Bedside pendants

I love how soothing this master bedroom is in the San Francisco Elle Decor Showhouse.  It has a pop of color in the artwork yet feels so peaceful (and you know me with my color aversion of late). And I am obsessing about how the pendants used as nightstand lamps free up so much space on the bedside surface. Gotta use that trick somewhere.  It has such an architectural, almost nautical feel with the wire-brushed wood, built in nightstands, sisal carpeting,  and floating bed box.

Cutting Edge Stencils

So, I've been considering what to do with our existing powder room.  One day down the road (the key words being "down the road") we plan on replacing the powder room with a laundry area and creating a full guest bath in our current laundry.  So as much as I would love to turn my powder room into a beautiful jewelbox, I just can't justify spending money on a fancy wallpaper just to rip it down in a few years time.  Plumbing fixtures and lighting can be moved, but not wallcovering.

Cutting Edge Stencils to the rescue.  They have some great patterns that I think would work well as feature walls, powder room walls etc.  Not your typical Americana Mary Englebreit looking stencils, these ones are way radder (is that a word?), funkier, and stylish. Here are some options I'm considering (check out their website, this is just a sampling of what I like, but there are tons of other patterns).

Now, I just have to figure out what colors to use.  Maybe shades of grey?  Tans?  dark sea blues?  Considering my recent aversion to color, I'm hoping I don't also develop an aversion to pattern.

Lazaro Rosa Violan

Loving this Spanish designer's work on hotels, restaurants, and shops.  Such a great collected, casual yet unique and refined feel with no pretenses - just an amazing eye for design.

 All images courtesy of Lazaro Rosa Violan. 

And the winner is...

Killer B!  You chose the Abundance water bottle from Spoken Glass.   I also love your idea for one that say's Familia on it. Maybe that will be next on Conor's list.  Please email me at jess@nesteaglerock.com with your address.

Zoom Zoom

Right now I'm loving Xander Walker's spray painted car art.  It's gritty and has a street vibe about it, but the stencils and color blocking also give it a graphic quality.  Right now his followers consist mostly of auto enthusiasts, but I think I'm going to turn the tides and give him a new flock of design groupies.  I can totally see a series of these hung up in a boy's room.  At around $30 a pop, for an actual signed and numbered print they are really well priced.  Check out his Etsy shop.

Coveting

This De Sousa Hughes Klismos Chair from the Elle Decor Showhouse.

Garden Progress

Some of you have been asking how the garden is looking these days.  It's growing in quite nicely.  Remember what it looked like way back when we planted the herb garden and the back?  Saturday I did some transplanting and trimming.  Here are the herb garden and back garden as they look now.  The front yard needs to grow in a little bit more before we show it off.

Spoken Glass GIVEAWAY

Recently I was introduced to Conor Gaffney's line of dinner table carafes Spoken Glass.  In his Venice, CA studio, Conor laser engraves reusable glass carafes with sayings and custom designs.  He started the company in 2006 seeking to support people in giving up plastic, especially when it comes to water bottles.

Most people know that plastic can be recycled, and perhaps they don't feel so bad about drinking out of a plastic bottle when they throw it into a recycling bin.  But recycling requires energy and plastic bottles can only be downcycled - in other words they can't be made into more plastic bottles.  Because they are contaminated materials they can only be made into other items such as carpet fiber.  Glass bottles can be recycled into more glass bottles.  But these ones you won't want to recycle.  They have swing-top stoppers and give your dinner table a classic bistro look.

Conor has been kind enough to do a giveaway with the Eagle's Nest.  Just comment below let us know which item you like from his Affirmation line (entrants must follow the Eagle's Nest).  The winner will be announced on Satudray morning, March 26.

Color overload

Part of the reason why I took a little blogging break last week is that I've encountered a bit of color overload in my life.  In the quest to come up with blog content, seek out new readers, sponsors and giveaways, and check out the competition, I've sort of OD'd on color.  I know it's hard to believe.  People like Jamie Mears from Isuwanee have the ability to be all color all the time which is amazing to me and something I really appreciate.  I'm not afraid of color and have no problem using it in other people's spaces, but I think I'm entering my Neutral period - especially for my own home.

Blogging, if anything exposes you to tons of styles and trends and can sort of take you off track if you don't already have a strong style - and I've always been a little schizophrenic, liking mid century, empire, regency, psychadelic, and even the occasional rustic shabby chic item.  In the end though following the rainbow a little too far has made me realize what my true style and palette are.  So, while I love the colorful Ikat pillows and the dash of orange in the painting that I've added to my living room, I think I'm all oranged out (as in when I think about it, it makes me a bit nauseated) and it's time to relocate these items and create a more serene space. Currently, I'm loving the feel of this ad from Dennis & Leen.  Collected, sophisticated, soothing and natural.

