contemporary design | Apartment 46 for the home

Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Fabulous Finds for the Budget Impaired

October 31, 2010 No Comments

Starlet+Low+Cabinet — Starlet Low Cabinet by The Second Revival

I love the space and time that we’re in when it comes to interior design. There has never been a moment like this one – a place where industrial, French, traditional, vintage, ethno-glamour, and minimalist can co-exist at auction, on fabulous web sites, and even in one home! While of course there are still firm believers in the mono-culture of specific design styles (mid-century modern anyone?) it’s an exciting time to be re-doing your space as there is so much amazing treasure out there to find!

Apartment 46, Good Design, Great People

Special Guest

October 2, 2010 No Comments

Hidden away on a residential street, next to an ethnic market, and two doors down from a barbershop, our store is not exactly easy to see or find if you’ve never been here. However, a year ago we experienced a happy “accidental finding.” San Francisco-based interior designer Jonathan Rachman found us when he was going to get food nearby. That visit was our intro to Jonathan and his amazing aesthetic.

Apartment 46, Floral Design, Good Design, Great People, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Autumn’s Warmth and Wonder

October 2, 2010 No Comments

Autumn has become my most favorite time of year. The weather isn’t yet unbearably cold, Halloween is on its way, evening hot cocoa outside seems right, and the Flower Mart is brimming with amazing gourds, branches, and gorgeous Fall blooms. When it comes to flower selection, it doesn’t get any better in my opinion. Brides who choose Fall for their wedding have so many magical options.

Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Collecting the Melancholy

September 19, 2010 No Comments

driedflowers — Dried Blushing Bride flowers

Sometimes when I wake up I’m hit with a wave of melancholy that comes out of nowhere. I stare out my bedroom window and watch the clouds go lazily by and I get this sense of anxiety about how much of the world is out there and how much I have yet to see and how many people I have yet to meet and…It’s hard to come back down to earth and center myself on the things that matter right now, today.

Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Finding Tiny Joys

September 11, 2010 No Comments

Today an artist friend stopped by in hopes of brightening her mood. Although the weather is gorgeous, and things are relatively okay, things just seemed a little overwhelming and out of nowhere the dread crept in. I’m happy we were here for her to lose herself in. I have those days. When nothing feels “right” and I start to despair, I try to surround myself with people and things that I know make me feel safe, warm, and in a beautiful place – emotionally and physically.

This time of year, when the evenings are still warm and the sun doesn’t set right away, I like to sit in the garden and observe the life outside. It’s tiny joys like this that can lift my spirits, put things back in perspective, and give me the energy to try again tomorrow.

Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Sweet Inspirations

July 11, 2010 No Comments

The name of this blog is actually an homage to my favorite bakery in the whole world, Sweet Inspiration, in SF. There is nothing that a slice of their poppy seed cream cheese cake can’t solve – broken hearts, back taxes, lack of lovin’ – whatever it may be, they have a slice of cake for that! So on the subject of having something for everyone’s everything, I just came off of a full-throttle month of creativity that saw me making and buying new jewelry, painting furniture, sewing pillows, drawing garden plans and re-arranging the store.

Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Helpful Hot Weather Design Tips

June 10, 2010 No Comments

One day it’s raining here in San Mateo, the next it’s 80 degrees. It’s been a strange season to navigate and prepare for. When the weather turns warm, I usually stock the shop with flowers that can withstand the heat. I don’t have a floral cooler here and I honestly wouldn’t want one. The reality is that if you take an arrangement from a floral cooler and bring it to your house – which is clearly room temperature (whatever that may be) – it’s a shock to the flowers. From here they go from normal to normal.

Apartment 46, Good Design, Great People, Inspiration, Lovely Things

More is More…Or Not

May 16, 2010 No Comments

Like anyone in a service related industry, I don’t often do for myself what I do for others – as in, the shoemaker’s children have no shoes. In fact, my own home and garden are more like aesthetic laboratories than bastions of great design. I’m fascinated by magazine articles featuring designer’s homes if for no other reason than I can’t believe they actually finished their homes.

Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration

Who Are You?

April 16, 2010 No Comments

The other day I had a heavenly Caligula moment. I was indulging myself in anything and everything involving design. I went to the local bookstore and filled my arms with every imaginable publication – from designing southern style mansions to decorating tiny big city apartments. Flipping through the pages it’s easy for me to decide which ones are worth taking home. If even one picture deeply inspires me, I buy it.

Apartment 46, Good Design, Inspiration, Lovely Things

Decorating Your Space – Where to Start

April 1, 2010 No Comments

This is the first in a series of posts I am doing in regards to redecorating and how to start. After several years helping people get past that first step, I realized that it’s a process we all go through and thus, I wanted to share what I have learned.