* courtney lane * {blog}

The Thing About Foxes...

2013-03-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

You know, it gets a little ridiculous how often the 'latest trendy animal' changes. Actually let's take a step back and consider the fact that there is even such a thing as a "trendy" animal. Why.

Back when owls were the top dog (haha...dog) in the world of animal trends...I always joked about what would be the next trend. We had the birds....the owls....what could be next? Weasels? Caterpillars? Muskrats? Slugs?

I don't even know if foxes are the most current trend...I think it's hedgehogs now or something but honestly I don't even CARE because there is an abundance of cute fox things out there whether it's trendy or not. This little round up is just a FEW of the precious, glorious, foxiest fox things found online.

To see more fox goodness...check out my sister's post here and my mom's post here!

1) Birthday Party Fox Embroidered Stationery 2) Gold Fox Necklace 3) Fox Locket Necklace 4) Arctic Fox Ornament 5) Knit Fox Pillow 6) Fox Love Artwork 7) Fox Sparkler Onesie 8) Fox Nursery Print 9) Fox BlaBla Sock Doll

Design Internship Update

2013-03-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

Graduation is swiftly approaching, and while there is definitely a slight uncertainty about the details of what's to come for me, I am feeling more excited than nervous.

I do think that the nervousness would outweigh the excitement if I didn't have my internship with Kelie Grosso of Maison Luxe. I've learned so much about the design industry through this internship and I feel so much better prepared now than I did as a freshman (although I know I still have much to learn!). Being in design classes teaches you a lot of critical information, but nothing can top real life experience...and I'm so grateful for that!

Kelie and I joke about the 'oh so glamorous' life of a designer...usually as we're risking our lives hauling massive boxes down flights of stairs, or running around Seattle to see just how damaged the table is that was shipped, or finding a replacement for the cashmere that looks nothing like what we ordered (oh the drama!).

It's a little crazy to think back on how I dreamed of an internship where I was working for a designer in a beautiful office downtown. I started to think that idea was a little out of reach, and that I should lower my hopes a bit. But somehow I hit the jackpot with this one. With a view of THIS nonetheless:

Right now Maison Luxe is heading into a new exciting chapter, starting a retail shop in a cute little town in Seattle! I'm really excited to continue helping Kelie with design related things, as well as being involved in this store. And who knows, maybe I'll start a store of my own someday! (My sister and I's secret dream. Oops, secret's out!)

I'll miss this beautiful office but I'm super excited for what's next. I'm also excited to not pay for downtown parking anymore...although I'd say it's worth paying for parking when you're working in an office that looks like that :)

Cheers to new exciting things ahead!

PS: Can we talk about how many times the word 'exciting' or 'excited' was used in this post? Actually let's not talk about it. I didn't have my thesaurus handy.

Oh Whales.

2013-03-03T22:38:00.001-08:00

I've shared with you guys that I'm a fan of whales...

(first here and then here) and you know what, that love remains.

While continuing toward my interior design degree and working at my dream internship this year, I have been loving being a contributor/design assistant for my mom's blog, The Inspired Room! So fun. In our most recent Gather post, we gathered up the cutest whale items from around the web.

So, fellow whale fans, enjoy!

Sources are listed here!

Residential Studio Project {A Modern & Natural Home}

2013-02-06T13:57:00.001-08:00

Well, it's winter quarter of my senior year as an interior design student. When on earth did that happen?! Yikes. Wasn't it just a day ago that I was a baby freshman getting started with my interior design degree? Also when was the last time I did a blog post? September 30th? And when is the last time I had blonde hair? Last year. Oops...I suppose I have some catching up to do on this little blog.

For now, I wanted to show you some pieces of my completed project from my Residential Studio class. I really enjoyed this project and was really happy with how it turned out in the end!

Our goal was to design a home for "The Westerley Family". Each student in my class was assigned a different architect and furniture store--which were to represent our client's favorite inspirations, and would be the basis for each of our projects.

