Design Dilemma {Update}

I've made a little progress on the former wet bar situation in my new condo.

 

 

When we last spoke (here) about this little space it was looking pretty sad. 

 

 

The former owners had taken out the wet bar (see the plumbing?) and put in a sweet makeshift "desk" using a piece of plywood covered with peel-n-stick stainless steel sheeting.  So chic :)

 

The walls were also very yellowish.  You can see my paint samples sitting on the mantel.  Not yellow. 

 

 

Everything has since been removed from that little niche, the walls painted a crisp white (BM Distant Gray) and I bought this little chest that fills the space nicely and provides some great storage.

 

 

(sorry about the crappy iphone photos)

 

 

You guys gave me a lot of great ideas for the space and some of them are still very strong possibilities. But I needed to get the living room sort of finished and this works for now. 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of you suggested shelves...like some rough, natural wood floating shelves like these:

 

 

 

 

 

My {adult} kids voted for a bar like the one below.  Shocker ;)

 

 

 

 

But since the space is right next to my bookcases where there is already a lot going on, I decided that adding shelves so close to the bookcases just wasn't right for me. 

I need clean and simple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I shoot a lot of photos around town...if you follow me on Instagram, you already know this.  These two below are a couple of favorites from the beach at Pacific Palisades and the Hollywood sign on a cloudy day.

I ordered a couple of prints and had some custom mats cut at a local framing shop.

 

 

Far from professional, but I like them and I think they look nice in the space. 



So there you have it. Design dilemma solved for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  You know I'm not a designer, so I can't really call it "styling", but I'm always "restyling" (aka changing stuff around) here, so it hardly ever looks the same for very long.  I change my mind a lot....do you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you're having a great week and as always,

thanks for stopping by.

 

 

#notaprilfools

 

 

xo

 

~Karen~

 

 

 



Bookcases {In My Case, Less Styling More Books}

So tricky, yet so pleasant (when done right).

My bookcases are less stylish and more workhorse.  While I love a beautifully styled bookcase, in my small condo, I don't have the luxury of having a lot pretty stuff on them. 
I need them to store my BOOKS. 

I got the idea to use two Ikea Expedits from Meg Lonergan's four stacked units in the photo below.  I'm sure everyone has seen this by now...it's been around for awhile and in many publications.

  

So brilliant.  I mean really, that's a LOT of books.  And I think they look fantastic!

I don't have nearly as many books, but I wanted them all in these units.  As you know, I'm not a fan of clutter, so I needed this space to look clean and organized. 

I started with all of the white-ish books in the top two center cubbies.

Then all of the black books in the bottom, just above the two baskets (which are great for storage). 

I placed the colorful books together in sections of reds, blues and greens.
All of the children's books are in the bottom cubbies
(where there will soon be tiny ones who can reach them :)   

These are all books that I used to read to my kids.  They're all tattered and loved up, like childrens' books should be :)

I still have books stacked throughout my place and some of the decorative stuff will probably have to go soon since I keep getting more books.  But for now everything fits pretty well in these two units.



Can't believe it's Wednesday already.  This week is flying!

As always, thanks for visiting.

#footballisover

#countdowntobaseballseason

xo

~Karen~



New Lamp {West Elm love}

I stole a great line from Sherry Hart (Design Indulgence) and it's ok because she stole it too! 

I'm "auditioning" this lamp for this corner of my living room.  In L.A. where everyone is auditioning for something, it's especially appropriate.

Yes, I realize the plastic is still on.  I'm taking it off soon.  When I'm sure.   ;)

I've had this big empty corner to work with.  I've tried a few different things here but nothing too thrilling.  I think I've finally found a winner with this new floor lamp from one of my favorite stores, West Elm.
 

I have to tell you though, when I first started thinking about this lamp about six months ago, it was $169.  It's now $229.  I used some discount codes, free shipping and a gift card (thanks Katie ;) so I got it for a little less cash out of my pocket.  But still, that's a pretty hefty price increase.

 

I like that it's tall because my ceilings are tall and I needed some height in the space.  And it's adjustable so I can change the height if necessary.  I also like that it has two lightbulbs so you can have different levels of light.  And I've got a pretty good mix of modern and traditional going, so I think it might work.

Did I mention that I get afternoon sunlight?  It's pretty cool.  I get to watch the beautiful Los Angeles sunset every evening. 
It's one of my favorite things about my place.

The weekend is almost here, friends! 

Hope you have a great one.

#superbowlsunday

#itslikeanationalholiday

xo

~ Karen ~



Ikea ~ The Return of the Frosta

I don't know about you, but I missed the Ikea Frosta stool the first time around.

 

 

 

I recently (probably a year ago now, because time flies like a mother these days) started crushing on this great little stool and could not figure out why I couldn't buy one.  Not available in the US.  Why?  It's always been available in the UK and all over Europe, but not here.  Not fair. 

