Tag Archives: Haus Beautiful

Notes On Making A House A Home

April 23, 2012

When my brother and I moved into our house a few years back, everything happened fast — we had zero time to plan how we wanted our surroundings to look and to complicate matters more, our decorating budget was also close to zero. Most of our furniture was hand-me-downs, thrift-store finds or purchased from the newly-opened IKEA. At that time, I was 27 and he was 25 and we were just happy to have a place of our own. And, IKEA really is awesome.

Visiting Schoolhouse last weekend to pick up my City Chandelier. Anna Mara Floral Design (inside) has the same light.

Our house was previously owned by a much older couple who thought high-gloss beige walls and off-white berber carpet were just fine. Our first impulse was to paint out as many rooms white as quickly possible and to rip out the filthy carpet. To keep things easy, we kept the scheme throughout the house white and black. We really just wanted a blank canvas to build off of.

Dining room details

Over time though, I felt like our place was missing two things: color and those special pieces that make a house feel like a home. Last week, I picked up a custom order from Schoolhouse here in Portland: the City Chandelier. The yellow base and oversized bulbs felt unique and fun and replaced a standard white IKEA fixture we’d had in our dining room. Sometimes, all a room needs is one simple change. In our case, the dining room just needed a splash of color to bring it to life.

Our living room

Our living room is still a work in progress but a lot of the things we need to change are going to take some serious time and effort. So for now, I’m focusing on what I can change. Our all black couch in the middle of our all white living room has never felt very inviting.

I knew I wanted a blanket to throw over the back to add to the coziness factor but my heart was set on the Crux Blanket by Pia Wallen. I’d been obsessed with this blanket for years but it was totally out of reach until a cotton version, the Cross Blanket was finally released last year. It was still expensive but I knew that if I settled for any other blanket, I just wouldn’t be happy. Sometimes it’s just better to wait it out and to save for what you really want. (Yes, that’s an 8 ft. tall black bear in the corner of our living room. Inviting, huh?)

• Don’t settle for what you don’t want. In our case, we spent the bare minimum on IKEA basics until we could save towards the particular items we loved. It took a few years but we didn’t make any big impulse purchases. If you buy a substitute for the real thing you’ve always wanted, you probably won’t be satisfied and will just keep obsessing over the object du jour you still don’t have. I saw plenty of other blankets that were great…but they weren’t THE Cross blanket. I knew it was better to wait it out for the blanket of my dreams (yes, that sounds crazy. Thankfully, I’m not alone).

• When you move into a new place and nothing feels right, start by painting the walls a neutral color. For us, there were so many details about our house that felt off that it was beyond overwhelming. Starting with white walls gave us a blank canvas to begin with and allowed us to build our own vision.

• Sometimes, all a room needs is a few small changes to come to life. We tried our dining room in a number of configurations early on but it all felt off until my brother found an old workbench for a table that grounded the room. At first, I didn’t like it but what I later realized is that it added some much needed personality.

• If something doesn’t feel right, don’t settle. When we first moved in, we thought it would be funny to have a black living room (haha?) We spent a few days painting it and…it looked horrible. We kept trying to make it work but walking into a cave every day just felt weird. We finally agreed that it had been a huge mistake and repainted the black walls white. What a pain! But immediately, everything felt better. Go with your gut and suck up those mistakes!

• Don’t get too caught up on Pinterest and inspiration sites. If you see something you like, it doesn’t matter if it’s popular. If you love it, you’ll usually find a way to make it work. Our house is filled with ‘oddities’ but it works for us.

We still have a million changes to make to our place but these two recent additions have started to make our house feel more like a home. It’s those special touches that bring your surroundings to life.

Readers: What are your suggestions for making a house a home and is there anything on your must-have list you’d like to share?

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The Shoe Closet

January 30, 2012

Late last year, one of my dreams came true when Joey built me a shoe closet. It’s one of my favorite parts of the house now and here’s how it came to be:

Like most older homes, Wolfgang Manor has some major quirks. There are four full-sized doors just in our small-ish bedroom alone. FOUR! When we moved in, two of those doors led to attic spaces, bare rafters and all. Joey transformed the larger of the two into an all-white art studio last year but that still left another free. I’d been wanting a designated place to store all my shoes because I ain’t gonna lie, I have a lot of them. They’d slowly started taking over my home office, filling up a book shelf and creeping across the floor. In my world, a cluttered space equals a cluttered mind and the shoes needed a new home.

