A self renovation….in progress

I’ve decided to start including a little bit more info on the non-diy side of our lives. As working parents to two active boys we have to balance having fun with working on the house..so these posts are all about the balance , or lack of it and the fun we have along the way!

Well for me this means addressing the big white elephant in the room which is my lack of exercising since we had kids. Yes for the past 5 YEARS  I have done next to NO exercise, which is poor form for a girl who used to pride herself on her fitness and my über athletic attitude. I LOVE running, and getting out there and trying new things. When I was 15 I was on at least 7 sports teams…yes 7!!! I was so busy playing sport that I barely had anytime for socializing….so what happened?

Well if I’m honest I guess I just got lazy, altho its been really easy to blame the kids “they take all my time, I can’t fit it in..blah blah”. Well that is kind of true – and the last few years have been a little busy to say the least but I need to do this for me. I need to find a way to make it happen.

The one thing I know about myself tho is that I need pressure to complete things – I need a goal and teammates to help me with it. SO I did something stupid good. I gathered a bunch of gals together from work (including the fabulous Margaret Edith) and declared that we should all enter the color run in SF together. Its a 5k run that’s kind of fun as you get colored powder thrown at you en route. I have visions of us ending up looking like this:-

color fun…apparently!

Well except with a bright red sweaty face no doubt! And what’s great about it is that 5k should be totally doable…well unless you havent exercised for 5 YEARS!!

So  to get in shape for it I’m starting off with the couch to 5k plan. It’s totally not intimidating and I highly recommend it. At this point my aim is to just get around the course in a decent time.

I plan to document this fitness journey so that I force myself to continue keeping fit…who knows this form of pressure might actually work??!!!

Tags: athletic attitude, color run SF, couch to 5k, couch to 5k plan, getting fit after motherhood, health, healthy-living, mommy fitness

Finding the perfect color palette for your home.

Deciding on what color palette to put in your home is one of the hardest choices to make. There’s literally millions of options and I personally really struggle to make  a color decision and stick to it. I often know which color I want to feature but what will work with it? and should I be finding a similar toned shade or trying to contrast it?

Have no fear,  help is at hand –  Design Seeds is a brilliant website filled with hundreds of perfect color palettes to help figure out what your perfect palette could be. With hundreds of boards inspired by images and nature there’s plenty of options to choose from . The website was created by Jessica who works continuously to track emerging trends and design ideas plus she has been officially decreed as one of the most  influential people on Pinterest.

This range of blues inspires thoughts of summer vacations and  bright painted walls..I love it.

This color palette  (door brights) is my inspiration for Charlie’s bedroom (minus the pink of course!)

And I love this color pallette for maybe Jack’s bedroom (minus the yellow):

Check out the Design Seeds website, search for  a color palette based upon your main selection or you can buy Jessica’s books with similar color ranges from here.

Tags: choosing a color palette, color palette, color palettes, how to choose color, picking a wall color, style

Get your H&M fix in the Home

I had no idea that H&M were doing housewares until I tucked into the latest edition of Living Etc and saw an item by H&M home..what??? When did this happen I thought, and when will it come to the US??

The collection seems inspired by long summer day’s in Britain with its delicate flower prints and bright summer colors – just perfect for your Diamond Jubilee garden parties this weekend. It’s a very affordable range featuring mainly textiles and storage  containers but its sure to expand soon.

Unfortunately H&M Home is not currently available in the US (same as Zara Home – so sad!) but when it does arrive I will certainly be first in line!

Tags: floral prints for home, H&M Bedlinen, H&M Home, H&M new home collection, home decor, pink & white stripe container

Splurge vs Steal: A Parsons Bookcase

I love open shelves for their practical nature and the ability to use them as storage and as a design feature.

I saw this bookcase  on amazon and I love its bright colors and the thickness of its build . Its made by the Home Decorators Collection and is reasonably price at $173.99  (don’t you love it when manufacturer’s put random pricing on things??!)

Parsons bookcase

It reminds me so much of another named parsons bookcase avail from West Elm. This shelving unit is much more expensive at $549 but it is a bigger piece and is made of high quality engineered wood.

West Elm Parsons Tower

What do you think- is it worth the extra money to buy something more sturdy and bigger?

Tags: bookcase, open shelving, orange bookcase, West Elm bookcase

Our House Year Two: Weeks 15 & 16

This week we finally  finished siding and painting the east gable of the house which means that  the home-made scaffolding can at last come down and will of course be repurposed into new scaffolding for the back of the house.

A finished gable

With the gable done we could focus our attention elsewhere. Back onto concrete and getting the extension done!

All ready to be approved.

