have it temporarily set up in my living room until I paint my bedroom. I wanted to take a picture of it but I left my camera at my boyfriends house, so that will have to wait for Friday. I think the lamp has inspired me to get started with the painting.

I got another sign about painting my room yesterday when I bought the November issue of House Beautiful. I was looking at the section where they show a series of peoples favorite paint colors and how people use them, when I saw a picture of a lovely dark gray room. I read the little quote, and the color was Kendall Charcoal from Benjamin Moore, the same color I chose for my bedroom! I'll just take that as a sign that it's the perfect color for my room!

While I was looking at the House Beautiful website--trying to find the Kendall Gray bedroom, which I never found--I found some nice photos in the gallery section. I haven't looked at it in a while, so these pictures are new to me, but maybe not to you. So maybe this post is more to re-inspire myself to get myself going on my room!

I think the unintentional theme here is pretty ethnic patterns (got my suzani on my mind--I swear, when my room is done I will stop talking about suzanis)...

house beautiful

taking a few days off...

2009-10-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. I've been fulfilling my civil duty and the courtroom hasn't provided much, if any, inspiration. It does, however, inspire me to want to take naps....

On my down time I've been checking out my favorite, One Kings Lane. And they have some fun goodies.

First, I know my friend Whitney would love to cuddle with the pillow below...
I would like to be taking a nap on the bed above with these pretty candles lit...

I also bought this pretty print from the Made by Girl online shop. It comes with the frame too! I like the fun colors and the funky gold frame, and it was only $15 all-together!

I'm hoping to be back at blogging by Wednesday or Thursday. We shall see....

Until then, I hope you are having a better week than I am (I know it's only Monday hehe).

i picked a paint color and it was love at first sight...

2009-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy, busy. That has been my week.

I did however manage to stop by the "Creative Paint" store close to my house to get some Benjamin Moore samples for my bedroom. I'm going to paint my room "Kendall Charcoal". As soon as I saw the color I knew I wouldn't have to look anymore, it was love at first sight. It's a warm charcoal, not blue, which is what I wanted so that my yellow suzani would pop nicely. I think the actual paint chip looks a little darker than in the "virtual fan deck" below. You get the idea though...

I'm liking the colors in the room below, this picture from Beach Bungalow 8 has been in my inspiration folder for months and I just pulled it out because it has the same yellow and gray combination that I want in in my bedroom. I think I'm going to have a few more pops of color, like red, blues, and black (those colors are in my suzani anyways). I want my room to have an overall darker feel than the room below, but I think this is still a great example of the yellow and gray combination.

What do you think? Ever painted a dark gray room?

*update: I realized my "paint chip" clashes with my blog header....is it weird that it bothers me? :)

weekend fun...

2009-10-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

My mom flew up from Southern California this weekend to visit my sister and me so we had a wonderful girls weekend. We did a little cooking, decorating, shopping and baking. The weather was nice and cool here in San Francisco so it was the perfect fall weekend!

I think my mom and sister bring be good luck because I always seem to find the perfect things when I'm shopping with them! It definitely held true this weekend when we walked outside my house and saw a great garage sale on my street, where I picked up these two little gems...

As soon as I saw these beautiful vintage gilt sconces I had to have them!

How great are they? I can't wait to see how the mirrored one reflects candle light!

The jar and two decorative mossy balls were thrown in with the sconces, very cute!

We also did a little pumpkin carving, though, it might be a little early and I'm hoping the pumpkins won't go rotten before Halloween. I might keep them inside for a couple of weeks.

While carving, we learned that the white pumpkins are probably better un-carved....we didn't realize that the shell is about 3 inches thick!

Still made for a cute pumpkin, I think it looks like a puppy, or a panda. That is my sister, very proud of her pumpkin, which I have to say is the perfect classic jack-o-lantern!

Their cuteness again.

(my sister had to flip the cake upside down on the cloth covered in powdered sugar, you can't see it as well in the picture, but the sugar when everywhere, all over her pants and my floor!)

And now for the baking! I found this recipe for a pumpkin roulade in the September issue of House Beautiful and I had been wanting to make it. I thought this would be the perfect weekend to bake, because baking is always more fun with other people!

This is the finished Pumpkin Roulade, you can just slice and eat. Very yummy, and easy to make!

I love Halloween decorations, and of course I had to be totally cheesy and put up my fake cob-webs!--there's more in the living room and hallway :)

Mother and daughter!

We had such a great weekend!

the big reveal (Julia's bedroom re-do!)...

2009-10-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I shared my sister's bedroom re-do that we did over the summer. Well, here (finally!) is the other bedroom for my youngest sister that I promised I would share.

Today was also the perfect time to post because a little over a week ago I was reading the blog Room Remix and saw that she was going to do a mood board Monday event. The rules of the event were to design a room around one of two products, a set of drapes from Pier 1 or a trellis fabric. As soon as I saw the curtains I had to participate because I had actually used them in this bedroom re-do over the summer. Which is why this post is kind of a 2-in-1. I'm posting the pictures of the final bedroom re-do and participating in mood board Monday with my project!

Enjoy!

I'm an idiot and I didn't take some before shots of the whole room but I did take shots of the furniture that we sold via craigslist. Above is her armoire desk that we sold because, like my other sister, she never used the desk and it really just took up too much space. You can also see that bright green paint that her room was painted before.

She was about 11 when we moved into this house and she wanted a "tropical beach" theme so the green was nice and bright for when she was younger, but now she wanted something a little more grown-up (but still fun and colorful).

After asking her what she was looking for in her new room I came up with a design idea...

I'm not going to share all the sources on the idea board only because what we ended up using in the room was a little different, but most things (on the idea board) are from Ikea, CB2, and Pier 1....in the real room however, most things she already had, like the furniture, bedding and accessories. We also incorporated a few new pieces, like the nightstand from Ikea (I painted it white, it was like $15, not the one in the idea board), the drapes from Pier 1, and that cute lamp from Ikea on her nightstand.

And now I'm going to stop talking and just show you the room!

I chose a light gray paint (Gray Owl from Benjamin Moore) for her walls because she wanted something much more subtle and relaxing than the bright green. She also wanted to use the accessories as the main source of color this time instead of having bright walls. --and I apologize for the different lighting in every photo, these pictures were taken several different times by different people!

(can't take any credit for this picture, taken as a wonderful favor from my mom's co-worker, thanks Pam!)

My sister has had that papasan chair for years and she wanted to keep it, but in the old room it was behind the armoire so you felt really closed off from the room when you sat in it. Now it's in a nice space that she can use to relax, read, or use her laptop (probably the third, she is 17).

