Living Room/Office *Before and After…..

I am well aware that many of you will prefer this first

photo of my office when it was a living room….

and I am ok with that.  We loved this room.

That sofa was really the star of the show.  The slipcover

fabric was originally supposed to be drapes in a different

house.  When I still had the bolt of fabric and was tired

of the dark sofa, I had a custom slipcover made and voila! 

A star was born!

 As a designer, I am a HUGE advocate

of your home functioning exactly how you need it to function.

For us, that meant momma needed an office, not so much

a pretty sitting room.

I think these photos also illustrate the shift in my design tastes.

I will never tire of using vintage items but I am finding that

I really love mixing more modern elements in with the vintage…

I am loving a more bohemian vibe and I think

my office speaks to that.

I will do a sources post next week and talk about the budget 

for making this significant change!

MY OFFICE REVEAL!

So many thoughts swirling in this head of mine….but I'll

start by saying this:

I blog today for the same reason I started blogging almost

eight years ago….because I like to write, I LOVE design

and more than anything, I love the connections to 

all of you…..I have always been slightly uncomfortable

sharing my home because I never want to make others 

feel less than and I couldn't handle any unkind words.  

My hope is and has always been to inspire and show my 

personal style, how I use mass market stuff, stuff I have

had hiding in the closet, lots of vintage stuff and 

my quirky collections and personal items that

are only meaningful to our family but make our home ours.

With that being said, I present to you my newly

created office space.  

During the last year, it became very apparent that as my design 

business grew, I had to graduate from working at the dining

room table to a real office space like a big girl designer.

Our formal living room was pretty and we did use it - mostly

for studying and reading and taking phone calls.  My

family did enjoy the space so convincing them to 

turn it into my office required some negotiation.

I promised to keep the comfy chairs and make the space

still accessible to all…..and because the space was just

off our home's entry, it had to remain pretty and more

of a 'flex space' than just an office.

Being a creative kind of girl, it was important

that this space inspire that creativity and be a space

that I wanted to be in…..So I loaded the shelves

with my quirky collections and design books, 

insist on flowers on my desk at all times, have many 

candle options to burn while I work and 

for my birthday my family gave me a Bose Soundlink

speaker to stream music through. 

* Remember this all - no matter what your space looks like,

flowers, candles and music make it 500% better!

I found I totally fell for some of the quintesential blogger home

necessities; a moroccan pouf, a white garden stool, jute rug, 

cowhide rug and fiddle leaf fig…..gah! I guess I pave my 

own way with my cane collection {I can't even explain}, 

cat-eyed glasses collection {I got nothing???}, vintage art

and mixed lighting styles.  

And while I am really feeling a shift in my own

personal style to a more edited, modern vibe, I hung the

long 'FLEA MARKET' sign prominently above the shelves. 

 I really credit my work and relationship with Ki Nassauer, former

editor of Flea Market Style magazine with giving me

the confidence and inspiration to start my own business.

So the sign is a nod to that.

I really LOVE being in this space!

I know how fortunate I am to have a business

that allows me to be my own lady-boss, to set

my own schedule, to be creative and work

with awesome people who trust me to

help them love their own homes.

I think this space reflects that.

I promise I will do a separate post later this week with

all the sources for the space.  I really do miss blogging.

My work with local design clients and a busy personal

life have just left little time to create content.  You

can find me each day on Instagram though!

Happy Tuesday to you all! 

Gorgeous rugs for Nepal Earthquake Relief

One of my favorite sources for gorgeous rugs in Portland is

Kush Rugs {205 NW 10th Avenue}.

As you know, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal just

a couple weeks ago.  The loss of life has been staggering.

Kush Rugs made a donation to Oxfam immediately 

after the earthquake but is looking to do something

even more, even bigger.  During the month of May,

Kush will be donating a portion of sales to

the Phoenix Fund for Nepal Relief.

You may or may not know, that Nepal produces

some gorgeous handmade rugs.

So local peeps - if you are considering investing in a gorgeous rug

for a space in your home, please consider visiting Kush Rugs in

the Pearl District!  Your purchase will go a long way towards 

helping the people of Nepal.  

Thanks to Kush Rugs for their generous and thoughtful hearts!