Monday, December 28, 2015

DESIGN BLUEPRINT: Modern Kids

The kids room is one room that should not be a slave to every design rule. There should be an element of playfulness and a use of mixed styles, like traditional with a bit of modern.

This space above is perfect because it's fun, but also functional. It features everything a kid will need for sleep, play and work.

Get the look below.

DESIGN BLUEPRINT:
Pendant / Ikea
Garland / All Modern
Wallpaper / All Modern
Bed / Target
Storage Box / H&M Home
Trash Basket / H&M Home
Wall Art / Story North
Geometric Pillow / Simple Form
Tree Pillow / Simple Form
Eyelash Pillow / Leif Shop
Desk / Ikea
Desk Chair / Habitat
Area Rug / Ikea
Inspiration image from Design Sponge

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

CURATED NEST: Lighting Love

We all know Jessica has just moved into a new/old house, which means lots of designing and searching for the right products to make this new place fee like home.

One of her most difficult selections is going to be her kitchen lighting.... For an old home like hers, the best way to keep it current is by selecting traditional designs with new form, like lantern pendants.

If you're looking for the same thing, keep an eye on Jessica's Pinterest for some great ideas like this selection above.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

CURATED NEST: Winter Knits

While it's been cold for a little while in some places, it's finally cold enough on the West Coast for sweaters and everyone (almost) is super thrilled.

After a scorching, and long, Summer the temps have dropped and layering is in full effect everywhere. Here's some cool sweaters you'll want in your Winter arsenal. 
1. Gap
2. J. Crew 
4. Topshop
5. Zara
8. Madewell
Inspiration image via Collage Vintage

Thursday, November 19, 2015

CURATED NEST: Dining in Darkness

It's that time of year when the dining room is easily one of the most important rooms in the home. This is where you'll be spending time with family and friends, celebrating the holidays and closing out the year.

So why not make this room special and enjoyable to spend time in? Don't forget, totally stylish! This space above does a great job with the art wall, mixing up frames, and that wall paint is beautiful. The room is so dramatic, yet inviting. The seating is comfortable. And bonus to having a dark area rug... less visible stains!

Get this look...

DESIGN BLUEPRINT:
Pendant / YLighting
Framed Art / ZGallerie
Framed Gold Feather / ZGallerie
Gold Frame / Crate & Barrel
Paint Swatch / Benjamin Moore
Tabletop Pottery / Pier 1
Dining Table / Crate & Barrel
Dining Chair / Dot & Bo
Area Rug / Pottery Barn
Inspiration image: Apartment Therapy

Friday, November 6, 2015

The New House: Exterior Color Palette

I know I've been a little slow to blog about the house we are buying. Some of you who follow me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook may be following along with my concepting, but otherwise I've been kind of quiet posting about my plans.  We're closing soon but until then I don't want to get too carried away showing you my ideas.  I guess I just don't want to jinx myself or piss anyone off prior to our closing date. That said, I figured it would be pretty safe to talk a little about exterior paint colors.  The house is currently sort of a greeney yellow with accents of darker green, a rusty red and some blues thrown in.

The current owner was considering painting the house before she decided to sell and had been experimenting with paint choices so there is a bit of a hodge podge going on.  The paint colors are not bad at all and they have a nice historical feel, but I'm thinking that next summer we will probably need to give the house a fresh coat of paint.  That, of course got me thinking about paint colors. I've been cruising around the neighborhoods noting the paint schemes on various Victorian homes and some have come close to something I would do, but none are quite right. I love a house that isn't afraid of color and I love drama. I also want to respect the home's Queen Anne Victorian roots.  Here are some concept images I found on Pinterest that I liked the feel of:
In finding these various concept images a few things became clear to me.  I prefer a more uniform color palette of cool colors versus the contrast of cools and warms.  While I don't like warm / cool contrast, I do like dark / light contrast. I especially love dark window sashes as you can see from some of the images above.  I also really love a sort of green/blue/grey palette.  In keeping with a more Victorian color scheme, I feel like the trim on the house should not be stark white and should either be a cream or a light green. After concepting I did a little a few sample color palettes. Here are two I came up with that I like for now (I'm sure there will be several iterations before it's all said and done):
I then played around with Photoshop to see if I would like the overall idea on the house. I'm not completely sure how I feel and it's a bit tough to get it completely accurate in Photoshop but at least it's a starting point. I don't want the house to look drab but at the same time I don't want it to be juvenile or unsophisticated. It's a delicate balance.

What do you think?  Obviously we need some nice landscaping to complement this.  I'm excited to get everything finalized and start on the inside.  Stay tuned!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

CURATED NEST: Orange and Black

 
Get in the mood for Halloween, without having to say goodbye November 1st.

Here's some handsome home furnishings and decor that will help you embrace a pop of color or some bold black...

