The Green Room
February 29th, 2012 § 9 Comments
Is there anything better than a green wall? Maybe a green wall made of green money. But, besides that…no.
It might not be one of the most popular colors to paint a room, but I can’t help it, I’m a sucker for green. Some say it’s too bright or too polarizing. I say it’s too awesome. Every house I’ve lived in during my adult life (including college) has undergone at least a slight green makeover during my tenure. I like to think of it as my trademark calling card. See green walls? Kelsey was here. But seriously, what’s not to love? It’s fresh and quirky and reminds me of nature and the great outdoors. I will always, ALWAYS have some kind of green paint in any home I live in. Cheers to Green houses!
I heart art
February 28th, 2012 § 2 Comments
Well, duh. Doesn’t everyone? It’s kind of an obvious statement, “I enjoy pretty things.”
But I also like for art to be personal and unique. (Again, duh. Who wants their decor to be blasé and random and artificial? Just call me Captain Obvious.) Maybe that is because growing up, my mother made a point to stock the house solely with original artwork (a task that’s pretty easy when you’re an art student and so are all of your friends). I was fortunate to wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night staring at custom artwork on my bedroom wall that few others had the opportunity to know as I did. It was, as Miley Cirus might say, pretty cool. Mom has sense recanted on her “originals only” mentality, but the idea still resonates with me. But it’s not easy to obtain something with sentimental value, that’s easy on the eye AND is an original piece. Unique and original artwork, even by local artists, are pricier than what I can afford when I’ve got vacations and renovations to save for. But buying mass produced prints for $10 at Hobby Lobby sort of cheapens the whole idea of adorning your home with personal pieces that speak to you. “Keep Calm and Carry On” is a great motto, but I swear if I see one more of those posters, I’m likely to bang my head into a wall. Can’t I just have my cake and eat it too?
Enter concert posters, especially concert posters created by one of your closest friends.
Eric, the design guru behind the world’s coolest wedding invitations that I blogged about here, recently started creating concert posters for local showcases hosted by CoolinAustin…a website dedicated to spreading the word on all happenings that are free or under $5 in Austin. (It’s a great site in it’s own merit; check it out if you’re a local.) The shows have been drawing respectable crowds for featuring some of Austin’s favorite bands in some of the city’s more popular venues, and the popularity of the CoolinAustin gigs has been largely spurred on by the quirky and colorful animal-themed posters created by our dear friend Eric. Could it be possible that I have finally found a collection of art that is:
1.) Personal (created by a buddy and often relating to events I have attended)
2.) Unique (think along the lines of a squid holding a pipe or a spooky llama)
3.) Original (not mass-produced, in fact only a handful of copies were printed)
I may have found a way for those of us at the doodle house to enjoy art that is fun to look at AND fun to think about. I’ve already hung the first piece in the guest bedroom, and with gems like the images featured below, I don’t think it will be long before the entire wall is covered. Check and mate!
Rug Realities
February 17th, 2012 § 1 Comment
When Heath and I were looking for a house, one thing on my “must have” list was wood floors. Both of our houses prior to this one had wood floors, and we adore the sleek appearance of it so much more than we like the look of carpet. Wood has clean lines, light reflecting properties and brilliant color dimension within its brown hues. Plus, and this is were practicality comes in, wood is just better when you have two mud-slinging labradoodles traipsing through the house. But as house hunting gets underway and reality starts to rear its ugly head, you realize some of the “needs” are really more like “wants” and you give in some places to get in others. I gave up my wood floors.
The thinking was that ripping up carpet and putting down wood is something we could do ourselves. (And we know it’s possible because we helped friends Mark and Ranjana tackle a wood-laying project last year in their home, which is documented here.) It would be a project that would take time, but it was something that could realistically be done by Handyman Heath and myself at a reasonable cost. The problem, like with any home renovation, is getting finances in order before the project can get underway. I’m not particularly patient, so knowing it might be a year or two before I can get my hardy, shiny, beautiful wood flooring has me in pouting toddler mode.
I have grown to like carpet more than I originally thought. For one, the carpet in our home had recently been installed when we bought the house, so we didn’t have other people’s stains or wear and tear to deal with. It’s also a neutral color so it’s not horribly offensive to the eye. Plus, it’s remarkably soft and feels good on bare feet, especially in the winter. As far as carpet goes, we could have done much worse.
