Happy Birthday, Husband!

Ok, I have a lot to catch you guys up on, and who KNOWS how long it'll take me to do that, so let's just start with the most recent stuff: this weekend! Sunday was Oliver's birthday, so we decided to put aside most work-related things we knew we should do, and just enjoyed the weekend for the most part. As usual, we were exhausted on Friday night (these 60 hour work weeks make us tired!) so I don't have much to report there, but on Saturday we made a delectable brunch that included a special treat for Oliver: raisin scones and clotted cream (we are privy to The Devon Cream Company's English Clotted Cream). If you haven't slathered a scone with clotted cream and jam, you're missing out. I was introduced to it when I lived in England, and Oliver fell in love when we celebrated mother's day at Lady Mendl's Tea Salon a few years ago. Go have some; one little ounce will fulfill your daily requirement of saturated fat, so you don't have to worry about that! Whew!

Back in December, Oliver's parents gave us some old birdfeeders they weren't using any more and Oliver has been looking forward to refinishing or painting them ever since. This was the weekend! He decided to spruce up the yard with a bright red paint while I sat around in my bikini taking photos.

The birdcages:


Oliver does a light scuffing with sand paper blocks:


After laying out a plastic garbage bag, he got to spraying:


After letting them dry for about thirty minutes, he flipped them and painted the other sides:


We let them dry outside overnight, then filled them up with birdseed this morning before hanging them up:



After another yummy home-made brunch, we made our first visit to the Barton Springs Pool, a three-acre spring-fed pool in Zilker Park, framed by century-old pecan trees. A destination for Austinites and tourists alike, we decided we had to see for ourselves what the hubbub was about. We loved it! The water is clear and COLD (68 degrees year-round), which makes it incredibly refreshing, especially for 100-degree days like we've been having (which, by the way, we are LOVING. For real!). We set up camp near the diving board and watched some pretty impressive moves on breaks from our own dips into the water. We didn't take our own photos, but you can get a feel for it's inherent beauty from these photos:



Not bad, eh? After a couple of hours of sun, we headed home to get ready for a celebratory dinner at Austin's finest (and rare nationally recognized) restaurant, Uchi. We samples all kinds of delectable plates and were thoughtfully treated to a creative dessert in honor of Oliver's birthday. Here we are, feeling very satiated after dinner:

There's the birthday boy looking debonair in his no-socks-with-dress-shoes get up – very sartorialist – with newly-minted birdfeeder in the foreground:

The deck isn't looking all that debonair, but what can you do? We have a deck and that's good enough for us!

Thus ends one of our most luxurious and enjoyable weekends of late!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clotted_cream

(Marginally) Easy DIY Roll-Up Shades

Let me preface this post with the announcement that I did not exactly have "fun" making these roll-up shades. We needed them, I knew I could do it, I was determined to do it, I kind of wish we could have had someone else do it, but now they're done, I'm happy about it. I'm not particularly excited about making more, but I probably will. Now that my complaints are out of the way, let's move on to what I did, shall we?

Since moving into our place in Austin, we've done a lot of painting (jog your memory here and here), and there's still more to do, but we needed a break. Only one room of our house had shades when we moved in, and they were gross, so we took them down when we painted, which left us with completely uncovered windows (hi, neighbors!!). Our "temporary" solution (that sadly became a little permanent) was to tape up white garbage bags in such a way that the windows were operable and let light in while also giving us a little privacy. Oliver even devised a roll-up-able roman shade-like design, making us even lazier about getting real shades up.

So, for the last almost four months we've been the crazy people with trash bags in the windows. Our bedroom is the room with the most windows, and is the closest to being complete, so I decided to tackle those windows first. We already had curtains on those windows (re-used from our last apartment), but they are quite sheer and needed an additional layer to give us privacy from the street, not to mention they were in desperate need of hemming.  I was going to simply line them, but that required a lot of yardage, so I decided to just make easy roll-up flat-panel shades to cover the windows themselves. I carted myself off to the fabric store one Saturday in search of cheap-ish linen. Of course, I got all inspired and came home with a completely different idea: a burlap panel on the front (to coordinate with our DIY headboard!), lined with a lovely floral fabric (on clearance!) on the back, that was visible when rolled up and added an element of surprise.

