Five things you'll want to use in 2013

The holiday vacation is over.  Sigh.  And it's time to roll up the sleeves in what my Dad would call "hunker down time".   The start of the year brings all the "best of" lists out from every direction. It also gets me thinking about all the new things hitting us daily and how to best sort through them.  So I decided to pass along five new resources that I think help a gal out, or at least they help this gal out.  Here goes....

Drum roll please....

My first favorite new resource is...

I discovered it to a few months ago and passed it along to friends and now, count it part of my morning ritual.  It's a daily recap of the top news stories told in the most refreshing, fun way.  Seriously, they made the fiscal crisis....dare I say it... funny?  Check it out.   It'll help you with the water cooler talk.  

My second favorite new resource is...

This was in Martha Stewart in November as an award winner for their Made in America Awards.  It's genius. Once a member of the site, you follow favorite artists then they'll find other artwork and artists you'll like based on your selections. It's like Pandora for art.  Check it out. 

And my third favorite new(ish) resource is ....

No wait, come back...This may be old news for you but if you didn't become a pinterest acolyte in 2012, it's not too late!  It's really great for everything-fashion, home decor, heck even recipes! Think of it as the love child of a scrapbook and mood board. It's easy and fun and a HUGE black hole where hours of your life will go but you'll have fantastic cool boards in return. 

My fourth favorite new resource is actually two new resources geared for the younger gals.

For recent grads, this has a ton of cool information, it's really well executed and is a good connector for women.  I did a piece for them on the importance of business cards and became really impressed with the way they present information in such a fresh way.   Another website that is also geared for the millennium girl is and really well done is....Check them both out.  

My last favorite new resource is....

Ted's been in my life for a few years but I love love love their new playlists geared at different topics. Before a big trip, I would spend some time downloading speakers or lectures relating to my travels but  this eliminates that task-yippee!  You can also download favorite talks from everyone from Bono to Philippe Stark. 

What's your favorite new resource?

Live large, 

Frances 

Five Quotes To Inspire the New Year

Decorating any size place whether studio apartment or a big hunker of a house gets a gal thinking about how she wants to live differently.  A new year brings up similar feelings.  Like an empty apartment that is one big blank space that just begs for mood boards and floor plans to be made, I like to sit down before the tsunami of NYC life hits and set up some Big Thoughts for the year.   It's too easy to end up barricaded behind big to-do piles and ambitious January resolutions so I started gathering some quotes to help guide my way.   ps  Quote lovers-if you have any good ones, post in the comments section.  Am always lookin' out for good ones.  

Happy New Year!

Live large, 

Frances 

Hiring for a home repair help?

There's a reason why there are cocktail napkins that say "Do you know where my contractor is."

Hiring someone for ANY size home repair or renovation project can be nail biting for all of us, even those use to talking about it.  While all of us have a punch list of projects we'd like to get started on, the process of finding someone really good can send a gal to pop an aspirin.  Don't we all worry the estimate will run over?  And isn't there hand wringing once we get estimates as to who to pick??  As we know, you get what you pay for but what about if you have no idea what the fair market value is?
HomeAdvisor to the rescue.

This FREE site for consumers can search for pre-screened service professionals using their ProFinder service so let them play PI and look into their criminal record, finances and appropriate licensing.   You have better things to do like check the Pro Reviews and read from real customers what their experience was like. Then like match.com, they set up service providers with homeowners based on the homeowners needs. With over 300 different types of projects categories, you'll find your help here.

One thing contractors go on and on about is how the customer doesn't always have realistic expectations and I think it's because most of us haven't ever dealt with a broken water heater before or rewiring a room or whatever needs to be done.  To help homeowners, they have a killer new Cost Guide tab that allows you to look at what different services costs from real people around the country. This is sooo helpful because if I get a bid for painting that is way under or over what's listed here, it helps me ask better questions (did you include primer? one coat of paint or two?).

Lastly, because home emergencies never happen at a good time, they have a Home911 app that puts you in touch with someone at HomeAdvisor 24/7 and find the support you need for say... Thanksgiving night when the oven goes out.  Just saying...

And there (FREE) tools are coming like a design space that allows homeowners to create a folder full of inspirational images for their contractor to better understand what they want and we'll even be able to create a mood board for each room in just a few months.

This is one site worth shouting about.

Live large,

Frances

Paint, Fabric, Skype (?) -It's the latest decorating tool.

Skype hosted an event in rainy NYC yesterday showing all the ways creative types use to further their cause. Like everyone else, I'd used it to call friends but hadn't really thought beyond that and perhaps interviewing the summer interns.  While I could see the use for it with conference calls, it was filed away in my brain as a tool like a wrench, used every once in a while.

