A Bright Idea

By Alison Gilbert | Published: March 1, 2012

So lately I have noticed Edison Bulbs everywhere I go… maybe it is because I am in love with them or because they are “all the rage”.  Or is this just a resurgence of a timeless classic? The funny thing about it is that in the last couple of years a lot of media has focused on the phasing out of incandescent bulbs and legislation surrounding this issue. In fact, many countries have already phased them out completely – Brazil and Venezuela and the United States has passed legislation to phase them out completely by 2014.

Phase them out! How could they?! Because they are energy suckers. Real bad. Inefficient little monsters with both the heat they generate and the energy they use up.

And so even though I am in favor of more efficient sources of energy and conserving and having long lasting bulbs… there really is nothing like the light and look of an old fashioned Edison Bulb.

image from www.flickr.com

image from www.flickr.com

image from www.pacificweddings.com

image from www.pacificweddings.com

image from www.apartmenttherapy.com

image from www.apartmenttherapy.com

There is a gastropub in our part of town that we used to go to a lot (before being preggo and the munchkins came along.. ) called The York I think I may have mentioned it before on this blog. This is where we first fell in love with the Edison Bulbs – the low glowy light, the bright glowing filaments, the old fashioned – authentic feel of it… here is a terrible photo of the edison bulbs at The York:

yorklights

Now a days you can find these bulbs in lots of design stores, West Elm, Anthropologie, and CB2. They are pricier than regular bulbs and they may not last nearly as long… but they sure are purty…

We recently bought one for our geometric glass pendant light over our dining room table – from CB2. So far I haven’t taken any photos of it…but it is perfect!

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Up All Night

By Alison Gilbert | Published: January 3, 2012

Like a lot of new parents I am really getting into the new show “Up All Night” with Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph…. but perhaps not for the most obvious reason.

The premise of the show is Reagan and her husband Chris are new parents to adorable baby Amy. Chris has quit his job as a high power lawyer to stay at home, while Reagan has gone back to work at the “Oprah-like” show she executive produces which stars Ava (May Rudolph) as the host. Okay, now forget all of that – the hubs and I watch the show for it’s mild humor and because it takes place in Los Angeles and Reagan and Chris have a fabulous house. Seriously – we are constantly trying to figure out what neighborhood it is supposed to be in (Mar Vista, Westwood, Santa Monica, Brentwood?).

The interior of the house is modern, casual, mid-century-esque with a great layout and details. Here are some pics that demonstrate it’s awesomeness:

Screen shot 2012-01-03 at 3.40.40 PMLove the sofa… I am a sucker for tufting. Check out the Jonathan Adler vase on the bookcase!

Screen shot 2011-12-21 at 6.34.58 PMLove the open layout and the original door bell chimes in the background! If you look closely at the left you’ll see the corner of an Eames Lounge Chair…

Screen shot 2011-12-21 at 6.37.52 PMAwesome bathroom… white, bright, clean and modern. Just the way I like it.

Screen shot 2011-12-21 at 6.42.17 PMIf you look in the background you can see the entertainment unit thingy… when you watch the show you get a better view and it looks like an original built-in room divider piece… love it.

Screen shot 2011-12-21 at 6.42.04 PMAnother shot of it in the background.

Screen shot 2012-01-03 at 3.40.56 PMLove the built-ins and artwork!

Screen shot 2011-12-21 at 6.36.19 PMLike the pairing of the industrial style nightstands and traditional headboard!

Screen shot 2012-01-03 at 3.41.14 PMOther side nightstand is different… I like the calming colors in this room.

The dream of moving is becoming more and more a fixture in my thoughts…. I keep thinking about having extra space, getting legitimate bedroom furniture (which includes a KING sized bed), new dining room chairs and big comfy sectional. Although getting anything new before we move seems like a ridiculous waste since we have no idea what the next place will be like (not to mention the amount of spit up that attacks our furniture weekly at this point!). This house seems like an ideal place for our fam – love the “california-style”, the easy casual-ness about it and the open floor plan. However – the kitchen could use an update ;)

Screen shot 2011-12-21 at 6.35.20 PM

What do you think?

