It’s been a really exciting month for Apartment 46! I’m excited to share that our shop is featured in the March 2013 issue of Romantic Homes Magazine. As of this blog post, their online site was not yet updated, but their print version is available nationwide. You can also read the article here: RH-1302-80-82-Shopkeeping

I also became a weekly contributing writer on Houzz.com. So far I’ve covered how to reduce the artistic clutter that kids create while learning what to save, how to survive redecorating as a couple, and how to deal with the influx of unwanted toys and hand-me-downs from well-meaning friends and relatives. They’ll be new topics each month so if you’re interested, just “follow” me on Houzz you’ll be subscribed to my new articles. Simple!

Two recently completed projects were just uploaded to the blog today, the Baywood Residence and the Hayward Park II home. I’m currently working on a remodel in Sunnyvale and have two other projects in the works so fingers crossed!

If you haven’t been by the shop in a while and you’re in the Bay Area, please do stop in. I honestly think it’s the most interesting it’s ever been.

Love and Joy,

Melisa

A reclaimed wood cabinet does double-duty as both a mail/key drop off area and bar in the entry space.

A custom Moroccan pendant hangs in the entry space and casts gorgeous shadows on the ceiling and surrounding walls.

The step-up entry sitting area includes the first of two window seats, and is fitted with a custom velvet window cushion.

The organic hemp pouf acts as an ottoman or extra seating for the kids when necessary. The striped carpet is made of Flor carpet tiles and can be changed up on a whim. Perfect for kid-friendly family spaces.

The children use the low coffee table and floor cushions as a place to get creative.

The second extra long window seat cushion is custom made of chenille velvet.

Vintage crates provide both storage for art supplies and display space for meaningful items.

The large kitchen island is topped with a gorgeous slab of reclaimed wood.

The eat-in kitchen includes a larger-style dining table flanked by antique Korean scrolls that are family heirlooms. Ziggy wanted to be in the photo so he got to stay.

The small-scale subway tiles laid-out in a Chevron pattern compliment the modern polished cement kitchen counters.

The large sectional provides a comfortable place for the family to watch movies together. The over-size jointed steel floor lamp provides unexpectedly soft lighting.

The industrial-style media center keeps the space interesting.

Details make every house a home.

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]]> http://www.apartment46blog.com/?feed=rss2&p=2716 1 http://www.apartment46blog.com/?p=2706 http://www.apartment46blog.com/?p=2706#comments Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:40:20 +0000 Melisa http://www.apartment46blog.com/?p=2706 Continue reading →]]>

I painted an antique cabinet to use as a bar.

The leather sofa and chair, as well as the coffee table, were purchases the couple previously owned. The tables were topped in tempered glass with polished edges to stand up to the daughter’s toys and activities.

The fireplace will be re-surfaced eventually. The 70′s brass and iron mesh curtain was removed and an updated flush fireplace screen was put in its place.

The side table was something the family already owned.A bronze mirror was cut for the top and it was stained darker.

The leather-covered bench was placed against the wall to be used as optional seating for guests.

The family has a number of heirloom carpets. A smaller one was used to create a reading area within the larger living space.

The addition of art will be an evolving process for the homeowners. A 1968 screen print titled Leili and Majnon was finished in a nondescript frame so it was gold-leafed and distressed to add more depth.

The grouping of vintage fruit prints is on the dining room wall. The room is still a work in progress – Above and below is a sneak peek.

A handmade baby outfit from Puerto Rico was shadowboxed and hangs at the entrance to the daughter’s bedroom.

The vintage painted shelf in the daughter’s room allows her to display her ever-rotating treasures.

Vintage unframed art adorns one wall.

A pouf matches the custom draperies, and sits underneath two long shelves holding the daughter’s books. A bookcase would have taken up too much room on the floor, and the walls were a great use of space.

The layout of the room includes an extra door that is never used. It cannot be removed because of code so it was papered and hung with framed chicken wire that displays the daughter’s artwork with clothespins.

The stuffed animals occupy a painted vintage suitcase.

The bedroom furnishings were a present from the in-laws, the mirror is vintage.

The antique pharmacy jars hold the daughter’s wide selection of hair clips, ties and accessories.