Where I get bummed (and yes, I know this is a stupid, STUPID thing to get “bummed” about), is that with wall-to-wall carpeting, I feel like it’s a design faux pas to decorate with rugs in the house. I imagine my friends coming to visit and thinking, “Oh snap, you put rugs over carpet? Girl, what are you hiding?!” (In this fictional scenario I have really rude friends with a background in interior design.) But I loves me some vibrant, colorful, sensationally patterned rugs! Since we were wooden people before, I has acquired quite an impressive (“impressive” for someone in college with practically no income) collection of these darling area rugs to decorate with.
Woven multi-colored green rug from Crate and Barrel
Abstract floral from Target
Graphic yellow from Ikea
So, as I am known to do with any problem, I Googled it. Can a girl decorate with rugs if she’s already got a house full of carpet? Answer: Sometimes. Check out what other carpet cursed designers did. (Photos courtesy of my design bible, Apartment Therapy).
All is not lost! There’s even some modern eclectic vibe happening in these inspiration scenes. Maybe, just maybe, I can work with this carpet business. Seriously, I have to overcome so much in this cruel, cruel world. But as Frederick Douglass once said, ” If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Wise words, Freddy D.You must have been referring to this same issue.
Living Room Re-Do
February 9th, 2012 § 3 Comments
Not so long ago I posted here about my disgust with the TV set up in our new living room (our lives are filled with monumental levels of adversity). Boring, drab and uninspired it was. Fortunately, I found a solution–one that involved a major overhaul of the living room layout and resulted in a much more feng shui entertaining environment. The before and after photos have me breathing a sigh of relief.
Ultimately the TV had to change walls. Instead of sitting against a blank white canvas, I repositioned it in front of an oversized window framed by a green accent wall. Now all eyes are on the bright “retro avocado” wall and dramatic curtains rather than an expansive plane of icky nothingness. Me Likey.
Customized shelving, made by none other than Handyman Heath, went against the white wall, which gave the room the personal pizzaz it needed.
You might recognize the shelves from the office in the old house. I loved them so much, I thought they deserved to be front and center rather than tucked away in the office or guest bedroom. Here’s how they looked pre-move and pre-stain.
The empty wall turned out to be the perfect backdrop against which the shelves and their various knick knacks could pop.
We also changed the wall color from the same neutral beige that I wrote about in our office to a bright white that packs a nice punch. The difference is subtle but, again, keeps the beige cloud feeling from creeping in on us.
Plus, against the green accent wall, the new white looks much crisper than the beige color did.
I also finally made the effort to focus in on some of the smaller details, like creating an entryway table. Sadly our house lacks an actual foyer, so a decorative little side table next to the front door has to suffice for a barrier between the living room and entryway until a more established room divider can come into play. Fortunately, it’s a pretty cute interim set up.
I never stop being amazed at the difference a coat of paint and a little rearranging can make.
I’m clearly not winning any Pulitzer Prizes for obsessively blogging about my new and improved living room, but I’m a big believer that a happy environment makes a happy person, and our new space is very happy.
TV Tricks
February 2nd, 2012 § 5 Comments
For better or for worse, in American culture a sign of status, wealth and “making it” is getting a large flat-screen TV. I remember fondly the day Heath and I maneuvered our way through screaming babies and angsty teens at the local Walmart at 9 p.m. on a Saturday to pick up ours after I got myself a Big Girl Job. “Yeah,” we thought to ourselves. “We’re doing alright.”
The funny thing is, while every blue blooded American is expected to have a flat screen, most designers tell us not to display it.“A Television should never be the focal point of a room.” and “Overtly displaying a large flat screen is tacky.” What gives? First you tell me I have to have one, now you’re telling me it’s lame. Not cool, society.
I wouldn’t normally give too much thought to this conflict of interest, opting instead to take on Eric Cartman’s “Whatever, I do what I want” mentality, but the problem is that I really have no idea how to gussy up the vast wall of nothingness behind my television.
It’s the antithesis of good design. In fact, it’s no design at all. It’s just there. This big black box in front of a big white wall. Uninspiring.
I can’t mount it over a fireplace (we don’t have one) or buy some ridiculously expensive piece of art to put behind it, but I can create a photo wall to bring some semblance of character to this otherwise drab portion of the doodle kingdom.
I suppose this weekend I will be whipping out the hammer and nails. Expect the “after” photo in the near future…
La Condesa
January 25th, 2012 § 2 Comments
I COULD go to trendy new restaurants soon after they open and THEN blog about them, but I much prefer waiting a few years until everyone already knows how awesome Eating Establishment X is, and then write about it like I’m the first to know. I’m talking, in this case, about La Condesa.
I ventured to the downtown TexMex restaurant for lunch recently and was pleased to see the hype wasn’t for nothing. I have no trouble believing this place will be a regular contender when the mister and I find ourselves in the “where should we go for date night” predicament.
