Loving Out Loud: Serena & Lily Spruce Street Sofa…..

So you know I like to break the rules right?  Give the proverbial finger to the status quo.  Be a rebel….well a rebel that wears cable knit sweaters and Chucks……but you get the idea.  Many designers will tell you to keep your large upholstered pieces neutral and then add pattern and color through accents and accessories.  And for about 95% of the time, I totally agree with this statement – a neutral sofa or chair is an investment that will withstand the design whims of the past, present and future.

However……

That other 5% of the time, I wanna be bold.  I wanna be wild and have a little design fun.  I want an orange couch.  Strange I know but ever since seeing the Spruce Street Sofa from Serena & Lily in Saffron linen  I have been obsessed with using it in one of my designs but really, figuring out a way to sneak it into my home.  The profile of the arms is perfection – thin but not dainty and the cushions are top-notch.  So while I dream about how to wedge yet another piece of furniture into my house, I thought it would be fun to use the Spruce Street Sofa as the inspiration for a little mood board that pulled into some pieces from my Joy & Revelry shop …..

Sofa/Lamp/Tables/Rug

For the walls, I chose Clay Beige OC-11 by Benjamin Moore.  It’s a warm beige color that changes from grey to beige to at times even blue depending on the light.  It is the perfect foil to the other pieces in the space.

Now I just need to find a place to put a sofa……..

Have a great weekend!

Check me out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Insta.gram for more musings on design, food and just plain randomness…

Pen to Paper: Display Wall…..

I have been helping a great client slowly add a final layer of “finish” to his downtown San Francisco condo.  You may remember the Jill Malek wallpaper I put up in his office a few months ago.  He is a young professional who wants to balance his clean aesthetic with some more fun pieces, so the wallpaper was the perfect jumping off spot for his space.  He recently asked me to think of some ideas for his living room, in particular, he wanted a way to have storage and display space.

I saw this as a great opportunity to forgo the traditional floating shelf or gallery wall of art for something a bit more fun and sculptural, so I proposed this….

With some many straight lines in  his space, I thought it would be fun to play with an irregular shape that could double as an art installation.  I was inspired by some pieces West Elm had a few years ago but I wanted them on a larger scale and with more irregularity.  I envision oversized trapezoids, lop-sided squares and a bunch of other shapes that would make a geometry teacher cringe arranged in a perfectly haphazard way on the wall.  It may not be earthquake friendly, but it is oh so design awesome…..

The client loved the idea and we are now working with the carpenter to figure out the details and shapes.  Will keep you updated but for now, it is back to lounging by the pool in hot and balmy Palm Springs…..

Have a great weekend!

Check me out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Insta.gram for more musings on design, food and just plain randomness…

It’s “Delightfull” & Delovely……

First and foremost, thank you for the comments, tweets and emails regarding my post about my “life lessons” as I navigate owning a design business.  I keep telling myself it is a process; an ongoing journey where mistakes will be made but hopefully they will provide opportunities to learn and one day laugh!

The other big life lesson I have learned as of recent is that I don’t do well tethered to a desk all day.  I need the opportunity to get up, explore and discover!   Life is not lived through a cell phone or a laptop, so I am reworking my schedule to find me in the “field” at least 2-3 days a week looking for design treasures, new artisans, vendors and connecting with other designers.  One of the reasons I felt so alive during my trip to Europe (aside from it being vacation…) was because I was out and about.  I loved discovering those little alleys, talking with merchants and every once in a while finding a gem that I knew a client would  love, which is why I was so thrilled when I stumbled up Delightfull Lighting while window shopping in a lighting shop in Barcelona.

A touch of mid century, a dash of European glamour and a hint of modern aesthetic make for amazing and intriguing designs that my clients are flipping their wigs over.  I am smitten with their suspension lighting and am actively pursuing how to work one into my next pitch ……

Oh sweet mother of lighting, discovering resources like this makes me immensely happy and inspired which is something I have not been feeling as of late.  Excuse me while I do the ole’ ancient ritual of the “happy design dance” – it’s sorta like a secret handshake but resembles the funky chicken……

As I work up a sweat, spill the beans and share what is the most delightful and lovely lighting fixture you have seen as of late?

Check me out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Insta.gram (CourtneyOutLoud) for musings on design, food and just plain randomness.