Practical Makes Perfect

I don't know about you, but I chuckle every time I read those lists of "12 Things I Couldn't Live Without" penned by fancy interior designers worldwide, clearly holding far different priorities than I. If I were to make such a list, you can bet that a Berkin bag and a $50 scented candle would not top the list of life's necessities. Don't get me wrong, I covet brilliant design and appreciate a few of the finer things in life, but mostly I am a simple, practical girl. I'm not even sure I could come up with 12 things but here are at least a few of the most clever and practical necessities that seem pretty vital to my existence.


An all-natural soap and sponge in one! How practical is that?!? Lori's Soap & Sponge (Goat's Milk & Olive Oil soap with natural sea sponge attached, also available with a Loofah).


My Blackberry Bold from Verizon is definitely an everyday essential. All the features of an iphone, but I can actually type my long-winded emails on it!


I take lunch and fruit on-the-go pretty much every day, but bruised many a banana in my bag until I discovered the Tupperware Limited Edition Banana Keeper (it doesn't appear to be for sale anywhere right now, thankfully I grabbed one when I did!)


I adore all my son's artwork, but this piece that he painted onto recycled cardboard and newspaper in Kindergarten is the only one that made it into a frame and onto our wall. I smile ear-to-ear every time I look at it.





My everyday, can't-live-without, footwear basics consist of vintage boots in the winter (I never pay more than $30 a pair and vintage always equals green in my book), classic navy Toms or my hemp Rainbow flip-flops in the summer, and slip-on Vans for all seasons in between.


I aspire to eat as healthfully as possible, but getting 5 servings of fruits and veggies in every day is always a struggle. I turn to my Breville Juice Fountain Plus to easily meet those requirements pretty much every day. And having just watched Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead with my son last night, I think I see a 10 day juice-only fast in my near future. Anyone want to join me?!


Concentrated all-purposes cleaners have saved me piles of money and precious storage space, marks of anything truly practical and essential. For about $18, a bottle of Basic H2 Super Organic Cleaning Concentrate and the companion spray bottles clean pretty much everything in my house for at least 6 months, without a trace of toxins.



And finally, a good night's sleep is probably the most important every day essential. My restful nights wouldn't be complete without The Company Store's Organic Cotton Jersey Bedding and my Keetsa mattress.

In the details.....

When I fled the city nearly 3 years ago, I purged almost everything in favor of a new minimalist lifestyle and a completely fresh start. It's been intriguing to see what new things have made their way onto my still mostly bare walls and onto a few little surfaces in each room of my house. I think the consideration of these little details is what separates us designers and creative folks from everyone else. And my stringent editing process has resulted in selected treasures that all express me and my personality perfectly.

I found this chunk of glass in a Brooklyn flea market just prior to making the move to Long Beach, not knowing I'd soon be renting a pale blue and white kitchen for it to compliment perfectly. I love catching a glimpse of this collection of utility and beauty every day.



I had 100's of books in the city and left most of them behind, sold or donated accordingly. But these few tomes of great design and conscious living made the move with me and share a special perch in my office, aside the calm of a bronze Buddha, 70's era bookends, and two rocks found in the Loyal Sock Creek in Pennsylvania.



On my living room credenza sits only a TV, cable box and these two items: a vintage sewing basket that conceals remote controls and a framed flea market embroidery piece that of course reads "Home is where the heart is."



The small ceramic green box is the only one of these items in the front sunroom of my house came with me from the city. I adopted the gate leg table, the found branch, the thrift store art piece, and the glass lamp over the years, one at a time.



Just like the kitchen vignette my eyes land on daily, I love seeing these two shelves in my bathroom every morning, made haphazardly from found driftwood pieces (one of which had a former life as a cutting board). Another buddha, a Conk shell, and some practical items rest on the shelves, while my few necklaces and a feather hair piece a good friend gave me dangle below.

Back to blogging.....

I've been a very busy girl, staging a house in the Hamptons in 4 days, designing a Manhattan apartment, and helping several grateful clients whip their closets and offices into shape, all in the past few weeks. AND my son was home from school last week on Winter Break, which has the tendency of putting a wrench in my high-powered interior designer machine. (Kidding.) Alas, my Baby Green blog has gone neglected.

Here is the 'before' master bedroom in Sagaponack, NY to prove I had my work cut out for me (remember I said the timeline was 4 DAYS and the budget was pretty small):



And here's the 'after'. Big improvement, eh?



Finally, here's the closet mountain I'm in the process of scaling with one of my dear Manhattan clients. It was a total disaster; these phone pics don't really do it justice. But I'll get nice inspirational 'after' photos up as soon as we've reached the peak!