I was assigned the very modern B&B Italia as my client's favorite furniture store, and then Alvar Aalto as their architect inspiration. I loved the idea of blending the modernity of B&B Italia with the natural elements that Alvar Aalto loved. We were asked to pick the majority of our furniture from our client's favorite store, which made it a bit of a design challenge for me because normally I'm such a big believer in picking items from many different places--both new and old.

So I rebelled a bit against picking everything from one place. That just isn't interesting design to me. I always justified it by saying to myself that "The Westerleys said I could." (They didn't ha). But you know...I was happy with the mix in the end. And that's all that matters when your clients are fictional...right?

Once I nailed down the style of my "clients", I started gathering images of spaces that represented the general feel I wanted to create. I also compiled some words that encompassed the style: modern, casual, natural, eclectic, organic, airy, restful, clean, and simple. How's that for a style description?

This project was quite intensive, and consisted of a lot of hand drafting. When our professor first emailed us about the class, he was sure to let us know that "we cannot afford a SINGLE day of slack", so I knew we were in for a crazy quarter.

I don't think I could possibly describe to you how much time went into this project. So many hours were spent in the drafting lab drafting away...while watching movies consecutively on the projector screen. So that helped. Sometimes they were even Disney movies. Sometimes it was til 4:30 AM. One time from 5:45 PM until 3 AM. Cheers!!!!

We reworked the entire floor plan, moved the staircases, and made the house work better for their needs...

Drew up finish plans...

Reflected ceiling plans, electrical plans, a million and 10 other things...and THEN we formally presented our project at the end of the quarter, complete with digital color boards and one physical color board. These were my digital color boards:

To see all the sources I used for this project,

check out my Pinterest board!

Now I'm in Commercial Studio designing a hotel in Kenya! I'll show you that too when it's done.

I'll try do a separate post talking about what else I've been working on lately because clearly it's been a busy year...but so productive and fun!

Hope you're all having a great week!

Is Interior Design Materialistic?

2012-09-30T20:48:00.002-07:00

You guys know I've always loved interior design and are probably totally sick of hearing about it, but what I've learned these past few years goes beyond just the technicalities of design. This is going to be a longer post than normal because, well, I've had a realization and I have a lot to say. We're about to get real here.

I was asked recently while talking about design with my housemates: 'Why do people spend that much money on decorating their house?'. One of my housemates responded by saying 'Because they're vain'.

Now...here's the thing. In that situation, I completely agreed. The industry of interior design can be super materialistic. It can be an industry that causes people to feel discontent with what they have, and makes them continually want more more more. It can be an industry where people spend ridiculous amounts of money on frivolous things, and yes, that can be vain. This concept is something that has certainly crossed my mind more than once in college...the question of "Waiiit...am I encouraging vanity and discontent by getting into this industry?"

I can say with confidence now--that is not the case. There is so much more to design than meets the eye, and I don't think everyone understands it. This past year has been SO eye opening for me on why I'm passionate about design. Yes, I love beautiful architecture and pretty velvet headboards. But would I say I am passionate about those things? Nope. There's certainly nothing wrong with loving beautiful things.

But I'm not passionate about things.

What I am passionate about is creating spaces that make people feel at home. There is so much value to having that feeling of comfort in the place that you live--having a feeling of safety and order. For me, that starts with good design in a home.

Here's a little back story about what brought this realization to my attention. My family and I started a church in 2009 called Voyage. We packed up our lives, moved from Oregon to Washington, and have been on this adventure ever since. Church planting is a huge commitment and my family has been both challenged and blessed beyond words these past four years. Because we quickly moved and started planning the church right away, we have never fully felt 'moved in' to our house. We planted the church from scratch and met in a school for the first couple of years, which meant that we didn't have a permanent place for a lot of the church's supplies, so some of it ended up hanging out in our house. We even had a drum set in our living room for awhile and held music practice here. We didn't have much time or money to quite settle in and make our house our own.

