Interior Design and Beautiful Things
As I do each year, I am working on ways to keep the Apartment 46 boutique fresh and updated. I’ve been repainting trim, re-arranging (which you know I am obsessed with), and I’ve finally decided that yes, friends, I will be painting words on the awning outside the store – finally!
As usual we’ve been up to loads of creative things – finishing gardens, furniture restoration, art projects, preparing for Miranda’s 16th birthday, attending the Lady Gaga concert, curating for the shop – I have to say, it looks and smells beautiful in our design studio!
Made my weekly pilgrimage to the SF Flower Mart to pick up some fresh blooms for the shop. Each week I am looking for something new, something interesting, and something that inspires me. I absolutely love flowers and I love creating arrangements, but I am nearly obsessed with creating arrangements that no one else would create. I won’t mix roses and baby’s breath for instance.
It was a busy weekend for us with the fundraiser, the flea market and Alameda. I kept telling myself that if I could get through my overlapping activities everything would be unicorns and roses once again. It was so humbling to be a part of the Samaritan House’s chosen designers. In fact, I had a self-esteem meltdown pretty soon after I saw what the other participants were putting together. I’m not a table decorator by trade nor do I really know how many spoons, knives and strange ladles have to go on which side of the plate. I just like pretty things. It’s as simple as that.
Beautiful cream and brown ceramic pitcher featuring spring flowers
Pink hyacinth in a vintage creamer
White hydrangea in a 1960’s ceramic vase
1960’s teal ceramic handled urn vase – my favorite!
Just wanted to share!
Melisa
I love this time of year for making flower arrangements. Heaps of crazy, curly jasmine scents the air of my shop. This, mixed with bundles of wonderful sweet pea in every imaginable color are stuffed into mugs, vases and containers of all kinds makes me happy. I believe in having fresh cut flowers in just about every room in your home. It lifts your spirits, brightens your space and brings the nature indoors. It is so easy to step outside and gather just about any blooming thing and create a great arrangement.
Valentine’s Day was lovely here at Apartment 46. While we did a lot of beautiful bouquets, we were also happily surprised to see so many people get creative with their gift-giving! I feel the same way most people do about the “Enforced Day of Love” (why is there just one prescribed day?), but if you’re going to participate, then taking a little extra time to do something out of the ordinary makes it much more worthwhile for everyone involved.
With 2009 neatly tucked in behind us, it’s time to get started on the path ahead – financially, emotionally, physically – it’s another chance to start fresh. Along with renewed hope for the future, I find that I am newly inspired to examine, create, and share. If you have never been artistically or decoratively inclined, there is never a better time to start than now. While I’m not saying I want you to rip out the fireplace and re-tile the shower, I am saying that every single person I know has some creativity buried somewhere inside.
I’m not a huge fan of teacups. Giant collections of mismatched china can be beautiful, but since I am not prone to shabby-chic moments, you won’t find any rose-covered dandies in my home. I was inspired to create teacup gardens when I saw something similar at a nursery I love.
I was incredibly honored to be asked to design flowers for Julie and Andy Garlikov’s daughter’s naming ceremony. Though I am not well-versed on important Jewish traditions, I knew that it was an intimate day where family and friends would come together to celebrate their child.