Office Makeover

Now that I am that little bit closer to starting my Interior Design business, I feel my own house should reflect more of my style and of who I am as a designer.

I have, therefore, decided that the home office needs a makeover job. Or just a job, as it was never made to start with. It is after all the place where I will spend a lot of my time researching and designing. Don't I deserve an inspiring abode for my ideas to come alive?

Being the opposite of a spacious room the following quote will be my constant inspiration throughout the process.

"I believe in small spaces; a place where comfort, beauty and practicality can all co-exist in harmony. Any fool can make things bigger and more complex, but it takes a touch of genius to move in the opposite direction."  - Thoreau & Gower

Here are some great ideas of some equally space-challenged designers that I will be following closely.

Notice a pattern? Yes. Color is the answer to everything, and a lot of times, so is wallpaper.

Get designing people, everyone has a closet full of skeletons they would like to see cleaned up.

Color Palette - reinvented

Someone else obviously has a similar crush on those color samples. I am so going to steal this idea.

Live in Color

I am only now getting to post about this, but I have been in love with the Sherwin-Williams commercials from the get go. Not only are they pure genius, but the soundtrack and images are an instant cheer me up. I wish I could make posters of them and hang them all over the house.

Here are three awesome examples of the creativeness behind these under rated paint chips.

All videos are available on YouTube.

Beaching it

The posts have been lacking. I know. But it's summer. Summer is about abandoning everything you do during the cold months and concentrating on the fun, careless entertainment of simple things. Like sand castles.

There is something so enrapturing about running your hands through sand, filling buckets and shapes and creating temporary creatures which the waves will eventually swallow. I have never been good at building with sand, but that hasn't stopped me, especially now that my daughter is just discovering the wonderfully simple enjoyment of it all.

These guys are slightly more serious about sand that I ever will be.

The above pictures were taken at South Street Seaport in the middle of NYC.. if they can find sand there, anyone can find it.

These last pictures are courtesy of the artists at sandtastic

Wishing you a breeze summer full of fun in the sand, and maybe a sand castle or two.

Gap Display

I wish i had the room in my house to make such great use of all our t-shirts. So fun!

Fingerprinted

This is just cute. 'nuff said.

Austrian graphic designer Ingrid Aspock thought, why fight the inevitable finger prints on your Ipad, Iphone and all things technology? Instead she went along with them and created these adorable adventures. I fell in love with the couple kissing at the concert. Can you spot them?

What adventure would you come up with on your smudged screen?

Ingrid Aspock's website

Wall Decals

I just fell in love with (a lot) these wall decals and wallpapers. Especially the door trompe l'oeil. Am now considering covering my whole apartment in them. Ok maybe not, but the more I see the more I want to find that perfect spot for the awesome impact that comes with these.

 This is how taxidermy should be done! In pink that is.

Lacking a balcony or a garden the above will have to do. How dainty!

This kind of makes me want to cuddle up to it.

Too many white doors in the loft? Here's a fixer that will take two minutes.

 Home is where the bed (or cushions) are.

In winter these wallpapers will make you smile, in summer they will remind you of what's outside waiting for you.

How much will my husband love me if I put this in his office?

For these and many (many) more awesome designs visit the Couture Deco Website.

Scavenger Hunt

If you know me somewhat you would probably know that I absolutely adore surprises. It should come as no surprise then that scavenger hunts are very high on my list of favorite things to do. The whimsy, the suspense and the competitiveness pretty much some me up as a person.

I came across this book on a mom blog and my attention was immediately grabbed. What a fun idea. I look forward to my daughter growing up and actually going to look for all these big and small treasures around our vast neighborhood.

This book can be purchased here, at the MOMA store, at the greenlight bookstore or on Amazon.

On a very closely related note, one of my wonderful mommy friends has started a Scavenger Hunt business which cater to parties of all sizes and ages. Find her here and start the hunt!

Happy scavenging to all!

Kees your Iphone

Kees is a Netherlands based company that uses 3D technology to create Iphone cases. The awesome thing about it is that you can customize your own case. Chose from about 34 basic designs then add illustrations. Once the design is decided you can chose the material (rubber, velvet, fur..) and if you want writing on the sides. Et voila! The 3D scanner builds your Kees ('case' in the Netherlands) layer by layer.

I might have to go buy an Iphone (yes I'm probably the only one left without one) just so I can make my own Kees!

Do you compost?

I have been wanting to start a compost bin in my kitchen for the longest time. Then the lazy bug hit. I wondered how it was at all possible to compost in an NYC apartment. The result is I'm still tossing all those delicious (to a worm at least) scraps down my sink and in my trash. But wait, thanks to NY Compost there are no more excuses. Even for us city dwellers without a garden. You toss it and they pick it up. Easy.

Now the search for a fitting compost bin starts. I don't want it to stand out like a sore thumb on my beautiful open plan counters or to smell like the diaper pail I keep very hidden. I also don't want guests thinking it's a cookie jar and dipping their paws in there. The choice is vast and I'm at a loss. Here are some that caught my eye for one reason or another. I appreciate any advice.

Bamboo Compost Bin

Chef n' Eco Crock Compost Bin

Norpro Compost Bin

Norpro Compost Bin

Oggi Deluxe Compost Bin

Oxo Goodgrips Compost Bin

Clean Air Distributing 2552 Compost Bin

Mr. Eco Compost Bin

Spring Cleaning

As it's that time of year when most people feel like de-cluttering, I thought this would be a perfect post. My life, I feel, is un-declutterable (new word I think) but I can do something with my desk and these cute little houses might just be that kick in the rear I need to get started.

Under my Roof is a new project by artist Christian Vivanco and they are inspired by the very traditional red roofed cottages and typical dollhouses. You can create a whole little village on your desk by mixing and matching the three house variations. Let the cleansing begin!