Another shot that I took while I was finishing decorating, clearly I hadn't put up the cute yellow paper lights yet.

Other side of her room, you can kind of see that the room is a little narrow, but it's still pretty long.This was my favorite find for the room. I found this lamp on craigslist for $30! Definitely beats the $100 price tag of the phantom lamp at CB2 (which is in the inspiration board).

We're still trying to figure out what to do with the wall behind the dresser, I haven't found anything that looks quite right yet. I'm hoping to work on this next time I visit. So far though, I think the lamp definitely ads a nice touch to this dresser, and room.

...and that's the room! My sister is very happy with it, and she finally keeps her room clean because of it!

Go there to check out other great mood boards!

bedroom ideas...

2009-10-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

I bought it.

The lamp yesterday was calling my name and when I got home from work I had to buy it.

....which inspired me to get some real inspiration going for my room.

I've been wanting to put my suzani on my bed for a while now and I think I finally came up with an inexpensive room re-do. First, I'm going to paint my walls a medium toned gray (originally I was going to do a light gray, but I wanted more drama). Instead of getting rid of my bed I think I might just make some slip covers for the frame in a white fabric....I need to learn how to sew nicely to do this first. I'm also going to keep the dresser that I have now, it's pretty similar to the one in the inspiration board above, but I'm going to paint it black.

The desk shown above is the exact one that I have, bought from Target a couple of years ago, and the chair is just for some color. I actually have a chair that's been sitting in the garage for 2 years now. I painted it white, but now I might just paint it yellow and find some cool fabric for the seat cushion.

I had to throw in that wooden occasional table as a night stand on the inspiration board, but the $1250 price tag is just a tad over my budget...craigslist shopping it is.

Ideally I would like to have a nice natural seagrass or jute rug to ground the whole room, but that's not in my budget now after I get the paint for the room.

Well, there you have it. The only things I'm actually buying for my room re-do is the paint and fabric for my slipcovers....I already bought the lamp so I won't include that ;)

Check out Hooked on Friday's to see what other people are hooked on today!

Don't forget to check back Monday when I reveal my sister's bedroom re-do (my other sister, Julia)!

one kings lane must haves...

2009-10-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

Found these on the One Kings Lane "must have" list, and I think I agree. I must have these things, all of them. Or maybe just the lamp!--The lamp is $79, which isn't bad at all, but still a little expensive for me. But I want it so bad!!

Should I buy it? Help me out here....

Other adorable things below with an orange theme because, well, it is October....

If anyone wants an invite to One Kings Lane let me know!--It will also help me out in buying that lamp because I will get $25 (because I'm dying to have it! hehe)!

finally, a morning post...

2009-10-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy with work this week so I woke up a little earlier today just so I would actually have time to post this morning, instead of posting at some strange hour of the night.

I know it's only October, but I've been seeing a lot of wintery rooms around lately--let's just say I'm thinking ahead....

decorpad

I love that dresser with those pretty mirrors above it. Very chic!

Canadian House and Home

Love this dining room. Love the dark gray walls, dark hardwood floor and contemporary dining chairs. I can just imagine pretty white snow outside those windows.

I love everything in this bedroom. I can only imagine how nice this room must feel at night with the warm glow of candlelight.

Remember my dining room inspiration post? Well, I found some more inspiration pictures for my design!

blueprint bliss

Belle Maison

quick monday post, I'm super busy...

2009-10-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

I've been super busy today so I only have time for a quick post! I just wanted to share some pretties that I have found recently...

Canadian House and Home (I think!)

Wallpaper? or paint? I love whatever it is.

flickr

This is my Halloween spirit for the day! Counting down the days!

Canadian House and Home

Reminds me of a blood orange, blood reminds me of Halloween, Halloween makes me happy, therefore I like this room.

dining room inspiration...

2009-10-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

Now that I have photoshop I can make some nice design boards! So of course, where better to start than some ideas for my own house!

I originally found a great picture of the Ikea Malm occasional table painted and used as a nice console table in hallway which was my inspiration, but I can't seem to find that specific picture. So here are a couple other inspiration photos...

Instead of using the console table in my hallway I would like to use it in my dining room. I have a big armoire there right now--it was actually for my bedroom because my closet is really small but it didn't fit around the corner in my hallway so it's been in the dining room for 2 years.

I would like to sell it and and put the ikea malm occasional table in its place.
Ideally I would paint my dining room a nice powdery blue-gray, since I do have permission from my landlord, but I'm not sure how much longer I will live here so I might leave it white. Everything in my dining room is either stained wood or white so I like the idea of painting the malm table navy blue to pop off the light blue or white walls. I want to keep the color scheme simple so that it ties in with my living room which is painted a mossy light green. I like to keep my furniture neutral and use accessories as accent colors because it's easier to re-use for a longer time, and I don't plan on buying new furniture anytime soon.

\I'm hoping to use this design board as inspiration rather than a shopping list, since I plan do do most of my shopping on craigslist and garage sales. But I like the general idea right now and I think it will look great in my dining room!

i'm being original today (launch of lonny mag!)...

2009-10-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, everyone is probably posting this today too so I'm going to be very original and join in on the fun. If you haven't already heard, read, seen, Lonny Mag launched today. It's an online magazine--the editors have ties to the recently extinct Domino. So far I'm really liking it, definitely has that "Domino" feel, but has a lot more interior shots.

Here's a few of my favorite pages/photographs from the magazine, okay, a lot of pages....

This page with the typewriters is more of a "in-your-face" to my parents....Don't worry it's not harsh, I love my parents. Here's the quick story, when I was 11 my paternal grandma passed away and we had a garage sale at her house. She had this old 1930s typewriter that I begged my parents to let me keep, like seriously begged, my mom had to bring me inside the house because I was screaming and crying when my dad sold it. What can I say? I loved anything vintage from an early age, I was a passionate kid.

My dad ended up selling it to a man for $15--and yes, I'm sure we really needed that extra $15 in the bank. I told him that I wanted to keep it for my own house in the future and he wouldn't let me because "we didn't have any room for it". I think he was trying to make sure that I understood that we couldn't keep everything because while we were setting up for the sale I kept wandering around taking things to keep. Little did he know that I would become quite the antique collector...

To be honest, I'm still a little butt-hurt about the whole "typewriter incident" (as we call it in my family). What's funny is now my parents both regret selling the typewriter, which I clearly could have restored as noted in this page in Lonny Mag above ^^

Lonny mag

orange walls...

