Downtown Design

I recently completed a consultation for a small office design here in Santa Barbara. The office is located on the upper floor of a converted downtown building that was once a house. The three employees in this small satalite office happen to all be male, thus the goal was to keep a masculine feel while creating a space that is "pretty" and pulled together. Best of all this approachable yet sophisticated design does not come with a huge price tag! 

1. mirror; 2. succulents; 3. tray; 4. sideboard; 5. lamp; 6. unknown; 7. pillows; 8. office chair; 9. paint; 10. sofa

Santa Barbara Sunroom

One of my best friends (and past roommate) and just moved back to Santa Barbara with her new husband and we couldn't be more excited!  She moved into a great corner lot duplex with an awesome yard (hard to come by in this town). Their new place has a wonderful little addition of a sunroom. It is big and bright space that opens up onto the yard, but they were a little stumped about what to do with it. They knew they wanted to make it a multi-purpose  space with room for a dining table, desk and sitting/entertaining area but weren't sure how to make it all work, especially on a budget. They asked me for a little inspiration to get them going and here is what I came up with:

House into Home

My sister and her boyfriend took on the enormous task of purchasing and renovating a house in just 4 months. Being on a tight budget they did most of the work themselves; with their own hands they tore down walls, patched and painted, laid tile and grout, installed windows and cabinets...all while also refurbishing old furniture and purchasing new in order to turn their new house into home. I recommend from the get-go that they start with a plan and lucky for them they had a designer in the family to help them with this task(me!). Living on opposite sides of the Rocky Mountains did not slow us down; via the internet they were able to share their photos and room dimensions with me and I was able to deliver to them floor plans and renderings to help them visualize their end goal. It was a thrill to see my design come to life, and even better that they are equally as thrilled with the end result. There is definitely some more work to do (isn't there always?), but they have to be proud about how much they were able to accomplish in such a short time. Secretly I am super jealous. We are all eager to share with you the befores, the designs and the afters:

More to come!

Palm Springs Pleasures

This summer I went to a bachelorette party in Palm Springs, CA. We had a blast doing all of the 'typical' bachelorette party activities (sitting by the pool, playing silly games, pillow fights, dancing our butts off...just kidding no pillow fights), but one of the added perks of the trip for me was that we got to visit a few of of the local hotels that I have been hearing about since design school and have been dying to visit -  the Ace Hotel & Swim Club and the Parker Palm Springs. I did not have my camera on me but here are some pictures I found online (if you have time to check out the sites, there are also some great articles to go along with the pics!). I am going back to Palm Springs this weekend for a wedding; will sadly not be staying at either of these gems but will hopefully find some time to visit again! 

Ace Hotel:

(photo credit: www.jessicaclaire.com)

(photo credit: www.bonappetit.com)

(photo credit: www.fashiontofood.com)

(photo credit: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com)

(photo credit: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com)

The Parker: 

(Photo Credits: http://www.theparkerpalmsprings.com/index.php)