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Whoa… long overdue

By Alison Gilbert | Published: November 14, 2011

Well, the munchkins are here… actually they’ve been here for quite a while, over 5 months! That’s what happens when you enter Mommyland, time gets sucked away in ways you never knew possible. And my love of design and having a stylin’ house has pretty much gone out the window. I try… I really do – but with two babies, trying to keep my sofa and custom pillows spit-up free is virtually impossible.

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one of my favorite photos... around 2.5 months old!

So these days I have my sights set our next house – even though I thought we’d be in our little Highland Park bungalow for at least 5 years, it is looking like we are going to transition even sooner for a few reasons: 1. we had two babies instead of one! We thought our  house would be perfect while we had our first little munchkin and around the time we got preggo with #2 we would think about moving again… a few years down the line. Well, now that we’ve got the whole crew in one shebang, a bigger place is going to be necessary a lot sooner! 2. Jon’s office moved from 15 minutes away to 45+ minutes away on the Westside of LA… this means less time with the babies, less time at home, more stress and more miles on the car – not good. 3. I am itching to decorate again . . . from scratch! Just kidding, that isn’t an actual reason, but it does make me excited.

With this prospect front of mind, it makes me less interested in spending another dime in our current place when I know we’ll have to leave it behind. However the likelihood of us staying for at least another year is pretty high, so I am forced to deal with what I’ve got for at least that long…. le sigh.

Oh how I’d like to get all new bedroom furniture… like this bed from Room and Board:

andersbed

Or for a different look… this bed:

marlo_bed

and this fantastic nightstand:

andersnightstand

Or how I’d like to replace my now grungy sofa, with this beautiful sectional from Room and Board:

reese_Sectional
Can you tell I am into Room and Board these days?

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They’re almost here! Nursery Update…

By Alison Gilbert | Published: May 23, 2011

Well, it’s been some time since I’ve updated this blog – I have been busy growing two babies in my belly! It’s been a long and interesting journey and we are almost at the finish line! 10 more days until these babies enter the big bad world! Am I ready? Hmmm… well, I guess so – I wonder if first time parents are ever really ready – we don’t really know what to expect but we are excited and anxious to meet our family and can’t wait to get the party started!

The nursery is basically done – we have mostly everything we need and anything else we can figure out once they get here and let us know what they want (ha ha)! Here are the pics of their new little home:

wideview_twocribs
Fell in love with this Mod Green Pod Wallpaper and had to have it!

sofa_baxie1

sofa_baxie
This was originally an Ikea Ektorp sofa bed and footstool that we had completely re-made and re-upholstered with Dwell and Premier Print fabrics

shelf1

photo 2_twocribs

photo 1_twocribs

Crib_mobile

crib_changingtable

crib_bouncer
The giraffe painting was in my bedroom when I was a child

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Baby’s View! Hand-knit blankie made by mommy :)

changingtable_artwall_cribs

changingtable_artwall
The top animal prints are by Ryan Berkley, the wooden graphic illustrations are by Charles S. Anderson Design, and the other two prints are by Matte Stephens.

changingtable1

The bouncer chair in the room is one of two – the other one will probably go in the living room or kitchen depending on where we need it most. Some of these photos got cut off on the edges, not sure how that happened, but if you are interested in any of the pieces of the room that I haven’t described – leave a note in the comments and I will get back to you. I am also planning on doing a Nursery Tour for the Apartment Therapy blog Ohdeedoh soon, so most of the resources will be listed there!

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Nursery News!

By Alison Gilbert | Published: March 10, 2011

Things are finally starting to come together in our little abode – and just in the nick of time! I am about 6 months now and starting to feel a major slow-down happening. I had been working on a “design-scheme” for the room for quite some time, but it has taken a long while to get to the point where we could start implementing the plan. Here is what the “scheme” was looking like on paper (or… um.. “on screen”)

twin nursery 2


I made this design board on Polyvore.com – a great resource for those novice designers out there. It keeps track of all the items you save, links to their website and lists the price. Great for collecting products online when you don’t want to necessarily bookmark a whole page. The only major difference (so far) from this design board is that we decided to get a mid-century style vintage dresser to use as a changing table instead of the matchy matchy one that goes with the cribs. It will last a lot longer and it is a solid piece of furniture that I am currently obsessed with! Here is a look at the transformation thus far:

P1000510This is a before shot… but was taken after lots and lots of clearing out and donating and then once baby items started getting purchased, they were put into this room (this used to be our bedroom…)

P1000511Another before… the sofa is the Ektorp from Ikea that we are having essentially re-made. It will have a new memory foam mattress (our baby nurse will thank us!), complete re-upholstery with the polka dot DwellStudio fabric in the design board picture and piping in the yellow chevron fabric – with pillows made from the yellow fabric as well. I can’t wait!

P1000512

Baby Gear! We already got a co-sleeper (which we’ll set up in our bedroom) and the diaper genie (thanks Alex!).  The black bags  contain two baby loungers by Bloom which I scored from another local twin mom – they are in PERFECT condition and are beautiful – hope the babies like to hang out in them! Also the rug is rolled up in the corner there. Here’s a picture of the bouncer in it’s full glory:

bloombouncersI hate the thought of yucky primary colored plasticky baby stuff cluttering up my house… I know it is somewhat inevitable, but I am really trying to buy “gear” that fits in with our design aesthetic (and keep it to a minimum – this place is SMALL!). Even if it is a little more expensive to do it this way, I think I will be glad in the long run.  Plus I’ve made sure to do lots of research on reviews to make sure that babies actually like to be in things like this! There is no point in having a gorgeous looking bouncy chair, if baby doesn’t like to lounge in it!

But I digress…

P1000513Some “during” photos…

P1000514

P1000515

P1000516

We had the painters/wallpaper guy install crown molding to the ceiling – we had it installed in the other room when we moved in, but for some reason never had it put up in this bedroom… it has bugged me forever. I cannot emphasis enough what a difference crown molding makes in a room – seriously, it just makes everything look more “done” and complete!

Here is what the room looks like now… we still have a long way to go – and I will be posting updates as I go along, but I just couldn’t wait to share!

P1000517Sorry about the terrible light in the left corner – I will try and take more professional looking photos in the future! Oh – those giant boxes up against the wall… those are the cribs! Operation “Put Together Cribs” is on the agenda for this weekend. Can you believe we have to put together TWO?! It still hasn’t sunken it.

P1000518

Check out the gorgeous vintage dresser… I am obsessed! We found it on Craigslist and bought it sight unseen. The seller was located in Huntington Beach which was WAY too far for me to drive especially at the time when my back was killing me, but the hubs was convinced it was perfect so he paypal’d the seller a deposit and it was delivered it that weekend. It was completely re-finished so it is looks brand new and it actually is more perfect in person than in the photos. I am thinking about getting some funky Anthropologie knobs for the top drawer, just to jazz it up a bit… but I am going to wait to see how the rest of the room pulls together…

P1000519A shot of the rug that I love! The color scheme for the room is basically greys and yellows… with possibly some pinks (not sure how I am going to incorporate that yet!). This rug goes perfectly with the yellow fabric accents that will be on the sofa and ottoman and the pillows – and possibly crib bumpers that I may have made… have to look into that. It is plush and thick and I can imagine a nice cushy place for the munchkins to roll around on when they get to that stage. Also – Baxter (the dog) seems to love it… that may be a problem….!

The sofa and ottoman were picked up yesterday by the upholsterer and should be done sometime next week! Once that is in and we have the cribs set up, we’ll almost be done – I’ll be back with more posts about the progress and a full resources list for where everything is from, etc.

Still working on a light fixture… not 100% convinced that the Moravian Star pendant light (as seen in the design board) is “the one”. Any thoughts??

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Re-vamping an Office…

By Alison Gilbert | Published: December 28, 2010

In preparation for the “big arrival”, we are doing some serious re-arranging in our house. For starters we are moving our bedroom into the other bedroom, which as of now has been a den/office. The reason we are doing this is because that room is connected to a smaller room that was once the teeny garage of this little house we call home. It was converted at some point in the 90’s and it it’s great to have some extra space, but it would be useless as an office if we put our precious sleeping babies in the room next to it and then couldn’t access it except on tiptoe. So – we are moving. Initially we thought of making the “garage room” (as we call it) into the nursery, but the room has some negatives 1. it’s tiny 2. we weren’t able to install the central air in there because it is on a concrete slab and the HVAC dudes were not able to put in the vents and duct work 3. having the babies so close to our bedroom (only accessible through our room) could have some disadvantages… we want them close – but perhaps not that close.

