Days Go By

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Days Go By

When I made the decision to finally begin my career in interior design, I had a choice, take a full time entry level position with a firm, or strike out on my own, slowly.  I went back and forth on this and finally decided that my favorite thing about the practice is in the details, the psychology and function of a space, and finding a way to marry those things with the people who live there. This isn't the technical part, it's the personality part.  I decided to go it my own to focus on what I love; creating inviting and relaxing family spaces.  I also went this way so that could continue to be my own boss, and work from home to be there for my boys.  Of course, skipping out on working for someone else, I've had to cultivate my own way of doing things, a unique style, a work flow, invoicing, marketing, all of which take me away from writing, and developing my upcoming classes.  If I'm being honest, I've been pretty stressed and uncharacteristically overwhelmed. I have a modest  client load and a major remodel in my own house beginning in the next couple of weeks which is delayed by permits and requires so much of my time, a kid with the lead role in the school play who is also juggling two different sports (too much) and a preschooler hot on his heels with places to be and things to do, and they would like a home cooked meal every night while we still have a kitchen.  I've backed off from blogging and social media a lot while we get ready to tear our house apart. I'm taking time to focus on the next steps for the business and the kids, and while I have about 20 unfinished posts in my head, I'm going to have to roll them all out very slowly.  I do hope you'll stick with me, because I'm sure it'll pick up soon.

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The Hawkins Haus

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The Hawkins Haus

Here's a recently completed Make+Haus project! A few months ago I met with The Hawkins family to help them rethink their recently purchased 1950's rambler. They had this funny room, a sunken addition with oddly built-in cabinets, a brick fireplace with a wood burning stove, wall panelling, and a dated color pallete.  They use the room for tv watching, as a play space for their 4 year old son, and a spot to practice Capoeria, a Brazilian martial art that both Erin and Robert are very passionate about- a practice that involves beautiful, large wooden instruments and a dedicated floorspace.  I was tasked with a few things: creating a new floor plan, designing a new built-in system including a window seat, choosing all new furnishings, including a comfortable sofa bed for out-of-town guests, and styling all those new shelves.  Here's a look at the room before...

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Dark As Night

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Dark As Night

A few weeks ago we took the plunge and painted two of our four bedroom wall with Benjamin Moore's "Soot", a deep dark gray/black with a hint of blue to it. You might recall that it was one of our house colors when we were doing exterior paint over the summer.  When we moved in, the entire interior of the house was painted in flat "Swiss Coffee" white, even the woodwork, and the windows were covered in almond hued metal blinds. I left it that way for months while we contemplated the scope of the remodel and spent our energy on the outside of the house, landscaping, deck. Well, I'm almost ready to show you what is step one in getting our room together (truthfully, I'm waiting for our drapes to arrive).  Before I do, hopefully later this week, here's the inspiration.

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The New Year

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The New Year

As we prepare to knock down walls, and basically change our entire upstairs interior floor plan, I've been thinking more deeply about the direction I want to take with finishes, styling, and the overall vibe of our house.  I'm thinking about the next 15 years that we plan to spend in this house and how the boys (8,4) will grow older.  The toys will recede, the focus will shift from playdates and legos to practices, hanging out, and homework. Eventually they will be towering over me, and in what will seem like the blink of an eye, they will head off into the world, and Adam and I will begin our next chapter.  I bring all this up, because when I consider a space, I consider the people who live there, and how that will change over time. I consider their need for personal space or companionship, what they need in their home, and how they really live.

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String Art Commission

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String Art Commission

See anything familiar? Over the summer I was contacted by Neila Hutt, a full service interior designer based in Marin County.  She was working on a gallery wall to go over the sofa of a San Francisco family room/ den.  Her client wanted a string art piece, and after a cursory search of string art on Pinterest, etc. Neila stumbled the "Hello" project I created back in 2013 which had the right graphic element and level of sophistication for the space. She commissioned an exact replica to anchor her client's art wall, a mix of cheerful prints, illustrations, and paintings. While I've swore off making my projects for sale, after a brief stint selling the paper lanterns on Etsy,  this was such a fun experience that I'm thinking of offering commissions, string art in particular.  I'll keep you posted. 

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