Jon and David created & installed all the rebar themselves bending steel bars to provide stability for the concrete, they laid them out on top of a metallic insulating barrier that will reflect the heat from the underfloor heating back into the concrete floor. They then laid out the underfloor piping, securing it  with handy plastic ties to the rebar so that it didn’t shift  and connected it under the house. That took me just a minute to type but this was a 2 day job  for those guys, and a lot of kneeling!

Tags: 3 panel sliders, good morning neighbors, installing a sliding door, installing rebar, installing underfloor heating, pouring concrete, western windows

The state of the union…

Here’s a funny thing. When I lived in the UK national pride was a thing typically only displayed around large soccer occasions and almost NEVER in the form of flags in the home and yet here I am, now living 10,000 miles away, and its all I can do to NOT draw a giant union jack on one of our walls! There’s something about being so far away from home that makes you cling to the small pieces of Britishness you can find around you.

Anyway the point of all this rambling is that I have found yet another amazing way to show off my national pride. Check out these coasters from my fave Jonathan Adler…Love. Them.

Union Jack coasters by Jonathan Adler

Tags: British Home design, Union Jack coasters

Vintage Han Solo

I just bought this print for my son’s  star wars bedroom. Its seriously so awesome, I just hope my 4 yr old appreciate’s it!

The original space cowboy

You can get this and other great prints from Concepcion Studios.

Tags: etsy, etsy artwork, star wars prints, vintage han solo print, vintage star wars prints

A modern hanging barn door

I’ve mentioned before that I quite like these doors but the idea is slowly bubbling into an obsession. Something I absolutely want in my home. The hanging barn door – it’s a gorgeous and yet functional piece that makes a big impact in any room and I think it would be the perfect way to create a divide between the current kitchen and formal living room opening.

The big question is how to do it so it fits in with the modern interior & exterior? Here’s some ideas I found….

Vintage doors

(image taken from Houzz by Furman + Keil Architects)

Hanging vintage doors on a clean crisp modern background completely resonates with me. What a great way to add in character and history to a room.

A brilliant color statement

(image taken from Houzz by Burr & McCallum Architects)

Or you can go completely the other way. The idea of taking a traditional method of displaying barn doors and making a super modern version of it  with chrome finished hardware is also very cool. I also adore the recessed chalkboard as a hidden child’s play space.

Ultra modern hanging door

(image taken from Houzz by Fiorella Design)

So where do you get the doors from? Most people take a flea market find and repurpose it, or create their own. You can get the hardware to hang the doors separately.  This company lets you customize the finish on the hardware so it blends in with the rest of your home.

Hardware for hanging a barn door

Yet another excuse to keep shopping at the local flea markets!

Tags: Barn door track, hanging barn doors, home design, how to hang a barn door, modern doors, vintage doors

Splurge vs Steal : An Ombre Chair!

This week’s splurge vs steal is a little different as it requires a bit more than making a smart shopping choice, its more  a touch of DIY!

I fell in love with this Anthropologie bench a while ago as I just love  the paint job and that its seriously on trend with its ombre effect…

Windsor Love Seat from Anthropologie

but its got a CRAZY price tag attached to it so I thought I would have to lust after it from afar. And then I saw this post  on design sponge about doing your own. Incredible.

DIY Ombre Chair

So now my eyes are peeled for a flea market wooden chair/bench find that I can try my ombre paint skills on!!

Tags: Anthropologie blue bench, Anthropologie furniture, design inspiration, design sponge, DIY paint ideas, home design, Splurge vs Steal

Developing your own Mom Inc.

I’ve often wondered how some of my favorite female designers got started with their businesses and how they keep their amazing companies running and design ideas flowing when they have small children constantly demanding their attention. I personally struggle everyday with the balance between full-time work, the design process (and reality!) of renovating our home, chronicling it all here on this blog whilst meeting the needs of my small children so I can’t begin to imagine the added stress of being the boss at work on top of it all!! Well now there is a book that can help….

Meg Mateo Ilasco  (of Anthology Mag.) and Cat Seto wrote their book Mom, Inc to help moms get inspired, organized and to share some of their own insights into starting a successful business from home.

Chronicle book’s Mom Inc. avail now.

Profiled moms include many of my favorites like blogger Gabrielle Blair (Design Mom), designer Courtney Novogratz,  Lorena Siminovich (from Petit Collage) and Christiane Lemieux of DwellStudio, as well as many more. It’s really insightful to see how these women who are hugely successful in their respective fields manage to balance motherhood whilst starting their businesses and the book is choka full of great tips like how to write a business plan and honest advice that should set you off on the right path.

Want to know more? Then check out this interview Cat Seto did with my friend Sophie from The Marin Scoop about her inspiration for the book and watch this cute trailer for the book:

Get your copy of the book from here or from the Chronicle bookstore here.

Tags: cat seto, Mom Inc, starting your own business