eclectic design inspiration

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

a favorite thing: kilim rugs

To some I am a very peculiar girl when it comes to my "must-haves" while looking for a new apartment. No dishwasher? I can live with that, I find washing dishes therapeutic, and besides, the steam's so good for your face! The apartment turns into a sweatbox on warm sunny days? Perfect, I won't have to leave home to do hot yoga!* It's less than 200 square feet? Oh yippee, an excuse to stay in bed all day since it will be my only piece of furniture! It has carpet throughout? Oh. Ummm. Yeaaah. Sorry... I really want hardwood floors. *Insider info: I've never done hot yoga, I'm not that cool. See, I do puns. And I'm convinced I would throw up if I tried it.

Of course, the whole vision of my ideal apartment includes rugs on top of these wonderful hardwood floors, but I'm not quite there yet. Because of their richly colored patterns, allusions to faraway lands and warmth under one's feet, kilims in particular are perpetually on my wish list (because the ones I want are just so dadgum expensive!). One day I hope to have a unique collection of them spread around my house, but as of now I just have one. That I love with all of my heart. So here I am... daydreaming about kilims in my future... enjoy!


I love the layered look, for some reason it reminds me of a hippie commune in the best kind of way. photo source

omg those colors! photo source

I think the orangey rug paired with the blue walls really hits the spot. photo source

Not only is this entire room stunning, but they have two kilims! photo source

Pairing with a flokati seems to be really "in." photo source

Okay there is a great chance that this is not a kilim, because it looks somewhat plush like an Oriental (or pile) rug, rather than the flatweave style that kilims are known for. I'm not sure, but I lust after this little rug, so I wanted to include it regardless! photo source

Wouldn't you agree that the rug pulls this entire room together? photo source

How amazing are those daybeds? Oops, back to the point, I love the stripes in this kilim. 
Source Unknown :(

Regal, no? I think the kilim rug brings it back down to earth, where it looks best. photo source

Such a fun room made 10x better by that colorful rug. Love. photo source


Can you relate to my need for hardwood floors? What's on your "must-have" list when looking for a new home?

Friday, July 6, 2012

San Francisco in Pictures

Okay so San Francisco was totally awesome.

However, this is the first "vacation" in recent memory where I've gotten home and felt like I needed to immediately start the "don't really try this at home, kids" Master Cleanse diet, acknowledge the fact that my last name is not "Moneybags" and limit myself to Netflix blogging for all future entertainment, and spend some time looking up the symptoms and least expensive remedies for mono on WebMD. Wow what a trip. Thank god it's been a workweek with a random day off in the middle (and for me, half-days every other day heehee) or I may not have survived. And yes, I know I didn't even have to deal with a time zone change - I am just that pathetic. (I think I'm just not used to going 5 days without an afternoon nap. Sorry I'm not sorry I like to take a nap every day.)

We walked, ate, drank, cabbed, ate, trollied, photographed, ate, drank, shopped, ate, biked and ate some more. We ate did A Lot. So, the photos below don't even begin to cover our exploration of "the city," but they show some of the highlights that I happened to capture on camera. 


Some of my closest college pals - ohhh the memories. We traveled from four different cities to meet up in San Francisco. Cheers to the fact that none of these ladies are snorers! Friends 4 Lyfe! :) :) :) 

Chinatown. Classic San Francisco. (And somehow I didn't have a bite of Chinese food the entire trip. Weird and Sad.)

Dolores Park in The Mission District. Love. Just a stroll away from some dang good ice cream and pizza.


The entrance to Tartine (and the end of the line going in to Tartine). I'm a creep, this girl is not my friend.

Another photo from the The Mission. I thought this would turn out to be an interesting shot, so I took it. The giant rainbow flag is pretty awesome.

Clarion Alley. The most amazing collection of street murals I've ever seen. 

