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Very excited and setting my alarm for this weekend. The newest designer collection at Target is from Liberty of London, a company known for its iconic floral prints. I have fond memories of childhood dresses in pink Liberty print, and even teddy bears with the distinctive paisley motif. So, i can’t wait to see what’s on offer with the latest Target designer collaboration. Neither can Apartment Therapy, it seems!
However, rather than struggle against the crowds, think i’ll just do a little couch surfing this time around, inspired by these images:
I’ve been struck down by the same plague that seems to be circling my office like a grumpy vulture. Streaming eyes and nose, aching jaw and head, and a throat that feels like sandpaper. After a day spent trying to recuperate (but in reality, trying to do a little work so that i wouldn’t find myself buried for the rest of the week), i needed a little inspiration. So i turned to my bedroom wall (from where i write this, prone, with pillows!), and was cheered by this beautiful Georgia O’Keefe print, an abstract rose. Rick and I bought this last year after her SF MoMa exhibit, and have only just got around to hanging it in our new place. I get endless amounts of joy from looking at it, so was today’s ray of light:
(Georgia O’Keefe, Abstraction White Rose, 1927)
As I start packing up for our next move, I’ve been trying to take the opportunity to de-clutter at the same time. Fifteen bags of trash later, I’m getting there. But we still have a lot of stuff!
Even so, there are just some things I can’t bear to part with. My piles of classic magazines are one of them! I know it’s not eco-friendly, and that I won’t necessarily do anything with them, but there’s something very comforting about knowing the recipe for a perfect margarita, details on the ultimate romantic get-away, or a guide to writing your first novel (while still looking stylish!) is just moments away once I dive into the pages. Unrealistic to think a magazine can tell you how to live? Sure! But I still enjoy the conceit that one day, I just might do some of the things they advise for life enhancement!
My favorite magazine by far is Red (a UK publication, which i buy from the lovely Smoke Signals on Polk Street), but i have (or to be accurate, had) an equal addiction to the sadly now defunct Domino magazine. This was the perfect magazine for design and interiors inspiration, and catered to those who had the ideas, but not necessarily the piles of cash, to turn their decor dreams into reality (i.e. most of us). As we pack everything up, I’ve found quite a few old copies of Domino, and even though I can see Rick pleading with me, silently, to start throwing these stacks of glossy bound paper away, i just can’t. One day, I will design the perfect living room with crafty salvage finds from the flea market and a few savvy purchases at Target! One day it will happen!
I wish the publishers, Conde Nast, would bring it back. It’s hard to believe they can’t find the ad revenues when the magazine targets one of the most valuable demographics: women who love to shop! I’m waiting for someone to start their own version of the mag, but until then, i’m making do with this great Flickr Domino Magazine pool, which houses images from the magazine over the years. How about these for design inspiration?
(Thanks to the Flickr Magazine Files pool for these images from Apartment102, Annesage82 and coco+kelley)
Rick and I had an unpleasant surprise just before Christmas, when we were told we had to move out of our lovely cottage, due to the owner selling. Since then, we’ve gone through a large range of emotions, twinned with some immediate practical stresses, such as finding somewhere new to live! Moving house should be an exciting and positive time, as it usually signals some sort of life change. The last time we both moved, it was to move in together, and the cottage is where we started married life, and where we’ve been really happy. So, being told to move, less than 12 months later, is a bit of a kicker, and something that it’s been hard to get excited about.
Nonetheless, we have found somewhere new, and the excitement is (slowly) starting to creep in! One of the fun things about moving so often is that you get the opportunity to re-decorate, and can have some fun with it. Hopefully, we’ll be able to stay in the new place a bit longer this time, so will have the chance to actually follow through on some of our interior design plans. Hard to believe, but we still have some pictures we never unpacked from last time, so the golden rule has to be ‘speed of decision making’ in the new place. I tend to agonize over things like rug choices, furniture placement for far too long, when the sane thing to do is probably just make a few ‘good’ decisions, and hope that a few of them turn out to be ‘great’. Here are a few other rules i should listen to when we move:
- Move quickly and make decisions – most things can always be undone, and anything is better than piles of unpacked boxes!