2009-09-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Love this foyer for fall. Pretty staircase (remember, I have a thing for staircases), pretty botanical artwork, nice orange walls, and how about the black outlining? Love it...

martha stewart

What do you think? Would you paint ever paint an orange room, like an entryway? Personally, I would if it worked with the colors in the rest of my house, I like small unexpected pops of color in small spaces.

Here are some other orange rooms--found a lot of these pictures before I started my blog so I can't remember most of their sources, let me know if you know where they're from...

I know this isn't really an orange room, but the orange and natural colored leaves definitely add a punch to the wall.

Better Homes and Garden

How about an orange ceiling? This looks great on those tall 12' ceilings, and the orange adds a lot of warmth to the rooms.

Love this idea of painting the back of your bookshelf a bright color instead of the whole wall. This gives you the feeling of an orange room without actually having to look at 4 orange walls all the time.

my other sister's bedroom re-do (coming soon)...

2009-09-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

First, thanks for all the nice comments everyone left on my last post. I really do appreciate feedback and can't wait for more on upcoming posts!

Not only did I do my sister Catherine's bedroom this summer, but I also re-did my youngest sister's bedroom. I don't quite have the greatest pictures of it yet, but here is a sneak peek of how the bedroom turned out....

I hope you will all come back for more! I will keep you posted on the second "big reveal", I'm hoping I can get some good pictures up in a post within the next couple of weeks.

Until then you can read the posts that I wrote about her room back in July here and here.

the big reveal (catherine's finished bedroom)...

2009-09-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Here's the before....
....and after!

Here's the rundown...

My sister just turned 20 over the summer and even though she lives at school for 9 months out of the year she wanted to have a new, more grown up look for her bedroom. She wanted it to be more relaxing for when she does come home, because she is on vacation. Her room before was too country, too girly and very high school.

What I did was simplify it. I chose a nice blue gray paint color for the walls, and you can't really see it in the before picture, but originally the wall and ceiling above the chair rail was painted green. We painted it white to make the ceiling look higher and the room feel bigger.

One more before shot of the other side of the room. She had that huge corner armoire desk that took up a lot of space, and she didn't really need it because she isn't in high school anymore. So we got rid of it, sold it on craigslist and made $125 off of it to go towards the room! You can see the after picture of the same corner below...

We found that leaning bookshelf at a consignment store and it was already painted black so it was perfect. I wanted to organize her pictures, books, knick knacks in one place instead of having them all over the room (we also got rid of a ton!).
In this corner before there used to be two shelves with lots of stuff on them. I wanted to get rid of that to make this side of the room her "dressing area". I had the idea for the leaning mirror because she hates her closet door mirrors, they really make you look extra "wide". We were thinking about getting rid of the closed doors and putting some white curtains in, but I decided that I didn't want the bulk of the curtains or for them to look to messy, I was going for the clean look in this room. We found the mirror at Homegoods for a great price anyways, only $60!...they were way more at ikea.
Another shot of the "corner" with the dresser. I wanted to build up the height of the dresser a little by getting a taller lamp. The lamp is from Homegoods and the cute shade came with it. Random, but that picture of the ballerina was actually painted by our great grandfather in the 50s.
Close-up of the bed. That cute pillow is from Stein Mart. If anyone lives near Mission Viejo, CA that Stein Mart actually has a really great throw pillow section! For the bedding we decided to a duvet set that we already had (it was actually mine). It's very simple, plain white, which is what we wanted but it has nice lace details on it. The tiny lamp on her night stand is from Ikea and was only $19.99.
Excuse the mess, this is a progress shot that I took before we hung the pictures. This is the only good shot of the small ottoman stools at the end of the bed, super cute and from Ikea. If i knew now to sew I would have put a pretty striped fabric on them, but the white works too.
Close-up of bookshelf. My sister was a synchronized swimmer (actually still is) and she had a TON of swimming photos. I used what we had in decorating, but I tried to bring out pops of orange to tie in with the rest of the room.
Pretty vignette of her night stand.
One last shot. Forgot to mention the curtains! They're from Ikea, online it says $19.99 for a pack of 2 panels, but I want to say that we got them for less (on sale?) if I remember correctly.

Anyways, that is the room! Hope you like it! I would love to hear some feedback so if you're thinking something write a comment!

my sister's bedroom re-do...

2009-09-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

If you just started reading my blog then you might not know what this is...

Over the summer I re-did my sister's bedroom. This was the initial "inspiration board" for the bedroom that I did back in June. You can read the original posts here and here. The bedroom was actually finished back in August but I never had the chance to take pictures of it before I came back up to San Francisco. So when my sister went home this weekend she was nice enough to take pictures for me!

This is the sneak preview for today, but come back tomorrow for the "before and after" photos of her bedroom...

fun things on sale...

2009-09-27T14:09:00.001-07:00

If you haven't checked out Pier 1 or Cost Plus in a while, they have some great finds on sale right now....

This rustic "twig chandelier" from Pier 1 is adorable, and only $31.18! Regularly it's $125, so that's a great deal!

I had been looking for an inexpensive sunburst mirror for my sister's bedroom and finally found this one, also at Pier 1 for $39.99....I'm trying to convince her to buy it!

Love this cute table lamp which is on sale for $29.98 (Pier 1)

I am a big fan of simple cylinder vases right now and I think this is a nice twist on the style with its bamboo detail....50% off at $8.98 (also Pier 1)

I absolutely love these Moroccan occasional tables from Cost Plus, and they're only $29.99!

I like the simplicity of this candle sconce for $10.39, I've been looking for something similar to put on each side of the artwork above my sofa. (Cost Plus)

I so have these tables! And I love them! The small ones are only $20, the tall painted one is only $24.99 and they're perfect for a narrow hallway. I have them at the top of the stairs with a little dish on it where I drop my keys when I come home. The lamp on the larger one is great because it provides light to the very dark pantry that is across from it, by the way the lamp was only $15 with the shade from T.J. Maxx! Sweet deal.

Last, but not least, this awesome 5x8 jute rug from Pier 1 is only $50!

finally...

2009-09-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention some important news.....someone got Photoshop yesterday, and that someone is me!

This is going to make life so much better....

woot. woot.

this pillow is too cute...

2009-09-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Now that I saw that awesome tray table on One Kings Lane I've been checking back to see what other sales they have going on, which is where I spotted this little gem of a pillow...

Too bad it's sold out...
Geeze, I have seriously got to get on these sales sooner. They must be on east coast time because this sale just started and most things are already sold out!

easy DIY upholstered headboard (no sewing!)...

