There’s nothing more satisfying than watching a celebrity home tour on Architectural Digest as you ponder over your own interior decorating decisions. The videos often provide good tips, like styling your pool chairs with corn motif side tables (thank you, Emma Chamberlain for that one), or designing your room around a single furniture element. This latter trick comes from a feature on Shay Mitchell’s home, as the actor reportedly has a penchant for light fixtures. Yes, Mitchell loves this furnishing element so much — she specifically adores a chandelier — that she designed the rooms of her house around them.
In one of the living spaces for example, which features exposed beams and a fireplace, Mitchell suspended an orbed lantern, which she bought from Marrakech, Morocco, from the ceiling. Meanwhile in the breakfast nook of her 1920s Spanish villa-style home, the Béis founder created a modern farmhouse mood with a wicker light pendant from Leanne Ford. The actor also used chandeliers sparingly around her property — you can spot one hanging from inside one of her bathrooms, which boasts glamorous Hollywood Regency vibes. It seems the beauty of decorating with different light fixtures around the house is that it gives each room a unique personality.
[embedded content]
In fact, no matter where you turn in Mitchell’s home, you feel a sense of discovery in every corner of the space. “For me, I couldn’t have a house that’s one color,” she said in the AD interview, explaining why all her rooms are not uniformly decorated. “I like the rooms to be different and emote different things when I walk into them.” The entryway, which features a large hanging chandelier, for instance gives off a Mediterranean air while the bar area of her home is decorated with moody pink floral wallpaper and a golden orb light fixture. “I was reminded of all these cute speakeasy-style bars that I’d been to, whether in Paris or Istanbul, that all had awesome wallpaper,” the actor said, describing her sources of inspiration.
We can continue to wax poetic about Mitchell’s stunning house and her taste in lights, but we’ll spare you. Watch the full video of her home tour, above, to take in the decor for yourself. Afterwards, if you feel inspired by her eye for design, shop similar ceiling lamps to the star’s to incorporate into your own living space.
As I begin to unearth from mountains of moving boxes, the only way to stay sane right now is to keep the vision of the final product in mind: turning our newly renovated house into our home. While I loved our San Francisco loft life, it was really more of a holding pattern. Buying this crazy old house was about creating a family home, a place for our son to grow up – a place that becomes a hub for family dinners, drinks with friends and holiday gatherings. No pressure!
But I’m excited to cultivate a considered home. This time it’s about the journey. It’s about creating an environment that reflects who we are now and creates a calming, welcoming environment that nourishes mind, body and soul. And that all starts with taking a measured approach to designing each space. To kick off that process, I’m continually banking inspirational home tours for ideas and this Australian stunner is one of my current favorites.
I think this table vignette might be one of the most pinned of all time. But I totally get why.
Designed by Whiting Architects – this home is the perfect example of decorating with intention. The space features all white walls, but they’re anything but stark. They instead highlight the well placed artwork, wall decor and furniture pieces that are works of art in themselves. It’s getting me very excited to make strategic use of our all-white walls. It’s like curating a gallery.
Despite this home’s muted color palette, the space doesn’t feel cold. Rather, the warm wood tones dotted throughout – the floors, bathroom vanities and side tables and kitchen table – add a homey feel. The pops of black in each space feel modern and cool. And I love the strategic use of my color du jour – dusty pink! I’m into the idea of taking a single color and sprinkling it through your home in unexpected places (and I’m now obsessing about what my color might be…).I’m also obsessed with the oversized tile in the bathroom, obviously! The Muuto knobs are another fun touch. I can’t wait to repurpose mine.
The house also feels decorated without being crowded. The secret to achieving this look is to layer without cluttering. Objects are considered, grouped together in tonal patterns and given space to breathe. Slubby linen bedding and cozy textiles add an additional layer of texture and a homey feel throughout the house. I love the dark moodiness of the bedroom. It’s inspiring me to find a dark bed coverlet and rug for our master to really anchor the space.
Once I get a few more boxes unpacked I’m going to be going moodboard crazy. I think this house is going to be a moodboard all on its own.
What do you think? Does this space inspire decorating ideas for you?
One of the most exquisite private homes in the entire San Diego area is now up for grabs.
