(and we have a palm tree just like this right out front! x0x)
eldorado springs family home
this house was lovingly remodeled by local architect and builder, jason ruby. the house is located just off the south boulder creek in eldorado springs. the warm wood and earthy finishes complement the natural surroundings of this charming three bedroom home.
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HAPPY, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! x0x0x
wishing you all a day full of LOVE and CHOCOLATE and SWEETNESS! happiest valentine’s day! x0x0xx
my valhalla project was included in a HOUZZ article! x0x0x
i was so delighted to learn that my new valhalla project was included in a houzz article by marianne lipanovich about incorporating houseplants into your space. here’s the link to the full article. THANK YOU marianne lipanovich and THANK YOU heather burns of HBK photography for the pretty photo! and, of course, THANK YOU to my wonderful clients for trusting me with their home! x0x0xx
MOVING: reimagining where furnishings go in a new house
(this sarah kinn painting migrated from above the fireplace in the first home to the open hallway in my clients’ new house)
last june we moved from boulder back to my hometown of berkeley. as it turns out, the new house is almost exactly the same size as the old house. of course, it is laid out differently and i have spent the last few months figuring out what goes where. some things ended up in the equivalent spaces: beds in bedrooms, dining chairs in the dining area… but some pieces found new homes. the living room rocker ended up in my bedroom, the lounge chairs that were separated in boulder were reunited in berkeley and put in our new reading area. artwork was hung in completely different spaces. i’ve been thinking so much about moving and wanted to share how we have shuffled and reorganized the furnishings and accessories when some of my clients have moved.
this family moved from a traditional colonial in north boulder to a modern farmhouse near the reservoir (posted last week.) while the architectural styles of the two houses are very different, a lot of pieces from their collection of furnishings were placed in the new house, if not in the same type of room. we had so much fun with the challenge of reimagining where things could go and how to creatively layer on new pieces.
FARMHOUSE: the tweedy gray swivel chairs in the new living room were pulled from the old office, as was the white tulip game table in the corner. * can you see the green-toned sarah kinn painting from the original living room hanging in the upstairs hallway?
COLONIAL: the original placement of the saarinen game table and the pair of swivel chairs.
FARMHOUE: the game table was placed under a vibrant abstract tree painting in the new living room.
FARMHOUSE: the new family room has photographs from the original dining room and is grounded by the blue patterned area rug and marble coffee table from the original living room.
COLONIAL: the original living room with the blue green color palette and the sarah kinn painting.
COLONIAL: the large scale photos from the original dining room that set the tone for the new family room.
COLONIAL: this beautiful, family art piece was originally hung in a nook in the primary bedroom.
FARMHOUSE: the restful gold toned painting was rehung in the primary bathroom of the new house.
COLONIAL: the graphic pillows and steel drum table from the original backyard were rehomed around the firepit of the new house.
FARMHOUSE: accessories from the original house warm up the firepit of the new house.
photos: HBK photography
to read about the colonial house click here, to read about the farmhouse click here
valhalla reservoir house
this modern farmhouse with a sweeping backyard and views of the flatiron mountains is set just off the boulder reservoir. the entry reveals an extensive great room with an open plan that includes the living room, dining room and kitchen. the high vaulted ceilings are fitted with large windows and skylights that fill the space with natural light.
a cozy family room is tucked into the rear of the house with a deck that accesses the backyard. the primary bedroom and bath are located upstairs off the open hallway looking down into the great room.
the graphic palette for both the interior and exterior of the house includes clean white walls throughout, wide plank, white oak flooring, a slimmer tongue and groove white oak ceiling in the flat ceilinged rooms, a mixture of white and black slab front cabinetry, all punctuated with matte black hardware and black steel railings and window framing. texture and color pops are brought in with the art pieces, rugs and textiles, giving the home a vibrant, warm feeling.
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happy, happy NINETEENTH birthday my darling boy! x0x0x
(this is what i would be doing if i were with my baby boy today… he NEVER feels smothered!)
this is the first birthday of theo’s that i will not spend with him… he is away at college and i’m sure he is crying into the birthday cake i sent him, missing me terribly (or at least that’s what he swore to me.) he MIGHT also be having a really good time with his friends at school, which i KNOW i should be happy about and i mostly am. i just love this boy so much that sometimes i think my heart will burst right out of my chest. i think this is normal, but it is also painful because for some reason these babies grow up. wishing you everything WONDERFUL in the coming year theodore ellis chasnow. happiest birthday… i love you so! x0x0x
(can you believe that about four seconds ago he was just this size?)
HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY to my wonderful mama! x0x0x
i am just beside myself that for the first time in DECADES i live in the same town as my mama and will be able to celebrate her latest birthday LIVE! it has been such a joy being so much closer (only ten MINUTES!) and i am so grateful for all of the extra adventures we get to have. here’s to bucketfuls of new fun in the coming year lovely mama! happy, happy birthday and loads and loads of LOVE! x0x0xx
last denver interview for CANVAS REBEL
shortly before we moved to california, i did one last interview with canvas rebel magazine. THANK YOU to jenny tran for including me in this fun series. THANK YOU always to heather burns knierim of HBK photography for the lovely photos of my projects. here is a link to the article. x0x
my winter park mudroom was featured in a HOUZZ article! x0x
it was so mucy fun to be included in this houzz article by laura gaskill about how to reset and organize in january. THANK YOU again to writer, laura gaskill and to photographer, kimberly gavin and stylist, natalie warady for creating such a pretty photo. here is the link to the full article. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! x0x
HAPPIEST NEW YEAR 2025! x0x0x
(hank in his favorite spot at the new house… in the coveted corner)
HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR friends! i am starting 2025 in a very different place than i began 2024. so much has changed in the last eight months that my head is still spinning and i have been trying very hard to process it all… even though i am a woman, a gender universally famous for juggling children and work and life in general, i have learned that i do not “multi-task” well, which is why i have been totally bunkered down in my new house and new life and not writing because all of my energy has been going into SETTLING.