Since then, Voyage has moved into a permanent facility--a building that finally feels like a home for our church. We wanted that so badly for our church family...to have a place that felt secure and welcoming. To create a place that they enjoyed being in and that encouraged conversation before and after each gathering. It seemed like a far off dream, but God made it happen. The building started as a big white box and we had tons of help to make it what it is now. You guys, God has been blessing Voyage like crazy lately. I look around and am amazed by how far we've come. We have amazing people that have total servant's hearts. I know there's a lot that goes into making a church feel like a home for people, but I really believe that having a welcoming building has played a role in that.

Now that we feel settled into this building, we are finally getting settled into our own house. My mom and I were on a roll all summer of organizing, painting, rearranging, brainstorming...and just all around making this house our home. We aren't done yet but we already are in disbelief of how different we feel in this house. We switched a few rooms around to make sense for our needs. We are creating a comfortable guest room and making a second family room out of a room that was mostly used for storage. These things mean a lot to us. They mean that we feel more equipped to host guests...we feel more effective as we work from home, we feel accomplished looking around and seeing things we created together, we feel more organized as a whole, we feel like we have a place to recharge, and we simply enjoy being in our home.

This is the longest post of my life. But it might just be my most important one yet.

My point is...I've learned what makes me happy about design. I have such a joy in learning how a family works and what role a house can play in their life. I have an opportunity use the things I'm talented in to benefit people's lives.

That's what I hope to do. We all have that opportunity in different ways, and that is such a beautiful thing.

*beautiful illustrations above are by: Rebekka Seale

*images above are of Voyage!

Interior Design Branding Inspiration

2012-09-05T20:11:00.005-07:00

I've mentioned before that I have a class for my interior design major called 'Portfolio and Exhibition' in the spring this year. We will be creating our branding (website, business cards, etc.) and I have been gathering inspiration for months and months! My ideas have changed and evolved, but I think I finally know the general look I want.

First off, the logo! I love the look of a handwritten logo. It just gives a personal and creative look, which is what I want to convey with my branding! I have a love for calligraphy and have always wanted to learn. I recently got a new sketchbook and have been sketching away at drawing out my own logo. Here's where I'm at so far in the sketching stage:

I also want my branding to have an organic feel, similar to my approach to design. Here's a quote of mine from a post I wrote about nature and design:

"I love how nature has that perfect mix of randomness, simplicity, and complexity--all in one. Why not bring some of that inside too? I love rooms that aren't too serious. And if you think about it, nature is far from serious."

That, in a nutshell, is how I want my branding to feel. Not completely serious, little imperfections here and there that make it feel real and personal, but altogether beautiful.

In a pinning spree at 1 AM last night (not sorry about it), I found the most LOVELY logos and inspiration. I found things that reminded me of what I've already started, and also gained inspiration for elements I hope to add. Seriously, brace yourself for the loveliness you are about to see.

Caroline Brewer Styling, logo by Oh My Deer

Oh So Beautiful Paper

Hellooooo watercolor, please make your way over to my branding RIGHT NOW! The imperfect watercolor stripes will definitely need to make an appearance somewhere. Maybe at the top of my website or on my stationery?

Oh So Beautiful Paper

I died a little bit when I saw these invitations. I'm dying over the subtle splashes of pastel watercolor. Needs to happen.

I'm pretty sure we will have a CD of some sort on our portfolio tables...or maybe I'm making that up in my mind? Not sure. But if we do, I love this light and airy CD presentation.

So...that's the latest inspiration! I'm looking forward to tying together everything that I love to create branding that totally suits me. And if my branding ends up looking HALF as amazing as all of these, I'd be psyched. Okay...maybe a little more than half :)

5 Stylish Gifts for a Modern Nursery

2012-08-23T21:46:00.001-07:00

Hello lovely bloggers! How ARE you all?!? I have been keeping busy with my internship, moving in to my new Seattle house, and doing tons of projects at my mom's house. It's been a great summer, and it's still going! School doesn't start until the end of September and I am so okay with it.

I don't know about you guys, but this summer, my Facebook news feed has been filled to the BRIM with engagements. And sometimes even...babies. I'm looking forward to the day where someone I'm close to has a baby. Partly so that I have someone to shop for little baby gifts for!

My mom, from The Inspired Room, is in the middle of a campaign right now for an online gift finder and registry on Giggle.com. I love this site because they pretty much have already sifted through the tacky stuff and kept only the adorable stuff.

