FarmHouseUrban

Summer - is there a road trip in my future?

A week from today unofficially marks the beginning of summer.  It snuck up this year, did it not? With the kids now going different directions as well as our house demo (and preemptive move-out) about to begin, the possibility of a vacation is remote, and more realistically, ain't gonna happen.  But what about the annual road trip???

The new issue of Garden & Gun came this past weekend, so last night I cleared the evening to curl up and savor it.  My favorite article was 'The Art of the Road Trip' by Daniel Wallace.  Read it here. It's a delightful read that outlines the criteria for a successful road trip. In short, it's not about the destination, but how you get there. I love a good metaphor. My two cents to add to that (having several stalwart roadtrips under my belt) make sure the person/people you are riding with have the same 'je ne sais quoi' attitude. Otherwise your curious, adventuresome self will be deflecting a barrage of commentary along the lines of "where are we???", "it's NOT on the map!", "we're going to get shot out here in the middle-of-nowhere-Texas driving on some dirt road in a hybrid." Just sayin.

Anyway, the best line in the article in case you don't have time to click over...

"A road trip wherein one does not get lost is not a road trip, it’s something else, the same way Pringles aren’t really potato chips. If you don’t get lost, you’ll miss all the best yard art, the secret quarries, all the little timeless towns secreted away on the other side of that mysterious hill, sweet towns same as they were fifty years ago, towns where evolution hasn’t happened because most of the people there don’t believe in it. And three-legged dogs—you’ll miss them too."

Some of the highlights from my road trip past, err past road trips...

Perhaps this summer, I will just have to be spontaneous and hop in the car without a set destination or plan....and as a card carrying 'planner', maybe that's the best metaphor of all.

Super cool vintage kaftan

I've been on a major vintage scouting binge lately (more on that coming shortly...)  Normally I skip over the clothing booths, but this time something caught my eye and I knew I had to have it.

To me, this is the Hampton's circa 1969.

Love the sleeves. One pocket.

The fabric is so frickin' cool I'm tempted to make it into pillows...

It's a size 6, which is a joke because I could barely zip it. It's going on the shop website when it goes live in two weeks, so if you're interested before that, email me.

colors on the cusp: gray + lilac

It's a beautiful thing when colors collide creating something completely ambiguous...

Vincente Wolf via House Beautiful

Blurring the lines and softening the edges.  

My current favorite mash-up is gray and lilac.

Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

Phoebe Howard

I don't often remember or even know where the seed that started the inspiration flower to bloom originated from, but this time I'm absolutely certain it was from the room below.

It's the nyc apartment of Canvas Home and Ochre owners Harriet Maxwell Macdonald and Andrew Corrie featured in Elle Decor almost two years ago.  It was the first time I recall seeing this sexy combination in a living room.

As a matter of fact, I've stared at this photo so often, I think I've memorized every detail.   

The bulletin board in my studio...

A vignette in the shop in gray + lilac + silver.

Have a wonderful Sunday and i'll see you at Alameda tomorrow!

An evening (or three) in wine country

Despite the fact that the Napa Valley is only about an hour away, I rarely attend evening events there.  It's just a little too far to make the wine + dark roads doable. That said, this past week there happened to be three occasions that I simply couldn't refuse. And they were on consecutive nights.  I know, poor me, right?

The first (and only that I took photos of) was at Scribe Winery in Sonoma.  I've been hearing so much about this place lately - not just the wine being amazing, but the setting/vibe sounded pretty cool too.

So on Thurs evening, my wine savvy friend Elizabeth (check out my post about her weekly wine picks here) and I drove up to attend a food and wine event which paired Scribe wines with food by Bar Tartine (San Francisco).

I'll let the photos tell the story...

For info on Scribe Winery click here.

Staycations and Jean Paul Gaultier

It was Spring Break this week for the kids.  We stayed home for a variety of reasons, so in between work obligations I spent a rainy afternoon with my daughter attending the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the De Young Museum.  This is a must see if you're in the Bay Area and have even the most remote interest in fashion and/or you raged in the 80's.

The exhibit featured mannequins with flat faces, except for a nose.  Videos of models making facial expressions, eye movements (sometimes they even spoke) were projected onto each one. It was incredibly realistic and at first we actually thought the entire exhibit featured live models.

As you enter, you hear the unmistakable voice of Jean Paul Gaultier speaking to the crowd in his signature sailor stripes.

And my favorite dress from the entire exhibit...

Perhaps Monsieur Gaultier will consider partnering with Target again...

From Madonna's Blond Ambition tour.

For info on the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the De Young Museum click here.

Strawberry Fields

My daughter Lily's bedroom is long overdue for a makeover.  Not only did her brother's receive one this year (click here to see it), but she turned thirteen in December and has had basically the same room since she was five.  Like her mama, she's a pink girl, but is ready to do away with pastels and go for a deeper, strawberry-like shade. She chose pale gray as the contrasting color with some zebra accents (biting my tongue on that one...)

Her room is currently lilac - chosen during a brief moment of frivolity... Pink is beckoning her back.

Except for a few tweaks here and there, the furniture will stay the same - two antique twin beds, a 'Jacqui' desk and matching bedside table from Bungalow 5 and an antique slipper chair I bought at an estate sale in Seattle when she was a baby for $15.  