But the event gave me pause and got me thinking of how I could better utilize this tool as a freelance editor/consultant.  

There was Pamela Love having a weekly conference call with her team.  Ok we're all seen this application but I loved how she could create an agenda that they can all see.  Love meetings with order + a plan!

That was followed up by the lovely (and fellow North Carolina native) Mary Helen Bowers, founder of Ballet Beautiful.   She showed how she uses Skype to train clients so unlike a DVD, she can lead them in excercises and interact to encourage or correct should the client need it.  (If I could look like her, I'd be willing to try!) She trained Natalie Portman for her role in Black Swan so she's the real deal.  

Then makeup artist, Pati Dubroff, gave great tips on how to look your best on-camera.  My favorite take-aways:  Keep the camera eye level so no weird under eye shadows. For me, that means bringing my laptop up on a stack of books.   Go easy on the makeup as all the colors are saturated (hold the red lipstick for something else).  Get lots of warm, natural light, if possible around you but not overhead to help you look your best.  

Afterwards we headed to the kitchen where the uber cool chef, Christina Tosi from Momofuku Milk Bar, was "there" via Skype giving us cooking lessons.  Now, I've been known to lug my computer into the kitchen to get the skinny on how to chop some weird vegetable or learn some new cooking technique, but now I can Skype a chef (or Mom would also work) to find out if I am really doing the dish right. 

The event was hosted by the lovely Pippa Lord from Sous Style whose own site is now one of my daily reads. 

Thanks, Skype! I can't wait to try out these applications in real life.  For a client who needs a place styled, I can take a "tour" with her.  Or I can show inspirations for a shoot like wallpaper swatches or props to a client.   I can show tastemakers in my life my gallery wall and get their take on it.  I can show a design partner in San Francisco a product that I want to design.  Can't you see the uses in your life?  Off to Skype....

Live large, 

Frances 

Open for Business

Like one of those Austin Powers movies, I've returned to blogging from (almost) a year off with an outdated haircut and clothes from long ago (well, 2011).    Who was it that said life happens when you are off planning?  A long trip to Africa set in motion a much needed break then it was a busy job that kept me in lock down but in August I took the leap and left that gig to pursue some new opportunities.  It's exciting to be back like a kid's first day at summer camp.  What a difference a year makes though.... Twitter still raging, pinterest (my fave) emerged and took off, tumblr (can anyone do this as well as Beyonce??) and Facebook went public and sorta bombed (definitely did not see that coming way back in 2011).  I'm sure there is some other social platform that I can't think of that every first grader is already doing every day.....

But one trend that seems to be EVERYWHERE is living well in small spaces.     

Ikea started the year off by devoting their entire 2012 catalog to small space living. 

House Beautiful has their annual July/August issue devoted to small spaces which is always chocked full of loveliness. 

California Home + Design magazine this month is hosting a design showhouse featuring tons of ideas for small dwellings from 8 top designers.  Take a tour now & get ready to be inspired.  

And a FUN, new You Tube channel called SpacesTV features (some shockingly) small spaces. Check out this  300 square foot apartment owned by a photographer in NYC and how she made it cool. 

Living in 400 square feet myself serves as my incubator for decorating ideas that's constantly evolving.  It's my biggest inspiration for blogging and encouraging others to give it a try. 

Want see more?  Check out my small space board on Pinterest for daily inspiration.  If I am not answering calls, you know that I am lost in pinterestland.....

So come back. I'll make it worth your time. 

Live large, 

Frances 

House Paint Low Down

One of the side effects of working at a lifestyle magazine is the itch to decorate comes up a lot.  As I posted a few weeks ago, I recently painted my apartment after one too many years and it's like getting the best high lights (that will mean something to you blonds out there).  Having worked with lots of paint companies and with designers who are passionate about a particular hue, I practiced what I preached and took my time making the final selection.  More than any other thing, I get questions about paint color.  Everyone (even interior designers & stylists) seem to get a touch nervous about what to do.  The standard advise is to pick a few colors and paint them on your wall (or get large swatches) and live with them for a few days to see how you feel before making the plunge.  Good advise that no one seems to follow.  Watching Bravo's Millionaire Decorator show one evening, I was struck by how even they didn't yield to this advise.  In one scene, fancy pancy designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard walked in as a second coat was being applied and didn't like it so much yet he had to deal with it since the clients were on their way in.   Another blogger friend recently told me she advises everyone doing a renovation to include a paint "redo" since at least one room won't turn out right.   Fair enough but considering how important paint is, it's still better to try and get it wrong than not paint at all.

