Holiday Table Giveaway!

Even though it was just one little table, this was one of the funnest projects that I've worked on this year. I had a great budget and a lot of creative freedom, that's what we call a designer's dream come true.

Caesarstone and the Interior Collective asked me to design a holiday table for their Design & Dine giveaway (enter here). I pulled metallic papers with animal-esque prints and crazy florals when I first starting gathering ideas and inspiration for the table, but then I happened upon this image (below) and I instantly knew this was the direction I wanted to go. As much as I try to go fun and funky with design, I almost always come back to something simple, sophisticated, and classic. I'm learning that it's ok to admire the fun and funky in others' designs, while still staying true to myself and what I do best. Even something as temporary as a holiday table setting still doesn't feel right to me if it's too trendy, even though it won't be around long enough to matter. It's a part of my natural aesthetic that I'm learning to just embrace.

As much as I would have loved to use real velvety foliage, it wouldn't exact preserve long enough to last the life of the giveaway and then be packed up and shipped to the winner, so the next best thing was a textured runner made out of grasscloth wallcovering in the same soft sage color.

I didn't want the table to be an in your face, plaid tablecloth, red and green type of scheme. I wanted it to be more subtle and elegant than that, but still be very obviously a "holiday" table. I achieved this by mixing a classic winter woodsy vibe (with the deer antlers, birch candles, and wood chargers) with the shimmer of the holiday season (with gold water goblets and gold star and bell ornaments).

Flowers are the staple of every event design. You can have nothing else but amazing florals and all is well. Likewise, you can have everything but florals and I am always left wanting. Even though the flowers, for reasons mentioned above, are not part of the giveaway, I refused to do a table without them, and fake floiage just isn't an option. The table is subtle and versatile enough to accommodate any number of flower combinations. I worked with Moon Canyon Design to create these asymmetrical, wild bouquets. I love the mix of white and black anemone with the red peonies and eucalyptus berries. This was the first time I hired out the floral design for any of my projects and I have to say that I loved how the collaboration turned out. Two heads are definitely better, and more interesting, than one.

The giveaway is going on for one more day and here is what you'll win:

1. Roll of grasscloth table runner in sage – Seabrook (1) and Linen table cloth – Pottery Barn (1)
2. Wood dinner plates/chargers – Crate & Barrel (6)
3. Salad plates – Royal Doulton (6)
4. Crystal wine goblets – Bohemia Royal Crystal (6)
5. Gold stemless goblets/candle holders (6)
6. Cotton napkins – Crate & Barrel (6)
7. Bleached deer antlers – Tin Can Boutique (6)
8. Birch wood tea light candle holders – Northwoods Wood Creations (6)
9. Medium stone flower container – Moon Canyon Designs (1) and Small stone flower containers – Moon Canyon Designs (2)
10. Gold porcelain star and bell ornaments, handmade – Jo Heckett (6)

The giveaway ends tonight at midnight and due to my major lack of a social media following, there have only been 12 entries so far so your chances are pretty good! Here is another link to enter: http://interiorcollective.com/giveaway/design-and-dine

Tina Turk Holiday Windows

I was asked by Trina Turk to design their holiday windows for nine retails stores across the country. When I began designing and submitted the first mock ups I was only given one day to completed them and I was told it should be based on an artist theme reminiscent of Trina's current look book and there wasn't any mention of holiday decor. Below are a copy of images from the look book that I love and used as inspiration for my first round of mock ups.

Here are my first mock ups of the project, followed by the "holiday" changes made for each store.

A mix of easels and ladders. Dripping paint cans stacks on risers around the mannequins to extend the art theme.

A mix of easels and ladders. Incorporating one large piece of modern art as a backdrop in the center. Paint cans stacked up around mannequins to extend the theme and bring the window together.

Artist ladders splattered in paint and hung by chains as an open backdrop.

Paint cans dripping in paint and hung by rope at varying heights.

In the end they decided that they did in fact want the window to have a holiday feel so my bright and bold "Trina" color palette was changed to red, gold, and silver. There were a lot of different departments and people weighing in on the window designs, so things got changed quite a bit from my original vision, but it was still a really cool project to part of.

Below is their final selection for the window design and the holiday color changes.