2009-09-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

A while ago a wrote about how I wanted to re-do my bedroom. I want to paint the walls a very light warm gray and maybe paint my dresser a glossy black, or buy the low Malm dresser from Ikea in brown-black. Anyways, I still wasn't sure about what I wanted to do with my bed, right now I have an antique iron bed (painted white), it's very shabby chic, which is so NOT what I'm into now. That was a phase, my tastes have evolved....

Well, I was reading Design*Sponge last week and found great DIY instructions on how to make your own upholstered headboard! Super easy too! Once I save some money to re-do my bedroom, this will probably be the first thing i do.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out what kind of a fabric I want to use to upholster it, I'm thinking of a fabric with bold yellow pattern on it. I want to have my yellow suzani folded at the foot of the bed--it's too small to use as a bed cover--so I want to have a bold pattern at the other end of the bed to balance it out. Here are some ideas....

duralee

Okay, I haven't totally thought this through and figured out the scales of the patterns on these fabrics, but these are just some general ideas for the colors. I will probably end up looking through our office stash of leftover fabrics from previous clients....which is perfect for my non-existent budget! Designer for free, best design of all!

Here is the finished headboard from Design*Sponge....so glamorous! Love it! Link to post with DIY instructions here.

design*sponge

vignettes and tablescapes...

2009-09-24T19:07:00.001-07:00

I kind of have a thing for tablescapes and vignettes, okay maybe a small obsession. If you locked me in a room full of tables/mantles/dressers with lamps and accessories I would be in heaven. I would style endless tablescapes and photograph pretty vignettes.

Which leads me to tons of pictures of pretty tablescapes and vignettes!

four walls and a roof

Hmm, I'm never sure whether to write above a picture or below it. Yesterday I wrote above, I think I will switch it up today, more pleasing to my eye...Alright, first picture (above), more of a vignette, but I love the way it has been styled, it feels very balanced to me.

martha stewart

I know, this picture screams Martha Stewart....but it's such a simple classic look, very east coast house-in-the-hampton's-esque.

source unknown

This one is very urban-chic! I like the eclectic accessories and especially the flowers, since I'm into pink and orange right now!

source unknown

So girly, I like the simplicity and the symmetrical styling.

better homes and gardens

I thought I would sneak this one in here....this is from the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens, and this photo is actually taken of my boss' entryway. There is an article about her flat in San Francisco with some great pictures of her home, we in the office are very excited!

alkemie

I like this vignette because it's not fussy, but it still has great detail and the placement of accessories is very thought out. I think guys could totally go for this one, it has a slightly masculine feel.

absolutely beautiful things

The picture above and the rest below are all the work of Anna Spiro of Absolutely Beautiful Things. I love the way she styles accessories, she has a knack for making her styling look effortless. I always go to her blog for styling inspiration, and to gawk at the assortment of colors and patterns she uses! Not only is Anna an interior designer but she also owns her own design boutique in Australia called Black & Spiro....I cannot wait for the day that I go to Australia, I would seriously go just so I could shop in her pretty store!

absolutely beautiful things

why did i not look earlier???

2009-09-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of One Kings Lane it's a design site where they have great sales events that only last for a few days!

Well, I haven't looked on their website in a while but today I decided to browse a little and they have some great sales going on right now! I've been wanting a small table with bamboo style legs for a while, and look at what I found.....

How cute is that? I love that you can remove the tray from both tables. They would look so nice with a small vase of flowers--I imagine a silver cup with pink or orange flowers in it-- and some other dainty knick-knacks on them! The top one is only $59 and the bottom one is $75--they're both 50% off. Not bad. Unfortunately, I am not spending ANY money right now, and the sad part is that this sale ends tomorrow morning!
Oh well, there's always next time! I'll be sure to save up some dough for the next sale!

things i like today....

2009-09-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my "inspiration folder" on my computer and decided to post some of my favorites today. Enjoy....

First up, a pretty vignette. I love how simple this photo is, but I love the colors and the layering with the drapes behind the dressing table.

The two photos below are from Tobi Fairley Interior Design. She has such a great sense of style, I am always amazed by her use of bold colors and strong patterns!

The next three photos are of Erin Gates' house (Element Interiors, and Elements of Style blog)...

This living room is fantastic. The neutral theme with pops of orange and blue makes this room feel so warm and cozy, yet simple at the same time. I know sunburst mirrors are very "in" right now and slightly overused, but I still love it over the mantle. The puppy is pretty cute too!

Great picture arrangement, and I love the fact that all the frames are white because even though there's so many of them, I would still say this look is simple and not cluttered. Because of the color neutral wall and frames, the black credenza really pops. I hope that is a Tiffany blue painted on the inside of the credenzas, but it might just be the glass, whatever it is, I LOVE it!

This is such a classic dining room look with some modern and unexpected details that I love. The zebra print on the chairs is a very clever idea, along with the contemporary pendant. Once again, this room is simple, but it has just the right amount of details that it is a very warm space.

The next two rooms are from DecorPad...but I'm almost positive the second picture was from a summer issue of Elle Decor.

Both rooms have a similar color theme, neutrals with accents in black, orange and blue (blue-gray in the second one). The rooms feel very "fall" to me with their warm earth tones.

I love the big leather ottoman in the picture below, very masculine, but I like how the patterns of the pillows still make the room feel very comfortable.

I am obsessed with clear lamps right now! Especially when they're oversized like the ones below. I actually just put one in my sister's bedroom over the summer when I re-decorated it. I am also a huge fan of orange and pink accents, those colors complement each other so well when used sparingly. There are so many things that I like about this room now that I think of it, but I think I will stop talking--or writing--and let you enjoy it!

*source: elle decor

yea or nay?

2009-09-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

That pendant is gorgeous!! I love the way it filters the light in the room. I'm really loving the very dark stain on the molding in contrast with the light walls. Very crisp, very clean.

I don't remember where I found these photos, but if I remember correctly, this living room is in the same house as the bedroom. I like it, but I don't love it. I want some accent color in here, and I think a rug would have grounded everything in the room. I think some artwork, or a mirror on the mantle (instead of that tall plant) would have made for a better photograph. I do like the neutrals against the dark molding, once again.

This picture interest me more, but I want to see what that hanging fixture in the dining room looks like up close! Still want to see a rug in this room though...

sooo...yea or nay? what do you think?

just because it's almost october...

