The annual Birthday Wish List

Black Friday.  The day of consumer lust.  Might as well share by annual Bday wish list!

When I was in high school I read a book called Write it Down Make it Happen.  It was self help-y and definitely not about obtaining stuff, yet much of last year's wish list ( here) came to be, including the horn bowl and modern necklace (thanks mom!), suede and leather tote bag and one of the design books (thanks Eileen!), Shelly Mosman portraits of my girls (amazing!), and a new car (thanks to an accident this summer that was minor but totalled my car nonetheless.  And no, not a land rover.)

Looking back, I am remarkably consistent with some of my wants, including cashmere-lined leather gloves and long necklaces!

Clockwise from top left:

I'm pretty sure these 42 year old eyes require glasses.  Thinking Warby Parkers.

Always have some good design books on my list!  Curious about the new Domino book.  The John Derian book is GORGEOUS.  and Commune is a left over form last year's list!

A wool or cashmere leopard print scarf

Cashmere lined leather gloves

A long tassel necklace

A dresser for the entry!

Good looking raised dog bowls

The perfect 3-in-1 parka

A fabulous dog bed

A sporty pair of New Balance

Aftermath

I'm having a very strong nesting urge.

Maybe it is because my house has been torn asunder by a 9 pound puppy named Auggie.

Maybe it is because all of my projects seems to be "in process," where it is more about trouble shooting than inspiration or results.

Or maybe it is a deep seated need to restore order in my small corner of a world that feels upside down since election day, never to be right again.

(drama queen)

We have lived in our house for 6 years, the longest I have ever been in one place as an adult, and we have reached that state where every drawer and closet and cupboard needs to be turned inside out and given a good scrubbing.  Honestly, that's a bit what my whole life feels like.

As cabinet positions are names and liberties (already!) threatened, decorating has never seemed sillier.  Yet I still believe in the comforts of home, and if I didn't live in a blue city in a (barely!!!!) blue state, I think I would be taking cover.

So what will I do around here next?  I have a little money set aside for house projects.  I am at a point where

a) I want things to work better for our family and contribute to our happiness or, at the very least, ease of living , and

b) I don't want to fall into the trap of temporary solutions

So I will probably have to make choices to stay on budget. The area of focus?  Our entry.

It has been a bit of a revolving door!  For a while it happily looked like this, until that desk went to the girls.

I had this vintage x-base desk (which I love) in the guest room, and wound up bringing it into the entry in a pinch.

But really, it's not working for us.  Not enough storage, and not enough free space beneath to add baskets.  (not that baskets are any solution with a puppy on the loose.)  I'm convinced that we need a dresser for storing gear: in the winter, hats and gloves etc; in the summer, sidewalk chalk and butterfly nets and jump ropes.  I had something in mind like this:

But guess what?  I mentioned it to my husband and he has an opinion.

He thinks we need a bench for people to sit on to put on their shoes.  (although--  We used to have that and I don't think anyone ever used it.)  So then maybe something like this:

Except in reality we probably aren't going to add a pendant light....and again that doggie likes to steal shoes (and gloves and socks and shirts and underwear) out of baskets

So we'll see!  Maybe I'll luck into some perfect vintage dresser and find myself with enough money left over to put a runner on my stairs.  It will be much better for the dog that way.

This is one of my more rambling posts, coming together over a week or two, but I'm hitting publish!

Tangletown Traditional: Living room sketches

I shared some sunroom sketches for this house the other day.

Today I've got some living room design sketches for you.

I have to say, despite my personal funky-eclectic taste, this sort of "fresh traditional" scheme is a real comfort zone for me, and I love to use it in older homes.  My approach in this case was to choose pieces whose lines felt traditional but not overly fussy or formal, and fabrics that feel young enough for the family that lives here.  The color palette comes in part from other choices we've made, like the tones in the wallpaper in the entry.

The living room opens to the right off of this foyer, with the dining room directly across the way.

I wanted to pull in the brown, coral, and blue in different combinations

The client and I are both loving the first option.  

What do you think?

Sunroom Sketches

Pretending  things are business as usual today.

It's been way too long since I have shared any work in progress!  We are working on early concepts for the sunroom in this house, which will likely include a wall to wall built in banquette, terra cotta or cement tile floor (though more French in feeling than Moroccan), and a table or tables for homework and dinner party overflow.  Also natural grasscloth on the walls and blue paint on the ceiling.

Excited about this one.  Living room sketches coming soon.