um... YES!

i have been on the hunt for the right lighting for my guest room for a LOOOOONG time now. it's the only room left with one of those boob lamps that were *everywhere* in the house. and, my dear readers, all of you know how much i love a sassy light fixture!

here's what the guest bedroom looks like now. i love it, except for that ding-dang light!

so yesterday, as i was surfing some of my favorite site and following all kinds of links, i found this.
nichole at parlor: you. complete. me. (see more of her lovely dining room and this project here.)

i think a big, fluffy cloud is just what the guest bedroom needs. so, off to pier 1 i go for a paper lantern and then safeway for 1000 coffee filters... (yes, i DO love to torture myself.)

and here's one of my favorite tracks from my college days to celebrate. wheeeee!

oh my god, this place!

i recently took a quick trip to denver for some snowy r&r and was totally BLOWN AWAY by the restaurant that my host took me to on my last night in town. the food at beatrice & woodsley was outstanding (crawfish beignets? all kale caesar? whole roasted colorado striped sea bass? YES PLEASE!)

but what really took my breath away was the interior design. it was like being transported to a different world the moment you walked through the door.

filled with aspen trees and creative accents, i felt like we were sitting in a magical forest.

and no wonder. here's their story...

A room that emulates the story of two lovebirds: Beatrice, the life-loving daughter of a French wine making family who relocated to California in the 1800’s to create a small vineyard. And Woodsley, the handsome and crafty son of Lumberjacks-turned-Coopers who provided barrels for the fledging wine producers. Upon first sight Beatrice & Woodsley fell in love and quickly married.

Stirred by his new bride, Woodsley built a remote cabin amid the woods of the Colorado Mountains. Built with skilled and loving hands, Woodsley constructed a strong abode complete with the day’s amenities and a large wine cellar between the roots of the aspens... Life was lived with appreciation amongst the forest birdsong, and the snow-capped peaks… happily ever after.

the bar is made of live edge, untreated wood supported by vintage chainsaws.

re-wired antique lamps hang from beamed ceilings.


tables are swathed in gauzy white curtains for privacy.

the shingled back wall hides doors to the men's and ladies' rooms.


paper rolls suspended from the restroom ceiling.

wonderful pulley system to turn on the sink faucets. strings of ball bearings guide the water from the ceiling into your hands.

whimsical touches all around!

visiting beatrice & woodsley motivated me to get started again on some of the little projects that are hanging around the house waiting to be completed. above all, when someone visits our home, i want them to feel comfortable and happy - just the way i felt when i visited b & w.

what's inspiring you right now?

more dining room inspiration?

i have been struggling to get this room right for almost 2 years now, and i still feel GAH when i walk into it. i won't trouble you with a photo (it's still covered in holiday decorations from various parties) but it's just not great!

first i thought this: http://fogcitysparkle.blogspot.com/2010/01/dining-room-inspiration.html

and then i thought this: http://fogcitysparkle.blogspot.com/2010/07/answer-to-never-ending-story.html

but, now, i'm thinking of going WAY girly. like pink and purple girly. because "why not?"

here are a few mood photos. what do you think?

and, damn, i love this song. is that embarrassing?

i give up.

this year has been a terrible one on the home gardening front. i used to have flowers and kittens and well manicured vines, but now it's just... well, it's just a g.d. mess out there!

i do think, with more "me" time, i could develop a green thumb. i mean, i did okay for the first year or so. but right now, if i am really honest with myself, it just ain't happenin'.

so what to do? i don't want it to be a total catastrophe out there. and you know how i love color. well, this is when our fog and no-frost climate comes in handy. i have decided, like everyone else these days, to convert my containers to a succulent garden.
luckily, san francisco weather is just about perfect for these hardy little plants. and, the more i learn, the more i love. it's insane how many sizes, colors and shapes you can find!

today, after work, i'm heading over to sloat's 3rd ave nursery - i hear they've got an amazing selection right now. in the meantime, i am LOVING these photos from a yard designed by isabelle greene in santa barbara. (all photos courtesy of brewbooks.)
i mean, these are just gorgeous, right? all of the color and texture!

high and dry has never sounded better!

local inspiration.

it's really hard not to appreciate living in this amazing place. i am convinced that you would actually have to work hard to hate it.

