south side

July 12, 2018 in hank, family, pet, travel

i grew up on the north side of berkeley, right near the little tunnel that runs under the marin circle and off a shopping street full of restaurants and quirky boutiques called solano. my friends all lived very close by… mostly because i got lost so easily and could only have friends whose houses i could find. this was in the days before mothers drove you all around the world for playdates. i can still distinctly picture the map my friend cynthia’s mother drew for me so i could get to their house. at the time we were in a rental behind the library and i had to walk three long blocks past the firehouse (she made a perfect circle that i marveled at, to indicate the station, as berkeley’s no. 4 is cyclindrical - designed in 1960 by ratcliff architecture) and turn right on los angeles for half a block. i carried that map with me for months (yes - i am a SLOW geographic learner) when i was going to her house.

jelly bean

July 05, 2018 in hank, travel, family, pet

the first time it happened, the kids had taken hank over to their father’s house. i got an excited phone call AND photos. i had really hoped that we would never have to deal with this because hank is so mellow, but there it was, a glossy, hot pink protrusion coming out of hank’s nether regions. i have to say, if you didn’t think about what it was, it was really quite pretty… so shiny and my favorite hue of pink. it is rumored that someone touched it (before really understanding what it was) but that has not been confirmed.

uncomfortable

June 27, 2018 in residential interior

i do not like to be physically uncomfortable. when i have a headache, i take an advil. when i am having a baby, i get an epidural (this was no small feat in the netherlands where both of my children were born and 30% of women give birth at home.) i don’t understand people who run marathons or bike a million miles, despite blisters or cramps or just being tired. i only run when my children are headed into traffic or if someone is chasing me with an ax. actually, in my early 20’s, i did run the bay to breakers (san francisco’s 10k) once. between all the bands and the cheering and the popsicles and the costumes and the fact that it was so crowded you couldn’t go very fast, i had a great time. and on the way home, my roommate and i bumped into jerry brown, who was running for president at the time - but was not accompanied by any entourage or body guards - and he invited us back up to his converted victorian firehouse home that was a few blocks from our apartment for a chat. i ended up volunteering for his campaign and it sparked my interest in politics. overall, it was a pretty amazing day and i thought i had discovered a hidden running talent in myself. two days later, i tried to go running again… but without the entire city cheering me on and handing me treats, i realized that i actually do not like to run at all. i do exercise a bit because i am vain. i take classes at the bar method a couple of times a week - it is air conditioned in there and the teachers are funny and i have a range of strategies for getting through class: i only use the 2 pound weights (perhaps this is why i still have “dinner lady arms” where the bits between your elbow and armpit flap too readily when you wave,) i almost never do the challenges, i go to the bathroom if there is more than ten minutes left for the tummies (if i go earlier, i just really had to go,) i only accidentally take the level 2 classes and i count stuff: boob jobs, filled lips, tattoos and pig tails - you’d be surprised at how many women in their forties still tie their hair up like school girls.)

a life well traveled...

June 20, 2018 in art, family, residential interior, sofa, travel, living room, dining room

i love learning about the histories and adventures of my clients. my goal, as a designer, is to help them create a home that provides a platform for the artifacts, photographs, books and unique objects that represent their experiences in an integrated, personal manner.

i love you higher than the sky is high and deeper than the ocean is deep

June 17, 2018 in family, holiday

for as long as i can remember, my father has said this to me… when he was putting me to bed, when he was saying good-bye, or sometimes just because he was passing by. i always imagined a vast, navy blue sky sparkling with stars reaching down to a deep purple ocean filled with colorful, friendly fish. (somehow even after i saw jaws WAY too young, that imagery never penetrated this phrase.) the enormity of all of that love surrounding me and protecting me made feel so safe, like i moved through the world in my own special cocoon. so on the tougher days like when i wasn’t invited to the sleepover or i got a really bad hair cut (fall of 8th grade and again in 10th) or some boy didn’t like me back or we didn’t win the spirit cup senior year like EVERY other class or i didn’t get into the college i wanted (my father actually called some schools and asked for my hand printed applications back) or i didn’t get the job i interviewed for (i am colossally poor in job interviews) or the boyfriend whose eyes are too close together cheated on me (i should have known when my father pointed out his flawed eye configuration) or i forgot to put the parking brake on and my big, two-ton sedan rolled down a hill right into the side of another car whose owner was at the same party i was going to or i got laid off or i couldn’t get pregnant or i had to move from amsterdam to a hot, dusty mountain town or my marriage fell apart or i missed my children so much i remained paralyzed on the sofa binge watching "girlfriend’s guide to divorce” and eating pirate booty until the roof of my mouth was shredded or even last week when i couldn’t remember where i parked after a lunch date and looked for my car (with my date) for FORTY-FIVE minutes in unbelievable heat only to find it right in front of the restaurant (i know - it’s amazing - i did NOT hear from him again!) … on all of those days, and every other, i knew my father loved me. that’s no small thing.

