Yesterday our friend Quinn told us about a very “unique” group of furniture designers. Straight Line Designs, Inc. pushes the envelope with their furniture pieces. Exploding dressers, burnt table legs, and even side tables that are.. well.. relieving themselves. I’m not really sure where I would use a lot of these pieces, but they certainly are conversation starters! See for yourself:
Weird right? And it’s all completely functional! :)
Happy Weekend!
So we’re moving into a new house this weekend. I can’t stand colorless walls so I am hosting a family painting party on Saturday. Before I get started, I want to ask you, my interior savvy friend, a few questions. Is it okay to have light grey (very light grey) on the walls if you have a neutral carpet? (by neutral i mean lots of brown shades.) also, I have a chair rail in my kitchen. should I paint above and below the same color or do a dark shade on the bottom and lighter shade on top? – Brittnye
Brittnye,
That’s so exciting that you guys are moving, talk about a blank canvas to work with. It looks like you have a lot of cool elements to work with.. I’m SO jealous! Okay first things first. Grey is a neutral, and therefore goes with other neutrals nicely. Don’t think of grey as a family member of black and instantly think “oh black and brown don’t match”. You should instead think of grey as a dark white. Which is a great neutral to use with pretty much any color palette you wish to really add in some fun colors to your space.
Second of all, don’t think of your carpet as something you need to match [unless it's turquoise or something]. It’s a part of the home’s skeleton. Do you consider what colors will match your hair when choosing an outfit for the day? Of course not, it’s irrelevant. So let your walls express your love of color rather than letting your carpet do all the talking.
I am personally a big fan of grey, it is very versatile and [although it's technically a cool color] adds a sense of warmth to an otherwise stark white room. And against white molding and baseboards? You really can’t get any cleaner. Here are some grey rooms with tans and browns to show you how the two really do compliment each other:
Okay now let’s talk chair rail. The chair rail was originally intended to stop chairs from banging up the walls when you scooted away from the table [hence the name], but have since really just been used for aesthetic appeal rather than actual functionality. When tackling a chair rail the following rules apply:
Now I know that you’re also having trouble selecting paint colors so I’ve whipped up some color palettes based on your light grey, with some fun punchy colors that you can use as accents [pillows/textiles/accent walls] throughout the house while keeping your main features [floor, main walls, furniture] strong neutrals.
OPTION 1:
OPTION 2:
OPTION 3:
So, I hope that all of this was a help to you! I look forward to seeing how everything turns out.
If you’re finding yourself in a design pickle shoot us an email and we’d be happy to solve your design dilemmas!
Until next time!
Kitchens and bathrooms are the selling points of a house, they’re also the big dollar rooms. Can’t afford to redesign your kitchen? Or do you live in an apartment [like me] where redesign is a no go? Here are 15 easy ways to spruce up your space and get the most bang for your buck.
1. Swap out that generic hand soap bottle or bar for a fancy soap pump.
[soap pump - bed bath & beyond - $6]
2. Keep everything unified by also having a matching soap dish to hold sponges, scrapers, sink stoppers, or um.. soap!
[soap dish - bed bath & beyond - $5]
3. Use matching canisters for all of your baking supplies. Flour, sugar, etc. I prefer clear ones so that I can see when I need to refil them, since I use them so often.
[Helvetica canisters with rubber seal [very important!] – thrifted from Etsy – $35]
4. Use snazzy containers for your everday items like salt, pepper, creamer, etc. I like my cow creamer, it tends to be a conversation piece :)
[sea salt grinder/pepper mill - target - $10, kitchen timer - ikea - $3,
cow creamer - kitchen botique - $6, misc. jars - thrifted, sugar dispenser - thrifted]
5. Keep all of your utensils in a large ceramic or stainless jar. Now all your spatulas, whisks, spoons, etc. aren’t wasting space in your drawers, and are contained in one place right where you need them.
[I repurposed an old flour canister. You can easily thrift this.. get creative!]
6. Another way to clear up space in your drawers is to put your spices on display. Spices come in an array of rich colors, so why not display them to add a punch of color to your space?
[magnetic spice jars - ikea - 3/$6]
7. Use fun bottles for your olive oil and vinegrettes. Store otherwise unattractive items in attractive ways.
[bottles all thrifted, tea caddy - world market - $8]
8. Display your pasta and other grains. It provides easy access for cooking while also adding some color and texture to your countertop.
[all jars thrifted - $1 each]
9. Get your cereal out of the box. This keeps your dried foods fresher longer, and again I like to use something transparent so I can see when I’m running low.
10. Keep your recipes organized in a cute little storage box. This provides accessibility as well as a punch of color to help unify the space.
11. Use a chic drying rack. I don’t use my dishwasher and since my drying rack is constantly on display, I wanted something that isn’t an eyesore when it’s not being used. Also, when I need that extra counter space I can fold it up easily and tuck it away.
12. Have a bunch of the same thing? Corks, fruit, matchbooks, shells, soaps, bottle caps? Use apothecary jars to store your collections. Mine is currently holding my bottle cap collection for a future project.. I have a long way to go!
