D.2.S. part 3

Since the big stuff is done now (paint and floors), now comes the fun part- I've been slowly getting rid of the furniture pieces that were left in the space. But two things have to stay- the couch and the mattress (because nobody wanted to actually move them and then find a way to get rid of them!) The big issue with the couch is that it has this pattern on it. It's not a horribly offensive pattern- it's subtle and neutral, but it is a little dated. So the question is: how can I make it work- how will it go with the new color of the cabinets?- should I just slip cover it and start fresh?
After some thought, I felt like there had to be a way to make the pattern work (since it really wasn't that bad,) and try to figure out a way to pull in the new cabinet color as well. Plus I just have never had good luck with slip covers (they never seem to fit right and I can't seem to find the colors I want), and of course, not using one would also save on unnecessary spending of money. My solution for these things is usually to find a "starting point" piece. One thing that either has all the colors needed, or something that sets the tone and then everything falls into place after this one piece is placed in the room. Strangely for me, this piece usually ends up being a pillow! This case was no exception. I went to various stores in the area looking for ideas and finally went to Kohls. I found this orange pillow from their Apt. 9 collection ("Helix" Oblong pillow and it was on sale!). It totally gave me the "a ha!" moment. I felt the orange-y red would work well with the cabinets, and also the shape and print works well with the couch. It also gave me inspiration for something to cover the mattress in the bedroom. I then found a nice comforter set (on clearance too! woo hoo!) that came with a bedskirt and some shams, which would help bring in the colors into the next room. Here's a shot of how it flows from one room to the next. Oh, and I also bought some cheap curtains from IKEA, which helped camoflage the weird placed window in the bedroom. Finally I found a nice piece of artwork and another accent pillow from Homegoods, and I feel like i'm pretty close to being done. Here's some shots of how the colors are working from one room to the next so far. I've been bringing Pepé with me on these trips to the condo, and let me just say, he has been absolutely no help whatsoever.I guess the final steps now are to find some lighting to replace some of the fixtures and finish cleaning up some other details... stay tuned...

Style Editor: Vanessa Colyer Tay - Part 2

Last month I had the pleasure of asking Inside Out's, Vanessa Colyer Tay a few questions about being a Style Editor. Check out her answers here. She was so kind to send over some of her favorite images and also included some fun commentary for each shot:

"Taking inspiration from the streets, don't you just love the classic wingback form illustrated with edgy graph work, making something new out of something old, yet it's timeless.
"The New York map on the wall is a floor mat, way too cool to walk on!"

"The Timorous Beasties Sheer, what can I say- if you have it flaunt it! Isn't it amazing?"

"Black White and Bold is definitely a favourite palette."

"I love solidity in front of pattern. The clover chair here pops out as a feature instead of keeping to the cliché of "white is boring." "I'm a sucker for old fashioned toys and games, see the dominoes doubling as a coaster, adding a playful touch to the table, you like?""The Australian patriot in me has a thing for the ocean on sundown and fresh breezy air, this really was a joy to shoot. There were kayakers rowing past with puppies in the front seat, then they would pass by on the return trip with groceries. What a lovely way to do the shopping!""I did these Dwell Studio shots for their Australian market. If you haven't felt this range up close, I suggest you do- absolutely divine! Doing this shoot made me want kids, there are soooo many great kids pieces out there. Mind you, I have used a few of the Dwell baby cushions for grown ups, you're never too old."

Thanks again Vanessa for sharing these! (photos by Sam McAdam, Tim Robinson, and Craig Wall. All images provided by Vanessa Colyer Tay)

minimal

The latest minimal graphic fabulousness from PSB and design guru Farrow.

D.2.S. part 2

Wanted to give an update to my D2s- the painting and new flooring are done! What a difference! Wood laminate flooring used throughout the space. For the paint, we ended up painting all the walls a very neutral light tan (Dunn Edwards "Sandcastle" DEC740). The kitchen cabinets were an interesting story. To save time and energy, we went with just painting them, as opposed to refinishing. Since we were going to hire painters to do the walls, we figured they might as well do the cabinets as well, all in one shot. Originally, I had thought to paint them white, but then realized that since the appliances are "almond"- that would make them look even dingier. I decided that it would be better to go darker instead. Due to some random circumstances, my mom made the arrangements with the painter. I had told her to just choose a dark "chocolate brown", but somehow things got a little lost in translation. They ended up with "Cherry Cola"- which is a bit redder. When I finally got a chance to see the finished actual color in person- it turned out to be a different color all together than the swatch I saw. I have no idea what the end color was, but it was not Cherry Cola. However, I actually liked the mistake color better. Although it wasn't what I had originally envisioned, the new color looks more like cherrywood, and it really warms up the space. Since the walls were painted a light tan/beige, as HM reader Ali pointed out in her comment, it offset the almond, and neutralized everything. Next up was dealing with the couch and figuring out how to tie everything together. Stay tuned this week for the next part...

booooooom!

I've been spending all morning Booooooom-ing. Check it out if you haven't already!

bamboo pebbles

oooooh.. me likey! Bamboo pebbles! Available here.

wait... really?