eddie's jackets

June 12, 2018 in family, residential interior, sofa, living room

with the approach of father's day, i wanted to repost this piece i wrote about my father-in-law....

my father-in-law was gone too soon. by the time i met him, he had been suffering from parkinson’s for nearly thirty years. there was still a twinkle in his eye that confirmed all of the stories i had heard about him when he was younger, but i missed knowing him when he looked like ricki ricardo and was celebrated for his violin playing, spontaneous fun, witty humor and dapper dressing. i did, however, get to see the beautifully tailored cashmere coats and suits he left behind. while none of them fit his son quite right, they were too fine and too sentimental to give away. we packed them away carefully and they moved with us to three different apartments and two houses. recently, i found them when i was doing a major post-lice cleaning. i know you don’t have to go through EVERYTHING in your house when your children infect it with lice, but once i get going on the cleaning i tend to get carried away. they were in the back of my sewing closet in an unmarked box. i am no longer married to my father-in-law’s son, so clearly i needed to give the jackets back. but i decided to take the cashmere herringbone coat apart and have it made into two sofa pillows because the fabric was so soft and appealing. after getting the deconstructed jacket cleaned, i had the pieces sewn together into two squares. one square has a pocket showing and the other has the jacket buttons going down the middle. my daughter and i picked out a neutral plaid that has a 60’s era feel and we used that as the backing on these pillows. my one-time husband had forgotten about the jackets and was delighted to have them repurposed and added to his living room…a cozy reminder of his dashing father.

strawberry shortcake

June 05, 2018 in family, pet

every summer when i was growing up, there would be one night where we had strawberry shortcake for dinner. no broccoli or pork chops or mac n’ cheese… just a heaping plateful of home-made(ish) strawberry shortcake. (i say “ish” because my mother always made the shortcake recipe right off the bisquick box… which is DELICIOUS, by the way.) there was nothing more exciting for me than having dessert for dinner. it literally felt like christmas in july.

waterworks

May 29, 2018 in family, commercial interior, travel

i am one quarter german and three quarters mish mosh northern european. to my knowledge, (although i’ve never used ancestry.com) i do not have a speck of french blood in me. this has always seemed grossly unfair as i spent all four and a half years of college studying french… even spending one semester in paris at the sorbonne in an intensive grammar program and a couple of summers working for french-speaking families as an au-pair. to top it off, i never even had a french boyfriend.

milestones

May 22, 2018 in family, pet, commercial interior

recently, hank had to get his THIRD collar. his neck just keeps getting bigger and bigger. i certainly didn’t expect him to have a swan neck like audrey hepburn… he IS a bulldog after all, but i have been surprised by his rapid growth. he also now weighs in at TWENTY-SEVEN pounds… more than half the weight of my daughter. i think his bones must be made of steel. while i am grateful for his sturdiness and good health (except when he eats chapsticks) his many milestones in such a short period have left me reeling. only two months ago, i was working at the kitchen counter with hank at my feet and all of a sudden he was just GONE. i looked all around the room and was wondering if he’d somehow left when i heard pattering overhead. somehow he’d managed to go up the stairs all by himself. until that point, we’d been carrying him up and down. it reminded me of when my son was about four months old and i left him in the middle of the room on a blanket and went to the bathroom. he was also gone when i came back. i finally found him in a corner and realized that he had learned to roll over… and over and over. unfortunately, he could only go in one direction so he was a bit stuck.

