Inspiration vs. Reality: Photo wall

While we're not totally there yet, our photo wall has been coming along.

Inspiration pic

Progress so far

For some reason, I was worried that our wall wasn't large enough for four shelves (not sure why because I measured it no less than eighteen times). Just a reminder for all the lovely ladies out there...sometimes its not best to go with your gut. Math really does work. The walls would be mangled if we adjusted them, so this is how they will stay.

To me, the larger frames on the lowest shelf looks better than the smaller ones on the top. If all frames were the size of those in the top row, there would probably be too much space between the shelves. But of course, larger frames means less pics...and what fun is that? Maybe once all rows have large frames, I can throw some of the smaller ones throughout.

Nevertheless, I love looking at it as I leave the house for work every morning (it's at the top of our stairs). I'd love to get thoughts or suggestions!

Kitchen ideas for a condo

Recently we've been considering updating a condo (emphasis on considering). The budget is pretty small so we'll need to be resourceful.

Ikea cabinets immediately came to mind for a new kitchen. The poor guy in their kitchen showroom was stuck with me for hours, but we have some good ideas. And the best part was that our fab new kitchen cabinets would be less than $2k. Mr. Big initially wrinkled his nose about this possibility, but after viewing few of these beauties and a test run in their showroom, he was sold.

From styleathome.com

Ikea website

Living etc. April 08

Living etc. December 08

Designer Carol Reed has a great blog entry about using Ikea cabinets. She uses them quite a lot, but emphasizes not to go with an entire Ikea fit out (i.e. use other brand appliances and fixtures).

Any experience with Ikea cabinets?

Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica, Ca.

Recently my brother got married at the Casa del Mar in Santa Monica. I must admit that I haven't spent a lot of time in Santa Monica and I wasn't too sure what to expect from the hotel. It's got a lot of history and the main areas have a bit of an art deco feel to them. And then they take you to your room...



Well, hello dolly! Treat me to an oceanview room that looks like this anyday. While certainly a bit more traditional than our typical style, Mr. Big and I fell right in sync with the hotel.

Darrell Schmitt Design Associates remodeled the hotel in the past few years...and wow...it certainly impresses. It's difficult to tell in the following photo, but the Catch Restaurant and Wine Bar, is a design dream. Covered in creams, pale blue, and natural accents, I was in heaven. It may seem odd, but they had some of the greatest chairs that I've seen.


Best of all? The staff of the hotel were fantastic. I'm not sure if it was because we were there for a wedding or what, but they took amazing care of us. Room rates definitely aren't cheap, but if you can get a promotion, it's not to be missed. I would definitely return for a little R&R in the future.

(PS. The runs on the beach in the morning were fab!)

Doing the dishes

Sometimes I secretly wish for a dish fairy to come and clean up after a meal. No, it's obviously never happened, but heck, what's the harm in wishing? Recently I found a little extra boost for this chore...Mrs. Meyers cleaning products, especially in her Geranium and Basil scents.

Not only are they all natural and clean like the dickens, they smell so good. No, not like that manufacturered apple smell. Like a candle...while you are doing the dishes!


Case and point. On Monday night, Mr. Big and I made a big bowl of popping-hot spicy chili. Being lazy (shocker I know), I left the dirty pan in the sink to soak with some of her Geranium scented dish soap. This isn't going to be a good reflection on me, but three days later I finally dumped the water (and other stuff) out to clean the dish. It still smelled good! Like really good.

Another time, I had a tradesperson call me back two days after finishing our job. Want to get paid? Nope. Forgot something at the house? Nope. He wanted to know what type of hand soap we had by our sink because it smelled so good. A tradesman!


Check your grocery shelves for this good stuff. There is an entire line of household products worth taking for a whirl. Let me know what scents you like and what you think!

Open kitchens

Just a few pictures to enjoy wide open kitchens

Mirror mirror on the wall

I'm loving these three vertical mirrors used in a room designed by Vincent Wolf. Gorgeous. The architectural model is stunning as well.

Still loving textured rugs

And this lovely from etsy seller ladiesandgentlemen keeps the longing in check.

Fabric for outdoor chairs

Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted (work is very busy at this time of the year), but I'm back to get some much needed insight from friends and family. Our outdoor lounge chairs need a new look and I was so excited when I found Gallant & Jones today. How fantastic are these fabrics?


Here are pics of our backyard. Which colors would you go with? I'm stuck between the blue, orange and brown.


Which color would you go with? I'm thinking of a mixture of two, but just can't commit!

Wine Cellar: Done with a capital "D"

Thank goodness! It's such a good feeling when you can claim an area of your house officially d-o-n-e. That's how we're feeling today as we finished up our "under the stairs" wine cellar. All the bottles have been cataloged in a cellar management software and we've finally moved all of the leftover construction junk out.

(Okay, maybe that's not the entire truth...we did notice a few little items that we'd like to alter, such as removing the ceiling light and fixing some left over "construction paint spillage" on the stairs. But at this point, we're ready to claim victory.)

Mr. Big's going to kill me for posting this picture, but I can't help showing how happy he is. There is no doubt that this is one of his favorite places in the whole house. So if anyone is wondering what he looks like on a loungy "housework day", here you go. Sorry babe...

We used Cellar Tracker's online management system, which will help us to make sure that we're pulling out bottles before they go bad. This will definitely prove useful as I'm a complete novice in this area. It's also interesting to see other people's comments on the wine that you like.

A fashionable bar

Designed by Moises Esquenazi and Associates

Not sure why, but this bar has a certain appeal, especially in an outdoor space. Is it the use of artwork? The low shelf? The light wood? Thoughts?