Flipping through the latest issue of Elle Decor I came across the new Restoration Hardware ad campaign. They’ve taken a new direction and that’s good, however, I think someone drank too much of the Kool-Aid with respect to the “industrial” bent of the room styling.
Fabulous Finds for the Budget Impaired
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!
Autumn’s Warmth and Wonder
Autumn has become my most favorite time of year. The weather isn’t yet unbearably cold, Halloween is on its way, evening hot cocoa outside seems right, and the Flower Mart is brimming with amazing gourds, branches, and gorgeous Fall blooms. When it comes to flower selection, it doesn’t get any better in my opinion. Brides who choose Fall for their wedding have so many magical options.
Collecting the Melancholy
Sometimes when I wake up I’m hit with a wave of melancholy that comes out of nowhere. I stare out my bedroom window and watch the clouds go lazily by and I get this sense of anxiety about how much of the world is out there and how much I have yet to see and how many people I have yet to meet and…It’s hard to come back down to earth and center myself on the things that matter right now, today.
Finding Tiny Joys
Today an artist friend stopped by in hopes of brightening her mood. Although the weather is gorgeous, and things are relatively okay, things just seemed a little overwhelming and out of nowhere the dread crept in. I’m happy we were here for her to lose herself in. I have those days. When nothing feels “right” and I start to despair, I try to surround myself with people and things that I know make me feel safe, warm, and in a beautiful place – emotionally and physically.
This time of year, when the evenings are still warm and the sun doesn’t set right away, I like to sit in the garden and observe the life outside. It’s tiny joys like this that can lift my spirits, put things back in perspective, and give me the energy to try again tomorrow.
Refresher Course
As I do each year, I am working on ways to keep the Apartment 46 boutique fresh and updated. I’ve been repainting trim, re-arranging (which you know I am obsessed with), and I’ve finally decided that yes, friends, I will be painting words on the awning outside the store – finally!
All the Little Things
As usual we’ve been up to loads of creative things – finishing gardens, furniture restoration, art projects, preparing for Miranda’s 16th birthday, attending the Lady Gaga concert, curating for the shop – I have to say, it looks and smells beautiful in our design studio!
Helpful Hot Weather Design Tips
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.
More is More…Or Not
Like anyone in a service related industry, I don’t often do for myself what I do for others – as in, the shoemaker’s children have no shoes. In fact, my own home and garden are more like aesthetic laboratories than bastions of great design. I’m fascinated by magazine articles featuring designer’s homes if for no other reason than I can’t believe they actually finished their homes.
Who Are You?
The other day I had a heavenly Caligula moment. I was indulging myself in anything and everything involving design. I went to the local bookstore and filled my arms with every imaginable publication – from designing southern style mansions to decorating tiny big city apartments. Flipping through the pages it’s easy for me to decide which ones are worth taking home. If even one picture deeply inspires me, I buy it.