In Between

All 168 rooms of this French-inspired hotel just opened in the Flatiron neighborhood of NYC and I think it's time to take a trip. This hotel was brought to you by the Syndell Group, of course, the same developers that also developed my favorite Ace Hotel. I'll have to dedicate a week of posts to explain why I love the Ace.

I'm on the brink of incomprehension when looking at these beautifully balanced interiors. My brain responds with sounds like "It's like... ch....what?....that's so... wow.... derrr".  What I see is so clearly masculine yet perfectly feminine at the same time. With room names like Classic, Atelier, Grande, Salon, Royale, Atrium it's hard to imagine NOT feeling like a pure European badass in the NoMad Hotel.

I'd recommend starting with this promo video:

I'm itching to visit New York again, for reasons like Modern Anthology.

Owners Becka Citron and John Marsala run this half creative studio, half retail store located in DUMBO NY. The POV is incredible. Subway white text on black canvas, vintage lighting and leather, aged patina galore across tabletops and trophies. People say it's a store for men and man caves and masculine but all I see is heritage.

Their creative services range from interiors and graphic design to film and event design. They say they're in the business of storytelling, and that lil nugget is a great starting point to remember for any concept. "We know our first job as designers is to listen. Whether we're knocking out brilliant designs, initiating memorable branding concepts, or promoting the work of the talented artists we collaborate with, we like to think that everything we do takes its roots in our ability to tell really, really great stories."

This 7-per workingspace in Antwerp Belgium just opened a last month, and seeing it reminded me of the colors in Amélie, one of my favorite movies of all time. It has just the right clash of modernity vs antique and  all pockets of seating make great opportunities for a collaborative mess. Imperfect, spacious and bright. Exactly how I imagine workspaces should be. 


Who are they? From their tumblr:

A group of seven people between the age of 22 and 26. We found this great place about six months ago. We are a group of architects, jewellery, fashion and webdesigners. We will try to post all our new work on this blog. We also want to be a platform for other young talent. We will give events and expositions. 

all photos from inaanmaak

So I know it's been a while since I last wrote about our new place. My apologies. These photos are of the first couple of weeks, and now, three months later, things are so different and more filled in.

This new apartment we're living in is a 'soft loft' and not knowing what that means is kind of silly of me. So I made up my own definition that may or may not be correct. A "soft loft" is mix between an apartment and a loft, whose differences are defined in space and ceiling height. This apartment feels like a loft because it has 9' 7" ceilings, and 7'3" tall windows, but feels like a regular apartment because it has separate rooms and carpet.

 But o boy the walls, the walls. I have never had to decorate a large wall like that before. Wait, no, I lie. My mom still gets on my case about my old bedroom, a wall of which I painted a dusty rose color and on top of that a dead white tree. Thing is, my roller couldn't reach all the way up to the 9 ft ceilings and so there's a good foot of ragged, uneven white space at the top. Momma was not happy.

We've painted the den a pretty pale blue, and a few walls bright white. I'd really like to paint a large canvas with Jase as one of our home projects we do together. Looking for inspiration, please shoot any and all beautiful ideas my way!

Yesterday's weather forecast was doomed to begin with, but it turned out to be a great day. My sister and mom came from Davis to visit my other sister and I in the Bay Area. They saw where we live and we drove around the neighborhood. Tomatina for lunch, and back to my house for an afternoon of crafting. We have plans to open up an Etsy store soon, and today was our first day of brainstorming together. My mom was super happy; you can tell by the WPMs coming out of her mouth. Non-stop talking! Enjoy the photos; the last few are of what we had made by the end of the day.

PS) See if you can find the rainbow that came out!

[images from design*sponge and solid frog, my two favorite places for interiors inspiration]

From a post for spaces with natural light came a newfound love for indoor plants. Oh how they extend heights and depths of a room, adding such happiness and LIFE. I can't wait to get more plants for our apartment.

Just an update on the waking up early routine: I've been successful. Who knew I would ever get used to waking up at 5:33AM? I wouldn't be able to do it alone, so most of the credit belongs to the ever-so-dedicated Jase. Our mornings are consistently as the following:

We wake to the sound of his alarm, lay around for what seems much longer than the 3 minutes that passes, and after sharing a quick hug and a kiss he'll get going first. I'll quite literally stumble to meet him at the sinks, but not before stretching like a cat and collapsing for another few minutes. Blurry-eyed [yet to put my contacts in], I reach out to turn on the water, and while waiting for it to warm I try to stand straight. If I can't catch my balance I lean on his left shoulder and give him a horrid morning-smile that can't possibly be endearing but he seems to think it is. He laughs. I wash up, style the hairs, put the face on, and get dressed. Of course by now he's been waiting for 10 minutes, patient as a lion, and I'm hustling to get my things together and run out the door. Normally I'd joke and say, "Gosh, are you ready yet? I've been waiting for you!" [even though, clearly, he's been waiting for me] and he'll go, "ho-ho-ho-really?!" and I'll go, "teehee hee yeaaaa," but now I realize, I should probably just thank him for not ditching me.

