In the press lately...

Sorry for the blog silence. Things (as usual these days) have been crazy. I'm excited to share some new things with you in the coming weeks though.  Yesterday, we photographed a residential project that I completely some months ago and today the baby's room drapes went up - amazing how much higher the ceilings look.  Pablo Enriquez, who photographed our house tour for Apartment Therapy and did my shoot yesterday, mentioned that our bathroom had been selected by the AT editors as one of their favorite bathrooms of 2013. I had no idea! Here is the shot they chose.

On top of that, they had been using the photo of our entry area as the front page for the January Cure: Let's Get Organized. Very exciting!

And to top it off, I was looking at some traffic to my hardware site today and noticed that Greg and Ashley at 7th House on the Left did a whole blog post featuring our house (thanks so much for the shoutout!) and Domaine Home did a feature on their favorite hardware that features our T-03 drop pull.

It's so nice to see that people are liking what Nest Studio is putting out there.  Can't wait to share more with you.

Stylin' Mamma: Transitions, Transitions

I recently became a fan of the designer Heidi Merrick.  There is something unfussy about her designs that appeals to me, a certain California-cool.  Even her leather pants (vegan, of course) are designed with a little more room to move...these are clothes to live in.

February and March are such transitional months for me, fashion-wise.  I'm totally over winter at this point, but it drags on with gray days (and in most of the country, ice and snow on a Biblical scale), even though the shop windows start to fill up with spring and resort collections.  How to bridge the gap until April?

Shoes are a good place to start.  Something floral, something playful, something to lighten up the inevitable heavy outer layer (further helped by a bright hue).  An unusual cut elevates this blouse, while pretty danglers and a conservative bag keep it all office-appropriate despite the daring fabrics.  Leather for day?  Living on the edge?  The edge of winter, the edge of spring...a gal's gotta find her fun somewhere.

- Jaime

New Series: Design Blueprint

Please welcome Cori Magee to the Nest Studio Blog. Cori is a good friend, graphic designer and fellow blogger (you can find her at her blog Pretty Haute Mess).  She will be doing a new series here at Nest Studio called Design Blueprint.  Take it away Cori:

Welcome to the first of many 'Design Blueprints' where I take a room worth coveting and break down all the design elements so you can get the look for your own home.

I love this living room by Suvi Sur le Vif. You can see the room's evolution on her blog. The space is modern eclectic, meets a bit of navajo, and there's a perfect balance of it all. The white walls, modern gallery wall and light floors beg for a bold black sofa. While the area rug and throw pillows provide softness and color to the modern space. Don't be afraid to mix patterns and colors. The key is to coordinate the right color tones and the right pattern scales. 

The simple ceiling light is perfect. Schoolhouse Electric has lots of cool fixtures like this, whether you're looking for a ceiling light, sconce, pendant, chandelier, etc.

BLUEPRINT:

Sofa / Ikea

Ceiling Light / Schoolhouse Electric

Throw Blanket / Room & Board

White Candle / Dwell Studio

Rose Candle / Pier 1

Coffee Table / Architonic

Blue Bowl / Heath Ceramics

Tan Bowl / Heath Ceramics

Tray / Hay Shop

Area Rug / Fab.

Pillows /

  a. Zinc Door

  b. CB2

  c. Toast

  d. Zinc Door

  e. Zinc Door

  f. Ferm Living

You can select any artwork you like, but keeping the frame colors basic black and white helps maintain the modern element. Also, notice that there's no super bright artwork to take the spotlight. Rather, all of the pieces work together, both in tone and vibe.

Society6 is a great place to source art. You can purchase the print, art printed on canvas, framed art or even the art on an iPhone case if you want. It's a fun place to shop and there's lots of great artists just trying to share their work.

Of course, a more organic way to put a great wall gallery together is to collect pieces over time. Maybe you found a great pice at a flea market and another at a fancy gallery. However you like to put artwork together, make sure they are true to you and are pieces you really love. If you love each piece, it will all come together somehow...

BLUEPRINT:

Mirror / CB2

Art /

  a. Isaiah K. Stephens

  b. Ruben Ireland

  c. The White Deer

  d. Britt Bass

  e. Ruben Ireland

  f. Corinne Reid

  g. Ylva Skarp

  h. Nicole Cioffe

 

- Cori

Stylin' Mamma: When Life Gives You Lemons

I cannot count how many times since having children I have stubbed a toe, stepped on a Lego, slid on a matchbox car, banged my shin on a coffee table...the list goes on and on.

Two weeks ago I went to check on the sleeping babes and, as I leaned over LittleMan, caught my toe on the leg of his bed.  There was a snap, my vision tunneled, that all-too-familiar shock nausea rose up, and I knew that this was the Stub to End All Stubs.  

And so I find myself, Stylin' Mamma that I am, facing four weeks in sartorial purgatory as I try to style my way around a cast shoe and crutches.  In other words, flats flats flats.

Weekends sitting on the couch watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with the kids with my foot elevated are no problem; work and date night (of course we have one of our big annual date nights in the middle of all this) are another issue entirely.

WORK:

What better excuse to jazz things up a little?  These boots, with their colorful accents, will make a nice transition into spring.  A cropped pant (I live in California, after all) shows them off nicely. Lately I'm wearing my shirts buttoned all the way up, with a big statement necklace peeking out from under the collar.  And skip the work bag; crutches demand a backpack...which are (surprisingly? mercifully?) making their way back into the fashion mainstream (or at least the hipster-stream).

DATE NIGHT:

I have lately become somewhat obsessed with this shoe.  For a pretty but comfortable drinks-and-dinner look, pair it with these joyful harem pants and a tuxedo-inspired blouse.  Fingerless opera gloves add a touch of glamour -- and protect against callouses. And of course these deco earrings add a touch of sparkle. 

Form meets function.  Fantastic, for four weeks and counting.

- Jaime