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de Gournay hand-painted wallpaper

Let’s put it on the table straight away. I love wallpaper. Would I paper an entire house? Probably not. For one thing, the paper I covet is probably the most costly available, and for another, I am a renter, so I’m saving that indulgence for my very first home. It’s not for everyone, but the paper above? The monkeys? That’s definitely for me.

de Gournay butterflies

The first time I saw gorgeous, hand-painted wallpaper used in a design magazine, I had just started high school. Up until that point, my only exposure to wallpaper was what I had seen peeling off the dentist’s office walls and the hideous bright yellow floral that adorned my bedroom when my mom first bought the house.

de Gournay panels

Nothing about the magazine photo stayed in my memory except the wall-coverings, which were a vibrant Chinoiserie scene that included flying birds, cherry blossoms, pagodas, butterflies and branches, and was painted on a soft silver background. It took my breath away. Furniture was inconsequential next to that art. I filed it away in my head with other beautiful things that have left their imprint on me. de Gournay hand-painted wallpaper is, to me, the epitome of luxury and timeless chic. 

de Gournay

Walls are a very personal thing – both physically and metaphorically. The way you adorn (or not), the walls of your environment says volumes about who you are, and what you are about. While I love the look of great and eclectic art on bright, white walls, I also really, really love faux bois wallpaper and think that I would love to do an entire hallway in it. Nobilis does the most realistic I’ve ever seen.

Nobilis faux bois

Then again, I also really like the more playful and topographic-map looking faux bois as it  would look gorgeous in a modern, minimalist or contemporary home.

AVictoria faux bois

But here’s the thing, I am also obsessed with textured walls, and thus, organic wall-coverings. There was a time back in the 70′s and early 80′s when textured wall-coverings were pretty commonplace. I remember my mother painting over some textured brown grass cloth, turning it white, and I thought that wall was the coolest thing I had ever seen afterward! Texture creates a warm elegance that a flat wall just doesn’t have on its own. My favorite place to use texture is in an entryway. Grass cloth is perfect for creating an interesting, high-end and earthy-feeling space.

Grasscloth Foyer

It can be really subtle, (or not) depending on the color and whether it’s metallic. There is nothing quite like metallic grasscloth. It’s absolutely stunning when mixed with masculine and industrial-style pieces.

Metallic grasscloth

I have to admit I also have a little bit of a thing for pricess-style wallpaper. You know, the soft, fuzzy kind that Cinderella probably had when she moved into the castle? Yeah, I love that too. Design Your Wall has an awesome collection of flocked velvet wallpaper that makes me fall in love a little bit more every time I see it. The ultimate in textured paper, it definitely evokes a retro-brothel feel that I think would be so wicked in a small bathroom or a woman’s dressing room. It’s fun, unique and definitely over-the-top princessy.

flocked velvet wallpaper

If I were going to forgo wallpaper, I would probably opt for large-format art for my walls. I am completely smitten by the look of a single wall done in one giant, graphic image. Like a feature wall, but without the paint. I was digging through a pile of old design magazines and found a 2009 issue of Elle Decor UK, (now called Elle Decoration) and re-discovered Tektura, a UK-based company that turns digital photographs into large-scale vinyl wall coverings. Although it’s a 4-year old idea, it feels fresh to me, and I’m pretty sure I need it. In my future dream home, I will have them turn the below image of a fighter-pilot’s helmet into a floor-to-ceiling piece of art – and I will love it madly. I have carried this image with me for years, knowing that one day, it would be on the wall of my home.

Seven years ago I learned about Flavor Paper in NYC and went a little bit mental ordering samples. I decided that there is definitely a project out there in the world that requires me to install their hand-screened Elysian Fields paper in a nursery, counseling office, or some other totally cheeky place. The black and purple colorway almost made its way onto the walls of my shop, but I am constantly nailing things to the walls and that wouldn’t be good for the paper.

Elysian Fields in Antique Pink by Flavor Paper

Just saying the word “wallpaper” used to bring to mind a grandmother’s house, or a stuffy, cold manor on a bog. Today’s bold patterns and modern colorways have given new life to wallpaper and a new opportunity to do something different and graphic in your space. Dwell Studio has a line of wallpaper that’s both modern and edgy. My heart beats a little stronger for their Snake Chain pattern, which looks like basic curled “S” shapes until you get up close. LOVE it.