Those of you who have a passion for architecture will have probably heard the name Richard Requa before. His firm, Requa and Jackson, was arguably the busiest architecture company in the 1920s in San Diego.
Whenever you see a charming, classic Spanish Revival property as you’re driving or walking around the city, chances are it was designed by Requa.
The architect was heavily influenced and inspired by the Andalusia area of Spain, and his works tend to reflect this. Requa even developed a signature style, known today as ‘Southern California Architecture.
The Old Globe Theater in Balboa Park, the D. E. Mann House at 1045 Loma Avenue in Coronado, the Del Mar Castle – these are some of Requa’s most well-known works, and they all showcase his unique, laid-back, Spanish-inspired Californian style.
Another one of Richard Requa’s iconic projects is the William A. Gunn House, located at 1127 F Avenue in Coronado.
It was designed by Requa and Jackson, with Milton P. Sessions serving as landscape architect, and completed in 1925 for Michigan furniture maker W.A. Gunn.
It’s one of the most beautiful examples of Requa’s Southern California Architecture, and it’s now looking for a new owner whose pockets run $39 million deep.
How Coronado Castle’s current owner Brian Mariotti took Requa’s design into the 21st Century
The jaw dropping mansion at 1127 F Avenue is also known as the Coronado Castle, and for good reason.
The property is reportedly roughly four times the size of an average Coronado lot, totaling 26,000 square feet and offering a lot of privacy and outdoor space.
Coronado Castle is an architectural gem protected by the Mills Act — a status that serves to significantly lower property taxes for the property. While lower property taxes are definitely nice to have, this property offers a lot – and we mean A LOT – more than that.
The current owner of the Requa-designed Coronado mansion is Brian Mariotti, the CEO of Funko, the toy company best known for its licensed vinyl figurines and bobbleheads.
Marriotti bought the 6,000-square foot property in 2017 for $12.2 million, and then purchased the lot right next to it, thus significantly expanding the site at 1127 F Ave.
The owner also invested heavily in upgrades at the Gunn house, but was careful to also preserve the building’s historical heritage.
The result is a stunning mix of 1920s Spanish Revival architecture and modern, laid-back California touches. Everything that was added to the home had to blend in with Requa’s original vision.
Paul Schatz, the owner of Interior Design Imports, who worked on the house with the Mariottis, told the Wall Street Journal that ‘the goal was to make everything new look as old as possible.’
Mixing business with pleasure – from home office to Star Wars-themed home theater, this property has it all
There are many highlights to this incredible property, but this is definitely our favorite: a 26-seat home theater featuring life-size Star Wars memorabilia, such as statues, weapons, and helmets.
Just imagine hosting a Star Wars movie marathon with family and friends, watching the original trilogy on a 20-foot screen powered by state-of-the-art 4k Max laser projector. Not too shabby, right?
The 7,000-square-foot Star Wars-themed basement also features an indoor golf room with a simulator, a tennis area, and it houses Mariotti’s impressive collection of toy figurines.
But the most impressive feat is the basement itself, which was not part of Requa’s original design.
The 15-foot-deep basement took six months to complete and required a 4-foot concrete foundation; the entire thing had to basically be ‘shoved underneath the existing house,’ as Jim Papenhausen of Papenhausen Construction told the WSJ.
In the end, Mariotti and his team were able to complete the project without damaging the historic structure in any way.
While a Star Wars-themed home theater and a massive toy collection exhibit area might not sound like the most practical amenities, the house does not disappoint when it comes to functionality, either.
The Mariottis understood the requirements of modern life, and turned the house next door into a four-car garage, and used the extra land to build a new family room wing and expand the outdoor area.
New owners will be able to enjoy a six-hole putting green, an outdoor living room area, a swimming pool, an outdoor kitchen, all bounded by century-old trees.
The house also incorporates four bedrooms, six full bathrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, a 14,142-square-foot guest house, a 1,300-square-foot home gym, and a spa with a massage table and a sauna.
For digital nomads, there is also a home office situated on the third floor at the top of the mansion’s castle-like tower. This area offers stunning views of San Diego and also includes an outdoor patio with a bar and a fireplace.
If you’re still not convinced that this is a one-of-a-kind property, a Spanish-influenced castle in the heart of California, then feel free to take a virtual home tour below, and find more details about this architecturally distinct house here.
