HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY WEEKEND!

I am off to Charleston, SC for the long weekend. My first mint julep awaits me!

DESIGN INSPIRATION: Jeremiah Goodman (artist)

Flipping through an old Domino magazine, I came across Jeremiah's quite beautiful paintings of interiors and Domino's clever and smart modern day matches. I did a little research and found that..."Jeremiah’s paintings of interiors belong to a genre that had its heyday before the advent of photography. It remains valid today, however, when practiced by an artist who has the skill to imbue his subject matter with an inner vitality the camera cannot express." (Architectural Digest 2/2002)

I feel a sense of harmony viewing his work and it inspires me to create that in my own small space. Even a small accent - a textural or a colorful piece - can create this feel. Draw from Jeremiah's art to create your own.

Enjoy!

SMALL SPACE ACCENTS: Wood veneer

A Leonidas Cafe just opened on my corner and I love the wood veneer on the bar and cabinets throughout the store. The vertical lines create depth in the space. This would be a great D.I.Y. - looking awesome on a sideboard in a small space.

Enjoy!

A FAVE SITE: The Greenwich Hotel via Robert De Niro

I had read about Robert De Niro's hotel in TriBeCa, THE GREENWICH HOTEL, a few months ago and recently checked out the site and am in love! The site itself is simple yet evokes a feeling of nostalgia and sentimental warmth. I love the way the pictures of the modern classic rooms feel vintage plus the look of the actual old snapshots, especially in the "Finding Your Way Here" and "Dinner Is At Seven" sections.

Small space tip - boutique hotel rooms are amazing inspiration as they are small spaces in their own right.

Enjoy!

DESIGN INSPIRATION: ABC Carpet & Home

One thing I miss about living in Manhattan is being able to go and walk around my favorite home store, ABC CARPET & HOME. Standing six floors high, ABC houses the most amazing range of pieces - truly museum worthy. Since I can't physically go there as I live in LA now, I've been enjoying their pretty site - inspiring in it's own right.

I also love their new initiative, ABC HOME & PLANET. This is an expression of passion to offer choices at the cutting edge of design and beauty that, in their essence, are healthy and pure for you, your home, and our collective home.

Enjoy!

SMALL SPACE ACCENTS: Shades of gray

Unique in it's appearance, the color gray is the perfect accent in a small space. Complimenting a warm or cool palette, shades of gray act as anchor.

One great example is Carrie Bradshaw's Upper East side rent-controlled apartment. Love how the production designer used various shades of grey throughout the space to allow moments of color to pop, like all of her amazing shoes, cool frames and rug.

Check out Design For Mankind's creative display of the space HERE.

Enjoy!

USING YOUR WALLS: Tee Shirt frames

Another cool gallery idea for using your wall space in a small space is to frame vintage tee shirts. Urban Outfitters Tee Shirt frames can do the trick. I have a ton of old concert tee's that I don't wear anymore and don't want to part with so now I can turn some fun memories into art.

Enjoy!

CLEVER: Ikea's Expedit Desk Add-on

AT:NY posted a gem today - Ikea's brand new desk add-on for the forever popular expedit bookcase series. Such a great piece for small space dwellers.

Enjoy!

STREET OF EAMES

ink & peat, a home + floral site, has such a neat project this year. They are creating custom floral designs in each of the modern homes for Street of Eames, Portland's Modern Home tour. Check out some of the modern homes in the mix (pictured above) for inspiration for your small space.

Enjoy!

USING YOUR WALLS: Tall headboard

I like the idea of using a taller headboard in a smaller space. Not only does this element draw the eye up but it creates an "art" feel on the walls (oh, what a great D.I.Y.?) Love the brown/blue color palette and the beautifully designed headboard in this picture.

Enjoy!

USE A TRAY AS A VASE

Neat way to showcase plants - try a tray on your ottoman or coffee table.

SPOTTED: Pale blue typewriter

Ever since I found this serene work space (top pic), I have been admiring that lovely pale blue typewriter. What a nice accent for a small space? Plus it's functional if you are into vintage correspondence. (sans computer) Well, lucky for me, I can get one of my own at Three Potato Four (bottom pic).

A FAVE SITE: Charmingwall

Charmingwall is such a lovely site! (via decor8) Based in New York, this online art gallery specializes in a curated selection of open-edition fine art prints. If you decide not to hang your own art work, why not try one of these gorgeous prints? I love how sites like this and Etsy provide a place for anyone and everyone to purchase fine art work. Enjoy!

CUTE: Sublime Stitching

I just discovered Jenny Hart's awesome craft site, Sublime Stitching. What a cool way to create your own art or personalize accents in your small space! Buy hip, fun even retro patterns like Mod Fashion, Tattoo Alphabet and Krazy Kitchen as well as embroidery starter kits. Love the Stitchen Bee Kit which includes 5 sets so you can have your own, say, stitch & wine club for you and 4 friends! (wine not included) :)

Enjoy!

BE YOUR OWN INSPIRATION: 365 (photo a day)

Personal photos are a meaningful and inexpensive way to create art in your small space. We have a gallery in our main room of photos that I snapped when I lived in New York. I was thinking of a new idea to switch up the gallery when I came across Hula Seventy's 365 (a photo a day). What an awesome idea and what seems to be incredibly rewarding! Check out my gallery in need of a change (top) and some of the 365 gallery (below).

Enjoy!