Dwell Studio

I am going to be experimenting with some of  Tempaper’s removable wallpaper in my dining area. For us renters, it’s kind of a dream come true! My dining space is very small, and very boring, and I’ve painted it more times than I care to admit and it still makes me sad. I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out and whether it was really “removable.” 

Tempaper styles

So next time you are thinking about refreshing your space, consider adding a bit of interest with wallpaper. Whether your style is conservative, traditional, playful, eclectic, or minimalist, there is a paper in this world for you. You just have to pick one you like and get it up on those walls!

Wishing you much inspiration,

Melisa

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All Images courtesy of Kevin Chin Photography

Danielle and Joe Portelli were married in Burlingame, California in August, 2012. In an exciting twist, I did not do the floral arrangements for the day, but was brought on board as a wedding coordinator and decorator for the entrance hall to the reception room. With only two weeks to get it everything from the church programs, to favor labels, to the guest gift bags together, it was definitely a challenge!

Ensuring that none of the little details got forgotten, and giving the bride and groom the evening of their dreams was my number one priority.

As an homage to the bride and Groom’s Catholic faith, I gifted Danielle with a vintage Rosary to have blessed and included in her bridal bouquet.

The overall theme of the wedding was travel, with both Danielle and Joe having hailed from opposite coasts. Colors were deep plum and purple. In regards to the theme, I decided to use vintage suitcases to hold the name/table cards. Each name card was meant to look like a luggage tag, adorned with a cut-out map heart. Dried roses and hydrangeas were scattered on every table in the entrance hall, surrounded by  deep purple and silver mercury glass votive holders, to give it a magical feel.

Danielle’s mother made a hundred plus small jars of jam as favors that I placed in rows on top of rows in a large vintage suitcase. The tags were tied on with twine for a more farmer’s market type look. All of the amazing name and favor tags were made by Robin Bellomy of the fantastic 0names left who seriously saved my butt but doing hundreds of tags as a last-minute special order and shipping them out to me overnight in a matter of days! Nothing would have looked the same without her hard work.

I used various vintage goblets that I silvered to augment the bride and groom’s table at the reception.

and made sure to leave a little gesture of love for the bride when she took her place next to the groom.

It was a day to remember and I’m so glad to have been a part of it! Many thanks to Kevin Chin for the beautiful photography.

Melisa

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Image courtesy of Jess Country Flowers

Whether you’re like me, and the thought of having large groups of people over gives you hives, or you’re the frequently entertaining-type, it’s the time of year to invite folks over to fill our homes with the love, laughter and warmth. Inviting people to come into your home is a universal sign of generosity, and guests should feel welcome and special when they enter your space.

I have always loved the extra effort that’s made during the holiday season. Making sure the house is clean, decorating for the season, using the “good” china and creating a sense of abundance through food and drink makes me feel honored and appreciated as a guest.

Gourds and glittery ornaments in a weathered silver bowl

Setting the scene in your holiday home doesn’t have to be a complex endeavor. Using tarnished and well-loved silver bowls filled with piles of white gourds or tiny orange kumquats adds a sense of whimsy to the table setting. I’ve always leaned toward eclectic (can you tell?) and I love the organic and unexpected. It’s a guarantee that I’ll be serving drinks in vintage glassware as I find it far more interesting, and I’ll be opening cupboards wide to see what I can use to hold flowers, drinks, displays and of course, food!

Taking those Halloween pumpkins and turning them into a interesting modern table display is a chic way to re-use what you already have. The pumpkins above have been spray-painted with low sheen acrylic and grouped with similarly shaped ceramic bud vases. They would also look amazing with mismatched milk glass, or even other painted fruit like pomegranates and squash.

Apartment 46 table setting

Silver always works to add sparkle and elegance. Make votive holders out of vintage goblets and looking glass spray. You’ll get the look of antique mercury glass except it will be that much cooler because you  made them yourself! Take objects from elsewhere in your home and incorporate them into vignettes on the table, such as the silver pheasants that were previously on the bookshelf. Vintage linens make excellent table covers and if you don’t happen to have the right size, then layer several for a Victorian-romantic style and sprinkle with dried petals.

