turn your handbag style into your interior style

I can easily admit, share, confess that I have an affinity for handbags - vintage in particular. Over the years, much of my small collection has come with sweet dustbags that I've saved in a a box. When I was moving into my small space over the summer, I uncovered a bunch of these hangbag dustbags and decided to add them to my interior style. I already had a few frames so up went my dustbags. I am definitely enjoying this look and am happy that I found a home for these bags. Have you framed anything unconventional? Share your story.

10/11/2010 | Filed Under SMALL SPACE D.I.Y. | 3 Comments

brand new digital magazine | Adore Home

As many of you know, in that last few months there have been some fantastic digital magazines launched. I am loving all of the insanely talented people that are producing this work and it does take a lot of effort, style and drive to get a polished magazine up for the masses. A new magazine is joining the ranks of Rue, Nesting Newbies, Anthology, Lonny, NEET and more - Adore Home.

Adore's mission is to bring beautiful homes from across the globe, tips, design advice from interior experts as well as easy online access to home treasures. Love that! I am thrilled to be part of the inaugural issue - you can see my home office and design tips from me in a section about organizing a home office. Click here to check out the entire issue - it's a great source of design style for any sized home.

10/06/2010 | Filed Under DESIGN INSPIRATION | 3 Comments

4 design statements for small spaces
via The Inside Source

I had the pleasure of guest blogging for the incredibly resourceful and fantastic website, The Inside Source, a site that curates all things design + style. I reviewed 4 small space trends and how to embrace and integrate these styles in your own small space while curating ebay for fab finds. Click here to enjoy the full piece and follow @TheInsideSource

10/04/2010 | Filed Under DESIGN INSPIRATION | 2 Comments

small space d.i.y.
a little luck goes a long way

I enjoyed a local flea market this weekend and picked up some fantastic small space items, like this little detail - a simple horseshoe for $2. I often suggest enjoying small details in your small space to add style and texture. And of course I had to do a little small space diy on this newly purchased item. I had some paint left over from my $3 garden stool makeover and quickly turned an old horseshoe into a modern moment with silver shine that has a home on my diy built-in units - love it! Enjoy your local flea markets for affordable and sweet gems that you can easily reinterpret with your own taste.

10/03/2010 | Filed Under SMALL SPACE D.I.Y. | 2 Comments

how to add instant chic to {small} interiors
vintage decor

I am very thoughtful about adding furniture and decor in my small space since I only have so much room and editing is key. One style of decor that I do like to add in when I can is vintage. I love the charm and shine of vintage pieces, especially that there is a story behind each piece. I recently discovered found:vintage, a vintage furniture and decor rental experience - how cool!? Owner, Jeni, has a fantastic repertoire of vintage pieces that you can rent for any occasion. I love the photos on her site of her pieces and studio - any small space dweller can gather inspiration for their next flea market adventure. I especially enjoy the collection of glass bottles and vintage frames - perfect for using those walls, small space lovers. Click here to enjoy the pretty decor and photos.

:: All photos via found ::

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9/29/2010 | Filed Under DESIGN INSPIRATION | 2 Comments

design inspiration
tapping your inner-designer

Designing a small space can be overwhelming. Aside from the efficiency aspect, many people want to create a stylish space that speaks to their personality and style. So how to do this? Connect with your inner-designer even if you are not a designer.

I recently discovered a very pretty shop in Sausalito, Serena & Lily. Aside from their custom fabric, clean + modern furniture and decor that's available, the founders talk about feeling a certain way in a space. I definitely relate to that idea - you can design your home beyond practical purposes to extend a lifestyle and emotional ground. Yes! I watched some of their behind-the-scenes videos (love that they are embracing this style of online presence to connect to their clients, customers and new visitors - like me) and particularly like what Serena says about finding your inner-designer by looking around your life....

"Waking up your senses, when you are out, at restaurants, taking a hike, on your next trip and pay attention to what you think is beautiful. When you get it, you know and it's the best feeling in the world."

I truly believe this idea as well. I often share the idea of getting outside in your own city, neighborhood and embracing your style to create your own style. Now take that inspiration and extend it to your {small} space to create your best space for you.

Check out the video here and pretty shop right here.

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9/26/2010 | Filed Under DESIGN INSPIRATION | 3 Comments

a small chat
Julia Walsh | CasaSugar and Polk Sheet

I have such a great A SMALL CHAT for you guys to enjoy. Today's interview is with the lovely Juila Walsh, editor of home design site, CasaSugar, and her own blog, Polk Sheet. I had the pleasure of meeting Julia earlier this summer at the Nesting Newbies shoot. She has a very cool style, loves design and is inspired by her city and neighborhood, Russian Hill in San Francisco. And as an editor for super popular CasaSugar, Julia has her eye on what's hot now, how to create a comfortable space and and design styles for the masses. Let's hear what she has to say about setting up a small space, design inspirations, common small space scenarios and more.