2009-09-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures last December for an architecture project where we were asked by a member of Preservation Napa Valley to figure out some clever ways to restore these barns to make them usable for the new owner of the property. The owner wanted to build some fairly large homes and was originally going to tear down these barns, unless we could convince him other wise. Along with out professor, our group took a little field trip up to Napa to view the site. The site has 2 barns--actually they were winery's--and one of the barns had this very strange addition in the back that was once an apartment. Since I'm in the spirit of fall and Halloween, I wanted to share some of my pictures from the creepy abandoned addition....

In the picture above you can see the addition peeking out from the back of the barn.

This is a better picture after we had climbed up the hill a little to find the front door, which was in the back?

You can kind of see the door in this picture on the left side of the picture, just a simple wooden door.

Taken from the inside in the "foyer". I can't imagine this door kept any heat in!

Above is the kitchen, that window looks out to the back of the house, or I guess since the door is in the back, that makes this the front? Walking in here was like a 1920s time warp, it looked like the last time anyone lived here was maybe in the 40s and for some reason dropped everything and left one day. The picture is kind of dark, but you can kind of see the cute wood burning stove on the left.

This is the other side of the kitchen, that window looks out to the front (you could see this window in the first picture of the red barn). This room was definitely creepy, and yes that is a doctor's bag on the coffee table, close-up below...

I wish I would have opened the bag to see what was inside, but then again I might have had an allergy attack from the half inch layer of dust on top...

Someone left their cup of tea in the cabinet!

Ahh the parlor....and what a parlor it is! Is it weird that part of me wanted to take that table and re-stain it? And those things hanging from the ceiling are old tin ceiling tiles, more detailed pictures below.

Same room as the tables, not sure what happened with the wallpaper only covering half the room. The mattress looks comfortable though...

The picture above and the ones below were taken in the room that was built as a second floor to the barn, but the only entrance to it was from the apartment/addition. In the background you can see the hallway that goes to the front door and the entrances to the "parlor" and kitchen. You can faintly see that, yes, the entire hallway, walls and ceilings were covered in the old tin decorative tiles.

It looked like someone had been using this room as "temporary" storage that ended up being permanent. To be honest, I didn't even know that this corner looked like this. The room was so dark, I could only see what it actually looked like after I had taken a picture with a flash and looked at it on my camera.

Would it be worth it to reupholster? just kidding...

Cool drawings? I don't know the artist who drew these, but they were randomly around the house. Creepy.

More detailed look at the old decorative tiles. There were a few piles leaning against the walls, I should have taken one!

Hope you enjoyed my creepy house tour!

If you're wondering what happened to the project, the project was put on hold for a while--I'm pretty sure nothing has been built yet, and nothing has been torn down--and we ended up working on another restoration project in St. Helena, I posted this project back in May, but you can take a look at it again here.

*source: my own photos

casual elegance...

2009-09-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

This house was featured in the September issue of House Beautiful, the bedroom that I posted last night is in this house. I love how elegantly casual it is, even the silk taffeta draperies have such an understated sophistication. Usually I like a little more color in my house, but if it were to go "neutral" I think this is the way to do it!I want a corner like this! I love those botanical prints on the wall framed by the rustic iron sconces. Oh, and that clear glass lamp with the brown shade is to die for!

I love how the curtains gracefully sweep the floor without too much puddling. I also think that oversized chandelier is fantastic.
I love cute nooks and window seats!
This is my favorite picture, I think this really sums up the idea of the elegant but casual decor in this house.
I love how the family room looks so effortless.
Slightly different from the rest of the house, but I love those brick floors!
This is such an adorable girls room. I want that chandelier. Enough said.

*source: House Beautiful

quick post before bed...

2009-09-20T23:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a couple of pictures before I go to bed. I love how cozy both of these bedrooms are, they're so different but they just have some nice qualities. I love the contrast of the dark charcoal walls against the ivory and cream furniture and accessories. I originally found this in House Beautiful, but was reminded of the article when I was reading the newlywed diaries. I might share some pictures of the rest of this house tomorrow.

I love the combination of the blues, greens and grays in the room below, so calming. Can't forget that great bedding though, I can't get enough of that awesome pattern!

*source: the newlywed diaries

fall decor close-ups...

2009-09-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help it, I needed to update some of my decor to become more "fall-like". I won't let the Halloween stuff come out until October 1st though :)

Dining room table--I don't really use my dining room table very often so I can keep a pretty table-scape on it without it being impractical. I wanted to update the look for fall by using more neutral colors, I really like the combination of the orange candle with the grayish-lavender flowers. The retro gilded glasses also add a nice warmth to the table, I put candles in them so they cast a really nice glow at night. Oh, and yes, that is a pumpkin in the back! My mom gave it to me for Christmas last year and I've been waiting all year to put it on my table! I think it adds a subtle "this is my fall decor" statement to the table, without being too themed for Halloween.
It is actually very convenient that my window is a golden topaz color, makes my fall decorating easy! Anyways, the reason I posted this picture isn't because it's extremely fall-like, but because I've been seeing a lot of designers using groupings of branches in a vase on console tables or buffets. I know this is nothing new, but I think it is very appropriate for fall, not to mention I seem to kill flowers and branches require zero upkeep. While I could have found my own branches outside I actually bought these. I went to this really cool store called Scraps in SF and bought 4 architectural prints, some small bottles and these branches all for $2! My friend bought like 5 frames and some other little things for only $7. Pretty awesome.
I also updated my mantle a little bit. Not the greatest picture, especially because you can't see the rest of the fireplace, but I have a friend staying in my living room so there is an air mattress in front of the fireplace right now. I have a small collection of little creamers and bottle from my grandma and I wanted to show them on the mantle instead of keeping them in a cabinet. The artwork in the middle was actually made by my mom in the 70s when she lived in Japan, it's needlepoint, and it just happened to match the colors in my living room--30 years later--with the lavender and green.
These glasses, I LOVE them. Definitely from the 60s! I bought them at a garage sale as a set of 7 for $1. Pretty good deal!
Last but not least, not related to fall decor at all, my suzani came! This is the suzani that I bought in Istanbul last year. I love the bold embroidery on the yellow background, I'm thinking about putting it on my bed, when the walls are gray instead of yellow (I think I would be overwhelmed by the brightness of yellow walls with a bright yellow suzani).
Close up of the writing in the center of the suzani. I think the date when it was made is on the right side, 21/11/82. Very ironic because I never even noticed the date until today, and it just happens to be 4 days under 4 years before my birthday. I'm not sure what the date inside the purple-blue flower means, but it says 1922. I really don't think the suzani was made then so the date will be a mystery.

more fall love...

