THE GOOD STUFF: logo

Well, I finally did it! I created a "logo" for myself. No, I am not starting my own business, but I just wanted a little tag that I can use on invitations, personal stationary, thank you cards, etc. that I design. Some items, depending on the quantity, I can print at home my office ;) and I can simply print the logo on the piece, but on items I get printed, I will use a stamp to incorporate my logo. I just ordered the stamp in 3 different sizes so I can't wait to see it!

I thought about tying in Melrose to the logo but after a few attempts, I just decided it wasn't working so I moved on. I wanted to handwrite (and put my calligraphy classes to use) "the good stuff" so I just played around with the words until I found a format I liked. Here are some early sketches from my idea book:

[sorry for the quality, taken from my iphone]

Since I had the grass "squiggles" stemming from "good stuff" I thought a branch with a birdie would be the perfect accent. Here is the final logo in black/white and color:

What do you think? I will be creating a gadget on my sidebar with my information if you want to contact me for any personal design work. I am shooting some more of my pieces tomorrow so hopefully I can share some more of my recent projects. 

B&A: the STUDY

This room has been "done" for awhile now, but I just haven't taken the time to post after pictures. So...here she is before:

This used to be Melrose's front porch and the previous owners closed it in to create more area. She still has brick floors and paneling on the walls. I think the brick really fits into the rustic theme of the house.

First, Brandon and I primed the walls - it took a few coats to cover up that green! 

Remember my stripe inspiration post? Well, it was put into use here! I wanted to use the white from the den and the beige from the dining room (the 2 rooms splitting the study) and paint 6" vertical stripes. Due to the uneven paneling grooves, I just had to ignore them and measure off the distances myself. This was pretty time consuming but well worth it. 

And here is the final...

[click on all pictures to elarge]

I wanted to point out the patterned texture on the ceiling because I really love it. Some people probably hate it and think it is odd and I not sure the goal of it, but it is so discreet you barely notice it, but when you do it is a nice little surprise. I like that the pattern is simple and conservative, nothing too ornate or floral. I wonder why the previous owners chose to put wallpaper on the ceiling? 

I am still not sure on how I want to decorate or furnish the study, but I am thinking a long bench under the double window and a ladder shelf in the corner between the 2 windows??? I am still trying to collect framed pieces for the collage above the desk. So far, all I have is my Auburn University diploma (Brandon has his hanging in his office). Any suggestions?

OLD LADDER FOR SHELVING

[greige]

Isn't this a cool take on using an old, rustic ladder in your home? My dad has a really cool wooden ladder with lots of paint splatters that was his dad's that I have been eyeing lately. Unfortunately, he actually still uses the ladder so I will just have to wait til a rung breaks - or maybe I should replace it with a sturdier metal one and then he could part with it?

I just thought it would be neat opened up in a corner (similar to this picture) in the striped study with books stacked horizontal and vertical. The only problem would be it needs to be an area without a lot of traffic flow since the opened legs will take up a lot of room. 

I am also intrigued by 1-leg  ladders propped against a wall with items hanging over the rungs. I like how this picture has newspapers draped over the rails.

[cote de texas]

I thought a ladder like this would also be a good storage solution for light blankets. I have an open wall next to the front door and I am debating on what to put there. I have considered leaning a ladder (like the picture above) and hanging an umbrella, scarves, and jackets strategically over the rungs. I also thought about hammering in a few nails along the vertical leg to hang keys on??? What do you think? Could jackets get too messy on there? It wouldn't be a ton because the coat closet is next to the wall as well. Just something to consider...

LONNY MAG: june/july edition

The new Lonny Mag came out yesterday and it is just as beautiful as ever. If you are not familiar with Lonny then welcome to the future of magazines. It is an online magazine that comes out every two months. You literally flip the pages and are able to click on any picture to take you to its corresponding link online. I love looking for new shopping sites.

Remember my post about Rubie Green? Well, the founder of Rubie Green, Michelle Adams,  also created Lonny + photographer Patrick Cline. Together, their design sense is amazing and their photo styling is breathtaking. I obsess over every house/room they feature. In this mag, my favorite is Manhattan's couple Ethan Feirstein and Ari Heckman's bathroom. They painted it a glossy black temporarily, but fell in love with it - and so have I.  Here are some pictures of the New York men's club inspired bathroom:

[love the extendable shaving mirror & white flower - great contrast against the black]

"The glossy black walls really make the cleanness of the subway-tile shower and hexagonal white tile floors explode." - Feirstein [taken from bottom right excerpt]

Lonny features lots of designers - upcoming and established - and I love to read about their design aesthetics and style. I created a collage of some of my favorite quotes from this issue and I must say, I share a lot of the same opinions! Hope you love it as much as I do - enjoy! 

 

[click on all images to enlarge]

PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHY

I just ordered this book and this one. Neither have come in yet, but they will immediately be on display in the den. I am trying to stay up on the trends in the design world and keep all forms of inspiration around me. Lately I have been drawn to a lot of "poster-style" block prints and layered screen prints. Here are some of my recent favs:

[all images Right Brain Terrain]

I have been trying to collect inspiration for an array of framed photography and prints in Melrose. I like a mix of beautiful photography, black and white high contrast pictures, and art prints. Rather than hanging the frames on the wall in a collage, I have been drawn to staggering the frames on shelves. Here are some inspiration images:

 

[aubrey road]

[greige]

[automatism]

But, of course I am still a fan of a hanging collage:

[morten holtum via automatism]

[automatism]

[scanned from house beautiful]

[elements of style]

I love all combinations: black frames, gold frames, white frames, matt, no matt, round, square, rectangle, big, small - everything! I even like how this last picture is not symmetrical. I am thinking a photo "shelf" above my desk in the guest bedroom and a photo "collage" above Brandon's desk in the study...but we shall see!