As an editor of CasaSugar, you have a fantastic point-of-view on home design across the board. What are your top 3 tips for setting up a space (big or small) that everyone can enjoy?
• Whatever room you’re decorating, however small or large, decide how you want to use the space (and be honest about it) before bringing in any furniture. For example, if you live in petite quarters and you entertain often, make plenty of room for guests by selecting an array of multipurpose stools and ottomans rather than standard hefty armchairs. If you have an expansive living room, which you mostly use to watching movies and catch up on work, forget the spare seating and bring in a desk and cozy sectional.
• Original artwork is a key element in what makes a house a home. Make an effort to curate your own collection and only buy what you love; it will show.
• Painting your walls is the easiest trick in the book and it can be done in a day. Not only can does color bring personality to a room, but it also has a psychological effect. If you want a calm, relaxing space, use cool colors, which recede; if want stimulation and a feeling of closeness, use warm colors.

Small space dwellers have only so much space to enjoy and there are always fantastic new products coming onto the scene. What are your thoughts on curating decor accents for one's small space?
• Since I’m so enthralled in the design world, I tend not to scoop up all the accents I love; I know what’s overpriced, what’ll be out of style in a moment, and what’ll end up tucked in the back of a cabinet in three months. While creating vignettes with accessories is a foolproof way to make a space more polished, small space dwellers should be wary of collecting clutter. By all means, snatch up every vase or bowl that makes your heart stop beating, but be prepared to give them away if you can’t find a place for them. Just this weekend, I gave a gilded jewelry tree I’d fallen for at an antiques fair to a friend because I had no tabletop space for it — it feels good to cleanse!

I love the idea of design inspiration - anything and everything can provide a source of creative style for a small space. What are some of your design inspirations?
• Oh too many to name! I’m inspired by art, textiles, photography, architecture, pattern, and texture! And of course design blogs, shelter magazines, and interiors stylists and photographers, as well as their sartorial counterparts. Lately, I love to use strange objects in unpredictable ways, like a bowling pin as a door stop or a candleholder as a table base, so the form of something is much more important to me than its function.

CasaSugar has a such a lovely community - what are the most common small space scenarios that come up? i.e. Dealing with a small space? Decorating a small space? etc.
• Casa does have a lovely community! Our readers are so gracious, helpful, and creative with their feedback; it feels like we’re all decorating together! Surprisingly, I find that one of the most common dilemmas that comes up isn’t so specific to size but more to impact. Readers often are on the lookout for one particular must have item, like a wallpaper they saw on Gossip Girl or a more affordable version of something that really says “that’s so me.” Since a lot of us do live in small spaces, we want each and every item to really reflect our style, rather than to fill up space frivolously.
• Another scenario that often comes up is how to re-work a hand-me-down or dated furnishing to give it a fresh, more unique look. Whether that means painting a dresser or modernizing an old painting with a new frame, CasaSugar Community members are always trying to be creative with their décor so that it demonstrates their distinct aesthetics.

You have a fab blog, Polk Sheet, that chronicles your Russian Hill neighborhood in sweet city, San Francisco. I am also all for city inspiration - the architecture, culture and textures of a city make design work. Share how you gather inspiration from your city and how it translate in your own small space.
• Thank you! I am definitely in love with my neighborhood and San Francisco in general. It’s funny you ask because I’m pretty obsessed with city-inspired artwork, whether it’s imagery of landmarks, a landscape painting, or features some silly insider term that only locals would get. An artist friend of mine and I have been thinking about making screen prints that say “back door” and “step down” — catchphrases for anyone who rides the MUNI bus. I’m also saving up to buy an acrylic painting of some of my favorite buildings on my beloved Polk Street from a Russian Hill shop called Interior Visions. I’m in love with everything that SF-based artist Hilary Williams creates; I am just waiting for her to make a screenprint of my neighborhood in colors that I like and then I will pounce! I’ll even admit I also painstakingly recreated a knockoff of Julene Harrison’s San Francisco papercut artwork that reads “This Must Be the Place” with cable car, Coit Tower, and Golden Gate Bridge imagery. (see it here)
• I also try to support local artists and friends from all the cities I’ve lived in. I recently bought a photograph from Samantha West, a friend I met years ago when I lived in New York, and one day I’ll own a piece by New Orleans painter Amanda Stone Talley, whose home and studio I visited the last time I was in my old NOLA stomping grounds.

Thank you, Julia! Check out CasaSugar, Polk Sheet's blog and facebook community.

And enjoy tons of small space solutions from the A SMALL CHAT series:

9/24/2010 | Filed Under A SMALL CHAT | 0 Comments

introducing small details

I am all about small details in small spaces and if those accents are personal, even better. I recently discovered Vana's pretty studio - Le Papier Studio - with all things silhouettes and am loving, oh, everything. I wanted to share with you her silhouette pillows (loving the natural linen) and also the paperweights. Perfect for home and can be used to add style to a space. Love it!

9/22/2010 | Filed Under SMALL SPACE ACCENTS | 0 Comments

AOL's Shelterpop covers loving. living. small.'s a small move
make your own affordable built-in units

Thank you to Shelterpop for covering my a small move: affordable built-in units on their sweet site today. Click here for the article. And click here to read more about my a small move.

9/14/2010 | Filed Under A SMALL MOVE | 4 Comments