chapstick

May 15, 2018 in family, hank, residential interior

a few weeks ago, hank ate a cherry chapstick. he didn’t eat the plastic part, but all the waxy stuff inside. we are all still getting used to having a puppy and taking care not to leave things out that aren’t good for him. at the time, i was annoyed at the kids and fascinated by the new sweetness of his breath, but was not overly concerned. i should have been. at 4:30 am the next morning i woke to the sounds of loud slurping. when i managed to get my eyes open, i saw that hank was licking something off my duvet (YES… he has started sleeping in my bed. one night i just meant to have a cuddle with him and i fell asleep before putting him back in the crate and now his new spot seems established.) i couldn’t understand what he was eating and then i came to the horrifying realization that he was re-ingesting his own VOMIT! i am not great with bodily stuff and it was all i could do not to throw up myself. i scooped him up and took him outside for some fresh air. then i brushed his little teeth and had him drink some water. he seemed okay and i thought it was a “one off” situation like my children sometimes had as babies. we went back upstairs, i replaced the blanket and we both went back to sleep. and then at 6 am he did it AGAIN! this time, i was much swifter. i picked him up before he could eat it and quarantined him in the bathtub. he was not best pleased with this situation, but i could not let him roam around my house barfing. i was already faced with laundering two duvets and their covers. luckily, the vet opened at 7 am so hank didn’t have to stay in the tub too long. the doctors were a bit surprised that i brought him in… apparently dogs eat weird things and throw up all the time, but i have never had one before and was worried he would get dehydrated… he is such a little guy. we both went home to rest and do laundry - you wouldn’t believe all the feathers flying around my drier from the duvets! hank spent most of the day sleeping and i thought it was over. unfortunately, i had a date that night with someone new and i could not get a single sentence out without yawning (so rude!) because i was so tired. it didn’t really matter as it turned out this guy had THREE cats. that was definitely a deal breaker… i am now a dog person, even a barfing dog person.

jip and janneke (yip and yawn-a-kuh)

May 08, 2018 in family

*we are spending christmas in amsterdam this year… i am just beside myself. in anticipation i am reposting stories about some of my favorite dutchie stuff… jip and janneke are two adorable little friends… x0x

jip and janneke are two little dutch kids who met when they saw each other through a hole in the hedge that separated their houses. in the celebrated story by annie m.g. schmidt, jip was peeking through…

little mamas

May 01, 2018 in art, residential interior

nearly a month ago, i was browsing in the delightfully curated cedar and hyde shop in downtown boulder. i was completely charmed by a collection of whimsical, stoneware vases, each with three little feet, displayed there. they came in different sizes and resembled women in the waddly stage of pregnancy when everything is protruding and feels surprising and unbalanced. each zaftig piece was unique, as is each child-bearing mother. the vases were textured in a way that held the glaze in various degrees of intensity. they had a soft, organic, earthy feel and i spent a good while comparing the bulges, patterns and characters of each vessel.

keukenhof (coo-ken-hoff)

April 24, 2018 in family, travel

the dutch east india company was founded in 1602 and monopolized both asian and european trade for two centuries, a period known as the dutch “golden age.” a wealthy dutch merchant class was established and the netherlands was the center of some of the greatest achievements in art and academia (think rembrandt, vermeer and hals, the invention of the pendulum clock, the discovery of bacteria, the first modern stock exchange…) at the start of this era, tulips were imported to holland from the ottoman empire. these brightly hued flowers with petals growing in the shape of elegant teacups completely captured the dutch and became highly valued. the “tulpiere” vase was designed to hold individual stems, as each blossom was considered so precious. by 1636, the tulip bulb was the fourth leading dutch export, following gin, herring and cheese and “tulpenmanie” was at its height. tulips became so expensive that they were treated as a form of currency and a speculative frenzy ensued. it is said that one canal mansion was offered in trade for just ten rare bulbs. in 1637, the tulip market crashed after buyers in haarlem refused to show up to a scheduled auction and make good on payment. some believe that the haarlemmers stayed home because the bubonic plague was going around and they didn’t want to stand around in a big, infected crowd. since this was long before purell’s product launch in 1988, it is completely understandable. the burst of the “tulip mania” bubble did not have a lasting impact on the dutch economy, but it did effect the dutch psyche and is considered a reminder to stay grounded when making financial decisions. tulips continue as a beloved and iconic symbol of the netherlands (as do gin, herring and gouda, also popularized during the golden age) and today’s dutchies still love to chat about the period in history when a country the size of maryland fairly dominated the world.

pompadour

April 18, 2018 in holiday, travel, family, commercial interior

i moved to amsterdam in august, but you wouldn’t have known it was summer because of all the rain. there is the general misting present most days that you can still walk around in and then there are the serious downpours where you need to go inside. one of my earliest rain-evading discoveries was the chocolate shop, pompadour. this “gezellig” (dutch word for cozy, but meaning so much more) patisserie was located just around the corner from my apartment. it was almost a holy place for me. the interior is beautiful…rich, intricate, rose-colored wallpaper with warm, carved wooden moldings cut for the town hall of mortsel in 1895 and imported and repurposed, striking light fixtures evoking wild flowers or some kind of nature and inviting little marble cafe tables. there was just about no trouble that couldn’t be soothed away by having a cup of mint tea at pompadour. the tea was served in a large, clear glass of hot water with a couple of fresh mint stalks tucked in, accompanied by a delicious almond cake on the side. and i haven’t even gotten to the gorgeous chocolates and little cakes that looked like works of art.

