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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Space Miracles

So Slug (the husband), George (the dog) and I recently moved into a tiny beach cottage a stone's throw from the beach. And I have to admit that while moving is NOT fun, I do love a fresh start, a new set of spaces to conquer, and the opportunity for a fresh color palette - watch for purple and gray living room/studio space to come!

The challenge this week... how to make a 44" x 62" closet function for a 28 yr. old man and a 29 yr. old woman with busy careers and not a lot of time for house-keeping.

Step 1: PURGE and EMPTY the closet so work could begin. I am proud to say that I ridded myself of 2 full boxes of clothing that I had not worn in at least 1 year.



Step 2: Work with Craig the carpenter, to build floor to ceiling cubbies, and create adequate hanging space for clothing. He was able to give us an additional 6' of hanging space by adding double hanging bars in addition to the shelf space!

If you do not have access to a great carpenter, who can help you build in organization, Saara blogged about some great free standing closet organization solutions from Ikea, The Container Store, etc.




Step 3: Cover your ears for power mitre sawing and air nailer working double time to get the MDF boards and hanging bars into place.






Step 4: Well Step 4 would really be to sand, prime and paint the MDF partitions... However, until that day comes, Step 4 was putting the closet back together again.


Professional organizers say the best strategy for effective organization is putting like things together. For example, I have all pants hanging together in one of the partitions, all skirts in another, etc.


The cubbies were a great place to keep purses, belts, shoes, sweaters, etc. organized and accessible. I was even able to get a space for my husband's shirts that need to go to the dry cleaner and a laundry bin.



The space is still small and has to stay organized to work efficiently, but we are really happy to discover that we could make the space work for the both of us without sacrificing our wardrobes or our sanity! Is your closet working for you??
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Friday, February 26, 2010

comfort clothes.

boyfriend jeans. amanda has got me on board with these little gems. i love all things baggy for some reason. it's the comfort factor i'm guessing. anyway, these are at the gap for $30. what what what. i feel like there is nothing at the gap for $30. maybe a little weekend shopping trip is in the future...jolene.

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Lucite and Glass Faucet

 Hego Water Design Lucite and Glass Faucet

This is one of the prettiest faucets I have seen. It would be a thing of beauty in a Powder or Guest Bathroom. It is made from glass with lucite handles. When the faucet is opened, the water comes out from the bottom and fills the vase up to the rim. A limited edition to bring an air of poetry to the bathroom.

Design Davide Vercelli for Hego Water Design Italy

PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning interior design firm writing about lifestyle and
WHAT'S HOT in the world of interior design, architecture, art and travel.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

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accessories to accessorize

we are on the home stretch for completing my house. we have a photographer on deck. now...we just need a little love in the accessory department. i looked around on mitchell gold + bob williams, pottery barn, and williams sonoma home to find a couple perfect, key pieces for my place. now, i just need one more flea market trip and i should be set. jolene.

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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Balance



So we've preached the importance of balance before in design. You have to mix dark with light, heavy with delicate, simple with extravagant...you get it, we know! Well this week we've been working on a different kind of balance .. The kind of balance so many of us working women have learned is DIFFICULT to achieve: career AND family.

When we give so much of ourselves to our careers, sometimes it's hard to keep that balance. But at the end of the day, it is that vital role of wife, mother, sister, daughter that we ultimately hope defines us just as much (if not more) than what we achieve in our careers.

So this week, I've picked up groceries, I've shopped fun outfits (wink), I've let my husband be messy without complaining, and in general, I've tried to give him the love and attention that he truly deserves. And guess what... he's done the dishes twice and seems to be returning every favor twofold.

So, I guess it's never too late to take a page from our own design playbook... don't ever forget the importance of balance in achieving the very best that life has to offer....

Thanks to my sister Caroline for coming to visit and cooking the most delicious dinners!!

and to Georgie for dragging me down to the beach this week:


and to my adorable hubbie Slug, who unabashedly marches to the beat of his own drum:



To my mom for always answering my phone calls! (with my adorable niece Nancy!)



And to my sister and new mother Abigail, who is my most loyal fan and very trusted business advisor. Thanks for keeping me on the straight and narrow (even now!!)

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Better Than Gold, It's Platinum!

With all the Olympics that I've been watching I remembered hearing about how Vancouver was aiming to build their Olympic village with sustainability in mind. They were hoping to build a gold level LEED community, but actually achieved a platinum certification!


I was reading that cities such as Athens and Barcelona built huge Olympic villages that became vacant soon after the games finished. Vancouver's Olympic village was built with a long-term plan. It will become a mixed-use development where ground level training, dining and healthcare facilities now being used by the athletes will become restaurants and shops, and living quarters will be sold as private residences.

Also great is the fact that its design maximizes daylight and natural ventilation by facing west, and its other green features include rainwater harvesting, a sewer-heat recovery system, intensive green roofs, and interiors constructed with low-VOC, recycled materials. One building actually generates as much energy as it uses.


Just wanted to celebrate another "win" at the 2010 Olympics!

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bathroom beauties.

check out these charming bathrooms. some look like spas, some are from europe. all are places i would rather be. jolene.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

(limited editions × low prices) + the internet = art for everyone

i apologize for the late-in-the-day post. again. i will get my act together starting tomorrow. in the mean time, here is an awesome website sent to us from one of our amazing clients. 20x200. it is a website that features emerging artists at a budget friendly rate. here are a couple examples. enjoy. jolene.

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Heaven, A Little Piece of

Do you ever stop and look out your window, and realize how amazing it is that we basically live on the edge of the continent!!! The beautiful, untamed, wildy choppy on some days, and calm as your bath water other days, Pacific is a pure joy to behold. I am so glad that in my profession as an Interior Design that I get to bring this vast body of wonderment into the interiors of so many oceanside homes.

Look at some of these unspoiled views. I mean, this is heaven. This is it!



Look at this peekaboo of the ocean through the beautifully pruned, perfectly stoned pathway...

And this...

Across from this beauty...


WOw, wow, wow!!! GOOD WORK HERMOSA!

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just another manic monday.

happy monday all. even thought it's almost over. just got home. what a crappy day. i don't need to go into it, but sometimes i let people get under my skin when i know things aren't my fault, and i find myself worrying about dumb things. i'm sure we've all been there. more often than we would like. i'm so glad i have amanda to call and complain to so she can calm me down and say something funny. ok, all of that drama aside, i wanted something to cheer me up. what better than anthropologie? i mean hello, they just got a new catalog. yessss. here are a couple of images that caught my eye. jolene.

i'm a sucker for navy. anything navy.



this reminded me of colors amanda and i are playing around with for a couple projects. loving the palette.

i told you tie dye was in...
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Green Goes...

The final color in Snob's Top Ten 2010 Paint Colors is... Winding Vines 532 - Benjamin Moore.






















An olive shade of green, very similar to a shade in my own home.

To me this is also a neutral shade.  I see this just as neutral as brown, tan and grey.

 
Yummy... green can be delicious.

 
Pin green.
 
 

Wear green...

  
 
Play green.

  
  
  
 
  
  
Paint furniture green.

 
A third color... green.
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 

Green goes.
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