project: the green house- great room inspiration board

i've been hard at work crunching budget numbers, and then finding furniture, artwork, light fixtures, and rugs for our new home.  and i think i've finally got a decent plan concocted!  here's what i'm thinking for our kitchen/living/dining great room.

1-art from big cartel.  

it's a large, glossy, painted wood panel.    it'll go right over our dining room table.

2- storage solution - i got the idea here.  

i'm going to customize it a little bit for the size we need and the look we're going for.  but this will either go in our computer desk area or will house some books, dvds, and our dvd player.  or both.  plumbing pipe and reclaimed wood?  yes, i think i can handle that.

3-dining table and chairs from csn.  

i like that it features a removable leaf so when we're having guests we can expand, but when it's just the 3 of us it won't take up as much space.

4- cute little side chair from urban outfitters. 

 it'll go beside our fireplace, in the little reading nook with the plumbing bookshelf. 

5- industrial type stool from ikea.  

i'd like to find some vintage drafting stools eventually, but this is cheap and accessible, so i'm all over it. 

6- grey sectional from west elm.  

now i'm not normally a sectional type person, but this one is modular which means we can switch up furniture arrangements as we need to (i'm a big fan of doing that), the seats are wide and accommodating, and the color is great.  add to that the fact that west elm upholstery is all 15% off right now, and you've got a deal.  i pick these up thursday!

7- making mercury lamps with burlap shades out of some old glass lamps i already have?  yes please!  

so there it is.  version 1.0 of our great room.  i  can't wait for it to be completed!  wanna come hang out?

love: pink velvet chaise

ok, remember how one of my dream pieces is a hot pink, velvet sofa or chaise?  well... it just so happens that as i was browsing for furniture, i stumbled upon this little beauty at urban outfitters:

i am so tempted to buy one!  the price is not bad and it's so close to what i'm imagining...but just not quite.  the color isn't vibrant enough and the shape is a little too whimsical for me.  but dang!  it sure is cute!  and if any one else spies a hot pink velvet sofa or chaise...please send it my way.  

life: our new design

now that we have a new home, i've got to start working on our design!  because although we have an abundance of cardboard boxes lying around our house, we have absolutely no furniture.  

i love that i get to start from scratch but it's also a little daunting.  haha here we go...  making something (and lots of it) with a strict budget for the pickiest clients around...and quick.  let the games begin.  

life: and the winner is...

house #3 - i dubbed it "the green house" when i was house hunting because all the walls look like they were tinted green in the pictures.  granted, the walls of the 3rd bedroom actually ARE bright green but when i visited it i saw that the majority of walls are actually a sandy tan color.  but tell me...do they look greenish to you too??

so...welcome to our new home.  wanna take a look around?

when you come in the front door there's a small entryway, and then you are lead up a flight of stairs.  when you reach the landing of the stairs you may either turn left into our main living area or you may go down to the lower level where our 3rd bedroom, bath, and garage are.  

kitchen 

stairs going up and down off the main level

here's our dining and living area 

 this little balcony is right off the kitchen.  i intend to put a little cafe table up here and have moonlight teas or sorbets with chris.

the view from the balcony looks down onto our entry gate and patio.  i also have big plans for this space - a little garden with a trellis, i think...  

off the kitchen there are some stairs that lead up to the master bedroom and what will be thom's bedroom.  

master bath

master bedroom

  

thom's bedroom

thom's bathroom

 and remember how i said off the first stair landing you could go down onto the 1st floor where the 3rd bed, bath, and garage are?  well here they are: 

 what will this bedroom be?  guest room?  craft room?  music room?  office?  library?  we'll just have to see...

3rd bedroom

3rd bathroom

 bonus!!  it's comes with a washer and dryer!!  just what we need to wash all of thom's constantly dirty clothes.  sweet.  

  

so there you have it.  i've got a furniture plan all worked out, now i just have to dream up what style, colors, etc. i'll use.  that's the hard part.  let the fun begin!!

life: house hunting

i went house hunting today for a new place in houston.  it's simultaneously exciting and nerve-racking.  i just keep telling myself that it's just a year and it's just a rental.  but of course, to a designer, a home is a very important decision.  what do you look for in a new home or rental?

there are so many choices to make: urban or suburban?  town home or single family house?  open, modern design or cozy cottage style?

here are a few pics of the homes we're looking at.  vote for your favorite!!

OPTION #1: 1920s bungalow.  2 bed, 1 bath.  small, cozy, cute.  also the least expensive on our list.

exterior

sweet patio in the back yard

small but cozy living room.  furniture goes.

OPTION #2: modern townhouse in a gated community.  2 bed, 2.5 bath.  beautiful finishes, open floor plan.  upper end of our budget.

exterior. 

open floor plan

beautiful finishes

i could get used to these windows.  :)

OPTION #3: the green townhouse.  the finishes aren't as rich as #2, but the price is lower and we get an extra bedroom!

exterior: stand alone town house.

living/dining open to the kitchen

sizable kitchen, nice finishes and appliances.

large master bedroom with tray ceiling

master bathroom - big enough for the 2 of us!

OPTION #4:  3 bed, 2.5 bath. sizable town home. again, at the top of our price range, but we get 3 bedrooms and it's gorgeous!

exterior 

kitchen and living - nice, open layout.  beautiful finishes.

master bath 

large master bedroom

ok...so there are the contenders.  which one would you pick?  and the big question, which one will we pick?

inspired: seoul, south korea

wanna see one of my favorite homes?  oh ok, i guess i'll show it to you...

it was designed by seoul architect byoung-soo cho as his "urban dream house."  he designed it as 4 boxes built around a courtyard - a perfect way to connect with nature in one's house.

 here's one view of the courtyard.  i love the use of different materials on the stairs.

 

this next pic is a view of the dining room from the courtyard. i love the textured concrete wall above the glass wall.  all this sophistication calls for a little roughness, i think.

here's a view of an upstairs window, strategically placed for ventilation and air-flow, i'm sure. 

this may be my favorite room - the architect and his wife relax in the tea room, a small room with paper walls.  can i have one in my dream home, please?

so there you have it.  my heart in south korea.  i adore the textured concrete walls (well... all of the use of  materials, actually), the atrium at the center of the home, and the tea room. 

if you wanna see more pics or read about it, go here.

what are your favorite parts of this home?

project: j+b's living room

i made this conceptual design for some friends back when i was in school.

the room is for a couple in their 30s with clean, traditional, casual style.   for the color scheme i chose airy colors with hints of navy blue and sea glass green.  i added textural, earthy elements to keep it casual, some gold accents to add sparkle, and a few unexpected elements (gnome side tables!) to make it funky.

1- carly chair with cobalt blue frame from crate and barrel.  in euphoria aqua upholstery.  2- canvas flowers from west elm.  3- recycled glass vases from west elm.  4- tufted bench in flax belgian linen from restoration hardware.  5- chunky wool and jute rug from pottery barn (so soft!!).  6-  tyler sofa from pottery barn.  7&8- chestnut branches and rattan floor vase from crate and barrel.  9- lovers at chi tou from art.com  10- gold gnome end tables from hive.  11- sadie table lamp from crate and barrel.

could you see yourself hanging out in this living room?