Here are a few things that I have learned from years of paint stories and my own recent painting experience.  Hope they help to make a happy painting experience!

#1  Color Confused?  Another blog I'll talk about paint selection but definitely bring home samples of colors (either swatches or small bins of paint that you can paint a wall with to see how you feel living with it.  Look at it in the morning and night.  Look at it with your furniture and fluff.  Does it go cold on you?  Or turn another color as the light pales?  Does it seem "off" or not as sunny as you wanted... Consider all this after living with the color options for at least a few days.  Not just painting the walls but the ceiling, wainscoting, floors or exterior?   That affects which paint you should use as well.

There are so many different paint companies so check out a big box store's selection with the big boys (Benjamin Moore, Sherwood Williams, Behr etc) and also the smaller paint companies like Farrow & Ball, CB2, Sunny's Paints, Yolo.  Like beauty companies, everyone has one standout color or product and different price points.  Is it a kids' playroom that you want to be no or low voc (aka eco friendly) or is it an area you want to splurge a bit?  A gallon of paint can range from $25 -140; that's quite a difference.

#2  The final result is only as good as the time you (or your painters) took to prep the walls.
While painting the walls is the fun part, it's not the most important.  Take  everything off the walls and check the condition. Fill in the holes if you have them.  Do you need to skim coat?  If so, apply a thin layer of plaster to improve the wall's appearance.   Some paint has primer in it but if not, put one down. It'll help the paint be its best.  Also, consider your baseboards or moldings and prep them as well. Seriously, this is where people skip or get lazy but it's like a lined pair of pants versus unlined; it makes a world of difference.  Factor in a day to do this part. I promise you, it'll be worth it.

#3  Hire someone.  I know, I know.... it's just painting, right?  But unless you are Really Meticulous, I would recommend hiring someone to get that professional look.  If you can't score a painter recommendation from a reliable person,  explore CraigsList which has tons of service folks. Check out their websites first and call a former client if possible.  I HIGHLY recommend a face to face visit to walk through the area with the painter so they'll really be in to give you a proper estimate and foresee any roadblocks.

#4 Keep some extra paints for touch ups as accidents do happen.  Also, keep the color swatch somewhere safe in case your memory fades and you want to repaint the same color.

Now, step back and enjoy your gorgeous new hue! I know that I am... 

Live large, 

Frances 

Art is so personal.  What makes a Picasso is a discussion I'll let others lead but I am grateful to art and people who live with it.  In my recent apartment spruce up, I looked around and realized that like having an aol email (yes, it's true and yes, it's still in business) and mom jeans, art can get dated or no longer represent my current "vibe."

So I did something really effective;  I took every single piece down.  Suddenly my freshly painted walls were feeling like a blank canvas and I allowed myself to think of new ways to arrange my favorite pieces and I parted with a few that had supplied their joy and needed new homes.

I found that some pieces just needed a new frame while others needed new arranging as some pieces were just ok or even silly on their own but in a pack, throw a punch.  As a big believer in the gallery wall for art,  it shows instant personality, especially when the gallery is full of personal articfacts and pitcutres.   West Elm has the best frames with lovely linen backing that look much more expensive than alternatives found at Target and start at $12.  Keeping the frames all one color like black or white crossed another decision off the list  (though I love to mix in some metal like below too).

A mass of frames is nice but adding in a few non framed items to keep things more interesting.  Here's a picture of a cool picture tacked up with Japanese tape that makes instant art so charming.

Need art but wondering where to go?  Art isn't something that I go to the mall and get but rather pick up a piece here and there and it tells the story of my travels in ways that words don't. On the hunt for new pieces, I've been hitting art schools like SCAD which features student works and ships nationwide. If you are lucky enough to have an art school in your town, consider contacting the school to see when their next student show is.  You could be buying the next great thing for a song.

Like Match.com for dating or streamline.com for ordering takeout, 20x200 brings great art home. They give artists a way to sell their creations as prints but still retains the cool factor because only 200 are actually printed.   (You'll also be seeing their program with West Elm this fall but definitely check out their own site as well for the very best selection.)

 Zatista is another online retailer that brings art to your front door and has a wide collection of art presented.   Lastly, VintageandModern has terrific art too.  Am a big fan of their photography in particular.


Life large and with great art,
Frances

For the Love of Ikea

Have you gotten it yet?  The 2012 catalog arrived the other day and found a renewed place on top of my limited sqare footage resource list.  Small space dwellers rejoice!  On the catalog, it sums up my decorating mantra.  "A home doesn't need to be big, just smart." Amen to that.

