Weekend bedroom notes...

Picture from livingetc

Well, le weekend is upon us and what better time to discuss how to reclaim your bedroom.

Bedrooms are such special places to relax, unwind & re-energize, they are our private retreats from the world. If, you are like me, you mainly just sleep in this room (not to mention the most important time of the day; early morning cuddles and hugs with little warm bodied folks).

Nonetheless, here are a few tips and hints to help you get that old lovin' feeling back for your bedroom.

Now, because disorder in this personal space can disrupt our lives it is key to organize this room in the best way possible for your well being.

Think outside the box...what I mean by that is that perhaps the normal formula of bed, side table, closet and dresser do not work and are not effective in helping solve the clutter problem.

If your bedside table has no purpose (storage/shelf/drawer), it may be subject to becoming a surface for clutter. So either do away with it, or have fun scouting out one that will solve this problem for you.

Closets are key, if your closet is not well thought in regards to how clothes/shoes are stored then those items will have no home & end up all over the room. Get additional shelving, reorganize the closet, I like, if space permits to bring the dresser into the closet. If you think of the main objective for your room is to relax and re-charge then you will see how clearing your space is of utmost importance.

A dear friend asked me to give her advice when she was recently cleaning out her closet and my words of mantra for her to chant to herself while working were: "When in doubt...Throw it out"...she found another statment to work for her which went "Love the peron, not the thing"...that might help.

If your bedroom is scattered with piles of magazines or unread books, get them out of there, how many books can you read at one time, maybe 2? That is how many should be kept next to your bed. If you excercise in your bedroom (wow, I give you credit) and have items of such, keep them clear of clothing (should be in your newly organized and re-vamped closet).

Ok, hope this helps and now get into that room and start to declutter, clean up the mess and unwind!

Have a lovely weekend!

KZ

Hearts work and such...

Wow, what a delay in posting...I am back.

Sincere apologies, life is busy, as you well know.

I am slowly but surely stepping out (building courage) and moving forward with introducing my designs, so if you visit me here you will see firsthand and follow where I am with my work as well as new listings for my Etsy shop.


So, I thought it would be fun to show you some work in case you haven't or won't make it to Stilllily...

I am very much loving working with organic, natural and renewable materials. Still working on what I learned from my photo session last week, so stay tuned.

Also, keep checking in as Bedroom organizing is next and I will promise to get it posted within a few days.

Have a delicious evening!

p.s. please feel free to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

Step into a new entry...

Entry Before

Entry After


With summer upon us, I think it is time to step up, clean out & organize key spaces in our homes (and minds! but that is a whole other post).

So join me over the next week as I provide tips and insight to help you organize and clear your mind and rooms of clutter and style your spaces to reflect your personal taste.

Now, a good place to start is the entry/foyer as that is the first place that you (unless you enter through the garage so you don't have to deal with your entry) and visitors see first.

Entryways come in all shapes and sizes and most have the same organizational challenges; items of clothing, shoes, bags, mail, homework all get dumped right as one walks in the front door. So keeping this area clutter free and welcoming means simply finding a place for all those items, some belonging there, some not.

Since many entryways are fairly small this work of organzing is tough. There is a limited amount of space to work with and coming up with decorative storage solutions in this area is key.

Warm and welcoming lighting makes a great impact and softens the feel in an entry. Go through treasures to find a decorative box or bowl to store keys and mail on an entry table. If coats/sweaters/hats are an issue, have fun searching local consignment shops or flea market for a unique and fun coat rack. If wall space is available hang hooks to free up space. A low bench with storage (hide those dirty old shoes) works nicely under a wall rack for putting on shoes and storage as well, add a colorful cushion for pop and fun.

Here is an entry I ReDesigned last fall:

Entry Before

Entry After

Next up: Bedrooms...because those are really key to our peace of mind.

Are you ready to start?

It's as simple as black & white

I love color.
I also love the simple and sophisticated statement that black and white make in a room.

I found these pics in Notebook Magazine and thought I would share.

Summer makes me think of crisp, clean (& relaxing) colors, but really you could bring in so many pops of color to mesh and blend with good ol' black and white...hmmm thinking coral, turquoise (my fav)...liking some of the olive colors I am seeing as well as lavender and light pink hues.

I actually have a desk very close to this one and now I am thinking maybe it would look good in black...

Change out...Change up...

Here is a space which I tranformed, this is a tricky room, it is at the entry of a home, however it is a small and tight formal living room as well...so upon entering this is the first room one sees.

Front Living Room Before

Front Living Room After

The trick was to scale down on the furnishings (slipper chairs) and choosing rich but subtle fabrics was key in keeping it on a more formal but relaxed look and feel. The original artwork above the couch, I switched out to be placed in the family/den and it was showcased much better in that room.

Before Family Room/Den

After Family Room/Den

This client was interested in purchasing all new pieces and so we worked with her existing accessories and the new furnishings were found at a high end furniture warehouse which offered custom features at great prices.

Now, aren't you ready for a space lift?

Bienvenue Still Lily

I have been going back and forth about creating the right name for my designs & shop, and so I would like to introduce to you Still Lily. This is my Etsy store name as well.

I will mix and blend postings from here and Still Lily blog. Enjoy!

Have a great day!

Colors of Summer

Californian Summers...days are longer...the sun sits high & strong over these hills that surround...I am reminded again and brought full circle to the often uncertain California June weather...

but still I am amazed with it's familiar comfort, the ocean's crisp cleansing washes away the heaviness and the breeze lifts me to a place of childhood carlessness and light.


Have you ever thought of creating a beachscape in your own backyard?
Upon a recent trip to my favorite nursery, I thought of all the variations of beautiful,
low maintenance arrangments that could be created...
I know you might not always relate succulents to the beach,
but actually they are found throughout beach areas and of course in (my favorite) the always amazing desert,
which reflects California lifestyle beyond description..nowhere like it in the world.

Any of these succulents can be placed in a colorful pot, try red, orange, as I was so taken with on this trip, or a turquoise blue (my fav) and partially fill the bottom of a low, wide pot with potting soil, set 3-4 plants (still in their nursery pots) to arrange the way you see fit, when happy, gently knock plants out of their pot while gently teasing roots that are coiled together and fill with extra soil just up to an inch or two of pot rim, tap top to firmly place and water.

Now, carefully pour a mulch of washed sand (I like the kind that is white and sparkles a bit) atop the soil.

And finally finish with a piece of driftwood or other beachlike treasure you have found (or use as an excuse to go find!)
Set the pot on a sunny patio (light afternoon shade in hot inland areas).

Water once a week or so.

I will put one together and post it soon.

Now sit back and enjoy!

Moments of wonder...

Captured this shot while FZ was shaving and our little man of interest stood by...
the garage with all it's countless tools and machinery & now Barber Shop is a popular place amongst these 2 men of the house.

Love these guys for all their guyness.

Father and son moments like this are so sweet.