I made that room inspiration board above with items from the site...and if I do say so myself, I think it's pretty cute! Pretty and feminine but sophisticated. And I mean, come on. #5 is a changing table. I'm not really a fan of changing diapers (who is though, really) but I would GLADLY change a baby's diaper if they laid on that table. Alright maybe that's a stretch. But I'd at least be happier about the diaps if that table was in the picture.

SO if any of you have babies, have friends/family who are having babies, or are just a weirdo like me who likes to LOOK at baby stuff...this is a great resource for you. Check it out HERE and let me know what you think! (that's my mom's affiliate link). You can also go to her post here to find the link for a discount! So with that...happy baby shopping to you, whether it's window shopping or real shopping. I think I'll stick with the window shopping for now :)

What's Your Design Style?

2012-07-31T05:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I get stuck. There are so many different design styles, and so many aspects of each that I like. Luckily I'm getting into the field of interior design where I'm able to help others design spaces in their own individual styles.

But what would I do if I was designing my own house from scratch and could do WHATEVER I wanted with it? With no budget?

You'd think by taking a look at my Pinterest boards, it would be totally clear what my style is. But alas. There's such a variety, and I love them all. I know what I really dislike...and I can recognize it right away. But I can appreciate a wide range of design styles and can never quite describe just one as my favorite.

I always love a coastal inspired home...

Country Living

But sometimes I'm drawn to a feminine, sophisticated room with some glamorous details (including THEE most amazing bed I've ever seen, I might add)...

Bear Hill Interiors

Other times I just want a cozy and warm farmhouse with loads of character and charm...

Sarah Richardson HGTV

And then sometimes I like more modern, eclectic rooms with fun pattern and texture:

Lonny

And then I love cool industrial accents, vintage and antique pieces, things collected from around the world...so many things.

So then, what's a girl to do? I guess my options would be to either to combine everything I love together and make it into something beautiful, OR own multiple houses and then design each in its own unique style. (Haaa, I like that option. I can dream, right?!)

What's your favorite design style? Or do you also have a hard time picking just one?

Bins & Baskets {and other gather posts}

2012-07-24T19:16:00.003-07:00

Gather post for The Inspired Room

Hey guys, I just wanted to pop in and update you on where I've been spending time lately! If you haven't heard yet, I recently started a new column for The Inspired Room that I'm really excited about! It's called Gather, a column where I gather up some of my favorite items from around the web. Basically, I window shop online and make cute collages out of my favorite finds (sweet deal, right?).

If you missed them, here a round up of links to the ones I've done so far:

A Summer Picnic

Fun Tools for the Kitchen

Red White & Blue

In the beginning of my blog I also did a Throw Blanket Roundup and a post called Let There Be Light {A Pendant Light Round-Up}. These were basically 'Gather' posts before I officially started them :) I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I enjoy making them!

Hope you're all having an amazing week!

New Bedroom Inspiration

2012-07-08T20:44:00.001-07:00

I've been working on a design plan for my new bedroom for a couple of weeks now. My previous room was painted a pretty medium gray color, and while I loved it, I decided to have my new room be a little more fresh. I picked out two very light blue/green colors, tried them out, and chose my favorite. I was set to go.

Until yesterday when I had another idea, completely different from my original plan. Whoops. It's funny how that can happen with design, isn't it? You can think you know exactly what you want, and then you think of a million other options that might be a better choice for you.

I decided instead that a creamy white wall color would be nice in my new room, especially because the room is fairly small, so that will make the space feel a bit more open. I already have white bedding that will stay, and I'm going to add some navy, pale pink, and brass/gold accents throughout the room. I know that I want my room to feel calming and feminine. And as much as possible, I'll be using pieces that I already have, repurposing things, and being creative, because there is not exactly a budget for this little endeavor :)

SO. Once I had my general idea, I decided to gather some inspiration for my color ideas and find some photos representing the way I wanted my room to feel. If it looks all over the place right now, don't worry. These are just the inspirations!

