Got art?

Finding affordable artwork can be a challenge for my clients and also for myself. For most of my life I have had "place-holder art" - cheap reproductions or cut out pages from calendars or art books.

Having a piece of original art feels different. It feels like you are a part of someone's soul. But it can be expensive.

You Can Be Cool, Too - Michelle Armas

One of my favorite artists right now is Michelle Armas. I would love to own one of her paintings - like this one for example, and at $2,000 it is a good price for an original painting. But not in my price range.

Save the Bugle - Michelle Armas

But she has smaller paintings - like this 18" x 36" canvas for $400:

So - Michelle Armas

Or this colorful 18" x 18" canvas for only $200.00 (since I posted this, this painting has been sold):

Resolutions - Michelle Armas

And if you go on to her Etsy site, she has even more reasonable options - signed prints which can be as little as $30. 

Wise Math Print - Michelle Armas

Playa (print) - Michele Armas

Zatista is another good source for original art. I recently purchased this Oak Tree woodcut by Michelle Han. It was $35.00. 

Oak Tree woodcut - Michelle Han

Another place I like to look for limited edition signed lithographs is Art 20 x 200. Founder Jen Beckman's came up with a simple formula back in 2007 which launched 20x200. The formula is this: (limited editions + low prices) + the internet = low prices for everyone. 20x200 releases at least 2 new works a week and some are under $25.00. I first heard of 20x200 from a client of mine. She purchased a couple of these and asked me to help her frame them:

Christian Chaize

Praia Piquinia by Christian Chaize

A 80" by 60" limited edition, signed and numbered print of Praia Piquinia by Christian Chaize sells for $10,000. But it is also available in smaller sizes ranging from a 24" x 20" for $600 to a 14" x 11" for a mere $60.00. (They have recently sold out).

West Elm (a favorite shopping place of mine) recently teamed up with 20x200 and they are selling framed prints. Which is how I heard about them the second time.

West Elm collaborates with 20x200

Local art galleries, street fairs and community art-walks are wonderful places to find original art, but don't overlook online sources like Etsy, Zatista and 20x200 - you might find something a little more gentle on your budget.

Can you believe it is Friday already? Happy Weekend everyone!

Tangerine gifts & Brooke Shields

I had lunch with a dear friend the other day to celebrate my belated birthday. This is a friend who loves to get into the color of the year - not so much in decorating, (she is not in the design world), but in gift giving. She always has fun with it and is a great gift giver - which I believe is an art in itself.

This time I think she really outdid herself. Don't you love the houndstooth paper? I think it is amazing how she mixed the two perfect colors together. And the little tangerines on top.

What was inside the wrapping was even better. I thought she just picked the book because it fit with the theme but she said she had actually read it and that it was a great read. How fun is that? But that was not all ...

I didn't even know they made tangerine flavored Balsamic Vinegar.

I love a good Balsamic vinegar and this one is a good one! I know because I didn't waste anytime trying it ...

The bottle is such a pretty cobalt blue - it makes me wish I had more room to display my cooking oils and other pretty bottles in my kitchen ... like this idea in Brooke Shield's kitchen from this month's Architectural Digest:

Architectural Digest via

It looks like Brooke is loving the color of the year as well!

The ABC's of me

Today I am a guest over at Marianne's beautiful and very stylish blog, Style for Living.

my favorite flowers.  image sources here

I am participating in her interview series, the ABC's of me. Grab a cup of coffee and after you laugh at my answers (I so wanted to lie on the first question), stay for a while and look around - you will be glad you did! Ready? Click here! xo

Thank you so much Marianne for including me in your guest series!

Clearing my head

Do you ever wish you could gut your house and start over? I have been entertaining those thoughts lately - it is not a good thing.

pinterest

I grew up in a mid-century modern home. My father was an architect and everything was clean and modern. There were no antiques in our home ... no ornate millwork or moldings.

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Our walls were always painted white and surfaces were kept free of clutter.

Thomas O'Brien via

After I got married and had my own home I went the opposite direction. I spent months years adding traditional architectural details to our house. We added base and crown moldings, window casings and raised panel doors. We removed all the carpeting and had the original wood floors stained and pegged and grooved, put in white hexagon tiles on the bathroom floor and put wallpaper everywhere. We even added a fireplace with a lovely white mantle.

apartment therapy

Our first furniture was very traditional and we bought some antique-looking pieces (we could not afford anything too old). And it was nice. But honestly I never loved it.

Windsor Smith - Gwen curved arm sofa

It wasn't long until I starting changing things. I sold our mauve (eesh - think 1980's) camelback velvet sofas and replaced them with a modern sectional covered in white cotton duck. I traded our oak butler table that I was using for a coffee table for a more simple glass-topped wicker cube. I loved it.

And then we moved. I loved our new house and our furniture worked well in it. It was a single story ranch with contemporary windows and doors. Over the years we did some remodeling, and again I added more traditional moldings and furniture. And just like before, it wasn't long before I yearned for something different.



It seems like the busier I get and the more I have on my mind, the more I have a desire for clean and white and modern. Not that I don't like a little antiquity - just not too much.

So Saturday I made a few changes. It is still a work in progress. (Just like me, haha).

 I took out the large tufted ottoman and replaced it with a simple Ikea table. And moved a few things around.

It was a quick and inexpensive change and I feel like a weight has been lifted.  But the ottoman is not going far for now. Who knows, it might just come back. 

Happy Monday everyone!

Fog

Last Sunday I had to drive back home early in the morning after spending a couple of days with my daughter and her husband (and their beautiful baby girl). It is a fairly easy drive - that is unless you have issues with traffic or weather - and both are accustom to change at any moment.