san francisco is filled to the brim with things that inspire. i'm trying my best to get back to decorating the house (i've obviously lost some steam of late) and, while i have no current plans to paint the exterior, i still can't help but be excited and and influenced by all of the beauties i pass every day!

here are two of my all-time favorites - they make me smile. and they remind me to think of my home, and everything in it, as a way to create joy. huzzah for exuberance!

this is the "rainbow house" on clipper street (#521, for locals) in noe valley. (photo courtesy of pj taylor)

and an amazing one from my old neighborhood: the old vedanta temple in cow hollow (webster @ filbert, for those of you who'd like to walk by). it was built in 1905 as the first hindu temple in the u.s. and is still in use. pictures from then and now.

and the view on filbert street. (photo courtesy of patrick boury.)

more on it's fascinating history here and here...

what's currently inspiring you?

the answer to a never ending story?

i've been thinking a lot about the dining room of late and decided to put together a (remedial) storyboard to represent how i'd like for it to come together -- though some existing pieces weren't included.

some of these items are on my wish list, most notably the aqua leather wingbacks. we'll just have to wait and see if i can snag some of this stuff on sale...

so, here we go with the list, from left-to-right by row:

1. "stormy monday" paint by benjamin moore.
   
2. poster-sized prints of two photos i took in iceland a few months ago
3. those crazy mirrors i just finished!
4. a black glass chandelier... or white... or clear... what do you think?
5. a mix of thonet chairs, which i am in the process of collecting, refinished in black
   
6. my duncan phyfe table that i FINALLY refinished. maybe adding a high-gloss black leaf so allow for more seats and to modernize the look
7. OMG a pair of these amazing wingbacks that i found at zgallerie. the photos don't come even close to doing them justice. i DIE when i look at them. perfect for unbuttoning your pants and relaxing.
8. a great graphic rug, like this one from anthro. diamond jungle dhurrie just sounds fun!
   
9. high gloss black doors with white casings

and not in the storyboard but definitely included:

• my grandmother's favorite side table - antique, round, leather topped. my dad's only request to keep when she passed. he thought it would be perfect for my little victorian home. i'd pair it with the wingbacks and place them in the bay window.
• an antique armoire from my dad. when they went mid-century with their house, i scored this hand-me-down. perfect for storing bar essentials.
• black and white patterned curtains with some fun detail. i'm on the hunt for fabric. got any suggestions?
• voile sheers to diffuse the light (and for privacy since the dining room is at the front of the house and on street level)
• fun tchotchkes in bright colors - because i am a magpie collecting shiny things, as you all know
  

are you scared? excited? what would you add or change?

to thonet or not to thonet - that is the question.

er... well... really it's more of a degree-of-thonet question.

i'm finally getting my bum into gear on the dining room but i'm stuck again on chairs. i LOVELOVELOVE thonet chairs (yessireebob, i even picked up a couple this weekend) and was thinking i could surround the table with a variety of the cafe-style chairs...

à la these examples:

cafe des amis, san francisco

via apartment therapy

or if i should mix things up and scavenge for a variety of "significant" chair styles, like these rooms do.

via country living

sjp's hamptons house via elle decor

honestly, i am LOVING both options. what do YOU think?

check ME out! i'm on brooklyn limestone!

how very exciting! i've been an avid follower (along with thousands of other folks) of "a brooklyn limestone in progress" since stumbling upon it a year ago - just when i was starting to daydream about how this old house would take shape.

aside from being insanely talented (seriously, check out her before-and-afters on apartment therapy), stefanie, the author of brooklyn limestone, is so lovely and gracious with her feedback and time.

today i am thrilled to be included on her blog, filling in as a guest poster while she is away on yet another glamorous trip.

please stop by and check out my post -- and leave a comment so she'll consider having me back!

jen x

christmas in iceland!

me at the blue lagoon. the colors were indescribable!

i know that this blog is supposed to be about the process of renovating and decorating the house, but i still thought it relevant to include a post about my trip to iceland last month. after all, each place that we go leaves an indelible impression upon us and changes us - which ultimately influences how we live. for me iceland was about the colors, the simple and modern interiors, and all of the fabulous art.

street art in reykjavik. i heart graffiti.

some of you will undoubtedly ask "WHY ICELAND? and why iceland in the MIDDLE OF WINTER?!" well, it's simple really. my grandmother was from a small town in the north of iceland, akureyri (note: this is the 2nd largest city in the country at 17 thousand people. a HUGE portion of the population, 200k+ out of 300, lives in reykjavik).

my grandfather met her when he was stationed in iceland during WWII - and she broke off her engagement with some poor local boy to run off to the u.s. and marry this tall, handsome american boy.

the fjörds of akureyri, where my grandmother was from.

akureyri architecture - surprisingly like home!

i'd never visited but my dad and i had talked about it for years as he had not been either. and so, when he saw a great deal in one of his travel newsletters, we leapt at the chance. and i then got in touch with my family there (not hard since we are actually in almost daily contact despite the fact that we'd never visited) and made plans to meet them all.

we flew in for a very short trip - just 6 days because i have taken so much time off this year to deal with the house, and had a fantastic time.

perpetual dusk in the wintertime - great since it's my favorite time of day!

iceland LOVES christmas.

meeting my family was a memory i will treasure forever. i was the only non blue-eyed person there (my mother is from taiwan, my father met her when he was stationed there during the vietnam war), but i felt like i fit right in. i saw my freckles, i heard my laugh, and felt my grandmother's spirit in them all.

my family (and me looking, and feeling, like a drowned rat!)

what struck me, too, wass how big a part of the culture art, in all its forms, is with icelanders. from food to sculpture to street art to fashion - iceland is at the cutting edge of it all. you can't walk through reykjavik, in particular, without noticing.

SWOON! local fashion is gorgeous (and expensive- these were over $600 u.s.)!

bronze statues in reykjavik's town center.

tasted as good as it looked!

there's so much to see in iceland and the people are so warm and lovely - there's no doubt that i will return.

enjoying our favorite pastime.

one too many for dad?

i hope you've enjoyed "getting away from it all" with me, even for a few minutes! i've kept this VERY brief, but will write more if you all seem interested - it's a fascinating place.

jen x

p.s. more photos here for those of you who are interested and more on the way...

me and dad at gullfoss.

i can see clearly now...

the view from my home office tonight. click to enlarge.
(that's city hall on the right.)

i've just returned home from a very quick trip (30 or so hours) to chicago and somehow managed to miss the first couple of storms of this predicted el niño season.

sounds like they were whoppers, but now the air is cool and crisp and the skies are streaked with the color of dusk and a few remaining gray clouds - such a lovely sight!

sometimes dealing with this beautiful old house feels like more trouble than i bargained for - but coming home to it, even after a short trip, and taking in this view reminds me of how very lucky i am and how much i really, really love it.

so, enjoy the view and a song with me tonight - won't you?

dining room inspiration.

well, i painted the dining room and it was a big ol' bust. the color sample was lovely and gray and the real life color made the room look like a giant baby's nursery. maybe someday but, for now, *do not RUSH me*.

sorry, i'm used to saying that to my parents these days.

anywhoo... it's time to start again and i think that i'm going to go for a warmer, brownish gray (i was playing with peacock blue, but that might be too dark against the black entryway). ceiling to floor. including moldings. *gasp*

i want the room to feel cozy and a bit european, hence the paint on all of the trim and below the chair rail. i'd like for people to linger and feel at home.

here are a couple of images that are inspiring me:

i've seen this on a few blogs, but not sure of the original publication. i love how the antique wood and gilt mirrors bring out the warm tones in the paint and curtains. it's all so chic and serene.

i think this will work well with my antique pieces - a phyfe-style table that i rescued long ago, a pretty, leather-topped side table from my grandmother's house, and a beautiful mahogany armoire that my dad gave me when he moved from a lovely old craftsman to more mid-century inspired digs.

i'm thinking cream silk curtains with paillettes or tiny mirrors scattered about for a bit of sparkle when the candles are burning low.

and this GORGEOUS thanksgiving tablescape, which i copied yesterday and am so scatter-brained that i cannot for the life of me remember what blogger is responsible! (if it's you, please comment so i can give you due credit!).

again, the colors are soft but warm -- and the feathers add that bit of whimsy that i like (actually need) to incorporate into all of my rooms. and, i think i can also use the feathers to bring some of the colors of the rug i've been holding on to for years (it's actually a bit warmer in tone than the photo suggests).

what do you think? any suggestions for chairs with this scheme. i want to stray from "traditional" because all of the major pieces already are.

oh, and when i'm done, we can all have dinner together and make like the little guys below.

(sorry, couldn't resist. it's one of my favorites of all time.)