Kitty Genius

Design Seeds

White and Gold Design

This room above is getting me excited to paint my nightstand a dark gray/blue color like this and replace the wood knobs. Also, I wouldn't be mad if my walls looked like that. But alas. That would require a bigger budget, a handyman, or a girl who is good at DIY projects. And you know, none of those exist at the moment.

A Country Farmhouse

This kitchen is a great representation of how I want my new room to feel. Feminine, light, airy, but still warm and welcoming. I love the look of the white, blue, gold, and pale pink together. And incorporating texture with the basket...yep. Love it all.

Oh, and I'm thinking this lamp may sneak its way in there too. After thinking I made a mistake not buying it, I sprinted (drove) back to the consignment shop and took it home with me. I needed it. And you know what? I think it needed me. Together at last.

I'm really excited to have a good plan going now. I'll definitely keep you guys updated as I get further along with my room!

PS: Shoot, almost forgot the most important part of the design. I'm going to incorporate my love of whales by hanging several large whale figurines from the ceiling. They'll be the focal point of the room. I'll also most likely be painting a large orca whale mural on my closet doors! Similar to this:

via

Still debating on the whale ideas...I don't want to be too cliché and I feel like everyone's been doing those whale murals lately. It's like the new chevron. We'll see. ;)

* I can't end this post without clarifying: please know that I'm not serious about the whale part! I like whales, but not that much! :) *

It's a Necessity

2012-07-07T09:45:00.003-07:00

I made a mistake. I left this precious, sweet, sweet baby lamp in a Seattle consignment shop yesterday.

Why. WHY! It's such a gem!

Not to worry. I'm going back for it today. I mean really, $19 for a lamp like that? I could spend that much at Ikea on a plastic lamp that I have to put together myself that won't work in a year. So yeah. I'm going back. And if someone else already snatched it, so HELP me...I'll curl up into a ball and weep in the middle of the store. I won't really though. But maybe! We'll see. Updates to follow.

A Home

2012-07-05T21:38:00.001-07:00

When I have my own home, my hope is that I will fill it with things that I love, that I've collected over time, that that reflect who I am, that are daily reminders of great memories, and that inspire new memories to be created.

I don't want a house filled with a bunch of meaningless decor that I just circled in a catalog and had shipped to my house because it "matched", and I saw people do it on Pinterest so that must be good enough right? I'd go crazy if that's all my house was. I'd feel like there was something missing. Obviously, not every piece in a home will or should have a special meaning attached to it. Some things, of course, are brought in simply because they look nice.

Ultimately, I just hope my future home is an eclectic mix of new and old pieces, including a balance of things that have meaning to me or that simply make me happy when I see them. That mix will be different for everyone's home. I want my home to exude a feeling of warmth and comfort to my family and anyone who spends time in it.

...and that's all I have to say about that.

All photos from the amazing house featured in House Beautiful. Interior designer: Erin Martin

Let's Catch Up

2012-07-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

The beginning of this summer has been a whirlwind.
Of greatness. Let's catch up a bit, shall we?

I started my internship at Maison Luxe and it's been nothing short of awesome. Every day is a little different, which I love! Lately we've spent a lot of time getting ready for our upcoming One King's Lane sale. I've done a variety of things, from running errands to showrooms, visiting a client's home, hauling cute ottomans up to the office, helping out at a photoshoot, and gluing flowers back on a broken chandelier. Just to name a few :) I'm loving it.

In this midst of all of this, I've been going back and forth from my parent's house to my my mostly empty rental house in Seattle, which has no internet ALL MONTH. Which is why my blogging has been so nonexistent lately (oops), but thank goodness for free wi-fi at coffee shops.

But we packed up that house...and we're now in our DREAM of a new rental house (with internet again, praise the Lord). It's so nice to be getting settled. I can't wait to show you guys pictures of it once we get all moved in!

