A friend recommended I check out Dezeen Architecture and Design Magazine. Of course I did and I really appreciate it for its coverage of designers and concepts I may not have come across otherwise. If you’re looking for some innovative ideas (including “green” designs), check it out! Just a few minutes scrolling its pages reminded me that there is so much more out there than what I’m typically aware of on a day to day basis. I’ll definitely be returning often for some instant inspiration.
Hi folks! In an effort to help keep me on track and make sure I’m addressing the issues I really care about, I’ve changed the blog name from The Punchlist (all things interior) to Pretty Green Home. This “new” site will focus on efforts to create a beautiful home while keeping the importance of living and decorating in an eco-conscious way in mind. I hope you decide to follow along!
Yes, by now the Inauguration is history, but I wanted to share a quick post about my experience standing on the National Mall to witness this historic event. True, a big part of me didn’t want to trek down to the mall and spend most of the day standing in the cold just so I could watch Obama’s swearing in on a jumbotron. But the regret I would surely feel at missing such an event outweighed my concerns about personal comfort and frostbite. In the end, it was all worth it. Although the rest of America got to see, and hear, the events taking place on the steps of the Capitol much more clearly than I (even though I was sooo much closer) I was privy to the ongoing reaction from the crowd and was able to enjoy the moment with a specific mix of people that was unique to me in my square foot of mall space. It was beautiful and I’m thankful I was able to be there. Here are a few pics from the mall yesterday: 
Last night I was lucky enough to be able to attend an event titled If You Build It, Will They Come? It featured Frank Warren of PostSecret.com and Rohit Bhargava of http://rohitbhargava.typepad.com/. Frank is among the top 20 bloggers in the world and Rohit is one of the top 50 marketing bloggers in the world and among the top 5,ooo of the 133 million blogs in existence. They both shared insight into the inspiration behind and creation of their respective blogs.
If you haven’t visited www.PostSecret.com, you are missing out on a moving experience. Frank says that two types of secrets exist: those that you keep from others and those that you keep from yourself. His site is a wonderful space featuring intimate secrets that people send to him anonymously. Beyond the thought provoking messages, the postcards are often pieces of art in themselves. Frank’s most recent book is A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book. Check out the ideo for his current tour at www.youtube.com.
Rohit is a marketing whiz. In describing his path to blog success, he gave many great tips including the fact that he wrote for the right one or two people as opposed to writing for the masses. He also said that he always made sure his blog posts were useful and along with that, made sure his posts on Twitter were both practical and lighthearted. Get other great tips by reading his Inspirational Marketing Blog. I would also highly recommend reading Rohit’s book, Personality Not Included if you are involved in marketing or branding of your own business or anyone else’s.
Many thanks to Frank, Rohit, Shashi Bellamkonda and the teams from Network Solutions and Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus for a fantastic and inspirational evening!
When shopping for furniture, you quickly realize how rare it is to see quality construction. Yes, it is great to be able to find low-priced items and there are a slew of stores that cater to this. So when I came across a local (Washington, DC area) hardwood furniture maker, I was very excited. Hardwood Artisians makes a wide range of locally crafted hardwood furniture. You can also check out their blog. They have lots of beautiful pieces, but I particularly liked their Huntboard in walnut.
Came across a cool blog written by Katie, an American living in Germany. Katie writes about her and her husband’s experiences creating their home in an eco-friendly way in a tiny apartment in Berlin. I found some interesting tips, especially as a fellow small-space dweller in Washington, DC.
I recently came across a fantastic site with tons of great advice for living in a more eco-friendly way including information on low-impact products and valuable energy saving tips. Low Impact Living also has a database of “green” interior designers and architects you can easily access via a simple search by location.
Just so you can see why I wasn’t upset with Augie for long, here is a picture of the adorable and well-behaved guy.
We’ve had our wonderful dog, Augie, for a year and a half, and a few weeks ago he decided to dig a large crater into our sofa while we were at dinner. Since he has never so much as eyed up the upholstery before, I regained some composure and realized I could flip the cushion over for an immediate and temporary fix. I guess he must have really enjoyed the activity because the next day he found an opportunity to dig up the opposite side of the cushion. Egads! We permanently banished him from his favorite perch on the sofa and, to our credit, did not implode. After all, I had been secretly wanting a new sofa so perhaps he had been used his canine intuition and was simply helping things along. Still, the holidays were upon us and visitors would be coming in and out for the next few weeks leaving little time to shop for and replace our furniture. I quickly took to my favorite pastime – shopping online and found a beautiful, soft brown slipcover. I simply refilled the sofa’s gaping holes with stuffing and tightly wrapped the cushions in a sheet. The sofa cover came with a separate piece for the cushions so after tucking them into their cozy new abode, the cushions looked, and I think, felt, like new. A big band-aid, yes, but it was easy and worked well.
So now that the holiday is over, I can focus on shopping for a new sofa. I’ve found a few that I love and wanted to share.
If you have the space, you’ll love the Anaaba Sofa from Ligne Roset.
Two great sofas that will never go out of style are the Petrie Sofa from Crate and Barrel and the Anson Sofa from Room and Board.
And I can’t help but mention a favorite contemporary sofa with timeless style (which I carry on my retail furnishings site www.17thandRiggs.com), the gorgeous Madrid Sofa:
With so many great options available, I can guarantee it’s going to be fun to choose which sofa Augie will be enjoying from afar.
In my build up to launching into a successful and focused 2009, I’ve been organizing and updating my home office space. Along the way, I’ve come across a few very cool desks that I wanted to share with you.
The Larkspur desk from Restoration Hardware is a beautiful classic piece with plenty of built in storage.
The Tapered-Frame Desk at West Elm is simply lovely and a great price!
Also, check out the new Jett Desk from Z Gallerie. It has a unique line and sleek profile. It’s available in white lacquer or a lovely black.
There are plenty of new styles in a variety of prices to fit any budget – so have a blast refocusing your workspace for the new year!