13. Add some punchy colors in your accessories. I’m a firm believer in using color in your accessories rather than your investment pieces because your love of color may change with the season and then what? Repaint your cabinets? Now you can just swap out some minor details for a fresh new look! I’ve used some pops of yellow around the space to really tie everything together. [obviously the mixer was a bit of an investment, but for someone who bakes like I do it's already paid for itself]
14. Another way to add some quick color is to incorporate a fun durable rug. I chose a fun patterned rug that incorporates the color of my dishes, and the pops of yellow I have throughout.
15. If you have boring solid cabinetry that really close in your space, try taking down your cabinet doors for a whole new look. The downside to this is you have to keep your dishes and glassware organized, but its a great way to display everything and really open up the space.
So there you have it! 15 simple ways to update your kitchen on a budget. The kitchen is the main focal point of a home, so why not accentuate it? Making your kitchen your own will make you want to use it more, and will also encourage others to do the same. Do you have any tips or tricks you personally use to snazz up your kitchen?
Until next time!
We’re continuing with our series featuring some of the creative people that we know. Every Tuesday we will introduce them as they share with us the ten things they can’t live without. Today we are introducing our dear friend and aspiring architect/designer/granola, Lauren Diliberto
Location: San Antonio, TX
This will always be number one in my life. My friends and family are like my backbone, they make me strong, confident and they inspire me to be the person I am and the person I want to be. Without these people in my life I wouldn’t be where I am today and I am eternally grateful to know them.
Whether it’s Jackson Pollack or Josef Muller-Brockman, Dali, Van Gogh, or Picasso art is one of the loves of my life. I am very much drawn to the passion and opinion art provokes within an individual. I hope to one day achieve just a mere fraction of talent that these artist posses but for now will settle for being just their student.
“Order is. Design is form-making in order. Form emerges out of a system of construction. Growth is a construction. In order is creative force, in design this means- where, with what on when, with how much. The nature of the space reflects what it want to be.” Louis I Kahn
Ok so this may count as two BUT I feel they go hand in hand. For those you you who know me best, you know that my confidence level can be a bit timid. However, I will not let that deter me from something that I may succeed or fail at. Taking on any type of challenge rewards me with a new kind of experience that will permanently change me forever. It is why I studied Architecture, it is why I went to Italy, it is why I left Houston, it is why I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. Some challenges take me a while to accomplish but I do eventually get there.
Books, Museums, my PowerBook G4 (Yes I need to up grade) are all tools used in furthering my education. They say that you stop learning the day you die, I think that even then you are about to find something out. Never the less, these things are very necessary to me and my mental health.
The idea of home is very dear to me but I am certainly not afraid to leave it. Traveling is to me a very vital part of my architectural education as well as an education for my soul. I not only have discovered more about this world in my small ventures but I have also learned a great deal about myself in the process. I do not feel one has lived a healthy, full life if they have not left behind what is familiar to them.
I tried once to live without it and it nearly killed me and everyone else in close proximity. I used to have a couple of vices in my life life and I have narrowed it down to just this one. I don’t think I need to really say any more.
I grew up in the suburbs but as soon as I had the opportunity to live in or near the city I jumped for the chance. I don’t ever imagine myself living to far from any city core, the life style provides so many different experiences. I guess I am a city girl.
I love shoes.
So if I think back to my fondest memories, all of them involve food. I love food, all kinds of food. Give me a new food to try and I will do it. Recently I have been working on my culinary skills and I found that I also love to cook! Good food in my opinion could bring world peace, I don’t know anyone who would turn down bacon mac & cheese with a slice of carrot cake to wash it down. Frankly if I met such a person I think I could be friends with them.
Stay tuned for text Tuesday when we feature our dear friend [and the girl's cousin] aspiring videographer/director/metal lover/apple connoisseur, Jon Hurlbutt [@jonofx]
Until next time!
So this is a sad story with a happy ending.. my old LV messenger that I’ve carried to work everyday for the past 2 years is pretty much on it’s last leg. So rather than waiting for the strap to break and my precious $2,000 computer hit the ground.. I decided to be one step ahead of the game and replace it. Now I’m a function over form kind of girl, but I’m also really drawn to quality [hmm.. Imagine that?] Sunday, Derek and I decided to check out some brands that we trust [not for the flashy name, but for the lifetime guarantee]
I’m a firm believer of Coach. It is a wonderful company that has been making luggage and bags since 1941, and has a guarantee that if you damage your bag [something breaks, you stain it, something is faulty] and they can’t fix it, they will send you a new one free of charge. I mean really? You can’t beat that customer service! But as a Recessionista I’m not in the market to spend those Coach prices right now, so we had to face the crazies at the Coach Outlet. It was a mad house! I darted straight to the back where the large clearance signs were hanging and spotted a royal blue messenger. I’m not into having a bag with monograms all over it or seasonal stuff. I just want something that will last, so this bag was the ticket! Classic, durable, and EXTREMELY functional! Woo hoo!
Here are all the things it had to hold in order to pass the test:
