dining room - before

Another installment of Little Shop of… this time we’re ripping off wallpaper. Everywhere you look, there is wallpaper in this house.  Everywhere. Plaids, florals, pattern leading to pattern leading to pattern. Amist all the pattern there are some good points about this home. Like the big windows with views of forests and fields, gorgeous hardwood floors reclaimed from an old warehouse and crown molding. But all you can see all are miles of wallpaper, yards of plaid, and heavy drapery. It’s all too much for me and after a number of years, became too overwhelming for my client, otherwise known as my parents. The above photo is a before shot of the house I grew up in. Now you understand my need for simplicity.

When I decided to go out on my own, my parents enlisted me to help with their home renovations. Aren’t parents great like that? My mom decided she couldn’t make a decision (ironic, I realize) and my dad didn’t care what we did, he just didn’t want us to wallpaper. He spent days ripping off wallpaper. I think it would have been his form of torture to see wallpaper going back up on the walls. With these two things in mind, I started pulling together a neutral palette. Lighter, brighter, more up to date but still keeping with the traditional vein that make my parents, my parents. The goal was to reuse a lot of the pieces (my parents have an incredible antique collection) and restyle them, buy a few new pieces, add some lighting and, at this point, paint would make the biggest impact.

Last fall, I put together an inspiration board for the project. You can see it here. You’ll also notice I tried to play it cool and pretend I’m not working for my parents. Laugh all you want. My last trip home, we finished up the living room. A rug and sofa were purchased. We styled the bookcases and mantle and hung a few things on the walls. I even took a few photos and thought I would share.

View from the entry into the dining room. The ladder on the right was built by a family member back in the 50’s. It’s really a piece of craftsmanship. All the rungs on the ladder are notched out for a perfect fit. Now it shows off a quilt collection. Notice no wallpaper in sight?

This is the new dining room (see above if you missed the red, blue and yellow floral extravaganza). The table, end chairs and buffet are existing antiques. We recovered the end chairs in a charcoal ticking stripe and found white leather dining chairs from West Elm. Inexpensive, modern and a nice contrast with all the wood and traditional pieces.

The entire house received a new coat of paint. This light gray is the main color throughout the house with a white trim. All the other paints and materials were pulled from the gray. The grandfather clock is still in working order and chimes every half hour.

The gallery wall is full of cross stitched samplers my mom did when my brother and I were toddlers.

The family room isn’t quite finished. We are waiting for a new sofa to arrive in April. My parents had the book shelves custom built years ago. They are cherry and not only very functional, they house a flat screen and all the stereo equipment, they look incredible styled with the hardback book collection and family mementos. In front is a chair reupholstered in a houndstooth fabric found on sale.

The breakfast area is a major hub of the house. Adjacent to the kitchen, bar, and back entry, most of the meals are had here as well as drinks with friends and games. The rug and light fixture are new. The rug was inspired by the dairy farm my mom grew up on and the light fixture adds an industrial mix to an otherwise warm room. Sadly, all my kitchen photos are too blurry to show you. I hope you enjoyed this project update. Have a wonderful weekend!

Photos: all photos by the K.I.D Collective

Stylish, classic and always put together, Coco Chanel is the icon of the century. In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different. She built a dynasty on that phrase and you could easily do the same. There’s something to be said about putting a little more effort in the daily wardrobe, the home, art, food. Whatever it is you do or are wanting to do, put your spin on it and make it your own. Make yourself irreplaceable.

Photos: 1. and 2. Roger Viollet/Lipnitzki/Getty Images 3. A day at the races in the 1960s – a simple scarf keeps out the chill. Sharok Hatami/Rex Features. 4. Man Ray 5. Rex Features.

clockwise from top center. 1. Tear Vase with Mini Succulent Bouquet. a wall mount bud vase that comes with a surprisingly perfect succulent. 2. Skinny laMinx Tea Towel. a collection of tea towels inspired by cartographer, peter slingsby. how’s that for cocktail conversation? 3. Plaid Throw. don’t let this warm weather tease you, it’s still march. that means more snow around these parts. 4. Pendulum Clock. this glossy white clock with the tiniest touch of green should keep you on time.  5. Matt and Nat Jorja Small Green Bag. a perfect everyday bag. not too big, not too small, just right. 6. Ojai Serving Tray. big enough for hors d’oeuvres of all sizes. and it’s on sale!

I haven’t seen the film yet, but I am loving this iphone wallpaper. The super talented Katie Kirk (also from EightHourDay) designed it and is giving it to you for free. You can find all the info you need right here and be sure to check out all her other amazing illustrations. Thanks Katie!

Kinda of a blah morning outside and I’m still getting over this stomach thing that took over most of my weekend. So short and sweet today my friends. I thought I would show you some large scale art by my mom. If I didn’t know, I would think these were paintings. Only these pieces aren’t paintings, they are quilts. Some are smaller blanket sizes, others are large enough to cover a queen size bed. Quite the statement makers. We keep talking about designing a quilt together because our two styles are so very different, it might be a fun mash-up.

I’m at the very beginning stages of a new project for a client and thought I would share. I love looking towards nature for inspiration. Whether its color, material or form, nature produces the most strikingly gorgeous imagery. On the opposite spectrum of nature is industry. All things man made. The complexity of a working factory down to the raw power of a well oiled machine has me enthralled.

Photos: clockwise from top center: Paperwhites, green factory, cherry trees, farm field, industrial dawn, abandoned factory, wooded area, spinning machine.

I just saw this and it immediately made me think of Jevan, only an older version. It even looks a little like him. From the jacket, to the hat, to the posture.

Photo: the Satorialist

I guess it’s time I divulge a little of what I’ve been up to as of late. I told you months ago, I would share what I’ve been working on. Now seems to be just as good of time as any. Some of it will be personal, my house is a work in progress friends, some of it will be client base. All of it will be candid. My attempt is not to hide the flaws and show you perfectly styled photos but to give you an idea what the process was like, minus the step by step instructions. I don’t follow them, so you probably don’t want me writing them. Maybe you do, let me know.

I bought this ottoman for $25 and lived with it, pleather and all for 3 years. I really don’t know why I torture myself for that long. The entire project took me under two hours to complete. The fabric is a wool houndstooth and ran me all of $5. An ottoman is just about the simplest thing you can reupholster. The perfect place for me to start. All you need is a sewing machine (or needle and thread), thread, staple gun and staples, screw driver, scissors and fabric. Be sure to get extra if you have a pattern so you can match ends.

When buying furniture you want to reupholster, first and foremost, make sure it has good bones. No wobbly legs, missing parts, broken pieces, you get the idea. Because if you aren’t handy, it takes money to fix these issues and often it costs more to repair than it does to purchase. There’s a reason that table on Craigs list is only $15. Be weary my friends.

If you are going to pay to reupholster, as an example, the ottoman above would cost me about $100-$150. A medium size chair that is modern in style, without any tufting or many details, and excluding fabric could run anywhere from $400-$1000, depending where you live. With that said, it makes sense to really love the piece. The great thing about reuphostery is you have an original piece.

Photos: the K.I.D Collective

Photos: clockwise from top left. 1. 1945 Warner Brothers, Inc.; photograph from a private collection  2. 3. 4. the big sleep

Lauren Bacall, a true beauty. Classic, timeless, elegant while sexy, sultry and seductive. Her famous look, chin down, eyes up was a way to keep her from quivering when nervous while onscreen. The Look became known as her trademark.

1. Naval Crewneck 2. Thomas Paul Lobster Pillow 3. 3sixteen Deck Chukkas 4. Folding Wine Barrel Chair 5. Vintage Brass Whale 6. Sailor’s Knot Bracelet 7. High Sea Wedges

Not sure how to spend those precious summer vacation days? These maritime inspired pieces will get you excited for a cruise or at least checking out Love Boat reruns on Netflix. Deck shoes, knots and sea crustaceans will give you that nautical chic edge you’ve been looking for. I don’t recommend all the pieces at once, think overboard, but one or two could put a little wind in your sails, just in time for spring.