Blog. Lifestyle. Interiors. Design.

Kitchen Reno #2

6/28/2017

Happy Friday, everybody! It was a busy week for me and I wanted to take a moment to share with you another post from my kitchen renovation series. You may remember my previous post, kitchen renovation #1 where we did in our first full remodel on a budget in a historic neighborhood.

For kitchen renovation #2, I am reflecting on a kitchen that I restored back in 2015. It was part of a complete remodel that we did to a property in Louisville, Kentucky near the University. This was my second full kitchen replacement and I started from a blank canvas continuing to hone my formula for creating a modern and Scandinavian kitchen as I go.

I do love all white kitchens that feature modern Scandinavian design. For rental properties and resale purposes, it is somewhat safe to use all white. I find the color both clean and appealing. Since these properties are both located in Louisville, where the homes have a history, the updated look incorporates historical aspects in a modern way. Our renters have all embraced the clean and modern look which possesses crisp lines, white cabinets, and light birch (warm) countertops.

For this kitchen remodel, I kept some things the same as in Kitchen Renovation #1

white cabinets (*new vs. salvaged)
butcher block countertops
hand-scraped engineered wood flooring
L-shaped kitchen
open-shelving

Keep reading see how it looks with a tile backsplash and I will share links to all products that I used at the end of this post.

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Making Watercolor Sketches

6/19/2017

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Experimenting with Watercolor

It feels good to be painting in my studio today with the windows open here in L.A. Now, that the weather is cooler, I am savoring these days in my studio before it heats up again. I am working on creating and completing a few new sketches for textiles for Minted.

For this collection of sketches, I did a lot of experimenting with paint and color on paper.

I am enjoying my new 36 pan watercolor palette and having that range of color to choose from. Often, I like to mix in this artist's gouache in with the watercolor paints to make custom colors that are semi-opaque and create unique hues and shapes.

Lately, I have been drawn to organic shapes and painting them loosely while leaving edges crispy once dry! The results have been surprising to me.

I can't decide if this blue sketch is complete...Later, I plan to scan them into Photoshop to transform these sketches to digital textile designs. I will share my process for turning watercolor sketches into digital designs soon. I am still learning and practicing this!

For this last one, I decide to push myself to paint on a large scale, which is something that I have been wanting to do! This one is on 12" x 18" watercolor paper, whereas my prior smaller sketches are around 7" x 7".

This weekend, I will be busy planning and preparing for my upcoming Shibori Textiles Workshop which is completely sold-out! yay:) I can't wait to spend the day with 10 creative people. I will be announcing additional workshop dates and collaborations soon, so be sure to sign-up for the newsletter to find out more!

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Artist Round-up: Palm Springs

6/14/2017

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Favorite Artists and Art Installations in the Mojave

One place that I go to for artistic inspiration is Palm Springs, CA and the desert surrounding it. There is something magical about the expansiveness, colors, and natural landscape that appeals to many. Visual artists over the years have built their art practices out in the desert.

Today, I will share my 5 favorite artists + one blogger, who live in the desert, inspire or creatively captures those desert vibes for me. From Los Angeles to the Palm Springs area, you can make it out there in just under 2 hours.