Chris Clements, Jan Clements, and Lennie Clements of Compass are handling the listing.
More luxury homes
$38 Million Rosenthal Estate Has Its Own Vineyard and an Orchard with 600 Avocado TreesAlicia Keys and Swizz Beatz Own the Razor House, the Most Unique Home in San Diego Area At $29.5 Million, The Island House is One of Orange County’s Priciest Listings $25M Glass House Sits on 41+ Acres in Napa Valley, Offers Sweeping Views
This installment of Designer Files is just creamy goodness. If you’re looking for an example of a style-focused kitchen that is as functional as it stunning – cuz I know you just googled exactly that – well look no further. You’re going to want to move into this space immediately. I know I did.
This modern eat-in kitchen / family room is picture perfect (obviously!). I love every single choice – from the color palette to the hardware, the fixtures to the furniture. It’s comfortable cozy, functional and overflowing with style. The layers, luscious textures and use of mixed materials dotted throughout the space make you want to sink right into the creamy-white goodness.
The kitchen’s island is a true thing of beauty. You would have easily had me with the waterfall countertops but those those simple pendants by Workstead are simply chic.
I’m also in love with that custom hood. It’s a refreshing alternative to the typical stainless steel. (I have a thing for eye-catching hoods).
I’ve been obsessed with koushi pendants since our trip to Australia a couple of years back. Their rustic texture has a bit of beachy vibe and feels perfect over the casual kitchen table. Digging the built-in bench too.
But the family room’s seating area is a real thing of beauty. It mixes periods and styles seamlessly. I thought I was over the weaving trend until I saw that massive piece over the couch. Everything in here feels comfortable but selected with such a discerning eye for design. #lifegoals
This kitchen is actually part of the amazingness that is Decorist founder Gretchen Hansen’s San Francisco home and was digitally designed by LA based firm 30 Collins. I was lucky enough to get to walk through this space in person and can attest, these gorgeous photos don’t even do it justice. And I’ve been day-dreaming about those vintage easy chairs ever since. They’d look so lovely in our house. I wonder if Gretchen might ever want to let them go…
After my quick trip to New York last week, I am awash in fresh design inspiration. I was able to pop into showrooms like Egg Collective and BDDW and I stayed at 11 Howard (swoon), all of which left me with European inspired refinement on the brain (more than usual!). As I turn my attention to (finally!) finishing our house before the year’s end, this beautifully sophisticated Swedish home is topping my inspiration list.
This is not your typical Scandi aesthetic. There’s a much more refined, elevated approach in this home. The bones add the initial sophistication. High ceilings, crown molding and herringbone floors make it look as if this space could just as easily be in Paris. The rooms feature pieces with highly architectural elements. All of the angles are strong and clearly defined. There are no overstuffed sectionals in this design.
I’m loving those vintage, leather-bottomed dining chairs.
The minimalist accessorizing means each piece really stands out throughout this house. The muted color palette of cool grays and blues mix with cream and black to a soothing effect. Rich wood tones and brass accents add warmth. This is a perfect backdrop to showcase a single ceramic bowl, a beautiful candelabra or an understated piece of art.
This is a bed after my own heart. Simple, understated but with luxe velvet pillows and a velvet bench add sumptuous texture.
This home reminds me of Leonardo da Vinci’s quote “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Every piece in this home stands out. Nothing is too busy, but the space doesn’t feel cold or overly stark. It’s a beautiful example of a modern perspective balanced in a classic space. The result is gorgeous and welcoming all at the same time.
shop the post: chandelier / chair / art / coffee table / nightstand / vase / pillow / bed / bowl / table lamp
What do you think? Would like to call this spot home?
For more of my favorite home tours, CLICK HERE
SHOP THE POST
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2774169″]
design by Louise Liljencrantz. , photography by Erik Lefvander via est magazine
Mondays are never easy to face, but it’s always better when you have a inspiring space to work. Now that we’re getting settled, I’m turning my sights on my home office. I guess I should call it my home office to-be since the space is completely empty currently. I’m typing this sentence from my couch on my teeny tiny laptop. And this just cannot go on any longer!
I’m definitely suffering from home office envy.