Ikea breaks it down into a few key ideas that maximize every inch for us. Here they are:

Idea #1)  Get more storage & counter space in the kitchen with their efficient kitchen islands.

Idea #2) Use your vertical space when looking for more room like lofting bunk beds for additional space below. 

Idea #3) Put your walls to work with hanging shelves, hooks, cabinets etc.

Idea #5) Look for pieces that have multiple uses and don't take up as much room like 2 chaises instead of 1 sofa in the middle of a room.  

Idea #6) Dream big!  Want that proper closet in your bedroom?  Bet they can make it happen so you don't always have to forgo those nesting dreams just because the space is small. 

Check out all their smart ideas at ikea-usa.com/smallspaces 

Best line in the catalog-"With foldable, flexible, stackable, movable and climb-up-on-the-topable furniture, a small room can transform into whatever you need it to be."

Live large, 

Frances

What's cooking in the kitchen?

On the hunt for new recipes, I stumbled upon this lovely blog, Big Girls, Small Kitchen, perfectly suited to us small kitchen folks.  Here's the skinny on them:

Aren't they adorable?  And good for them for finding joy in starter apartment kitchens.  (Besides, while I may not be in my 20s anymore and I've lived in five or so apartments, the kitchen doesn't seem to be getting much bigger from my first walk up.) Who says you have to have a kitchen island and every tool known to man to produce great food anyway?  As a design nut, I'm always interested in how folks use and organize their cooking space. Here's how they did theirs:

(I agree with Phoebe's love of her Le Creuset). 

I, too, have only 1 drawer so understand how thrilled she must be with her new kitchen.   Thanks for the inspiration, girls! 

Live large, 

Frances

Supper's Served

Maybe it's too much time reading Food & Wine, Saveur and Food Network but I can't get out of the kitchen.   With the best of summer on sale at the green market, it's the time of year that I crave friends hanging out on the sofa drinking Arnold Palmers and eating tomato pie + ice cream sandwiches.   Luckily, friends have been humoring me to join the summer feast so I have reason to break out the cooking guns.  Saturday, my market basket was brimming with scallops (for ceviche), corn (for corn pudding) and tomatoes (for bruschetta or BLTs or tomato pie or gazpacho - I can't decide).  The problem with this kind of cooking is when the party is over and I'm faced with a random mix of foods in the fridge. What's a girl gonna do?  

She's going to go over to gojee for a frugal chef's answer to a prayer.  This ingenious site allows you to plug in what's in that fridge or kitchen cabinet then scans all the blogs and sites for recipes to use what you have.  You can even link up to your grocery store card so it knows what you're buying. Really hate one ingredient?  It lets you list so you won't get sent any recipes with that ingredient.  For this techno newbie, it's like Bourne Identify meets Julia Childs.  Happy Cooking!

Live large, 

Frances 

Favorite Apps

Summer interns always entertain me. They do those tasks that I dread and get excitement over things like taking the subway and meetings.  This summer I have the pleasure of working with a sassy gal who hails from New Orleans.  Here's a few apps that Miss Summer Intern has put me onto that I love:

Palettes:  Take a picture of a sunset or any favorite image and it'll break down the colors used.  

Benjamin Moore's Color Capture: Tells you what any color is.  

Units: For those of us not so math inclined. 

And Run Pee

No joke.  There is an app called "Runpee" that tells you when to make a run for the loo during a movie. It tells you the time (62:8 minutes) and the line that is said to cue you to start out the door. 

I would also add What the font as a new favorite of mine.  Font obsessed, it tells me what it is or a close version.  

Better yet? They are all free. 

Live large, 

Frances 

Small Spaces Resource

Check out House Beautiful's latest issue all on small spaces.  And check out the cover... they're using my tag-"Living large in small spaces."  It's a great issue with tons of ideas and resources.  Check it out, especially my fave, Nick Olsen, who decked out a 275 square foot apartment that I am gaga over.   Well done, Nick!

Live large, 

Frances 

Hipster housekeeping

This past weekend at the Festival of New Ideas, I met a charming young lady, Kate Payne, who is trying her hand as the 2.0 Martha Stewart.  