Creating impromptu bouquets from garden herbs and produce is a very unexpected way to decorate. I am extremely fond of purple artichokes and every time I’ve used them in an arrangement, they are noticed. By visiting the vegetable aisles at the organic market you can find fantastic things to add to your holiday vases. I really hate the taste of kale, but it’s gorgeous in a bright white vase mixed with black basil and artichokes. Bud vases look amazing filled with delicate stems of rosemary and thyme and placed around the room. Add a few appropriately sized fallen branches or twigs and you have a gorgeous conversation starter!

Image courtesy of Second Hand with Style

Serving up hot cocoa and butterscotch Schnapp’s (my fave!) in vintage jadeite mugs with a side of hand-made marshmallows is fancy twist on a very simple, but heart-warming treat. In fact, using vintage glass in unexpected ways adds both color and beauty to your party setting.

Filled with unscented soy wax and cotton wicks (available at most craft stores), you can create gorgeous candles that that guests can take home as a parting gift when they leave.

Use vintage dessert cups to hold varying shades of succulents and mix them in with the candles. You cannot go wrong with such a pretty display! These also make wonderful take-home treats for visitors as succulents live a long time, and guests can replant them in their own gardens.

Image courtesy of the Daily Grommet

Create a unique buffet-style station of small-bites or sweets by clearing off a console and displaying foods with props that fit the occasion. The tall stalks of wheat in clear vases and white gourds make this display appropriately Thanksgiving-ish. I love giant glass containers filled with branches so that I can drape the branches in strands of beads, pearls, or strings of tiny white lights.

Image courtesy of Interior Design Musings

Not everyone has the budget or the room for an actual bar cart, so an easy way to set up a great little libation station is to use a table-top set with trays, glasses, and a selection of alcohol and accoutrements. Another option is to use your fireplace mantel if you have one. Even in a small space, you can set up a station in the kitchen that still looks party-ready.

Image courtesy of Fabulous on a Budget

Allowing folks to serve themselves creates a more relaxed atmosphere with a better flow. It’s always awkward to have to ask the host/hostess for more wine and it’s tiring to keep track of who is running low. Of course you still need to keep your eye on that hard-drinking friend you have that may need to crash on the couch but most people can handle serving themselves.

Image courtesy of Minimalisti

So whether you go big or small this season, think creatively about how to turn your space into a warm and welcoming space that makes your guests feel both relaxed and special. They should feel like they can serve themselves, but also feel as if they’re being taken care of. When you open your home, you are also opening your heart, and I hope that you’re able to fill both with loads of love!
Best wishes, Melisa

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Vintage martini glass planting – Apartment 46

There’s a romantic crispness to the air right now. Night comes earlier and it’s the perfect time to cocoon under warm blankets in candlelit rooms. It’s my favorite season of the year. As the last days of summer disappear, creative souls start bursting at the seams with ideas for their Halloween and Fall displays. I’m not known to be a thematic sort of girl and I don’t “do” holiday specific windows at Apartment 46. However, I’m all for unpredictable and imaginative displays, and I am nearly always designing some take on a cabinet of curiosities. In fact, our whole shop is modeled on what I believe a curious collector’s apartment would feel like.

Apartment 46 display

Thinking about what I might like to use in my Fall window displays, I decided to go with muted Autumnal tones like gold and brown. I wanted to convey a sort of cozy-yet-eccentric feeling. A version of Sherlock Holmes’s girlfriend as a Natural History buff.

Vintage shadow box at Apartment 46

I’ve been asked a few times how I come up with the vignettes throughout the shop and I honestly don’t know. I often obsess over the positioning of the tiniest object for longer than is likely healthy. It’s just a feeling. Most creatives have an inherent understanding of spacing and how objects inhabit a space – whether it’s 1 or 3 dimensional.  The rule of thumb in interior design is that a combination of 3, 5, or 7 objects together is most pleasing to the eye. Yet these “rules” don’t really come into play for me when I’m designing what I’ve dubbed a “Curious Display.”