There are a few key things I’m coveting for my new work space. I’ve got a major crush on trestle desks at the moment. Inspired by architects drafting tables, they’re utilitarian but chic at the same time. Keeping a desk drawer free also forces you to keep clutter to minimum. Because no one really needs staplers or paperclips anymore!
I’m also loving the look of warm woods mixed with monochromatic accents. It feels timeless. There’s been a bit of an acrylic, gold and white glut in home offices of late – bouquet of peonies included of course. I’m in the mood to take more understated approach with classic pieces that I’ll love right now, five years from now and even twenty years from now.
I’ve long been a fan of picture rail shelves. They offer a unique way to create a moodboard of sorts. You can mix art, magazine tears and your favorite objet. I’d just have to keep myself from rearranging on a daily basis. I’m not sure that’d be great for my productivity.
Finally, you can add a shot of individual personality to your work space with your office chair selection. I prefer a-typical office chairs. Vintage pieces, old dining chairs, a funky side chair. This is where I really want to spend time treasure hunting. You just want to ensure that you select a chair that is high enough to give you proper posture and comfortable enough for you to sit for long periods at a time. Trust me, I made the mistake of prioritizing aesthetics over proper alignment in the past and paid the price.
Now that I’ve got a vision for my new office, I’m off to pull this space together! If you have any favorite sources for great office pieces please send them my way. Of course I’ll be sharing what I find in my search.
Find reams and reams of home office inspiration right here.
images 1 waiting on martha / 2 dust jacket in the attic / 3 my domaine / 4 lark & linen / 5 tumblr /6 stil inspiration /
The difference between good design and great design? The details. It’s the little moments that someone might not even notice at first glance, but actually take the most time and forethought, that give a space its heart. Case in point, this crazy cool loft. At a cursory glance, you can immediately see it’s a chic space. But it takes a second look to discover the details that take the design to the next level.
Because this loft is actually designed with a specific goal in mind – turning accents into statements. The concept is rather genius. Earlier this year, six well known accent brands came together to form the Elevate Design Collective and collaborate to renovate a loft in Soho that was recently revealed during NYC Design Week. Schlage, Jeld Wen Windows & Door, Formica Corporation, KitchenAid, Hunter and Delta were tasked with the same challenge: to integrate a custom Pantone color, developed exclusively for this space, into their product. So cool.
Pantone created Single Malt, a rich, earthy copper-y hue that the designers used to add warmth to the loft’s urban, modern vibe. I love the way the color was incorporated into the open concept kitchen. For example, Formica Corporation, known for their innovative surfacing products, created a custom Bourbon Trail laminate in a marble design for the kitchen’s countertops. The brand’s 180fx® large-scale laminate line recreates real, true-to-scale stone and granite patterns and was able to incorporate Single Malt in the veining, helping the kitchen to take on a more approachable warm feel. But there are more subtle details as well.
Did you spot all the places Single Malt color popped up throughout the space? Creating this look in your own kitchen would be very easy. With a base of classic black & white, you can add pops of warmth to create a timeless space.
single malt pantone color / pendant light / cake stand / kitchenaid mixer / delta faucet / salad tongs / black bar stool / formica / white subway tile / bread board / serving bowl / dutch oven / JELD-WEN doors
If you didn’t know to look, you might miss them. The Single Malt-tinged edging on the pantry doors by JELD WEN Windows & Door, the accents on the Delta Trinsic® Pro faucet, a chic-looking high-tech faucet that turns on with just a touch via the Touch20® Technology. The brand added a special arm to hold the faucet head in place for that Single Malt touch. You have to look closely to spy the pop of color on the ends of the KitchenAid refrigerator pulls! All of the details are understated, chic and inspiring. They’re what will make you stop and say wow, I wish I had thought of something like that.
This is such a great reminder as I work to put the finishing touches on our renovation. Sure, any room can look pulled together, but when you put in that little extra thought or creative idea it makes a room personal and truly unique. I don’t have my own custom Pantone color, but I’m going to do my best.
You can enter to win a $500 gift card for your own project courtesy of the ELEVATE Design Collective. They’ll be choosing three winners, so be sure to enter here between now and September 16th!
To catch up on all our renovations and my design ideas, CLICK HERE!
