Converted Barn
If the description of a home, or restaurant, or shop, or really any building has “converted” in the description, I’m likely to like it. Digging this converted barn with a totally simple palette, stripes, and modern touches.
To be totally honest, I’m not sold on the stone… maybe an over-usage of stone in interiors in newly-built Atlanta houses in the late 90′s just made a little stone-averse, but I’m also wondering if this barn would have originally had any stone work? Because if not, it seems a little funny to bring it in now? But, that’s getting pretty picky. I’m pretty sure if I saw this space in person, I would fall in love. Via Delight by Design
Also, wonderlusters, can you help me out? Every once in a while, I hit a phase where I’m just not finding much that I’m really inspired by… and hence, not much to share with you. I’m in a rut. Have you seen anything awesome recently? What sites do you visit or magazines do you read when you’re in need of inspiration? I need some new juice!
Emerson’s Home… Again
Yes I know, I already featured the New Hampshire home of Emerson of EmersonMade and her adorable husband a while back, but there are new photos out, as featured in Boston Magazine Home, and I could. not. resist.
That kitchen! The beadboard ceiling and the wide-plank floors are what get me most.
I fell hard for this house the first time, and I might’ve just fallen even harder the second time. I’m so in love.
New to-do list: (1) start fabulous company doing something I love a la EmersonMade, (2) find husband who loves what I do and likes to be involved, a la Emerson’s husband, who takes the photos of her and models in photos for their ads/catalog, (2b) option to reverse (1) and (2) and find husband and then a start company together, (3) obtain wonderful country house for weekend getaways and restore it to perfection, obviously using lots of warm woods and white, (4) enjoy said job, marriage, house, and life. Et voila!
This pantry actually inspired my very own collection of pantry goods in glass jars on display when it was published the first time! Our cute 1920s kitchen has a built-in china cabinet, and I went to town on glass canisters. Only, I read that hers contain all kinds of healthy grains and whatnot, and mine are filled with baking supplies… haaa.
See the older post I did on them/their house/their life I covet here, with even more photos and information.
white, brown, black + art and books
My fixation with the restricted white/black/brown combo, generally with warm woods and leathers serving as the brown, just isn’t letting up. It’s amazing to me that without any color or pattern, just texture, style of furniture, architectural detail, finishes, and styling, this color story can communicate such a wide range of styles, from traditional cabin to modern industrial.
It’s like the little black dress of interior design. There’s a million little black dresses out there, but depending on the cut and material, they can be appropriate for a variety of body types and occasions. And then just changing the accessories can switch up the whole mood of the dress.
This time, a few examples that skillfully use art and books to keep the restricted palette from becoming too dry or impersonal. A well-accessorized LBD, if you well.
Levi’s Photo Workshop
This is such a fun (and smart) idea by Levi’s. They’ve created a pop-up “shop,” in New York, but instead of being an actual Levi’s store, it’s a photography center– with computers and equipment for digital photo processing, a photobooth, and an area where you can rent out vintage film cameras. And should you need any help, there are sharply dressed Levi’s reps there to assist.
And this pop-up is on the heels of a successful printmaking workshop space in San Francisco a few months ago. Pretty clever move for a denim brand that as of a couple years ago was a rather unexciting, tired brand rapidly losing market share to the the dozens of expensive niche denim purveyors out there.
Here’s what CoolHunting had to say about the thinking behind the project after their conversation with the brand’s head of collaborations, Joshua Katz:
“The payoff of course is “if you make that extra effort, people can believe in it.” Or in other words, their success comes from embracing hard work and community as core values from the top down. “There are fundamental philosophies that don’t change,” says Katz. “The [brands] that stick around are people who recognize that they are part of a community.” In addition to opening its doors to artists, community groups and non-profits, all proceeds from sales of Levi’s goods (including the exclusive Trucker Jacket, pictured) and camera-related items will go to NYC-based charitable organizations Harvey Milk High School, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and Edible Schoolyard New York.”
I personally think that the rationale presented may be a little overwrought, but who cares, because it’s fun and cool and its getting them tons of attention, press, and renewed brand awareness and perception. Well done, Levi’s.
More images and info on coolhunting.
Gjelina
I’ve started to see this look a lot, but I still love it. It’s a sort of an industrial meets apothecary-chic look, with chairs with wood seats and metal bases, Edison bulbs, grain sack cloth, raw wood planking, etc. The most recent example of it here….
Today, a friend in LA took me to this super cool restaurant Gjelina in Abbot Kinney in LA. Gjelina aside for a minute, Abbot Kinney is such a cool neighborhood!! I seriously loved it. As soon as we entered the neighborhood, I saw a Steven Alan store, and I knew I was home.
Ok, back to Gjelina. LOVED: the wood planking on the ceiling, the brick floor inside, the big light fixture with all different shapes and sizes of Edison bulbs, the paint color (dark grey but with brown in it, and very matte, like a chalkbooard), the light mint green industrial stools, and the different sized glass-front cabinets that make up the bar-back.
This isn’t visible at all in the photos, but possibly my favorite detail was about an 18″ tall border around the top of the wall of antique mirror set on top of a cornice that wrapped all the way around the room. It totally kept the very tall walls from becoming vast and boring, because your eye was drawn straight up to it, and then to the pretty ceiling.
Also you can’t see this in the photo either, but the big high tables have handles (like cabinet hardware handles) on the ends, and for some reason that detail totally delighted me.
And, as if the decor weren’t pleasing enough, the food was soo good.. not any one particular style of cuisine, just good ingredients turned into wonderful things. We had roasted beets with burrata that tasted like ice cream, roasted sunchokes with parsely pesto, and a gruyere, caramelized onion, and arugula pizza.
I hiighly recommend it!!!
Restaurant website here.
Floor Envy
I die over this chevron-patterned floor. Not to mention the wonderfully moody photographs of this apartment of a super-creative Parisian couple. They took the photos themselves! Isn’t the light wonderful? How about the colors in the photo above?
Old rusted letters from a Paris hotel sign that they found on the sidewalk makes.
Though such sparsity isn’t personally my style, this is a wonderfully edited space.
This “bear skin” is actually a huge door mat, designed by the husband’s company. I love the quirk factor in this bare-ish (haa pun was not even intended) place. The wife is creative director of this brand.
More photos on design*sponge
Autumnal Kitchens
Kitchens that suit the current changes in the weather and welcome the new scents and colors of fall seem to either incorporate warm wood tones or a nice big fireplace! Here are a few I wouldn’t mind cooking up some banana bread in…
