Category Archives: Projects

Monochromatic Plan- Again

You probably thought we were done with this little pillow, but no! Let’s tackle this monochromatic thing from the other direction and focus on the sage green background of our little bolster.

Funny enough, I’m finishing up a green bedroom where this pillow would fit beautifully (that wasn’t planned- I swear!). Wish I could show you the finished photos, but we’re still waiting for the custom duvet. You’ll be the first to know when it’s all ready. ‘Til then, here’s the plan:

I chose a tall curvy headboard to create a focul point for this oddly shaped room. Placed in front of busy built-ins the piece will also help the room feel more spacious and tidy

Dark mossy green will to cover the headboard to set off the walls and lighter fabrics

This fabric inspired the color scheme and style for this room. This will be the duvet (you'll see the sample of this in some of the photos)

Fresh lemon green paint for the walls and built-ins will bring out all of the green hues in the duvet fabric

Pale blue gray on the ceiling to expand the space and soften the edges. TIP: the lower ceiling over the bay window gets the wall color to- say it with me- keep the focus on the headboard!

This piece may be neutral but it's not plain. The creamy colors keeps the room light and airy while the architectural details mimick the nooks and crannies of the room and relate to the rug

Soft roman shades to dress up the bay window without distracting from the headboard

Recognize this rug? I included it in yesterday's saffron monochromatic scheme. It looks fantastic in this room too!

Here’s a sneak peek at the progress…

Bad photos (sorry!), but you’ll notice that most of the accessories are green or white. The headboard fills a tight awkward space make the room feel more spacious. The fabric draped over the pillows is for the duvet. Can’t wait to get it back from the seamstress!

Grouping 'like' objects and playing with variations of green keeps these built ins from looking cluttered. The look is personal, but the focal point is still the curvy headboard.

Cream and pale green stand out on this black marble top dresser. And the mixture of texture and scale give this vignette an unfussy feel

The small gray chair is upholstered in gray linen relates to the texture and color of the linen duvet, and the color connects to the marble dresser top.

 

 

One, Two, You Know What To Do

So, I’ve got the inspiration, the idea, the frame… It’s time to make my version of an inspiration board!

I headed to the hardware store for some wire. I’ve seen this done with chicken wire, but I was attracted to some wire with a grid pattern:

I stretched it across the back of the frame then drew some butterfly shapes on poster board and cut them out:

For efficiency sake, I cut out half shapes in the posterboard

Find an image that fits the butterfly shape and it tear out. Fold the page in half and trace the shape with a pen. Cut it out…

 

Play with the shapes, colors, sizes, patterns...

Then, using wire and straight pins (I used multi-color pins for fun) start arranging the butterflies let them cluster and stream in a fluid arrangement…

Et voila! My inspiration board full of butterflies like wishes for all the things I’m loving, appreciating, and working for. It’s not a “real” inspiration board, but the project made me feel open again to putting my dreams in the room so I can see them, and more, believe in them, again!

And my super cool business coach, Kim Kuhteubl, is pushing me to go for it again too- to create an inspiration project with defined goals and dreams. I promise, I’ll do it! And you’ll be the first to see it.

Now, stay tuned tomorrow for more work by the artists who inspired this project. You’ll be amazed by their work.

And Another Thing…

So, you saw my beautiful mirror frame that has hung in almost every room of my house (see yesterday’s post). We’re all caught up now, right?

Here’s the back story: About the time I found the mirror frame I was starting over in a new city, new home, new life… in other words, I was recently single. Being back on my own again was my choice, but I was still feeling a tad down about it all. I didn’t bring much with me (clothes, a few pieces of furniture, and my meager art collection) and was only half-heartedly decorating.

I was moping around one day when it hit me…

All of my artwork was sad- I even had a ‘sad angel’ collection! Yikes! What felt sort of comforting before suddenly seemed gloomy and oppressive. I took everything down immediately. I was done being a victim in my own life.

This is really where my Making Room for More journey began…

Over the next several years I did everything I could to improve my life, my outlook on my life, my faith in myself and others…

I made a big ‘inspiration board’ pinning up everything I wanted for my life. I had big visions!

I was so excited, I even had an Inspiration Board party with my friends!

The frames are from the Alameda Flea market. Cork tiles and everything else are from a craft store. We had a great day!

But as the next few years went by it seemed that rather than checking off my dreams as I achieved them, they were becoming further and further away- impossible even. I took it down feeling totally defeated. BUT, I continued taking classes, reading books, journaling, finding women’s business groups… in other words- I didn’t give up.

So, it’s no surprise that just as I was wrapping up decorative details on my house, that I met Bethany Nauert (thank you, Michael!) and was soon scheduling my Apartment Therapy photoshoot.