For our home tour archive CLICK HERE.
This post is sponsored by the ELEVATE Design Collective. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for supporting posts that keep apartment 34’s doors open.
You know when you’re trolling Pinterest and an image just stops you dead in your tracks. Well I spied this living room and immediately had to know more.
Just look it. The color palette, the meticulously curated details. That cool angular chair! I had to know more. A little online sleuthing uncovered that this room (and equally stunning house) was designed by Australian creative agency Huntly.
If you’ve been looking for a pitch perfect modern home – minimalist but warm, calming but intriguing, where every element has both a purpose but also beautiful form – keep scrolling. I’m taking so much inspiration from this home tour as I finally(!) get started designing the rooms in our house.
Huntly’s design ethos – complexity should be secret and that the difference is in the details – comes through in every space you see here. Because the details in each of these rooms are spot on.
While a monochromatic neutral palette sets the house’s foundation (those gray floors are so damn good), the pops of brass, forest green and the touch of pink in front of that (epic!) sideboard enliven the pale color scheme. The latte-colored linen sofa topped with creamy milk chocolate suede pillows make you want to sink right in.
Seriously need to find out where I can find that white sconce. As soon as I do will be sure to share. And that counter top? Swoon!
Another lighting home run. Don’t worry, I’m already frantically hunting for this one too.
And hello bedroom goals. The variety of textures in this space, from the wood paneling to the flannel, wool, leather and Mongolian sheep skin make it feel cozy and inviting. I’m adding this bed to my how to make your bed files. While I can appreciate homes that are packed with stuff, showcase collections or are decorated head to toe in art and family photos, I want a breath of fresh air when I get home. The world is chaotic enough. I’d like my little private universe to function as a respite that puts my mind at ease.
This house definitely does that for me. But what do you think? Are you down to simplify and create a cool minimalist space like this?
Note: This post is part of our Home Sellers’ Journey series, where we walk you through every step of selling a home during peak season. For the first post on how to get started once you’ve decided to sell, please go to Six Steps to Take Now to Get Your Home Ready to Sell.
For those of you returning from our last post, you already know to get started on repairs to the home and contact Homie so that your home can be listed, 1) without a real estate agent, and 2) without paying thousands of dollars in real estate agent fees. Once you enter your information, you’ll be contacted about all of the details before the listing is live. Booyah. You’re already saving money.
Before making your listing live, one of the first things we will do is send a professional photographer to take pictures of your home at no extra cost. We told you. We’ve got your back. But there is a step you are in charge of.
You prep the house visually, a process called staging.
Staging is arranging your home to show it off best, both during photo-shoots and during walk-throughs by potential buyers.
They say that in sales, appearance is everything. Yes, buyers know that your belongings will leave the home after the sale is final, but that doesn’t mean they’re capable of envisioning the house without your things. Clean lines, plenty of light, a lack of clutter—attention to details like this can affect your home’s sale price and how quickly it sells. Do yourself a favor and spend the effort to stage.
De-clutter and de-personalize
Model homes don’t have piles of only-kind-of-broken power tools or an elk-themed calendar with penned-in appointments for the month. Guess what? Neither should your home.
Now, before you get offended, let me state right off that I get it. You own your belongings for a reason—you like them. Well, calm down, because you still get to own them. You’re just moving them so they won’t be a distraction from the item you want getting all of the focus: the home you are selling.
Put your home on a pedestal so buyers can’t miss it!
Clear away items, stashing them in semi-permanent storage at a neighbor’s house or inside boxes in a non-conspicuous area. While you’re at it, empty out some closet space. That way, when you have a home showing, you can tuck away last-minute clutter items like Jill’s homework and Avery’s jar of pet ladybugs. You’ll likely need these items soon—though you may not want them—and having them in a closet is more handy than having to search through boxes.
Next, take down all decorations that you believe an interior designer would nix. That means that a good portion of your posters, refrigerator magnets, and mantle-top pieces need to go. Actually, who are we kidding? Take down all of the refrigerator magnets. Remove religious items and family photos. You want the house to view like a template, on which potential new owners can envision how their personal stamp would look.
