you know what my problem is???

Don't answer that. I know I have many problems. My main one at this time is that every time I see something I like, I want to build a whole room around it. Smack in the midst of my bedroom design conundrum I saw this screen for sale:

I know.. it doesn't really "go" with the cottage. But since I have to have a rolling rack of clothes in my bedroom it might be nice to have a screen to hide it. It makes me think of doing something of a mix between these two rooms:

With the screen, a steel poster bed, white bedside tables and my stacked lucite lamps:

I am trying to sell the lamps, so if I do I would just use funky sconces over the bed...here is a board with the pieces in the room:

Am I out of control or what?? hahahaha
E

bedding

As I stew in bedroom design frustration, I thought I would share with you the one thing that I never hesitate on: bedding. It has been a pleasure to make colorful throw pillows for clients and I will admit that great bedding with different colored patterns pulled together, a throw blanket, and wonderful decorative pillows make a bedroom look designed and pulled together. For other people.

For me, I will never have anything other than solid linen white bedding, pillowcases, and duvet cover. I simply cannot sleep under pattern and my minimalist brain wants all white. If you are like me or simply want to add in some solid linen, here are some resources.

The dream: top of the line, best of the best, everybody's happy place is Matteo linens:

This shiz is expensive, y'all. I have found that the best way to replicate the Matteo look without the Matteo price is to pull the same solid color in with pieces from a variety of sources. So I get my flat sheet, fitted sheet, and duvet cover from Restoration Hardware. The stonewashed Belgian linen line is so heavy and soft and gets better with every wash: It is also on special right now, so when you find a sheet set you like, get an extra flat sheet. Linen stretches a bit over time so I have found that the double size is best for a fitted sheet on a queen mattress.

Other solid linen lines (sheets and pillowcases) are Viva Terra and the Eileen Fisher line at Garnet Hill. 

Then I add in a coverlet in a similar color but different texture, like quilted silk or sateen. This one from West Elm is inexpensive and just as nice as the expensive ones. I have the cream one and love it!

Also a chunky knit throw from West Elm or CB2 could be good here. Finally, over time I collect different linen pillowcases when they go on sale to add in interest. Pottery Barn is having an amazing sale on solid linen pillowcases and I snatched up two of these with the crochet edge and two of the ruffly ones....

And that's it! A cozy bed with all different textures and trims, but all in the same monochromatic scheme. It will look so rich and luxurious! I promise you your life will change once you sleep in solid linen sheets. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
E

yikes

Sorry I didn't post yesterday - I am totally frozen. I thought the bedroom would be the easiest room to do and it turns out that I am completely stumped. I love so many different things! I really want to honor the architecture and the pieces that I already have and love - my dogwood branch triptych and my linen sectional and mirrored credenza - but honestly I got into design because I love STUFF. I love switching it up often and doing different looks and I have done that almost every six months to a year for six years now. But in my new place in San Diego I don't know where I will be working and I don't think I will be able to switch it up so often. That is really freezing me because I know whatever I buy I will have for a while.

I still love the black bed from Ethan Allen and the acorn mid century modern bed from West Elm that I posted below, but I also like this upholstered bed:

And I have always loved the architecture bed and the portico bed from Room and Board:

 

I have never been so indecisive....ugh! Gonna take the whole weekend to think about it. Have a good one, friends!
E

cottage bedroom

okee dokee - the easiest room first - the cottage bedroom. I bought a four poster bed from a friend of mine that I love desperately, but unfortunately the ceiling in the bedroom comes down to 78" in half the room, so I cannot have a four poster.

Then, I thought about doing mostly black and white in the cottage, so I was going to go with this Ethan Allen bed I have always liked and an antique mirror pendant:

I do still love this bed, but I think it needs to be in a room by itself. Unfortunately I am going to have to cram a rolling rack of clothes and maybe the curved portion of my sectional in this room, so I need to go more simple, sticking with natural wood and ivory.

Here is what I am left with:

The acorn mid century bed and nightstand from West Elm, with a natural ivory cowhide and antler chandelier. I think this combo is true to all of my other furniture, and is clean and simple but funky. I wish I didn't have to have the clothes rack in there and I might have to have my curving sectional piece at the end of the bed! We will see when we get there what the possibilities are for that.

But in general this mid century look is more me and goes with the cottage and my other things...any thoughts?
E

fun and frustration

FUN - got the peacock mirror for my bestie in - it is five feet tall and humongous and gorgeous! Will take it to her in my moving truck and install in San Diego.

FRUSTRATING - the little back room in my new cottage is not big enough to be my tv room I don't think. I desperately want to fit my sectional back there and make it super cozy so the front room can be dining room/design studio. I have six dining chairs that I want to show off up front. If the front room has to be the tv/living room and the little back room has to be a huge closet, the dining chairs will most likely have to be stored for years or sold, and I just had slipcovers made for them....
Ugh...let's work on the bedroom first! See you tomorrow...
E

san diego cottage interiors

Here are pics of the cottage in San Diego. We will start going over the plans for each room tomorrow... this is gonna be fun!

