How 'Bout That Office...

Lonny is out (as if you didn't already know) and I have to put up Kelly Wearstler's office, if for no other reason than sheer awe and good juju. That woman is a force, a pure storm of mogul-power: design, bedding, accessories and now fashion. But her office is major, not like I would have expected less. This is the stuff designer dreams are made of because I think all of us go to bed at night with thoughts of something even an 1/8th (a 1/16th?) of what she has built.

I once read in Town & Country (I think?) what her favorite things were and in addition to glam bags and books, she was asked what she snacked on: "Seaweed and Fresh Fruit."

To this day it is a running joke on the job whenever the phrase "I want to be Kelly Wearstler" is muttered, because the answer is always the same: "We won't be. We will never reach for seaweed and fruit."

But I digress, her office is stellar and confirmed rumor has it she has been working on a large project on Mercer Islaaahhnd (as my brother-in-law pronounces it). Rumor also has it among the crew that she is a peach to work with and yes, I asked... she does bring her own snacks.

And the Award for Most Improved Male Goes to...

This picture is hysterical, they both look so miserable!

I have to share a story of progress this morning because it makes me laugh. I mention my sister on this blog once in a while because we spend many days together working on projects, as she is also a designer and, let's face it, it's way more fun to oogle over a fabric with someone rather than alone. But this morning she comes in to work laughing over a story that makes me want to hand out an award to her boyfriend as a gift for the male gender. Two things earned him this prestige:

1. He came home last night with flowers for her for no reason.

And more importantly:

2. While watching House Hunters (yes, but during the PAC-10 Tournament timeouts), he says "I don't know if I like wood kitchen cabinets anymore. They're just never the right color."

Cue my sister doing a standing ovation on the inside, but trying to keep it together enough not to scare him. I should paint a little more of a picture by saying that this guy is not a metro, artsy type -- he is a basketball playing, stock analyzing, guy's guy.

Who no longer appreciates wood cabinets, because as he says, the color is just never right :)

Update: Thanks to all for the comments! You made us laugh and gave some positive reinforcement to our young student :)

A Round-Up of Finds

I've been painting some sconces for a client, so as I sit down to get some desk work done my paint-covered hands keep catching my eye. But, it got me thinking that I have run across some great products lately that are worth knowing about and it also gets me thinking that there are some cute little internet finds out there that sure seem worth talking about for spring (if this Seattle rain EVER STOPS!!)

EmersonMade has been all over the bloggosphere lately because of her awesome house. And I'm becoming a fan of her stuff, so effortless and let's face it, she models all her clothing and she looks like a pro doing it -- she is super cute. But this sweater and dahlia combo makes me wish I went to my "ladies who lunch" functions looking like this.

I need to start packing myself a lunch (ugh) because somehow I always find myself inconveniently out and about when I get hungry, and conveniently, right near a Starbucks or fast food place. It's a wonder I haven't keeled over from unhealthy eating lately. If I packed it in a baggu, maybe it would make the sad sandwich inside seem more interesting.

It's currently on my fingernails, but has anyone ever tried this line from Rustoleum? It's in the Universal line and the can sprays like an honest-to-god sprayer with a sqeeze-grip. Plus, I used the hammer finish and it is really cool looking. I'm in shock!

The color for spring they keep saying: nude. So I've got my eye on some little Tory Burch nude flats. I'm not going to be the girl in pumps for day, I've faced that fact, so maybe some of these adorable ballet flats will fit the bill.

My sister was on a road trip this weekend with girlfriends and all of them were raving about "The Beam." She uses a clarisonic, but the girls were saying this little red/blue light machine has been the cure to pesky adult breakouts and also reverses the signs of aging. She volunteers with college-aged girls who were using it for problem areas, but the red light can be used alone to increase collagen and reduces the appearance of wrinkles and redness. I have to say, I'm intrigued... anything to stop that clock!

Lastly, it's random but it makes me happy: iPhone covers on ebay. I took the plunge and invested a whole $1.99 in a matte gold iPhone 4 case in December and it's still going strong. It makes me happy every day and for $1.99 I feel like I cheated the system. AND I can always tell which phone is mine in the sea of smartphones.

A Closer Look: Banquette Seating

I've been taking longer looks at banquette seating lately for some projects, so I thought I'd share some of the images I've been percolating on.

I've always loved them and I think they are such a smart solution to so many casual eating areas. All at once they are functional and good looking and what I really love about them is the effortless transition they make from a place where your kid does homework at the kitchen table, to soft, cozy couch-like seating when I finally get to sit down and flip through a magazine with a glass of wine. I have hard chairs around my table and really, I don't want to sit in them. At. All. What I want are some pillows snuggled around me and a place to set my glass and glossy mag!

Another thing I've found is that both houses big and small have a use for banquettes. In small houses, usually the older ones that were built before the "great room" era, there isn't a place to have someone sit and chat with you while cooking. When my husband and I bought our first house in the city, we had a kitchen that was screaming for a banquette, but we weren't there long enough to do it -- it was on the bottom of a long list and then we moved. It was from 1911 and the kitchen was separate from everything else in the back of the house. How nice it would have been to create a little spot for people to hang out with the cook? In big homes, they have the ability to cozy up the joint -- counter-acting the hugeness of all our mega homes by adding in softness and the unexpected.

*All images on Decorpad or otherwise noted in the file name :)

Update: Builder to Custom

I hope you don't mind crappy iPhone photos, because on a jobsite, that's about as good as it gets! I managed to snap a few pictures of some of the recent progress that's been going on and I'm happy to say that a lot happened last week. Hooray!

