Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

What Exactly is Eclectic?

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Courtesy of Anne Sage

If I had to define my style as an interior designer, I’d say I’m eclectic. But what does that really mean? In my mind, eclectic design is a colorful mix of periods and styles with the unifying themes being comfort and interest. To me, an all white home cannot be eclectic, but others would disagree. I also don’t think bohemian and eclectic are interchangeable words or styles because a bohemian style feels very ethnic or very period – say, 1960’s or 70’s. However, an eclectic space will have touches of bohemian in it. It will also have industrial, traditional, modern, contemporary, and ethnic in the mix but it will rarely be minimalist, although I’m sure it’s possible to do an eclectic-minimalist home.

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Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Roommate Style – Design Tips for Co-habitating

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Courtesy of Create H

The reality of being young and living in the San Francisco Bay Area is that you already have or probably will have, roommates. Paychecks are now smaller and harder to come by and spending on single-living-situations is a luxury not many can afford. Although rental prices have come down, they are still so much higher than they should be for far less space than we all need. Such is the conundrum of living in such an incredible and vibrant area. Pooling financial resources is the number one way singles are making a go of it.

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Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Fabulous Finds for the Budget Impaired

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Starlet Low Cabinet by The Second Revival

I love the space and time that we’re in when it comes to interior design. There has never been a moment like this one – a place where industrial, French, traditional, vintage, ethno-glamour, and minimalist can co-exist at auction, on fabulous web sites, and even in one home! While of course there are still firm believers in the mono-culture of specific design styles (mid-century modern anyone?) it’s an exciting time to be re-doing your space as there is so much amazing treasure out there to find!

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Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Sweet Inspirations

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The name of this blog is actually an homage to my favorite bakery in the whole world, Sweet Inspiration, in SF. There is nothing that a slice of their poppy seed cream cheese cake can’t solve – broken hearts, back taxes, lack of lovin’ – whatever it may be, they have a slice of cake for that! So on the subject of having something for everyone’s everything, I just came off of a full-throttle month of creativity that saw me making and buying new jewelry, painting furniture, sewing pillows, drawing garden plans and re-arranging the store.

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Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Helpful Hot Weather Design Tips

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One day it’s raining here in San Mateo, the next it’s 80 degrees. It’s been a strange season to navigate and prepare for. When the weather turns warm, I usually stock the shop with flowers that can withstand the heat. I don’t have a floral cooler here and I honestly wouldn’t want one. The reality is that if you take an arrangement from a floral cooler and bring it to your house – which is clearly room temperature (whatever that may be) – it’s a shock to the flowers. From here they go from normal to normal.

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Apartment 46, Good Design, Lovely Things

Lots and Lots of Lovely

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Though it can still be freezing cold outside and rain storms seem to come out of nowhere, I find myself believing that the warm days of summer are right around the corner. I’ve furthered this delusion by surrounding myself with gorgeous garden books, redoing the shop windows with wonderful Spring-timey things and blasting the heaters in the evening. The start of the year signaled that it was time to start with a clean slate – finish those languishing projects, fix those broken things, clean the closets, and of course, refresh the nest.

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Good Design, Lovely Things

This Winter’s Theme: Cool and Cozy

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My love affair with mid-century modern furnishings goes on and on. Although I don’t carry many pieces from that era in my store, when I find something that fits the vibe here, I add it to the collection. Such is the case with this pair of wonderful Danish stools! Covered in a removable New Zealand wool topper, they would look excellent under a sunny window, in lieu of a traditional coffee table, as foot stools for more contemporary chairs, or as impromptu seating in an eclectic space:

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