Great idea, except that these things weren't going to make themselves. Oh, how I wish they would have! The fabric sat around for a while (like, three months), until my parents' first visit was about a week away. I was determined to have at least one room look normal for them, so I busted out the sewing machine and got to work. I don't have any "during" pictures, because I was in such a frenzy trying to get them done, but allow me to try an describe what the house looked like while I was working on them: tornado-meets-sweatshop. Despite the muss and fuss, they turned out quite nice. I love the subtle, casual droop that occurs when the panels are rolled up.

While I had all the machinery and doo-dads out, I hemmed the drapes, so we no longer have a messy, dust collection problem.

When the panels are down and sun streams in, the rose pattern on shows through the burlap – a happy accident!

The operation of it is easy. I made "cords" out of leftover rose fabric and used them to hang the panels from   basic white cup hooks that we screwed into the mouldings around the windows (three for each panel, to keep them from sagging). I also made cords for the ends, which secure the panels in the rolled-up position:



I can safely say I'm really satisfied with how this room is turning out. Now, I just need to get myself geared up to work on the living room and second bedroom.

Around the Houzz: House Plants

Numerous people (clients, prospective clients, friends, etc) have asked me what I think is the easiest, quickest way to transform a home (or room) on a budget, especially on a renter's budget. My answer has always been paint, which obscures all signs of the people who occupied the place before you, memories of ex's, filth or simply breathes new life into a space without breaking the bank. But I recently added plants to my answer. Plants have an uncanny ability to make everything look and feel clean, fresh and alive while simultaneously scrubbing grossness out of the air we breathe. That shot of green (or many shots) does wonders for any space, and in my opinion, you cannot have too many. For high-end projects, I recommend choosing sculptural, statement plants that add texture and interest to a room, and almost act as a piece of art. But big plants don't come cheap. For the rest of us, I think just about any healthy plant will do. We used them liberally in our last apartment: plants became "curtains" over our bathroom window, they softened sharp edges and brought your eye up to the ceiling when placed high on a top shelf. But more than anything, they made our small apartment feel airy, breezy and a little more connected to nature. We only have one right now (sadly, our plants did not survive the freezing cold drive from New York to Texas) but we have big plans to get more soon.

With that, check out my most recent article for houzz.com was all about our leafy green friends: Bring In The Outside With House Plants!

Harlem HOUZZ Tour

I don't usually post on the weekends, but I couldn't resist publishing this right away because I'm so excited! I recently wrote a quickie post on houzz.com, the site that allows you to find ideas from designers and DIY-ers all over the country. I'm so honored to share with you the wonderful story about our New York apartment (prior to our Austin move), Houzz Tour: Killy and Oliver's Hip Harlem Apartment: Color, Clever Storage and Editing Turns a Tiny Apartment Into a Gem, written beautifully by Houzz contributor Lily Gahagan.

This is by far the most in-depth look at our (beloved) former apartment, complete with small-space decorating tips and explanations of the driving forces behind our design decisions. Sending out a huge thank you to Lily and the Houzz team!

All photos by Frisson

Nothing New Under the Sun & Stripe Roundup

I had a professor in graduate school who used to listen to us ramble on about how unique and cutting edge our designs were, then in his deep, guttural-yet-sing-song-y voice, he'd bellow, "Well, there's nothing new under the sun, that's what I always say." Thanks, Gus. You know we haven't slept or eaten in, like, WEEKS, right?

But he's right. Sort of. I submit there are new things under the sun, but they are often informed by old things. Ya' feel me? Gus has been practicing architecture since the year one, and has worked at Pratt for something like forty years, so he's pretty much where everything today derives from.

