Happy Monday everybody! I hope this next home tour takes the edge off of your Monday and leaves you feeling laid back and inspired.

Are you ready for a tour of Michelle and Rob’s mid-century modern space?

I met Michelle while working on the faculty of the Brentwood Art Center. Having Michelle as a good friend, I got to be a part of the design process firsthand because we both tend to obsess over all things design! As you enter their Santa Monica home the open-plan living and dining room is very inviting. Michelle chose all the paint colors and trim carefully considering the creams and whites to brighten and lighten the living space. Another great addition was her choice of a white modern fan.

The walnut dining table along with the white Modernica chairs offer great contrast and mid century modern living. I was lucky enough to catch the afternoon sunshine there with the curtains blowing in the breeze.

Here is Michelle at home in the room! I have always wanted to get one of these spine bookshelves too because they take up little visual space and hold plenty of books.

Throughout the home, you can not help but notice Michelle’s collection of fine art. As you may remember from Friday that Michelle is an illustrator and art instructor. Her creative space is clean and inspired from the vignette at her desk…

to the canvas at her work space. By the way, she is currently working on a watercolor dollhouse illustration, which I’ll be sure to share with you, when she finishes. I’m intrigued by the original sketch.

Clever styling and unique lighting adds charm throughout the space.

As graceful and clean as the studio space is nothing could be a cooler counterpart than Rob’s man cave. Where Rob intermingles toys, videos, games, and his first piece of self-painted of original art. How appropriate for him to have loft space above the studio where he can showcase his collection of action figures.

I know it has all been amazing to soak in, so I will leave you with just these. What are some of your favorite things about their Santa Monica space?

Later this week, check back in as I vow to post bonus pictures of kitchen appliances and stylish accessories- you will not want to miss!

From the bottom of my heart <3

Out with the old, and in with the new!

We inherited this table and chairs as part of a lucky Craigslist find. The look was midcentury and a bit heavy. We have considered getting a walnut table or lacquering our current one in black, down the road. But for now it has character;) I’ve been looking forward to buying new dining chairs and CB2 was a great place to start. Here is the completely updated look.

Overall they are excellent buy, sturdy and easy to assemble. Check. So, I’m thinking about other resolutions.

In 2012, I plan to blog more and take better photos!

How about you, what are some of your resolutions in the new year?

I loved working on Ivonne’s place because of the simple lines of the architecture and the freshness of her home.

Working with white, creams, and a neutral palette was an elegant concept for a modern cozy space.

The dining room is ever more formal with a Robert Abbey oil rubbed bronze chandelier. Bronze finials, drapery rods, harware and locksets complete the look on crisp white moldings and trim.

I loved these cozy taupe and gray pillows made of soft cotton mixed with a rich fur throw. The leather ottoman pictured below adds another layer of unexpected warmth to the living space.

It is hard to imagine that we have been working on her place since July because it all has gone by so quickly. From the beginnings, replacing the existing lighting with recessed, adding entryway lights, and a new coat of paint.

Most times, my favorite thing to change in an interior to make a dramatic impace can be lighting and simply a new coat of paint. Thankfully, Ivonne had recently had a sun light added to the living space, which only accentuated our recessed lighting upgrade.

Other details, like our favorite chair recovered and painted, transformed the entryway. The woven basket which doubles as storage for umbrellas add charm to the vignette.

Lucky of us Ivonne already had great art and a beautiful mirror for the dining space. All we needed to add was a midcentury walnut floating frame to truly accent the painting.

Never fear, if you are interested in her place and want to see more. We still have photo gallery wall and tufted bench in the works!

I am so in love with our new Morse Lamp right now.

Now, not only do we have a soft halo of light in the darkest corner of our living room, but I’m awe struck with the sculptural white porcelain base as well as the refined shade.

Best of all, it was on sale!

Happy Friday party people.

You may remember the rooms that I have been working on with Ivonne, the talented jewelry designer….well here’s the sneak peak!

The chandelier is definitely my favorite piece.

I promise more photos to come once we’ve selected all the accessories!

I am in the midst of designing  both living and dining spaces in a wonderful home with European charm.  It has been a super fun project with a client who happens to be a designer herself. She designs amazing jewelry and accessories, so it is great to collaborate on the look and feel of her two distinct, yet related rooms.

