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

Our DIY Office Nook on Apartment Therapy!

There has been a lot of buzz lately about offices carved out of closets and other small spaces in peoples' homes. Oliver and I jumped on the bandwagon with photos of our own workspace and today it is being featured on Apartment Therapy! Thanks again, Janel!

As many of you know, Oliver and I work from home most of the time, and while we do our best to keep work and life separated, it's a bit of a challenge in our less-than-400 square foot apartment. Our living room came with a somewhat irritating-at-first nook due to a protruding section of wall that contains the "Sprinkler Control Valve,"complete with industrial signage. The nook when we moved in:

As it turned out, that nook was the perfect width for an Ikea table top. Oliver and I painted the gray walls and yellow and white stripes, then Oliver and handy brother of bathroom fame mounted the table top to the three walls and added one central support leg. Oliver and I hung two overhead shelves and painted it all Benjamin Moore Black Satin - a charcoal-y dark gray.

As I've mentioned before, Oliver is a master of organization, and it doesn't stop at paper; he has some experience with network architecture, so he can set up a fully functioning, but very self-contained wireless office. All the computer-related mumbo-jumbo is hidden neatly under the desk, and while we have office stuff scattered throughout the apartment, I've done my best to cover it all with home-made fabric remedies. We also mounted computer speakers and holders for rolls of trace paper, which I'm constantly using.

We didn't want too much clutter above us, but we couldn't imagine not utilizing all that vertical wall space, so the shelves actually hold our collection of vintage milk glass vases and bowls, which we used for flower centerpieces at our wedding. I thought I would sell them after the wedding, but I had become attached - it look a year to amass the collection (there is more) and I think they're so beautiful. So, I'm thrilled to have a place to display them! Some of the pieces even hold office supplies, so they aren't solely decorative. We found the little cut glass lamp at Target, and it works great for evenings when we're burning the midnight oil. We found the pair of vintage Pollack chairs at Two Jakes in Brooklyn. The clock belonged to my Grandmother and is by Syroco Inc., the company that essentially invented plastic in the 1950s.

Even though the office space is fairly pleasing to look at, sometimes we just want it to go away. For those occasions, we hung West Elm curtains on an Ikea track and can close the office when we have company, or when we want a visual barrier from work. The curtains also conceal that pesky Sprinkler Control Valve sign and soften what used to be a very ugly corner in the apartment. I made those new pillow covers just in time!

Our Bathroom Featured on Design*Sponge!

We are bursting at the seams to share with you our bathroom makeover, which was featured as a Before and After on the esteemed Design*Sponge today! D*S is a daily read for us, and it is a true compliment to be included among their roster of talented, creative designers and DIY-ers. Check out the feature here. Thank you, Kate! 

We thought we'd give you a little back-story, complete with a few more photos, to compliment the D*S piece. Oliver and I love our bathroom. Like, love it, love it. Technically, it's actually nothing special. It's small, it has cheap white tiles on the floor and walls and is outfitted entirely in Home Depot wares. However, in moving to our current apartment, with our happy little bathroom, we left behind our old bathroom, which was like a dark wet cave. There was no ventilation and the light over the medicine cabinet maxed out at 40 sad, sorry watts. We had to rig up a light that sat on the back of the toilet just so I could do my makeup and not look like I was heading to my job at the circus. To conceal the inevitable orange globs of mildewy nastiness we knew would accumulate on the ceiling, we painted that bathroom a deep, zexy shade of deep red....walls AND ceiling. I firmly believe that no amount of white or bland "greige" paint is going to make some small rooms feel big. Some rooms are just going to be small. Embrace it. Make it a jewel box. That we did. And we didn't even mind the darkness so much! Then we moved, and we felt like we hit the jackpot.

In our current bathroom, we have a full-size south-facing window. It lets in glorious amounts of light all day. The subway tiles on the walls are cheap (if our building's contractors get the same prices I do, I suspect the tiles cost something like $0.29 per tile), but they are the very essence of New York classic chic and can be dressed up any which way. A perfect blank canvas. Despite our excitement about it's inherent brightness, our bathroom was a bit cold and sterile with all that white. So, we got busy making it warm and welcoming, while retaining the clean sunny-ness.

Here's what the bathroom looked like when we moved in: 

Don't you just love the blue cast from the gnarly plastic shower curtain-as-curtain? Thanks, previous tenant!

