Category Archives: Design

Oleander + Palm Studio Office

July 9, 2015

I’ve been in my new studio space for a couple of months now. I’ve shared that this space is actually two small rooms. When you walk in the door, I’ve set up the first space as my office and storage space. And then it opens into a larger space with a wall of windows (you can see more of that room here and here). I keep this second space almost empty so that I can have space for photographing, making and hosting craft events. But, I’ve finally got the office space together and I LOVE it!!!! I can’t wait to you to see the space.

I measured and planned every last inch of this office space, so that I could get the most out of it. I wanted to keep it organized and neat, but also allow it to be a place for my creativity to be sparked. I found the perfect desk at The Land of Nod, and so I built the room design around it.

Here’s a quick look at the space, but to see the whole room, head over to Honest to Nod today!

So, what do you think? I’m a using every square inch the best way possible. I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Design

Modern Meets Vintage Living Room

June 19, 2015

If you’ve been following O + P long enough, you will remember my living room before and also before the before. Well, it was time for another update. Our sofa had seen better days. So, with a new sofa, a new rug and an old chair (that finally got fixed), we have a brand new space.

When you open the front door to our tiny 1920’s home, you walk directly into the living room. This is the room where first impressions are made. I think the room feels grown up and sophisticated, but still playful and hopefully young. We really do most of our living in this room, so the pieces need to be comfy, yet durable with 3 kiddos and a kitty.

We did a lot of online shopping looking for the right one. Bakersfield can be a bit of a small town when it comes to furniture shopping, so I decided I needed to use the convenience of the web and save myself a trip to LA. I’m a huge fan of AllModern, so it’s the first place I looked. When you shop AllModern, your don’t have to weed through the 100s of overstuffed and floral sofas out there, they only sell the good stuff. Now, some of you a probably think “modern” is not your look, too cold and stark. But, it doesn’t have to be. I love mixing modern pieces with vintage finds for a comfortable look and feel. So, when we found this Dwell Studio Sofa, I knew it’s classic tufted shape would compliment my mix matched thrifted treasures, like my credenza and butterfly chair.

Sticking with my favorite neutral, grey, I decided to add a little color with pillows, a gold pouf and this gorgeous pink wire basket.

Green is my usual go-to accent color, but I’m trying out pink for a change.

Other sources you might be interested in:

DIY Chart Frame
Rug
Tropical Leaf Pillow
Coffee Table
Grey Chair
Lamp
Weaving
Leaning Bookcase

So, what do you think of the updates? The space really feels like it fits my style more then it every has before. Would you be brave enough to order a sofa online? I have no regrets, our new sofa is even better then we imagined.

This post is sponsored by AllModern, but all my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.

Design / DIY / etc.

Pale Pink Chair

May 21, 2015

There were quite a few things I learned from my reader survey that surprised me. One things you wanted more of was a look behind-the-scenes and more of the studio. So, here’s a little look at Olivia’s space in the studio.

This year, Olivia goes to pre-school 1 to 2 days a week. She’s a really social kid and loves being with friends so I’m glad she can go now and then. But, when she’s not at school, she’s my side kick. She loves going to the studio. I have a little table and chair for her and she has a whole drawer full of paper, markers, scissors, glue, paint, and tape. She can spend hours making stuff. Don’t get me wrong, she also makes a lot of messes in the process. But, I’m thankful she’s happy to be “working” with me. Yesterday she even lined up her crafts on the floor and asked for the phone so that she could take some pictures. Maybe she needs her on IG account, it could be entertaining.

I have two of these little chairs, I bought them at a thrift store when Denali was a baby. They were sage green with little red seat cushions the first time I gave them a makeover. Then when Denali was about 4 or 5, I painted them bright pink (seen here). And now they are the perfect pale shade of pink. And the best part is that the name of this Sherwin Williams color is OLEANDER!!! Seriously, it was meant to be.

When Olivia isn’t in the studio with me, or a have a big shoot, I can easily move her little station to a corner. I added a little temporary color to the wall above the table with a couple sheets of Minted‘s gorgeous wrapping paper in blue and pink. I love this color combo. Blue is not usually a color I play with, but it’s a new color I’m trying to add to my mix (remember my Colbalt Blue mood board).

Oh, and because I know you’ll ask, the wall color is from Sherwin Williams as well and the color is Snowbound. It’s are really pretty bright white and I used the Emerald line of paint, it covered really well with one coat.

Design

Mid Century Sofas You Can Buy Online

May 12, 2015

I don’t know about where you live, but Bakersfield can be a bit of a small town when it comes to shopping for modern home furnishings. I usually end up having to drive a couple hours to LA to find what I really want. It seems obvious that I should be shopping online. But, for someone who doesn’t like shopping at a big department store because it’s so overwhelming, looking online for a sofa can be super intimidating. There’s just too many choices. Just like I avoid shopping for clothes at TJ Maxx and even Macy’s, but causes there’s just too many choices, when online furniture shopping, I like to stick to what I know and trust.

I love All Modern for home furnishings that match my style and taste. They help narrow the overwhelming online search and leave me with all the good selections. Their focus is making modern design more accessible. Searching this one site saves me hours of having to sift through dated florals and tired overstuffed recliners with cup holders.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

We have replaced our old sofa we a new mid century style sofa to compliment the other pieces in our living room. I’ll give you a hint, it’s one of the gorgeous sofas pictured below. Really I couldn’t go wrong with any of these well made sofas. I chose a grey sofa, because it’s my favorite neutral and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon. Each of these sofas feel modern and current to me, but have a hint of mid century styling to add a little vintage funk to any space. Stay tuned, because I’ll be sharing the new living room look very soon.