At Tyler Florence's Wayfare Tavern, where local cuisine of the early 1900s provides inspiration for the oh-my-god-everything-looks-SO-good menu. And from an interior design perspective - I'm not sure if I've ever been to a restaurant with so much of a stepping-into-another-world (maybe I'm being melodramatic) effect. I think it's the closest I'll ever get to eating on the Titanic.

 The beautiful Wayfare Tavern kitchen where the best halibut of my life came from; served over creamed kale, topped with corn and truffle cream with a side of corn fritters. Seriously, the best halibut of my life.

Some architecture I thought was cool in the Marina. I'd live there.

Annnd more food. My friend and I actually talked about these beer-steamed mussels from Delarosa for days afterward. The whole meal was fantastic, but damn those were some nice mussels... 


Here we are pretending we are Carrie, Charlotte and Samantha having some pastries and lattes at one of our favorite bakeries during the trip, La Boulange. Apparently they were just bought by Starbucks or something and the locals are not happy about it.

And oh, just the Full House houses beyond the park there. NBD. (I may or may not have a dozen hold-out shots on my iPhone of myself with that in the background.)

And the antithesis of our beloved Tanner fam: the iconic Haight-Ashbury intersection. 

Apparently, Oregon has had an influence on me - I loved the vibe of this cafe/hotel/hippie hangout/whatever it is and quickly snapped a picture as my friends told me to hurry the heck up. 

I got really happy when I spotted Bob in the window... 

Another highlight of the trip: Magnolia Pub and Brewery in Haight-Ashbury. I'm the weirdo who wouldn't stop talking about the cloth napkins and oh-so handsome menu. But just look at it! The food and beer were equally impressive.

We are so Portland, ridin' bikes with fanny packs. 

 This is what awaited us on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge and apparently it's where the sun hangs out. It also smelled like eucalyptus trees - my fave. Now, onward, to Sausalito!

Posin' in front of the hills of Sausalito. (Don't look at my hair. Stop! Jk. But riding a bike in full fog for two hours definitely had me reconsidering the whole short hair thing. I was a mess.)

And to wrap it up, a "candid" shot (we think we're so cute) that is not really candid at all. I'm holding out the camera, isn't it obvious? I can't lie to you! 


San Francisco did not disappoint. I had some of the best food of my life, saw both interesting and gorgeous parts of the city, and I got to spend 100 hours straight with the close friends I don't see very often (and somehow we all kept our sanity!). I can't wait to go back, but I think I need to take it down a notch for my next trip and go somewhere that involves hanging out by a body of water and sipping piƱa coladas. At least then I'll be more likely to fit a nap into the schedule!

Have you been to any of these places in San Francisco??

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy Independence Day!

My trip to San Francisco has been over for two full days now (post coming soon!), and I swear I have never felt lazier in my life! Is it possible to have a vacation hangover from five days of excessive food, beverages, walking, and sunshine sunburns? All I want to do is sit in bed and eat Salt & Straw ice cream! What is going on?!

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, however, so I am pulling myself together at the last minute to compose a little inspiration post to get myself and anyone else who needs it into a fireworks kind of mood. My plan is to attend a barbecue (or two), which should be a good time if I promise myself a nap after. :)

Update 7/6: Yikes! I feel like such a chump for not even mentioning the meaning of the holiday in this post! Further proof something weird was going on with me. I am so proud and grateful to be an American, living in such a beautiful country where I have the right to speak my mind without censor, vote for my President and elected officials, practice whatever religion I please, and exercise all of the other liberties I have as a citizen of the United States of America. I'm also very thankful for the brave men and women who selflessly dedicate their lives to protecting these precious freedoms. 

A pretty little 4th of July wedding tablescape via 

Rustic and boyish via

Oh Lana, I love you. source unknown

Loving the simplicity going on here. via 

Into. via

Classic via

Yum! 4th of July lunch on the water sounds amazing. via

Early Americana. Obsessed. (source unknown)

A great little flag shorts DIY via

loving the warmth of this room via 

Strawberry cupcakes are my fave! source unknown

Love the horn by the door. via

The life! via


If you are celebrating the 4th of July, what are your plans??