There's also been a lot happening over at my parent's house! I haven't talked about this much on my blog (yet!), but I started a church with my family 3 years ago. Ever since then, I've been going home every weekend to help with the church and hang out with my family. It's a time I look forward to every week. I'll do a whole separate post about that sometime...it's a big part of my life! But for NOW, here's what has been happenin' at home. I'm blessed to have a mom that shares my love of interior design. My mom, sister and I spend a lot of time when I'm home talking about design ideas, paint colors, and other fun designy things.

Right now we're repurposing a few rooms in our house, which means my room is changing locations, which means I get to pick a new paint color and redecorate a little! I'm still deciding, but I'll be sure to show when I choose!

We're also getting a new sectional soon so we've been picking out the fabric for it! We chose the gray/blue extreeemely soft one on the bottom of this pic. The white and gray fabric will be the pillows, and the yellow is just to show how cute the couch could be with a yellow lamp next to it! Cute, right?! We have lots of fun projects at the house coming up so we're psyched.

Anyways, that's a little of what has been going on over here lately :) Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Kindred Spirits

2012-06-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

If I wasn't sure before, I am now. Anthropologie and I are kindred spirits.

Why? Because of this:

AND THIS:

AND THIS!!!

So yeah, it's settled. Anthropologie...you and I are friends.

In other whale news, remember this picture from the post where I confessed my love of whales?

Phillips Deveer, Photography by James Grout

Well, my grandma saw my post, and just so happened to have this! It was my grandpa's when he was younger. How sweet is that?! I just love it. It's now sitting proudly in my mom's pretty new office (since I'm in transition moving from rental house to rental house in Seattle). And he fits right in with the other brass accents in the room! So you know. He's comfortable in his new home.

Anyways, enough about whales. Actually, I wonder if the only people who have stuck around to read the end of this post are whale lovers too. Am I right? Have all the whale haters left the premises by now? Is it just us? Well good. As it should be. Whale lovers unite. Shout out to all the whale lovers in the house. (Too much?)

Happy Monday!

There's Something About Navy

2012-06-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

When my mom, sister and I designed my mom's office this spring, we painted the walls a rich navy color (pictured above). Ever since then, navy has been catching my eye everywhere I look!

The Kitchn - Images by Lee Lacyd

Number Four Eleven

Oh So Beautiful Paper

Calypso St. Barth

Finally...My Summer Announcement!

2012-06-12T20:55:00.001-07:00

You know those times where you feel like you have to pinch yourself? Well, I've been pinching myself constantly for the past two days. In the midst of finals I mentioned that I had a big announcement about my summer plans...and finally, here it is!

A few weeks ago I had no idea what I would be doing this summer. I thought I'd probably find a little job and work part time. Little did I know that I would end up with the amazing opportunity to be Kelie Grosso's intern at Maison Luxe!

To say that I'm excited about it would be an understatement. I knew that I needed an internship in order to graduate next spring, so I had been on the hunt for one.

I seriously would have been fine with an entry level internship where I did filing in the back closet of a design firm. That would have been fine. Unfortunate...but fine. But even though I would have been content with that, I couldn't help but dream of myself being in some cool building downtown. And here's why I'm pinching myself. That picture at the top of this post? That's where I'm working. I've been sitting in those white chairs. What? WHAT? Glorious.

You guys, I know it's the best and I've barely begun.

Maison Luxe is in the coolest space right in downtown Seattle. And Kelie is so sweet. And there's a pile of poufs in the office. A pile of poufs! Can you tell I'm excited?

Deer head...check.

Anthropologie knobs...check.

I'm so grateful for this opportunity. I'm looking forward to what's in store for this summer and can't wait to show you guys more of what I'm up to!

Hope you're all having a lovely week :)

PS: Don't forget that I sometimes do 'Gather' posts at my mom's blog, The Inspired Room, and I'll also soon begin updating the Maison Luxe blog!

Photoshop Residential & Commercial Project

2012-05-30T20:10:00.001-07:00

Hi guys! First off, I'm sorry for being the most MIA blogger on earth lately. Eek. Let's just say, never again will I be taking 5 classes at once (mark my words).

BUT to include you in some of my busyness, I just wanted to pop in and show you a few things I've been working on in school lately!