Monday Color: Valentines Edition

On the eve of Valentines Day, today's Monday Color combination is, of course, red and pink. And it's not because I buy into Valentines Day whatsoever but rather because it's a range of hues I've never had much of an affinity for so I wanted to embrace the challenge of finding interiors that happily marry the colors. Love is in the air.





























Images above:

1. This living room mixes red and pink together to perfection (found on lovehome.co.uk).

2. Working coral in the mix makes it all feel a bit less saccharine (living room found on Decorica).

3. I love this wallpaper and the pops of red and orange in this little hallway vignette found on The Lennoxx.

4. The pink and red stenciled walls add a lot of sophistication and eclectic worldliness to this girls room, from Decor Pad.

5. The pale robins egg walls and canopy coexist surprisingly beautifully with accents of pink and red (also from Decor Pad).

6. A quaint exterior in bright pink with an ever brighter red door.

7. This unique kitchen with wood cabinets, bright magenta walls and an oversized vintage N is like nothing I've ever seen, but somehow it works (found on Trendey Decor).

8. A vibrant Suzanni throw pillow from Turquoise Tumbleweed on Etsy.

9. Miquelrius Notebook from Kate's Paperie.

10. Emma Rug in Red & Pink from Seltzer Studios.

11. Cercle De Fleur in red and pink from Allegro Fabrics.

12. Cynthia Vardhan Ceramics Red Dish Set, available from Next.

13. Perfect shades of pink and coral stitched onto a jute shade give the Coral Rays Shades from Anthropologie a retro-natural vibe.

14. To Love You giclee print from Z Gallerie.

Family Affair

Stick figure family auto decals have been a little pet peeve of mine since the trend began. But like all things that have mass popularity but annoy a small few, satirical versions have been cropping up everywhere and some of them are pretty darn hilarious. You can either drive around any given suburb and see for yourself, or take a look at a few of the funniest ones here:


This is exactly what I think in my mind when I pull up behind every SUV emblazoned with a set of these conventional stick figure family decals.


You have to appreciate a single cat-loving woman with a sense of humor.


This is my personal favorite, although I'd find one featuring the wife with the chainsaw to be even funnier.


Perfect for the recently divorced man.


Enough said.


The real American family: Gun Family Sticker available from Desert Dog Decals.


On a more serious note, I recently saw this single parent version for the first time and while that would be the last thing I would ever publicize on my car, I still appreciated it.

Esty Love: Valentines Edition

If I had a Valentine, or gave a crap about yet another bogus consumerist Hallmark holiday (ok, maybe I'm a little bitter), then here are the a few of the unique, decidedly UN-Hallmark treasures from Etsy I'd consider giving or might be keen on receiving, alongside a lovingly prepared breakfast in bed of course. Perhaps my future beau is taking notes for next year.....


I Love You 8x8 Photo Print by Sherri Conley.


Natural Driftwood Heart from Tidal Creations.


5x7 Vintage Heart Anatomy from Encyclomedia Town.


Key Heart Necklace from Tara Jackson Jewelry.


Owl Heart Platter by Black Baroque.


Handmade Heart-shaped Bowls by JD Wolfe Pottery.


I'd swoon over just about anything wrapped in some old newspaper and this I Love You Ribbon from The Lonely Heart.

Ready, Aim, Fire!

Ever since the 2nd Amendment took hold, a large percentage of our country has remained proudly and legally self-armed. However, gun ownership has shown a steady decline in the last few decades down to an estimated 1/4 of U.S. adults owning a legal firearm (clearly, it's difficult to obtain statistics on the very large number of illegally sold and possessed firearms). But that's still no small thing with approximately 4.5 million new nonmilitary guns and about 2 million secondhand firearms sold every year. In the past few years I've noticed the design world adopting firearm motifs in home decor more than ever, visually celebrating of this vital part of Americana, regardless of the decline in those choosing to bear arms. From the downright kitschy to the design icon, firearms have found their way into our homes in a whole new way.



Gun Grip Door Handles found on Geekologie.


A gun table lamp from the Philippe Starck Collection for Flos.


Pistol Cabinet Hardware from Billy Blue 22 on Etsy.


Ruger Mark II MK512 Shower Curtain from Eternal Art, also on Etsy.


Gun-shaped Egg Fryers from Island Dogs, available on Amazon.


Gun Stand Coat Rack from Collections Etc.


Porcelaine Pistols by Yvonne Lee Schultz, via Swag Like Me.