In the Apartment 46 window

When it comes to Fall holidays, I can’t think of a more perfect way to showcase your creativity than to do a Curious Display! Recently, an inspired client of mine, Lauren Layne, came in for a few items for her own Curious Display. She draped tables and mirrors in black gauze and collected items that gave her space that Natural History-meets Halloween type feeling.

That’s gorgeous Lauren in the mirror!

On surfaces throughout the front room she put together vignettes that evoke her own brand of spooky/interesting.

Lauren’s House

Displays don’t have to be large. They can be as small as a jar filled with bits and pieces of things you find in the woods. They can be a grouping of small specimen bottles filled with feathers, tiny pearls and shards of beach glass. They can fill a nook or a full mantel. It’s up to you. In keeping with the Halloween/spooky feeling, you should look around your home (and neighborhood) for gnarled branches, pine cones, bird feathers, small jars, votive candles, vintage photographs, and any other science-y type objects that you can group together on tables, shelves and window sills.

A nest my mother gave me

I decided to use hanging Spanish moss in our shop windows instead of spider webs or black curtains. I love the Bayou cemetery vibe it provides. I most inspired by this photo of Savannah, Georgia. I get chills thinking about the mist and the dusk and what other-wordly things might be lurking there. When the window lights are on, it shines on the moss and makes you wonder what we’re hiding inside!

Savannah, Georgia

I think the best rule-of-thumb for creating an interesting display (especially a spooky/odd one for Halloween), is to check out images on Google of Victorian Curiosities. I should warn you, there are some pretty yucky things in jars, and I’m not into taxidermy at all, but I understand that 100 years ago, people were fascinated by things they had never seen or would never see in their lifetimes. Much like today! I know that they didn’t really have a grasp on animal/insect extinction or animal cruelty, but there was a way in which they assembled things they deemed “curious” that both boggles and horrifies the mind a little. Adapting this style to one that’s more animal-insect friendly is easy enough to do.

By putting a collection of random shells together in a segmented crate, you can create an instant display. I would take it to the next level though and add little handwritten or typed names for the shells and glue them underneath each piece. I also think incorporating a bit of art into your display makes it so much more interesting! You can put a small picture inside of a box and arrange items around it, stack in next to your display, hang it from clear fishing line…I love the work of Lindsey Carr. Everything she does is both ethereal and scary to me.

Lindsey Carr for Society 6

I would put something more random every third or fifth cubby, like a doll eye or dried rose or bundle of string with a feather in it. Stuff like that. In a way, it’s kind of like channeling an obsessiveness you may not naturally possess.

There is something a little creepy (in a good way) about the random doll legs, empty pharmacy bottles and small bones in the above collection. It could just as easily be sweet by filling the cubbies with flowers, hearts, love notes and glitter, so you may have to fight the rainbows and unicorns inside of you to create a creepier Curious Display. Starting with the right container is a requirement. I saw some amazing options on Etsy, like this one from Spooky Vintage:

I also saw this gorgeous one online. All you would need to do is remove all the drawers to create cubbies – or not. You could leave a few drawers with that beautiful lettering on them and then stuff little visual surprises inside. I would love to plant tiny succulents in some of the empty drawers and use them in my display separately!

At the risk of sounding like a borderline hoarder, I confess that I sometimes save broken items with the intent of using them in my plantings, shadowboxes, displays and leaving around here and there. A good place to look for potentially creepy items is garage sales. Old dolls have wonderful eyes you can gouge out (I know, it sounds so terrible!), odd bits of old tools, random tea cups can hold Tillandsias, rusty metal boxes and so much more!

Courtesy of Real Simple Magazine

In my opinion, no one has created more stunning and elaborate Curious Displays than Bonnier de la Mosson. Oft published images of his work, on display at the Bibliotèque centrale du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, in Paris, show how meticulous and mind-blowingly beautiful his work is.

Letting your imagination flow and looking at things with a new found appreciation for their wonderful weirdness will guide you in the right direction toward creating awesome Curious Displays of your own. I would love to see what you come up with and publish the results in our Halloween blog!

Much love,

Melisa

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I started with a tiny area that was trying to be Pravina’s office in the back of the house. Sadly, it became an orphanage for everything that didn’t have a proper place. It was renamed the “nook” after its transformation (above).