And there is another snafu… in addition to re-vamping this little room into a cozy office, we need to put in some kind of closet. Right now I use the closet in our bedroom and Jon uses the closet in the den/office… yes, the joys of living in a 1920’s house – very LIMITED closet space! Once the babies “move in” they will take up the closet in their room, leaving us to share one – not gonna happen. So we’re looking at something like this from Ikea:

image from www.ikea.com

image from www.ikea.com

Probably not these doors, but you get the idea… let’s just hope it is big enough for all of Jon’s stuff. The room currently looks like this – (we’ve moved most of the junk out at this point)

P1000044

The closet would go along this wall – pretty much floor to ceiling:

P1000045

Because the room was once a garage (hard to even believe that a car could fit inside this little space… but I guess in 1926 folks weren’t too used to the oversized garages we have today) – it has a concrete floor. While I was trying to use this room as a “craft room” previously, I was hesitant to lay down carpet, (I do a lot of mosaic tile art and little pieces of glass would be harder to get up from a carpeted floor) now I am all for it. Something needs to warm this space up and I think carpet is just the thing! We also thinking about painting the walls a warmer, darker color. The desk that is in there now is getting taken apart and moved down to the basement and the little mini-tanker desk in the den is moving in – it’s much smaller and we need all the extra floor space we can get.

On this wall we are going to put up a bunch of floating book shelves:

P1000046

We’re also going to have to find some space for additional storage – I still need to put my knitting and mosaic supplies somewhere! It is a small room (around 100 sq. feet) but somehow we will make it all work! Here are some inspirational images:

image from www.houzz.com

Love the monochromatic-ness of this space.

image from www.houzz.com

I would love to do wallpaper, but I am sort of looking to do this one quick and dirty and save the wallpaper loveliness for the nursery!

image from www.houzz.com

Still love the idea of a built in desk… but sometimes you just have to use what you’ve got. We are really into re-purposing the things we already have and making them work. I do love the simplicity of this little office nook though!

Nothing glamorous as of now, but stay tuned… we are hoping to turn this space into something cozy and pretty in a few weeks!

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It’s been a while…

By Alison Gilbert | Published: December 20, 2010

Well – I realize it has been MONTHS since I have blogged, and this has been for several reasons:

1. I have had a huge thing going on that I have had to keep quiet for several months and couldn’t think of anything to blog about that didn’t relate to “it”.

2. This “thing” has left me feeling virtually miserable for several months and all I have had energy to do is mope around, sleep and do minimal work.

You might be thinking… what on earth is she talking about? Or as predicted, you are reading through the lines here and realize that this “thing” is very clear…

I’m pregnant!

With TWINS!

And the only design related things that have had any interest for me over the last few months have been baby related – which would give away my predicament for sure – which is why I have just left the blog to be for a while.

But now I am back and boy do we have a lot of things to get done around this house before June! We are moving rooms so that our babies can be in the room we currently use as our bedroom – several reasons for this, which I will get into in a later post. We have to buy a million things – practically two of everything (although we are not going to go crazy) and set up a modern dreamy nursery for two very special little people that will soon be the focus of our entire lives. Quite the task!

Luckily since the hubby and I were trying to conceive for a while, I have had a bunch of time to think about the ideal nursery (of course, never did I think we would have to make a nursery for two – just goes to show you, you can never plan anything in life!). Here are some items that I’d love to have for our little nursery:

Baby Mod - Olivia 3-in-1 Baby Crib

Baby Mod - Olivia 3-in-1 Baby Crib

This crib has the modern lines that I want, plus it is made from all natural hardwoods (no pressed woods, which apparently can give off nasty fumes for baby) and has a non-toxic finish. PLUS it is really affordable which is key, since we’re gonna need two! You can find the Baby Mod Olivia at Walmart of all places.

