New House Inspiration

Aaron Hom

We picked out paint colors (it was epic) for the house and it should be all painted by the end of the week (except for the kitchen which I plan to paint either a dark grey or black and will do myself so that the landlords don't freak out right away). Here are some of the images I was pulling from for inspiration.

Overall I wanted to keep the walls a nice soft grey, darker in the dining room, kitchen and master bedroom (which is by no means master sized) so that I can throw in colorful accessories for an accent but will have nice contrast between the wood floors, grey walls and white trim. it's the quickest I've ever chosen colors for an entire house. Normally I agonize, but I'm getting a lot faster at decision making and knowing what I want. I also know it's just paint ;)

Domino Magazine

Live Well Designs (Kyle Schuneman)

Jessica Helgerson via Design Sponge
Cannot Remember!

Domino

Small Space Style in Venice

Found these pictures over on A Cup of Jo and just love them. These images are the reason that I loved living in venice. Small spaces done just right. A little euro and a little fun. If I could live with this little stuff and that much space and order all the time I would. Alas, it's basically physically impossible since I love things and need stuff like 5 cake stands.

A funny aside is that I sent this to my dad and it turns out that the studio belongs to a friend of his. Small World!

If you're interested i renting it for a week at a time and spending some quality time in venice, check out the details. And if you do, tell him that Laure sent you. Then I'll give you all my tips for hanging out in Venice.

What about you? Would you be able to live in such a small space and keep it neat?

Happy New Year!

Wow, what a vacation! Lots of time to think and plot and plan. I have some new work happening early this year (including 2 shoots this week) and hope to carve out time to expand my freelance writing, do a really awesome small space makeover and launch a new and improved photo site.

One of the highlights of vacation was getting to spend time with old friends a couple of days ago. We spent a long time admiring Thea's parents' vegetable garden.

Here's to growing an abundant life in 2010!

Modernist Gingerbread Houses

All day I felt like it was starting to look a lot like Christmas. I made some homemade chai this morning (just boil cloves, cardamom and cinammon sticks on the stove for about 10 minutes and add a bit of loose leaf green tea at the end. Then add a splash of milk and some sugar) and then let the spices boil on the stove for a while. It filled the house with a really christmasy smell. Plus it's cold outside, like colder than it's been this year. So I want to stay at home and nest and wrap presents and make gingerbread houses like these Modernist Ones on Apartment Therapy.

Distrito Capital Hotel by Joseph Dirand

I'm loving the simple palette and geometry of this hotel in Mexico designed by Joseph Dirand via the contemporist. Joseph Dirand and Landa Arquitectos have done a bunch of impressive hotels that balance simplicity with warmth and a touch of something rustic. Especially love this restaurant. The grey walls have so much texture that the interiors feel warm and cozy despite being totally minimal. Also, I'm completely jonesing to go on a road trip or an extended vacation. Or become a house wife. I want some time to swim in the internet looking at beautiful things and then still have time to go out and make my home a reflection of all the things I love. Who's with me?

Moments in the sun

She's been doing a lot of sleeping in the sun. I pet her, she does her best to purr. These are the moments I will remember. I love seeing her giant ears backlit by the sun. I love the fawny color of her fur. I love that she lets me cradle her head in my hand and then shows me where she wants me to pet her. I will miss her enormously.

Update: I let her go today. Thanks for all the kind words. It does actually help.

Entryway update

The other night Abby gave me a pep talk (something along these lines) and I took what she said to heart. I need to make this place in Pasadena my own. I need to nest and I need to feel like I like how things look around me. So I started rearranging and I started with the entry. If you remember, it was looking like this. Using things we already owned I put this together (not entirely true, I bought the boxes ad the rug at Ikea) and feel much happier overall. Though it made me realize what I really really would like to see.


A narrower credenza or table that leaves room for a giant basket for all the shoes or a chair to sit on with hooks above for my purse and the backpacks. Yes. that would be perfect. But for now, this is a huge improvement.

What to do with the entryway

Our entryway is currently a disaster. This is it 'cleaned up'. Normally it is completely overflowing with backpacks, jackets, shoes and...stuff. I'm on a mission to put something together that feels nice when you walk in. This feels not so nice. I bought the MOlger Benches from Ikea thinking I could do something like this image:

Don't know if you can tell, but it isn't working at all like that.

Then I bought a bunch of hooks thinking I could just add a clean row of hooks above the benches, but I'm not so sure anymore. So before I go running around town trying to find anything else, I'm taking a step back and considering what some 'ideal' options would be so that I have more of a vision for the space.