Gosh I wish this photo was better -- hindsight is 20/20. You can see that the cabinets are in and that the statuary marble is up, but not grouted and the newly milled shiplap is installed on the back wall. We're breaking up the wainscotting that is everywhere so that the bathroom has a breather. Plus, wait until the mirrors are hung and the three sconces are up -- so excited to see it painted and installed.

The new wall that faces the keeping room off the kitchen. Remember what it looked like before? Such a huge transformation already. Shiplap has gone up above the custom fireplace and it also marries with shiplap that backs all of the built-ins.

And last, but certainly not least, a humble pic of what will be a not-so-humble kitchen. The new chandelier arrives any day that will go above the island and the cabinetry will be finishing up next week while the painters also get started (it's going to be a crazy week!). The second row of cabinets help fill the 15' ceilings and Thassos marble is waiting to be grouted. I'm so excited about this kitchen. The faucets went in on Thursday and seeing them sparkling against that Calcutta made me want to tear up! Is that sad? I can be totally unmoved by the saddest episode of Oprah, but give me a newly installed Perrin & Rowe faucet and I'll choke up! I guess it's something only a certain group of us would understand...?

Onwards to a busy week. Thanks for bearing with me on the lack of posts. I have been burning the midnight oil since the new year (a classic example, simultaneously ordering at the drive through while on the phone with marble yards -- it was confusing for all parties, trust me!) but it will mean lots more updates of various projects and some good stuff coming up.

Have a good weekend!

Before & After: The Truth, Ruth

The truth was, it was all awful:

"For the last several years, since the death of her husband, Dr. Ruth has been so self-conscious about the three-bedroom upper Manhattan apartment — where she has lived for over 50 years and where she raised two children — that she has rarely entertained... If you had walked into this apartment, you would have had me committed to Bellevue."

Gotta love Dr. Ruth -- she's hysterical, but I ran across the NYT article highlighting her recent apartment re-do with Nate Berkus and, WOW, I was shocked. What must have been going through Nate's head when he walked in, I don't know. But, what was great to read about was how accepting she was of the change. It's hard to go through that, and in a place that held so many memories too of times past.

The good news is that she went from this:

To this:

Amazing. I love it.

What makes it so great is how much they embraced the feminine (do I sound like a disciple of the good Doctor?) Nate brought in the pink and balanced it with the blues, and the positioning of the sofa in front of the bookcases is genius. It's such a huge transformation, but he was willing to go with it and as a designer, Nate didn't forget the things she really cared about, and in fact, he was able to bring them back to life for her.

Design well done.

Pink - The Color of the Year

Pantone declared Hot Pink the color of the year. Since then it's showing up in all the shelter magazines and blogs. A reader asked me if it's really a color for the home or if it's just a fashion accent color, so I thought I'd dedicate a post to the answer.

Hot pink is actually a great happy/mood-boosting color. If you've been reading me, you know that I'm a big believer in neutral foundations and using your favorite color as an accent or pop. That way when you get tired of it, it's easy and inexpensive to switch out. Well, hot pink can actually act as a neutral if you pick a shade that's saturated and sits down or is dirty (meaning not a bright day glow pink - there's nothing neutral about a fluorescent pink). Then, it just becomes the canvas or background for the pieces you want to be the focal point of the room.

Alessandra Branca uses hot pink and chocolate in a living room to create drama and warmth.

A hot pink entry via House Beautiful

One of my favorite bedrooms. The glamour of the hot pink, mirrored bed, pale pink bedding and brown Schumacher fabric.

Windsor Smith's hot pink living room.

Jonathan Alder's medium pink entry. Could live without the giraffe, but it's perfect for his brand.

And if Hot Pink is too much of a statement for you, Pale pink can act as a neutral as well.

Image via Traditional Home

Image via Gary McBournie. Love this pale pink, white and chocolate room. It's so soothing and romantic.

Hello headboard...

Jan Showers uber romantic pink and lucite room.

Sophisticated yet fun pale and hot pink room via Cote de Texas. Now this is the way to do a little girls room that will grow with her.

And if you don't like pink enough to paint your entire room, then you can bring it in via accent pillows or pieces. The color makes the room pop and gives it a sense of whimsy. I'm actually loving it as way to bring a little spring into your house right now.

Windsor Smith using a salmon pink as her accent. Lovely and unexpected.

Sara Richardson's hotel room for Breast Cancer awareness.

Love this white and pink room. So fresh. And again, when you don't like it anymore you just have to replace the pillows and drapes. Okay, and paint the cabinet. But this person obviously loves pink or doesn't mind switching color palettes every couple years.

A hot pink throw is an easy and affordable way to bring the color in.

A touch of hot pink on the back of a chair in an otherwise neutral room. An inexpensive pop that makes the room interesting.

Palmer Weiss's hot pink day bed in a neutral cream and blue room.

Palmer Weiss's using pink and citrine. Fabulous.

Massucco Warner Miller using pink as an accent in a yellow and brown room. Brings the room to life and makes it modern.

Hard to see in this picture, but Mary McDonald paints the ceiling of this blue room pink. This is my kind of master bedroom.

The master of Modern design, Kelly Wearstler paints her doorway Salmon pink and uses it as an accent in the entry.

Hot pink poufs make a dynamic statement in this room.

Traditional french chairs covered in hot pink faux leather. Image via House Beautiful.

A black and white office with a dose of hot pink from Elizabeth Martin.

A rustic yet glamourous room with chocolate and pink from Elizabeth Carney.

Amanda Nisbet's famous hot pink room. A classic.

So does bringing a little pink into your house feel a little less scary now? It's a great way to boost your mood and transform a room. And it's not just for little girls rooms - it's a very classic color when paired with other neutrals as an accent or used as the main color.

Now go forward and bring a little pink into your life. It might just make you smile.