1. Blanket via Story North
2. Drinking Glass via CB2
3. Sofa via Hive
4. Accent Pillow via Urban Loft
5. Wall Hooks via Schoolhouse Electric
6. Measuring Spoons via World Market
7. Planter via Dot & Bo
Inspiration image via Town & Country Magazine
 

Thursday, October 15, 2015

DESIGN BLUEPRINT: Old House New Style

In all the excitement over Jessica's new home, I wanted to take one of her inspiration images, from Damask and Dentelle, and bring it to life. This old home above has a pretty way of bringing new life to its old interior architecture.

Lots of authentic wood trim, white walls and a neutral palette brings this living room up to date. There's also a great combination of inviting furniture and classic pieces, like the classic Eames Lounge.
Do you live in an old home you want to update a bit? Get this look below...

DESIGN BLUEPRINT:
Pendant Light via YLighting
Cardboard Trophy Head via Bluefly
Blue Accent Pillow via Lulu & Georgia
Pink Accent Pillow via Lulu & Georgia
Side Table via 1st Dibs
Sofa via Pottery Barn
Area Rug via Pottery Barn
Ottoman via World Market
Eames Lounge via DWR

Thursday, October 8, 2015

The New House: A Preview and Reasons Why

Well, you've seen the house that we are selling and now it's time to tell you about where we are going.  We are in contract on a crazy Queen Anne Victorian in South Orange.  I'm saying it's crazy, because it's large and ornate and possibly a money pit but a super cool house.  It's something I never thought I'd own because of it's size and because it's not a style that I would specifically peg as my own.  That said, I can't wait to get my hands on it. I've already been pinning concept images on pinterest like a fiend and am excited to share my concepting with you (more on that later, perhaps after we close. I don't want to jinx myself). Here are some photos of the house.





I'll share more detail shots and my plans for the house shortly but since people have been asking me why we are moving, I thought I'd take a stab at explaining myself in this blog post. There are a bunch of reasons but generally it boils down to the following three:

Reason 1: We need more space.  My business has been growing and in addition to having two part-time employees, we need more space to store my hardware and a more dedicated studio space for us to work. While I could rent out an office space in town, I love being able to work from home, multi-task and see my kids. I know it doesn't work for everyone but it works really well for me and I like keeping it that way.  We also now have an au pair who lives with us. We gave up our guest room to have live-in help which has been amazing, but it would be nice to have our guest room back.

Reason 2: We love the South Orange / Maplewood Community.  Don't get me wrong - Millburn is great too, but Soma (as it is fondly known, for all you non-locals) is just more our vibe. Most of our friends are there and there is such a creative feel to the community. Not surprisingly Maplewood is often called Brooklyn west and a lot of people who value the same sorts of cultural events and amenities live in the Soma community.  I've met so many moms who work part time in creative positions and I'm super excited to network with them.  The schools aren't as good on paper as they are in Millburn, but having done a lot of research on the school system we are happy that there is more diversity both racially and socio-economically and that there are still the same high level offerings for academically motivated kids.

Reason 3: We need a new project. It sounds sort of ridiculous but our house is basically done and I was itching for something new. There will forever be small projects to be done around our house, but I've kind of felt like our house wasn't a permanent solution.  I imagine there are people I know that would question whether any house would be a permanent solution for me.  That's a reasonable question given that I'm a designer and chronic mover, but I think there are certainly houses that feel longer term to me. Our LA house felt longer term even though we later moved for a job. This house feels more permanent too. Perhaps it's the ability to grow into it, or the fact that the house is liveable and I can work on it one space at a time at my own pace (versus our current house that I sort of had to do all at once). Whatever it is, I'm excited to stay put for a while and let my creative juices simmer.

So there you have it.  It took a lot of convincing to get Scott on board with moving (he is a creature of habit and generally more risk averse, and he also spends a lot less time in the community than I do on a daily basis, so it's just less important to him). But after making friends in South Orange and Maplewood and doing a little open house perusing he gave the go-ahead.  We have a little business idea up our sleeve too that pertains to the house.  I'm excited to share that with you later as it comes to fruition.  Let me know if you have any fabulous ideas for the house, great DIY suggestions or comments in general. I'm excited to hear what you think of our next adventure.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Our House is On the Market!

I hinted in my last post that there were big things going on over here at the Nest. Well, the major news is that we are under contract on a new-to-us (but actually very old) house in the neighboring town of South Orange (more on that later) and our house is on the market!  I promise this is the last time I bombard you with photos of this house since you've now seen it staged and shot in three different ways (Woman's Day, Apartment Therapy and AT: Complete and Happy Home).  I can't believe I got so much press for our South Mountain cottage. I can only hope that our new house (which is way cooler, btw) gets the same kind of coverage. In the meantime, here are a few of the listing photos showing some of the spaces that maybe you've haven't seen in previous features.








I love how our green guest room turned out even if I never truly "finished" it.  It's also fun to go back through the blog and find before photos.  Man, this house has come a long way!

For more info, you can check out the slideshow and interactive floorplan here as well as a fun video that includes some amazing aerial shots that our real estate agent shot with his drone (job perk much?)!

Stay tuned for photos of the where we will land in South Orange.