It was the first time I had designed window displays based solely on dimensions and images without ever visiting the windows in person to gage exact perspective and proportion. Originally I was only in charge of designing and sourcing the materials, but in the end I was doing all of the painting, cutting, pasting, tying, and drilling. It was strange not being able to create inside the windows themselves or to be the one to place everything and style it all as it was meant to be. Instead, everything that I designed and created was shipped off to their respective stores to be installed by someone else. Fingers crossed that the windows turned out ok!

One Year (day one)

It feels like our first year of marriage has flown by and at the same time I can hardly remember what it was like to not be married to Kyle. Planning and executing my own wedding in less than three months was a lot of fun, but also something I wouldn't ever do again. It made for a crazy fall, but it turns out I love being my own client. Although there are a lot of things I would have done differently (i.e. asked for more help along the way and hired a day of coordinator) I'm really happy with how it all turned out and am excited to share it with you. 

Our wedding took place on two different days and this post highlights day one. Kyle and I were married on November 9, 2012 in the Mormon temple in Los Angeles. I  love that building for so many reasons and I was so happy to be married there. Next up was lunch with our closest friends and family at the nearby restaurant Fundamental L.A. It was the perfect size to rent out the whole place for 30 people and the food was pretty amazing. We rented it out based solely on its minimalist modern interior and had never eaten there before that day. They were so easy to work with and the food was perfect. Stay tuned for post #2 featuring the reception, which is where all of the fun design and styling took place. 

Marriage Ceremony Location: Los Angeles Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Lunch: fundamental L.A.

Dress: Encore by Watters

Veil: Shawnie Sherie 

Suit: J Crew

My Brother's Backyard Wedding

This past summer both of my brother's got married a month apart from each other and both married girls who they met through my sister and I, which meant that we pretty much got the best sisters-in-law on the planet. It was such a fun summer as every weekend Kyle and I would drive down to Orange County from our LA apartment and stay with the rest of our family in the house my older sister rented out for the summer in Corona Del Mar. There was a lot of swimming, hot tubbing, eating, card playing, laughing, and of course wedding planning going on - all top on my list of favorite things to do. I love helping with weddings of friends and family, but it's especially fun when they have as much style as my new sisters-in-law.

Here are some beautiful shots by Eliza J. Photography of my older brother's backyard wedding. All of the designing and planning was done by the bride, Ali Brinkerhoff (now Stiles), and I took care of the floral design and overall placement and styling of the wedding on the day of (with the help of a whole bunch of other awesome people). Ali is one of the most giving and caring people I know and it was such an honor to help her out on her big day.

Ali & Garrett hand wrote personal notes to each of their 200 guests. Yep, they're pretty awesome.

My Dad is the handiest person I know. He made boxes similar to the ones used at my wedding. Ali wanted them left raw and branded with an "S." 

My sister Melissa is known for her mini lemon bundts. I believe they also made an appearance at her own wedding as favors. 

I loved these table numbers that Ali found at Bhldn. Cakes by Susie Cakes.

All photos taken by Eliza J. Photography and found here.

Corona Del Mar Den

In some lovely twist of fate a writer over at Newport Beach Magazine stumbled across my work and occasionally calls me to see if I have something she can publish. She's been kind enough to publish a dining room, kitchen, and holiday table and decorating tips from me in the past year. I have a lot of unfinished client homes and projects that I've been busy with lately so when Somer called me this time I was scrambling to find something that I could send her. She needed it within a day or two, so I quickly threw together a photoshoot at one of my awesome clients' homes in Corona Del Mar. Throwing together a shoot means grabbing some fresh flowers, renting a wide-angled lens for my camera, and moving around a lot of furniture until you get the right shot. This is all so much easier, and better, with a legitimate photographer, but since it was last minute and I had no budget for that, I decided to go it alone.

The magazine only needed one image so I chose the room that was the closest to being finished, which is their downstairs office/den. Unfortunately this room also had the worst lighting imaginable with only one window facing a shaded outdoor walkway so I had to pull a Tim Gunn and make it work. I chose the photo at the top, but below is another angle of the room that I took while trying to figure out the best angle to use. I really wanted to show that killer multi-color ikat Roman shade, but the desk was eating up most of the photo and I couldn't make it look right.

