Road Trip

Last night around 8 pm I wrapped the visual displays for the California Gift Show, (which starts tomorrow) and got home just in time to catch the last 20 minutes or The Bachelor. I'm excited to share the displays with you later this week, but for now here are some snippets of my two best friends and I road tripping up to Utah to spend time with my brothers and my aunt, and also, so that I can attend Alt Summit (a design blogger conference).

Our original plan was to fly, but we quickly remembered that there are fewer things in life better than a good old fashion road trip, so we decided to trek 10 hours in the car and stop whenever our little hearts desired or our eyes saw something cool on the side of the road.

Let's Build a Room / 01

2012 is (hopefully) going to be full of getting back to basics. There's something about putting a room together that puts a huge smile on my face. And as it is my profession, as well as my passion, I'm going to stay more focused on developing myself as a designer and sharing this growth with you throughout the year.

Soon I will be sharing with you some of my favorite projects that I completed in 2011, but I'm also going to start putting virtual rooms together specifically for my design journal. Here is the first installment: a room inspired by the artwork of Greek artist Konstantin Kakanias found here.

Lately I've been interested in single rooms that serve mutliple purposes, such as: a family room with a craft corner or game table, an office with a space for client meetings, or in this case a living room with a small work area. Learning how to find pieces that work together to create these multi-functional spaces is especially important for those of us living in smaller spaces, such as studio apartments, or a home with only one living space.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

Ink & Paper

January consists of getting the visual displays ready for the California Gift Show and splitting my time between Orange County and downtown Los Angeles. (Not to mention that my favorite TV shows are coming back from the winter break.) That doesn't leave a whole lot of time for me to find great blog content, so I get really excited when someone (in this case my little brother, thanks Jeff!) emails me something that they know I will love and that I can in turn post about. 

I almost started tearing up when Gary says, "couldn't pay the bill". I love that he loves paper enough to continue running a business that obviously doesn't have a very big pay off. I place a lot of value on unique paper and letterpress printing; this video makes me want to run out and support these 2 unique businesses. Come to think of it, I actually am due for new business cards and stationery...

McManus & Morgan Inc.

Aardvark Letterpress

My Definition of Classic

There are certain things that were never in style, contrary to popular belief (Lay-Z-Boy recliners, carpeted living rooms, those miniature backpacks circa 1995).  Then there are other things that are super cool one minute, and then so out of date the next (gray stained wood flooring, glass back splash tile, perms, anything from Z Gallerie). And lastly, there are things that were fabulous 50 plus years ago that are still just as fabulous today (marble, Mid-Century design, exposed cabinet hinges, chesterfield sofas, painted and non-painted brick) . As an interior designer, I feel like it is my responsibility to know the difference when specifying furnishings for my clients. While it's okay to add a little bit of trendy here and there, I like to keep it to things that can easily and inexpensively be swapped out if that fad fades in the next year or so (e.g. pillows, table top accessories, accent tables and chairs). I try to specify classic elements for the main pieces in a space to keep the look sophisticated and just a little bit timeless.

Every time I see a photo of Hans Wegner's wishbone chair (designed in 1944) I always think about how classic it looks. Definitely a chair that will never go out of style; it fits perfectly into any modern setting, or throw it in to a traditional space to mix things up.

top / middle / bottom

Art Is Always Inspiration

I came across a lot of interesting artists while cruising through the MOMA in NYC, many of which were new to me. Every time I visit a new exhibit in a museum or gallery, visit a new webpage, or pick up a new art book...it seems like there is another noteworthy artist that I want to catalog away in my mind. Each of the artists that catch my eye are talented and unique in his/her own way and I try so hard to remember their distinct style and technique, along with their name and country of origin. There are so many to keep track of that it is near impossible for me to remember every single artist that I admire. Thankfully I have a camera phone and internet bookmarks to help keep them all straight.

1 Ben Vautier / 2 Lazlo Moholy-Nagy / 3 Niele Toroni / 4 Cy Twombly