passover moon cake

April 10, 2018 in family, holiday

we were still in amsterdam over passover this year, so we had a belated seder dinner this weekend. seders are a big deal to prepare… there’s all of the components of the seder plate, which depending on where you live, can be difficult to come by. in new york, all of the markets suddenly dedicate at least two aisles to passover related groceries in the week leading up to the holiday. in amsterdam, you would never know passover is happening. i had to roast a drumstick our first year living there because i couldn’t make the butcher understand the lamb shank. also, there is no matzo meal, only matzo crackers. in order to make matzo ball soup, i had to first grind up the crackers myself with a rolling pin. it was like little house on the jewish prairie in my amsterdam apartment. horseradish, also, is not easy to find. for that i would have to go to what we referred to as the "expat black market.” it’s a tiny shop on leidesgracht that caters to homesick american and british expats. the prices are outrageous, but it’s often the only place to get a crucial ingredient… a can of libby’s, libby’s, libby’s pumpkin, for example, is typically about ten euros around thanksgiving! so for a shiksa raising my children jewish (the faith of their father), seders can be a challenge, especially when we were living in the netherlands.

cuckoo clocks

April 04, 2018 in residential interior

when we moved from amsterdam to boulder, our cuckoo clock came too. he never really got over the jet lag… he still pops out of his house and sings and flaps his wings each hour, it’s just rarely the correct amount of cuckoos. and turning the clock forward and back for daylight savings hasn’t helped him one bit. but we love him anyway. we know that when he cuckoos at 8 o’clock in the morning (no matter how many times he chirps) it is time to leave for school. he reminds us when it’s time to go bed as well… also at 8 o’clock.

nijntje (nine-cha)

March 24, 2018 in residential interior, travel, family

i moved to amsterdam when i was three months pregnant with my first child. i had never spent any time there and like many americans, i associated the netherlands with wooden shoes, tulips, marijauna “coffee shops” and the red light district. i was leaving behind my family, my pacific ocean and my super-fun job styling the windows for banana republic. the whole move happened so quickly i barely had time to process what i was getting myself into and what i was going to do with myself when i got there, besides being pregnant. one of my favorite work friends suggested i start styling the red light windows. i could rework them every season with different themes like we did at banana and dress the women in something beyond tiny, white bikinis that glow iridescent in the intense red lights.

living spaces

March 13, 2018 in residential interior, living room

for this kalmia home, we wanted to create engaging, flexible spaces that work for entertaining both large and small groups, as well as encouraging cozy, intimate family time. in the larger living room we left the persian rug relatively free of furniture pieces so that the intricate, colorful design could be appreciated. the burnt reds and teals of the carpet and the morroccan floor cushion add warmth and dimension to the expansive space. we scattered several ottomans around the room that are easily moveable to allow for a variety of seating and social arrangements.

fortnight collective

March 06, 2018 in commercial interior

“fortnight collective is a brand marketing accelerator driven by the desire to liberate the strategic and creative development process. with our advertising hack process, fortnight collective tackles brand strategy and campaign development -- all in two weeks. gone are the days of lengthy processes, group-think, and all the things that get in the way of progress. by putting the right talent around the table at the right time, we look to accelerate brand momentum for our clients. in keeping with our rallying cry 'better hustle,' fortnight helps brands be better, faster.” andy nathan, founder and CEO, fortnight collective

cotillion for hank

February 27, 2018 in pet, family

i have always had a bit of a southern obsession. i loved watching gone with the wind as a child… i was mesmerized by the big hoop skirts decorated with intricate ribbons and lace and layered over all the petticoats and cinched up corsets. i spoke with a terrible southern accent for the entirety of my fourth grade year, nearly driving my father out of the house. in my twenties, whenever i suffered a break up, i would return to gone with the wind and read in the middle of the night when i woke up miserable. “fiddle dee dee… i’ll think about that another day!” i’d tell myself when i couldn’t stop ruminating over whoever had broken my heart… just like scarlet. in my early thirties, i was invited to a wedding in north carolina. there were loads of southerners there, but there was one proper belle that i became fixated on. she was newly pregnant so she had a perfect little baby bump poking out beneath all of her floral empire waist sundresses. she always had a matching cashmere cardigan draped over her shoulders that never fell off, even though the top wasn’t buttoned. her husband wore pink pants and immaculately ironed button downs and loafers all weekend. i studied her and followed her around all of the wedding parties and events like a stalker. i couldn’t wait for the bride to return from her honeymoon so i could interrogate her about my belle. i learned that all of my belle’s towels were monogramed and every christmas her entire extended family had a huge photo shoot where they wore matching clothes. apparently, holiday cards are very important in proper southern families raising belles and gentlemen.