And this inviting contemporary interior from Thom Filicia

What's your color personality?

For Japan With Love

http://www.forjapanwithlove.com/

Recess Time

Photo from Life Magazine Google Images

Taking a little break from blogging this week to catch up on content and bring you some better stuff for the weeks to come. 

Rose Bowl Rowdiness

Scott and I hit up the Rose Bowl this Sunday.  It's great that we live so close by now that we can roll on over and head home for lunch. We bought some cool brass duck bookends and some other small brass animals - perhaps to keep or sell on Etsy - and some fun vintage mechanics posters.  We ran into Staci from 45 Three Modern Vintage, who had just run into Emily Henderson who was out looking for stuff for her new TV show.  I also heard via that Justina from Compai was out perusing the grounds.  It was truly a great day to be out.  Admittedly, one of the things I like about the Rose Bowl aside from the furniture and vintage clothing, is the people watching.  Really, all kinds of folks, but definitely, Hipsters galore.  The official uniform for the seasoned Rose Bowl veteran is to wear a combination of various items that you purchased from your previous trip to the Bowl, preferably combined with an ironic 'stache for the men and vintage boots and aviators for the ladies.  I handed over the camera to Scott and here are a few of his shots from the day:

 

 

 

And of course, Floopy enjoying the weather.

Happy First Birthday!

It's been an entire year since The Eagle's Nest entered the blogosphere, and what a ride it has been! 

Photo by Ananyah


In the past year the The Eagle's Nest and Nest Studio have grown leaps and bounds, from a new logo, to an Etsy shop with original bedding designs, to new sponsors!  Thanks to all you readers for your support and complements over the past year and to all the other bloggers out there who have motivated me to find inspirational and original content. 

In the spirit of moving onward and upward, leave a comment and let me know what you'd like to see from the Eagle's Nest for 2011/12.  More home improvement?  My house in particular?  More garden related posts?  More giveaways?  Less of anything in particular?  I'll try take everyones ideas into account as much as possible. 

Cheers!

Jess

Congrats!

Lou Anne.  You are the winner of the Stella & Dot bangle giveaway!  Please send me your address to jess@nesteaglerock.com so I can have Tara send your your fun new bauble.

The Mad Dash

You have until 5 today to enter my Stella & Dot Bangle Giveaway below.

I'm a nerd, it's true....

But seriously, how cool is Lonny's new issue where Michelle Adams, editor in chief narrates her "letter from the editor" in embedded video format.

Now, that's using technology to it's fullest.  Why should online magazines be static flip books like their older cousins?  And I love how you can click on an item you love and they'll send you directlyto the manufacturer's website or to a site that showcases something similar (in the case of vintage finds).  Granted, I still love getting my magazines in the mail (I'm a total magazine whore - Dwell, Lucky, Elle Decor, Bon Appetit, Ready Made, New York Mag, Sunset and House Beautiful), but I have to admit there is something so user friendly about an online mag.  Now if only I had an Ipad so I didn't have to sit in front of a computer to read my webzines!

Re-purpose

Purchased these fun thingumabobs at an Hancock Park estate sale this weekend.  What do you guys think I should do with 'em?  Candle sticks perhaps?  Except then they'd all be the same height which is no fun.

Giveaway Madness!

So remember my fun Bird on a Wire duvet sets I posted about a while back?  You check them out and purchase them at my Etsy shop (just click the button to the right). 

Well, Leah over at The Way We Are is doing a giveaway of one of the duvet sets.  So hop on over to her place to enter! 

And before you head over, why not enter my Stella & Dot giveaway below (I know, you have to scroll past the gross gopher pics. Sorry 'bout that).  Thanks Leah for the shoutout and for all the complements!

Gophers galore

Remember back when I posted about the crazy creatures eating our pumpkins?  Well, soon after, and something I didn't post about, we discovered holes and mound of dirt all over our garden.  After studying said holes and mounds for a bit, I did some research and found out that they were the doing of the infamous pocket gopher.

 These things are brutal - they eat roots, kill plants, even sever underground wiring and pipes.  Well, we disposed of the pumpkins and it seemed that no new holes had formed.  But my bougainvilla had started to brown around the edges.  So this weekend we dug up some large stepping stones in the herb garden, and whaddayaknow?  There were the gopher tunnels plain as day.  Fortunately we are quite sure the gophers are gone since all the holes and mounds were filled and no new ones have popped up since. But the tunnels just make my skin crawl.