a temporary home to love

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Hi guys, I hope you had a nice weekend! We spent ours doing a major Fall Cleaning in preparation for the move today. It went well - a little off schedule but everything is ready to go until we meet again.

But before we gave away the plants, removed art from the walls, and sorted everything for the movers to pack into boxes, I made sure to take a few snaps of the living area that we made home for one and a half years. Do you remember this post when we just moved in and this one with our decor plan? I hate to say it - because it's an annoying cliche - but it feels just like yesterday. I can still remember Joe saying "let's get stuff up on the walls, it won't feel like home until we do" and little by little we did. Little by little we filled our home with pieces that made us smile and gave us comfort. You really can create a home that you love wherever you are.

With just some light cleaning and the final walk-through to do tomorrow, we're almost home-free! Not homeless though as we're staying at a hotel in the city until we depart on Wednesday. It's already proving to be a great idea, having a 'break' from moving before the long flights home. A big pat on the back for that one ;)

Okay KL, last few nights -  let's make them ones to remember!

show & tell (japan part III)

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Just as we prepare for movers to pack everything on Monday morning, I'm admiring all of the new pieces we've added to our home. Japan turned out to be quite the haul of goodies even though we knew we'd be boxing it all up for at least two months. It was so hard to say no!

Looking at each piece I realize why we couldn't help ourselves ... they're all made out of natural materials. Paper, wood, ceramic, glass, enameled cast iron, cotton, and wool - the type of goods that when held feel familiar, comforting, genuine, and that much more special.

I've added descriptions to the caption 'dots' on each image so make sure to check those out. I also searched for websites to share in case you were interested in doing some shopping of your own but the only product I could find sites for was the Noda Horo Tea Kettle. And wow, what a price difference between buying it from Japan and from the US! Luckily there are plenty of Japanese-made treasures worth browsing through this weekend, too. Here are my fave sites to find them:

Analogue Life

Claska

Plam

Fog Linen

Okay it's time to pack these babies up! Have a great weekend!

all framed out

Happy Friday, guys! Wow am I excited for the weekend. Even though I'm planning on getting some work done, I just love the fact that we'll be home. For all of the traveling we do I'm really quite the homebody. That's why I'm so excited to finally have framed all of the photo prints from my shop so we can enjoy them in our living room! I also had a little graphic fun with a photo I took of the Sydney Opera House. Looks kinda like a fan, doesn't it? The color is just the pop that we needed in here.

All perfect timing too since I just received a copy of our home feature in IKEA Malaysia's Live magazine (!!!). We had practically just moved in so it's nice to see what we've done to make it even more homey since then.

Enjoy your weekend!

5x7 frames by IKEA / large frame by Habitat / cushions by {me}longings

simple christmas touches

A few simple touches of gold and red around our home have really made it feel like Christmas. From framing wrapping paper to making a mock fireplace, I'm quite happy with what I put together with the little that we have and can commit to. I really thought that we'd go without a tree this year since very few natural ones are imported (and are crazy expensive) so I was happy to find a little felt one from MUJI. It may not be big enough to put presents underneath, or give off the lovely smell of pine, but I love it. And best of all, we can flatten it and take it with us wherever we go without taking up much space. Maybe one day we'll have dedicated garage space for holiday decor but for now, we've gotta stick to a large shoe box ;)

How do you decorate for the holidays? Do you deck the halls or just have a few favorite pieces?

let's play house {office}

1.  REDSTAR Ink  /  2.  Linda Monfort  /  3.  Pablo and Fernando Pardo  /  4.  Hee Welling  /  5.  IKEA  /  6.  Paperweight  /  7.  Nicopapergoods

I've been having a lot of fun lately but it's time to really get back to work. There are a few new ventures that I'm prepping to launch this month (fingers crossed) and that means that I'll be spending a lot of extra time sitting at my desk. If I had the chance to decorate anew I would choose modern blacks, natural textures, and pops of inspirational colors and patterns. All three combined would make for a casually sophisticated and artful place - perfect for getting things done. What's your workspace style?

let's play house {palm springs}

1. Curtis Jere  /  2. Rust Belt Threads  /  3. Mad Mats  /  4. Viesso  /  5. PopOColor (green, orange), Trina Turk (yellow)  / 6. CB2  /  7. inmod

As much as I love LA, my dream is to own a home in Palm Springs. I love the architecture, the slower pace of life, and the dry heat that makes my thick and wavy hair feel silky and flat. My home will have a fabulous backyard with a pool + lounge area and I'll always have my fabulous friends over for fabulous cocktails. I will go absolutely nuts decorating with a mix of vintage and modern pieces, making sure to pay homage to the structure of the house while still keeping things fresh. And yes, the house will of course be one of those iconic single story homes with perfectly balanced asymmetrical lines and no-fuss native landscaping. It will be fab-u-lous. Shall I fix you a drink?

Let's!