WELL! I was poking around the interwebs last night when I came across this interior shot of a hallway on Country Living:

Home of Jane and Billy Pritchard of Stray Dog Designs; photo by Victoria Pearson

And it reminded me of our own hall in our last apartment:

I certainly didn't think we reinvented the wheel with our navy stripes, but yowza! At least we know our instincts are on the right track ... Maybe Country Living is going to come knocking on my door soon. Fingers crossed :)

If not, at least Apartment Therapy gives us some love. As I poked around for more stripes images, I came across this "Get Striped: All Kinds of Striped Inspiration" story, featuring our home office (#13)!

I'm loving that turquoise chandelier with tiny striped shades in the Pritchards' hall–that's a great detail! Their's is clearly neither a rental nor an apartment, and I believe they shoot the catalog for their store in their home, so let's just say they have more resources. No matter! I think we did a lot with a little!

Obviously, its no secret that we love stripes, but clearly we're not alone.

Jeremy and Kathleen showcased their own striped hall on Apartment Therapy and their blog

The brown stripes in this galley kitchen are quite sophisticated:

Photo by Simon Upton for Elle Decor


Photo courtesy Anne Coyle Interiors


Mixing a pattern and a stripe at Elle Decor

If its good enough for Carolina Herrera, its good enough for ME:


Coral + Yellow = BOLD

Via Elle Decor

The tiny settee with small-scale stripes against the wide-striped wall, the mini-lamp, the abstract art surrounded by other work, gallery-style – this is a beautiful vignette:

Photo by Thiebault Jeanson for Elle Decor

Another perfect vignette:

Source Unknown

Oh my, that copper tub!

Photo courtesy Elle Decor

This is just too much fun, with the varying pinks, the formal silhouette of DOGS and the ornate picture frames (that I suspect were formerly mirrors with Syroco frame. We have an identical mirror!)

Photo courtesy House to Home

Oh, hello, gorgeous burled wood table with lucite legs!!! The stripe pattern behind you is lovely, too:

Photo courtesy Lonny Magazine

Designer Markham Roberts jazzes things up by putting the stripes in this room on a diagonal:


Designer Ned Marshall mixes silvers and golds to create this elegant stripe-infused room:


I'm loving the wide stripes on this sofa:

Source Unkown

Got some money to burn? Then upholster your walls in Osborne and Little fabric:

Design by Collette Ward Interiors

Photography John M. Hall captured the beauty of this opulent coral bedroom:


But stripes aren't just for walls. They are fantastic on floors and ceilings and exteriors.

Beverly Hills Hotel photo courtesy Second Floor Living


Jenna Lyons' nursery, via Domino


Umbrellas at The Viceroy Hotel, by Kelly Wearstler

Or just put them everywhere, as in this hallway from Domino:


And they don't have to appear only on soft things: paint them onto floors, create them with tiles:

Design by David Mitchell Interior Design


Photo courtesy Decor Pad


Design by Jeffers Design Group; Photo courtesy House Beautiful

This image (from Domino Magazine) sparked my love of horizontal stripes in small spaces offset with whimsical florals:


All this eye candy is fun, but Gus' insistence that there's "nothing new under the sun" still applies:

Mosque of Cordoba (Spain); completed in 987; Photo courtesy Ian Pitchford via Wikipedia


Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseilles, France; completed in 1864; Photo courtesy MJA Studios

Notre Dame de la Garde, interior:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Houzz in the House - Feeling the Love

I "discovered" Houzz a while back (read: I didn't discover it at all. Check out all the press). It's a great tool for collecting ideas, inspiration and finding designers by region, specialty, style or all of the above. You can browse around, make your own ideabooks (more than 130,000 have been created), share them with others or keep them for your own reference.