Trim, but don’t clear, furniture
Buyers often have a parent, friend, or agent with them during a home tour, not to mention every member of their family; and they often stick together. This means a lot of bodies inside each room. Take a minute and inspect a bedroom inside your house. Can eight people gather inside it? If visitors don’t fit comfortably during the majority of the excursion, your home will be remembered as cramped and small. Give people space to walk around by getting rid of furniture. Professional home-stagers may remove up to half of the furniture in a house to improve its feel. If you think you’ll need it at your new place, consider getting a storage unit to house your things until your home is sold.
Trim, yes, but don’t get rid of everything. Empty homes feel small—sometimes as small as cluttered homes.
The trick is to allow enough room for visitors to roam and feel like they’ve explored the home, while giving a sense of how furniture fits in each space. Think of it like laying a maze with broad walkways. Leaving a bed inside a room is like inviting interested buyers to walk around and explore the other side of it. Once the area has been explored, the brain perceives the space as more “known.” Visitors have an intuitive awareness of how many strides were required to cover each section of the house—many more strides for a furnished home than an unfurnished one. If you have already moved out, you may consider renting a few staple pieces to place throughout the home.
Focus on your bathroom
Bathrooms have a stinky reputation. The last thing you want is a potential buyer wondering how long your moldy-smelling towels have been in there. Buy white towels, white rugs, some fancy soap and a new, plain shower curtain. Add a hint of color with a simple vase or other decoration. You might love these new additions to your arsenal of bathroom décor anyway!
Kitchens sell homes
You’ve already de-cluttered. Now go to your kitchen and give it an even more critical eye. Is there any item on the counter besides a decorative coffee maker or attractive toaster? If there is, remove it. Consider painting the backsplash or even upgrading to tile. Wipe down the outside of the cabinets. Wash and dry the sink so it’s free of water stains. Refrigerators should be blank on the outside. Leave out a plate of cookies for extra points!
Bust out, buy or borrow key items
Mirrors. They make space look bigger and show off how the buyers will literally look inside the home should they purchase it.
Lamps. Lighting is your friend. The more lighting options in a room, the merrier.
Landscape or abstract art with bold colors. One or two pieces per room are plenty.
Don’t forget curb-appeal
The front of your home is the first thing potential buyers will see. Sweep, mow the lawn, and plant flowers if the season is right. Spray the house free of dirt and fix anything that’s broken. De-clutter the yard. Often, our homes have bikes, garbage cans, and scooters piled around them. Move everything besides decorations to the back of the home.
Last minute to-do’s
You’ve done the hard part and now your home is ready to show. Great job! Now, try not to stress. No house will be perfect. You’ve come a long way in showing your home well and buyers will sense and appreciate that. Here are the last few to-do items. Get to what you can and pat yourself on the back.
De-clutter
Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature
Turn on all lights to make the home look bigger and more inviting
Clean the mirrors and most conspicuous windows
Set the table with nice plates and silverware for that extra wow reaction
Bake cookies or light fragrant candles
Walk the path of your visitors, from the curb to the front room and beyond, making minor fixes as you go
I keep talking about not stressing, but seriously? Don’t forget to clean the toilets. Deal. Breaker.
Check back here on the Homie Blog for the next installment of the Home-Sellers Journey. Coming soon: Got a Home for Sale? Don’t Call it Cozy. To get started selling your home, contact Homie today.
Last week I discussed how I’m surviving living in our unfinished renovation: trying to find places to organize amidst the chaos. Well, one of my best opportunities to do that was with my pantry. First off, I’m still in shock that I actually have a pantry. Nothing has ever made me feel more adult – not having the baby, buying the house…nope. It’s this massive space to organize canned goods that makes me feel like I just might finally have my sh** together. Jury’s still out.
But back to the design! So I have this large room – think of a giant shoe box, but with 10ft ceilings. I wanted the space to be highly functional and serve multiple purposes. Not only is it my primary storage for all food-stuffs, but I also wanted to create additional prep and work space for things like our coffee maker and kitchen tools we use less often like my KitchenAid mixer and my juicer (sadly. I keep swearing I’m going to start using it again!). To say I’m happy with the final result is a major understatement. But I won’t pretend to take all the credit for the final result. I called in the big guns for this job including California Closets to design the storage and Neat Method to help me get myself organized.