I saw this fun quiz over at How about Orange- It's from Sproost, and it's "Find your decorating style." Now I thought I knew myself pretty well, but after taking the quiz, I was surprised to find that instead of what I thought would be a majority in the vintage modern or contemporary catagory, turns out I'm "rustic revival" and even a little "cottage chic"? Which is interesting because I have to admit that I've been finding myself more attracted to rustic designs as of late- After you take the quiz, they give you some product suggestions that match your results- and they are right- I love them all.

Of course the Gemini in me thought that I should take the test again, just to see- and interestingly enough- the second time they showed different images than the first one and my results were more with what I had assumed would have been the first time. And again, I love their suggestions as well. The "cottage" part still throws me off a little- but I guess, maybe I just need to admit to myself and embrace my inner cozy cottage-y-ness- what does it all mean? I don't know... (that I'm a schizo when it comes to design style?) Try it out here- would love to hear how your results match up to what you thought they'd be. (via How About Orange)

Stick Lighter by Tsubota Pearl

Modern, minimal, and awesome. Stick lighter by Tsubota Pearl- Available here.

DIY phonebook desk organizer

very clever idea! see how here- (via Chrisjob at Curbly)

funny shower caps

These shower caps made me laugh this morning- they'd be a fun gift to leave in the bathroom if you are having overnight guests. My favorite is the shark and the cat. Available here.

Efterklang- Mirador

seeing hearts

Such a simple idea, such amazing results! From Color Me Katie- She put a little cut out heart over her lens! I totally want to try- more here. (via Freepeople blog)

TGIF video break: Happy Up Here

by Röyksopp

Pacific Whey 50% off pastries?!

Speaking of donut holes (see previous post below) I just read that one of my local favorite eateries, Pacific Whey Cafe is offering 50% off all of their yummy yummy pastries from 3:00pm till closing each day. OMG. what time is it?! step aside i'm coming through. (their espresso chocolate cookies are 2 die 4.) (via OC register)

CB2 in LA?!

I just saw on my CB2 catalog that they're opening a store in LA this spring! woo hoo! I had heard they were considering opening one in OC as well- hopefully that is still in the works- (I still have some money left on my gift card from my entry in the AT contest a few years back...) By the way- I'm totally loving these glazed ceramic rocks. They remind me of mini glazed donut holes...

D.2.S. part 1

As I mentioned previously, I'm working on staging a condo (ie. "Designed To Sell"). It's a really small one bedroom and is currently time warped circa 1985. It's got good bones, but in it's present state, not such a pretty sight. A few things have to stay- unfortunately part of it is the appliances, which happen to be a lovely shade of "almond." The appliances themselves are actually still in excellent condition, but the cabinets are a weird shade of wood that isn't dark or light enough to keep as is. The carpet definitely needs to be replaced. You can't really tell from the pictures but there's also popcorn ceiling that needs to be scraped off. Then there's the small weird detached bathroom vanity sink that has this awful fluorescent fixture that blocks the medicine cabinet from opening all the way. I also have to keep the couch and the bed (though I'm nixing the headboard). I'm getting rid of all the other pieces. (anyone in OC want a wood desk, white dresser, or dining set?)So, those are our "before" shots. What would you guys do? I know first up is removing the popcorn ceiling and re-painting. Stay tuned...

Blue Munday: floating flower candles

Relaxing image and simple decor idea! Metal tray available from here.

weekend update

Today was a little nerve-racking. Pepé generally sleeps with me in the bed, but this morning, I randomly woke up early and immediately noticed he was not there. I went into my living room and he was in his little bed there- but I then noticed a nice little pile of vomit next to it. Nice. Then I noticed by his water bowl- another pile, and a small poopy. Needless to say, I completely freaked out. A little while later, he threw up again, but this time it was more of the yellow/white frothy bile-esque looking. Apologies for those reading this during their lunch break. Anyway, long story short, the poor guy was wiped out the whole day. Very lethargic. Didn't want to do anything except sleep. I was really worried, but eventually, by the end of the day, he seemed to be feeling better. I don't know what happened. He probably ate something he wasn't supposed to. Kids, I tell ya. Here's Pepe, being an un-happy camper:This weekend I'm going to be working on a little decorating project that is somewhat bittersweet. A dear aunt of mine passed away during the most recent holidays and consequently, my family has been sorting out the aftermath (settling finances, clearing out her condo, etc...) Now it's come to the point where they'd like to sell her place. They asked me to help them with it because it's in dire need of some upgrading before they can sell it. Basically I have to "stage" it- which I've never actually done before. It requires me to decorate in a more generic way, so as to make the place appeal to a broader market. I'm going to have to put aside a lot of my own personal style, but it will be fun to do something (I wouldn't normally do. If any of you have experience with staging, any tips would be greatly appreciated!) Another challenge is that I have a very very limited budget and have to work with some existing pieces. But I'm excited to give it a go- I'll post up some of the before shots and keep you posted on the progress.

I hope you all are enjoying the weekend!

TGIF video break: Bubblicious

Bubblicious from Rex The Dog on Vimeo.

Treat Bowls by Camilla Hounsell Halvorsen

Here's a little "treat"- Camilla transforms old lampshade frames and uses cotton yarns to make beautiful bowls (she calls them "Treat". They can be made in many different colors and each is handmade. More info at her etsy shop. Be sure to check out her website to see her other work, like this "Drop" chair- Love the beautiful colors and all using recycled materials.