The soon-to-be shoe closet was a dead space with exposed rafters, doing nothing but storing a pile of miscellaneous clutter. I wish we had some good ‘before’ photos because it was really dark and creepy. Since it was upstairs, it peaked with the angles of the roof and was an odd shape. Joey had to first frame and drywall the space, then tape, spackle and sand, then prime and paint. Once the space was complete, we found these great ornate, oversized brackets at Home Depot along with a slab of pine that Joey cut for the shelf and painted white.

All in all, the transformation cost only $150.00 at most from beginning to end, mostly because the labor was free (thanks, Joey!) and we had the flooring left over from his studio remodel. The back wall was wallpapered with a scrap of Cole & Son Woods, which we had left from our dining room.

Shoes have always been my ‘thing.’ I’m big on only collecting objects that I can use all the time. When I was really young, my mom had stilettos in every color of the rainbow (this was the mid-80s) and she’d pay me a few dollars every once in awhile to arrange them in her closet. I think even back then, I was doing it by color. As I got older, my first few retail jobs in college were at shoe stores. I guess I’ve always viewed footwear differently than most people. Shoes to me are like wearable art. What can I say? I love shoes.

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Small Indulgences

January 3, 2012

I wanted to set the tone for 2012 by indulging in a few of my favorite things including fresh flowers and a copy of French Vogue. I’ve been on a kick of picking up a bouquet of vibrantly colored flowers every two weeks to add some energy to my all-white office. And, I find French Vogue to be one of the most visually inspiring fashion publications out there.

Small indulgences, visual inspiration and a regular dose of relaxation: this is the tone that I want to set going forward in 2012.

Office Overhaul

May 19, 2010

When I moved into my house last summer, I wanted a fresh and airy palette for my office. My already white furniture was met with white curtains and white walls. Now, I’m craving some more visual interest and depth. My brother helped me rearrange part of my office a few nights ago and I am on a search for the perfect rug and office chair. In the meantime, I’ve made a few small changes.

Ceramic Hand

To organize some of my jewelry, I picked up this Ceramic Hand Jewelry Stand at Urban Outfitters. It reminds me of the vintage molds I’ve seen floating around shops like Fish’s Eddy in New York.

Red Cross Cabinet

I’ve actually had this cabinet since 2002 – I spotted it at Lancelotti Housewares in New York and had it shipped home. After shifting around some office furniture, I was able to clear the perfect space to re-hang it. The black chair is a Panton reproduction that we were temporarily using for our kitchen table.

Damask Velvet Curtains

Until recently, I had thin white IKEA curtains hanging in my office. While they were breezy and let lots of natural light in, too much daylight when you’re tying to design is a huge distraction (it tempts you to go outside and skip out on work!) These curtains from Urban Outfitters are much more dramatic and though some light is able to leak through the mesh, it is quite minimal and has already helped my focus immensely. My brother hates them and has dubbed them my “goth curtains.” So be it!

As I pull more of my office together over the next few weeks, I’ll show you the full outcome.

The Week in Pictures: 4.9.10

April 9, 2010

Welcome to The Week in Pictures! We’ve been in Spring cleaning and home improvement mode as of late around Wolfgang Manor and our white room is super close to being complete. Full tour coming soon!

It seems that Paris has taken up residence in my bedroom between Joey’s art shows. At any given time, my house resembles a bizarre, futuristic movie set.

One of my favorite rooms has always been the little back room off the kitchen. It’s the perfectly cozy breakfast nook. In the next week, we’re getting a stainless steel table and mod white chairs. The oddest part of the room? It came with a mirrored wall. It’s like the Bavarian inhabitants of this abode went all disco in the 70s and needed a place to have dance parties.

On Friday, I paid a visit to Exhibit A, by far my favorite Nemo show yet. I loved the use of type and light boxes paired with the desolate landscapes that dotted the photography.

My little gnome table has been keeping me company since 2002. That’s through three moves! He always finds a way to help out by holding a plant or other odds and ends. He just moved into my dressing room last week and is valiantly assisting with my shoes now.