Apartment Therapy Book

Apologies for the blog silence. It's been very busy over at the Nest recently.  Between work and other big developments (more on that later - but a few hints on facebook), it's been hard to find time to blog.  Not to mention that when you take a hiatus it's easy to sort of forget how to blog in the first place.  That said, if you follow me on any other social media, you may have noticed that the Apartment Therapy Book: Complete and Happy Home by Maxwell Ryan just came out and features our house!  Super exciting.  They came back and shot our house in the spring of 2014 for the book after it was featured on an AT House Tour.  I was pregnant with Lucy and crazy kids stuff had not yet overrun our house.  Here are some photos from my instagram feed (although there are a bunch more photos of our house in the book).



We went to the book signing party and Maxwell was such a gracious host. I also got to meet Christiane Lemieux of Dwell Studio and Wayfair which was a big moment for me. She is such an inspiration from a business standpoint. I feel like she is like the Jenna Lyons of the interior design product world.

Anyways, I'm buying the book as everyone's Christmas present this year.  Go out and get yourself a copy if you haven't already. There are some amazing spaces featured. I feel very humbled to be included.

More news on the house front coming up!

-Jess

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Satin Brass Lamp

It's Jessica Burne here with an update from the home-front. I've been meaning to write this post now for months. As I mentioned on my blog about kitchen faucets, I'm loving all things brass. I recently discovered this lamp I had hidden away in storage.  It was a hand-me-down from my grandma and I kept it because I loved the size of the shape.  My plan was to remove the yellowed lacquer that screamed 1980s.  The big question was if it was solid or plated brass.



The base of the lamp was actually stamped with the manufacture and the date.  This seemed a promising indicator that it was solid.  Another way to determine if its plated is to simply stick a magnet on the material.  Solid brass is not magnetic so it should not stick. If the magnet adhered to the metal then most likely it is plated over steel or another magnetized substrate.

Lucky for me the lamp passed all my preliminary tests and I deemed it solid!  Then came my ambitious plan of removing the yellowed lacquer and restore the lamp to the original softer brass patina.

My first attempt was to use acetone and a cotton ball but it was really slow to remove the finish.  I switched gears to a chemical stripper and lathered the goofy stuff on the lamp.   I'm a big baby when it comes to watching these chemicals work so I got impatient and tested a little too early.  I panicked a little bit because the underlying brass was so much lighter without the lacquered. I held up a stainless steel knife as a comparison and was relieved to see that lamp was definitely a much warmer color.

After the chemical stripper I simply used an old toothbrush to scrub off the remaining lacquer.  The last step was to wipe the lamp down with a damp towel.

The hardest and most time-consuming part of this whole project was trying to find a lampshade without spending a lot of money.   I searched online, flea markets, lighting stores and then ultimately found something at Home Depot.  It's not perfect but it's a whole lot better than the original yellowed pleated shade.




Overall the project was fun and I’m on the hunt for other castaway 80’s relics.  I keep a magnet in my purse just in case I stumble on a potential find!

-Jessica B

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

DESIGN BLUEPRINT: Herringbone Kitchen

Sometimes, it just takes one element for a kitchen to really stand out... The rest of the design can be relatively simple. For this space above, it's that awesome herringbone backsplash! 

There's also a perfect contrast going on between the rough-wood furniture and modern dining chairs. All of it comes together to create a kitchen worth spending lots of time.
 
Get this look in your home....

DESIGN BLUEPRINT:
Pendant light via Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Subway tile via The Building Depot
Dining Chair via Vitra
Wood boat via Bed Bath & Beyond
Dining table via Crate & Barrel
Dining bench via Crate & Barrel

Inspiration image via Desire to Inspire
 

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

DESIGN BLUEPRINT: Dining in Blue

Great dining room design doesn't take much, as you can see with this space above. 

All you need is a consistent color palette, a cool pice of art, statement lighting, smart furniture and a beautiful area rug that pulls it all together. The clean white walls allow all of this to shine...

Want this look? Don't over-do it, keep things simple.

DESIGN BLUEPRINT:
Chandelier via Schoolhouse Electric
Art Print via The Animal Print Shop
Dining Table via Blueprint
Area Rug via Lulu & Georgia
Dining Chair via West Elm

Inspiration image via Remodelista
 

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

CURATED NEST: Comfortable Seating


One of the easiest ways to add extra seating in a small space, without adding more chairs, is with poufs. They're great for kids and adults alike.

The best part is there's so many styles, you're sure to find one that fits your decor. Here's some ideas to get you started...

1. CB2

Inspiration image via Inspired by Charm

- Cori

Monday, August 10, 2015

DESIGN BLUEPRINT:

Sometimes minimal design is the best design, especially in the bedroom. The more simple the design, the less distractions you have (and it's also easier to clean). The place where you rest should never be distracting or busy...

This place above has all the essentials with a little bit of decor. It looks both stylish and relaxing.

Get the look...

DESIGN BLUEPRINT:
Task Lamp via Y Lighting
Art Print via Minted
Bed via West Elm
Wall Art via Secret Holiday
Faux Fur via Ikea
Nightstand via Ikea
Table Lamp via Lamps Plus
Cross Blanket via Urban Outfitters

Inspiration image via Apartment Therapy

- Cori