2009-09-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to think that I am going to need a different house for every season...

Every fall I dream about living in an early American saltbox house (yeah, weird, I know). In my mind Autumn, Halloween, and Thanksgiving are synonymous with early American saltbox homes (aka what most know as a colonial house)...but I'm not into the whole picket fence thing, I like the low ceilings, exposed timber beams, the center hearth, tiny staircase and even the unsymmetrical facades that many early American colonials had.

I visited Williamsburg, VA with my family when I was about 10 and as soon as I set foot in the historic district my 10-year-old mind kept saying "Tricia, you're home! You were meant to live in another century!"--reading too many American Girl books may have also had an impact (Felicity anyone?)....while I wouldn't necessarily think that anymore, I still want to live in a place that takes me back in time, and yes, 200 years back in time would definitely be a plus.

Therefore, in honor of my love for all things old and rustic (right now, as in, until December, when my taste will change again), I would like to share some pictures of interiors that I'm loving right now, yes they're antique-y and slightly country, but I think they all have some elegant and sleek qualities that won't remind you of grandmas house....unless your grandma is awesome, in which case tell her to keep doing what she is doing!

pretty white beds...

2009-09-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

So I still want to put my suzani on my bed, but I just really like the look of a simple white bed, somewhat messy, but always cozy! At least with my suzani I can just take it off and I will still have my white duvet underneath. Sometime in the future I would also like to get a new bed frame. I want something much lower to the ground, possibly just a platform bed with no headboard.

I am really loving the casual look of these beds, something about them makes them very appropriate for city living...

source: home sweet home

thinking about my suzani...

2009-09-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

When I was in Istanbul last year I bought a beautiful yellow Turkish suzani, at the time I had no idea what I would do with it, but it was too pretty to resist! So now, a year and a half later, I have finally figured out what I'm going to do with it. I have also seen some beautiful pictures on other blogs of what people have used their suzani's for, which has inspired me!

I've decided to paint my bedroom, I hate the baby yellow that it is right now and I want something much cooler and relaxing. I'm thinking about a very light gray that would give off the feeling of white, but still wouldn't look washed out. I also want to get rid of my turquoise dresser and replace it with a more contemporary dresser from Ikea, maybe in a dark brown-black. I'm probably going to make these changes very slowly over time, but at least I can use my suzani as a bed cover immediately!...well, after I have my mom send it up.

source: yurdan

source: style court

source: little green notebook

source: katy elliot

staircase inspiration...

2009-09-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

I really like looking at pictures of staircases, I think it's the architect in me, but I love that staircases can create interesting spaces in their voids, or the spaces within or on the staircase itself. I was looking through my "deco ideas/inspiration" folder on my computer and I found some nice staircases that create charming spaces around them them, enjoy!...

source: home sweet home

source: house to home

source: john bessler

fall love...

2009-09-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

My favorite three months are coming up and October can't get here soon enough. Have I ever mentioned that I love fall? Well I LOVE fall! It makes me happy, not to mention my favorite holidays are in October, November and December...

Starting with Halloween. I love it. When I was little Halloween was my favorite holiday and I used to say "happy halloween" to everyone all year long. Seriously. I've watched home movies of myself when I'm like 3 and whenever my dad would tell me to say "bye bye" I would say "happy halloween" instead....didn't matter if it was the middle June.

My addiction to Halloween extended to naming stuffed animals too. When I was in pre-school I won a coloring contest at Long's Drugs (yes, I was an artsy child), my prize was a stuffed animal, it was a dog and I named him "Spooky" in honor of my favorite holiday.

Soon after Halloween is my birthday, November 17th, and I know this sounds really weird, but for some reason I love the way November 17th looks when it's written. I just think the month of November has the prettiest name....but I might be biased because it is my birthday month. I also share that birthday with Rachel McAdams who I think is absolutely adorable, so that's definitely a plus!

...and finally my last two favorite holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving for obvious reasons, including food and family, and Christmas because I love our special family traditions that we do on Christmas eve. I know a lot of people probably do this first tradition, but I'm going to tell you anyways....every year both of my sisters and I get a personalized ornament. We each have our own box of ornaments starting from the year we were born. I love opening the box every year and putting them up on the tree because certain ornaments bring back special memories of each Christmas. I also love the fact that our Christmas tree is a complete mish-mash of different ornaments, the only problem is that with every year we've had to get a bigger tree because of the increase in ornaments....I think we're going on 10'. The other special tradition that we do is have the elves come on Christmas eve. Yes, you read that right, elves come to our house every Christmas. My mom started this tradition when we were very little, what happens is on Christmas eve my parents would tell us that Santa's elves came and left gifts on our beds. All three of us would run upstairs to find 3 gifts that were wrapped exactly the same. Each gift had a personalized ornament attached to it for each of us, and each present had a new set a pajamas in it, usually all three of us would get matching matching pajamas. After we open the presents we always change into our new pajamas and put our new ornaments on the tree. The best part of this tradition is that we still do it!, and yes I am 22 years old. What can I say? I like to relive my childhood.

Can I also just say that every single year I like to start October off right by watching Hocus Pocus? Is that weird, because I don't think I will ever let this personal tradition stop...

Just because it's September 1st and October is only 30 days away, here are some pictures of Halloween decor in San Francisco...I believe my roommate took these for my project freshman year in college, yes my project.

pretty rooms...

2009-08-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up and the sun was finally shining into my bedroom! It's been cold and foggy every single day in the city since I've been back....well on my side of the city, it's a completely different story downtown. The sun has put me in a good mood today so I wanted to share some pretties that I've found via websites/other pretty blogs...

source: martha stewart

source: john bessler via jubella

source: four walls and a roof

sneak preview and some little changes in my home...

2009-08-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

In the last post I promised that I would post pictures of my sisters re-done bedrooms.....well, I didn't have enough time to finish taking pictures before I went back up to San Francisco so for now I just have a little sneak preview!

(my sister is going to take some more pictures of the room before she moves back up to school this weekend across the bay...soooo, next week I will reveal both rooms)

anyways, here are a few preview shots...

The two shots above are from Catherine's room, the top is her nightstand and the bottom is her dresser. She also has an awesome bookshelf that we picked up when I went shopping with here at a home consignment store...pictures to come.

Julia's room is probably the most dramatic change....her room used to be green! Now it's a much cooler and calm gray, way more grown up for the 17-year-old that she is. How awesome is that lamp? I found it on craigslist for $30! It's huge, but I love it! I think it adds some much needed drama on top of her dresser. Next week I will show you the drapes on the other side of her room....sooo pretty!

