dream house

This is the kind of house I dream of living in one day (Jessica de Ruiter). All white and wood - clean and modern. It seems so timeless. Everything from the stacks of white tableware in the kitchen to the chevron front door is pure perfection. I have never been into Martha Stewart Living magazine, but they publish the best interiors! I might have to start subscribing...
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bedroom dreams

I know I have been talking about this cottage bedroom for months, but I just can't decide what to do. I want to stay true to the architecture and feel of a cozy cottage, but I also want my modern design sensibility to come through. Right now the room is so white...white walls and drapes. I have a jute rug and the gorgeous oak/parchment fishscale chest.

Now I am thinking I will do an antler chandelier:

And this simple bed:

With the modern brass sconces over each side:

The tough part is deciding on a fabric for the bed. I have always loved graphic cubes like this tile:

Of course there is the Pierre Frey Kubus fabric that is so popular right now, but I don't like the metallic gold or the price...

But something along those lines - a smaller print in beige, gray and charcoal. What do you think? Any fabric suggestions?
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The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe

So while I continue applying for teaching positions I have been keeping busy waiting tables. I served all through college and I ran an activities program at a resort in Mexico when I lived there, so I am extremely comfortable in the hospitality industry. I am lucky to be at the most beautiful property in San Diego - The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. It is a stunning boutique hotel with 80 cottages (each one is completely different!)...I am outside on the patio each evening and hot air balloons hover in the sky overhead. There are weddings almost every weekend on the lawn in front of the restaurant. Frank Lloyd Wright was married on this lawn at midnight in 1928! I thought this particular wedding dinner was beautiful, so I took some pics for you guys. They have a wonderful spa, too. If you ever have the opportunity for a weekend getaway or want to drive up for dinner, ask for me at the restaurant!
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My view each evening

beautiful at Ballard

I cannot believe I have not posted in a month! I have been so busy and honestly not motivated to blog. I have been blogging for several years now and I really do not want to post on the same Elle Decor pics that everyone else is talking about, so there may be fewer posts from here on out, but they will all be relevant to what I am doing personally, or what I am looking at online, etc... I hope that you are all having a wonderful fall and getting excited about the upcoming holidays. I can't wait to be with my family.

If you are thinking of a design-related gift this Christmas, Ballard Designs has some great items right now. Here are the BD pieces I am loving right now:

Antique brass flatware  you can have monogrammed! Gorgeous!

Fontaine mirror - silver with a champagne finish. This mirror is so classic.

Harriet enamel pendant in gray, taupe, or white. I love these pendants in multiples over an island...

Rope doorstop. Easy and adorable gift. I need one of these!

What design related gifts are you guys seeing out there? Glad to be back - hope you all stayed with me!
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Brass sconces

Hey gang - hope you are all getting back into the swing of fall schedules. Summer is over and everyone is busy, busy. I am working day and night trying to figure out my next path here in San Diego. I do think that I need to get my teacher's certificate since I have several degrees in Spanish and it has been such a big part of my life. I am taking the CSET (skills test) for Spanish this Saturday, so I don't have a lot of time to think about design, but when I do, I think about my cottage bedroom.

I set it up just to get it furnished when I moved in, but it is really boring me. The only great piece is the fishscale chest with the brass mirror over it. Other than that I just put a basic bed in, white sconces, white blackout drapes, and a white paper lantern. One day I will do a custom upholstered bed and change the chandelier. I will add a trim to the drapes or change them to colored panels. But the first and easiest change I hope to get done by Christmas. I love brass sconces for over the bed. But I don't want them to be too traditional or to take too much away from the chandelier or bed since it is such a tiny room. Which of these do you prefer? They are both around $170 and have metal stems so they can plug in behind the bed.

This one with shade:

or this one that is all brass and a little more slick:

Or, super simple directly above the headboard:

This one is small and unobtrusive, and only $100 bucks each! What do you think?
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life in SD

I am slowly settling in to life in San Diego. I feel so blessed to be in such a cool city with people I love. I got to be here for my goddaughter's swim lesson:

Got the most amazing meat pies and cupcakes at the farmer's market a few blocks from my house:

Went to the Del Mar races with a huge group - so much fun!

And every day I enjoy the most beautiful peachy pink sunsets. Now all I need is my dream job and I will really be a California Girl!
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stayin' alive, stayin' alive, ah ah ah ah stayin' alive!

Yes, I am actually singing that song as I write this! I love plants. I think the difference in a room can absolutely be made with a simple vase of flowers or even a single stem. I don't consider a room "finished" until you add the life of nature and bring the outdoors in. That being said, I seem to kill everything I bring home with me. I am one of the few people who cannot keep an orchid or ficus alive. Now that I am out in Cali, I am grateful to be surrounded by lush gardens that professionals take care of. I also LOVE succulents, and the cottage has tons of different varieties all around. They seem a little hardier and I hope that I can keep them inside, as well.

I am now the proud owner of an orchid, a gorgeous fiddle leaf fig tree, and a bowl of succulents. The bowl was hand crafted by Alex at Pots A Lot Pottery in New Orleans as my going away gift. Isn't it gorgeous? Now let's see which plant lasts the longest!

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