1. graypants / 2. Anthropologie / 3. ZP Studio / 4. Connected Goods / 5. Bauer Los Angeles / 6. Porro / 7. School House Electric  / 8.. Capel Rugs

Last month I kicked off the new series Let's! with a weekend escape outfit but today it's all about the home - it's so fun to play house! I keep finding myself gravitating to clean and interesting lines and mixing them with organic elements and pops of unexpected art. The stacked cardboard lampshade and the playful PVC place settings that resemble blobs of paint (at least they do to me) couldn't be more different but I love them together. I'm so sad that I missed the place settings on sale via Presive.com but I'll find another way to get my hands on them, yes I will. And how cute is that little giraffe wine cork? It's made in South Africa which is extra special since that's where I really fell in love with them, the most majestic animals ever. Elephants and hippos more your thang? They've got you and your wine bottle covered, too.

friday pic & pin

Happy friday guys! It's been a busy week but I'm not complaining. I still haven't done much with my office nook so when I saw this vintage + modern work setting I knew that I had found my inspiration. I already have the antique wood table (though would never think of painting it, Joe would kill me), a nice black chair has been on my list, and I do love black and white for artwork. That abstract painting is too awesome for words but the shop it's from is currently down for a re-launch next month (such a tease). However, it did give me the idea to unpack the vintage photos I bought last year in London's Camden Market. Do you remember the DIY wall decor I made with them? I think they'll look great above my desk but I might try a new display method to keep things fresh.  Do standby.

I hope you have great weekend finding inspiration all around ya!

This week's three rad links...

• a practical and beautiful use of vintage canvas paintings via sfgirlbybay

• when Olympic branding was done right: Mexico 1968, Munich 72

• picking the brain of creatives in 60 seconds via Atlas + Isolation

(image left: Vintage B&W Photographs by Ana Maria Muñoz, right: Pin via I Need Nice Things)

{happy friday} pic & pin

It's the weekend and I'm pretty sure that some fun chores and cleaning are in order. If I had a floor covered with these handmade tiles by Claesson Koivisto Rune for Marrakech Design then I don't think I'd ever mind sweeping up! I got so scroll happy when I first found them several months ago via Remodelista. Well, the design blog has one-upped themselves with a new round up of modern takes on Moroccan tiles - can I have one of each in every room please?!? They are so beautiful. One day, one day...

Have a wonderful weekend!

This week's three rad links...

• Game Boy, floppy disk drive, and AOL login - their sounds + more captured for all eternity in the Museum of Endangered Sounds via Smashing Magazine

• last minute Father's Day DIY gift ideas with an ol' staple: neckties via Ecouterre

• my scandinavian design-loving heart wishes it had an iPad for this new magazine, Trendenser via Poppytalk

(image left:  Penang pineapple by Ana Maria Muñoz, right: Pin via Remodelista)

home sweet home...for two more months

I can't wait to move into a new flat that we can really make our own for the next year and a half. I've been calling and emailing letting/renting agents all morning and it made me realize that I haven't really posted updated photos of our current place (see move-in photos here).

Not much has changed as we are still living like college students with scarce furnishings (remember when we couldn't get the sofa we bought into our unit?). But, with a little help from IKEA, colorful rugs, and vintage accessories, we've made this crash pad feel more like home despite its inherent negatives.

Recognize the vintage finds from here, here, and here? And the five minute wall decor DIY?

Ace Hotel: A+ in style all the way

It seems that every time I go somewhere new I end up wanting to live there but this time I really mean it. Spent the weekend at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs and I fell in love. Dont necessarily need to live in sleepy Palm Springs but definitely want to make a home at the little stylish utopia that is the Ace.

Formerly a run-down Howard Johnson hotel, the Ace exemplifies laid back So Cal with a vintage edge. Every detail in this place is thoughtfully executed with a cool casualness and minimalistic yet functional approach. Nothing feels overdone or under appreciated...every item throughout the hotel gets to shine on its own.

Top top things off, the design and decor not only looks good but it oozes eco-friendliness. The only trace of plastic we saw all weekend was in the cups at pool-side (no glass by the pool rule always wins) and in the spa. Everything else seems to either use wood or natural fibers; signs are hand-painted slabs of wood (hopefully reclaimed) and lawn chairs feature cotton rope suspensions (sounds strange but its super comfy). Even the room key is biodegradable paper!

The landscaping is everything you would expect in the desert and hope to see everywhere else too. Native plants, trees, and raked dirt look clean and simple and when facing west, mirror the colors of the rocky mountains in the background.

As for the accommodations: imagine scoring big at the flea market or antique shop and then getting custom carpentry done to compliment the whole look. It was a perfect cross between  Americana and  mid-century modern, both new and old pieces, that felt like a familiar friend welcoming you home. I would have taken photos while the room was tidy but we were too in awe when we got in (and late for the surprise massage session the boyfriend booked!).

We did more than just drool over the decor and design, too. We drooled over the food... the spa... sweet tunes blasting at the pools...and imagined what it would be like to have a big party there.  The entire weekend was exactly what I needed to re-charge before upcoming work travels.

Needless to say we will be going back soon but not soon enough!