 

 

Recently I've read in several places that it's coming back on February 1, 2014 as part of Ikea's new spring collection, Brakig.  This is pretty exciting. 

So many possibilities.

 

 

 

Part of the collection includes this desk with copper legs and wood top.

 

 

 

 

And pastel pink modern open shelves.

 

 

Ikea just gets it.

 

 

 

 

Hope you're having a great week.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

#returnofthefrosta

 

~ Karen ~





Woodyliana {Pillows} and More Cougar Town Love

I'm super excited about a package I received from the amazing Woodyliana.

But first, check this out.  I'm always surprised by how many people I've met who love the Cougar Town painting.   

Here she is at her normal home, Omega Cinema Props.

 

 

In Jules' living room on the set of Cougar Town.

 

 

In my living room, the painting I had a friend paint for me.

If you are new to the blog or haven't previously read about my mad love for the painting, you can check it out here and here.

 

I bring this up because I've recently found another friend with a similar attraction to the painting.  Liana of Woodyliana Textiles!  You may know her from her former etsy shop and I blogged about her awhile ago when I bought these Betwixt beauties from her.
 

 

As Mary Ann of Classic Casual Home says, Li is the Pillow Master!  In case you're not quite convinced of her pillow mastery, here are some of her lovelies:

 

 

Classic Casual Home

 

 

 Classic Casual Home - One Room Challenge

 

Classic Casual Home - Vervain Ishtar

Those lumbars in Vervain Ishtar might possibly be my all time favorite pillows.  I was sad that Mary Ann wasn't selling them at her moving sale. 

So imagine my surprise when Li texted me this morning and sent a picture of this:
 

 

How awesome is this?  Li painted it after being inspired by the original Cougar Town painting she saw on TV and by the one my friend painted for me that Li had seen in my living room.  She customized the size to fit a specific space in her home (that corner in her living room where she used to photograph her pillows for her etsy shop, for those of you who remember that).  I love this size and now I want it!

I also love how she blended the colors and the drips...it's all so great!   I just love it and I'm amazed at Li's many talents!

OK, so back to the pillows.  No matter how many I have, I never seem to have the right ones.  However, I firmly believe one can never have too many pillows (holla!) so I am always excited to buy more. 

 

I purchased this gorgeous fabric from Kravet last year and for the life of me I can't remember the name of it.

 

 

It's a yummy wool blend paisley, with black, cream and gold. 

 

I sent the fabric to Li and voila, a glorious package arrived.

Seriously, isn't her packaging beautiful?  I always kinda hate destroying it to get to the goodies inside.

 

So much attention to detail.

 

 

 

  

   

My crummy iPhone photos do not do them justice at all.  I really need to learn my new camera...I've been saying that for almost a year. 

 

I am so pleased with how the pillows turned out. 

They are soft and cozy....the perfect wintery touch in my mostly white living room (it's 84 today, but whatever).

 

If you want the best, Liana the Pillow Master is your girl.

 

Hope you're having a great week!

As always, thanks for stopping by.

#youcanneverhavetoomanypillows

xo

~Karen~



Hello Again {I'm still here}

Hello Friends! 

It has been so long!  Hope you are well.  Did not plan to take such a long hiatus, but, you know....moving is hard!

Where were we last time?  Oh yeah, you all were kindly helping me with this design dilemma...the ugly former wet bar turned cheesy half-assed desk.  Funky in a bad way.

You all had some fantastic ideas!  If you missed them, check back to the post and see all the great suggestions.


As per usual for me, I cannot make a decision without taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R, so here is what the space currently looks like:

I had the upper cabinet and everything else (except the plumbing) taken out.  With the fresh paint, it looks really clean and fresh, which I like.  This will do for now.    
No idea what will come next.

However, I do like the idea of something like this:

(Grey and Scout)

A small chest with a tall arrangement and some art would fill the space nicely and give me some much needed storage.  Been looking for one that is just the right size.


I have also made a little progress with my books.  Still have more books in storage, but making headway.

(sorry for the crummy iphone pics...too lazy to learn to use my nice camera ;)

 

If you follow me on Instagram (@homesweethollywood), you know that I finally made a decision on a rug for the living room.  Was hemming and hawwing (are those real words?) but got a much needed kick in the pants when West Elm put all rugs on sale 30% off!  Funny how that works.

 

 

 

 West Elm's Amer Wool Dhurrie rug, which is deceiving because it's not wool.  It's a beautiful linen and cotton blend that is hand-dyed so there are many different shades of blue.  I knew in a minute it was perfect for my room.  Done :)


So that's what I've been up to...how about you?  How has your summer been?  It flew by for me in a blur of boxes, packing paper and bubble wrap. 

If you're still here, thanks for hanging around!  I really look forward to hearing from you.  Have a great weekend.

#helloagain

xo

~Karen~