But let’s go back to the very beginning. Here’s where there room started out. This goes a whole year+ back to when our walls were still open.
You can kind of make out the frame of the pantry in the middle of the pic.
To make sure this space both worked perfectly and looked amazing I worked with designer Paige Gordon at the Bay Area California Closets to help devise the ultimate storage solution. It was not the easiest of tasks given the relatively narrow space, crazy ceiling height and the massive (original) window at the end of the room. Sadly, all that gorgeous molding actually limited some of our design options as we only had four inches of space along one wall.
To accommodate that, Paige designed a double stack of floor to ceiling shelving on the left hand wall as you enter the doorway. It left a little space between the shelves and the window (how we used it, I’ll get to in a minute). I also wanted to include wine storage because it’s real purdy (and it is how all mothers of toddlers survive). The x-shaped wine boxes Paige designed offer the maximum amount of space and look like a wine cellar. It’s also up off the floor to stay away from tiny fingers. Love.
On the right-hand wall we added closed storage for some of the less pretty things, a section of baskets for things like fruit, potatoes and linens as well counter space that runs wall to wall. Happy dance! A bit of open shelving at a lower height is perfect for things like art & crafts supplies for my kiddo. All the shelving heights are adjustable to accommodate changing storage needs. With this design, the room is fully utilized and maximized. All of the California Closets cabinetry is in white finish with a slight faux wood grain. Like I said about our laundry room, when I think of utilitarian spaces I think white and bright and I’m so happy with the result. But let’s get back to the fun part – the after!
I also wanted to put in open shelving as it’s my favorite thing ever. I turned to a carpenter to create shelves for the space above the California Closet cabinetry. I wanted to use natural wood to warm up the room and match some open shelving that will also go in the kitchen. I’m so thrilled with the result.
When it came to getting my organization game together as it pertains to everything that was actually going into this room, I turned to Neat Method. They are an amazing service staffed with professional organizers that will come to your house, inventory everything you already have, help you figure what else you should have and then devise a plan about how to store it not only effectively (aka easily accessible, easy to see, easy to keep track of what you need), but also to make your organization beautiful. Added bonus: they don’t just tell you how to to it. If you need, they’ll actually do it for you. Hello crazed, overworked, overbooked mom savior from heaven! I mean, just look at my shelves.
This is proof positive that everything looks better decanted. Packaging will just make your eyes cross. I love the uniformity and zen quality of everything being in the same type of container. We may have gone a bit glass jar crazy, but I love it. And each jar is labeled. I went with white written directly on the jar for a more subtle look. Cooking instruction for whatever is inside each jar is simply tucked inside at the back. (The label can be changed with a just a bit of rubbing alcohol). Baskets on the upper shelves contain more random things, cleaning supplies that need to stay out of a toddler’s reach and the stuff I use really infrequently. All organized and labeled of course.
The great thing about a pantry like this, as Lisa Ruff my Neat Method guru explained to me, is that everything is visible. When things are hidden you forget about them and don’t use them. This leads to things going bad and a lot of waste. Now I know what is at my fingertips at all times. All my food stuffs are organized into sections. Nuts, grains, pastas, baking, snacks, canned fruits or veggies. It’s made grocery shopping so much more efficient because now I know exactly what I need and I can avoid the annoyance of being in the middle of a recipe and not having a necessary ingredient.
Now I also have space for paper goods and my ever-growing collection of pitchers and vases. It is so amazing to finally have places for all that stuff to go!
One of my favorite moments in the room is right as you walk in the door. Just to your left I hung picture rail shelves to display my collection of cookbooks. It’s so fun to get to see the covers because that’s why you buy a cookbook half the time anyway, am I right? While I started with three shelves, my collection is so big I’m thinking I’m going to have to add a couple more above. Thank goodness for step ladders!
So there you have it. While the rest of my house looks like we moved in yesterday (not nearly 5 months ago), my pantry is currently my little happy place. I may just go and stand in there from time to time. No judgements.
Oh and if you are in need of some organization help, right now you can get a FREE consultation from the Neat Method. Just mention Apartment 34 when you contact them (which you can do right here).
For the rest of the updates about our remodel CLICK HERE or to read about the history of our historic San Francisco Victorian CLICK HERE
original photography for apartment 34 by michelle drewes