What else have I been up to? Well, I came back up to San Francisco a little over a week ago and finally got around to cleaning my entire house. I also did some minor redecorating because I get bored easily and like to switch things up every few months. After re-doing both my sisters bedrooms I decided that I wanted to re-decorate my bedroom in SF as well. Right now the walls are a baby yellow that I am totally sick of and I'm going to paint them a nice gray (I'm kind of in a gray phase, if you haven't noticed). I also want to give my bedroom a much more contemporary, and most importantly less girly, look. I am so over shabby chic right now! I also want to get rid of the clutter of accessories...which was the first task that I tackled over the weekend...

I'm going to get rid of this dresser, so this is just a temporary set-up, but I like it. Less stuff and less fussy so it will be easy to move stuff when I paint.

Remember this table? It used to be in my bedroom, but I decided to put it in the living room for now while I re-do my bedroom. I might leave it in the living room or eventually sell it because I don't want it in my bedroom. I really like having a table and a lamp in this corner of my living room. Before it was just dead space, now the living room looks finished and the lamp adds a nice glow at night.

...and there you have it. I hope you have enjoyed all the little projects I've been working on. I will definitely try to blog more often....I've been such a bad blogger this summer!

i've been mia....

2009-08-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

I've been so bad at posting this summer....definitely not off to a good start with my blogging. Oops.

I've been staying at my parents house in Southern California since mid July, so I am essentially on "vacation". However, I am proud to say that I actually have been somewhat productive this summer. Remember when I wrote about re-decorating both of my sisters bedrooms (here and here)?? Well, right now were working on some final touches before I go back to San Francisco next week. I will definitely be posting pictures of their new-and-improved bedrooms!

Here's a short recap of what I've been doing:

-I went to the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood for their "Hollywoodland" event where my sister (a synchronized swimmer) performed. It was very classic and very Hollywood, and I am going there again tonight!!

-My lovely friend Elizabeth got married last Saturday, the wedding was beautiful. I was a bridesmaid and I also did her makeup for her special day!

-Went to Disneyland! ok, not as exciting because I grew up 20 minutes away so I've been plenty of times. It's always fun to relive your childhood though...

-Last but not least....bedroom redo's!! I've been shopping with my sisters and picking up a few things here and there for their new and improved bedrooms. The rooms were finally painted on Monday, so now I'm working on styling them pretty!

.....which leads me to some pretty bedroom inspiration photos

*sources: home sweet home for some, can't remember where others are from

back from the east coast...

2009-07-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

I was in New Jersey last week with my family and I'm finally back so I wanted to share some pictures of the trip. We stayed in north Jersey, but we went to New York City and Delaware...

I love the NYC skyline, it's amazing how big the city is. I think SF's skyline of skyscrapers would only take up a quarter of this skyline.
We only went to the city for a day, but we met up with my aunt, uncle and cousin from NJ and went to this great Italian family style restaurant called Carmine's (if you go to NYC with a big group I suggest you go here, it's great!). Afterwards, we saw Hair. Great show! I love the theater district in NYC, the amount of theaters and people going to all different kinds of shows amazes me.

This is the house where my maternal grandfather grew up in Forest Hills Gardens in Queens, NYC. The neighborhood is absolutely beautiful. It's called a "garden city" and is very similar to the St. Francis Wood neighborhood in SF.

The boardwalk at the Jersey Shore! We went to Point Pleasant for dinner one night with my uncle and then walked along the boardwalk for a little bit. My mom said it looked almost exactly the same as it did when she was a teenager in the 60s.
This is my beautiful niece Julianna. She and my brother drove up for the day from Delaware to go to the memorial service for my grandpa in NJ (the reason we went to NJ).

My brother Neil and my Dad, father and son (I think they're starting to look alike) except for the fact that my brother is 6'6" and my dad is only 6'.

...and Julianna again with my sister Catherine.
Mmmmm. Ice milk. My favorite. I seriously don't know why they don't sell ice milk on the west coast, it's low fat but it tastes so creamy. This is my favorite ice cream parlor, btw. It's been open since 1934 on Cedar Lane in Teaneck, NJ. My grandma went there when she was little, and my mom went there too. When we used to visit my grandparents house when I was younger my sisters and I would walk there too.This is the house where my mom grew up in Teaneck, NJ. Looks exactly the same. My grandpa planted all those plants in the front yard (the backyard too, it was always such a beautiful yard). My grandpa had quite the green thumb, something I did not inherit. He had a vegetable garden in the back yard and when I was little I used to help him pick tomatoes and green beans. We also used the pick the mint and put it in our iced tea that my grandma would make.

We drove down to Delaware one day to visit my half-brother (from my dad's previous marriage), his wife and my nieces and nephews. All six of them! Above is the youngest Jacob (almost 1 years old!) with his toy phone that he says "hello" to.

Kids like to use my brother as a human horse/car/plane/whatever. I know, because my sisters and I used to do the same thing when we were little.

Jonah and Jacob. So cute!
Here are the crazies, Joshua and Jonah, 4 and a half and 6.
Joshua and Jonah with my mom. They insisted on drinking their soda in the picture, there is a long sequence of these soda drinkers that I didn't post.
Here's all of my nieces and nephews except Jacob. Oldest to youngest is Jessica, Joel, Julianna, Jonah, Joshua and Jacob.

happy fourth!

2009-07-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

i can't believe it's almost the 4th of july....

2009-07-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

source: elle decor

This summer is going by so fast! I can't believe it's already July!...doesn't really look or feel like summer in SF this week though.

Right now I'm wishing it wasn't so foggy outside. What's funny though is that I was watching the news this morning and they showed a picture of downtown SF to show that the weather is so nice and clear. I guess that's what happens when you live in the Richmond district....always, always foggy.

Today I'm off to do some laundry with the boyfriend and some other errands. I'm going back east on Monday with the family, I will post some pictures of the trip when I get back the following week.

The good thing about going back east is that I KNOW it's going to be hot and humid! I can finally wear all of my summer clothes and sandals! woohoo!

no theme, just nice photos...

2009-07-02T12:37:00.001-07:00

sources: home sweet home, things that inspire, elements of style

some items for catherine's room...

2009-07-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

Catherine's room is going to more simple than Julia's, since she doesn't really live there anymore I want the room to feel more relaxing to remind her that she is on "vacation". I found this simple embroidered duvet cover at Pottery Barn, the embroidered stripe pattern is a blue-gray, which will blend nicely with the darker blue-gray walls.