- Go with your gut feel – I’ve learnt that any decor scheme that looks ‘planned’ often lacks a special something that can make a home really sing. If you have even somewhat of a taste level, then you can probably throw things together and still have them look great. And it’s more fun that way!
- Make a few risky choices – linked to the points above, if you’re renting, you can get away with a few choices that might not work out in the long term. But if they make you happy while you live in a certain place, then it’s probably worth it
- Hold onto the good stuff – if you’re lucky enough to own a few good pieces of furniture, they’re bound to look good anywhere, so keep them wherever you go. I have a great vintage, mirrored vanity that’s just too large for our current place, so we took the mirrors off and converted it to a TV stand. Works perfectly, and is so much nicer than the bog standard ones
- Don’t hoard – take it from me, a reformed hoarder. When you’ve moved every one or two years for the past 6 years, you’ll want to keep things light. I moved out to San Francisco with two massive suitcases, and one framed Audrey Hepburn print, and it didn’t do me any harm! I have a lot more stuff now of course, but Rick and I still plan to purge and give away to the Goodwill.
Let’s see how Rick and I do following our own rules! Meantime, here’s a snap of our latest design inspiration – enjoy!
The white type of inspiration
(Photo credit: Apartment Therapy SF)
I was treated to a wonderful surprise evening on Saturday, when Rick took me to the San Francisco Parlour Opera. For the uninitiated (and that included me!), the Parlour Opera is dedicated to bringing opera to you in a much more intimate, relatable way. Kind of like a micro-opera for the masses.
Each opera is staged in someone’s home, and this performance of Massenet’s Thaïs was at a wonderful, wonderful Victorian mansion on Fell Street. I actually had no idea homes like this existed in San Francisco, but now I’ve seen how the other half live, I’m green with envy! It was like stepping back in time to the age of Gosford Park. Minus the servants, of course.
Walking in, we were greeted with delicious wine, and took our seats in the drawing room. The action moved around all night, and we saw a couple of acts outside in the garden, from balcony seats on the outside stairs! Luckily we were dressed up warm. The small cast was excellent, and an English-speaking narrator kept us on track when we couldn’t understand all the French. Having never been to the opera before, this was a great way to be introduced to it, and better still, the night ended with dessert and mingling with the performers. What a fabulous evening.
Of course, one of the best bits for me was the opportunity to look around such an incredible house. As a lover of the macabre, I particularly appreciated a few more sinister decorative touches, as my photos show.
If you have the chance, the Parlour Opera is one of those great San Francisco experiences. I had the chance to be exposed to opera without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed and it was a lot of fun. Bravo!
We’ve been debating the choice of an art piece to hang over our sofa for three months now, ever since we moved in. Obviously, funds are an issue, ever since the economy decided to go into free fall, but even on a limitless budget, i’m not sure we’d ever find the right thing! Our cottage is quite quaint, so we wanted something modern to shake things up a bit, but i’m not a fan of abstract modern and Rick’s Manga yearnings are not about to be fulfilled anytime soon!
We’ve had a few false starts and frustrated searches, but today’s post from anh-minh.com really caught my eye and captured my imagination. A wide mount of photos on Plexiglass, which looks great, is totally individual and isn’t expensive. Perfect! Also check out its old home in her dining room. For me, what really appeals is the opportunity to display all your photos in a non-cheesy way, yet without being pretentious. A delicate balancing act that most people don’t achieve, in my opinion. I also love the fact that the wall will become a true reflection of you and your life, comforting, yet soul-inspiring. Artistic, but realistic.
I think with our interior shades, we’ll need color photos rather than sepia, but i’m excited to try this out. Stay tuned to see if it actually happens…
P.S. there was a close runner-up in the race to become the wall art of choice, but i’m not sharing it yet. This is out of pure selfishness, as it’s a limited edition print, and I want to make sure i can nab one if i can agree on the rightful resting place for it!