Screen shot 2010-12-20 at 7.59.34 PMI love this pendant lamp for the nursery . . . my friend Heather had it hanging in her amazing Pasadena house that I featured in an Apartment Therapy house tour a while back . . . it just looks so whimsical and modern at the same time:

Heather and Zach's "Blue Room"

Heather and Zach's "Blue Room"

Not the best photo of the light fixture, but Heather and Zach painted the ceiling in this room a dark navy blue and with the star pendant lighting it up… it is really a fantastic effect. I found a version of this light here at LightingDirect.com

Okay… one more. Although I love love love this MCM rocker from Urban Outfitters:

Currently out of stock UO rocking chair

Currently out of stock UO rocking chair

Now that we know two are on the way, I don’t think I could nurse both in this small chair (yes, I’d like to nurse these twins… anyone out there with twin nursing tips?!). Plus, our little house is running out of space fast, so I’d also like a place in the nursery where a baby nurse or my mom can camp out for a few days (or myself) if needed to help with the chaos. So, I am looking in this little gem:

CB2 Vincent Palm twin sleeper

CB2 Vincent Palm twin sleeper

This CB2 loveseat, is roomy enough for two, but easily folds out into a twin bed… plus it is minimal and just look I am seeking for the nursery. We are going to test it out sometime in the next few weeks to see if it would work size wise and if it is even comfortable.

These are just some things I am thinking about for the nursery… anything can change, and who knows what will end up working. But- stay tuned as this comes together over the next few months… the little beanies are coming either way :)

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House Tour: Apartment Therapy!

By Alison Gilbert | Published: October 13, 2010

I’m back! With another Apartment Therapy House Tour that just went live this afternoon…

Jen and Moi have the most adorably, uncluttered, peaceful little retreat up in the hills of Echo Park. Their indoor/outdoor set-up is ideal for Los Angeles living! Click on the image below to be taken to the full tour on AT:

Screen shot 2010-10-13 at 3.16.39 PM

If you have a swank pad that you want featured on Apartment Therapy.com and live in Southern California – email me or put your contact info in the comments below!!

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Mini Modern Chairs!

By Alison Gilbert | Published: October 4, 2010

I have a thing for all things miniature… and although I am constantly putting myself in check when it comes to collecting things, I just couldn’t resist posting about this fantastic little treasures (at such fantastic little prices!!)

If you are a mid-century modern lover, like me  – you probably find yourself pining for an original Barcelona Chair, or a retro Saarinen tulip chair… but alas, the prices that Design Within Reach charges for these such originals are way beyond reach:

Screen shot 2010-10-04 at 1.26.03 PM

Saarinen Tulip Chair @ DWR $1,488.00 - $1,636.00

Mies Van de Rohe Barcelona Chair @ DWR $4,523.00 - $5,569.00

Mies Van de Rohe Barcelona Chair @ DWR $4,523.00 - $5,569.00

Even most miniatures of these classics are outrageously priced:

Le Corbusier Grand Comfort Chair Miniature @ Vitra Design Museum $637

Le Corbusier Grand Comfort Chair Miniature @ Vitra Design Museum $637

But while trolling around the interwebs I came across this amazing art and design store: Poketo! Which includes these adorable little minis for only $12 a chair!

PoketoMiniChairs

The only downside is that you take your chances when you order the chairs… unless you order the whole set, each chair is a surprise when you get it in the mail!

I know what I’ve said about tchotchkes in the past – but can’t you just imagine how cute these little chairs would be clustered on a bookshelf or on a (very organized) office desk?

What do you think?! Leave your comments below!

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House Tour: Apartment Therapy!

By Alison Gilbert | Published: September 17, 2010

Today my first “official” House Tour was published on ApartmentTherapy.com!  I will be doing 1-2 (possibly more!) of these per month – so if you live in Los Angeles and think your pad is blog-worthy… please, please, please get in touch! I am going to need a lot of these so don’t hesitate!

Today’s post was of Heather and Zach’s little bungalow in Pasadena. Heather and I grew up in the same small town on Long Island and went to the same small Quaker high school… she moved out here with her husband a few months before we moved out here and similarly bought and renovated a great little fixer house. Heather and Zach’s results are little more dramatic than our little Highland Park bungalow… look at the photos makes my heart go pitter-patter… I love their sense of style, the detailed objects from their extensive travels and their abundance of fruit trees in the backyard!

Click the image to go to the full post on Apartmenttherapy.com

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Hope you like it! As always – leave your comments below… or better yet on Apartment Therapy in the comments section.

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