where were at: {Seal Beach House Exteriors}

 

This is where we started almost a year and a half ago on this project.. It was a little worse for ware and the inside was even more interesting.  I went by the project this week and it has completely transformed.  My inspiration for the exterior was a winery we visited several years ago in Canada, travel is an amazing gift of inspiration for designers, I always remind my accountant of that.  We removed the strange brick wall across the front entrance of the house and opened it up with windows and french doors.  We also replaced the windows on the face of the garage with faux doors and gave the entire exterior some wide plank siding.  I am so happy with the transformation.  There is still so much to do with the landscaping and finishing touches but it is coming along really well.

I will share the interiors on this project soon- I cannot wait to show you how far that has come!

 

Please excuse the weird light from my phone...

 

If you would like help creating inspirational spaces for yourself contact us!

Vintage Fabrics: Batik

 

I have a little problem when it comes to this indigo fabric.. well I just cannot resist the beautiful details of each piece and how different they are.  (Please excuse the weird angle of the photo below).   I love these pieces with their intricate patterns and the soft hand of the fabric. The fabric pieces were made in China with a wax resist technique and each is unique, most of these pieces began as clothing and bedding and are now being re-purposed in all different ways.

As you can see I cannot resist the temptation with these pieces! Some of these will go up for sale, most are my personal collection, and I will be using some of the loose fabrics for upholstery projects that I have in the works.

 

While we were in LA for this quick little visit it was a beautiful day and the neighborhood was so pretty, so I snapped a few pictures.  I love how each house is so unique and full of character, this one was so cute!

 

If you would like help creating inspirational spaces for yourself contact us!

happy weekend...

 

Thank goodness we are onto the weekend again.  Although there does not seem to be an end in site for our busy fall season I do have hope that our home will soon be back to normal.  Things are moving along well in the kitchen and the flooring is completely in.  We just have painting to go and  a few little things here and there.  

How are things shaping up for you this fall?  Does it seem that there is not a dull moment in any season as of late?  I feel like we are all go go go around here.

image via

 

The china cabinet

 

I spent most of the day yesterday trying to empty out my china cabinet and get ready for our new wood flooring to be installed and I started thinking about how lucky I am.  I have waited 4 years for the flooring I wanted, after pulling up some damaged wood when we first moved in, I am excited.  But I was really thinking more about all of the wonderful pieces I have accumulated over the years.  I LOVE dishes and when I was on a trip to Paris about four or five years ago, I found out how very much fun it could be to buy beautiful pieces while I was there and bring them home with me.  I fell hard for Astier de Villatte and my life has never been the same.  Each trip I have taken I have bought pieces and brought them home with me, very carefully.  I have a large collection now and although I don't use it as I should, each piece seems to hold a wonderful memory for me.  There are many other beautiful pieces in there too but each of these is like a little treasure to me.  

As I have been going through emptying out our kitchen and now the china cabinet I have realized something else too, I need to buy only what I love, not what is a good deal or something I may never use.  I have donated boxes and boxes of pieces over the last few weeks that have never been used or were still in the original packaging.  So this project or combination of projects has given me the jump start I need to spend more wisely and maybe just maybe start using those beautiful pieces I have been sheltering from my loved ones for fear of breakage.

Do you use what you have?  Do you save the best dishes and glassware for only special occasions or do you use them everyday?