My favorite thing about this room is the painted wood paneling which used to be white. I also love the mix of textiles that we got to use in this space from the Turkish rug to the Indian inspired linen on the chairs, the ikat on the shade, and the vintage African pillows.

I'm yet to get my hands on the printed version of the magazine that features this room, it's always fun to have something to add to the press page of my website so that people take me seriously.

(A huge thank you shout out to Somer Flaherty for always thinking of me when she needs an interior!)

Coffee Shop Inspiration

As part of a proposal for a Newport Beach coffee shop, I included a quick digital concept board and concept space plan to help ensure that the owner and I are on the same page. This is by no means the final design, but it's helpful to provide potential clients with a taste of what they can expect from the design process so that they get a feel for my aesthetic and ideas particular to their space. It can also give them a little more confidence in handing over the reigns of the project.

I really love designing small retail/commercial spaces; it's sort of where my world of residential interior design and visual merchandising collide. The goal for this space is to turn it into a beach friendly, modern coffee shop where old and young, surf bum and surf sophisticate, male and female can all enjoy a local cup of jo on their way to work or surf.

Burning Decorating Questions?

I'm excited to be the first resident "expert" over on Caesarstone's blog, The Interior Collective! The new column will feature a new expert every week answering YOUR decorating and design questions. Head on over here and ask away!

One Kings Lane Tag Sale Teaser!

As I mentioned in my last post I'm really thrilled about all of the items that I've curated for this sale. I just received a final preview of all of the items and wanted to share a sneak peak of some of my favorites with all of you.

1. Charcoal Nude
No art collection is complete without a nude drawing! I especially loved the casual sketchy quality of this one. Signed and dated.

2. Vintage Paisley Armchair 
Newly upholstered in Peter Dunham's Rajmata Midnight. It's the perfect side chair for a bedroom or study.

3. Black & Gold Painted Dining Table 
I hope this guy goes to a good home because it took a lot of TLC to get him transported and delivered to my storage due to it's size and weight. It's a truly striking piece and comes with a leaf to support an even bigger dinner party!

4. Ceramic Shell Dish 
Handmade by a blind artisan in Santa Barbara, this piece is one of my favorites in the sale.

5. Onyx horse book ends 
Such a beautiful stone and the horse motif is so classic, I don't think these will ever go out of style.

6. Shell Napkin Rings 
Made of brass and silver, these will add a touch of whimsy to your next tablescape.

7. Boudoir Screen - I think this thing weighs about 4 tons. A single hinged screen depicting classic Art Deco design with a silvered and gilt églomisé finish. Beautiful.

8. Throw Pillow
Made of a vintage African textile.

9. Antique Oil Painting
I absolutely ador this painting and I think the chipping at the top of the canvas just adds to its interest. Beautiful color palate, newly framed.

You can start shopping all of these items and many more here, starting Monday's at 6:00 pm PST.

Another Tastemaker Tag Sale!

I'll be launching my 3rd Tag Sale with One Kings Lane starting Monday 3/25 at 6:00 pm. I'm selling so many things that I'm really excited about. I have a larger collection of art than ever before, some of which I'm having a hard time parting with! You can check out the teaser and the actual sale here. 

The Interior Collective

About a month ago I got invited by Caesarstone to write for their blog, The Interior Collective, on various topics in the realm of design. It's been a fun opportunity and it's awesome to be part of such a talented group of bloggers and designers, hence the "collective". My article today has been one of my favorites to write so far: knowing when to splurge and when to save on home decor. Head on over here to check it out. I write a new article every week, but there is new and interesting content added daily from the other authors.

West Week

This week I attended spring market at the Laguna Design Center and West Week at the Pacific Design Center. It's one of my favorite weeks of the year to be a designer because I get to meet new friends, run in to old friends, hear awesome speakers (Alexa Hampton was my favorite), and check out new product. Another highlight was chatting with Ross Cassidy (so helpful and charming!) from Jeffrey Alan Marks Inc. at the Witford showroom while they were there promoting their beautiful new line for Palacek - so good.

Speaking of running in to old friends, I do not recommend jumping in the shower last minute, throwing your hair in a wet bun with no make up, and heading over to the PDC to try and catch the last keynote expecting not to run in to anyone you know, because you most certainly will (4 people to be exact), and then you'll feel an overwhelming need to reassure them that, despite your appearance, you are still a designer...not a gym teacher.