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HAPPIEST OF FATHER'S DAYS to my darling father! x0x0x
wishing my wonderful dad an amazing father’s day. i’m so HAPPY to be back in berkeley so we can celebrate together! x0x0xx
boulder FAVORITES! x0x0x
(vintage boulder postcard)
as our time in boulder comes to a close i wanted to share some of my favorites that i will MISS terribly. of course the PEOPLE (and DOGS!) are first and foremost:
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happy, happy mother's day! x0x0x
(back in days when all of my loves would end up in the same bed by morning…)
i LOVE being a mama… especially when my kids are asleep! they look like little angels (even now that they are teenagers and hank is technically middle aged.) their rhythmic, peaceful breathing (hank’s sounds more like a train) is really soothing and makes me feel like everthing is right in the world. i do not have a consistent meditation practice, but when i do it, i always crawl back in bed with my sweeties and lay one hand on someone’s chest so i can feel it going up and down. these days that sweetie is usually hank because my other babies sometimes tell me they need “space” and sometimes they even lock their doors! luckily hank never needs space. when they wake up we never know what will happen. sometimes they are delightful and sometimes they are less so. even when they are less so, my love for them feels so BIG it’s almost painful. i am so GRATEFUL to be the mother of these lovey darlings. loads of LOVE to all of the mothers and those who mother. x0x0x0x
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my winter park project was included in a HOUZZ article! x0x
THANK YOU to georgia madden of houzz for including my winter park project in her article “10 Spring Home Upgrades to Do Right Now.” many thanks also to the super talented berly gavin of kimberly gavin photography and natalie warady, stylist extraordinaire, for the beautiful photography and styling of this mountain house. and of course, thank you to my amazing clients for this wonderful opportunity! x00xx
to see more of this project click here
just in time for mother's day... NOTES FROM MOTHERLAND the wild adventure of raising humans
i am so honored to have one of my parenting stories included in this collection of pieces on mothering by a group of super talented authors: chris chandler, sierra melcher, sandi phinney, audra romeo, sierra lynn riddle, joellen leigh irizarry, jessica stokes, erika hull, brandee melcher, ashley wize, reah hagues, rena mcdonald and frances trejo-lay. it’s the perfect gift for your favorite mama! x0x0x
AVAILABLE NOW: amazon, barnes & noble
profiled for BOLD JOURNEY magazine! x0x
i was so delighted to be interviewed for a series on “optimistic entrepreneurs” in denver’s bold journey magazine. THANK YOU to the superstar duo: kimberly gavin (photographer) and natalie warady (stylist) for the first four photos shown from my winter park project and heather knierim of HBK photography for the lovely photos of my chatauqua project and gorgeous hank! read the full article here! x0x
REPOST: the order of a seder
* this is the last seder i will be hosting in our boulder house… i have so many wonderful memories of passover celebrations around this table and i am so grateful for all of the lovely friends who shared in them! HAPPY, HAPPY PASSOVER! x0x0x
seder means “order.” there is an order to every aspect of the passover celebration from the way the seder plate is prepared to which course is served first and second and third to what prayer is said, what song is sung, what question is asked and when. even though i am not jewish, i have been hosting passover dinners for nearly twenty years. inevitably i mix up at least one aspect of the order. sometimes i even schedule the seder for the wrong evening - the jewish calendar is confusing and i am not always sure if “begins at sundown” means the dinner should take place that night or the next. i give myself a pass on this as a shiksa mama raising jewish children. i have enough trouble with simple time telling (my mom thinks that’s because i had the chicken pox the week i was meant to learn it in first grade) and adjusting to different time zones and daylight savings.
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my guest house cottage was featured in a HOUZZ article! x0x
(the sun porch of the cottage)
i am so excited that my pine street guest house project has been featured in an article on houzz by becky harris. this charming cottage was redesigned by architect lisa laursen of lisa laursen design and photographed by heather knierim of HBK photography… hank, of course, served as the primary model. it was so much fun to work with my superstar clients, jess and zach zeldner, after having collaborated with them on their primary residence a few years prior… (that project ended up on the cover of 5280Home and was also really fun and rewarding!) MANY THANKS to all involved and especially to becky harris of houzz! x0x0x
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HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY my darling lucy! x0x0x
i am flabbergasted to share that my dearest, darling baby girl is FOURTEEN years old today. i honestly can’t believe it. maybe because she is my youngest, i never anticipated that she would actually grow up. but in her powerful, spicy, hilarious, cheeky way she has marched ahead and become a full-on teenager, a YOUNG WOMAN even (i can’t say “lady” - she burps and swears like a sailor!) this last year has been a doozy with loads of changes and milestones both for lucy and for our whole family: her bat mitzvah, theo preparing to leave home for college, ALL of us planning a move to california this summer, lucy’s grammy worthy lashes, theo’s mustache, the sale of both of our boulder homes, the purchase of our new berkeley house and lu preparing to attend my old high school… JUICE THE JACKETS! i have already pulled out my old cheer uniform for her - maybe she will wear it for halloween?
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