a n h - m i n h . c o m

On the Move

2008-07-31T15:11:25Z

We've spent the past few weeks packing up box after box and it's finally moving day! The previous owners of the new place vacated this past weekend, so Jon and I went over and snapped a few photos. Like this one:

There are skylights in pretty much every room on the main level of the house. And Jon informed me last week that those windows way up there by the ceiling are called "clerestories."

This photo is taken from the dining area and you can probably tell that there's a faux finish on the walls. I am not a fan of faux finishes. But Jon claims that he likes it. (I think he's just saying he likes it to avoid having the walls repainted.) I'm willing to live with it for a bit and see how it works with our furniture, but I'm skeptical that the finish will grow on me. I think the space would look better with a nice coat of white.

J.Crew Fall Preview

2008-07-29T05:19:41Z

So so pretty!

I totally want that tangerine coat.

Pretty Packaging

2008-07-28T22:06:08Z

I've been ordering all sorts of fabric swatches lately and they usually arrive in a plain ol' envelope from the retailer. Well, leave it to Anthropologie to take things up ten notches with the coolest packaging ever for free swatches:

Included in the little box are: a handwritten note about their fabrics and furniture; cards detailing the various sofas and chairs they offer; the swatches themselves; a small pencil; and a measuring tape. Seriously cute.

Good Housekeeping

2008-07-28T15:57:38Z

Remember those great pocket-sized floor plans that were posted on Apartment Therapy? I decided to take that idea and modify it a bit by using a Russell + Hazel mini-binder.

Each room has its own tab, which includes: a layout of the space on grid paper, fabric swatches for furniture, and clippings of possible future purchases. I'm also keeping track of paint chips and wallpaper samples that we might incorporate in the house later on.

Spool Stands

2008-07-25T19:14:05Z

Did I mention that I'm going to have a gift-wrap/craft room in the new house? Indeed I am! So I couldn't resist when I spotted these spool stands on Mighty Haus. I immediately picked up a set at KarenElizabeth's Etsy shop to store my ribbons:

Yay for cute organizational goodies!

YSL at the de Young Museum

2008-07-23T23:24:42Z

Must. Mark. Calendar.

Earlier this week, the de Young announced a 40-year Retrospective of the Work of Yves Saint Laurent. It opens November 1, and the San Francisco museum will be the only venue in the U.S. for the show.

I can't wait!

Aya Brackett

2008-07-23T21:21:48Z

I seriously want one of Berkeley photographer Aya Brackett's chromogenic prints for our dining room or kitchen:

Sita's Tea

Saigon Cafe

Problem Solving

You can see more of her work at The Beholder. I love the travel photos on Aya's website, too.

Mighty House Call

2008-07-22T20:19:46Z

Today's AT:SF House Call was a real treat to put together. It's the home of Maggie Mason. Yes, THE Maggie Mason, aka Mighty Girl. This painting has got to be one of my favorite things in her place:

Maggie and her husband, Bryan, commissioned the awesome painting by Diane Feissel.

New JHill Design Destinations

2008-07-22T19:26:36Z

It looks like JHill Design has released even more cities in the "Places I Have Never Been" series, including:

Traverse City, Michigan, might be my favorite of this bunch.

House Envy

2008-07-22T15:32:05Z

Oh. My. Goodness. On my way to Holly's Nintendo party last week, I just had to stop the car, get out, run across the street in my heels and snap a few photos of this house:

I am totally in love with the exterior. How could you NOT be in a good mood if you came home to this house every day?

Comment Box

2008-07-21T23:38:25Z

I read quite a few blogs.* And one of my favorite things to do is check out the comments. But you may have noticed that I don't have the comments feature turned on for my own site. This is something that I've been going back and forth on for a while now. The main reason I don't: If I activate comments, I get an email every time one is written so that I can approve/publish it. This is great because I get instant alerts ... but it also means I get a lot of spam comments/emails.

However, with the new house will come lots of new decorating projects. So I'm hoping the Internet (i.e., YOU out there) will give me lots of feedback and advice. And if I have to delete a few additional pharmaceutical, online gambling and no-interest home loan spams in my inbox every day? It's worth it.

* My newest regular reads are: In(side) the Loop and Urban Grace Interiors.

Wii Room

2008-07-21T17:02:42Z

So I have this idea for our new house: a Wii Room! Jon's not fully on board yet though ... And that could be because we don't yet have: 1) any furniture for that room (including a TV), or 2) a Wii. But here's just what we need to get motivated to start putting together our Wii Room:

Nintendo wall stickers by Blik! (via Apartment Therapy)

Present Perfect

2008-07-21T16:07:30Z

A while back, Meg put out a call for some helping hands for her fabulous Modern Economy sales. I couldn't make it to the SF event in April, but signed up for the Portland sale. It went down this weekend, which also marked my birthday. Initially, I was going to travel solo ... But then my sister wanted to join me, since her best friend lives up there. And then Jon decided to tag along as well.

So, in the end, I got to spend my birthday weekend with all sorts of great people. Which, of course, makes me one lucky lady. But on top of the awesome company I kept? I picked up some fantastic stuff at the sale. AND I enjoyed meals at Clyde Common and Saucebox. AND I met Lise (from Apartment Therapy) and Sally in person! AND I just had to squeeze in multiple trips to Stumptown Coffee.

Not only was the Stumptown coffee excellent, but they had these beautiful glass light fixtures. Pretty, pretty.

Dream Laundry Room

2008-07-17T18:16:06Z

Ever since Sasha at BellJar sent over this photo of her shop (for an Apartment Therapy post), I have not been able to stop obsessing over the wallpaper.

My dream: To line one wall of the laundry room with this pattern. And, on the opposite wall, hang a few of these little guys:

And, um, no. I still haven't really given the washer and dryer much thought. I'm too busy figuring out how to make that room pretty!

Cleaning House

2008-07-17T18:03:51Z

Our realtors came over earlier this week to assess our current house. The night before they stopped by, I took down the Ferm Living wall decals in the living room:

I was sad to see them go and am convinced that I need to re-create this corner somewhere in the new house.

P.S. The wallpaper in the entry is staying!