We decided the bathroom was the perfect room to test out painting stripes, which I'd wanted to try out for a while. Full disclosure: when I refer to "we," let me be clear that I art directed like a mo-fo, but Oliver and his extremely kind, talented, patient and handy brother, Josh, did all the actual measuring and taping, guzzling healthy doses of Guinness all the while.  It's a small bathroom, remember? Three's a crowd in there, trust me. This left me free to take photos and fetch beers, so I contributed.

Another disclosure: I am bad at painting interiors. I can paint on canvas nicely. I paint walls like a two year old. I am impatient, what can I say? Oliver allowed me to help paint the second and third coats of stripes over the course of the next two days. 

Once the paint dried and we peeled off the tape, we got to work on accessorizing. I searched high and low for the PERFECT shower curtain. It did not exist in our price range. That overpriced shell of a store, Gracious Home, does, in fact, carry my dream shower curtain for the bargain price of $199. Gee, I wonder why they had to file for bankruptcy? I suppose I could have made by own, but if I'd promised something like that we still would not have a shower curtain. So, I finally found one from Anthropologie that has just enough pattern but still lets in lots of light. 

We solved the privacy issue with translucent window film from Home Depot and two luscious hanging plants that absolutely adore their home in the sun and humidity. 

We did little things, like replace the gross faucet with an affordable, but nicer looking one with ceramic levers, replace the broken flusher, install a hand towel ring, replace the tp holder, all from Home Depot. We also relocated the towel bars, added a little tp storage above the door, and treated ourselves to a super cute toothbrush holder from Rejuvenation. Josh also helped us install a dimmer, which is a real luxury in the bathroom! The painting was a wonderful gift from dear friends who hauled it all the way from Rio for our wedding.

Of course, we styled it up a bit for our photoshoot: 

I brought the WC tile home from a trip to Spain in 1996. I've hung it at the bathroom door of every apartment I've lived in since. This photo also gives you a little sneak peek of our hallway – another bold color/stripe experiment. We'll be sure to post it soon! 

Color Me Inspired: Purple and Yellow

Purple was never a favorite of mine until somewhat recently. I started to notice it in mid-2008 during my quest for bridesmaid dresses that didn't look bridesmaid-y. Deep plum kept showing up and tempting me, but I was hell-bent on dark grey, so I had to forge on. (My girls and I searched high and low for dark grey dresses. Of course, AFTER our wedding, they became the color du jour and were suddenly easy to find. My timing is impeccable...) Later in 2008, I made my first purple purchase since I was six: a deliciously plum leather wallet. And then I couldn't stop! I found myself seeking out plums, purple, and deep raspberries in my clothing, as well. I am fully aware that the color-projector-powers-that-be had a lot to do with this sudden desire, as purple was deemed 2008 Fall Fashion Week's IT color:

Photo courtesy Omiru.com

We on the streets are a bit behind the fashionistas, but purple continued it reign on the 2009 runways, and we're really seeing it everywhere now, as it's been injected into all facets of design–even nail colors:

OPI Linkin Park After Dark (such a fun color!)

All this new-found interest in purple is just part of the cycle–– we certainly didn't just discover it in 2008! Associated with royalty, opulence and dignity, purple is quite versatile. Depending on how much blue or red is added, it can be bright and bold, masculine or feminine, soft and muted or nearly neutral and grey. While it pairs beautifully with so many different colors, today I've decided to focus on it's polar opposite, or, in color theory terms, it's complement: yellow.

The two can make a striking statement, but, as the saying goes, there's nothing new under the sun, and as with most color combinations, nature found it first:

Photo courtesy Derek Ramsey

Fine art followed:

Bonnard's View of the River (1923)

Matisse's Purple Robe and Anemone (1937)

The pairing has certainly hit both "high" fashion:

Photo courtesy jewelry.com

...and "low" fashion:

Photo courtesy Polyvore.com

...jewelry:

Kate Spade Damask Ring

...graphics:

Homies Bike by Enormous Champion via Etsy

...and, of course, interiors:

The boldness of the purple wall offset by the lush gold sofa is spectacular.

Photo courtesy Gaita Interiors

This lavender and mustard combination is so fresh!

Photo Courtesy DecorPad

I love this soft mauve and chartreuse pairing.

Photo courtesy Apartment Therapy

Rich greens and browns balance the striking purple sofas and yellow curtains.

Photo courtesy Homes and Gardens

Another subtle use of the complementary colors for a calming but not at all boring entry.

Photo courtesy Apartment Therapy

I always love a well-styled tablescape:

Photos courtesy Rebecca Thuss