Adorable shingles and blue trim exterior

Front Room - will be dining/design studio or tv room

Kitchen is right there so will do my best to minimize it

Bedroom

Small closet in bedroom - ceiling lower - heater being installed

Small room with sloping ceiling - will be tv room or design studio or closet

Bathroom

Patio, covered carport, and laundry out back - needs a hammock :)

Gorgeous garden path and surroundings

So gang, what do you think? We can definitely work with this, right? I am getting really specific measurements from my bestie soon, so we can make decisions about that smaller room. I cannot decide if it should be cozy tv room, design studio/office, or big closet. I would really like it to be the tv room but I don't know if my sectional will fit in there. So we will plan/dream for all three until we decide!
E

cottage joy

I GOT IT!!
So many people were calling about that cottage but I harassed the real estate lady like nobody's business and had my best friend go over there immediately to meet her and I got it! I am so excited. Of course my style is clean and modern, and I wasn't expecting to be in a little shingled cottage with blue trim, so adjustments need to be made. I have already done my sis' house in what I consider to be "young family traditional cottage" so this look needs to be completely different from that. I don't like any of my projects to resemble each other at all - I don't want to get stuck in a "look" - so I think this cottage will be spare and maybe limited to black and white, with greige linen and rough textures thrown in. I have this huge triptych which will be in the front room and sort of set the tone for the whole place:

I cannot make sweeping changes, like painting cabinets or wallpapering, so I am a little limited as a renter. It is also important to me to stay true to the architecture and my aesthetic, so I won't be able to use the poster bed from Room and Board that I had been wanting (the ceiling in bedroom is too short). It is going to be fun to work around these parameters to make something interesting and fresh.

Here are some spaces inspiring me for this cottage...

Commune Design

Commune - love antler chandeliers

There will be a Mouille style fixture in this cottage!

Love black framed windows but cottage does not have them... :(

Love the carved bed and Deco lantern in Novogratz bedroom

Ryan Korban - too stark but I may do a black hammock out in garden!

There will probably be a rolling rack for clothes in bedroom since only small closet

exposed rack of clothes and shoes in bedroom

Love the large art and open shelving - will prob remove cabinet doors for this look

 So I will post pics of the inside of the cottage tomorrow and we can get started planning room by room - moving August 1st so this will all be done by end of summer!
E

next joint

Well I may have nailed down this cottage as my next home in San Diego:

It is hilarious because I was equally interested in this loft - and it is definitely more my personal style:

But it has no heat, A/C, or parking and is $200 more a month. The cottage is also only 3 miles from my bestie's house. So the cottage wins! I love being a renter because you can experience different types of architecture and decorate in a different way every time you move. I have found that my style lately is really paring down - all greige and solid and organic but clean. You know my dream space is Kelly Klein's living room:

So I have to figure out how to evoke this mood but on a MUCH smaller scale. At least the cottage is all white on the inside. I can't wait to go through it with you guys step by step to create my new dream space in my new city. I should know in the next day or two if the cottage is it - will def keep you posted.
Happy weekend!
E

Birmingham Fam Progress

Making some progress on my sister's house in Birmingham! We really hope to get the dining room drapes done by Christmas - it will be so dramatic and really make the front of the house - but the latest is this eat-in kitchen nook that I am super happy with. I did the silhouettes of my niece and nephew and they turned out great! What do you think?
E

Dining Room will have coral chinoiserie drapes!

Entry

Still selling...

So I am still selling off some of my gorgeous designer items to bankroll my move! Please let me know if you would be interested in this insanely fabulous vintage Moroccan Hanbel rug:

Or my Eames lounger rocker with ottoman that I recovered in the Hicks La Fiorentina fabric - it is a true one of a kind!

I also still have the Julian Chichester parchment fishscale chest of drawers in cerused oak. This piece is large and heavy and has silent close drawers with bronze handles. Gorgeous!

Thanks, guys! This is shopping for a good cause! Email me at elizabethneworleans@hotmail.com if you need more pics or have any interest. You all are the bestest!
E

get a move on

One of the biggest reasons that I have not been posting lately is because I have been pondering a major life change. I have not been able to focus on fun posts and design blogging because all I could think about for the last few months was making a cross country move. This past weekend I finally took the plunge and decided. August 1st I will be going from here:

NEW ORLEANS

To here:

SAN DIEGO

I don't know why we get more cautious as we get older. I actually "ran away" from home when I was 19 to Mexico, alone, without knowing the language. I had nine dollars when I got there! (A story for another day...) I was not as scared then as I am now. When I decided to come back to the USA, I looked at San Diego as an option (as it is the sister city to my Mexican hometown of Puerto Vallarta) but chose New Orleans because it was closer to family, although I don't have any family here in the state. I knew no one here and had no car or money. Not as scared then as I am now. Then after Hurricane Katrina I packed up a truck and drove to New York City for a year - no job, knew no one there, and no money. Not as scared as I am now.

I think it is because in all of those moves I was leaving an uncomfortable or scary situation. I knew what I was going TOWARD just had to be better than what I was leaving. Now, I am super comfortable in a wonderful job and I have lots of amazing clients and friends in a beautiful city. But it is no longer the right place for me. I desperately need a change in my life, and this time I have tons of friends, professional contacts, and even a client or two waiting for me! But I am seriously nervous. I don't have a full time job and I need to start making good money within the first month of being there.

So, if you have any contacts, job recommendations, or just great suggestions of things to do and see in San Diego, I need all the help I can get! Making a cross country move at 36 is scary, people. But only the scary things are worth doing, right? Wish me luck!
E