A few months ago I created a profile, hoping to drum up a little interest in Austin's Newest Interior Designer, and I have been overwhelmed by the response to my work. Subscribers have been saving my images in their own ideabooks, and Houzz contributors have illustrated their informative posts with some of my project photos, along with the work of other talented designers! Check out some of the recent stories:

Have Lemons? Make a Decorative Statement by Lily Gahagan
Bedding Trends: Tailored and Tucked In by Janell Beals
Keep Your Collectibles (Without Losing Your Sanity) by Lily Gahagan
Relax A Little – Home Decor Should Be Fun by Kerrie Kelly

Becky Harris' post, How to Turn Your Closet Into an Office, even appeared on SF Gate!

It warms my heart that others are finding inspiration in my work – thank you Houzz community! Whether you just moved, think you'll move, or are always on the lookout for new ideas to implement in your home (current, future, dream home, etc.), but clipping images from magazines sounds time consuming and space-eating, I strongly suggest you get on Houzz and make some ideabooks for yourself! They'll be saved in the cloud so you'll never lose them and they won't require filling an entire filing cabinet with ideas!

I'm Blue Dabadee Dabba Daaa...

Does anyone actually know the lyrics to that song?

I'm not blue at all, but there's now a blue room in my house, featuring a special paint treatment! I grew up in a room with pale, pastel-y, powdery light blue walls, so in my adult life, I've tended to avoid the lighter blues, preferring richer, darker and more velvet-y blues. For our home office, Oliver and I chose a rich, but much lighter "Labrador Blue" from Benjamin Moore. It's a lovely color.

But, I couldn't just leave it at that, could I? No siree, I needed to make it more complicated. I wanted to paint clear coat stripes over the blue to create a monochromatic pattern. All this sounds like a great idea until you have to get to it. As you know, we've painted stripes before (ifyou haven't already, read about it here and here), and once it's all done and it looks great, you forget how annoying it was to get there. The same is true for this round of stripes, but I'm glad we're done with taping and painting stripes!

We bought 3M Edge Lock (delicate painter's tape) in bulk this time, because that stuff is not cheap, but it's the best. Buying it in bulk makes it a little more affordable, and we actually used it all.

Because we were painting clear lines this time, we couldn't use pencil markings to guide us, so we had to come up with another solution. Oliver found the niftiest Air Grip Compact Laser Level that sticks to the wall.

It makes a buzzing sound because it's suctioned to the wall by a vacuum, but it's totally worth the noise. Find a flat wall surface – the suction doesn't work if the wall is too bumpy. And if you have to rest the little gadget half on tape and half on wall, like we did at times, someone should hold it in place, as it struggles to suction to two materials at once. We slapped it on the wall, then taped our lines as it buzzed away:

Here she is, all taped off:


For the stripes, we used Minwax Polycryclic in clear gloss, which needed two hours to dry between coats. During breaks, we sat outside on the deck (!!!), where it was sunny and bright, and where we caught some lovely sunsets:

But don't think we were unproductive the whole time! On breaks, we also managed to hang my grandmother's beautiful mirror in the dining area:

Like the bare bulb? This is a work in progress, friends

We installed our chrome and glass shelving doo-hickey to a wall in the living room, unpacked some milk glass and unfurled a rug:

We still have the garbage bag roman shades...one thing at a time...

And we hung our headboard:

We have a lot of wall space to fill up, huh? Not to worry, we have a lot of art.

The directions on the polycrylic container recommend painting a coat, letting it dry for at least two hours, then sanding it lightly with 220 grit sand paper. But we learned the hard way that omitting the sanding part is appropriate here. I'm sure it's right to sand between coats when refinishing furniture or doing other projects, but in our case, the sand paper took off some blue paint, so we had to retouch one area before going over it with clear coat. Luckily, the area we messed up was behind the door, so it's less visible. I always try to test new products in inconspicuous places, both in our DIY projects, and when I'm working with contractors for professional projects. Anyway, we decided to just paint clear coat layers over un-sanded layers. Not having to sand certainly made the job go quicker, but it was still pretty tedious. Howevah, it looks FABULOUS (if I do say so myself)!


Now, we just need some cute desks (we left the one we built attached to the wall in our last apartment) and a pull out sofa to accommodate overnight guests!