The drive goes through the valley and then up 4,000 feet and then back down again. There is only one way to get from my house to hers and so if there is a accident on the road, traffic can back up for hours and hours. The weather can also change abruptly and the winds are usually high.

The weather was unusually warm in Long Beach last week and as I left my house it was a warm 80 degrees. A half hour later the temperature registered 93 degrees and 45 minutes later at the top of the pass the winds were blowing a cold 42 degrees.

So I wasn't surprised when I got up early that Sunday morning to drive home that there was fog. Fog is a part of living in the valley ... especially when the temperatures warm up during the day and get down into freezing temperatures at night. The fog, known as tule fog, can be so thick that there can be zero visibility. They even close the schools on those thick fog days.

photo credit

I have driven in fog many times but this day was far worse than any fog I have ever been in. In fact, I missed the turn onto the main highway because I could not see the road signs until I was practically underneath.  When I got on the freeway I could just barely see the tail lights of the car in front of me. That was as long as I stayed really close. But if they sped up and I lost them, then I was out there all alone again with no vision. It was a surreal feeling out there in that thick cloud focusing on just the tail lights in front of me. And I was afraid. I started to recite the 23rd Psalm.

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

The words comforted me as I drove and the thought came to me that life is a lot like driving through the fog. We don't know what is ahead; what tomorrow will bring. And unless we have guidance it is easy to drive off the road. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus at all times, staying close to His side. Because when we venture off, it gets scary out there ... like being a sheep without a Shepherd.

I drove on and feeling more comforted yet with my hands firmly gripping the steering wheel. The alarm beeped on my car alerting me that the temperature outside had dipped to freezing and then just as fast, the valley began to fade as I started to climb the mountain. And as I did, the the fog lifted and I could see again.

images here and here and here

Wedding planning on a budget

The most common questions I get when speaking to potential wedding clients are about the budget and how to start. Even if a couple has an idea of what they want to spend, they are often uninformed of the potential costs involved in planning a wedding.

As with most design projects, staying within a couple's budget can be quite a challenge and yet one of the most important considerations. I have found that often when a wedding budget is on the smaller side a couples tend to gravitate towards venues that seem inexpensive, like a backyard, the beach, or a park setting. But what they don't always understand is that when you have to bring in everything - the tables, the chairs, the china, the flatware, etc., the expenses can add up quickly. So when I am planning a wedding like that I prefer to start with the rental expenses first. 

Not only does it give me a starting point in the direction the wedding decor will go, but it also helps set the budget for the less expensive things. Today I met with a lovely couple who had some fun ideas for their outdoor wedding.

For this lovely outdoor barn wedding we selected large wooden tables and beautiful Chiavari chairs. Benches with white cushions to match the chair cushions will flank the ends of the tables and be incorporated into the ceremony seating as well. And although they are more expensive than other tables and chairs, they will be a huge presence and will allow the rest of the decor to be more on the minimal side; a lovely satin runner, lots of votive candles and simple flowers.

Which is just the way I like it!

images from here and here.

Using your space wisely

Years ago before I designed for a living, we decided we needed to add some space to our home. Our girls were getting older and my oldest daughter needed a place where she could bring friends over without them being in her bedroom. We had the no-boys-in-the-bedroom-ever rule.

Designer Rebecca Ascher / Photographer Roger Davies via

I knew what I wanted and thought I could design it myself but then I got stuck. I wanted to relocate our front door but by doing that it would eliminate our ability to have a formal entry and I didn't like the idea of walking directly into the living room from the street. I brought in an architect to give me some ideas. 

Designer James Huniford / Photographer Pierter Estersohn via

He added a gated courtyard to the front of our house which gave the feel of formal entry. It was the perfect solution. But while he was there he had quite a few other things to say about the part of my house I was not planning on changing. He did not like the way our house flowed and where the girl's bathroom was situated. Neither bothered me ... that is until he pointed it out. We made the corrections as he suggested and it was amazing the difference it made. 

 Photographer: Roger Davies via

Sometimes we are just too close to a problem and we don't even realize it is there. That is what is nice about having someone come in with fresh eyes to look at your home ... someone that isn't emotionally tied into the way it has always been but can see it for what it is.

Photographer: William Waldron via

That is what happened this week when I went for a consult with a client who wanted to refreshen her living room. As we discussed the problems with the living room (no one uses it, it doesn't feel comfortable...) it was mentioned that they rarely entertain unless it is during the summer months when they can use their outdoor space. 

Designer Lee Mindel / Photographer William Abranowicz via

Photographer: William Waldron via

The client felt the problem was the living room. They have a lovely family room right off the backyard where they have a beautiful pool, outdoor dining area and patio and that is where they spend most of their time. The living room doesn't get much use. In between the living room and kitchen is a small dining room - the only room left of  the house's original footprint before it was remodeled. There is no room for a sideboard or any other furniture besides the table and chairs so it is not the ideal place to bring in dinner party guests.

Meg Ryan's vineyard beach house via. Photographer: William Waldron

I sat there looking at that large and un-used living room right next to that tiny dining room and decided that they should be switched. My idea is to turn the living room into a lovely new dining room with plenty of space to entertain, with large wing back dining chairs flanking the ends of their existing table, a new settee on one side and plenty of room left for a large sideboard. The smaller dining room space will be turned into a sitting area for reading the paper and enjoying a cup of coffee in the mornings with a view of the beautiful backyard. 

Photographer (and homeowner) Reed Krakoff via

Designer Susan Chalom / Photographer Josua McHugh via

My client was a very good sport and we moved the the furniture around to see how it would feel. She loved it. But the true test was ... would her husband go for it? 

Designer Richard Mishaan / Photographer Eric Piasecki via

He did. That is my newest project. Soooo excited!