I would kill [a blade of grass] for anything in this shop. Especially these.



Clockwise: Bent Feather Cuff ($60), Wood Link necklace ($90), Penknife Necklace , Vintage Bracelet pack, Vintage Feather Ring ($30), Old Slavic Remembrance ring ($65).


I'm a huge fan of vintage THINGS but I can't say I could really LIVE with anything vintage as I like shiny things too much. Not even that... I think I just get a little creeped out by historic usage. BUT. Shiny + vintage = is ok. More than ok, really. If it weren't the holiday seasons I'd be elbow deep in my jewelry box by now, cleaning out and making room for Weiner's entire collection.

But alas. Tis the season for giving, not gaining.

Speaking of which, what are your plans for the holiday? I hope you get at least two days off. Unfortunately, I have a full itinerary of Thanksgiving dinners and parties and boarding and painting -- but I plan to squeeze in at least one movie and one absurd sleep-in sometime. Get fat, everyone, and be merry!

We've officially moved, US Postal address changed and all! First and foremost, I must give a shoutout to the generous friends who helped us make the move go smoother than butter at room temperature: Casey, James, Japheth, Ben, James, Sarah and Jae. These guys really went out of their way to grunt and groan with Jase and I and we don't know how we'd have avoided a panic attack without them. (By "we" I mean "me", of course). So thank you.

I love love love the new place, and we're constantly thinking of ways to define 'home'. It's interesting to see the physical joining of our belongings in one place, and how they complement each other. For example, before, my mattress/box spring combo somehow sagged toward the middle, while his memory foam mattress always felt a little stiff. But, his bed frame combined with my mattress makes for perfect cush. Throw our new flannel sheets on top and voila! A dream bed.

Things we've acquired: from Craigslist - a wooden slat bench for a coffee table ($100), and two woven bamboo poufs and a skinny floor mirror ($40). We took a trip to get IKEA soft cream and when we came home we constructed a very classy lamp, two kitchen stools and a towel bench from IKEA. Tonight we'll put together the TV stand on casters. I really didn't intend on getting so much furniture from IKEA, but I think we're doing a good job of making it more stylish over standard/plain. It's a fine line to walk on, between practicality and originality. Really, we first need to get our feet planted, then I'm sure in time we'll switch out the IKEA with found pieces that we really love. Photos to come soon!

Jase, this making-home with you has been a breeze. I didn't know what to expect but it's been a pleasant surprise to have your participation. I appreciate how you validate my ideas, and even challenge my suggestions. If that's not what a good partner does, then I don't know what is. I think we-gonn-be alright.

Posts on the way: photos of the new place! Also, as soon as we have a sunny Sunday, I'll take photos of the Farmer's Market down the street; it's right along the pier and possibly the most beautiful market I've seen. Reminds me of the market we'd go to growing up in my hometown. This past Sunday we just soaked it all in, and stopped to get a wood-oven baked pizza that took all of five minutes to bake, and ate it, steaming, right there on the steps. Love.

I can't barely stand the perfection of his chairs. I haven't even finished browsing the tables or storage I had to post about it. Undeniably inspired by mid century modern design, he takes it up a notch and literally crafts it into his own style by hand. I love that I know that this is his art, and his passion. I love that I know each curve and grain has been considered carefully. I wish that Ikea could find a way to make these affordable.

Potentially the most badass jewelry designer alive.

I love how her name sounds, I love her studio home, I love her tattoos, I love her jewelery, I love this following video on her website:



I have found that there is nothing more inspiring than reading about the journey of someone I admire. It's as if they're laying down the path for you as theoretically or realistically as you'd like to imagine it.

From Sara: "... i especially loved the back porch because it felt like you were high up in a tree house when the leaves were out on the trees. i spent many lazy summer days relaxing out on the screened in porch reading and (confession…) napping! our guests were the lucky ones who got to spend the night in full view of the stars and wake up with the birds and morning sunshine." (Read the rest of Sara's description at Decor8.)

Sah-woon.