Until next week,
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The Week in Pictures: 12.4.09

December 4, 2009

I bought this hoodie back in 2002 while staying in New York. I remember wearing it for the first time to a house party in the West Village full of wealthy older Europeans who were slicing up a roasted pig on the front stoop. At the end of the night, a perfectly coiffed woman chased me down the street to find out where I had bought it. When I told her, I was shocked that she seemed familiar with Trash & Vaudeville. I went a solid four years without wearing it but recently, it seemed appropriate to pull it back out for another spin since so much of my life has come full circle since that time.

I never tire of late night visits to the Doug Fir. It’s always fun to sit around the fire in the back and listen to the rambling conversations of intoxicated patrons. As I was walking through their dark parking lot with my friend Todd on Saturday night, a cab came speeding around the corner, straight at us. Luckily, I jumped out of the way just in time. No smashed nubbles!

I think this super retro sign of perfection was on the edge of Sellwood somewhere. I discovered it while out with my dad, en route to a mansion to buy a bear head and bear rug (seriously). The mansion turned out to be the most amazing place I’d ever stepped into; I can only describe it as a French chateau with gothic accents. And, the bear rug? It’s now in my living room!

Hammer time? Perhaps. This week, I moved back into ‘the pit’ with all of the rowdy Nemo boys and when I sat down, I noticed a hammer conveniently placed on my desk. So far, I haven’t had to use it…

From a clearly subjective standpoint, my brother has very odd taste. And, since I live with him, I am a witness to the creepy things he owns every single day. All of these ‘animals’ reside in his room. Yes, that’s a stillborn baby dear. No, I won’t touch it. Mom and dad, if you’d let us have pets when we were kids, we might not have this problem.

Over the weekend, I went to an estate sale and hit the jackpot. These red handmade elfy shoes are impossibly tiny, but I had to have them. Aren’t they amazing? If I was alive in this era, I would have worn something very similar!

I’ve barely been home at all this week and now it’s time to play a very quick round of catch-up since I am taking off to Phoenix on Sunday. A copy of the new Forever 21 magazine just showed up and it’s all beyond exciting. Scans coming on Monday!

Until next week,

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These Are a Few of My Favorite Shoes

November 11, 2009

During the summer when I moved into my new office, I cleared my bookshelf of reading material and replaced it with a selection of my favorite shoes in color order. They’ve made it into snapshots here and there, but I’ve never shared close-up images and details until now. So without ado, these are a few of my favorite shoes!

I am notoriously picky about what shoes I buy. I do admit to having a few pairs of shoes that are allocated more for photo appeal but most are in my regular daily rotation. Though it’s a bit repetitive, I’ve listed the order of shoes in each photo so that there’s no need to wonder what kind each is.

Quelques Shoes De Plus distressed white heels with lucite buckles, Marni patent gray wedges, Diana Broussard silver heels with wood soles, Dries Van Noten silk marbled heels, Chloe patent green wedges, Dries Van Noten Fall 2007 patent gray wedges, Miu Miu red 40s inspired heels, Dries Van Noten red buckle boots and Dries Van Noten Fall 2007 patent burgundy wedges.

Close-ups of Dries Van Noten silk marbled heels, Chloe patent green wedges, Dries Van Noten Fall 2007 patent gray wedges, Miu Miu red 40s inspired heels, Dries Van Noten red buckle boots and Dries Van Noten Fall 2007 patent burgundy wedges.

Miu Miu red 40s inspired heels, Dries Van Noten red buckle boots, Dries Van Noten Fall 2007 patent burgundy wedges, Dries Van Noten Fall 2007 smooth burgundy wedges, Michael Kors Firebird wedges and Minimarket wedge zipper boots.

Dries Van Noten Fall 2007 smooth burgundy wedges, Michael Kors Firebird wedges, Minimarket wedge zipper boots, Sam Edelman Zoe boots, Camilla Skovgaard lug sole ankle boots and Acne Atacoma wedges.

Chloe harness boots, Chloe red platform Doc-inspired boots and red buckle boots from Trash & Vaudevile, circa 2002.

Readers: What are a few of your favorite shoes?

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