The kitchen is probably, okay definitely, my favorite room in the house. I love nothing more than cranking up some music and baking the afternoon away (well, when it’s below 100-degrees that is!). It’s a great stress reliever and it always feels good to share the bounty that comes out of the oven. At least my pants feel that way.
It’s only taken me 5 years, 1 month to make my guest room legit. As in there is a mattress that doesn’t involve the act of filling it with air, there is art on the walls, there’s a bedside table. Like I said, legit. I couldn’t be more excited to be able to comfortably host guests in my home now!
Now brass isn’t normally my thing, but this headboard is special. It was my step-grandmother’s. I toyed with the idea of antiquing it or maybe spray painting on a bright color, but when I found out how much she paid for it I just couldn’t bring myself to do any of those things. Once the room started coming together and I brought the headboard in I was glad I had left it alone, the brass brings a nice brightness that helps balance out the navy walls.
This room isn’t very large, maybe 12′ x 12′. It could have accommodated a queen sized bed but I went with a double. For how often it will be used I valued the extra walking space more.
A lot of what’s in here has been repurposed form elsewhere in my house. The bedside lamp was once upon a time on my desk, the coatrack used to be in the house I grew up in, the bench was at the end of my hallway. The only furniture I bought was the small bedside table.
On the bench I stacked some of my favorite books for guests’ to flip through and also set out a small carafe of water with glasses and a towel. The Buddha used to be on my bedside table, but I just loved the way he stood out against the navy wall and decided to relocate him.
I love the brightness this piece of art brings to the room, the light grey bedding as well. This secretary desk was my Dad’s when he was a kid and I really like the way it balances out the warm wood of the bench and coatrack on the opposite side of the room. I also set out a jewelry tree and small bowl for guests to place their belongings when they wind down at night for bed.
Last but not least is the amazing light fixture that replaces the awful ceiling fan that used to be in its place. It’s the perfect size for the space, and the glass balls look like they have tiny filaments throughout.
I’m still planning on mounting a few floating shelves painted in the same navy as the walls above the bench, they’ll make a nice home for my small colored glass vessel collection. I’d also like to find a nice floor length mirror to prop against the wall opposite the bed, I think it will help open the space up more. As you know, decorating is a never-ending process! I’ll be sharing more specifics about the different pieces in the room through the week.
You all know how I feel about Alt Design Summit. It’s through this yearly conference that I’ve met some of my best friends, grown as a business, and networked my butt off. It’s given me a lot. But the masterminds behind it all realize that you might not be able to get to Salt Lake City every January, or to their one-day conferences in NYC or San Francisco. And that’s why they’ve created an amazing 3-day online conference – Alt For Everyone! I attended the first one a few months ago (virtually, of course) and have to say that I took away TONS of great information. Maybe even more than when I’m in SLC because I was much more focused with it being just me and my laptop.
The first iteration of Alt For Everyone did so well that another one is taking place at the end of September, and I’m happy to share that I’ll be teaching a case study on Design Crush! My class will be taking place Friday, September 27th at 10:45am PST. You can see the full September 2013 schedule and register with a few clicks.
In my class I’ll be sharing what I did to take Design Crush to the next level. The easy action steps you can take that add up, as well as the failures I’ve experienced on this six year journey. If there’s anything you’re extra curious about I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
Enamelware is some of my favorite to use in the kitchen, the look and the heft of it just feel good. The two-color dipped forms by Sarah Wiener for REISS make me so ridiculously happy. I have a feeling they would not only make me bake (even) more, but they’d also never be hidden away in a dark cabinet! Each piece is dipped and glazed by hand by the Austrian company, making every one unique and leaving your hungry for more.
This Boxcar Planter looks like it was made for a sunshine-filled windowsill or as a centerpiece for a long table. Each piece comes with a metal insert to grow your own little succulent plants to keep the wood in tip-top shape. Every planter is made to order in Joe Gibson‘s Portland workshop.
If you follow me, Anne Sage, and/or Joanna Hawley on Pinterest, you may have noticed a new board that unites our feline-crazed minds. That’s right, we banded together to embrace the idea of the crazy cat lady! On our Cat Ladies Unite board you’ll find fashion, paper goods, literature, and photography. (All the highest of high brow, of course. Cough.) A few of my favorite pins are pictured above, because there’s no shame in loving your cat more than your dignity.
Photographer Bobby Doherty‘s images are super saturated, hyperrealistic, and brilliant. I love when an artist takes an ordinary everyday object and turns it into something more than it once was, could ever have hoped to have been. Doherty’s photographs have a digitally manipulated element to their creation, and begin to take on that painting-of-a-photograph look that I absolutely love.
Artist Andy Gilmore’s Nebula Series is perfectly kaleidoscopic and mesmerizing. The collection of six pieces of Gilmore’s work is centered around a theme and hexagonal foundation shapes, the result being a poetic and dreamy experience to view.
PS: Read about my pre-existing crush on Andy Gilmore.