This is what it looked like before I started work on the space:

And here’s another view:

Ideally, the owner’s wanted to carve out an area to read and relax adjacent their children’s playroom. Since the couple has a love for ethnic objects and Eastern philosophy, I gave the space a little Ethno-Glamour and added a little Indian and Moroccan influences. I painted the walls Benjamin-Moore’s “Spa” and the ceiling a bright white. The trim was also done in crisp white and the old gym-style carpet was removed and replaced with a recycled rag and leather carpet from India.

In an homage to Pravina’s family, I also created a small altar on the wall.

I Installed reclaimed barnwood shelving from the amazing Elmwood Reclaimed Timber, for the books, a custom Moroccan lantern from Tazi Designs in San Francisco, and furnishings and family mementos to add warmth.

The antique Chinese table is beautifully worn, and I sealed it with polyurethane to prevent further damage. It’s intricate, but soulful and well-made, and is perfectly kid-proof.

I also added a small string of temple bells to the frame of the space as they are special to Pravina and signify protection and luck.

The second challenge was to turn a previously unsightly pass-through between the front and back of the house into a place the family could sit and use each day. Please see how the space turned out here on my Houzz Profile. It’s become a useful and comfortable space.

Thanks for looking!

Melisa

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We are so excited to announce that we’ve been approved as a One Kings Lane affiliate! We have been in love with OKL since the day it began and being able to offer their collection of products through our site is just another way of helping you create an amazing space.

If you’re already a fan, all you have to do is click the banner on the home page of our site and book mark the link and there you go! Each time you log on through the bookmarked link, you’ll be supporting small business as zero extra cost to you. How awesome is that?

If you’ve never been to OKL, then get ready for a double-helping of “yes please!” You’ll wonder why it’s taken you so long. You can join the site directly from my home page. Click the banner, create an account and voila! You’re a super star!

We have some other fantastic things cooking with OKL so we’ll keep you posted. Until then, thank you for loving us as much as we love you.

Melisa

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All images courtesy of Carlos Hernandez Photography

Desiree and Jeremy were married at Crystal Springs in Burlingame, California, in June 2012. We are so grateful to Carlos Hernandez for taking such awesome photos and for allowing us to use them on our site.

All images courtesy of Carlos Hernandez Photography

The ceremony overlooked one of the most gorgeous nature preserves in Northern California, and it was important that we didn’t take anything away from the natural surroundings, so we chose to decorate the gazebo with a simple bough made of King Protea, vintage pearl strands, and an early 1900′s papier mache garland made for a theatre in London.

The beautiful bride has a love for Frida Kahlo, Day of the Dead, and vintage eclectic, and wanted to honor her Mexican heritage with a colorful and creative bouquet, as well as interesting decor.

Included in her flowers and in her groom’s boutonniere were two small, turquoise, skull stick pins that she had carefully chosen to make her day more meaningful.

We also designed a floral hair comb of bright pink roses and Dusty Miller for the bride to wear under her mantilla-style veil at the ceremony, and reveal at her reception.

For the guest sign in table, the bride had provided family photos and some very special accessories, such as a rosary, a gorgeous Frida Kahlo art book (to be used as the guest book), and a large, turquoise vase, that we filled with flowers. We created a sort of altar and added mismatched mercury glass votive holders, a scattering of spray roses, and an antique, handmade, lace table cover.

All of the reception tables were covered in different handmade lace table covers that we had individually tea-dyed to create a rustic look. We created centerpieces out of vintage silver compotes surrounded by mismatched mercury glass votive holders.

The Sweetheart table was covered in a lace tablecloth and included a set of cups, filled with succulents, that spelled out “Amor”. We added mismatched mercury glass votive holders to give it extra sparkle

The bride chose an amazing spread of candy for her guests that they could mix-and-match  and take home as favors. We found a source for her on Etsy that made vintage-style adhesive labels that the guests used these to seal up their glassine bags of treats.

We also found a phenomenal Ex Voto (votive offering) for the couple to use as the cake topper.

We are so lucky to have been a part of this special couple’s day and we know they’re destined for a life of love, laughter and endless adventure!
Much love,

Melisa

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