I had it upholstered in Schumacher striated velvet. It's so cute! I plan to put casters on it to raise it a little as well as make it mobile so she can use it as her desk chair. The chair color was the springboard for the new pink and light gray palette.

It was surprisingly difficult finding fabric that has these two colors, so the minute I saw this floral pattern called 'Nancy' by Clarke & Clarke, I knew she would love it. 

I used a different aperture for the photo below. The colors are more like this one in real life.

Clarke & Clarke is a fantastic resource for fabric and wallpaper - especially for the little-to-tween-to-teen girl. They carry a vast selection from splashy to sophisticated, classic to modern, and most come in pink colorways.

One of the patterns I absolutely love (which would be great for a BOY'S room!) is this big check print.

For a Morracan or boho vibe, this one in 'Berry' is another of my favorites.

They have wonderful wallcoverings too.

Clarke & Clarke is a UK based company founded in 1999.  It is distributed in the US through Duralee.

The room makeover is still many months away - to be completed with the rest of the remodel, but since Lily and I we were planning things out this week, I thought I'd share it with you. 

Have a great Monday!

Newest obsession...

Korean artist Lee Jung. Gallery and info here.

The week in review

 

Wow, sorry for the radio silence.  It's been far too long since the last post and I feel way out of touch. Needless to say, things are hoppin' around here.  We (as in me and my new Assistant; Margaret who is AWESOME!!!) are busy getting the store Spring-ified, sourcing and designing the debut collection for the FarmHouseUrban Home Store online, working on several hefty design projects and... dare I say it... our house plans are...no, actually I won't.  I look forward to sharing all the details in the upcoming days and weeks, so please stay close by! If you care to subscribe to FarmHouseUrban and recieve every post in either your reader or inbox, you can do so by putting your email address in the box to the right.  ------------------------------------------>

Make sure to complete the process by opening the confirmation email that will arrive shorty thereafter. 

Anyway, onto the week's recap...

Despite the winter-like weather we had last weekend, our first seasonal market was a success!  A huge thank you to Jennifer of Sweet Life Bakery who provided a most delicious spread of breakfast pastries, artisan breads, cookies and cupcakes and the BEST almond croissant I have ever had this side of the Atlantic. 

My idea with the seasonal markets is to not only offer substantial discounts on items from the previous season, but also throw in some fun things that reflect the current season. So in keeping with the Spring theme, we set up a flower stand with fresh blooms for self-serve flower arranging.  I think just about everyone took home a big fat Spring bouquet!

Vintage pieces I've picked up at estate sales or antique fairs always seem to be the first to go. There are still a few pieces left, so I thought I'd share them with you. We ship anywhere in the US and Canada!

Red Wing urn. I believe it was a milk jug, but the seller had no knowledge of it's history. I originally thought I'd have it made into a lamp - wouldn't that be cool? But I love how the Cherry Blossom branches look in it, so I think I'll leave it as is.  These American made crocks look fantastic in a group or collection. Very FarmHouseUrban! Price $150.

Set of 8 vintage French linen napkins monogrammed with the initials "DH" or "HD". They are softened to perfection, creamy white and are absolutely lovely.  Price $50.

Blue Mason jars.  These are old! The date on one says November 30, 1858. Price $65 ea.

These old zinc buckets are from the Europe container sale that I went to a few weeks ago.  The small one sold, but the large and medium are still available! There are so many possible uses for these... They'd be great for kindling next to the fireplace, storage for rolled up towels in the bathroom, or a recepticle for cleaning products in the laundry room. Price $60 for the large and $50 for the medium.

Vintage ginger beer bottles from England.  I picked up a bunch of these awhile ago - I believe at Alameda.  The color combination is perfection. I have these two left.  As I took the picture I was thinking they would make great candle holders for an outside dining table. Picturing them with dark turquoise candles. mmm. Price $8/ea.

One of the highlights of the day was a visit from my BFF Cristine (the fashionista who I've been friends with for 20 years, who moved to St. Helena 2 years ago from Europe, whom I blog about often).  She brought her friend Heidi Godoff - my new friend too - who is also the designer/creator of the BFF bags that I blogged about here.  If Heidi's name sounds familiar, you may have read about her on the Remodelista blog.  She was one of the vendors for the Remodelista Market's in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

Heidi has a blog and kindly wrote about her visit to the store. To read Heidi's blog click here.  Thank goodness I happened to be wearing my BFF bag (made and designed by Heidi) that day!

Have a fabulous Monday everybody! The sunshine's shining here - yay!

Shopping Heaven - Unionmade

This one's for the boys...

But the store's look is so darn fab, I think ladies will like it too. 

Incidentally, my husband got me a fantastic new camera lens, however my photos suck with it... Old one will be back for next time...

If I were to pick out an outfit. Oh yeah, I just remembered...I've been schooled by my 16 year old son that boys/men don't wear 'outfits'. So if you have a teenage boy, don't say for example, "Good morning honey, I really like your outfit!" it will backfire. 

Anyway, if I were to pick out what I like on a man, it would look something like these:

 

Sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Top snap open. Untucked.

OR

t-shirt

Levi's. Enough said.

There are several Unionmade locations in California:

The items above are from their website. To be taken there, click here.

FarmHouseUrban - Spring Market this Sunday!

Lots of great finds to be had!  If you are in the area, please do come by!