Inspiration: Home Design

from pinterest

This year marked three years of living in San Francisco, and it's been the longest time I've spent in the same apartment. Someone recently asked my husband and me if we were indeed still in the same spot, and we said, "yea, same place, but we did just rearrange our living room furniture, so it feels kinda new!" It really is the little things, sometimes. 

I've loved interior design since I was a kid but also had limited ways in practicing it. A few throw pillows here, an accent wall there - generally things a young adult on a tight budget would do. (This post on home decor to get rid of by your 30s actually came out on my 30th birthday, and my husband and I had a laugh reading it.) Being a little more settled now has allowed us to spend our time and effort on building a home, albeit in the confines of a city apartment that we probably don't spend enough time in. All the more reason to have it look like we want it to (within reason), so that we can fully appreciate times when we can be homebodies.

Our apartment is pretty open-plan, so you can walk in and see most of the place right away. Originally we floated the couch to create more of an entry-way, but it also closed off the room a bit. By switching up the positions of the couch and a chair/ottoman that had been against the wall, we changed the flow of the room. I know, deep thoughts, right? I can't point to one single photo that led me to consider this layout, but that's not how inspiration needs to work, at least not on me. Here, a few rooms that speak to my influences...

A California Castle

Wikipedia

At the beginning of our Big Sur roadtrip, we stopped at Hearst Castle, the publisher's former estate off Highway 1 just south of Big Sur. The property is now a state park and a gorgeous museum. It took decades to build, and was designed by Hearst and Julia Morgan, a prolific Bay Area architect who was also the first licensed female one in California. (She also designed a community center right in my neighborhood, no big deal.)

A Home You Love

I love interior design blogs, and I'm turning 30 later this year, so when this Domino post caught my eye, I had to check it out: Things every girl should have at home by 30

As with many must-have lists, you have to take online life advice with a grain of salt. I happen to have most of the items, but I don't necessarily agree with all of the ones on the list, such as...

San Francisco Architecture

I've always liked the unique architecture around San Francisco. I'll always love the classic Victorian homes and earthquake cottages, but there are some zany designs out there that just add more character to the city. When I first arrived, I saw a building in SoMa with furniture attached to the outer walls, like they'd been thrown out the windows... turns out it's a work of art that required more than 100 volunteers. Here's a couple fun buildings I've seen recently while wandering around the city:

Folsom Street

Hayes Valley (couple blocks from the Aether shipping containers)

(Reminds me of a cheese grater)