The Perks

The concierge at the Cristalla asked if we wanted to save these chairs from the going into the dumpster.

Right place right time.

Staging at Cristalla Part II

You can see the Olympics and the Ferry off in the distance.

That's it! Happy Friday.

Downtown Staging of Cristalla

I'm going to be really honest. I lost sleep over this job. A picture is worth a thousand words and you can easily tell I am a bit worried. We are off to stage a high rise condo in downtown Seattle. There are logistics that need to be managed in order to pull it all off. Scheduling the truck and the freight elevators with the consierge, managing the furniture up and down the elevator and the boys who are lugging it, planning the installation perfectly so that the unload is minimal and not disturbing the tenants. I lost some sleep...

 In walks the creative genius with her fancy pants ipad trying to get us inspired. It worked. We have a fun creating framing project in store.

 Here is a bit of the process. This is an area off the living room and kitchen that we wanted to create as a media room. Great big tall walls...little TV...no impact...very scary.

 The final product after Sister Extraordinaire did that shopping magic that she does. It's my camera-not the picture that is crooked.

 The dining room we could not decide on the art. (We labor over every detail possible.) A modern canvas or...

 a more sophisticated framed print.

 We settled on this...

 The living room was the most fun to stage. The first rug we tried was too busy so it is gone in this photo.

 Here we changed the pillows and added an orchid.

 Here we lost a pillow and got rid of the orchid. Again, it's all in the details.

Tomorrow I'll show the rest of the condo along with the breathtaking Seattle view. I'm completely exhausted. (Oh, and never mind that Sister had to rush to school to rescue one of her kids and take her to the emergency room). We still met our deadline thanks to Danielle who needs a cute "blog" name.

A huge dose of inspiration

Sister Ex sent me to Three Men and a Lady to see a guest bedroom makeover. Be prepared to be astonished or to feel worthless.

Get the idea!? Crazy talent. Here you can see more.

I Feel Validated!

Thrilled to see my curtains in the February issue of Traditional Home (well a version of anyway.)

The cover was photographed by Emily Followill 

Here is my creation. Cloth from Fabric Depot and sewing my me.

Peacock Beauty

We were at our Woodland Park Zoo store and right outside the door we got to spend a moment admiring this little creature. They are very much an inspiration for our decorating.

Not as beautiful as the real thing but still a statement-maker. This urn of feathers was recently at Z Gallerie.

Z Gallerie

Stopped by Z Gallerie to see what beautiful things were in store for us. A visual feast indeed!

 Tons of neutrals this season. Blacks, whites, creams, pale lavender, soft blue. Nothing with a colourful pow. The "pow" comes in the drama of the large scale pieces and their shapes.

 This mirror is similar to the entry mirror in my home. Ugh...the fire extinguisher is showing... A skilled photographer I am not

 Naturally this was my favorite wall. Pretty blues, creamy whites, and bright whites create their own kind of drama. Ooo la la!

 This wall was more earthy and organic. Nothing too crazy just deep and interesting.

 The soft lavender would be a nice touch of colour anywhere. It's stylish! We collected a few lavender and purple pieces on this trip which will work beautifully with some bedding we use for staging and towels for a bath. Love it.

Sister Ex has a dramatic high ceiling entry with art cubbys on either side of the door. A chocolate back ground with these lovely urns will be a fresh look.

Airstream Couch Inspiration

My original inspiration for the couch in my Airstream was a soft seaside look. I had light blue vinyl that I really wanted to use but things changed...

Found this poster in Sayulita Mexico and was led in a different direction.

Now the couch will be in the frosty cream vinyl and pillows in orange print. I think.

Portland finds

Fabric Depot has always been our first stop in Portland. I think we come away with a ton of inspiration that kick starts our shopping trip. We can and do purchase designer fabric from our local design center but this is a crazy extravaganza of fabrics in one room! The lines were long as well-love the fact that there are so many sewers out there.

 Hard see the vinyl above but it will be covering the couch in my 1962 Airstream. My original plan was squashed so this is my back up and I love it. Sister Ex pulled swatches in a multitude of colors for pillow possibilities and proved to me it was a very neutral way to go yet very hip.

 Purchased this fabric for a wall hanging for staging.

 Sorry for the blur from my crappy camera but wanted you to see all these fabrics. Sister Ex is problably getting the bird fabric below for some office chairs and 1 or 2 of the above for pillows. It all works so well together.

 Can you see a girl's bedroom unfolding? A bench at the foot of the bed will be covered in the pink and green. The print is Pottery Barn (I think). The pink will also be insets in a headboard. I'll have Sister do before photos so we can follow along.

Who can resist owls? This led to the purchase of a West Elm inspired owl lamp for a desk.