Right off the bat I liked La Condesa for the location (across from Austin’s super cool City Hall, The W Hotel, Moody Theater and Lamberts). At night the trees light up and the people watching is superb. So kudos, LC, for picking out some pretty prime real estate in which to serve tacos.
Besides being situated in the heart of mucho A-town action, the architecture and interior design is jaw dropping, astounding even. You could sit inside and stare at the textured walls, vibrant murals, swanky lighting, everything…before you realize it has been 10 minutes and you haven’t even opened your menu. I’m not overselling either. In fact, the restaurant won a people’s choice restaurant design award from AIA Los Angeles. Pretty nifty.
If you weren’t already intrigued, allow me to go on. I’ve always heard you can tell how good a TexMex restaurant is going to be by the chips and salsa. Perhaps forecasting this very school of thought, the brains behind the La Condesa menu offer not one, but four salsas on which to over indulge before your meal begins. There’s a classic salsa roja, as well as a fresh and creamy avocado tomatillo, chipotle salsa and a super spicy but delectable option. Four salsa choices AND a generous helping of warm chips. Don’t mind if I do.
The main meal itself (fish tacos, my go-to taco when breakfast tacos aren’t an option) was splendid as well. The serving wasn’t too massive, but was still plenty filling and the tacos themselves really hit the spot. The best part about the entree, however, was the extra tortillas that come with the meal. Some places (no names) up-charge for extra tortillas (not cool), but La Condesa included two additional corn tortillas right on the plate, just like that. It was an unexpected treat and came in handy for scooping up extra salsa, black beans and rice. It’s such a small thing to do, but that alone would have tempted me to return for another visit.
By lunch hour’s end, I had been converted. The tasty array of salsas, visually entrancing atmosphere, and surprise bonus tortilla had me singing the praises of La Condesa to anyone that would hear it. Unfortunately I can’t speak on behalf of their margaritas. I guess I should return for happy hour in order to tell that tale.
Going Gray
January 22nd, 2012 § 2 Comments
This weekend I finally decided on a color to paint the office. Glorious Gray!
It might seem slightly pointless to change a wall from one neutral color to another, in this case beige to gray, but I love the feeling of calm a gray room brings on. Plus the beige walls paired with the beige carpet had me feeling like I lived in a beige cloud, which just isn’t as cool as it sounds. I was also inspired by some of these images that show how gray can make all of the other colors in a room seem a little more vibrant.
It’s not ready for any magazines yet, but I’m pleased with how the new color turned out and look forward to many days of curling up with book in my gray getaway.
Before…
After…
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Phase One = Complete
January 3rd, 2012 § 10 Comments
Fancifying the kitchen is a three-step process. When we moved in, the kitchen looked like this.
Please note:
- the dated knotty pine
- the old fashioned black hinges
- the bland countertops/backsplash
- the aged cabinets
A peek at the doodle house part deux
October 31st, 2011 § 6 Comments
We’ve only been officially inhabiting the new casa for 10 days, and there are many changes and upgrades we have planned for down the road. But in the mean time, enjoy a few peeks of our first stab at home ownership.
Modern Eclectic
October 13th, 2011 § 4 Comments
And the answer we were looking for folks was “modern eclectic.” Yes, “modern eclectic” is the correct answer.
In the past couple of weeks I have become somewhat of an expert at performing google image searches. (It’s a very difficult process. Needless to say, many of you will never be able to master the art.) The primary objective of said searches is to find interior design inspiration for *ahem* someone’s upcoming relocation project. Yep, we are buying our first home and I’m needing some decoration guidance without having to actually READ anything or put in any intellectual research.
Finding the key words that get you to the most applicable images the fastest really might be some kind of a weird talent, and it took me a long time to find the right mix of random interior design-ish adjectives to produce photos of scenes I can realistically imitate. Like Goldy Locks, I combed through the internet searching for those key phrases that would get me to to inspiration images that were “just right.”
“Mid Century Modern” turned up some awesome shots that ultimately were too minimalistic or ridiculously unattainable. ”Colorful Interiors” lead me to images of what appear to be fun-houses. And a slew of other randomly placed together words got me close, but not quite there.
Enter MODERN ECLECTIC—the term vague enough to encompass all things modern, traditional and in between. The wishy-washy, bi-polar, ADD wannabe designers like myself finally have a designated style to call their own. Modern Eclectic it shall be. Behold the fruits of my labor.
That last one is a real-life inspiration from my friend Maggie. Check her place out on airbnb.
Cheers to Modern Eclectic, and hopefully soon you’ll be seeing real photos of the doodlehouse 2.0….