These are both from Photoshop (my favorite class). It's once a week for two and a half hours, but honestly, I could stay in there for hours longer working on these fun things if I had more time.

For these projects, we were given blank room and were assigned to fill them with materials and furniture in perspective! This first one had to be a commercial space, and the second one was a residential space.

I'm still planning on adding some lighting to this little cafe, but here's my start!

Hope you guys had a great Memorial Day weekend and are having a wonderful week!

PS: I haven't forgotten to tell you my big news. Hehe. Soon.

Introducing: Gather

2012-05-24T11:32:00.002-07:00

Hey guys! I'm over at The Inspired Room today for my new column called 'Gather'! This is a new column that I will be doing regularly over there at my mom's blog.

In these posts I will be gathering groups of items from around the internet and sharing them in a collage. Today's post is Red, White, and Blue themed to celebrate Memorial Day coming up!

Click HERE to go to the post and see the cute things I found!

I can't believe it's already Memorial Day weekend. My plans as of now are to serve at my church, take a moment to recuperate from this crazy week, and then take a day to head to a coffee shop bright an early and work for hours upon hours. Let's just say the end of the quarter is approaching and I still have ridiculous amounts left to do. My to-do list has been made and I can't wait to start checking things off my list.

What are your plans for Memorial Day weekend?

5 Confessions

2012-05-23T05:05:00.000-07:00

Rue

5 confessions:

1) It's 12:30 AM as I type this and I should be sleeping because:

2) I have to be up in less than 8 hours. But instead I'm dying over the perfection of this dining room...

3) And also dreaming of how my roommate and I

will arrange our room next year...

4) But mostly dreaming about how

exciting my summer is going to be.

5) And I cannot wait to announce WHY my summer

is going to be so great. I'll tell you all soon.

But for now let me just say, it's basically a dream come true. :)

The Future Is Exciting.

2012-05-18T05:05:00.000-07:00

Sooo, are you tired of me ranting and raving about interior design? Well if you are, sorry. I can't be stopped. :)

In class today we were asked how we felt about the field we are entering into. When that question was asked, I literally felt my heart fill up with excitement and gratefulness. This isn't just my major or a hobby that crosses my mind every once in awhile.

That doesn't mean it will always be a breeze, and maybe I won't love every aspect of my future jobs. But at the end of the day, I'll know that I'm working in a field that I am seriously passionate about, and that is priceless!

I don't know exactly what the future holds for me. But oh man, I am getting so excited for it.

Ian Coyle

Pattern Mixing

2012-05-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

So, I love pattern.

It brings a room to life and adds personality like none other. I think a lot of people are intimidated by pattern and what to do with it. And I understand why! For me, there is definitely a fine line between a fun mix of patterns and an overwhelming amount of busyness. But then again, it just really depends on how much pattern feels like too much for you. Sometimes I want a more subtle room with less pattern and more texture, but other times I like to mix patterns together like stripes, florals, and geometrics.

6th Street Design School

Caitlin Wilson Textiles

You can't do a post about pattern mixing and not mention Sarah Richardson. Her pattern mixing blows me away. She has an amazing design sense and is one of my greatest design inspirations!

Country Living - Sarah Richardson

Sarah Richardson

A little pattern can also quickly change the way a room feels. This room above, for example, would feel entirely different to me without that sweet polka dot pillow or without the sky blue vine fabric on the bedskirt. Can you picture the room with those gone? The style definitely changes. Not necessarily bad, just a different feel!

Are you a fan of pattern? Do you like to mix it or does it intimidate you?

Bedroom Design {Inspiring Spaces}

2012-05-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

While procrastinating on writing an essay today, I decided it was about time to clear out my alarms on my iPhone. Naturally a priority over my homework, right?

I had probably a million alarms saved because I set two different alarms every morning, five minutes apart, to make sure I don't hit snooze and sleep the day away.

