Faster Kill Pussycat

Speed design is always fun! The good folks at Homepolish assigned me a cool commercial client--a startup called Move Loot. They're a furniture consignment site that wanted to decorate their new office/warehouse in the Dogpatch district of SF. With a limited budget, they were really keen to use items already in their inventory. I turned their main office and two conference rooms into a series of showrooms, displaying pieces that are still for sale online.

Here's a link to the progress, with really good before-and-after photos. We did it all in about a week--talk about fast turnaround! Instant gratification like this is what keeps me going.

Before - the main office area.

 

After - homey and cozier by far, with framed company slogans and some urban wallpaper panels interspersed.

 Before - the casual conference room, mostly a place to chill out.

 

After - styled and even loungier than before!

 

And here's the "formal" conference room -  the place to impress clients.

 

It was great working with these guys. Check 'em out if you need to sell or buy some furniture--I've already added them to my arsenal!

    

London loves

When I was just a starving student (and then starving graduate) in London, I used to daydream about how I'd decorate my first real flat. Sadly, all the bedsits and rooms I rented over the years there were already furnished, so I had to make due by plastering my bedroom walls with my Britpop posters, Ikea/Argos finds, and simple white bedding I stole from a hostel. Heal's was waaaaaay out of my league.

But not any more! While visiting last month I found a lot of inspiration and thought again about how I'd furnish a little London place if I ever had the chance. The big pieces came from the obvious sources--like Habitat and the aforementioned Heal's.

I mean, really. Who couldn't resist witty pieces like a clothespin coffee table, or an ombre bench?

Or fine, locally made British pieces like this table:

Or design classics like the tongue chair by Arne Jacobsen (which I had never seen in person before):

It was so great to finally see lighting by designers like Michael Anastassiades in person. I had specified some of them for Ye Olde Dayjobbe, but to see them in person really convinced me I wasn't crazy.

Throw it together with some wallpaper inspiration from the Zetter Townhouse...

 ...Or some Timorous Beasties urban toile wallpaper (seen at the Perseverance on Lambs Conduit Street)

...And it'd all look great in a dining room, along with some of these leather chairs I saw at Byron (a burger joint chain--these were in the Farringdon branch.)

 

Of course then you'd need a sofa...I liked this one from Habitat.

I'd pair it with this rope table from Dwell:

Or maybe a colorful and simple sofa from Muji (their European products are more varied than the US selection)

It'd be fun to pair one of those sofas with an ottoman like this...

Or some modular cocktail tables...

Of course you'd need an accent/lounge chair...

 

And a place to stash the TV...

Maybe a simple chest at the foot of the bed for blankets and such. This one from Lom Bok was a lovely unfinished raw wood...

 

Of course I would finish it all off with a crazy cat pillow (I actually bought this one and stuffed it in my suitcase!)

I'd finish it off with a stop at The Cloth Shop from my old 'hood, or even a department store like John Lewis for some other pillow textiles, but there you go. My kooky London flat!

Why are you my clarity?

Two days late! I know, I've been keeping busy on the weekends, seeing clients and getting ready to run a MARATHON this October.

I think my final European vacation reflection will take me back to London, where I always get inspiration. The Victoria & Albert Museum is always chock full of surprises. Each time I go I seem to stumble across a room or wing I didn't know about. It was like that when I lived in London and it's still like that every time I go back to visit. This time my partner and I came across the ceramics wing. Along the way, I was inspired by the architecture of the museum itself.

Deep navy ceilings with crisp white walls:

 

Tan/khaki (brown) with black and white--it's also my favorite color combo for clothing this summer:

 

Simple, modern lighting to contrast old/traditional architecture:

A scrim or window shade printed with a photograph:

Balancing scale, size, heights, and color in a grouping of objects:

Bringing pops of color (like turquoise) to a bunch of neutrals:

Just a little hint of red between charcoal gray and white:

Painted walls and trim with natural wood doors and windows:

 

Deep chocolate brown with pale green:

And from the furniture collection....

Classic bent wood/cane chairs:

Different chair styles all painted the same color:

Chinoiserie in different color combinations:

So inspiring! So glad I always it a point to visit whenever we're in town. A part of me will always be there :-)