For one thing I think I completely overlooked the importance of hiding half the stuff in some kind of credenza. I haven't moved by Torsby Credenza from my place yet, but it might be the perfect solution: white, simple, clean:


If it was something like that, then there's the possibility of a little display area for a piece of art, a plant, a bowl for keys. Oh and the mail:





I also love the Eames hooks. Don't know if they'd really fit anywhere, but they are great. All these images are from apartment therapy except for the poster which you can buy at Supermarket.

Then maybe if there's enough space left over once the Torsby or some other credenza is in place then I could add this coatrack for the backpacks, etc.



As for the poor Molger benches, I was thinking they could move outside to hold plants on the balcony...

Cleaned Up

I've been staying with the bf for a while but wanted to snap a picture of my old place before I move out completely. Here it is cleaned up (thanks to having moved a lot of stuff out). It's sort of coming together (which is classic since I'm moving).

I'm also noticing that even thought I keep getting rid of things, I still have so much stuff around. I think I just need more storage or baskets or something to wrangle all the magazines and clippings and mail. It tends to sit on that coffee table until I do something with it.

Happy Weekend

Hope you spend some time looking at something beautiful.

I'm going to see if I can have an internet-free (ish) weekend and spend some time interacting with other human beings and catching up on some sleep.

Garden Babysteps

I got my garden planted! Remember what it used to look like?


My mom helped with choosing drought tolerant grasses and succulents and also low maintenance plants. I'm excited to see hoe it grows and fills in. And planting it inspired me to rake out all the old leaves that were in the decomposed granite. Once I did that, I realized that, really and truly, the deck needed some help.



Here it is in its blue shame. It got the wrong color painted on it back in the day and has been languishing ever since. It basically became a place to put stuff i was considering getting rid of. Not good. So step 1: I decided to give it a new coat of paint and that I would go for a taupe-y beige so that it would be light and clean. I also thought it would be a bit more seamless with the color of the ground in the garden.

Here it is with a coat of paint. Obviously it needs another and I need to figure out what to do with the walls and the benches, but it's already such a huge improvement. I feel my momentum building. Glad it's still hot in LA, I can have people over!

To Each His Home

"I wanted to photograph the unmade bedm the sink full of dishes - evidence of human presence. I wanted to take this interest further and document not only how people personalize their homes unintentionally, by simply using their space, but also how people do this in a much more intentional and considered way."

A quote from the intro to the fantastic book To Each His Home.




It's the kind of book that makes me jealous. Why didn't I think of this? Beautiful photographs, incredibly charming homes with giant plants and incredible collections.

5 Things Fall Makes Me Think Of

Inspired by Audrey's post I started thinking about how much I love Fall. And where I am the air is just starting to turn. The days are warm, the nights are crisp and the leaves are just beginning their descent into sleep.

5 thing autumn makes me want to do right now:

1. Make a crumble.
2. Go for a walk outside in the crisp air
3. Start wrapping things up for the year
4. Buy a new scarf and comfy sweater
5. Find a fireplace and sit and read by it

What do you want to do?

I Get to Decorate a New Home

OK, wish me luck everyone, this weekend I am embarking on a giant project. My bf is moving into a new house and I get to fill it with stuff! On a shoestring. Like a tiny shoestring to fill a 3 bedroom house. I have hardly been able to sleep I'm so excited.

So my plan: beg, borrow and steal as much furniture as possible (only slightly kidding), then it's all about craigslist. I have 2 tables, a sofa, an expedit bookcase, and a twin mattress all lined up to pick up this weekend for under $500. And they're awesome. After I spray paint them.

I also get to put together some little girls' rooms.

Overall I'm going for simple, homey but still an edge of modern. And I'm going to try to do it all for under $1,500. I have time to finish out the details, just need to get it semi functional this weekend.

Restrictions: we can't paint. Damn. We have to limit how many holes go in the walls. Damn. But that's it.

Tips welcome!

Chez Larsson Organizing Tips

I'm so excited that Benita of Chez Larsson has shared her organizing tips with all of us. See her top tips and more pictures of her house right here.

Where it all began

Going through some old scrap books I ran across this picture of me in my mom's apartment in Paris before we moved back to California. No wonder I like modern interiors.

If you're a regular, then you're familiar with this apartment which was in the same building. We lived there before this one.

We still keep in touch with the people that bought it from my mom. They keep it minimal and it's totally impressive because they've lived like this for years and years, they don't just hide things when people come over.

Update: Sorry guys, the people that live there asked that I take down the photos.

More Clean White Beds

From Cafe Du Monde. Styling by Emma Casi.


youareyourown flickr


FleaCircus flickr


amishas flickr


Jia Hotel in Hong Kong