Below is a preliminary view of the furniture plan and products that we are choosing. It will include neutral fabrics layered with artwork and softly hued pillows. Plus, a leather ottoman will add texture and comfort to the center of the space.

The new recessed lighting that we installed along with the white slipcovered sofas really brightened up the place…which brings me to the Product Board for the adjacent dining room which reflects the classical elegance and charm of the Mediteranean architecture of the home. I am calling this style Italian Transitional because it filled with rich yet comfortable details, simple fabrics, and old world finishes.

I can’t wait to show you the results once this beautiful transformation has taken place. I look forward to bringing you inside the process with more pics of Ivonne’s Living and Dining spaces as we create.

This mirror was a gift. Can you believe that someone just GAVE it to me?

It’s cute, right?

Today, I have a one quick trick to update a mirror instantly by using a bit of white paint. I’m a big fan of altering accessories to bring style into a space. Although, it was a cute gilded piece before… it didn’t match our bedroom and lacked continuity.

A few coats later of Heirloom White by Rustoleum did the trick! The walls of our room are more of a creamy white too. I didn’t want to lose the depth and details of the handcarved wood, so I added in some silver leafing and a green patina using MetalEffects (my fave).

I have another Before and After that I’ve been working on for weeks, and I can’t wait to reveal it to you.

I feel a productive Tuesday comin’ on!

This weekend, I took on a meticulous project stenciling a wall for a friend shooting a creative commercial. I began by searching the web for zigzag inspiration.

I love this zigzag pattern in gray and white and if I were doing an interior…I’d probably select something like this with more soothing angles and muted colors. I like how they chose a small wall in order to pack a bold punch!

For his commercial though, we had something different in mind. The shoot will use an optical illusion, a 2 way mirror, and another mirror to maximize the impact of the zigzag wall’s effect. First, I drew it all out by hand using a 60 degree triangle. Here it is below, after I taped off the pattern.

The next morning, I returned and trimmed and painted the entire wall black.

I have to admit that peeling off all that tape was the most fun!

The best part is that after the shoot I am going to show you how he will style his headboard and nightstand in the room….trust me it is going to be interesting!

Needless to say, my weekend vanished into these obsessively painted lines…and I’m happy with the end result.

how about yours…Did you do anything fun?

Are you ready to catch another glimpse of the room that I’ve been working on all Spring?

Here is how it looked before.

Gorgeous architecturally, yet requiring a few touches to make it complete. Here we are taking measurements. I have to say…I love the color pink, as you may have guessed, but we also wanted to tone it down a bit.

We are getting so close to finishing this space for our client, a teenage girl. I feel lucky to be working with this great family.

We found the perfect fabric and had curtains and a cushion made for the window seat. The bed is an antique style Louis XVI reminiscent of the Neoclassical era. The ruffle duvet and bedskirt compliment each other well, and the Louis ghost chair is yet another interesting twist on a classic piece.

The nightstands were custom colored in Dunn Edwards Barrier Reef and the pink bubbled glass knobs are from Anthropologie.

We still have a few choices to make: I am thinking matching crystal lamps, a wide striped rug, and a few accessories will really make the space something any teenage girl would love to relax in.

Which rug do you like for this room and why?

This exciting home remodel has recently taken a lot of my attention. The place is a historic home built in Louisville, Kentucky around 1910, which means there are plenty of things that need updating and lots of charming elements from the past. This antique brass light in the entry way to Unit 2 is functioning beautifully.

White paint works it’s magic! 

The living room was wall to wall covered in wallpaper. Unfortunately, it was peeling off! We decided to strip it, skim the walls with plaster, then re-paint. I chose a warm French Gray by Dunn Edwards. Then, we trimmed the crown moldings and baseboards white! Lucky for us, the fireplace wood was in excellent condition.

The fireplace in Unit 1 was done in a faux wood that look decent in the picture, but a little frightening in person. We decided to paint it in a solid Espresso colored paint.

There is also the antique fire screen that we found while cleaning out the cellar.

What do you think, is it time to go on Antiques Roadshow?

On way our way out to the backyard, there is a large deck in great shape and with a view!