Top photo was the panel discussion at the Jasper Showroom with Michael S. Smith, Mary McDonald, Suzanne Tucker, and Dara Caponigro. Bottom photo is at the book signing with Alexa Hamtpon which took place after her talk.

The Art of Fresco

Yesterday I had a conversation with a designer friend who was telling me about his office cleanse in which his assistant urged him to toss any magazines he hadn't read in a year. Horrified at the thought, I started flipping through my own endless collection of magazines today as some sort of subconscious justification for keeping them. The justification continued as I came across this photo of the Tuscan estate of Leonardo Ferragamo and his wife, Maria Beatrice in the March 2009 issue of Elle Decor. This living room tells me one thing - we don't use the art of fresco near enough these days. The life that these fresco painted walls bring to the room is overwhelming.

Spanish Honeymoon

A few major things happened to me in 2012, the most major being, I got married. For those who know me well, you know this was no small feat for me. I was much more of an anxious bride than the blushing type that everyone generally refers to, but as nervous as I was to make the biggest commitment of my life, so many wonderful things have happened as a result.

One of those wonderful things was gaining a lifelong travel companion. For our honeymoon we decided to go to Spain after a friend told us that fall is the best time to go, and he was right; the weather was perfect and the cities weren't overrun with other tourists, but all of the shops were still open because no one was on holiday.

Our first stop was San Sebastian, located in Basque country near the border of France. We actually stayed about 45 minutes out of town, up on a hill with the sheep, the cows, and the incredible views of rolling vineyards leading down to the ocean.

We stayed at a little Inn called Hotel Iturregi, which Kyle stumbled upon online. I was busy picking out wedding flowers and designing invitations for the actual wedding so I let him do all of the honeymoon planning on his own. Sometimes I'm still surprised at how well he knows me. He kept telling me, "you're going to love this place," and he was right. I honestly can't think of better place to spend a honeymoon. The decor was beautiful and quaint. It didn't have that mass-produced, flat feeling that you find in a lot of hotels. Instead I felt as if I was staying in a friend's home. Above is a photo I took of the down stairs sitting room. I loved the zigzag detail in the molding. 

We spent a lot of time lounging and re-cooperating from the wedding madness  We stuck close to our hotel and explored the neighboring farms and vineyards. Our hotel had it's own little vegetable garden (which they used for their meals) and beautiful swimming pool (too cold to swim in) and I became a little obsessed with the owner's home behind our inn - a cobblestone cottage surrounded by blooming hydrangea. And those shutters....so perfect.

On our last day in Basque Country we finally ventured to downtown San Sebastian. The city was full of classic, French style buildings from the Belle Époque sitting right on the ocean shore. Such a contrast to what lines our coasts in California. Not necessarily better, just different, and that's one of the reasons I love to travel so much.

From San Sebastian we flew to Barcelona. We took a cooking class on our first full day there and it was probably one of my favorite things we did while in Spain. It's a really fun and easy way to experience the culture and meet other travelers. Our class of 10 people was full of people from New York, Paris, China, Great Britain... Our instructor was so adorable and with a very thick Catalan accent she taught us how to cook the best meal we ate in Spain, which means a lot because both San Sebastian and Barcelona are known for their good eats.

Since the weather was so beautiful and it actually felt like fall, which I love but don't always get to experience in Southern California, we went on a bike tour to check out the architecture and learn more about the city. We covered a lot of ground and biked from the Gothic quarter, to the Mediterranean sea shore, to La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's famous cathedral. 

My two favorite things about Barcelona were the art museums (the Picasso Museum was our favorite) and the massive amounts of potted plants and vegetation growing on nearly every balcony. It really got my inner gardener stirring and this was proof that living in a big city with limited space is not a good excuse to not plant something.

Barcelona is an amazing city to just walk and window shop or stop in a cozy cafe. Every little alley of the Gothic quarter had so much charm it was hard to not want to stop in every shop, or eat at every restaurant.

In a nutshell, Spain is full of great sites, interesting architecture, unique museums, fantastic food, such nice people and if you haven't tried horchata de chufas...you haven't lived. My only regret is that we didn't squeeze in Morocco, but then again...there's always next time. iCiao!