Why am I telling you this? Well...as I deleted each alarm, one by one, I had a realization. Every alarm that I had set is a time that I was woken up. Then, my designer brain had another thought. For every one of those alarms that went off, I woke up in my bedroom. And however it looked the night before is how it looked when I woke up. That, my friends...is a roundabout way of saying that the design of your bedroom is really important. Possibly even more important than other rooms in your home. Your bedroom's wall color, the comfort of your bed, the scent...all of these things may subconsciously affect the way you start your day.
Here's a few bedrooms that have caught my eye recently! I wouldn't mind waking up in any of these lovely spaces.

BHG

Apartment Therapy (Brooke Hanson)

Melanie Turner Interiors

Kerrisdale Design

House Beautiful

What's your favorite part about your bedroom?

Building Construction Model & A Future DIY

2012-05-11T05:05:00.000-07:00

So I built a house.

Well, the frame of a house. Out of little wood pieces.

With an exacto knife and a glue gun.

I made this for my Building Construction class, a class of only 5 girls where we learn about the structure of an interior and what goes on inside the walls of a building. I've learned so much in this class, and now I have this little model to remember it by!

We started by making elevations and floor plans of the walls.

Then we bought some balsa wood, cut them to size,

and started gluing!

Many hours and glue covered fingers later, and the walls are done! I've always wanted to build my own house someday. Now I can say I have! Except I was thinking of a house I could actually live in. But for now, this will do. That'll do, Pig. That'll do. {that's from the movie Babe, if you weren't sure why I was suddenly talking about a pig. Sorry, couldn't resist!}

I've said it before and I'll say it again,

I feel so blessed to be studying what I love.

PS: I'm super excited to be over at The Designer Lifestyle today sharing my favorite piece of furniture and my ideas for it's transformation this summer! Click the link to go see how I found this gem and what I plan to do with it! And if you haven't been to the Designer Lifestyle yet, I definitely recommend you check it out.She's a future fellow interior design student! Woo hoo! So excited for her. You will love her and her blog...so definitely go check it out :)

Inspiration for Senior Portfolio Class

2012-05-09T05:05:00.000-07:00

Well, spring quarter is quickly coming to an end, which means senior year is coming closer. I'm not sure if I should be excited, nervous, relieved, or fearful for my life. Or all of the above. For now, I think I'm just going to choose to be excited :)

Awhile back, I talked about my favorite business cards and mentioned how I wanted to get a head start on thinking about my branding for my Senior Portfolio Show next year. This is where all of the senior design students get to show off their hard work from the last four years.

I know it will be a big process to actually choose the elements that I want and then put everything together. But for now, I'm just gathering some ideas that inspire me!

Coaster wedding invitations by Ross Clodfelter

K Flick Studio

I love the idea of brown paper with gold writing.

Molly Jacques

I really like Molly Jacques calligraphy logo. I'd love to try to incorporate some kind of calligraphy into my business card or portfolio cover!

I'm quite a fan of the shape and the stitching on these business cards by Paper and Thread.

Right now I'm loving the idea of neutral with one or two colors as an accent. I also really want there to be some special elements of detail, like the threaded edge of the Boutwell Studio business card.

But you know, let's be honest. I can be kind of indecisive. So I wouldn't be surprised if my ideas change many times! It will be really fun go see the current seniors' portfolio show to see their work and maybe get some more inspiration for next year. Until then, let my pinning spree of ideas continue!

Hope you're all having a wonderful week!

Cafe Feature {Moomah in NYC}

2012-05-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

So, I had called this cafe the 'coolest cafe ever'. And it still is. But today, I'm showing you the cutest cafe ever.

Have you guys heard of Moomah? It's an ADORABLE cafe in New York that offers craft workshops, values wholesome food and trying new things, and supports some great non-profit organizations. And they specially designed this cafe to have a home away from home atmosphere.

Seriously? Cannot get better than that. I love their whole philosophy. Click here to read more about it on their website!

Hello birdcage pendants of my DREAMS...and stools of my dreams and countertops of my dreams and everything of my dreams...

This is one of their classrooms that is available to rent out. My question is...why can't all classrooms in the world be this pretty? Personally, I think everyone would learn better in an environment like this.

Pulled back picture via Babyology

So, are you as in love with it as I am? Whoever lives near NYC must go there. And take more pictures. And send them to me. But seriously.