Monthly Archives: September 2010

paper vs. paint

Remember when upholstering your walls with wallpaper was the way to go? You know.. back in the 70s? Remember slaving over tearing that stuff down just to slap on a fresh coat of paint? Well guess what? Wallpaper is back! But this time, it’s really colorful, fun, and modern! Now of course you wouldn’t dec out your whole house with this stuff, but an accent wall every now and then is a great way to really spruce up your space. Check out some looks that we think are a fun fresh take on that boring ol’ wallpaper.

Even framing a piece is a cool way to add some color and depth to a room.

Why not put it on the ceiling?

So what do you guys think? Is wallpaper still a thing of the past? Have these bold modern prints swayed you to be a wallpaper activist? We’re still on the fence about it personally, but it could be very cool when used the right way.

Until next time!

dc

new apartment new look

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As most of you know, Derek officially moved to San Antonio this weekend, so we’ve been busy little bees unpacking, decorating, organizing, and shopping to get him all settled into his new home. Now that he’s all squared away (for the most part) we get to do it all over next weekend when I move into my new apartment! My lease is up in October, and after living in the same place for 2 years it’s time to step it up a notch and get a bigger place. I found the perfect place with 770sf, which just blows my current 630sf apartment out of the water! And no.. we’re NOT living together so you can all just calm down :)

Here is the floor plan for my current apartment:

And here is my new more spacious layout:

As you can see, they’re very similar layouts, but the new place has a huge kitchen, bathroom, and patio. I can’t wait! There is actually an entryway! With a coat closet!

So this go around, I actually get to add some color to my walls. This weekend we’re going to go ahead and paint before we start moving all of my stuff in, and I just realized that it’s 5 days away and I still don’t know what colors I want to use. So I decided to walk you through my chaotic process of color selection.

If you can recall, my current dining and living room color schemes look something like this:

This is all beginning to feel a bit chaotic to me especially since the living room and dining room basically share the same space. My new living room and dining room will also be connected, so I wanted to establish a more congruent color palette for the living room that would easily compliment the dining room.

By sharing at lease two similar colors the two spaces seem much more cohesive. My bedroom is a much bolder color palette, but because it’s in it’s own separate space its okay to have it’s own personality.

I really don’t want to paint too many walls considering I’ll have to paint them back whenever I move out, so a few accent walls were the way to go. I’ve highlighted the walls I want to accent with the colors I’m planning to use.

This is the plan so far. As Derek calls it “Round One” because he knows how fickle I am when it comes to making concrete design decisions in my own home. So he’s ready to do a redo later ;)

Until next time!

cfs

10 things: jonathan haenchen can’t live without

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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 musician/synth lover/noise maker/published writer/geek/apple connoisseur Jonathan Haenchen [@midsandhighs].

Location: San Antonio, TX

[one] people

Specifically, my people. Otherwise known as “peeps.” We all have them, they’re all special, and they motivate us, inspire us, and help us define who we are as people and citizens of the world. My mother showed me how being creative to all facets of life, not just music or art. My father showed me how understanding how things work can be an incredible pursuit. My sister taught me to see the creativity in organization, and that if I don’t plan I will fail, die, and starve. Also, she’s my bestie and keeps me from being a moron. I’ve always felt like a little bit of thief when I’m around my friends and family.

[two] hope

“Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life.” Yup. But also… hope isn’t a strategy.

[three] iDevices

I have an iPhone, iPad, and an iMac. I drank the kool-aid… and it’s SO GOOOOOOOD. Not but seriously, walled garden or not, the user experience here is unbelievable, the power is nuts, and we’re living in the future and no one cares.

[four] my 1974 fender rhodes

It’s about 150lbs. It can have a lilting lullaby feel to it, or it can have a very dirty grungy full sound to it. The most versatile electromechanical keyboard ever produced.

[five] recharging

I crave and love alone time, quiet time, anything else you want to call “recharging my social batteries”.

[six] sound

I’m obsessed with sound. The tiniest details in anything audio related whether it be in a movie, in a song, or video game, soundtracks and sounds effects have always captured my full attention. I’m routinely blown away by the amount of detail and creativity that goes into sound design. Because somebody had to make the “beep” that happens when you hit play on your Grey’s DVD.

[seven] hoodies

See #8.

[eight] chucks

Hoodies and Chucks are really a two-parter, largely because I’m turning into a cartoon character. I have 3 of the same hoodie in 3 different colors (Alternative Apparel, greatest hoodie you’ll ever own), 5 pairs of Chuck’s, and 5 of the same hat in different patterns. Basically, I’m a hipster version of Charlie Brown and his 17 of the yellow shirt with the black stripes.

[nine] las palapas

Because I seriously seriously love potato, egg, and cheese tacos. Jesus has these for breakfast.

[ten] my girlfriend

This is sappy and I don’t care. She’s smart, hilarious, much nicer and prettier than I am, and puts up with #’s 3-9 on a daily bass. At this moment, she is the only way to end this list.

Stay tuned for text Tuesday when we feature our dear friend and videographer/fellow blogger/apple geek Lindsay Treviño [@Lindsay_Trevino]

Until next time!

dc

please take a number..

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Catharine’s parents’ house is set pretty far back from the street and they would like a better way to visualize the address. Being the super modern wanabes Catharine and I are, I did a little research. I’ve always had a soft spot for big metal objects, letters and even numbers! I originally wanted to fabricate my own aluminum pieces, and I still might. There are so many pre-made options out there though that I wanted to share it with you in case you decide to add some oomph to you exterior.

The first is some solar powered LED backlit numbers you would hang near the door. Check them out here.

Here is another set with a little different fastening system. Check them out here.

The third set have a bit more of a modern art deco touch to the. Check them out here.

Finally the ever popular modern solutions retailer DWR, offers a few selections as well. Check them out here.

Have you seen some cool numbers on a house? We will certainly let you know how Catharine’s parent’s house turns out, and maybe even my house.

dc

dc:finds | sexy bachelor pads

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In honor of Derek’s new life in San Antonio, we’ve decided to share some inspiration for men’s apartments aka bachelor pads! Don’t worry.. no overstuffed lazyboy cupholder sofas or round leopard beds red silk sheets here. Just some sleek and sexy man rooms that would actually make a girl WANT to stay! ;)

See? They’re pretty hott. What are some of the worst bachelor pad furniture pieces you’ve seen?

Happy Weekend!