I think this pillow from Pier 1 is adorable and will bring a splash of orange to the room while breaking up the rigidity of the striped duvet.

I really like this shiny silver lamp from Ikea, but I'm thinking of possibly looking for a drum shade for a more contemporary look.
I like this ottoman from Ikea for the end of her bed, two next to each other would look nice, and it's only $20 so that's a plus. She could put a cute silver tray on one with some books and a vase.....or, she could just throw a pile of clothes on them--that's probably what would happen anyways, we Smith's are all the same.So, there you have it, a more grown up and relaxing room for Catherine!

cute drapes and other things for julia's bedroom...

2009-07-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

How cute are these drapes from Pier 1? I recommended these for my sister's bedroom re-do so hopefully she will go take a look in Pier 1 to see if they look as cute in person.

I'm thinking of this duvet cover from Crate and Barrel for her bed, but with plain white sheets instead of the matching gray. I like the funky mix of patterns between the drapes and the bedding since my sister is only 17, and when she gets older she can always trade out the drapes for something more subtle (but hey, I'm 22 and I would still love these drapes in my room!)

This lamp is in the inspiration board for the room, but it's so cute I wanted to share a bigger picture. It's from Ikea, and it's only $17. I think it would look adorable on the little white Ikea nightstand that will go in her room. Online it says that this lamp is green, but my sister will have to check out Ikea to see if it's yellowy enough.

I will also share some more resources for Catherine's room in the next few days, and when I go home in the next 2 weeks I will take some before and after pictures of both rooms to share, so stay tuned!

drooling over kitchens...

2009-07-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

I saw these amazing kitchens on the newlywed diaries(fantastic blog with great inspiration photos) last week and I am so in love! They're from the company Plain English, which is based in England. I have always been a fan of simple, yet classic and timeless kitchens. When I was younger I probably would have loved something that was way more rustic and "old fashioned", but my taste has since been refined. I love a much more contemporary feel with very classic details. When I get a chance to re-do my kitchen someday I will definitely be looking to these for inspiration.

Take a look...

source: the newlywed diaries and plain english

julia's bedroom re-design...

2009-06-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-29T12:31:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-06-17T16:03:00.001-07:00

...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...

2009-06-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-10T10:36:00.001-07:00

...neutral and calm spaces

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

rearranged bedroom...

2009-06-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-06-05T11:44:00.001-07:00

Hello readers....not sure how many I actually have, if it's that many at all. If you do however like my blog feel free to comment on my posts. I always enjoy the feedback! Also, if you even want to take one step further, follow me on my google friend finder app!

Thanks!

weekend chores and pretty rooms

2009-06-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-06-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

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.

I've been busy....

2009-05-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

I'm graduating in less than 2 weeks! So, naturally, I've been in school only mode. Lots and lots of work to do before my presentation on Friday. Here's a little peek at what I've been doing for the past week (but really all semester, with other projects). This is a real project in St. Helena, California (by Napa). Long story short, there is a 1920s gas station on the site that they want to restore (picture above), but they also want to develop the rest of the site and turn the gas station (which is no longer in use) into a small flower shop or other retail space. Below is my design idea based off the plan which was drawn by other members in the group. There are several other designs, a more traditional building and a very contemporary one, mine is more of a Bauhaus/Streamline modern style. I modeled my building in 3D on Vectorworks2008 and edited them a little bit in Photoshop. Enjoy...

I love the 70s...

2009-05-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Below, in all of its glory, is the house that my boyfriends family rented at Bass Lake last summer...and no, they had no idea that the interior spaces would be so AWESOME! It was a complete time warp, and I loved every minute of it. From the larger than life lamps and sofas, to the fluorescent accent lights in the ceiling, and lets not forget the moose head mounted above the glorious stone fireplace. PURE BEAUTY!

Notice the lovely drapes that are on every wall...and the sofas that were 8 feet long and probably 1 foot high. Made me want to put on my favorite trapeze dress like one of these...

...and throw a fabulous cocktail party. Maybe my dress could even coordinate with the couch...too much? or not?

This is some intense wood paneling, and I think the owners had a weird thing for strange statues.

Best part of the house, besides the decor (of course), was that it was right on the lake and we had our own dock where we could park/crash in one case, the Sea-do's and boat...

...and here we are, next to a lovely statue of a knight in his shining armor.

...and this would be Ryan's younger brother who is the most entertaining person I know!

...and now for the pièce de résistance, my favorite piece of furniture in the entire house.

What kind of upholstery is on this lovely armchair you ask?

What are those buttons?

....well that would be some fabulous avocado colored vinyl, and those buttons would be the controls for this vibrating armchair. After a long day of Sea-doing and boating, this chair was such a fantastic place to sit and relax and have your muscles massaged, oh and don't worry if you haven't completely dried off from the lake, this chair is waterproof so just wipe off the water residue from your bathing suit when you are finished with your massage.

This chair, and house, make me kind of sad that I missed the 70s by 6 years....

Making some changes...

2009-04-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

Bear with me....I'm playing around with my title block and text colors. It doesn't look quite right yet....Let me know what you think.

Hotel in Sigtuna, Sweden & long tangent.

2009-04-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

I found this Swedish hotel on Remodelista and I just love interiors! Great mix of traditional Swedish design and mid-century pieces...

Love this room! Simple, but cozy and relaxing, which is just what you want at a hotel!

I have a weird fascination with staircases....and I love this one. I like the simple curve and nice seating area that fits perfectly in the little nook.

Original molding=love...and how cute are those cubbies?

I always wanted a toilet like this when I was young. Is that weird? Strange necessity for an 8 year old. I think there was a toilet like this at The Kellogg House in Santa Ana, Ca. I LOVED going there....even had my 9th--I think-- birthday party there. They dressed us up in Victorian clothes (even though I had already dressed up in my own accurate Victorian outfit, down to the bloomers, prior the party, yes I was that kid who loved to play dress-up on a daily basis). After we dressed up we danced in the parlor while listening to music from an old phonograph. Afterwords, we had cake and tea under a pretty gazebo in the garden. I think this was one of my favorite themed birthday parties, hard to choose a favorite because they were all so great. I had everywhere from a "Free Willy" party to an "I Spy" party, where I sent the invitations as puzzle pieces in an envelope and you had to put the puzzle together to read the invite. I have to say, my mom was the greatest childhood party planner...

The Kellogg House

I can see that the toilet brought me on a very long tangent....strange what a toilet can make you think of.