Monthly Archives: March 2010
We love it here.
| March 23, 2010 | Posted by David Betz under architecture, Guest Bloggers, Inspiration, Real Estate |
One of my (lame) past times is just driving around going nowhere. It helps me think. “East side” Costa Mesa, CA is on the way down to PCH from where we live, and I’ll usually take the long way and drool over the nice houses along the way. Yes, people, I know that I am not normal. This also gives me an opportunity to see what people are up to in the area and potentially nab a few ideas. Being that I am in the remodeling business, I can use the mileage as a write-off, since I am doing research. Right?
All of Costa Mesa tends to be a melting pot, architecturally, especially compared to the sterile, and perfectly manicured 10-15 year old communities just to the south of us. One street will have $1M homes up and down the block, turn the corner and you’re surrounded by ratty apartment buildings, go one block further still, and there will be a mixture of both. Perfect is boring, and our fair city is far from it.
Let’s have a look at a few of the nicer houses, and one at the end that shows how loose they are with their regulations here.
Absolutely stunning with the black trim.
Not a great pic or an amazing house, but this is a quintessential Costa Mesa home.
Do you have a house painted black in your neighborhood? I didn’t think so!
A barn and a boat. I really need to knock on their door one day, and introduce myself. They are certain to be interesting people.
part of the interior revolution
| March 22, 2010 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under announcements, Guest Bloggers, i heart this blog |
This week I’m heading over to The Interior Revolution to be a guest blogger. My series will take a look at defining what home means, hanging out at flea markets and how to start a sustainable business. So please head over there and check it out, and stay tuned for my guest bloggers right here:
Tuesday – David’s regular series In the Workshop
Wednesday – Morgan talks about sustainable suburbia
Thursday – Lauren with another Eco-Architecture case study
It’s a guest blogger bonanza!
Happy Monday.
weekend project…organized by Monday
| March 19, 2010 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under my house, organization, storage |
Between turning my home office into a workspace and warehouse, and my natural inclination to purge and refresh with the turning of weather, I’m on a serious cleaning and organizing kick lately. Last weekend I pulled everything apart and now, well, it’s time to put it back together.
I come up with lots of ideas for organizing and categorizing (a little crazy perhaps), but I also like to check out my favorite online sources for inspiration. After all, most people invest a great deal in their homes – from renovation projects and interior design, to insurance polices like Aviva.co.uk so it makes sense to ensure that your house is somewhere that you enjoy spending your time. When you work from home, organizing your living space becomes even more important. Here are a few ideas I’d like to try out.
I love this alternative to the typical cork board (I loooove cork, but I also like the unexpected). You could find these at a builder surplus or even your local home depot. They’re not too expensive
This idea was originally for a garage or shed space but I think it would work great in a home office too.
My favorite organizing ideas:
- repurpose any container you can – I do this all the time. I have an old planter with cork on the bottom (so it doesn’t scratch my desk) that I use for rulers, scissors, etc. I use glass jars, and old toothbrush holder and tealight holders for general office supplies. In the supply closet I have converted sturdy carboard boxes into containers (you rarely see them so it’s perfect). Mix that with a couple nice aluminum and wood containers and the office looks artsy but coordinated.
- group things in like categories. When I’m working for a design client I use certain things in the office – samples, graph paper, calculator, markers, pens, etc. When I’m working on the store I use different items…you get the idea. By keeping things categorized by their purpose it keeps me focused and I never have to wonder where I put something. Which leads me to another point: put things away. Of course this isn’t always possible. I have a very small office for running two separate businesses and many (many) times I leave one project for another day. So here’s my deal. Each Saturday morning I take 15 minutes to tidy up. It’s not too bad in a little space. Plus it really helps me to see where I’m at in a project and I can pile things (yes, pile!) in an order that will spark my memory when I pick the project back up.
- My favorite thing in the office is my colorful binders, greenroom from Target, which hold my library of design and life inspiration. I have them organized by design type, art, sustainable profiles, health and well-being, and housekeeping. These are my treasures so I treat them as such. I love to see them as soon as I walk into the office each morning, and it reminds me sometimes to take a moment and flip through what inspires me.
Hope some of these ideas help you with your spring cleaning and organizing too. I’d love to hear what tips you have! Happy Weekend.
How to paint.
| March 16, 2010 | Posted by David Betz under in the workshop, Projects |
Yes, Really. I know it’s not hard, but I have been in home remodeling for a few years now, and I’ve picked up a few tips to not only get it done quickly, but done professionally as well.
Linsi wanted a wall in our office to have a little color for some upcoming product shots. We ended up getting a couple quarts of this low VOC paint at Home Depot. I swear, Martha has her hands in everything. Anyway, it didn’t smell, and went on the wall in one coat without using a primer. It’s good paint. BTW, we didn’t end up using one of her colors, we picked a Behr chip, and they matched it for us.
Tip #1 Get one of these! (seen ready to use in the second pic below) The edges are always done first. Corners, the ceiling and around trim should be done first and you roll the wall last. Professional painters will “cut-in” the ceilings and trim, but in my opinion this $2.50 tool is faster, and does a better job.
Load the edger with paint, scrape off excess on the edge of the paint tray, then “sneak up on” the edge that you will be trimming. See pic below. If you smash the edger straight into the trim or ceiling, it will ooze out where you don’t want it. Always go in one direction, because backing up mid-pass can have its consequences. I go left to right. I then make another pass over the same area if it looks like it needs it. If you practice on an inconspicuous area, you can get a feel for what is the right amount of paint to have on the pad without fear of seeing your mistakes for the next 10 years. Be gentle with it and use a light touch.
The 2nd (and last) tip is about using a roller. A regular size roller will cover about a 3′ x 4′ area before it runs out of paint. If your walls are 8′ high, you start at the ceiling, do your 3 x 4 area and do another one below before moving over again. The trick is to put the freshly loaded and dripping roller about 3′ away from the area you just painted and work your way back over to the wet area. See pic below. You then blend it all together with a pass or two and move on.
I painted a 14′ x 8′ area in 45 minutes and didn’t use any painters tape. I covered the carpet with a tarp and kept a wet rag around to clean off the few drips that did hit the baseboard. Have fun!
found…how things are made
| March 15, 2010 | Posted by Linsi Brownson under accessories, art, found objects, vintage |
With my background in architectural design I naturally have a special place in my heart for blueprints. I remember the ‘good old days’ when I had to stand in a line of students at midterms, waiting my turn to use the blueprint plotter. The smell of ammonia would overtake the cold, dark room and I was always nervous that I would forget exactly the right order of operations and have a lot of angry kids behind me…
But the outcome was always amazing. No matter what was plotted it just looked so interesting, so professional. There is nothing quite like a blueprint, which is why I love these blueprints we found of an old lighthouse, a boat, even a vintage Vegas slot machine!
.jpg)
connect