What To Do When You Hate Your House

April 3, 2012

One option would be to move, however this family bought the house for the perfect neighborhood. Sometimes all a home needs is a good canvas to start with. The house was plain and lacked even the simplest architectural elements.



 
 


 

 
 With the addition of some simple architectural details and comfortable furnishings the family has fallen in love with their home!



 
Just adding built-in book shelves in the living room as well as crown molding, nice high baseboard molding, and paneling on the lower quarter of the walls downstairs makes a HUGE difference and is surprisingly inexpensive to do.


 



 
 
If you are willing to put in some work yourself, it could be a do-it-yourself project.

The fireplace started as a very generic and outdated 70's style flat box.


 
We transformed it into the focal point of the living room by extending it out from the wall all the way to the ceiling, adding some paneling, and finishing it off with a fabulous Pietro Grigio stone facade that angles into the box as a very simple yet sophisticated detail.


 
Adding sconces for lighting on either side highlights everything. 



 Before


 After
 
This is the Dining Room, transformed with just paint, drapes, and pendant lights.

There's always a way to transform a blah house...Just let me know if you need any help!

-Lori
  
 
 

Frank Gehry Recycled?

March 31, 2012

Yes! Frank Gehry designed and fabricated classic pieces out of cardboard and you can too!


 
I decided to try my hand at this fabulous table. 


 
Instead of a large table or desk, I fabricated a console which is just as long but not quite as deep. 

The first step was to stockpile my cardboard. I ended up using 12 sheets that were approximately  30" x 60" each. If you don't think you can save this much yourself, you can easily purchase recycled cardboard sheets at an art supply store such as Blick.


 
N...
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The New Chalk Art...

March 27, 2012

Is very much alive and well!


 
It's being used by hip hotels in New York (Ace Hotel above),


 
and by big brands like Ralph Lauren and Rugby for product launches.

The artist behind this lovely chalk lettering is Dana Tanamachi from Brooklyn, New York. You can read about her here.

But why not create some of your own.


 
If you have a budding artist in the family, it can be a piece of art that changes with the seasons.


 
If you don't want a permanent wall painted, just paint a canvas with chalkboard paint ...

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Big Daddy

March 22, 2012

Big Daddy's Antiques is the perfect name for this big daddy of a shop!


 
In addition to selling at the best flea markets in California, they have been in business for over 20 years selling out of their Los Angeles warehouse and opened their San Francisco warehouse about 1 year ago.


 
The owner travels throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia sourcing large unique architectural elements and antiques to stock the shops.


 
Big Daddy's also has a large custom business. You pick the table base, they make t...

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The Shop Is Open!

March 21, 2012

The Design Salon Shop is finally open!


 
It's taken a while and I wasn't sure if I should wait until every possible item is ready, but I decided to open up and regularly add to the offerings as I go.


 
The Design Salon Shop resides in the Etsy marketplace. For those of you that do not know Etsy, it is a vintage and handmade marketplace who's mission is to empower people (very very small businesses) to change the way the global economy works, make it more sustainable, and more fun. Certainly I hav...
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Circle

March 16, 2012

I stopped by one of my favorite haunts today, Urban Ore, looking through lots of other people's trash, always looking for treasures.


 
Jackpot!


 
It is a very LARGE, old, rusted and warm ring with a very soft feel.


 
It's about 48 inches in diameter, the band is about 3 inches wide and it is a very heavy gauge steel.


 
It would look incredible just hanging on a stark white wall (very modern...rustic yet minimalist).



Imagine a beautiful rusted steel circle above this sofa,




on your mantel,

  

  


 
It would a...

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A Slice of Orange

March 13, 2012

I have always loved the color orange in a home...


 
It only takes one POP!


 
It could be in a blanket,


 
on a chair,


 
just a pillow,


 
or a painting.

One of my clients is just finishing up her retro modern kitchen and sprinkled it in the back splash. The tile is from one of my favorite resources;  Ann Sacks.


 

 
It suits her and her family perfectly!
 

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A New Star is Born

March 9, 2012



 
Last week I was invited to the first art exhibit of a young man I have known since he was in grade school. I was always enthralled by the projects he had going; all quite advanced and all taking huge amounts of patience. The end results were always incredible.


Pillars of Creation - Eagle Nebula 
 
After graduating from UC Davis Elliot went on to Hastings Law School in San Francisco where he will finish in June and take the BAR exam shortly thereafter. 


Creation Nebula
  

Seeing Elliot's...
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$4. For A Smile

March 6, 2012

All you need are 20 stems of Daffodils (available for about $4. at your local grocery or florist), a small container, and some ribbon or twine.


 
Cut your Daffodils to the height you prefer for your container,


 
wrap the ribbon or twine around the stems about 3 or 4 times (starting the wrap where the top of your container will be),


 
tie a square knot (right over left...left over right), 


  
place them in your container that you've partially filled with water.


 
Voila! They'll be blooming in a couple o...

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Somebody...snatch these up!

March 2, 2012

I was out hunting for my list of client items when I came across two steals! 

I would have snatched them up myself, but I'd need another house just to store things.


 
At the Crate and Barrel Outlet in Berkeley they have this fabulous long console table for $200.


 
All it needs is a top!


 
I'm picturing a zinc wrapped top that could be done VERY EASILY and inexpensively.


 
This is what I'm picturing it looking like. 


 

 
Then I spotted this Travertine marble indoor/outdoor coffee table top marked down to ...

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About Me

As an Interior Designer, I am constantly looking for new ways of re-purposing and re-using what people already have as well as finding new resources for affordable furnishings. This is just a place to share great resources, ideas, information about the trades, and ways of doing things yourself to help make your own home fabulous! 

- Lori Pepe-Lunché,  more about me...


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