I was thinking about my inspiration board realizing that maybe my inspiration board had to be three-dimensional like my work. Isn’t that was Making Room for More is all about? duh!

I wanted to create an art piece for the photo-shoot- something special that spoke to my aesthetic and my new outlook. Immediately, I remembered this…

I saw Yoko Ono’s exhibit at SFMoma a few years ago- Most of the exhibit was white- white chess boards with a sign that said ‘play by trust’ and a white birch tree with a table full of white tags and an invitation to write a wish and add it to the tree- a wishing tree. It was chalk full of tags dancing in a soft breeze created by the people who walked by. Breathtaking! The wishing tree isn’t Yoko’s invention, but she certainly impacted thousands with her spin on the concept.

Perhaps, I could create something similar with my own wishes hanging from a chandelier… or floating on a wall… floating… flying… what shape would that take? how would I create it?…

Without knowing any of these thoughts, my friend, Krista showed me an installation she had just seen with paper butterflies. This isn’t the exact piece, but I’m pretty sure this is the artist Krista saw:

More about Su Blackwell coming...

Eureka! I’ve got it! I’ll cut butterflies from the pages of my favorite Interiors magazines! I’ll attach them to the wall and to my beautiful mirror frame! I’ll paint the wall deep purple so every colorful image jumps from the wall- like flying. Yes! Yes! Yes!

I went to the hardware store to get chicken wire for my frame and found this grid patterned fencing-

Even better!

Then I gathered some friends and cut out about a hundred butterflies- each one reminding me of the freedom to create, re-create, and totally design my life. No words, now specific images- just color, play, light and flight.

Now that's an Inspiration Board!

Tune in tomorrow for more specific instructions- we’re getting to the good part!

 

Getting Started… sort of…

The light blue frame you see here belonged to my grandfather who was an oil painter…

That's my grandfather, Rosel, sitting with my grandma. My dad is standing on the far left. He has two of his dad's paintings, but there are several more divided among the other seven- count 'em- seven siblings

For years I’d hang the frame on the wall then for fun tack a postcard or snapshot in the center or lean a few on the ridge of the woodwork.

Then, one day…

My friend, Dave Mendez, gave me a photo he took at Versailles. (Dave is one of those rare creative types who can manage a camera, marketing for a multi-million dollar start up, film development, and other creative and business endeavors- all with a smile on his face. He's my idol!)

I ran down to Aedicule Fine Framing (they’re the best in the city!) where they framed it for me with a scrap of silver raw silk they had lying around. Love it!

It happened again about six years ago… I was minding my own business at the Alameda Flea market…

…when I saw most perfectly delicate and wondrous mirror frame ever. Treasure! Without negotiating, I paid top dollar and took it home. I used the same method for displaying this open frame but upgraded to larger artwork hung in the center. Like this…

My super creative, talented, amazing brother, Lane, designed the poster years ago. He's amazing too...

It looks good but I was getting tired of the look. I needed a fresh way to display this gorgeous things.

One day, Bethany Nauert, photographer for Apartment Therapy (among other super cool sites and mags!), contacted me to photograph my home. Yikes! I had a wall in my dining room that needed serious punch and I had this frame and two weeks… hm… maybe something could be happening here…

Stay tuned for more of the story… see you tomorrow!

 

But Besides Paint… Rooms from Your View

We’ve been talking a lot about paint lately, but there’s so much more that goes into decorating a room. And while paint and color are my passions and inspirations, using your passions to create a plan for your home is a great place to start. Here are some rooms (on my fav online shelter mags- Rue and Lonny) that might get your started…

Whether you love flowers, floral prints, or just happen to fall in love with a quirky floral chair like this one, bring your passion to the center of the arrangement and keep the surrounding elements simple and clean.

Even a crazy collection like this one, of magazine flowers and dogs, can work if it's done well like this hilarious water closet.

If you have a sense of humor, collect stamps, or just to have a little fun, an attention grabbing piece like this mkaes the rest of the room easy to dress.

Who knew a hunting theme could be so elegant! Check out the animal quilt on the bed, the antler, and other nature details on the side tables... Gorgeous!

If you fall in love with a major statement piece like this headboard, put a strong color behind it to show it off. This navy paint color is amazing, but any color would look amazing here!

Why not show off an amazing collection of shoes! If you can keep them tidy and create a cool display, they can be a major element in a super cool room.

 

If what you really love is pattern- then use it, embrace it, celebrate it... and to really make it a successful theme, vary t he size and color for rich interesting layers that will all go together.

If it's a color that always captures your attention, then play with variations of that color- lighter, darker, more yellow or more blue- and put together a whole room in your favorite hue.