I’d love to know what you think. So, which one would you pick for my living room? Or do you know me well enough that you could guess which one I picked? Is there one to speaks to you and your style? What’s your current favorite neutral?

Design

Breakfast Nook Update

May 8, 2015

This is a long overdue post. If you remember and shared quite a while ago that I wanted to replace our kitchen breakfast nook light. Here where some of the options I considered. I love everything Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. makes. Their aesthetic works so well with our home and my style. Schoolhouse Electric is clean and minimal, but with a fun vintage vibe. Because we live in a 1920’s bungalow, things can be quite cute and quaint. A prime example is the absolutely adorable nook we eat almost all our meals at in our kitchen. And while I love cute things, I don’t want to be stuck in a time warp and live like I’m in the 20’s. So, to balance the adorableness of our home, I like to play with more modern fixtures and clean lined pieces. That’s why I went with the Vega 3 fixture. It was probably the most risky design choice, but I think unexpected objects like this help me keep my home looking young and fresh.

I have been wanting to change up the art on the wall as well. The Vintage Seed Packets (beware, this is O+P old school style) needed to go. When I came across these fun 3D metal letters at Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago, I knew I’d finally found the replacement I had been looking for. They are light and airy and spell out what we love doing the most.

So what do you think? Too quirky for your taste or just the right amount of funk to liven up my kitchen. So much better then what we had though, right?

Design

Leaning Bookcase

April 23, 2015

The old sofa is gone and I’m making some changes to our living room. This simple, inexpensive addition is really making me happy. I added a leaning bookcase to the small wall that faces our front door. It’s a pleasant scene to come home to.

I didn’t need to buy anything to fill these shelves except some fresh flowers. Everything was in my hall closet or different rooms around the house. I love how this shelf takes up very little space in the room, but gives me plenty of space to display some of my favorite treasures.

Here’s the sources (by shelf):

Green pot – thrifted, Woven trays – bought in Papua New Guinea

Dala Horses – Grey one bought in Sweden, white one bought at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, Gold geometric thing – bought at Hobby Lobby and then spray painted gold

Books – just a few from the nerds collection, Bowl – Nate Berkus for Target (Fall 2014)

Vase – Nate Berkus for Target (Fall 2014), White and Mercury Glass Votive – Target (Christmas 2014), Books – more of the nerds collection

Basket – bought in Papua New Guinea, Blanket – vintage, bought in Eureka, CA

I think this is a piece that would work really well in a lot of spaces. And I love the idea of lining a whole wall with them side by side. Big or small space, this bookcase feels light and airy.

Design / DIY

DIY Colored Shelf Brackets

April 8, 2015

Do you remember the Global Eclectic Bedroom? Well, I promised I’d share how I customized the shelves in this space. Here’s how I added a little splash of the client’s favorite color, purple.

I gave simple IKEA brackets a quick coat paint in 3 shades of purple. I think this really makes these shelves look a lot more pricey then they are. I love giving inexpensive, easily sourced items a little custom look. Instantly you don’t have the IKEA shelves that everyone else has, you’ve got super cute 3 toned purple shelves. So, much better, right?

Design

O + P Color Palette 2015 – Green

April 3, 2015

I’ve saved the best for last – GREEN (my favorite color). Have you been following along with my O + P color palette posts this week? Be sure to check out the Gold, Grey, Cobalt Blue and Peach mood boards as well. Green is my constant. Because it’s my favorite color, every shade of this color is scattered throughout my home decor. It’s the color I gravitate to.

Fish Planter // Lamp // Green Bottle // Mint Desk Storage

Swatch Pillow // Vase // Print

J Pillow // Squirrel Hook // Dipped Basket

Design

O + P Color Palette 2015 – Peach

Peachy, pinky, rosie, blush – these feminine shades have been calling my name lately. I’ve shared a few inspiration boards with this color (here and here). This is definitely a color that is part of my O + P color palette. It looks great with Gold, Grey and especially Cobalt Blue (my current favorite combo).

This is a color this easy to find in home decor and clothing stores right now. I’ve gathered a few of my favorite pieces here. They are all reasonably priced. And peach is such a great color for Spring. It’s time to get out of the heavy, dark winter clothes and lighten up your look with some pretty pastels friends.

Wire Pendant // Vase // Triangle Pillow // Diagonal Pillow

Pillow // Towel // Bowl

Sheets // Frame // Print

Design

O + P Color Palette 2015 – Cobalt Blue

March 31, 2015

Continuing with my O + P color palette for 2015, here’s my second color – Cobalt Blue. This week I’m sharing a color palette that I have decided to focus on for 2015. Some of the colors are on trend, some are just my favorites and some are just great compliments to the colors I already love and live with now.

Cobalt Blue is a color from my past that I’m returning to. It’s not a color that I really have in my home at all right now. But, it is a color that I’d like to add splashes of soon. This is a color I feel comfortable in. The bedding I took to boarding school and then college was this color. And being a redhead, I know this is a good color for me to wear. This is the most risky color I’m adding to my palette. I feel safe with grey and green. I needed something fresh and bright in my life, so Colbalt Blue it is.

Box

Chair // Pipe Hook // Painted Pillow

Agate Coasters

Block Print Pillow // Vase // Hexagon Watercolor // Blue Print

Blue and White Cut Pillow

Do you tend to stick with the same colors over and over? Or do you take risks and play with new colors in your home and closet all the time? What colors are you wanted to add to your life?