el batey

i almost have no words for this place. i don't even know where to start.

my boyfriend and i discovered this bar in old san juan, on a night we were trying to keep ourselves awake to beat jetlag and the restaurant in our hotel was closed. as soon as we walked in i was in heaven. it was like we were on the set of the coolest f*cking movie ever made. like, if this design were a recipe it would be one of those that only has a handful of ingredients but it's the best thing you've ever tasted. unintentional and effortless, oozing history and experience.

when we arrived there were only four other people, one of them an old man who would make his way behind the bar from time to time to turn the music up when his song came on the juke box and three others who just smoked their cigarettes to the butt and asked the bartender to hold their spot when they got up to go to the bathroom. a couple tourists fell inside, realized this wasn't the "senor frogs" they were looking for, and left.

we only stayed for a bit but it was the best.

oh, and this was playing.

photos: j. kurtz

my little client

sometimes i lose myself in the technical aspects of my job; the schedules, the deadlines, the mishaps, the nicks, the scratches, the tense conversations, the wrong size delivered, you name it...

then something like this happens, i reconnect with an old client for just a minute and they remind me that sometimes what i do really means something.

two of my all time faves, alex and jackie, recently sent me a photo of the little lovely that we planned this room for. i met them a couple of months into their pregnancy and finished their little one's room before she arrived. we all were pleased with the outcome, yes, but the real reward is right here, in seeing mila grow and become her own person and start to experience the things that we planned for her.

at the risk of sounding trite, i am honored to have created this space for her. honored that her parents trusted me. thank you, alex and jackie. all my love to you and mila. xo

photo: alex p.

lavinila

i am in love...with this deodorant.

i'm sure you're asking yourself, "but why?" because, friends, it works better and smells better and feels better than the hundred other brands i have used in my search for the perfect product over the last couple of years.

i used to use teen spirit, and i loved it, but then all of a sudden i wasn't a teen anymore and then it mysteriously disappeared from the shelves. what?! jeez. so i was left in the hot seat, with no protection from the heat.

then while visiting my best bud (haver of all things amazing and cool and interesting and fabulous) last year she introduced me to this little miracle in a tube. she was going to give me hers but it was over 3 ounces so i couldn't bring it in my carry on and then i forgot it even existed until i saw her again a couple weekends ago and was reminded and our (my and the deodorant's) love affair.

now we are together forever and i couldn't be happier. and yes, it's THAT big a deal.

i spy d.i.y.

my friend, wendy, has been asking me for months to help her pull her first place together. she's done a really great job so far on her own but when i came across this inspiration image on pinterest and shared it with her we both knew it was time for me to get my a$$ down to oceanside and take care of some business.

we started at 11 and finished at 4 and took care of all of THIS in that time:

-trip to Lowe's for supplies
    drop cloth
    stripper
    scissors
    screw driver (check the bottom of your cushions to verify
    which kind of screw)
    chair paint color*
    table paint color*
    staple gun
    staples
    Fabric (purchased the night before at joanne's)

-remove chair cushions
    usually dining chair cushions will be screwed on to corner
    blocks from the underside of the frame. just flip the chair over
    and remove all screws. before you do, though, make yourself
    a template so you can easily tell which cushion goes with
    which chair and number both the cushion and the frame. it'll
    be easier to find the original screw holes when you put the
    cushions back on. less work, the screws will go right in.

 
 
 













-spray a couple layers of stripper on the chairs and table then
wipe with a damp cloth.

-when all wood is dry begin spraying your first coat of paint.
don't worry about full coverage, you'll need about 3 coats
overall. keep the nozzle at least 6" from the surface of the
wood and keep your hand moving steadily side to side to
avoid drips.

-while the chairs and table are drying begin covering your cushions.
    cut a square piece of fabric a couple inches bigger than
    your cushion on all sides.
    wrap and staple one side at a time, make sure to keep the
    fabric taught but not too tight.
    leave the corners for last and try to keep them simple
    and clean.

-when cushions are done and chairs are dry screw all
the cushions back on and you're done!

*we were lucky enough to find the colors we wanted in spray paint. if you don't, just buy a quart of the color you like and brush on the paint instead of spraying. it's more work but it works just the same.

photos: j. kurtz

i am the best girlfriend ever

my bf is working out of a new office in hollywood that has just about the coolest views you can imagine from the roof but the interior is basically a blank canvas so he's enlisted my services.

reason #1 why i am awesome: i spent the latter half of my half day friday walking the space and sketching plans.

reason #2 why i am awesome: i stayed up until 1am my first week night back from a bachelorette party in vegas to work on sourcing.

reason #3 why i am awesome: i managed to fill a bathroom, upper and lower level workspaces and a conference room full of pretty rad selections for less than what one sofa at my day job would cost.

he deserves it though, no, in fact, he couldn't deserve it more :)

isn't this vision fun?! i'm really hoping he and his partners pull the trigger on the whole shebang and we can get this installed as quickly as it was conceived.

carnegie library

one of my long time dreams came true while visiting wisconsin last week, i got to go inside the nearly hundred year old carnegie library on hammond avenue. from the street it looks impressive, like you could still pop in and check out a book, but the interior paints a much different picture.

the paint is peeling off the crumbling plaster walls and all of the original wood floors are damp and spongy.  graffiti covers walls and plywood covers up basement windows. however, there is still something incredibly beautiful about the place. if you look through the layer of time you see the richness of materials, marble mosaic floors, terazzo steps and steel bookshelves, solid oak doors, bronze hardware and brick built to last.

the fate of this long forgotten house of books was once foreboding, slated to be torn down years ago, but thanks to "friends of the carnegie" she is now safe from harm. however, the costs to keep up and repair the building could prove to be quite substantial so a permanent owner who sees her beauty and has the wherewithal to bring her back to life is what she needs.

a fellow named bob was my tour guide and he had lots of interesting information to share, including the fact that for a small donation amount you can own a part of all this wonderful history. sign me up! i can only hope that one day this lovely place is given the makeover she deserves.

for a look at the building throughout the years click here, here and here.

photos: j. kurtz

shed some light

please welcome joanna, from arcadian lighting, a great online source for fun and affordable light fixtures, who is here to share a couple inspiring ideas for modern and fresh bedrooms. love the idea of using peacock for a wall color, i may consider changing my own boudoir soon...enjoy!

Hello! I’m Joanna, I love all things design and spend my time searching the internet for beautiful interior design ideas and images. Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite blue and white spaces.

A lovely example of what blue and white can do for a bedroom. The small stripes on the wallpaper are mimicked in the rug while an ethnic pattern plays out on the windows.

This vibrant bedroom is a nice mix of patterns and textures. The fabric covering the mattress is such as sweet lady and floral print.

Blues from navy to turquoise adorn this glamorous bedroom. The light fixtures add an especially dressy touch to the space. The pillows bring in texture.

A casually styled bedroom gets its blue and white from bed linens and a curvy headboard. I like the random block printing on the comforter and pillows.

A light green blue stripe makes its way from wall to ceiling in this pretty bedroom. The tufted chaise and red chandelier add a little levity to the room.

A pigeon hole door and intricate tile work gives this blue and white bedroom a Moroccan feel. The crisp white bed linens look particularly inviting.

By far my favorite room of all of those pictured here, this elegant and glamorous bedroom features velvet, crisp white cotton and silk. The blue is a rich peacock.

A little girl’s room gets its own version of blue and white with a touch of green. The rug and lamps add a hint of light blue to the space.

Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Tell us about what you think of these rooms! And make sure you stop by Arcadian Lighting to look for your lighting needs!