Happy Friday, dear friends! This week has merely been an elongated sigh between weekends for me, floating through each day dreaming of the weekend past and the weekend to arrive. And now it is here! I am determined to recreate the same ease emanating from the photograph above. If i had to guess, the recipe might call for something like this:

Porch-style Weekend Pie

• 4 pints of beer
• 2 hours of additional sleep per morning
• Country Waffles All American Breakfast
  
• 1 c fresh squeezed orange juice
• 20 minutes of belly laughs [gradually added in increments of 2 min]
• sprinkled with spontaneous naps [to taste]
• light powder of housecleaning [optional]

Sounds delicious, no?

Hello!
I'm alive I'm alive, don't worry. By the title you probably think I've been away for the past week because I made a baby. Hah! No, I've actually been busy welcoming back my creative pulses, trying to squeeze them for every drop -- hopefully these lil lemons are here to stay for a while. Alex is the name of the new dresser we built last night!

I got these really neat drawers that seems nobody wants to get rid of on Craiglist because apparently they are that awesome. I've been eyeing the Alex drawers from IKEA for months now but being on a budget, never could justify the cost. But in the end, our trip to IKEA this weekend turned out to be a really good decision. I love that the portfolio drawers are wide enough to carry delicate pieces of paper for crafts, and sturdy enough to hold tools and knick knacks. Speaking of which, HOW in the HEYDIDDLE does all THAT fit into THAT box so neatly? It's a mystery. I took one look at that single bag of screws and said to myself, Crap. This is going to be fun. I ought to document this.

I laid out all the pieces for the photo but it turns out that doing that organized the whole process from the start so it was pretty easy to figure out what goes where with what when and how. I love when things work themselves out like that, don't you? So, I told Jason not to help me until he was done with his work, and one by one, we managed to piece the whole thing together in less than two hours.


In that two hour duration of building, I remember thinking to myself the following:
"Wow, it actually fits. "
"Smells slightly of Japan. "
"Ohhhhhhhhhhh..."
"This is especially cool because I BUILT IT."

Ta-da! We even did it free of cursing and injuries. Isn't he adorable? I'm going to push him right under the desk there, and start putting away those cluster*#$! of paper [stage left] RIGHT NOW. Bye!

On Saturday, my good friend Debbie and I went to the Renegade Craft Fair, jonesin' for some handmade goods. The last time she and I tried to get 'crafty' was around last Christmas when we tried our hand at block printing. We got the rubber blocks, ink, borrowed some carving tools and spent an evening on my carpet sketching and carving away. We made a huge mess and called it a night without ever getting to the printing part. She eventually made some cards on her own, and I, well, let's just say Valentine's Day came around and Jason didn't get no crafty love.

Renegade was awesome and Debbie was the best person to go with. The Festival Pavilion was so huge we actually discussed our route and seriously considered taking a lunch break or at least getting a drink before finishing the last leg of booths. It felt like there were over three hundred booths! Clothing, jewelry, buttons, ceramics, stuffed mustaches, knitted poo, purses and bags, crayons shaped into Totoros, pillows made of toasts, stationary with humor and lots of posters... I could barely wrap my head around the fact that everything was HANDMADE.

These hand screenprinted patterns by Umbrella Prints are so darling that I had to share with someone. Textile design & patterning is one of those very underappreciated art forms, in my opinion, and that level of detail should receive recognition whenever possible.



The fan necklace is a collaborative spinoff of the red pattern. Umbrella Prints is an Australian textile house started by Amy Prior and Carly Schwerdt. Read more here.

Etsy is a great place to discover an alive and kicking hand crafted world, as well as vintage items that you could only dream of finding at a flea market. I'm very new to this whole style and decor industry, I admit, but I'm really excited to go to my first flea in a couple of weeks.

I just wondered if there's some tricks or tips of the trade that I should research and lo and behold! The Internet never fails me. Except for last night. [warning: digression] I scolded at J for cooking SEVEN boiled eggs for dinner. Totally absurd, right?!?? He defended himself: "But I don't eat the egg yolks!' and I retorted with a "STILL!"Ugh. My stubborn self wanted to save his arteries and prove a point at the same time so I Googled nutritional facts for eggs with J looking over my shoulder.

More than half the calories found in eggs come from the fat in the yolk; a 100 gram chicken egg contains approximately 10 grams of fat..It contains all of the fat in the egg and slightly less than half of the protein and much of the nutrients... The egg white consists primarily of water (87%) and protein (13%) and contains no cholesterol and little, if any, fat. Wikipedia.

damn. So of course before he ate his SIX eggs (i ate one out of submission), he did an annoyingly cute victory dance. You were right, babe. You were oh so terribly right.

Anyway, back to the internet. The internet has found for me a couple of articles that list best practices for flea market shopping. Some were practical like get there early and bring cash, but there are some unusual but useful ones like dress down so's they don't assume you can pay more. Interesting.. Do you have any tips of your own? I'd love to hear.