She's written a guide for all things related to the home after relocating to Brooklyn and being short on cash (sound familiar anyone?).  The guide hits on just about every thing related to the home-decorating, cleaning, entertaining, daily cooking and more.  Written in the same voice as your best friend when asked how to make her favorite brownie recipe, she also tosses out budget tips  like not buying commercial household cleaners but mix your own using white vinegar and water for the most effective, cheaper cleaner. Yes, I've heard a few times before but she really makes the case well.  Considering we're not out of the Great Recession yet (ok, Wall Street may be but the rest of us are still waiting curbside for a bit of action) her tips are a reminded of how living simply and with style can co-exist. 

The  Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking

and you can buy it at any of these places...

Her blog has a lot of cool info on it too. Check our her links to love and how to set up a food swap. Both are enough to make me want to cancel all my social outings this week and stay home to pickle things  It's also part of the homegrown.org site which is choked full of resources too. 

A+ Kate!

Live large, 

Frances 

  

5 new reasons to love CB2

CB2, Crate & Barrel's version of IKEA, sits almost on the border of SOHO and Chinatown in New York. It's the sort of store that you enter, needing nothing yet buying $100 worth of stuff.  Like their big sister chain, Crate & Barrel, they send out catalogs and have a cool website but like most things, it's always better in person.  Was in there last week and fell in love with 5 new cool things, adding to the growing reason to keep this store on your radar.

Super cool ceramic lanterns start at 19.95.

Small space dwellers rejoice!  The max mandarin ottoman pulls open to a twin bed.  Guess there is room for that crazy college friend to visit after all. $499

For those lucky folks looking to spruce up their outdoor spaces, the new twin side tables pack a punch at $59 for a set.

And how ADORABLE are these planters?  Equally adorable? Their sale price of $10.95. 

Bill Blass said, "When in doubt, wear red."  I think the same is true in the home.  A hit of red adds a bit of "oomph" to an interior.  (Not to mention extra storage).

I know.. .we've all "seen the tubs".. in Pottery Barn, Target, Crate & Barrel.. blah blah.  This one hits my design fancy and at $24, seems like a nice replacement to the Coleman cooler for future picnics. 

Side Note:

Last night I attended Blue Note's Jazz Benefit for Japan night and was blown away by the talent that performed. The event was extended for performances tonight too.  GO!  To be able to see heavy hitters like Madeleine Peyroux, Karrin Allyson, Sonny Fortune (played with Miles!), Janis Siegel, Regina Carter, Paquito D'Rivera, etc. for a mere $45 was amazing. Hearing Renee Fleming sing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah was worth the price of admission alone.  With CNN reporting death tolls reaching 14,000 and radiation still at dangerous levels, the Japanese need us.  

I heart NYC, Jazz and Japan. 

Live large, 

Frances

Desk love

For anyone who has spent time working from home, especially from a small apartment, the desk clutter can take over.  My apartment got so bad it was one step from Hoarders.  I got worried about friends dropping by because the amount of papers "filed" in piles on the floor basically made the floor impassable. enough was enough. So I started rooting around for storage and desk ideas.  

My fav?   This yummy look feels warm and personal but not still good functioning.  Great color combo with the peach walls, gold velvet chair and a hit of teal.   Couldn't you write bills here?

Love both these ideas on how to turn Staple's two drawer storage units that are in every office across the country into something really special.  One adds wallpaper just to the front face (top image) while the second one applied chic wallpaper to the whole kit and kaboodle.  

Looks like a good weekend project to me....  

Live large, 

Frances

Small Apartment Resources

Today, I'm sending out a shout out to several resources that are cool for small square dwellers.   The first is a genius idea for art lovers.  Artiscle is a cool new start up that allows folks to rent original fine art in style of netflix.  Perhaps it's studio living but staring at the same pictures day after day does get old no matter how much you once loved it.   People pay $50 a month to rent pieces from up and coming artists.  Want something different after six months?  Exchange it, no problems.

It's always funny to me to hear people say that they would entertain more (or at all) if their kitchen was bigger.  Truth is, great parties can come from small kitchens.  James Beard, American chef and food writer who cultivated the gourmand movement in the USA, lived in a tiny apartment smaller than mine and lead a catering company from his bathtub.  He wasn't waiting for the marble endless countertop and Viking stove to appear.  Another gal who doesn't squash her cooking due to her small space is Jennifer C from Tiny Urban Kitchen.  Someone get this gal a TV show!  What she does in her tiny abode makes my mouth water and flushes all the "my kitchen isn't big enough" excuses down the toilet.

And her yummy dish posted today... 

Everyone who lives in a small space needs to invest in these books. They're all on amazon and you may be able to find them at your local book shop.  Sir Terence Conran is a voice to listen to.  His smart ideas on limited square foot living aren't new. He's been studying/developing/writing about this for years.
Happy Reading!

Live large, 

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