Since last we spoke

Hi, I've been distracted. When there are things like family and thanksgiving feasts and friends and trips to the cabin in the mix, sitting down in front of the computer is is the first thing to go. Here's what I've been doing since last we were together.

1. During a weekend stay at my family's cabin we took a little day trip. Parking our car in front of the No Trespassing sign, we walked around the frozen lake.   2. It was freezing cold at said lake. Cold enough that my brother allowed my sister to stand that close to him.   3. With snow soaking through our city-slicker shoes, we still stopped to take a picture.   4. A small cabin nearby the lake   5. This is my kind of holiday. We started Christmas a week and a half before Thanksgiving. One can't help it when snow is falling outside.

1. After a family outing we came home to a delicious meal prepared by mama.   2-3. Christmas tree decorating at home and the cabin. (Note: last year we started using the larger, round bulb lights on our tree. The effects are quirky and magical)   4. The joys of the holidays.

I love the holiday season. I love the kindness shared by everyone, the looking inward to see where improvements can be made, and the looking outwards to see where your time and service is needed. Along with this season comes an expectation of time spent with family, the joy of cooler weather contrasted by the bright lights, the many smells reminiscent of years past, and oh, the blessed Christmas music. It's a time when the world seems closer together, when greetings are shared, thanks are given, and smiles are visible on everyone's face. I always appreciate my life more around this time. 

What are some of your favorite parts of this time of year?

Soho House New York

Located in New York is Soho House, a private member's club and hotel in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. The Soho House was "born out of a reaction to the pomposity of the traditional private members club." In an area where private clubs are generally made of a similar crowd - a place for corporate men and women to gather together in their suits to drink some brandy, this private social club has a strict requirement allowing only those working in a creative, unconventional field to qualify for a membership.

I was in a club once. Meetings were held beneath the tree in my grandparent's front yard. We gathered once or twice to discuss in hushed voices what game we should play next. 

I was in another club too, one that met in the closet beneath the stairs in my old house. That club never got further than calling itself a club. 

Soho House has a history far greater than either of my wimpy clubs.

While the Soho House is certainly not in want of money, the designers did an excellent job at keeping the space from feeling like a ritzy museum. Their intention of a comfortable and cozy feel is evident in every room of this renovated factory. They maintained the original brick and aged wood as part of the space and chose inordinate amounts of tufted sofas and arm chairs, detail-ridden ceilings, ridiculously cool light fixtures, and a mix-and-match style to highlight the existing features. 

I'm pretty sure this place is home to every chair crush I have ever had.

Kohler: Tresham Challenge Part III

This is the final bathroom put together by the Kohler team to show off the versatility of the Tresham Collection. I'm most fond of the subltly printed wallpaper, the playful shapes throughout the space, aaaand her outfit.

Between Option one, Option two, and this, Option three, which bathroom do you like most?

Introducing: Swarm

Look at these cool chairs I saw here (a neat house tour, by the way, with the best shade of grey I've seen in a while). 

Made by Leslie Oschmann at Swarm in Amsterdam. Leslie finds objects in Dutch markets, French homes, or Belgian antique shops, then refinishes them. Her focus is in the juxtaposition of materials - silk on oil canvas, linen on wood, or stitching on canvas, then turning the old piece into something unexpected and beautiful.

Leslie is cool.

Kohler: Tresham Challenge Part II

Are you ready to see the greatest residential bathroom ever designed?

It is stunning. Nearly perfect, even. I may have even fallen off my chair when I saw it, though those two events may have been unrelated. I often fall for no reason at all. Just gravity.

As I mentioned earlier, Kohler had a few of their employees engage in a friendly competition to design a bathroom of their taste using the new Tresham collection. I showed a preppy, delightful lounge designed by Kohler art director, Katie Begalke, and today I'm showing the bathroom designed by a team at Kohler. It's charming and delightful. Just...take a gander.

I know, I told you.

Though a space of this size and architectural detail is disappointingly hard to come by, the charming elements can certainly be applied in your own home. Everyone can have a space they enjoy as much as I like this and still pay rent, I promise. It just takes a little extra thought. Pedestal sinks are a classic choice for a restroom, Shaker-style furniture and mismatched frames create an old-time feel, timeless moldings beside the elegant wallpaper add sassy visual interest, and the placement of the chandelier...ohh the placement of the chandelier. Muah! There are a few things in this room that I'm ready to incorporate in my home when the time comes.

What elements (besides the model's outfit) would you like to mimic?

October 25th

Happy birthday to my mama.

My mother is the reason I am in interior design - why I love creating, designing, and coming up with less-expensive options for a beautiful result. She has always been interested in these things herself, so when I came along in my overalls and slicked-back-ponytail glory (blessed, blessed 90's) and had an inborn interest in design, she took me under her wing and showed me the way. I'm so happy to have someone with whom I can get excited over grimy old furniture and scraps of fabric. We are pretty good friends.

Mama, your birthday present is wrapped and ready to be opened.

Kohler: Tresham Challenge Part I

On paper, working for a company that manufactures toilets doesn't sound too magnificent. However, when one has the perk of creating a look for a company like Kohler using latest product like the Tresham Collection, the cons kind of get flushed out.

First up, Katie Begalke, an art director for the Kohler company. Using some things from her own home (the pictures, Nancy Drew books, white rug, and Antoinette Fainting Sofa) Katie created a preppy, traditional space. Once her own pieces were in place, she added the wainscot, baseboards, and the Tresham collection. It's a traditional idea with a quirky twist that was used for a non-traditional purpose.

My favorite elements:
The Pinstripe Faucet in Vibrant French Gold
Various colors on the walls, adding even greater dimension
How easily this look can be achieved with a small budget

Next up: Kohler Company's take on the Tresham Collection challenge. You're going to cry.

And your favorite elements?

Eclectic and Dark Home

Full of texture, patterns, comfortable linens, picture frames, classic shapes, and classic pieces. Yum.

SuzAnn and Will's Eclectic Chicago home from Apartment Therapy.