Let the white shine

White walls, white wash, perfect white sheets, fluffy white towels, hmmmm it all sounds so perfect.  How much white is too white.  How much white is boring or how little white is boring....?  Is the california white wall style back, or did it ever leave?  I grew up with white walls, for the most part, till i was old enough to paint my own room, which I did almost once a year my whole life...god bless my parents for allowing my expressive creativity to shine!  But is there a point where white is the undesigned color, or is white often more intentional than we think.  I love white!  1, it makes my white white skin look sort of tan in some light. 2, It is clean, and reminds me of clean and that I appreciate clean nice things (except that I have learned you cant have a puppy and a white bed spread).  3, it feels elegant, pretty, light, beachy etc.  4, it goes great with everything, it sets a blank canvas for endless possibilities.  That being said, is white just a blank canvas?  Or is white intentional?  Intentionally not that interesting and plain.  Intentionally stark? Or intentionally clean, and humble...white is really never trying to hard to be anything, which is why I like it so much.  Just be sure you aren't using it because you didn't know what else to use.  

photos from: 

apartment 48. home-designing.com . urban sardine . elle decor 

CONSUMERISMMMMMMS

SO.... I have been working on a retail design project, and it's incredible how different it is from hospitality or residential design, which are really the only niches I have tapped into.  I like it but it is a bit more complicated in the sense that the pressure of highlighting merchandise, and forcing the consumer to see products in the best light.  I usually just post my opinions on other designs in this blog, but here is a sketch for a new retail boutique....It is supposed to make you feel pretty and want to stay pretty and buy buy buy lots of pretty things....that's all!

yellow polk-a-dot bikini...

We are drawn to pattern.  It is interesting, it keeps our eyes moving, it is stimulating and we immediately attach emotion with it when we see it.  When you look at a color, this also happens, but pattern is more stimulating.  When you see a bold print, you love it, you hate it, it reminds you of something or someone you love/hate.  It is geometric, graphic, soft, hard, structured or loose; patterns create an expresive sensation for our eyes and overall experience of space.  Think about classic patterns like plaid, chevron, herringbone, these all give off a certain feelings or create an emotional connection.   My grandfather wore a herringbone jacket and I can smell the wool and feel the texture to this day.  Paisley, graphic prints, animal prints, or more modern designs create a completely different stimulation.  Pattern is one of the oldest forms of design.  Our world is based on pattern.  Original cave paintings used pattern and repetition to tell stories and to lock history into images.  Charbagh, the Persian garden formation is replicated in most cultures for design and pattern layout. We love the motion and rhythm that pattern creates.  Why do we love wood?  It is a pattern we have seen forever and we believe it, it's real, a real nature created pattern that is beautiful.  We love tile and the movement and dimension that contrasted patterns create.  Pattern can be scary when using it in a design sense, in your home or elsewhere.  Just pick the patterns that speak to you, and that you know you can't live without.

GO BOLD!

photots: remodelista.com, donghia.com, cheekychic

Cheers!

The Walrus and The Carpenter, Seattle

Sitka and Spruce, Seattle

Oddfellows, Seattle 

house beautiful inspiration pic

housebeautiful.com

I have a lot of booze in my house, between my boyfriend (the winemaker) and my roomate (the som) we drink a lot.  Not everyone is this way, but the ones who are, this could be helpful.  So I have been trying to think of a creative way to build a "bar" in my house without it looking contrived or ugly.  I recently went to seattle and my three favorite restaurants I found,  all used old shelving units to build thier back bar, and I though what a perfect way to display all my booze, and wine in my own house.  So I am working on it, I have a narrow space to do this in but here is my inspiration.  Everyone should have a bar, it just sounds fun.  Final product to come, Cheers!

Hot or Cold?

It's summer! I just spent the most wonderful weekend with friends and family in Lake Tahoe, and began thinking of all the wonderful things summer brings.  Warm light, cool water, and a reason to always be together.  One day far from today I would like to own a beach house where my family could run free, jump in that warmth that makes my soul feel alive and always have a reason to get together.  One day, in that house, the first thing I will build is an outdoor shower.  They are always the best shower you have ever had, rinsing the sand and sunscreen off your warmed skin is a feeling you only know in the summer and its one of my favorites.  There is something wonderful about rinsing the day away or starting your morning off in the sunshine.  Build space that makes you happy.  Build space that creates a memory and your life will be full of beautiful precious moments.

Photos: http://remodelista.com, relaxshack.com, calistogaranch.com